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MONDAY - DEJORIA TAKES THIRD WIN, WILKERSON EARNS COUNTDOWN SPOT, MATT HAGAN REFLECTS ON THE PRO MOD DAYS

RECORD-SETTING WIN FOR DEJORIA - It was a feeling Alexis DeJoria had experienced before.

When she left her house in Austin, Texas, DeJoria told her husband, Jesse James, she had a very good feeling about the 60th Annual U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

“I knew it when I left the house in Austin,” DeJoria said about her premonition. “That’s not a joke. On my way to the airport I said I felt really good about this race, that I thought I was going to win this one. Then I forgot about it so I could race.”

This had happened to her once before, when she was leaving for the February Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Phoenix, where she would end up claiming her first-career Funny Car win by defeating Robert Hight in the finals.

“Phoenix…I knew it before I left the house,” she said when asked if she ever felt like this before. “I said, ‘Babe, I think we’re going to win this one.’ It was just one of those things.”

In Indy the feeling was the same, her opponent’s team was the same, but the driver in the lane opposite her Patron XO Cafe Toyota Camry was much different…16-time world champion John Force.

DeJoria left John Force at the starting line with a .037 reaction time to take the lead, and held him off down the track to take the win light. Though Force, who left in .071, tried to reel her in he simply he ran out of asphalt.

DeJoria posted a 4.038 at 310.34 miles per hour to better Force’s 4.039 at 319.67.

With the win, DeJoria became the first woman to win three Funny Car national events in a season in NHRA history. It was her first final round appearance at Lucas Oil Raceway and the fourth female professional win in race history.

After qualifying seventh, DeJoria defeated Cruz Pedregon in the first round before toppling Brady Alexander in the quarterfinals.

DeJoria defeated Courtney Force in an all-female semifinal that involved some friendly starting line games.

In the first round against Pedregon, DeJoria got out of her routine when Pedregon deep-staged his car against her.

“I caught myself because I glanced over and I don’t usually do that,” she said of her reaction to him putting out the top bulb. “Then I had a bad light, an .097 and I was kicking myself. Courtney had texted me and I texted her back. At that moment we didn't know we were going to race each other yet because we hadn’t run the second round.”

But they did have to square off.

“Sure enough, she goes in and lights both bulbs,” DeJoria said of Courtney Force at the starting line. “I was thinking to myself, ‘If she pulls some stuff like that, I’m going to punch her.’

“Sure enough, it happened and I don’t know if she meant it or not. It doesn’t matter. It’s racing and I can’t be mad at her for that, but at the top end I got out and told her I couldn’t believe she lit both bulbs on me.

“We’re buddies and it was funny. We got a good laugh out of it and I got the win. That’s all that matters.”

DeJoria said defeating John Force in the final gave her a great deal of satisfaction.

“Yeah, there’s a few reasons but I’m not going to mention them,” she said. “It is tough out here and he’s a hell of a competitor, obviously. He’s won more championships than anybody out there and he knows how to win races.

“We have a really good car, too. I never doubted our car or our abilities for a second, no matter who was in the other lane.”

The win in Indianapolis had added meaning for DeJoria. Her father, John Paul DeJoria, was in attendance and was able to join team owner Connie Kalitta in the team’s traditional starting line mosh pit after the final round win.

“For my dad to be able to come to as many races as he does, with his busy schedule, is very impressive,” she said. “I was so happy to be able to do it…to win while he was here. The two times we’ve won this year he wasn’t at those races.”

DeJoria qualified fourth in the Countdown to the Championship standings heading into the first race in Charlotte, but she doesn’t want to get ahead of herself.

“We’ll keep our heads down, stay true to ourselves,” DeJoria said of her team’s approach. “We’re happy with this win and are really happy to be a part of the Countdown.”

Funny Car -- Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 4.038, 310.34 def. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.039, 319.67.

 

WILKERSON MOVES ON TO COUNTDOWN - After falling to Tommy Johnson Jr. in the first round of eliminations Monday at the U.S. Nationals, Tim Wilkerson still had reason to celebrate. Earlier in the session, Jack Beckman, who was just 10 points behind Wilkerson for the 10th and final slot in the NHRA Countdown for the Championship, lost to 15th seeded Blake Alexander earlier in the first round and was eliminated from Countdown contention.

“No doubt that I lost the battle but won the war,” Wilkerson said. “Who would have ever known that something like that would go on, but that’s why we run them. If you would have just written it down on paper Blake Alexander didn’t have a chance.

“(Alexander’s crew chief) Paul Smith is smart enough to know that if you don’t have the ability to go .05, why try? You make it down the track and make the other guy beat you, and he did a good job. Hell, they would have beat me, too.”

Wilkerson knows what Beckman feels like because he went through something similar this year…losing to Gary Densham in Seattle.

“Jack fell into the same predicament I fell into in Seattle,” Wilkerson said. “Sometimes you get beat by a guy you shouldn’t get beat by. Paul did a great job with Blake’s car, they went down the race track and made the other guy beat them. He wasn’t able to, luckily for me.”

One would think Wilkerson’s Levi, Ray and Shoup team would have felt a great deal of pressure heading to Indy. That wasn’t the case.

“It really didn’t bother us…we just go racing,” Wilkerson said. “We talked about it at home, after we got beat in the first round in Brainerd. I told the guys we were going to go to Indy and just do what we always do, and if we get beat we’ll go home and talk about how we should have done a better job earlier.

“I didn’t want them to put any more pressure on themselves. I didn’t want them to feel like they had to work harder…it wasn’t going to be the end of the world if we didn’t win. Our sponsors love us either way.”

Wilkerson had the phone call to prove it, from one of his sponsors…Brian Yeager.

“I have a sponsor, Performance Roofing out of Wisconsin, who called me after Brainerd,” he said. “He said, ‘Listen, everybody still loves you. Don’t worry about what happened. We’re on your car because we think you are the guy that needs the sponsorship, so don’t let this get to somewhere it don’t belong.’ I thought that was really nice of him.”

HAGAN HAS FOND PRO MOD MEMORIES - 2011 NHRA Funny Car World Champion Matt Hagan got his start in professional racing driving a Pro Modified in the IHRA ranks from 2005 to 2007. He moved into an IHRA Nitro Funny Car for the 2008 season, finishing third in the final points standings. Hagan ended up catching the eye of Don Schumacher, who put him in a Funny Car for the 2009 NHRA Mello Yello schedule.

This weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway, one of the 10 events on the NHRA schedule that features Pro Modifieds, Hagan remembered his roots in the fast door-slammer class.

“It brings back some of the memories to see the Pro Mods,” Hagan said. “I have a passion for Pro Mods. They’re wicked cars and I feel safer in my Funny Car than I ever did in my Pro Mod. Those cars are like Pro Stock cars on steroids. There’s no downforce. You think you’ve got it and it keeps getting worse.

“With that suspension and everything else you can end up on your roof. Unfortunately I’ve been on my roof in a Pro Mod and it isn’t a lot of fun.”

The Pro Modified class has had a tumultuous recent history. IHRA dialed back Pro Modified as a professional class after the 2009 season and the ADRL, after a promising start where series owner Kenny Nowling gave away thousands of tickets to fill the stands, is no longer in operation.

NHRA has the Pro Extreme schedule along with the Pro Boost series, giving Pro Modified drivers a home.

“It’s definitely like a bull in a china shop, but it’s neat to watch them,” Hagan said of the Pro Extreme series. “I’m really glad they’re out here and they’re still running because a lot of people love the class and can relate to them.”

The first round of eliminations was about a lot more than advancing for a few teams, and despite losing the round to 11-seed Tommy Johnson Jr., sixth-seeded Tim Wilkerson was the big winner.

After final qualifying Saturday, Wilkerson led second-seeded Jack Beckman by just 10 points for the final spot in NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship. Beckman eliminated himself when he rattled the tires of his ’13 Charger before reaching the 60-foot cone while, in the other lane, 15-seed Blake Alexander’s ’10 Charger made a clean, solid pass.

Fourth-seeded Del Worsham had a lot at stake as well, and when he drove past 13-seed Jeff Arend in the first round he clinched the ninth spot in points for the Countdown. Worsham ran a 4.054 at 314.02 miles per hour to take out Arend, who drove his ’14 Charger to a 4.697 at 204.88.

In other first round match-ups, top-seeded Matt Hagan (4.404/260.16) defeated 16-seed Bob Bode (4.464/210.64), eighth-seeded John Force (4.029/321.35) defeated teammate, ninth-seeded Robert Hight (6.522/103.43), fifth-seeded Ron Capps (4.069/316.97) squeezed past 12-seed Chad Head (4.083/315.05), DeJoria (4.077/313.22) knocked off 10-seed Cruz Pedregon (4.825/186.23) and third-seeded Courtney Force (4.080/319.14) eliminated 14-seed Bob Tasca III (4.786/178.02).

In the quarterfinals, Worsham had the chance to move past Cruz Pedregon into eighth place in the points standings. Unfortunately, for the Villa Park, California resident, it did not work out. Worsham rattled the tires at the hit of the throttle to fall to Capps, who ran the fastest speed of the round at 317.42 miles per hour. Capps’ 4.071 easily topped Worsham, who lifted to a 11.878 at just 66.30 miles per hour.

This set up a semifinal showdown of a national event final that had already been run earlier in the weekend. After the Funny Car final was washed out in Brainerd, NHRA decided Capps and John Force would square off for the Brainerd Wally Saturday in Indianapolis.

Capps got the Brainerd Wally, Force got his ticket to the Indy final with a stout 4.033 at 322.04 mph to Capps’ 5.006 at 163.79.

On the other side of the ladder, DeJoria punched her ticket to the final by less than a car length over Courtney Force. Her .074-induced 4.057/311.77 run took her past Force’s 4.069/308.92 with a .084 light.

 

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SUNDAY - FORCE WINS TRAXXAS SHOOTOUT, HAGAN TOP QUALIFIER, DEJORIA MAKES THE COUNTDOWN

FIGHT TO THE FINISH - They may been teammates, but when John Force and Robert Hight staged their cars for the final round of the Traxxas Shootout they were going for the throat.

The final was tight, with Hight posting a .042 reaction to Force’s .084 to get in front early. However, Force’s crew chief Jimmy Prock was able to squeeze out a little more power than Hight’s tuner, Mike Neff. At 330 Force was in front by three ten-thousandths and he pulled away as they went down the track.
The final margin of victory was 75 thousandths of a second. Despite falling to Ron Capps in the final round of the Brainerd race, which was washed out and rescheduled for Saturday at Indy, Force is now looking for a multiple-win weekend.

He also is $100,000 richer.

“We got the win and we thank Traxxas, Mike Jenkins and NHRA for putting up this money,” Force said. “It was like the good old days with Skoal and Winston and Budweiser. Now I want to go back-to-back. I wanted to three-peat but I’ll never get Brainerd back.”

In the first round Alexis DeJoria was able to knock off Tommy Johnson Jr. DeJoria, the number five seed in her 2014 Patron Toyota Camry, was able to pull away from Johnson before half-track when Johnson had to pedal the #RileyDreamRacer ’13 Charger.

Johnson was in front at 60 feet, but DeJoria stayed in the groove and on the throttle, passing Johnson before the 330-foot mark and pulling away.
DeJoria ended with a 4.072/275.67 lap to Johnson’s 4.313/265.17.

In the next pair, Courtney Force drove her Traxxas ’14 Mustang to a Lucas Oil Raceway speed record to knock out Ron Capps and get some revenge for her father’s Saturday loss.

In a tight side-by-side race, Courtney Force crossed the finish line first in 4.005 at 322.73 miles per hour to top Capps’ 4.043/319.37.

“I had to get Capps back a little bit for my dad to help him out,” Force said. “It should make him feel a little better. It’s always tough to go up against (Capps), especially after last night. Going out there and running a four-flat in the heat with this track…I’m excited, especially because at the same time we qualified for Indy. I’m so glad to be here.”

After a rough Saturday where he not only lost to Capps but also was outside the qualifying field for Monday’s elimination rounds, Force’s daughter’s win was just what the doctor ordered.

“I was all screwed up the last couple of days, but when Courtney beat Capps…,” Force said with a grin.

John Force Racing’s other Mustang, driven by Robert Hight, knocked off Cruz Pedregon to advance to the semifinals in another tight contest. At the eighth-mile mark, Pedregon was behind by less than a hundredth of a second before Hight pulled away at the end.

Hight’s .055-induced 4.042 at 318.24 nipped Pedregon’s 4.052 at 310.98 with a .105 reaction time. His margin of victory was .0604 of a second.

Top-seeded Force, the 2013 Traxxas Shootout champion, rounded out the 2014 final four by defeating the eighth seed, Tim Wilkerson. Wilkerson earned his spot in the Shootout by winning the fan vote lottery, but a lost cylinder spelled his demise against Force.

Force left in .046 and drove to a 4.042 at 319.75 miles per hour to take out Wilkerson’s 4.073 at 311.34 with a .068 reaction time by 53 thousandths of a second.

Force did not know which Traxxas Shootout round also counted as U.S. Nationals qualifying, saying he did not read the messages that were sent to him about the race electronically.

All he knew was that he had to knock off Wilkerson to advance.

“Today, against Wilkerson, I asked (Jimmy Prock) how we were going to race him…we got whipped yesterday and we still didn’t qualify,” Force said. “That’s why I got so confused about what sessions counted and what ones didn’t. We thought the final session counted and not the other one and Robert and I were racing each other. We had to get off of each other. I’ve got to read my emails.”

The semifinals featured three John Force Racing Mustangs and DeJoria’s Camry. She squared off with John Force with a trip to the Shootout Finals on the line, and it was over before it began.

While Force struggled down the track to a 4.967 at 169.08, DeJoria shoot her chutes loose at the hit of the throttle and didn’t even make it past the 60-foot line. After blowing up an engine in the first round of the Shootout, DeJoria’s team could not get the car down the track.

Hight was able to knock off Courtney Force in a pedal-fest semifinal. Both drivers shook the tires hard at the 330-foot mark of the track, but Hight was able to get back into the groove and on the throttle first. His 4.768 pass at 162.31 was actually good enough to give him lane choice in the final round.

The final round was a family affair. Hight is married to Force’s oldest daughter, Adria, and his daughter Autumn, also Force’s granddaughter, was with both of them for the final round.

“My granddaughter (Autumn Hight) said, ‘Grandpa, I love you but I hope Daddy wins. If not I hope you win,’” Force said. “It’s hard enough racing, but how do you get up for the granddaughter? I just went into the zone.”

After the race, Force got the first hug from Autumn.

Force was also able to qualify for the U.S. Nationals, ending up eighth on the qualifying sheet. He will, ironically, face ninth-seeded Hight in the first round of eliminations.

CRUZ PEDREGON JOINS FORCES WITH RYAN NEWMAN - There will be a new decal on the back windshield of Cruz Pedregon’s Wix 2014 Toyota Camry. Pedregon will show his support of Rescue Ranch, a Statesville, North Carolina-based animal shelter that was founded by NASCAR driver Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie, that opened in October, 2013.

The 87-acre ranch is home to dogs and cats as well as a number of different, non-traditional pets such as goats, rabbits, birds, reptiles and even a cow.
The Rescue Ranch decal will adorn Pedregon’s rear windshield through the end of the 2014 Mello Yello schedule.

The Rescue Ranch was brought to Pedregon’s attention because, simply, he wanted to get involved with something that meant a lot to him.

“I posted on my Twitter account, asking if they knew of any animal shelter or anti-bullying agency that I could talk to,” he said. “I had some great responses, and after doing some research with my front office people I found that Rescue Ranch is a great operation.”

Pedregon has always been an animal lover, all the way back to when he was a little boy growing up in Torrence, California.

“I love animals. That’s one of the things near and dear to my heart,” he said. “I have had dogs all my life and always dreamt that I would be living out in the middle of nowhere with the world’s largest dog shelter because I didn’t want to believe any dogs passed away.”

As Rescue Ranch progresses, the Newmans plan to add things like a veterinary clinic, an educational center and picnic areas for visitors.

“What Ryan Newman and his wife Krissie are doing is a wonderful thing,” Pedregon said. “It’s great to hear about what needs to be done. They do a great job educating people about pet over-population.

“With my daughter Ryaah now almost turning four years-old, I am in the position to be getting her a first pet. When we’re in Charlotte, maybe taking her to Rescue Ranch might be something to do. I’m glad and proud to be able to support the Newman’s Rescue Ranch by running their decal on my car the rest of the year.”

Rescue Ranch is an 87-acre non-profit humane education facility which opened in October of 2013. It focuses on rescuing on a fundamental level, forming a necessary base or core, through hands-on learning.

Rescue Ranch currently offers school, Scout and camp programs along with birthday parties and special events.

A memorial pet garden will open this fall - a place where people can lay their cremated pets to rest.

Future plans include a vet clinic offering specialty services and 24-our emergency services, a therapeutic riding program, riding trails and adoption center.

Ways to give:

Donations - monetary, general donations or by sponsoring an animal or area and wish list items - visit Amazon to see products that we use and need.

AmazonSmile - AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.

iGive - While shopping at the 1500 stores that are part of the program, a percentage of what you spend is donated to your cause of choice (on average 3%). The stores pay for it all. You never pay more and sometimes you will pay less with coupons and deals.

Volunteer - we love our volunteers! There are many different ways to volunteer at Rescue Ranch such as, animal care, care center specialists, event volunteer, teaching assistants and corporate/group projects

HAGAN SETS ANOTHER RECORD, CLAIMS TOP QUALIFYING SPOT - Matt Hagan was the first NHRA Funny Car driver to make a sub-four-second pass when he ran a 3.995 in Charlotte during the 2011 season. Sunday at Lucas Oil Raceway he became the first Funny Car driver to post a run in the threes at the historic Indianapolis track.

After solidifying his place in the top of the field during Saturday qualifying, Hagan had a finish-line explosion in the third qualifying session…meaning a restless 12 hours for his crew as it thrashed on his Mopar/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger.

“Last night was really tough,” Hagan said. “We had a great race car for two runs that went an .06 and then an .02, but it was one of those things that in the last qualifying session it blew up. It was very unfortunate and these guys spent a long night and early morning getting everything back together.”

Hagan sat in the staging lanes and watched as the participants in the Traxxas Shootout semifinals ran in front of him. In the midday sun, three of those four cars failed to get down the track smoothly.

Hagan’s crew chief, Dickie Venables, was not concerned.

“Most of the crew chiefs were pulling back,” Hagan said. “Dickie was cranking his up.”

The result was a track-record 3.998 at 316.01 miles per hour.

“Dickie said, ‘We qualified well at Indy…let’s go for it,’” Hagan said. “He poured the coals to it and it was just a phenomenal run. It really felt great out there.”

Along with establishing the track record, the pass sent Hagan to the top of the qualifying sheet. It was his first No. One Qualifier of the season.

“This year has been a little bit of a struggle,” Hagan said. “We’ve tried some stuff and it really hasn’t worked out, but I think we’re going to finish strong here. Our car is peaking at the right time and the car has really started to respond to the changes Dicky has made to it.”
Hagan also qualified at the top of the sheet last season in Indy, but was upset in the first round.

“Anything can happen so we have to keep our focus,” Hagan said. “We were number one here last year and lost in the first round, so nothing is guaranteed.”

DeJORIA PUNCHES HER TICKET - Alexis DeJoria officially qualified for the NHRA Countdown to the Championship for the first time in her career in just her third season of competition. She cannot be bumped out of the Funny Car top 10 standings during eliminations in Indianapolis at the U.S. Nationals, sitting fifth.

“We just started and were still a fairly new team compared to all these old-timers,” DeJoria said. “We’ve always been on the outside, looking in, so this has been a huge turn-around for our team.”

DeJoria has won twice this season, claiming the titles in Phoenix and Las Vegas. She thinks her crew is vastly improved.

“Every year we’ve gotten better,” she said. “My rookie year we were 13th, then we moved up to 12th in 2013. The Patron XO Cafe Team is giving me such a great car and we, as a team, have had a lot of patience…which is key out here. You are on the road 24 weeks out of the year and that takes a toll on everyone. Right now we have a really good team and everyone is coming together. That makes a world of difference when you’re in the pits, figuring out how to set up the car.”

Even though she is excited about the Countdown, DeJoria is not looking ahead.

“I don’t want to jinx anything,” she said. “We do have a very solid car and are capable of anything at this point. Right now we’re at the U.S. Nationals and have to focus on that now, not look ahead even though we’re excited to be in this position.”

TOMMY JOHNSON JR.’S HONORARY CREW CHIEF - Cancer survivor and Avon, Indiana resident A.J. Stinger, 14, will hope to inspire Tommy Johnson Jr. to the Winner’s Circle at the U.S. Nationals, joining the team as the first Honorary Crew Chief in team history.

Stinger, who shared the story of his battle against cancer at the Don Schumacher Racing press conference where the team also unveiled its #RileyDreamRacer Funny Car paint scheme in support of the Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health, was surprised with the news of his new role with the team during the press conference.

Since 2006, Don Schumacher Racing has donated nearly a quarter-million dollars for Riley Hospital through its annual open house and bowling event. This year the team hopes to raise an additional $30,000.

JIM DUNN’S NEW LOOK - The Jim Dunn Racing Grime Boss Funny Car sported a new look at the U.S. Nationals. Its traditional black and gold paint scheme was replaced with Realtree camouflage to promote Grime Boss Realtree Wipes. These wipes are unscented wipes used by hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen. 

The camouflage graphics will remain on the car for the NHRA national events in Charlotte, Dallas, St. Louis and Reading, PA to recognize the upcoming Fall hunting seasons in many states.

“The entire time I’ve driven the Grime Boss Funny Car for Jim Dunn Racing it has always featured black and gold graphics,” team driver Jeff Arend said. “I’m excited to promote the Realtree product and give all the outdoors and hunting fans out there something extra to cheer about.”

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY - DOING THE COUNTDOWN SHUFFLE

MAKING HIS MOVE - When the chips were down, Jack Beckman rose to the top. Beckman moved to the top of the provisional Funny Car qualifying sheet, and took a big step towards climbing into the Countdown to the Championship, with a track-record 4.004 pass at 312.13 miles per hour, during the Saturday evening qualifying session at the 60th Annual U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Beckman entered the U.S. Nationals 16 points behind Wilkerson for the final slot in the six-race Countdown to the Championship. He earned three points for the quickest pass during the third session. 

WORSHAM SOLIDIFIES HOLD ON COUNTDOWN SLOT – There is a great chance Del Worsham will leave Indianapolis and head to Charlotte with his spot in the Countdown to the Championship secure. He was ninth in the points standings heading into the U.S. Nationals, and hasn’t done anything to hurt himself.

The DHL-sponsored Worsham ran the quickest qualifying pass in the Friday afternoon qualifying session, clocking a 4.044 at 313.73 miles per hour. He did the same in the first Saturday session, posting a 4.016/317.12 pass.

In the NHRA Mello Yello Racing Series, the quickest driver of every professional qualifying session earns three bonus points. The second-quickest gets two points and the third-quickest, one.

Drivers also earn 10 points for making at least one qualifying pass.

There are other points available…and these three drivers vying for the final two spots, Worsham, Jack Beckman and Tim Wilkerson, need all they can get.

National event winners earn 100 points while the runner-up claims 80. Semifinalists are rewarded 60 points while quarterfinalists gain 40. First-round losers are awarded 20 points each.

A driver can also earn 20 points for setting an elapsed time record.

It is possible to lose points as well. If NHRA has to move equipment to clean up fluid on the track, the driver that was responsible for the fluid earns a black flag and loses 10 points.

Black flag penalties are only handed out during elimination rounds.

A SPECIAL WEEKEND FOR TOMMY JOHNSON JR.- All season, Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. has had the opportunity to work closely with the Make-a-Wish Foundation to help make the dreams of severely ill children come true.

At the 60th Annual U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Johnson and his Don Shumacher Racing team was able to promote its official team charity, the Riley Children’s Foundation.

Johnson unveiled his new #RileyDreamMachine Dodge Charger.

“It’s been a lot of fun and to be able to do what we’ve done with Make-a- Wish,” Johnson said. “What a great organization they are and I’m blessed to be able to represent them. This weekend the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis…(primary car sponsor) Terry Chandler and those fellows have done a tremendous job donating the space on this car for all these organizations.

“To be able to go out there and represent them, and have all the kids with us, it’s been a very special year.”

 

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS – Ron Capps and John Force, who squared off Saturday in the final round of the washed-out Brainerd at Lucas Oil Raceway Saturday, were talking about the weekend of the U.S. Nationals at the press conference for the Traxxas Shootout the morning before the race.

“It’s exciting no matter who wins or who loses,” Force said of the possibility of three wins in one weekend…the Brainerd final, the Traxxas Shootout and the U.S. Nationals final. “Someone wins and someone loses. It’s exciting to have three races in one…this is a heart attack for an old man like me.”

Capps wasn’t buying it.

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for him?” Capps responded to Force.  “Are you saying you’re old and I have to feel sorry for you? No…not going to happen. We all love John Force but come on, it’s Brainerd. I deserve that trophy more than you do.”

Capps went on to explain why he felt he had earned the Brainerd Wally, pointing out that he had visited the famous (or infamous, depending on who you are talking to) campground in Brainerd.

“I was out in The Zoo,” he said to Force. “Were you out in The Zoo at all? You know, I’ve got a corner out there…Capps’ Corner. It’s named after me.”

Force didn’t hesitate to explain why he tends to avoid The Zoo.

“Do you know how many employees have fallen off the wall out there in The Zoo?” he asked Capps. “I went out in The Zoo one year…I woke up the next morning on a cot. What hurt was that (fellow Funny Car driver Gary) Densham was next to me. I said, ‘Gary, what did we do?’”

SUCCESS BREEDS CONFIDENCE-Alexis DeJoria thinks her Patron XO Café Funny Car Team is headed in the right direction.

Dejoria started her career in the sportsman ranks, driving in the NHRA Super Gas class. She moved up to Super Comp before stepping into the Top Alcohol Funny Car she drove for five years, winning once.

In 2010 she earned her Nitro Funny Car license and, in 2011, competed in four NHRA national events.

Dejoria advanced to her first final round last season in Bristol before breaking through this year, knocking off Robert Hight in the finals of the second race of the season in Phoenix.

She has since added a win in Vegas, a runner-up in Epping and a No. 1 qualifier honor in Atlanta.

Dejoria also qualified for the $100,000-to-win Traxxas Shootout at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Dejoria figured the jump from sportsman to Alcohol to Nitro would be a process.

“I definitely expected it to take some time, just getting used to the car and the team getting used to me,” she said. “I had a new crew chief coming in, trying to get the car handled and that definitely doesn’t happen overnight. I think we’ve done a fairly good job in the few years we’ve been out here and this year has been huge. I have my awesome team to thank for that.”

TRAXXAS SHOOTOUT A BIG DEAL – The third Traxxas Shootout will be contested during Sunday qualifying at the 60th Annual U.S. Nationals. Prior to Traxxas stepping in to sponsor the $100,000 challenge for both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes, the U.S. Nationals were bereft of a nitro shootout for six years after Ron Capps claimed the Skoal Showdown title in 2005.

“Indy just wasn’t the same without some kind of a shootout…that was always part of the legacy,” Capps said. “Two years ago they started it and it rained. Force and I had to run the finals in Dallas. It was a little different not being here. It’s home and this is part of Indy. I look at it as being as big as the race. It’s a big deal to be part of this group of eight drivers.”

Cruz Pedregon thinks Traxxas has shown its strong commitment to drag racing through sponsoring the Shootout, along with sponsoring Courtney Force’s Ford Mustang.

“Not only are they sponsoring a car, they are sharing the wealth,” Pedregon said. “I won the Skoal Showdown before, but we went a few years without having a $100,000 race on Sunday like this. It started out with the Big Bud Shootout. It’s nice for Traxxas to step in and sponsor this, it means a lot to the drivers. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Tommy Johnson Jr. is looking for redemption in the 2014 Traxxas Shootout.

“It’s awfully special,” he said. “I was able to get runner-up one time in the Skoal Showdown, and when you’ve been one round away from that $100,000 you want another shot. I’m thankful for the opportunity to race again and to be in the Traxxas Shootout. Hopefully we can get that win.”

HUNKA HUNKA BURNING CAR – Ron Capps has an interesting history with shootouts. One of his most fond memories comes from what started out as a fiasco. “One race we burnt it to the ground in the first round and I had the late Steve Evans sneak me out of the care center to get me back to the pit area,” he said of a Big Bud Shootout in the 1980s. “The fans were helping me, willing me on, and the crew put our car back together.

"It was cool that we went on to win it that day. That probably ranks as one of my funnest days and the most rewarding.”

FAN FAVORITE – Seven of the drivers in the Traxxas Shootout field earned berths through winning NHRA national events. The final driver was selected through fan voting and a lottery system. The fans voted for their favorite driver, and the number of votes led to the number of ping pong balls in the hopper for the lottery drawing for the last driver in the field.

For the second consecutive season, Tim Wilkerson won the fan voting and lottery.

“Everybody earned their way into it, and I kind of didn’t earn my way into it so I’m going to make sure the fans get their money’s worth,” Wilkerson said. “I thank them for paying attention and being a great NHRA fan more than anything.”

SURVELIENCE DRONE HITS NHRA – All the drivers that qualified for the Traxxas Shootout received gift bags from Traxxas that included a remote control helicopter with an attached camera.

John Force, who raced Ron Capps in the rained-out Brainerd Funny Car final Sunday evening, said he used his helicopter for nefarious purposes.

“At the downtown kickoff show we all got a helicopter that flies around with a camera,” Force said, then turned to Capps. “I know everything you’re doing, Capps. I’ve followed you all day long.”

It didn’t help as Capps defeated Force in the final, run Saturday evening in Indianapolis.

 

 

 

 

 

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FRIDAY - SCHEMES AND DREAMS

HAPPY REUNION - Lucas Oil Raceway holds a special place in Robert Hight’s heart.  He has three career victories at the historic track and last year, in the 2013 U.S. Nationals, won the event after needing to secure at least one win to qualify for NHRA’s season-ending Countdown to the Championship.

He went on to win the next race en route to a fifth-place finish in the final Countdown to the Championship standings.

After leading the Mello Yello points race for most of the season, Hight was passed by teammate John Force two weeks ago in Brainerd. He knows another strong showing at Lucas Oil Raceway will help his championship chances.

“This race is big…real big,” Hight said. “I want to leave Indy and head for Charlotte number one in points. In Brainerd John overtook me for the points lead, but it’s not out of reach. We could do it, but we’ve got to have a good weekend here. So this weekend is big for a lot of reasons.”

For Hight, it’s all about momentum.

“With this race, I believe if you can do well and leave here with a win you are carrying momentum into the Countdown…which I did last year,” Hight said. “I won here, went on to Charlotte and won again. That momentum’s big. It gives you confidence so we’re putting everything we’ve got into this weekend.”

SPEAKING OF MOMENTUM… Courtney Force, who has one career Number One Qualifier at Lucas Oil Raceway (2012) is hoping to leave the 60th Annual U.S. Nationals with her ducks in a row.

Like her John Force Racing teammates, Force has already clinched her spot in the Countdown to the Championship field, sitting sixth in the points standings prior to the U.S. Nationals. She is, however, hoping to carry some momentum into the first Countdown race in Charlotte.

“The momentum factor is huge,” she said. “Everyone wants to go into the Countdown with a good car because that should give you a little bit of a boost in confidence to start with. That’s why a lot of cars were out here testing before the actual race. Everyone wants to have it together because, at this point, you really have to have it all figured out. You want to leave here on top so you will have that confident feeling.”

Even though Force has her spot in the Countdown secured, it isn’t like she has nothing to race for. The higher the driver finishes in the “regular season” points standings the more bonus points they get to start the Countdown. The points leader starts the Countdown with 110 more points than the 10th qualifier.

Each spot means 20 bonus points.

“We’re all trying to move up in the points before we’re all locked in,” Force said. “I’d like to have a better kind of ‘head start’ over the rest of the competitors here going into Charlotte. I can do that at this race if I do well.”

BIG SHOES TO FILL-This weekend, Chad Head is racing at a place where his family has enjoyed some success. His father, Jim Head, won a pair of NHRA national event titles at Lucas Oil Raceway.

TWO DEGREES OF SEPARATION - Mike Neff, who tunes Robert Hight’s ’14 Mustang, once defeated Bob Tasca III in the final round at Lucas Oil Raceway. Neff won the Indy Wally over Tasca in 2011.

BECKMAN HAPPY WITH HIT - Jack Beckman, trying to move from 11th in the Mello Yello points standings into the top 10 to qualify for the Countdown for the Championship, was happy with his Friday qualifying run. His 4.071 at 314.90 was good enough to place him fourth on the qualifying sheet.

“You start seeing things and smelling things when you’re under pressure,” he said. “It felt like it was shaking and smelled like it was on fire, but that’s just Nitro Funny Car.”

 

SHOOTOUT SCHEMING - The Traxxas Top Fuel Funny Car Shootout will be held during Sunday qualifying at the U.S. Nationals. This presents a bit of a quandary for some of the teams, especially for the one at the top of the points standings and the one in third place, trying to track him down.

Do you set up to advance in the Shootout? Is qualifying for the U.S. Nationals field the main goal? What’s the strategy?

For John Force, the current points leader, and third-place Ron Capps a third factor must be considered.

The final round of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn. was washed out, meaning Force will race Capps in that final round Saturday in Indianapolis.

Though it does not take much to get Force excited, what is facing him in Indy has him pumped up.

“This is Indy and you get all wound up,” he said. “It’s not enough you want to win the race at Indy…you also have the Traxxas Shootout, which is by one of my sponsors, and now we’ve got to run off Brainerd. We’re having to really watch because you can get caught up in winning that race and trying to out-run your opponent and end up not making the show.

“There’s three races and only five or six qualifying shots. We’re going to give it our best but we’re all wound up.”

Force’s daughter, Courtney, said there are important decisions that must be made.

“(The Traxxas Shootout) is a challenge because while we’re competing in the Shootout it’s also a qualifying run for the big go on Monday,” she said. “You will have to weigh your options. Some people will roll it in deep and go for the win and others will go in shallow because they want a better ET.

“It’s funny, in the Traxxas Shootout you’re going against guys that are either ahead in the points or behind, and everyone’s fighting to get in and go rounds. Those better ETs are going to count on race day.”

The thing is, the patriarch of the Force Racing Family is always going to go all out. If there is a trophy on the line he is going to do whatever he can to take it home.

“You’ve got to turn that switch,” he said. “If they went out there and said there was a million dollar paycheck or nothing, I don’t know if I could turn off the switch…it would fry my brain. My brain has to do that…it’s a big go and a big deal and you’ve got to just go out there to win.”

WILKERSON NOT SATISFIED -Tim Wilkerson made a solid end-to-end pass during Friday evening's lone qualifying session in Indy, posting a 4.128-second e.t. at 306.40 mph, but the Levi, Ray & Shoup driver was anything but satisfied. With some huge hitters not making full passes, the run was good enough for seventh on the provisional grid, with four additional sessions still on the docket.

"That's not what I was trying to run but the car didn't listen to me," Wilkerson said. "It left pretty good, and it picked it up and ran pretty good at the top end, but it seemed to do absolutely nothing in the middle. I'll check the data, but I'm guessing right now that it mowed through the clutch there in the middle, because it was a pooch for that whole segment of the run. You need to run good in all three parts to earn bonus points, and we didn't."

 

 

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