KALITTA WINS SECOND STRAIGHT IN TOP FUEL, EXTENDS POINTS LEAD

Force, Anderson and Tonglet complete winner’s circle at NHRA Southern Nationals

COMMERCE, Ga. – Doug Kalitta extended his lead in the NHRA POWERade Top Fuel point standings with his second straight win, defeating David Baca in the final round of the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals Sunday at the Atlanta Dragway.

Kalitta flew down the track in 4.567 seconds at 325.69 mph in his Mac Tools Dragster to win the seventh of 23 events on the $50 million dollar NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

“I’m a lucky dog today,” Kalitta said. “To get by my two teammates (Scott Kalitta and David Grubnic) was tough and then that race against (second-place Tony) Schumacher (in the semifinals) was so close. There’s a lot of racing to do and you can’t go crazy counting points just yet but to run that team and beat them when they were running as strong as they were today is a big confidence booster.”

Joining Kalitta in the winner’s circle were John Force in Funny Car (4.772 at 202.61 to defeat Robert Hight), Greg Anderson in Pro Stock (6.781 at 202.61 to defeat Jason Line) and G.T. Tonglet in Pro Stock Motorcycle (7.106 at 186.30 to defeat Chris Rivas).

The win extended Force’s NHRA record for career victories to 116 and it was his seventh at the Atlanta Dragway. He also claimed the lead in the Funny Car standings.

In the final, he drove his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang by his son-in-law and teammate Hight’s Auto Club Ford Mustang to claim his second victory in two final rounds of 2005.

“My grandbaby is gonna be mad,” Force said. “I beat her daddy. For both of us to get to the final was exciting. I didn’t see him out there because to be honest it got so foggy and blurry down there I was doing everything I could to stay between the lights. I don’t know how far I drove it. I might have been a mile past the finish line but I figured I wasn’t gonna give up until she blew up, and she did.”

For Anderson, meanwhile, it was just his first win of 2005 in his Summit Racing Pontiac Grand Am after finding his way to the winner’s circle a record 15 times in 2004 when he was named Speed Channel’s Driver of the Year.

And to make the return to the winner’s circle even sweeter, he went through rival Warren Johnson, the man who employed him as his crew chief for many years, in the semifinals.

“I thought (racing Warren) was pretty darn neat and I bet they did too, at least until the finish line,” Anderson said. “I’m sure they were as up for that round as we were. You try to treat everyone the same but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a little extra special when he’s in the other lane. Regardless of what’s said, I have a lot of respect for that man and he’s had my number all year. It was good to finally beat him.”

Tonglet’s win on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley Davidson was the first of 2005 and the second of his career and it moved him into first place in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings.

“First time leading the points is awesome,” Tonglet said. “First win on a Harley for me is awesome. I have the whole team to thank for getting me here, especially Matt Hines. He worked his butt off today and to put up that 7.08 in the semis was just phenomenal on this track.

“This hasn’t sunk in yet. Maybe when I wake up in the morning it will,” he said.

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 25th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac at Atlanta Dragway. The 1.8 million race is the seventh of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1. Doug Kalitta; 2. David Baca; 3. Tony Schumacher; 4. Brandon Bernstein; 5. David Grubnic; 6. Larry Dixon; 7. Morgan Lucas; 8. Cory McClenathan; 9. Scott Weis; 10. Doug Herbert; 11. John Smith; 12. Scott Kalitta; 13. Luigi Novelli; 14. Mitch King; 15. Scott Palmer; 16. Bobby Lagana Jr.

FUNNY CAR:

1. John Force, Ford Mustang; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang; 3. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus; 5. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo; 7. Eric Medlen, Mustang; 8. Gary Scelzi, Stratus; 9. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo; 10. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo; 11. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica; 12. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo; 13. Whit Bazemore, Stratus; 14. Richard Hartman, Pontiac Trans Am; 15. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo; 16. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo.

PRO STOCK:

1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am; 2. Jason Line, Grand Am; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt; 4. Warren Johnson, Grand Am; 5. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus; 7. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 8. Mike Edwards, Grand Am; 9. Ron Krisher, Cobalt; 10. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 11. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus; 12. Jim Yates, Grand Am; 13. Bruce Allen, Grand Am; 14. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier; 15. Richie Stevens, Stratus; 16. Rickie Smith, Cavalier.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson; 2. Chris Rivas; 3. Geno Scali, Suzuki; 4. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki; 6. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 7. Antron Brown, Suzuki; 8. Chip Ellis; 9. Mike Berry, Suzuki; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki; 11. Matt Smith, Suzuki; 12. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 13. Shawn Gann, Suzuki; 14. Rickey Gadson, Suzuki; 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki; 16. Ryan Schnitz.

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Sunday's final results from the 25th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac at Atlanta Dragway. The 1.8 million race is the seventh of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Doug Kalitta, 4.567 seconds, 325.69 mph def. David Baca, 4.851 seconds, 232.39 mph.

Funny Car -- John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.772, 325.61 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.796, 323.04.

Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.781, 202.61 def. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.781, 203.83.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.106, 186.30 def. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.249, 184.67.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Rich McPhillips, 5.808, 186.23 def. Karen Benkovich, broke.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Frank Manzo, Pontiac Firebird, 5.622, 254.33 def. Bobby Martin, Dodge Avenger, broke.

Super Stock -- Michael Tueffel, Pontiac Grand Am, 8.816, 153.30 def. Scott Stillings, Grand Am, foul.

Stock Eliminator -- Mark Faul, Chevy Chevelle, 11.062, 114.14 def. Tex Miller, Ford Mustang, 11.008, 117.50.

Super Comp -- Todd Senseney, Dragster, 8.936, 146.61 def. David Tatum III, Dragster, 11.433, 82.16.

Super Gas -- David Tatum III, Chevy Cavalier, 9.937, 158.86 def. Ray Sawyer, Chevy Camaro, 10.150, 141.83.

Super Street -- Tony Fuller, Pontiac Firebird, 10.904, 136.76 def. Jeff Blardininelli, Chevy Camaro, 10.889, 140.14.

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Final round-by-round results from the 25th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac at Atlanta Dragway, the seventh of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- David Baca, 5.058, 319.52 def. Doug Herbert, 6.173, 196.53; Doug Kalitta, 4.551, 323.43 def. Scott Kalitta, 12.888, 79.27; Larry Dixon, 4.572, 326.32 def. John Smith, 9.680, 104.14; Cory McClenathan, 4.583, 322.65 def. Scott Palmer, broke; Morgan Lucas, 4.637, 312.35 def. Bobby Lagana Jr., broke; Brandon Bernstein, 4.566, 329.34 def. Scott Weis, 5.040, 292.71; Tony Schumacher, 4.568, 327.11 def. Luigi Novelli, 13.092, 91.53; David Grubnic, 4.589, 308.64 def. Mitch King, 13.403, 79.51; QUARTERFINALS -- Baca, 4.602, 323.43 def. Lucas, 4.628, 315.42; Schumacher, 4.524, 327.11 def. Dixon, 4.585, 325.61; Bernstein, 4.586, 327.82 def. McClenathan, 4.643, 321.73; D. Kalitta, 4.874, 323.66 def. Grubnic, foul; SEMIFINALS -- Baca, 4.927, 220.98 def. Bernstein, 9.324, 79.29; D. Kalitta, 4.532, 327.43 def. Schumacher, 4.549, 325.37; FINAL -- D. Kalitta, 4.567, 325.69 def. Baca, 4.851, 232.39.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.926, 298.14 def. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 6.379, 142.13; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.939, 317.19 def. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 6.344, 147.54; Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.859, 311.70 def. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 10.327, 81.91; Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 5.603, 267.64 def. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 10.069, 95.46; Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.856, 319.37 def. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.900, 297.29; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 7.425, 112.64 def. Richard Hartman, Pontiac Trans Am, 9.107, 126.80; John Force, Mustang, 4.919, 308.00 def. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 7.759, 118.69; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.828, 322.11 def. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.934, 310.55; QUARTERFINALS -- C. Pedregon, 4.882, 315.78 def. Scelzi, 4.917, 304.05; Force, 4.839, 322.19 def. T. Pedregon, 4.843, 318.17; Capps, 4.797, 320.66 def. Medlen, 4.888, 294.56; Hight, 4.849, 321.81 def. Johnson Jr., 4.887, 316.67; SEMIFINALS -- Force, 4.842, 323.74 def. C. Pedregon, 4.856, 318.17; Hight, 4.798, 323.74 def. Capps, 9.861, 96.71; FINAL -- Force, 4.772, 325.61 def. Hight, 4.796, 323.04.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.796, 202.76 def. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.853, 201.49; Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.814, 202.15 def. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 7.892, 128.76; V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.841, 202.27 def. Jim Yates, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.824, 201.67; Mike Edwards, Grand Am, 6.819, 202.48 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.807, 202.06; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.780, 202.61 def. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.844, 202.27; Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.791, 202.91 def. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.793, 203.03; Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.764, 203.71 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, foul; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.771, 203.49 def. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.837, 202.15; QUARTERFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.783, 203.46 def. Edwards, 6.819, 201.82; Anderson, 6.783, 202.88 def. Gaines, 6.784, 201.64; Line, 6.745, 203.65 def. Coughlin, 6.790, 203.22; W. Johnson, 6.786, 203.40 def. Morgan, 6.805, 202.79; SEMIFINALS -- Anderson, 6.798, 202.21 def. W. Johnson, 6.846, 203.25; Line, 6.756, 203.58 def. K. Johnson, 6.786, 203.00; FINAL -- Anderson, 6.781, 202.61 def. Line, 6.781, 203.83.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.810, 126.53 def. Ryan Schnitz, 10.885, 73.82; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.159, 179.42 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.273, 179.37; Chip Ellis, 7.149, 183.00 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.248, 185.05; Chris Rivas, 7.169, 183.22 def. Mike Berry, Suzuki, foul; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.179, 185.87 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.157, 175.89 def. Rickey Gadson, Suzuki, 7.363, 177.00; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.135, 180.67 def. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.262, 183.22; GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson, 7.111, 187.23 def. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.377, 182.26; QUARTERFINALS -- Treble, 7.250, 178.50 def. Hines, 7.235, 185.72; Rivas, 7.184, 180.67 def. Ellis, 7.366, 174.30; Scali, 7.160, 187.36 def. Brown, 7.301, 153.47; Tonglet, 7.109, 187.68 def. Sampey, 7.219, 179.56; SEMIFINALS -- Rivas, 7.235, 182.03 def. Treble, broke; Tonglet, 7.081, 187.86 def. Scali, 7.175, 187.23; FINAL -- Tonglet, 7.106, 186.30 def. Rivas, 7.249, 184.67.

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 25th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac at Atlanta Dragway, the seventh of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1. Doug Kalitta, 587; 2. Tony Schumacher, 527; 3. Larry Dixon, 459; 4. Morgan Lucas, 428; 5. David Grubnic, 423; 6. Cory McClenathan, 397; 7. Brandon Bernstein, 379; 8. Scott Kalitta, 355; 9. Doug Herbert, 354; 10. David Baca, 275.

Funny Car

1. John Force, 489; 2. Whit Bazemore, 465; 3. Robert Hight, 454; 4. Cruz Pedregon, 435; 5. Gary Scelzi, 428; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 375; 7. Ron Capps, 371; 8. Eric Medlen, 360; 9. Bob Gilbertson, 323; 10. Tony Pedregon, 321.

Pro Stock

1. Warren Johnson, 614; 2. Dave Connolly, 496; 3. Greg Anderson, 480; 4. Jason Line, 476; 5. Kurt Johnson, 377; 6. Ron Krisher, 352; 7. Jim Yates, 347; 8. (tie) Jeg Coughlin, 330; Richie Stevens, 330; 10. Greg Stanfield, 325.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. GT Tonglet, 248; 2. Steve Johnson, 217; 3. Craig Treble, 216; 4. Karen Stoffer, 215; 5. Andrew Hines, 173; 6. Antron Brown, 167; 7. Geno Scali, 162; 8. Angelle Sampey, 145; 9. Chip Ellis, 142; 10. Chris Rivas, 139.