NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - PRO STOCK NOTEBOOK
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MONDAY NOTEBOOK - CONNOLLY MARCHES THROUGH KB RACING FOR WIN, KORETSKY COMES UP BIG AGAIN, KJ'S HORSEPOWER
CONNOLLY GETS BIGGEST WIN – Dave Connolly has already won quite a few Pro Stock races at the young age of 24. This U.S. Nationals win has to rank up there as one of the most memorable, however. Not only is it the ‘grandaddy of all drag races’, but Connolly started the day with a win over Jason Line, then wrapped it up with a narrow victory over Greg Anderson in the finals. It was the second consecutive year that Connolly and Anderson met in the final round at the U.S. Nationals. This year, it was Connolly’s turn.
At one point in time last year, it was reported that Evan Knoll was considering withdrawing funding from any car in the NHRA Pro Stock category. According to the report, Knoll was tired of racing for third place behind KB Racing’s one-two punch.
It’s amazing how things can change.
In 2007, Anderson has remained the Pro Stock car to beat, but Connolly and his Victor Cagnazzi teammate Jeg Coughlin have been nipping uncomfortably close to Anderson’s heels all season long. With the win over Anderson, Connolly also moves into the points lead in the Countdown to the Championship.
“I felt real confident about the whole situation going into the finals,” Connolly said. “We had the best car all day long starting with that 6.64 in the first round, and we had lance choice which was huge today. It’s nice to say that we are the car that knocked Greg off that streak he had going. It’s also nice that we go up by one round over Greg with the Countdown to the Championship, and he is finally the one chasing us.”
Connolly was confident, but at the same time he was well aware of the circumstances and the situation he was in. “It was the first round of the Countdown, so that’s pressure. It was another KB Racing car, so that’s more pressure. It’s the U.S. Nationals on top of all that, so that’s even more pressure,” said Connolly. Handling the pressure is quickly become his trademark. “I knew we had them in performance, so I just didn’t want to screw up. I needed a .20 or .30 light, and we would be OK.”
On top of the U.S. Nationals win, Connolly and the Torco Race Fuels team are coming off a win at Reading last weekend.
“This is the first time we have ever won back-to-back races,” Connolly added. “I guess it’s something about those races that go on for a week. Maybe it makes you hungry sitting around waiting for the race to happen.”
The fact that he took out both KB Racing cars on his way to the finals wasn’t lost on him either. “I don’t think anyone will argue that that team has ruled Pro Stock for the past four years,” said Connolly. “This is a testament to the team Victor Cagnazzi has put together from the ground up, from the chassis to the engines to finding sponsors.”
Connolly knew he was doing something special when he started to pull away from Anderson in the back half of the track. If you’ve ever watched an NHRA broadcast, you know that just does not happen.
“We were actually outrunning those guys in the back half, which is amazing,” said the Elyria, OH native. “It shook the tires a little bit and moved to the left, so it had me on my toes. Being the finals at the U.S. Nationals, I was looking over to see where he was and I knew it was close, but I thought we had him by a foot.”
FOLLOWING THE LANES – We’ve talked about the disparity between the right and left lanes all weekend, and the trend seems to be continuing through eliminations. After the first few pairs of Top Fuel saw winners out of the right lane, there was hope that we may have a two-lane racetrack for the first time. That hope was bolstered when Brandon Bernstein laid down a 4.52 in the bad lane.
As the first round wore on, it appeared we would be seeing more of the same. By the time Pro Stock was finished, only two cars had won out of the right lane. A quick look at the incrementals from each pass shows a continuing trend: significantly slower 60-foot times in the right lane, indicating excessive tire spinning.
At the end of the semi-finals, Greg Anderson’s dejection at the fact that Dave Connolly had won lane choice by two thousandths of a second was very apparent. It was probably justified when Connolly outran Anderson in the finals.
THE SPOILER CLICHÉ – It’s been beaten to death, but the ‘spoiler’ role is one that has gotten, and will continue to get, a lot more attention in the new Countdown to the Championship points format.
The effects of the new points system are playing out already, with top names not qualifying and those outside the Countdown taking top spots. Today’s eliminations have the potential to continue that trend in a very significant way, with the only matchups between Countdown contenders in the first round being the ones we noted yesterday between Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Greg Anderson, and between Jason Line and Dave Connolly.
MONSTER MATCHUPS: THE RESULTS – Speaking of those matchups, we’re going to have to call it a draw between the two factions. Greg Anderson ran a decent 6.738 to take out Jeg Coughlin, but the race was over on the starting line. Anderson had a nice .014 light and Jeg had an uncharacteristically late .062. Considering the type of weekend that KB Racing has had, Anderson was justified in not feeling too confident going into first round.
“I actually considered taking the awning down before first round so we could get out of here earlier,” said Anderson. “Somebody must be looking out for us though. We got lucky on that one. It jumped out of gear on me, but maybe Indy is just my lucky place.” Anderson was attempting to win an unprecedented fifth U.S. Nationals in a row, but fell one round short.
In the race between Line and Connolly, Connolly and crew chief Tommy Utt pulled out all the stops, running an astounding 6.648 and going low for the event thus far. That, coupled with a two-hundredths advantage on the tree, was more than enough to handle Line’s 6.691.
“That was probably one of the nicest runs we’ve made all year,” Connolly said. “Tommy and the whole crew just do an awesome job. Not only is it the U.S. Nationals, but it’s the first race of the Countdown, and on top of that we get Jason Line. It was definitely a time to step up and we showed that we can.”
Connolly wasn’t sure he had actually run that fast, even when they told him over the radio. “I thought my crew chief was reading the board wrong again, but he was right,” he said.
“We need to go back to the shop and get both these Summit Racing Pontiacs ready for the next three races,” Jason Line said after the run. “We’re not out of this Countdown by any means and some long hours will help with finding more horsepower. We’ll be ready when we show up at Memphis.”
AH, SCHMIDT! – We told you yesterday that Steve Schmidt was heading back to his shop to perform repairs on his primary engine for today’s eliminations.
In a rare occurrence in Pro Stock, Schmidt’s Chevy Cobalt let out a big puff of white smoke at about half-track, indicating an engine that let go in some way. That allowed Max “Cinderella” Naylor to advance to the next round virtually uncontested.
THAT WAS INTERESTING – In what was the most unusual quarterfinal race, Kenny Koretsky took out #2 qualifier Jim Yates with a pedestrian 7.379 elapsed time. Koretsky blamed the slowing on breakage, not the fact that Yates was nowhere to be seen out the windows of his Cobalt.
“I don’t know what happened there,” said ‘Captain Chaos’. “I think it must have broken something in the transmission. I knew I was out on him at the starting line, and we’ll take a win anyway we can get it.”
The reason Koretsky didn’t see Yates was because the Wiley-X GTO broke right at the launch, contributing to Yates’ .182 reaction time. Koretsky had a .015. “It broke something in driveline,” Yates said. “We haven’t taken it apart yet, so we don’t know exactly what it is just yet.”
The most interesting part of the run happened before either driver was pre-staged. Yates was just behind the pre-stage beam, waiting for Koretsky to pull forward. Koretsky was busy backing up and re-aligning his car in the groove at the direction of his crew. At one point, Yates’ crew chief, son Jamie, ducked his head in the car.
“We were just trying to get back in race mode,” Jim Yates said. “Kenny was having trouble over there or whatever he was doing, so rather than sit there we got ourselves back in our routine and ready to race. I figure they were just playing a game, and if they want to do that that’s fine. They were just pushing the car back and forth, stalling. You race long enough you see it all.”
“He didn’t make a good run, and we had a round we could have won there, so it’s unfortunate.”
Later, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins made an appearance in the press room and informed us that Yates’ car actually started out in neutral, then bumped into first gear with the engine revved up, causing the rear-end to break.
KJ HAS BIG HP – In an era when it’s well known that Greg Anderson and Jason Line are making the most steam with their engine program, it appears that Kurt Johnson is making headway in the AC Delco R&D program as well.
The two-time U.S. Nationals winner has reset the track speed record twice this weekend, the most recent and probably the most impressive being in Monday morning’s first round of eliminations. The current mark now stands at 207.30 MPH. Johnson sacrificed that engine in his second round win over Allen Johnson’s Mopar Dodge. Interestingly, it was KJ’s first win over AJ in four meetings thus far in 2007.
“We’ve definitely been running fast all weekend, top speed of the meet,” Johnson said. “We hurt it this time, but we’ve got spare bullets under the bench in the trailer. Mike Smith and everybody back at the shop have been working hard, and it’s paying off. This thing has just been flying. We were bummed that Dad didn’t get in, so we’ve gotta go out and win this thing now.”
If Kurt and Warren are using the same engines, it leaves no doubt that the problem with WJ is not in the horsepower department.
Kurt’s horsepower carried him all the way to the semi-final round, where he lost to Greg Anderson.
HORSEPOWER KEEPS ‘TRICKY’ OUT – Rickie Smith made a much-publicized effort at qualifying for today’s U.S. Nationals eliminations, but came up short. Smith’s Chevy Cobalt is a proven racecar, leaving the rented Steve Schmidt engine as the only variable.
“We were fifth and sixth every pass this weekend in 60 feet and 330 feet,” the former Indy champ said. ”We just couldn't hang in there in the back half. We needed a better motor. We would have loved to race on race day.”
Smith currently is currently eighth in points in IHRA Pro Stock, and also competes in the Quick 8 Pro Modified series when he has a free weekend. Sometimes he can be found flying to NHRA races to support his son Matt’s quest for a Pro Stock Motorcycle championship as well. Between all those races and racecars, however, Smith isn’t too familiar with a free weekend during racing season.
On a positive note, Smith’s wife Nancy and their grandson could be spotted selling candy throughout the pits in support of the Leukemia Foundation. They also had a table set up in Rickie’s pits to sell the candy, and looked to be doing a booming business when we stopped by.
KORETSKY MAKES THE CUT, AND THEN SOME – We touched on Kenny Koretsky’s teammate Bill Windham making his return to Pro Stock action earlier in the weekend. Windham failed to make the cut for this weekend’s U.S. Nationals, but after failing to qualify in Reading, Koretsky is in the show this weekend. His 6.678 was good enough for 10th, and he faces Larry Morgan in this morning’s first round.
"I think we are on to something in the tune-up," said Koretsky. "Eddie (Guarnaccia) and Tomi (Laine, team crew chiefs) have been working hard in the clutch area and we are going to be racing today. Any day you qualify at the U.S. Nationals is a good day."
Koretsky always seems to perform well at the big races, and this weekend was no exception. Koretsky was an unlikely semi-finalist before falling to eventual winner Dave Connolly’s quick Torco Cobalt, putting his hopes of another U.S. Nationals final round on hold for at least one more year. Koretsky last made a final round appearance at Indy two years ago.
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SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - NAYLOR IS OFFICIAL #1, WJ'S STREAK ENDS, LINE'S LIST OF BREAKS, SUMMIT VS. CAGNAZZI, YATES TALKS PERFORMANCE AND THE GRUMP
IT’S OFFICIAL: NAYLOR IS No. 1 – After talking about it in a provisional form all weekend, we can finally say it: Max Naylor is the No.1 qualifier in Pro Stock at the U.S. Nationals.
Ever the promoter, Naylor chose to walk back down the return road and shake hands and high five fans as his car was towed along slowly in front of him. “All I wanted to do was thank them for coming to the races,” said Naylor. “Without all the fans, we wouldn’t have a reason to be here. If they don’t come and buy the tickets, we’re in big trouble.”
The only thing that may shake Naylor’s confidence going into Monday’s eliminations is the fact that he didn’t make it down the track at all today, in conditions similar to what he will face tomorrow.
“We just were a little too aggressive,” Naylor said. “We know how to go fast in these conditions. We’re just going to go out there with our best set-up tomorrow and do the best we can.”
Naylor’s second trip to the U.S. Nationals has certainly been more eventful than the first, and he admits to getting caught up in the spectacle of the “Big Go.”
“Last year I came here thinking it was just another race,” said Naylor. “After all this, it’s not. And I’m not just saying that because I’m #1. Very few people have sat in this position, and regardless of what happens tomorrow, I’m going to soak it all up.”
WJ’S STREAK ENDS AT 31 – John Force and Warren Johnson, perhaps the two most dominant drivers in their respective categories over the past two decades, failed to qualify for the U.S. Nationals this weekend. It marked the first time since the 1980 Winternationals that both WJ and Force failed to qualify at the same event, and the first time in 31 consecutive attempts that “The Professor” missed the U.S. Nationals field.
“To put it simply, we were the victim of a series of self-inflicted wounds,” Johnson said. “I believe the first engine we used was hurt, and when we lost the second run due to the oversight of not lowering the RPM’s on the starting line, we had no choice but to leave it in for the third attempt. We installed a new engine this morning, but it didn’t work in the race car. For the last session we put in one of Kurt’s spares that had never been down the track, but it just didn’t get the job done.”
Though much will be made about WJ’s DNQ, he insists that it isn’t any different than not qualifying anywhere else.
“I know a lot has been said about this being the U.S. Nationals, but we approach this race the same as we do any other event, doing what we can to be there for final eliminations.”
WJ isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, and can’t get back to work on his engine and race car soon enough. “We’ll head out of here tonight and go back to the shop to get right to work. Obviously, we will have to take the car completely apart to find out what’s wrong. Before we can fix something, we have to determine exactly what it is, and fix it we will.”
LAST SESSION A TOUGH ONE – Sunday’s fifth and final qualifying session featured the worst atmospheric conditions racers and crew chiefs had seen all weekend, and it showed. The only driver to record a pass quicker than the bump spot was Greg Anderson with a 6.68, and most drivers shook the tires in the right lane to continue the trend that has been going on all weekend.
LINE’S LIST – Jason Line has struggled this weekend, and those struggles culminated in an aborted run during the final round of qualifying. After the burnout, Line’s car was noticeably lopsided and favoring the left side. Line shut the car off and jumped out, leaving the car at about the 60-ft. marker while Larry Morgan made his pass.
“It broke a wheelie bar actually,” Line said. “It shook a little in the burnout, and it started to grab the tire and I laid into it. The wheelie bar broke and poked a hole on the inside of the tire. So I had a flat tire, but the wheelie bar was broken so I couldn’t have made the run anyway. I’ve broken some strange things here at Indy, so we can just add this to the list.”
Line is known for being hard on himself, whether it be on the starting line or in the pits, deserved or undeserved.
“We have definitely struggled this weekend,” Line continued. “I don’t think it’s possible to attribute it to just one specific thing. We don’t know what it is exactly, but of course if we knew what was wrong we wouldn’t be off. Greg’s car made a good run this last time though, and hopefully we can carry that trend into tomorrow. It’s hard to be perfect all the time.”
CAN’T-MISS FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS – Connolly’s pass moved him up the ladder and shuffled the rest into a couple interesting match-ups. It will be Team Summit against the Cagnazzi boys first round tomorrow when Connolly lines up against Jason Line, and Greg Anderson faces Jeg Couglin Jr. in the battle of the mail-order parts superpowers.
“I guess we might as well get it over with right away,” Jason Line said. “Whatever happens happens. All you can do is go up there and do your best. They are certainly making better runs than we are right now, so we are going to have our work cut out for us.”
CONNOLLY’S FIRST PASS A GOOD ONE – Dave Connolly made Sunday’s quickest run in the early round today, going 6.659 at 206.32 MPH. Connolly has been consistently quick all weekend, but was happy to dip down in the 6.65 range with the top two qualifiers.
“We knew we could step it up just a little bit today, and we did,” said the 24-year-old Elyria, OH driver. “That was a pretty nice run. It trembled a little bit in low gear, so I’m sure there are some thousandths that we left on the table. Everybody out here is capable of making the big run, so it’s nice we were able to do it.”
Connolly was also happy to see fellow young gun and Knoll Gas teammate Justin Humphreys make a nice run. “That’s a great run for them, and I’m glad to see them step up,” said Connolly.
Connolly slowed dramatically in the final session along with everyone else, running a 6.716.
HUMPHREYS MAKES A MOVE – Justin Humphreys had the second-quickest lap for the first round of Sunday’s qualifying, running a 6.669 under the sun to move up to 6th. The difference between this weekend and the rest of the season for the Knoll-Gas Energy team? Bob Glidden.
“Bob Glidden has been such a big help,” Humphreys said. “Getting that run in last night was big since we’ve been struggling so much, and coming out today and moving up the ladder gives us a lot of hope going into tomorrow. Hopefully we can stay in the top half of the field and go out and win one tomorrow.”
Humphreys’ last qualifying attempt wasn’t as successful as the previous one. The notorious right lane bit him, and he spun the tires hard at the launch.
SCHMIDT ON THE BUMP – We talked yesterday with Steve Schmidt about his outing at his home track this weekend. Schmidt had confidence that he would be able to put his Chevy Cobalt in the field, and he did just that, landing on the bump with a 6.705.
“We were lucky, that’s all I can say,” said Schmidt. “We made a pretty nice run last night, but we left about a hundredth on the table. I’m surprised we stayed in actually. There were an awful lot of good cars that struggled today.”
Interestingly enough, Schmidt held off his old rival Warren Johnson by one-one thousandth of a second to end WJ’s U.S. Nationals qualifying streak. “That’s an amazing record,” the engine builder said. “But we can’t worry about that. I’m only concerned with what’s going on with our car and controlling our own destiny.”
At the conclusion of the interview, Schmidt was on his way back to his shop here in Indianapolis to perform repairs on his primary motor for tomorrow’s first round meeting with Max Naylor.
TALKING WITH YATES – Former Pro Stock champion Jim Yates made the pass of the day in Pro Stock yesterday, running a 6.658 to go all the way to #2 in qualifying. We caught up with Yates to discuss his run and the U.S. Nationals in depth.
“Well, it goes back to the difference in lanes,” the Occoquan, VA resident said. “This has been a tough venue for us, but that was our first run in the left lane and we had confidence in the track based on what the other cars had run in that lane. Jamie (crew chief/son) came up with a combination for the clutch and gear ratios, and Grumpy has been tweaking on the motor since we got here.”
As we reported yesterday, Yates wasn’t the only driver that noted quite a difference between the right and left lanes. And like everyone else, he didn’t quite have a handle on why. “We haven’t figured it out yet,” Yates said. “It just seems that the first 60 feet in that right lane do not respond. Historically we have had the same issue, but by the time the Saturday night run comes around, they are equal. That’s just not the case this year. Hopefully we can stay in the top half of the field, get lane choice, and not have to worry about that right lane.”
Coming into the U.S. Nationals, it can’t hurt to have one of the greatest Pro Stock racers and engine builders in history hanging out in your trailer. Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins supplies the power for Yates and Dave Northrop, but his knowledge and experience extends far beyond the firewall.
Bill has tremendous ‘peripheral vision’ as I like to call it,” said Yates. “His job is the engine, but he sees the entire car. He sits back there on his computer and looks at that graph all day long. Sometimes he comes up with the weirdest things, but more times than not they work. That comes from 25 or 30 years of Pro Stock racing.”
“The beauty of Bill is that he doesn’t live in the past, and he knows that things change,” Yates continued. “He just has so much raw knowledge, and he’s as sharp as anyone in these pits as far as memory goes. He can be up there watching a car run and tell us something about the four-link or the wheelie bars. And he’s always dead on. Racing with Bill is like going to college: you’re always learning something.”
“The best thing about Bill is that he gives you maybe one tidbit of knowledge per race,” said Yates. “He doesn’t overwhelm us, and he only says something when he’s got something important to say, as I’m sure everyone knows. You get marinated in Bill. You just sit around him and soak up that knowledge, and the longer you are around him the better off you are.”
Despite running extremely well as of late, the relatively low-budgeted Wiley-X driver believes there is much more to attracting and keeping a sponsor than on track performance.
“Realistically, performance on the track is not the best thing to measure a car by,” Yates said. “It’s important, but there are so many more aspects that you have to be good at to offer value to a sponsor. The fans come out here to watch a driver race, not just a car. My job is to sign autographs, have a blog, build a rapport, and build brand awareness. Good performance helps incrementally, but it’s really only the icing on the cake.”
Using that mentality, Yates says he has many irons in the fire for next year, and hopes to run the full 2008 schedule with backing from Wiley-X as well as additional supporters.
Yates ran a very strong 6.687 in the right lane Sunday morning, but slowed to a 6.715 in the final session. Overall, he was one of the most consistently quick cars throughout qualifying.
BERNER FOLLOWING RICKIE’S LEAD? – Defending IHRA Pro Stock champion Peter Berner was spotted walking around the U.S. Nationals pits, which immediately brought a question to mind: Was Berner considering a move to NHRA Pro Stock, and taking notes from fellow IHRA racer Rickie Smith?
“It would be pretty interesting to give this side a try,” said Berner. “I just couldn’t afford to run the 23-race schedule over here in addition to the 14-race schedule in IHRA.”
Pro Stock legend has converted his versatile Jerry Bickel-built Chevy Cobalt from a mountain-motor Pro Stock car over to a 500-inch machine for this weekend’s race. Berner thinks his car could do the same thing.
“I gotta tell ya, I’m pretty impressed with what Rickie has done this weekend,” Berner said. “With a little more power I think he would be right up there. We’ve been thinking of trying the same thing, but we’d have to have the right motor program to even consider it. We have a really great motor program going on with our IHRA deal right now, so unless something incredible comes along it looks like I’ll stick with IHRA and try to defend my title.”
“Rickie is a racing fool,” continued Berner. “I told him when I got here yesterday that he was just a glutton for punishment! He’s a great racer, and he made some adjustments and went right down the track, so my hat’s off to him.”
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - YATES MOVES WAY UP, NAYLOR HOLDS ON, ANDERSON AND LINE STILL A LITTLE OFF
ONE LANE TRACK? – The talk in the pits was the questionable right lane. Several drivers mentioned running in the “good lane,” referring to the left, in their post-race and pit interviews.
Though quite a few cars were able to get down the right lane, there is no doubt most of the quickest passes came from the Mac Tools left lane. According to most of the crew chiefs and drivers, the sun going behind the left-side grandstands shade the left lane before the right, creating unevenness in track temperature.
“I would have run a 6.63 in the left tonight,” Max Naylor said. “We were in the right and spun the tires. There wasn’t much track left by the time I got up there.”
YATES JOINS NAYLOR AT THE TOP – Jim Yates made the run of the weekend in Pro Stock, though it wasn’t enough to knock off Max Naylor. In much warmer conditions, Yates ran a blistering 6.658 to take the No. 2 qualifying position.
“This is awesome for our Wiley X Eyewear Pontiac GTO team,” said the former two-time Pro Stock champ. “The track is awesome out there right now, and Grumpy (crew chief and engine builder Bill Jenkins) and the whole crew are working so hard to make this thing go fast. A 6.65 Is a pretty good number at this time of day.”
NAYLOR IS NO FLUKE – Just in case there were any concerns that Max Naylor’s out-of-nowhere 6.655 track record run on Friday was a fluke, Naylor put them all to rest with a 6.659 pass during Saturday’s first session. Naylor’s run was low for the round.
“We are thrilled with that run,” said Naylor. “Probably more so than the run last night. We ran just as quick in the heat, which is great.”
Naylor ran a 6.699 in the final session, and though Jim Yates got close, no one was able to bump Naylor off the pole. Announcer Bob Frey had no problem calling Naylor’s Cinderella story the story of the U.S. Nationals thus far.
EDWARDS’ SEARCH FOR POWER – Mike Edwards and the Young Life team have always had a very competitive racing operation, so when they started to fall off in performance earlier this season they elected to sit out a few races and test rather than struggle at the national events.
Though he sat 11th in qualifying after Friday, the former U.S. Nationals champion insisted they hadn’t really gained anything from the time off.
“To be honest, we are about the same,” said Edwards. “The cars out there that are faster than us just missed it last night, so I’m not too confident with where we are right now.”
“We sat out those races mainly to work on our engine program, but we aren’t seeing any improvements right now,” Edwards continued. “The car seems to be fine, it’s just that we have no power. Hopefully we can run well in this second night session tonight, or I don’t think we will stay in this thing.”
TWO CARS, TWO RESULTS – After Friday’s qualifying, the ever-consistent
Allen Johnson landed the Mopar Dodge in the No. 2 spot, just a few thousandths
behind surprise pole-sitter Max Naylor. Allen’s crew chief and father Roy
Johnson thinks it could have been better.
“If it hadn’t gotten over against the wall, I believe we could have snuck by and gotten No. 1,” said Johnson.
Several of the top cars struggled Friday, one of those being Johnson’s teammate Richie Stevens Jr. Stevens made the field, but it was way down the ladder at No. 14. Johnson thinks he knows why there was such a performance disparity between the two cars.
“Richie had a little cockpit malfunction,” the elder Johnson joked. “He was a little late pulling 2nd gear, so it just blew the tires off when he shifted. But Richie is one of the best drivers out here, so we’ll give him that one. You can’t be perfect all the time. He was the first one to point out that that was what went wrong, and I agree with him.”
Pro Stock cars are undoubtedly the most sensitive to minor changes in weather and track conditions, and Johnson provided his prediction for the rest of the weekend.
“I think a 6.64 will be low,” Johnson said. “I think the track is going to start giving up today. So many cars go down it that by Sunday it’s almost gone. Last night was the best conditions we will see.”
SHANE TUCKER SIGHTING – Australian Shane Tucker, who is under a developmental contract with Cagnazzi Racing, is in attendance this weekend to offer support for Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Dave Connolly. Once sponsor negotiations are finalized, the plan is to have Tucker on the track as the third Cagnazzi team car.
“The boys are working really hard back in the marketing department at the shop to get everything together,” said the former ANDRA standout. “Things are coming along really well. We don’t have a major sponsor in place as of yet, but everything Cagnazzi does is first class so I couldn’t be with any better organization right now. Everyone knows it takes a ton of money to run these things, so first things first; we have to find a sponsor. Then we will be out here on the Powerade series.”
Tucker isn’t just sitting around doing nothing while the sponsor hunt continues. The Aussie recently moved to Mooresville, NC permanently and has been doing a lot of testing at Mooresville Dragway just outside the team’s shop. “I’m just staying sharp so that when the time comes, and it will, I will be ready,” Tucker said.
The move to the piedmont of North Carolina wasn’t as big of a culture shock as Tucker expected. “It was quite an easy transition,” he said. “Australia is pretty laid back, and so is Mooresville. It’s been a lot easier than if I moved to New York or L.A. or something.”
SUMMIT STRUGGLES – After talking with several drivers and crew chiefs
Saturday morning before the 2nd qualifying session, one subject
seemed to be on everyone’s minds: Neither Greg Anderson nor Jason Line made it
down the track Friday night. When that happens, the usual result is that Team
Summit comes out swinging harder than ever, which is something the rest of the
field doesn’t really want to see.
“Obviously, we’re going to try to come out here and lay one down this morning,” said Rob Downing, crew chief for both Anderson and Line. “Last night was not a good night for us. We had a couple different things happen, and we know what went wrong so I feel confident about today. We’re just going to have to work at it as we approach Monday.”
The always-secretive Summit camp isn’t too willing to share what may have gone wrong with the cars, but Downing provided some insight. “We had some transmission issues with Greg’s car,” said Downing. He wasn’t as forthcoming with Line’s machine. “We just didn’t do a very good job with Jason’s car,” he said.
The struggle continued somewhat through Saturday’s first round. Anderson ran a solid 6.697 and a then-track-record 207.24 MPH, but the setup wasn’t quite there on Line’s car as he ran s 6.739 to sit 21st in the pecking order. Line later moved into the field with a 6.69 in the last session, and Anderson ran a nice 6.67 to move up 8th. Both were good passes, but still not what we are used to seeing out of the dominant Ken Black-owned team.
THAT’S A NEW ONE – Former NBA standout Tom Hammonds’ Chevy Cobalt made a violent right turn when he dropped the clutch Friday night. That tends to happen when your right rear tire is nearly flat.
“The spring in the valve core collapsed,” Hammonds said. “It just allowed the tire to slowly lose all air pressure. That’s the first time I’ve heard of that one.”
“I’ve been around everything from monster trucks to airplanes, and I’ve never seen that happen,” said crewmember Roger Hubbard. “I used to work for Dale Earnhardt’s cup team, and I’ve seen hundreds of tires and never had that happen.”
Surely that problem was fixed, but the car seemed to have the same results Saturday. Hammonds’ car again took a hard right turn at the launch during the first session, and ran into hard tire shake during the final session.
NANCE EYEING RETURN – Another NBA star was on the grounds at Indy. 6’10” Larry Nance, the former Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns forward, is never hard to spot. The first NBA Slam Dunk champion competed in his first event of the season at Norwalk in a brand new Cobalt, but hasn’t been seen on the tour since.
“As of right now, I hope to be in Richmond,” Nance said.
HANKINSON’S HORSEPOWER – Craig Hankinson may be a relatively new name on the list of NHRA Pro Stock drivers, but he is definitely not new to Pro Stock. The former crew chief for Jeg Coughlin Jr. has had plenty of success behind the wrenches, and looks to be headed toward success behind the wheel as well.
Hankinson currently sits 10th in the tight Pro Stock field after 2 sessions, and credits his recent increase in performance to what’s going on under the hood.
“We were running Steve Schmidt power, and don’t get me wrong, we ran well,” said Hankinson. “We started to fall off, so we switched to a Ron Krisher motor and it’s running great. We’re just trying to race smart and not try anything crazy.”
Hankinson began the year as crew chief for the team, with Dwayne Rice handling driving duties. Rice and the team parted ways before Topeka when they couldn’t manage to see eye-to-eye on how the operation should be run, opening the door for Hankinson to take a stab at driving. Since then, things have been on the upswing for the Boscoe HVAC operation.
“The car is working about as well as it can,” Hankinson said. “There is always something that can be done to tweak the chassis setup, but we are leaving it alone and just focusing on the motor and the tune-up.”
“We would like to move up the ladder a little more, but the air is the worst it’s been all weekend right now so I don’t think it’s going to happen,” said Hankinson.
Hankinson and team owner Robert Perry plan to keep the team together next year, but haven’t quite worked out all the details just yet. “We’re definitely going to run the full schedule, but we haven’t decided on a powerplant yet. This one is running well, we just haven’t committed yet,” Hankinson allowed.
Hankinson recorded a solid 6.70 in Saturday’s final session, but it wasn’t enough to move him up on the ladder.
HOMETOWN HERO – In the mid ‘90s Steve Schmidt was a mainstay on the Pro Stock tour, often filling the role of the biggest thorn in Warren Johnson’s side. Since then we have seen him in limited action, but his vast array of leased engines have been seeing much more than limited action. The Indy native has a whopping nine engines in competition at this weekend’s U.S. Nationals.
“I’ve been to 5 or 6 races, but this is always my favorite race,” said the engine builder. “I enjoy seeing a lot of people that I only get to see one time a year. Everybody comes to Indy.”
Carrying the flag for Schmidt’s engine program is “Captain Chaos” Kenny Koretsky. Schmidt hadn’t run too bad himself through two sessions, sitting just outside the qualified field in 17th position. “We were actually 10th quickest in the first session today,” said Schmidt. “We were in the bad lane too. If we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot tonight and the driver doesn’t go brain-dead, I think we’ve got a good shot to get it in tonight.”
Schmidt isn’t going it alone this weekend, teaming up with Matt Hartford. The two cars are completely different however, as Hartford is campaigning a Wally Stroupe-built car, but with Schmidt power of course.
“Matt’s car is totally different,” said Schmidt. “Wally kind of brings a fresh breath to NHRA Pro Stock, since he does mainly Pro Modified and IHRA stuff. I really look forward to working with him.”
While Hartford couldn’t quite crack the tough field, Schmidt was able to do so in the last session with a 6.705. That put him one spot above his old rival WJ, who sits on the bump.
MORGAN MOVING UP? – The always-entertaining Larry Morgan wasn’t sure how he felt going into Saturday’s 2nd qualifying shot. He was 5th going into the session with a 6.669.
“I don’t know how I feel. Maybe I fell a little hot, maybe I feel a little cold,” Morgan joked. “Seriously though, I feel pretty good. We just need to make consistent runs.”
Morgan has had a strong car all year, and if he improves in the consistency area, look for him to move off the 8th points position that he clung to coming into the Countdown for the Championship.
“I hope this Countdown plays into our favor,” said Morgan. “We didn’t make a good run in that last session, and if we can get down that right lane we should move up. It’s been a tough lane all day though.”
Morgan posted an excellent 6.67 in that right lane, which wasn’t enough to move him up but stood as low E.T. of the round.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – BOB FREY SAID IT FIRST, BIG M’S, BIG O’S, BIG OH MY! THE GLIDDEN FACTOR
HE DID WHAT? – On August 31, 2007, at 7:25 PM, announcer Bob Frey said something that he nor any other announcer has ever uttered: “Max Naylor is your No. 1 qualifier.”
Naylor and crew, who had never touched a Pro Stock car before last year, put the Jagermeister Stratus on the pole with a track record 6.655, 206.39 MPH pass.
“I told my crew we need to take that qualifying sheet and frame it at the end of the night,” said Naylor. “Because no matter what happens, for one day we were number one qualifier at Indy.”
The run seemingly came out of nowhere, but those who follow the series closely know that Naylor has been slowly creeping up the ladder when the qualifying sheets come out. “We spent the last few days testing in Martin, Michigan, and we thought we had found a few things but you don’t know until you come out here for this first run,” Naylor said.
Making the run even more interesting was the fact that Naylor did it on Hoosier tires. “The Goodyear tires are good, and I have no malice against Goodyear, but we just could not get good tires from them,” said Naylor. “We went with Hoosier, and while it’s a great tire, it truly is not as fast as the Goodyear. But we never got the good Goodyears.”
Normally we could confidently say that Naylor’s run should stand throughout the weekend, but with the special schedule for U.S. Nationals there will be a second night pro session tomorrow night. That leaves Naylor’s run vulnerable to being displaced, but as he said earlier, he doesn’t care too much.
“Like I said, for us, this is a dream come true no matter what else happens. To even do this for one night is a major accomplishment.”
I’D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR – The long-standing legal battle between Dart Machinery’s Richard Maskin and Big O Tires over Maskin’s use of the names ‘Big O’ and ‘Big M’ for lines of his cylinder heads has taken another twist, and Maskin took the time out to update Torco’s Competitionplus.com on the latest details.
“Bascially, Big O Tires is wanting to settle now,” Maskin said. “They are tired of all the bad press they are getting on the subject. The latest offer from them is that they want us to withdraw our trademark application, and they sign off on it and can’t litigate against us. Then we can lease “Big M” from them for $1 per year.”
Maskin and his legal team aren’t exactly willing to give up and accept the deal just yet, however. “We told them we didn’t want to do that, but for a very large sum of money, they could own it and we would lease it from them for $1 per year,” said the legendary Pro Stock engine builder.
As the entire mess has developed, the tables have been turned and Maskin is now going after Big O Tires, instead of the other way around. “I’m trying to get my attorneys to go after them for a frivolous lawsuit,” Maskin continued. “My law firm has another client that is being sued by Big O Tires as well. I want to go after them for $10 or $15 million dollars and really get their attention in front of the public, but my lawyers don’t want to do that. They are trying to talk me out of it.”
Maskin contends that Big O Tires does nothing but create work for the federal trademark board, and the “offending” companies grow tired of it and settle. Maskin isn’t willing to go that route.
“Unless you contact them, you can’t find out what’s going on with the trademark board,” Maskin said. “It’s basically a firm that is paid to keep abreast of all trademark applications. If they find something using the word ‘Big’ and letter from the alphabet, they litigate people until they get tired of spending money and settle. I refuse to settle.”
“They don’t even use ‘Big O’. ‘Big O Tires’ is their trademark,” said Maskin. “They have abandoned the simple ‘Big O’, and if you don’t use it, you lose it, so I don’t see what their case is.”
”I came to you guys (Competition Plus) and now we’ve got them wanting to settle, so I told my lawyers to tell them we are going to publish a chapter each month about how unreasonable they are being,” Maskin concluded.
Torco’s Competitionplus.com will stay on this story and keep you informed as new developments occur.
GLIDDEN BACK AT THE ‘BIG GO’ – Pro Stock living legend Bob Glidden is at this year’s 53rd U.S. Nationals serving as a consultant for the Knoll Gas Energy car driven by Justin Humphries, and we had a chance to catch up with the second-winningest Pro Stock driver of all time to discuss his Indy success, among other things.
Glidden was great at every track he went to, but he was especially dominant at the U.S. Nationals, winning an incredible 9 times in an equally impressive 13-straight final round appearances. What set Glidden apart from the competition?
“We were very lucky,” said a humble Glidden. “We always seemed to have the absolute best luck at this race track. Other than that, what helped us more than anything was the fact that we dynoed our engines in Indy air, so we may have been more prepared engine-wise than our competition for the simple fact that we live here.”
Glidden won at this famous venue many times, but as most any driver will tell you, any win at Indy is the crown jewel of a career, even if you only do it once. That makes it impossible for Glidden to pick out his favorite U.S. Nationals victory.
“I’ve been asked which one was the most special many times,” Glidden said. “All of them were special. I would say the most special win of my career wasn’t here at Indy, it was actually my last one in Denver. I can’t separate one U.S. Nationals from another, so they all rank up there for me.”
Everyone knows Glidden as the ultimate Ford man, but what many may not know is that he competed in the 1976 US Nationals in a Chevrolet.
“The Chevy thing was an overnight deal that we put together to try to prove a point to NHRA,” Glidden recalled with a smile. “They put so many rules on me with the Ford, but it didn’t turn out as we expected. It wasn’t a very memorable year for us.”
Since his tumultuous tenure with Don Schumacher’s Pro Stock operation and more recently with Maskin’s car when Tom Martino was behind the wheel, Glidden admits he has enjoyed his time off. “I played a lot of golf, but I’m still no good at it,” Glidden joked.
Glidden’s split with Maskin was reported to be less than amicable, so the question of whether any tension remains between the two now that they are working together once again was a hot button topic in the Pro Stock pits.
“With Maskin and I, we never really know where everything stands,” Glidden jokingly said. “We’re both maniacs, so whatever it is, it is. We understand each other though. Richard called and asked me if I would come back and help him with this car, so here I am.” Glidden put to rest any rumors that the two were at odds or remained at odds after the initial parting of ways. “We didn’t have a bad split. Some things just weren’t going the way I wanted them to, so I figured the best thing for me to do was go home and hit golf balls.”
“Richard and I are a lot alike,” Glidden continued. “We both have done this for 35 years, and we both want to win. It is just so tough to put all the pieces together to make that happen these days.”
Glidden’s return to Indy as Humphries’ consultant comes after an extensive test session in Martin, MI. The team has been struggling with the chassis setup under the car, but they were pleased with the results of the testing.
“There were 6 or 8 really good cars testing with us in Martin, and we were the quickest out of all of them,” Glidden said. “We think we’ve got it sorted out, but we’ll find out tonight when we make our first run.”
That first run didn’t work out as expected. Humphries had to about the run when he shook the tires at the top of low gear.
TOM & TOMMY TURN IT AROUND – Veteran Pro Stock driver Ron Krisher struggled mightily throughout the first half of the season in his Valvoline Cobalt, but has turned it around as of late, thanks to the help of Victor Cagnazzi power and the knowledge of former Pro Stock drivers Tom Martino and Tommy Lee. Though he is out of the race for the championship, the team hopes to make some noise as a spoiler at the remaining NHRA events.
“Ron decided he wanted to start leasing motors from the Cagnazzi group, and I knew a little bit about the tune-up so he brought me over,” said Lee. “Tom (Martino) has been doing a great job with the car, so we just worked together to get all the ratios right and the car has been performing. Ron has been doing a good job driving, too.”
Krisher is leasing motors from Cagnazzi and utilizing the services of one of his employees, but that’s where it ends, according to Lee. “There is no data sharing, we run our own car,” said Lee. “We’re getting top-notch stuff though, the same stuff they are running.”
Lee has high hopes for this weekend’s U.S. Nationals with the wave of momentum Krisher has been riding. “I think all of Cagnazzi’s motors are real close right now, within a few horsepower, so I think we have just as good a shot at running as fast as they do, as long as the car is working,” he said.
Don’t look for this partnership to be fly-by-night either, as Lee indicated that Krisher is committed to the engine-leasing program through all of next season as well.
Krisher’s qualifying shot Friday night ended at about 60 feet, when he ran into violent tire shake.
SCRANTON BACK, BUT NOT ON M/T’S – Matt Scranton and Billy Glidden’s development program with Mickey Thompson announced last week is still a go, but neither driver will be on M/T’s this weekend. They will be running the traditional Goodyear tire, but with the yellow lettering removed from the sidewall of the tire.
“Mickey Thompson is still working with Billy on developing the Pro Stock tire,” Scranton said. “We’re still out here advertising the name, though. They have always been really good to us, and were actually one of the first companies to do anything for us way back in 1995. They have been like family ever since.”
The removing of the Goodyear lettering is an extension of that advertising campaign according to Scranton. “What we’re hoping is that the fans in the grandstands and watching on TV will see the Mickey Thompson name on the car and hopefully go out and buy tires.
Scranton sees a host of advantages to trying a different tire. “It should be a fast tire. Everything M/T that we’ve used in the past has always worked great,” said Scranton. “They’ve got the fastest 10-inch tire, and we ran really fast with their big tire on our Solara. They’re consistent, and a heck of a lot easier to get than the Goodyears.”
Though they would have loved to debut the tire at the biggest race of the year, the tire wasn’t ready for the U.S. Nationals. “They’re working feverishly on it as we speak, and we will definitely have it this season,” said the Florida native.
Scranton is making his return to competition and his first trip to Indy after sitting out a few races. To date, his best showing was a semifinal finish at the Gatornationals in March. “This is such a tough deal out here,” Scranton said. “I admit I made a few bad runs as a driver, and I just need more seat time. The guys over at KB Racing have been really good about getting us out there testing more, so we’re feeling confident about this weekend.”
Scranton made a decent first pass Friday night, ending up #15 with a 6.732 elapsed time.
WINDHAM’S INDY DEBUT – Bill Windham is making his Indy driving debut this weekend in the Big O Tires Cobalt, but he has had success at the U.S. Nationals in other ventures.
“I was partners with David Baca on his car last year, and we took out Doug Kalitta in the first round and upset the apple cart,” said the Sacramento, California-based driver. “This track was good to us last year, so I hope to pick up where we left off this year.”
Windham is making his first appearance back on the tour since Sonoma. “We ran really well in Sonoma and I got more comfortable in the car,” said Windham. “I’ve had some ongoing back issues that are hopefully handled now, and I can’t wait to run in my first U.S. Nationals.”
Windham’s first hit wasn’t too memorable, as tire shake ended his run early.
It’s been an up and down year for Windham, but with several new sponsors waiting in the wings, he is looking forward to running the full NHRA tour in 2008 with teammate Kenny Koretsky.
KJ FINALLY BREAKING THROUGH? – Kurt Johnson is traditionally a strong performer as the season reaches the home stretch, but it hasn’t ever translated into a Pro Stock championship. Johnson’s 36 national event wins are the most by any driver without a championship, but that could all change with the new Countdown to the Championship points format.
“We’re certainly hoping this is our year,” said the younger Johnson. “We feel we are on the upward swing. We ran well in Reading and kind of let it go in the finals, but if I can keep my driving up I think we have a shot. I think it’s going to come down to the best 4 drivers gunning for the championship when it’s all said and done.”
Despite the dubious distinction his number of wins with no championship brings, Johnson doesn’t really think about it until some statistician or journalist brings it up.
“I don’t even worry about it,” Johnson said. “I’ve finished 2nd four times. There has always been somebody that was running a little bit better, driving a little better, or had more money. I don’t know what it is. I’ve had a good career no matter what, so I don’t worry about it and I just go out and do my job.”
“We’ve had a good season so far and hopefully we can put this AC Delco Cobalt where it needs to be, and that’s on the podium after Pomona.”
Johnson made a good first step toward accomplishing that goal Friday. His 6.663 elapsed time put him third in qualifying, and his 206.76 MPH was tops for the session.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - GREG ANDERSON GUNS FOR A 5TH, TRICKIE RICKIE IS IN INDY AND THE ART OF TRAVELING "A-TO-B"
THE FAN – Jason Line would love to win Indy, but it wouldn’t hurt his feelings if teammate Greg Anderson takes home the trophy.
“Yes, I’m like everybody else at Indy, I want to win,” said Line, who develops the horsepower for both the Summit Racing Pontiac he drives, and for the Summit Racing Pontiac of his teammate Greg Anderson. “But, I also want to see Greg get that fifth straight Mac Tools U.S. Nationals win. I understand nobody has ever won five straight. So part of me is pulling for Greg. The other part of me says that if for any reason something happens that he doesn’t get number five, I’ll be right there to back him up 'cause I’m still looking for my first Indy win.
“Also, the Countdown to the Championship is in the home stretch and it’s important that both Greg and I get off to a fast start so that we’ll be there in the end.”
PLEADING THE FIFTH - Although three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Champion Greg Anderson will try to approach it as just any other race, this weekend may be the biggest race of his career.
Sure, who doesn’t want to win Indy? Anderson sure does.
Anderson, who has won five times in six final rounds at Indy, including four-in-a-row, is trying to become the only professional driver to win the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals five consecutive times. He won here in 2001 and 2003-2006 and was runner-up in 1999. He also earned the No. 1 qualifying position three times (2004-2006).
"Obviously, winning four-in-a-row at Indy has been pretty cool for me," said Anderson. "I think there is only two other Pro Stock guys that have done that -- Bob Glidden and WJ (Warren Johnson). I don't believe that anyone in any professional class has ever won five straight, so if I could do it that would put me alone in the record book. That would be a heck of a feather in our cap, winning five-in-a-row.”
A look at Kurt Johnson’s career history reveals that the newly-instituted Countdown format could actually play to his competitive strength. Throughout his 14-year Pro Stock career, over one third of his 36 national event wins came in the last six races of the season, which is precisely the timeframe for the NHRA’s title stretch run. Coming off an impressive runner-up finish at the most recent race in Reading, PA, the Johnson-led crew feels more than up for the challenge that lies ahead.
“We’re coming out of halftime, heading into the third quarter with our game faces on,” quipped Johnson. “We know that everyone has been rebuilding and regrouping for this next stage, but so have we. We’ve been working on getting our ACDelco Cobalt to run consistently, making good runs every time out, and it’s starting to pay off. For example, we’ll use a lot of what we learned in Reading this weekend.
“I know that historically I’ve usually run well in the last six races of the year, but can’t say why. Who knows, maybe subconsciously I’m trying to get some extra money for the holidays. Seriously, though, you always want to run well at the end of the year, because that’s what you carry in to the off-season. In any case, I think the next six races will be fun, and I’m excited by our prospects.”
TRICKY RUNNING A SMALL MOTOR – Rickie Smith has been blazing the IHRA tour this year with a mountain motor in excess of 800-cubic inches. This weekend, Smith’s Cobalt is a throwback to the 70s and 80s when teams used to use the same car and switch engines.
Today, rapidly evolving technology and purpose-built machines require a team to choose one path or the other.
“Tricky Rickie" is not only known for his superb driving skills, but his incredible ability to make a racecar get down the track. As one of the best tuners around, Smith is hoping to make the field this weekend in Indy with his “small’ engine.
“Indy is the race that everyone wants to win,” Smith said. “We have been racing in the IHRA this year, and ended up having this weekend off, so I said what the heck. All the nuts and bolts have come together over the last week, so we will see what we can do.”
Smith’s son Matt is leading the Pro Stock Motorcycle points, so don’t be surprised if you see either Smith in one another’s pits throughout the weekend.
“We figured we are already going up there to support Matt, so why not race while we’re there,” said Smith. “We have tested over the last week and have been thrashing to make things work for us. We had to change my big motor car to a little motor car basically. We changed everything from the set up to the suspension to the water lines. We had a pretty good test session though, and are excited about going to Indy this weekend.”
CALM BEFORE THE STORM – Allen Johnson's title hopes still alive as Countdown to Four beginsJohnson qualified for the Countdown to 4 with a few races to spare and that enabled the team an opportunity to work on the setup of Johnson’s Dodge Stratus R/T before the next section of the Countdown began.
“We had a new motor in [the Stratus R/T] at Reading, and tried some new things on the motor we had been running,” Johnson said. “There’s just four or five changes we’re trying to incorporate into a new engine we hopefully will have at Indy.”
With eight drivers left to battle for the NHRA Pro Stock title, Johnson wants to start the Countdown to 4 on a positive note at Indy.
“Our strategy is going to be very simple,” remarked Johnson. “We’re going to follow the strategy we’ve had all year, to have lane choice and win first round, and then push it a little harder, so we can win lane choice for the second round. It’s huge to do well at this first race to give you some momentum.”
STREAKIN’ – Jeg Coughlin, Jr. wouldn’t mind seeing history repeat itself.
It seems every time Coughlin wins the "Granddaddy of all drag races" he goes on to win the world title.
Coughlin's enviable Indy streak started in 1992 when he beat former sportsman world champion Sherman Adcock in the final of Super Gas at what was then called Indianapolis Raceway Park. The victory, just the second national event win of his young career, propelled Coughlin to his first world championship (Super Gas) by season's end.
Eight years later in 2000, Coughlin returned to "the Big Go" as a professional, racing in the Pro Stock class. Once again he won the race, this time beating Ron Krisher for his 29th career national event win, and followed up the Indy victory with his second world title and first as a professional.
The trend continued two years later when Coughlin edged Jim Yates in the Pro Stock final for his 38th career win that spurred an incredible stretch run that ultimately awarded him his third world championship (Pro Stock).
"We've been very fortunate in Indy, but I didn't realize the national event wins were all part of our championship seasons until now," said the 37-year-old from Delaware, Ohio. "All three of those seasons are very memorable for Team JEGS and to combine a win at drag racing biggest and most prestigious race with a world title makes it all the more special.
"It would be fantastic to extend that streak this year. I certainly believe we have the team and the racecar to get it done and with this being the first race of the Countdown to Four, it would be the optimum time to do it."
Aside from his three national event wins in Indy, Coughlin has three more wins at the famous facility including the 2004 Hemi Shootout, and Divisional races in 1992 (Super Gas) and 1997 (Competition Eliminator).
DID YOU EXPECT ANY DIFFERENT? - One would have to spend some time with Warren Johnson to truly understand the nuances of running a Pro Stocker. For the man nicknamed “the Professor,” what looks good on the outside of the car, likely angers him on the inside.
“Although we’ve been somewhat successful over the last few races, we believe we have yet to extract the maximum performance from our GM Performance Parts GTO, simply because it hasn’t been going straight,” stated Johnson. “We’ve done as much due diligence as we can in trying to correct the problem, trying to get the right balance in the car. We feel that we’re right on the edge, and now it’s just a matter of getting it over the hump.
“This weekend’s race is a big one in more ways than one, so before heading to Indianapolis, we’ll spend two days testing in St. Louis, gathering information and hopefully getting a firm handle on this race car. This will be our first true test session since May, and we want to make sure we quite literally have the kinks out of it.”
Should Johnson and his Terry Adams-led crew get their race car fully up to speed, it could not come at a more opportune time, as the POWERade Drag Racing season is reaching a critical point. Not only is this weekend’s race the biggest in all of drag racing, and one every competitor wants on his or her racing resume, but it also marks the start of the NHRA’s second season, the Countdown to Four. With the contenders in all four professional categories narrowed down to eight and separated by only 80 points, every round takes on championship implications. Steeled by the experience of six U.S. Nationals wins and half-dozen Pro Stock championships, WJ brings a typically pragmatic attitude to O’Reilly Raceway Park on what promises to be a pressure-packed weekend.
“Over the years, we’ve done relatively well in Indianapolis, including winning a few,” said Johnson. “It’s a race that everyone gears up for. Whether you call it our Daytona 500 or Indy 500, it comes down to the fact that the U.S. Nationals are the highlight of the drag racing season, the premiere event that every competitor wants to win. As I’ve often said, you may win a championship, but if you never win Indy, your resume is a little hollow.
“Coming into this race, we’re also happy to be part of the Countdown to Four. Although we’re not seeded as high as we would have liked, the primary goal was simply to make it in, and we’ve done that. After all, you can’t launch a strike without a spot from which to start your attack. However, with only four races before the next cut down, there is even less room for error, so this GM Performance Parts Pontiac crew has to get to work.”
GOING STRAIGHT - In theory, drag racing is supposed to be a simple sport. You go from point A to point B as fast as you can in a straight line.
Justin Humprey’s Pontiac GTO failed to get that memo.
“It’s exciting to be going to Indy,” said the driver of the RaceRedi Motorsports/Knoll-Gas Energy Pontiac GTO. “But we have to get our car sorted out so it goes straight down the track. And then we can concentrate on getting in the show.”
Humphreys is relying on the expertise of crew chief Eric Luzinski, Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden and engine builder Richard Maskin to find the gremlins that keep making the car move to the left while en route to the finish line.
The team has a test session on tap Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug. 28-29) at Martin, Mich. “We’re going to run it up and down the track and keep beating on it until it goes down the track in a straight line,” said Humphreys. “We know we have power there because we ran near the top in speed during several sessions at Reading (Pa., site of the rain-delayed Toyo Tires Nationals).”
The frustrating part for Humphreys is that he knows the car is capable. He’s been to the semifinals twice (St. Louis and Bristol, Tenn.). He had a near-perfect .003 reaction time in the St. Louis semis against Dave Connolly but had to abort the run when tire shake occurred. “Dave said I would’ve whipped him if that hadn’t happened,” said Humphreys.
The combination of a good car and good motors bodes well – when the chassis reacts like it should.
“It’s all part of racing,” he said. “Pro Stock is a tough class. But, as I’ve said before, we aren’t giving up.”
THE SILVER LINING - It has been three years since Kenny Koretsky was the surprise Pro Stock runner-up at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and uttered his famous, “I think I must be the happiest loser here today,” remark – which he was – after the title round.
The reason was simple. That was the first final round of his long NHRA Pro Stock career. And it wasn’t until last July 8 at Bristol, Tenn., that he was able to win three rounds on Sunday and return to the championship round in POWERade Series action. And he came within two-thousandths of a second of securing that coveted first triumph.
Now, the driver nicknamed Captain Chaos is focusing on creating another opportunity to take home his first Wally.
“We’ve been testing twice since the race at Reading (Pa., Aug. 19) and Eddie (Guarnaccia, crew chief on Greg Hill’s Indicom Electric/Nitro Fish Chevy Cobalt) has been working on getting the car to run better (elapsed time) numbers in the first 60 feet. He’s not too far off,” said Koretsky after test stops at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis and U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, Mich.
“We wanted to get everything straightened out so we can go to the (Mac Tools) U.S. Nationals (Aug. 31-Sept. 3, at ORP) and go out and win some rounds on Monday. We were trying different things and now we have to get after it.”
This will be Koretsky’s 205th Pro Stock race. He’s in the NHRA record books as being the only driver to ever qualify at a national event in Top Fuel and Pro Stock, at Phoenix in 1989. Soon thereafter, however, NHRA adopted a rule that forbids drivers from qualifying two different cars in the professional categories.
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