NHRA’s annual duel in the desert has been a Southwest fixture since 1985, when it joined the tour in a late fall slot. Since 1990, it’s been the second stop on the tour’s westward march and a place for teams to redeem mistakes made at the opener. Charlie Allen, a former Funny Car racer, constructed a track that makes people forget it sits at 1,100 feet above sea level.  

		EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

 

SUNDAY FINAL - DIXON PICKS UP FIRST WIN OF 2008 AT SITE OF FIRST CAREER WIN; BECKMAN, GAINES ALSO WINNERS AT CHECKER SCHUCK’S KRAGEN NHRA NATIONALS

 

Returning to the site of his first career victory, Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon raced to his first win of the season during Sunday’s finals at the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

 

Jack Beckman and V Gaines also were winners at the second NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event of the 2008 season.

 

Dixon drove his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco dragster to a 4.532 second, 327.19 mph victory over runner-up Dave Grubnic, to pick up his first win of the season, second at Firebird, and 42nd of his career. The win ties him with Tony Schumacher for 9th on the NHRA all time wins list and second overall in Top Fuel.

 

“Any time you get a win it’s special,” Dixon said. “Donnie Bender (crew chief) has been on our team since 1999 and he’s never been on a car that’s won here. When you think about that, it would be nice to get that one out of the way. I’m dedicating this win to him.”

 

Defending POWERade Series world champion Tony Schumacher collected his first semifinal finish of the season after losing to Dixon on a holeshot, while two-time defending event winner “Hot Rod” Fuller’s day was cut short after falling to Grubnic in the semifinals.

 

Still recovering from a bad case of the flu, Beckman drove his Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.868 second run at 320.20 mph past runner-up Robert Hight, collecting his first win in Phoenix and fourth career win.

 

“I guess the flu this year is immune to (flu shots),” Beckman said. “You get up in the morning and you just feel bad and you look at the back of the cold medicine and it says do not operate heavy machinery and I’m not sure if that counts as a nitro Funny Car, so I didn’t want to take anything, but after the second round I finally had to take some Tylenol.”

 

It was a tough first round for many Funny Car drivers, with defending event and POWERade Series world champion Tony Pedregon, 2003 Phoenix winner Ron Capps, and 14-time world champion John Force all falling early.

 

V Gaines grabbed his first win in seven years, driving his Kendall Dodge Stratus to a 6.702 at 205.38 run past 2006 POWERade Series world champion Jason Line. Gaines’ last win came against Tom Hammonds in Dallas in 2001.

 

“It’s been a long dry spell,” Gaines said. “They said when I beat Greg Anderson (in the semifinals) that this was the first time I’d beat him since 2001, so that’s bitter sweet.”

 

Though he lost in the second round to Gaines, three-time world champion Greg Anderson kept his point lead in Pro Stock heading into Gainesville.

 

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Sunday's final results from the 24th annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by  Castrol at Firebird International Raceway.  The  race is the second of 24 in the  NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

 

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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - WILKERSON COLLECTS SECOND CONSECUTIVE NO. 1 OF 2008; BERNSTEIN, JOHNSON ALSO NO. 1 AT CHECKER SCHUCK’S KRAGEN NHRA NATIONALS

Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson raced to his second consecutive No. 1 qualifying position of the season during Saturday qualifying at the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Brandon Bernstein and Allen Johnson also were the No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the second NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event of the 2008 season.

Wilkerson drove his Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS to a 4.775 second run at 327.03 mph to secure the No. 1 spot in Funny Car, after rain on Friday shortened the qualifying sessions from four to two.

“With only two runs, it was anybodies ball game there,” Wilkerson said. “If we’d had more runs you’d probably see somebody else No. 1, but that’s ok. We’re happy and we’ll take our No. 1.”

Defending event and world champion Tony Pedregon qualified 10th for the event, while 14-time world champion and 8-time event winner John Force qualified third. Force’s daughter and teammate, Ashley, and Funny Car rookie Melanie Troxel were among those who did not qualify for the event.

Bernstein, who earned his 12th No. 1 qualifying award of his career, moved to the top of the field on the last qualifying session. Returning to the site of his first career win in 2003, Bernstein drove his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to the top spot with a run of 4.515 at 330.31.

“You never forget your first, you just don’t,” Bernstein said, referring to his win in ’03 over Larry Dixon. “It was a great run. Right when I pulled the chutes I knew that was real good and pretty quick.”

Defending world champion Tony Schumacher drove his U.S. Army dragster to the fourth spot in the field, while two-time defending event winner Rod Fuller will start from the 11th spot in the field on Sunday.

Allen Johnson drove his J&J Racing/Mopar Dodge Stratus to the No. 1 position on the last qualifying run of the day. Johnson’s track record-setting run of 6.631 at 208.55 was more than just a fast number for Johnson.

“We said coming back here that this would be a celebration that he’s still here with us,” Johnson said, referring to the heart attack father and crew chief Roy Johnson had just one year ago at this event. “So this is just a celebration that he’s still here with us.”

Final eliminations for the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals begin Sunday at 11 a.m.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 24th annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by Castrol at Firebird International Raceway, the second of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.


Top Fuel -- 1. Brandon Bernstein, 4.515 seconds, 330.31 mph  vs. 16. Steven Chrisman, 4.873, 300.86; 2. David Grubnic, 4.524, 327.66  vs. 15. Troy Buff, 4.796, 241.24; 3. Hillary Will, 4.532, 334.32  vs. 14. Mike Strasburg, 4.784, 282.19; 4. Tony Schumacher, 4.536, 329.34  vs. 13. Doug Kalitta, 4.713, 298.47; 5. Antron Brown, 4.538, 324.90  vs. 12. Doug Herbert, 4.665, 312.06; 6. J.R. Todd, 4.543, 329.99  vs. 11. Rod Fuller, 4.601, 319.07; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 4.546, 329.50 vs. 10. Cory McClenathan, 4.586, 318.24; 8. Larry Dixon, 4.549, 319.29  vs. 9. Morgan Lucas, 4.566, 326.00.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Alan Bradshaw, 6.175, 297.81.

Funny Car -- 1. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala, 4.775, 327.03  vs. 16. Bob Bode, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.106, 246.21; 2. Mike Neff, Ford Mustang, 4.798, 322.73  vs. 15. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 5.031, 314.61; 3. John Force, Mustang, 4.808, 325.06  vs. 14. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.874, 321.50; 4. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.815, 318.99  vs. 13. Jerry Toliver, Charger, 4.865, 286.07; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Impala, 4.829, 320.05  vs. 12. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.853, 314.83; 6. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.829, 315.71  vs. 11. Jim Head, Solara, 4.852, 323.89; 7. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.840, 320.89  vs. 10. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.849, 318.47; 8. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.844, 319.07  vs. 9. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.844, 304.74.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Bob Tasca III, 5.165, 308.85; 18. Melanie Troxel, 5.731, 259.11; 19. Del Worsham, 5.867, 240.25; 20. Ashley Force, 6.070, 306.40; 21. Terry Haddock, 8.750, 105.07.

Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.631, 208.01  vs. 16. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.701, 205.60; 2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.635, 208.55  vs. 15. Kenny Koretsky, Chevy Cobalt, 6.697, 206.35; 3. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GTO, 6.638, 208.42  vs. 14. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.687, 206.23; 4. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.641, 208.14  vs. 13. Matt Hartford, Stratus, 6.679, 205.98; 5.Jason Line, GTO, 6.642, 207.53  vs. 12. Max Naylor, Stratus, 6.677, 205.85; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.650, 207.72  vs. 11. Justin Humphreys, GTO, 6.674, 207.50; 7. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.664, 207.37  vs. 10. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.673, 206.42; 8. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.665, 208.14  vs. 9. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.669, 206.42.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Jim Yates, 6.713, 204.79; 18. Bill Glidden, 6.736, 205.79; 19. Larry Morgan, 6.741, 204.57; 20. Vinnie Deceglie, 6.745, 204.57; 21. Gordie Rivera, 6.752, 204.57; 22. Ben Watson, 6.763, 203.40.

 

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FRIDAY QUALIFYING - FRIDAY QUALIFYING RAINED OUT FOR THE CHECKER SCHUCK’S KRAGEN NHRA NATIONALS

 

Friday's racing action at Firebird International Raceway has been cancelled due to persistent rain showers.

Professional qualifying for the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals will continue on Saturday, with the sessions scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. (MT).

Eliminations will start at 11:00 a.m. Sunday.

 

 

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EVENT PREVIEW - NHRA POWERADE TOUR HEATS UP IN PHOENIX

Heat shows up in a variety of ways. For some, heat means pressure – a mental game. For Tony Pedregon, heat was something he could feel.

Tony Pedregon won Phoenix in 2007 and tested well in January.

Pedregon’s Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS exploded in the first round at the season-opener in Pomona, Calif., instantly propelling the reigning POWERade Series Funny Car champ back to the center of attention in a category already ripe with story lines. Since the accident there’s been no rest for Pedregon, who was solicited for appearances on NBC’s Today show, CNN and Inside Edition to talk about the accident.

“I’m anxious at this stage to get back to the track,” said Pedregon, who sustained only minor burns to one hand. “I think the couple of days home will do me some good. In the office there’s a lot to catch up on. I’m already looking forward to making it to the track and getting back to the car. I know the team is evaluating everything and it seems we were able to locate what the problem was. There will be some efforts made to address that, with the hopes of not allowing that again, and some other precautions taken, but outside of (the glove) everything did its job.”

Pedregon takes some solace in the fact that the next time he suits up he’ll be in Phoenix, where he won in 2007 and tested well in January. But there’s no doubt that he and the rest of the fastest drivers in the world have plenty on their minds heading into Phoenix. And it’s only the second race of the season.

The 24th annual Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by Castrol, Feb. 22-24, is the second of 24 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. The race will be televised on ESPN2 HD.

“We’ve got good data (on Phoenix),” Pedregon said. “I think for that reason we feel good about going back. We’ll see better track conditions this time than we did testing…I’m a little disappointed we didn’t qualify as well as we would have liked in Pomona (he was 12^th), so this is a good opportunity to get off to a better start than we did in Pomona. I’m anxious to get back into the seat.”

For Robert Hight, the pressure to qualify in Phoenix is the heat he can’t ignore.

For Robert Hight, the pressure to qualify is the heat he can’t ignore.

“I used to feel safe knowing that I’d get qualified,” Hight said. “I wouldn’t get nervous until race day. Now I have two hurdles every race. The first hurdle is just getting qualified and then you have to go four tough rounds on Sunday.”

Pomona’s drama unfolded in a positive way for Hight and the four-car Funny Car team of John Force Racing, where after months of therapy team patriarch John Force made his first start since his own spectacular crash in Dallas last fall. In fact, it looked like it would be an all-Force final, with three of JFR’s drivers - John, his daughter Ashley and Hight - in the semifinals. In the end Hight faced Cruz Pedregon in the finals, with the win light going to Hight and a relieved Force Racing team.

“We are still adapting to our new set-up and a lot of the changes to the chassis but the good news is I am heading into Phoenix with a lot more confidence than I had going into Pomona for the season-opener,” said Hight, who nudged the track record for time down to 4.636 in 2007. “That being said, I think anyone can win any NHRA POWERade event this season. Look at the competition in Funny Car this year. Any one of my teammates, John, Ashley or Mike Neff could win, plus you have drivers like Tim Wilkerson (Springfield, Ill.), Jim Head (Columbus, Ohio), Ron Capps or the Pedregons out there.”

There’s no better leader to follow to Phoenix than John Force, who with eight career wins at the track is by far historically the strongest driver there. Checker Schuck’s Kragen’s Del Worsham is second on the Funny Car career-wins list at Phoenix with two, in 2004 and ‘02.

Tony Schumacher leads the Top Fuel field with three trips to the winner’s circle in Phoenix (2005, ’02, ’00) and holds the track record for speed there (4.430, set in 2007), but last season it was Rod Fuller who earned the race title with a final-round win over Melanie Troxel at Firebird.

Both Troxel and Fuller’s teammate Antron Brown entered 2008 with new heat on their shoulders. In Troxel’s case, it’s a personal pressure that came from switching from Top Fuel to Funny Car, a category her husband Tommy Johnson Jr. is already entrenched in. Now the two are the second married couple to compete against each other in NHRA history. The situation they’d dreaded most – one spouse qualifying while the other did not – didn’t take long to materialize. In Pomona, it was Troxel who made the big show while Johnson’s ride was back in the trailer.

Brown made a move of his own this season – from Pro Stock Motorcycle to Top Fuel - where he rocketed his Matco Tools dragster to a No. 1 qualifying spot and advanced to the second round on race day before his dragster lost traction in Round 3, allowing Cory McClenathan to advance.

“I can’t wait to get to Phoenix,” Brown said. “We had a very good time testing there a few weeks back. I’m looking forward to getting back on the race track and doing well in qualifying and going out there and being very competitive on race day and going some rounds. I’m real pumped to get back out there with this Matco Tools team. My confidence is steadily climbing in the car.”

If there was any doubt that Greg Anderson would launch an all-out attack on reigning Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin in 2008, those questions were quickly answered. Anderson powered his way through the rounds to win Pomona in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP, outlasting a quicker reaction time by Coughlin in the final round with a faster car. Coughlin wrestled the POWERade Series world title from Anderson’s teammate Jason Line in 2007 – a title Anderson and Line had shared between them since 2003. Watch as the rivalry continues in Phoenix. Another team to watch is the father-son pair of Warren and Kurt Johnson, who with three career wins there each lead the list of active drivers who have reached the winner’s circle there. Kurt Johnson is the defending event winner.

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