GRUBNIC BECOMES FIRST NON-NORTH AMERICAN TO WIN AN NHRA TOP FUEL EVENT, DOWNS DIXON AT O'REILLY NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS

Force wins third straight in Funny Car, NHRA-record 118th overall; Anderson wins third straight in Pro Stock
 
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Australian Dave Grubnic sped past Larry Dixon in the finals of the 17th annual O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka to become the first non-North American to win an NHRA Top Fuel event.
 
"Being the first Australian to win an NHRA event is big," Grubnic said. "You don't think about that stuff in the car but I'm sure it'll be party time down there when word reaches my fans. That's what it's all about but I wouldn't be able to accomplish a thing without my crew, (team owner) Connie Kalitta, and our sponsors, who are all very good friends of mine."
 
In the other two pro categories, John Force (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) extended their respective event winning streaks to three at the $1.8 million race, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Grubnic, who had an 0-for-7 career final round record (0-for-5 in 2004), drove his Zantrex-3 dragster to the finish line in 4.600 seconds at 320.28 mph for his first-ever Top Fuel victory.

"You do start to wonder to yourself if you can win, especially after seven runner-up finishes," said Grubnic, who had no trouble with Dixon's Miller Lite dragster, which lost traction almost immediately and spun its wheels near the starting line. "You wonder when people are going to give up on you and get someone who's lucky in the car or something. But all you can do is keep slogging away until it finally happens. Now the flood gates should open, right?"

Force, the NHRA POWERade Funny Car points leader, ran a 4.809 at 320.97 in his Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang to easily defeat Tommy Johnson Jr.'s Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo and win his NHRA-record 118th career race and eighth overall at Heartland Park Topeka.
 
"It's been awhile since we've done a stretch of three wins in a row," Force said. "This one was a lot of hard work. We all saw how many people smoked the tires and our guys had to pull (the tune-up) back and back and you wonder when you're gonna hit that point where it's too weak to go."
 
Anderson, the reigning motorsports Driver of the Year in his Summit Racing Pontiac, edged Dave Connolly for his third straight win at Heartland Park Topeka and, like Force, his third win in as many weeks. Connolly was driving on a one-week deal with Carrier Boyz Racing after his previous team owner disbanded the team earlier in the week because of a lack of funding.

"This brings back the feeling we had last year when we were winning lots of races," Anderson said. "I told the guys awhile back that the real measure of a championship team is not how they act when they're winning everything but how a group responds to adversity. That's where you find the difference between a team that wins one or two championships and then fades away and one that is at a championship level for many, many years."

Anderson was winless in 2005 up until the O'Reilly NHRA Southern Nationals May 12-15 and since then he has reeled off two more wins (Pontiac Performance Nationals May 19-22 and this week) to pull within 13 points of Warren Johnson for the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock points lead.

"A couple, three, four races ago I thought to myself that if we don't get started soon it was going to be impossible to pull this thing out," Anderson said. "We made some serious moves, even down to me switching cars, and luckily it all worked out. I credit the rest of the class for forcing us to find another level. That's what this class is all about."

This was the third straight week of racing for the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series in a stretch where there will be races in six of seven weeks. After having this week off, the Series will return to action June 9-12 at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway outside Chicago.

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 17th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka. The $1.9 million race is the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

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

FUNNY CAR:

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

PRO STOCK:

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

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Sunday's final results from the 17th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka. The $1.9 million race is the ninth of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- David Grubnic, 4.600 seconds, 320.28 mph def. Larry Dixon, 10.051 seconds, 101.08 mph.

Funny Car -- John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.809, 320.97 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Monte Carlo, 8.167, 107.62.

Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.768, 203.65 def. Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.907, 203.68.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Steve Torrence, 5.346, 259.26 def. Chris Demke, 5.693, 254.18.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Jay Payne, Chevy Camaro, 5.653, 256.16 def. Jackie Stidham, Camaro, 5.733, 250.55.

Competition Eliminator -- David Rampy, Bantam Roadster, 7.460, 156.97 def. Thomas Schmidt, Chevy Roadster, 8.721, 149.02.

Super Stock -- Justin Jenkins, Olds Calais, 9.851, 135.78 def. Ryan Montford, Chevy S-10, 9.558, 135.14.

Stock Eliminator -- Jerry Emmons, Chevy Chevelle, 12.040, 99.22 def. Bub Miller, Chevy Camaro, 11.386, 109.36.

Super Comp -- Steve Johnson, Dragster, 8.900, 173.34 def. Terry Sullivan, Dragster, 8.908, 176.84.

Pro RWD -- Matt Hartford, Chevy Cavalier, 6.908, 205.60 def. Stephan Papadakis, Honda Civic, 6.940, 188.60.

Pro FWD -- Ed Bergenholtz, Mazda I-4, 8.051, 185.92 was unopposed.

Modified -- Justin Humphreys, Lexus GS300, 7.535, 184.55 def. Ali Afshar, Subaru WRX, 19.559, 58.16.

Hot Rod -- Ron Lummus, Pontiac Sunfire, 7.864, 185.26 def. Kenny Tran, Honda Civic, 9.042, 175.50.

All Motor -- Tony Shagday, Accura RSX, 9.971, 134.55 def. Scott Kelley, VW Fastback, 18.256, 55.83.

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Final round-by-round results from the 17th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Doug Herbert, 4.593, 322.27 def. Rod Fuller, 4.628, 321.27; Brandon Bernstein, 4.570, 327.51 def. T.J. Zizzo, 4.818, 247.88; Scott Kalitta, 4.556, 326.71 def. Cory McClenathan, 4.537, 325.06; David Grubnic, 4.596, 322.81 def. John Smith, 6.604, 141.36; Tony Schumacher, 4.538, 322.88 def. Scott Weis, 4.604, 320.20; Morgan Lucas, 4.502, 328.94 def. Mitch King, 4.919, 279.96; Larry Dixon, 4.555, 328.54 def. David Baca, 11.617, 87.12; Scott Palmer, 4.650, 328.70 def. Doug Kalitta, 5.357, 291.63;

QUARTERFINALS -- Herbert, 6.379, 246.48 def. Palmer, 10.090, 111.20; Dixon, 4.569, 326.56 def. S. Kalitta, 4.945, 254.90; Grubnic, 4.980, 308.71 def. Schumacher, 5.671, 215.31; Lucas, 4.570, 319.90 def. Bernstein, 5.830, 149.12;

SEMIFINALS -- Grubnic, 4.691, 311.99 def. Herbert, 10.981, 79.91; Dixon, 4.546, 328.46 def. Lucas, 9.416, 95.23;

FINAL -- Grubnic, 4.600, 320.28 def. Dixon, 10.051, 101.08.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.837, 323.35 def. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.860, 319.98; Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.867, 315.93 def. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 8.047, 111.09; Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.862, 320.81 def. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 5.334, 212.63; Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.827, 322.34 def. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.301, 237.50; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.829, 313.29 def. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 4.988, 288.95; Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.949, 312.71 def. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.927, 314.97; Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.839, 320.97 def. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 5.087, 292.46; John Force, Mustang, 4.858, 312.28 def. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.908, 316.45;

QUARTERFINALS -- Capps, 4.850, 316.60 def. Wilkerson, 4.938, 310.20; Force, 4.806, 321.42 def. Medlen, 4.818, 323.97; Hight, 4.871, 311.85 def. T. Pedregon, 8.742, 98.06; Johnson Jr., 4.987, 307.58 def. Scelzi, 11.529, 77.08; SEMIFINALS -- Johnson Jr., 8.773, 196.64 def. Hight, 12.195, 71.21; Force, 4.839, 319.22 def. Capps, 11.927, 85.85;

FINAL -- Force, 4.809, 320.97 def. Johnson Jr., 8.167, 107.62.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Mike Edwards, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.830, 202.91 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 8.323, 109.07; Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.784, 203.03 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.829, 202.91; Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.792, 203.31 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.803, 202.45; Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.757, 202.91 def. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.820, 202.91; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.815, 202.67 def. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.781, 203.86; Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.777, 203.00 def. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus, 6.839, 202.73; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.759, 203.31 def. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus, 6.804, 202.91; Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.826, 202.09 def. Jim Yates, Grand Am, 6.817, 201.13;

QUARTERFINALS -- Stanfield, 6.841, 202.30 def. Stevens, 14.011, 60.77; Connolly, 6.796, 202.85 def. W. Johnson, 6.767, 203.09; Anderson, 6.795, 202.64 def. Edwards, 6.826, 202.94; Line, 6.773, 202.52 def. Krisher, 6.810, 202.58; SEMIFINALS -- Connolly, 6.778, 203.43 def. Stanfield, broke; Anderson, 6.775, 203.89 def. Line, 6.784, 203.09;

FINAL -- Anderson, 6.768, 203.65 def. Connolly, 6.907, 203.68.

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 17th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland Park Topeka, the ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 722; 2. Tony Schumacher, 696; 3. (tie) Larry Dixon, 593; David Grubnic, 593; 5. Morgan Lucas, 579; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 505; 7. Doug Herbert, 477; 8. Scott Kalitta, 462; 9. Cory McClenathan, 461; 10. David Baca, 341.

Funny Car -- 1. John Force, 715; 2. Robert Hight, 588; 3. Gary Scelzi, 576; 4. Cruz Pedregon, 539; 5. Whit Bazemore, 537; 6. Ron Capps, 515; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 502; 8. Eric Medlen, 472; 9. Tony Pedregon, 405; 10. Bob Gilbertson, 385.

Pro Stock -- 1. Warren Johnson, 724; 2. Greg Anderson, 711; 3. Dave Connolly, 647; 4. Jason Line, 623; 5. Kurt Johnson, 510; 6. Greg Stanfield, 448; 7. Ron Krisher, 440; 8. Richie Stevens, 434; 9. Jim Yates, 412; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 393.