Todd Wins Second Race; Medlen, Hines, and Ellis Round Out the Field in Sonoma
SONOMA, Calif. -- Top Fuel rookie J.R. Todd upset three-time NHRA POWERade world champion Tony Schumacher for the second time in three weeks Sunday to earn the trophy of the $1.3 million Fram-Autolite NHRA Nationals.
Just as he did in Denver 14 days ago, the 24-year-old Todd simply outran Schumacher, earning this win in 4.619 seconds at 309.27 mph to Schumacher's 4.679 at 316.01 mph.
Eric Medlen, Jason Line, and Chip Ellis joined Todd in Infineon Raceway's winner's circle. Medlen took the Funny Car crown against fellow Californian Tony Pedregon, 4.854 to 5.021. Pro Stock points leader Line got a holeshot victory over veteran Vieri Gaines, and Ellis benefited greatly from Pro Stock Motorcycle finalist Antron Brown's red-light start for his second win of the year.
Racing in just his 11th national event, Todd is now 2-0 in final-round appearances with both wins coming against Schumacher. The two men have faced each other in each of the last four national events, with each man winning twice.
"You couldn't write it any better than this," Todd said. "Beating Tony and that team once for your first trophy ever is like a dream. To do it twice in three races is unreal. I can't even believe this is happening. You work so hard just to get to this level and you don't even think what it will be like to actually win."
This was Schumacher's fourth final in a row and he moved up another spot in the championship standings to third place overall. He now trails POWERade leader Doug Kalitta by 106 points. He entered the race 150 points back. After her third first-round loss in a row, former points leader Melanie Troxel is now 82 points behind Kalitta and just 44 ahead of Schumacher.
Breaking a winless streak that dated back to last year's Memphis event, Medlen came through in the Funny Car final. After leaving with a slight advantage at the starting line, his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang drove away from Pedregon's Q Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo, taking the stripe in 4.854 seconds at 316.30 mph to Pedregon's 5.021 seconds at 271.62 mph.
"People ask me how aggravating it is to go a year without winning but I don't even think like that," Medlen said. "I'm out here having fun and we have a car that could have and should have won several times so you feel like you're right in there any way. Man, it's hard to win these things; that's the deal. It's not for lack of trying."
Ron Capps still leads John Force at the top of the standings, although Force did trim his deficit down to 70 points. Both Force and Capps lost to teammates Sunday, Capps to Whit Bazemore in Round 1, and Force to Medlen in the quarterfinals.
Line came through Sunday with a win over Vieri Gaines in the Pro Stock final. Line's 6.672 seconds at 207.15 mph was enough to beat Gaines' quicker but losing 6.668 seconds at 207.05 mph.
"This is a very, very satisfying win for me," Line said. "Especially doing it on a holeshot. Both of our cars ran great all weekend and between our two cars and V.'s car, I think we probably had the three best cars on the property. To be the one standing here [in the winner's circle] is probably the best feeling I've had as a driver."
Line's victory helped him increase his lead in the POWERade points to 64 over his Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson.
Ellis remains perfect in final-round appearances after Antron Brown handed him his fifth career win and second of the year with a red light. Brown will be reliving this one in his head for quite awhile after Ellis broke his motor halfway down the racetrack and had to abort his run. Still, his 8.863 seconds at 88.41 mph was more than enough to give him the victory.
"To go into the sixes is a big honor and it used to just be me and Andrew [Hines]," Ellis said. "Now there are two more in that six-second deal and that just tells you how competitive everyone else has become out here. Man, it's tough to win a round, let alone a race."
The win lifted Ellis past Brown and into third place in the POWERade points. Andrew Hines is still the leader by 33 points over Angelle Sampey. Both Hines and Sampey lost in the quarterfinals.
SONOMA, Calif. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 19th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway. The $1.3 million race is the 15th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL: 1. J.R. Todd; 2. Tony Schumacher; 3. Doug Kalitta; 4. Hillary Will; 5. Rod Fuller; 6. Larry Dixon; 7. Bob Vandergriff; 8. David Grubnic; 9. Cory McClenathan; 10. Steven Chrisman; 11. Doug Herbert; 12. David Baca; 13. Melanie Troxel; 14. Brandon Bernstein; 15. Morgan Lucas; 16. Alan Bradshaw.
FUNNY CAR: 1. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang; 2. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo; 3. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger; 4. Mike Ashley, Dodge Stratus; 5. John Force, Mustang; 6. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang; 8. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo; 9. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo; 10. Ron Capps, Charger; 11. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 12. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo; 13. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo; 14. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 15. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo; 16. Bob Gilbertson, Stratus.
PRO STOCK: 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO; 2. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus; 3. Jim Yates, GTO; 4. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 5. Greg Anderson, GTO; 6. Tom Martino, GTO; 7. Mike Edwards, GTO; 8. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt; 9. Mark Pawuk, GTO; 10. Ron Krisher, Cobalt; 11. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 12. Warren Johnson, GTO; 13. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt; 14. Mike Thomas, Stratus; 15. Richie Stevens, Stratus; 16. Greg Stanfield, GTO.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Chip Ellis; 2. Antron Brown, Suzuki; 3. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 4. Tom Bradford; 5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki; 6. Matt Smith; 7. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki; 8. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 9. Geno Scali, Suzuki; 10. Chris Rivas; 11. Matt Guidera; 12. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson; 13. Mike Berry, Suzuki; 14. Ryan Schnitz; 15. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 16. Shawn Gann, Suzuki.
SONOMA, Calif. -- Sunday's final results from the 19th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway. The $1.3 million race is the 15th of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- J.R. Todd, 4.619 seconds, 309.27 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 4.679 seconds, 316.01 mph.
Funny Car -- Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.854, 316.30 def. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.021, 271.62.
Pro Stock -- Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.672, 207.15 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.668, 207.05.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Chip Ellis, Buell, 8.863, 88.41 def. Antron Brown, Suzuki, foul.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Morgan Lucas, 5.400, 261.72 def. Duane Shields, 5.396, 263.31.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Clint Thompson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.628, 255.00 def. Roger Bateman, Chevy Camaro, 5.682, 249.39.
Competition Eliminator -- Glen Treadwell, '23-T Ford, 8.102, 158.58 def. Dean Carter, Dragster, 6.986, 176.33.
Super Stock -- Brad Rounds, Chevy S-10, 9.652, 116.81 def. Frank Grossi, Pontiac Sunfire, foul.
Super Comp -- Sheldon Gecker Sr., Dragster, 8.901, 168.66 def. Keith Downing, Dragster, 8.924, 161.36.
Super Gas -- Mike Blodgett Sr, '27-T Ford, 9.956, 145.00 def. Eric Reyes, Chevy Corvette, broke.
SONOMA, Calif. -- Final round-by-round results from the 19th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway, the 15th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Bob Vandergriff, 4.844, 296.11 def. Morgan Lucas, 7.245, 112.30; Hillary Will, 4.976, 236.13 def. Melanie Troxel, 6.637, 127.26; J.R. Todd, 4.690, 295.08 def. Alan Bradshaw, 8.720, 84.41; Doug Kalitta, 4.796, 298.01 def. David Baca, 5.233, 199.82; Tony Schumacher, 4.549, 328.22 def. Steven Chrisman, 4.872, 298.47; Larry Dixon, 4.994, 293.98 def. Brandon Bernstein, 6.717, 123.50; Rod Fuller, 4.612, 324.44 def. Doug Herbert, 5.022, 264.34; David Grubnic, 4.606, 321.58 def. Cory McClenathan, 4.699, 315.49; QUARTERFINALS -- Will, 4.725, 301.67 def. Dixon, 4.959, 268.49; Kalitta, 4.943, 283.25 def. Fuller, 4.918, 320.20; Todd, 5.152, 270.81 def. Grubnic, 5.410, 192.25; Schumacher, 4.570, 328.86 def. Vandergriff, 5.221, 235.39; SEMIFINALS -- Todd, 4.678, 308.92 def. Will, 4.673, 317.49; Schumacher, 4.585, 326.40 def. Kalitta, 4.597, 322.42; FINAL -- Todd, 4.619, 309.27 def. Schumacher, 4.679, 316.01.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger, 4.902, 315.78 def. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.975, 293.41; Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.910, 315.56 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.947, 307.30; Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 5.023, 289.07 def. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.996, 318.09; Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.859, 318.77 def. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 8.159, 101.98; Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.885, 315.78 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.982, 280.78; Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 5.055, 301.60 def. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 5.497, 205.01; John Force, Mustang, 4.812, 318.32 def. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 6.839, 129.45; Mike Ashley, Stratus, 4.884, 313.73 def. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.999, 303.64; QUARTERFINALS -- T. Pedregon, 4.909, 311.34 def. Kalitta, 9.070, 94.73; Bazemore, 4.873, 318.17 def. Bartone, 7.276, 117.78; Medlen, 4.898, 312.42 def. Force, 5.998, 163.04; Ashley, 4.975, 360.09 def. Hight, 8.230, 100.73; SEMIFINALS -- T. Pedregon, 4.910, 314.39 def. Ashley, 7.813, 132.87; Medlen, 4.922, 314.53 def. Bazemore, 5.020, 306.60; FINAL -- Medlen, 4.854, 316.30 def. T. Pedregon, 5.021, 271.62.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.701, 206.23 def. Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.695, 206.73; Tom Martino, Pontiac GTO, 6.693, 206.92 def. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.700, 206.76; Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.695, 206.83 def. Richie Stevens, Stratus, foul; V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.698, 207.37 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.697, 206.61; Jason Line, GTO, 6.671, 207.43 def. Mark Pawuk, GTO, 6.693, 206.70; Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.685, 206.73 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, foul; Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.659, 207.75 def. Mike Thomas, Stratus, 6.706, 205.57; Jim Yates, GTO, 6.723, 205.54 def. Greg Stanfield, GTO, foul; QUARTERFINALS -- Gaines, 6.671, 207.40 def. Edwards, 6.705, 206.35; Yates, 6.695, 206.16 def. Connolly, foul; Line, 6.663, 207.78 def. Martino, 6.700, 206.10; A. Johnson, 6.696, 206.61 def. Anderson, 6.659, 207.75; SEMIFINALS -- Gaines, 6.675, 207.05 def. A. Johnson, 6.715, 206.16; Line, 6.677, 206.92 def. Yates, 6.684, 206.39; FINAL -- Line, 6.672, 207.15 def. Gaines, 6.668, 207.05.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.069, 189.20 def. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.148, 186.05; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.069, 187.83 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.482, 147.68; Matt Smith, Buell, 7.058, 187.60 def. Chris Rivas, Buell, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.006, 191.10 def. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.140, 185.49; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.028, 191.02 def. Matt Guidera, Buell, foul; Tom Bradford, Buell, 7.003, 190.83 def. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.126, 188.25; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.063, 189.52 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.064, 190.78; Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.911, 193.21 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, foul; QUARTERFINALS -- Brown, 7.034, 190.83 def. Johnson, foul; Treble, 7.088, 191.10 def. Hines, 10.558, 79.06; Bradford, 7.076, 190.62 def. Sampey, 7.278, 161.87; Ellis, 6.986, 191.78 def. Smith, 7.103, 187.65; SEMIFINALS -- Brown, 7.116, 186.79 def. Bradford, 7.152, 184.72; Ellis, 7.152, 184.88 def. Treble, 7.139, 187.29; FINAL -- Ellis, 8.863, 88.41 def. Brown, foul.
SONOMA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 19th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway, the 15th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Doug Kalitta, 1,105; 2. Melanie Troxel, 1,023; 3. Tony Schumacher, 979; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 925; 5. David Grubnic, 881; 6. Rod Fuller, 844; 7. Larry Dixon, 823; 8. Morgan Lucas, 686; 9. Hillary Will, 678; 10. Cory McClenathan, 674.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 1,139; 2. John Force, 1,069; 3. Tony Pedregon, 948; 4. Eric Medlen, 928; 5. Robert Hight, 913; 6. Gary Scelzi, 841; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 824; 8. Whit Bazemore, 809; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 640; 10. Del Worsham, 635.
Pro Stock
1. Jason Line, 1,052; 2. Greg Anderson, 988; 3. Dave Connolly, 930; 4. Jim Yates, 864; 5. Kurt Johnson, 800; 6. Mike Edwards, 797; 7. Allen Johnson, 767; 8. V. Gaines, 712; 9. Larry Morgan, 704; 10. Richie Stevens, 675.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Andrew Hines, 678; 2. Angelle Sampey, 645; 3. Chip Ellis, 627; 4. Antron Brown, 617; 5. Ryan Schnitz, 476; 6. Matt Smith, 467; 7. Karen Stoffer, 453; 8. Matt Guidera, 451; 9. Tom Bradford, 428; 10. Craig Treble, 397.
