Hight, Schumacher and Anderson Lead Qualifying Friday at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS -- Robert Hight raced to a track record performance in Funny Car Friday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, covering the quarter-mile distance in 4.702 seconds at 327 mph to lead the qualifying action at the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals.
Three-time and reigning Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher and Pro Stock points leader Greg Anderson also earned provisional No. 1 qualifying honors at the $1.7 million race, the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series. Schumacher posted a 4.501-second performance in the first round of action, while Anderson waited until the cooler evening session to run a 6.787-second pass.
Hight's personal-best elapsed time of 4.702 at 327.11 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang was impressive as only one other Funny Car -- that of his father-in-law John Force -- managed to run within five-hundredths of a second of the mark.
"That was pretty stout," Hight said. "I think it was a little gutsy, maybe, being not qualified and going like that but Jimmy (Prock, crew chief) told me he didn't know any other way to run it. He said he was gonna be aggressive and get after it and that's what he did. I was getting nervous, but it all turned out good."
Force clocked in at 4.715 at 326.16 mph in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. After that, the field dropped back to Checker Schuck's Kragen Chevrolet Monte Carlo driver Del Worsham's 4.750 at 325.61 mph.
Points leader Ron Capps emerged unscathed from a huge fire at the top end after his fifth-best 4.771 in his Brut Dodge Stratus R/T. His teammate and the class' defending series champion, Gary Scelzi, is 12th with a 4.813. Scelzi is coming off a rare DNQ result in Houston.
Schumacher's U.S. Army dragster lost traction just a few hundred feet into his second run, but his earlier 4.501 at 327.35 mph kept him in the No. 1 slot.
"We're so glad it's back-to-back races," Schumacher said. "We lost in the first round in Houston last weekend and it's terrible to go into a two-week break off a performance like that. We really wanted to get back after it and redeem ourselves."
Houston winner Brandon Bernstein ran two more perfect passes Friday, both within two-thousandths of a second of one another. His best time was a third-best 4.534 at 330.23 mph in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster.
Anderson began his quest for a fifth Las Vegas title by running the quickest pass of opening day -- 6.787 at 202.82 mph in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO -- to earn provisional low qualifier honors.
"We've definitely done a good job of qualifying this year," Anderson said of his three No. 1 qualifying efforts in the first four races. "Our weak point has been on race day and that's the important day. We need a good get-well weekend and I can't think of a better place to do it than Las Vegas Motor Speedway."
First-round leader Richie Stevens knocked seven thousandths of a second off his opening pass, but still slipped to second overall with a 6.790 at 202.42 mph in his Mopar Dodge Stratus R/T.
The final two sessions of professional qualifying take place Saturday at noon and 3 p.m.
LAS VEGAS -- Results Friday after qualifying for the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.501 seconds, 327.35 mph; 2. Larry Dixon, 4.528, 330.80; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.534, 330.23; 4. Hillary Will, 4.559, 320.43; 5. Doug Herbert, 4.571, 320.97; 6. Melanie Troxel, 4.577, 322.65; 7. Cory McClenathan, 4.579, 330.47; 8. Doug Kalitta, 4.588, 321.88; 9. David Grubnic, 4.589, 325.69; 10. Morgan Lucas, 4.604, 315.86; 11. David Baca, 4.606, 323.19; 12. Bob Vandergriff, 4.608, 326.16; 13. Mike Strasburg, 4.631, 330.15; 14. J.R. Todd, 4.673, 315.64; 15. Rod Fuller, 4.685, 303.30; 16. Scott Weis, 4.736, 311.34.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.702, 327.11; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.715, 326.16; 3. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.750, 325.61; 4. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.758, 318.47; 5. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.771, 321.35; 6. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.773, 325.37; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.780, 319.14; 8. Jim Head, Stratus, 4.785, 325.14; 9. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 4.804, 317.49; 10. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger, 4.812, 327.03; 11. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.813, 323.97; 12. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo, 4.838, 322.81; 13. Bob Gilbertson, Stratus, 4.841, 319.37; 14. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.870, 320.97; 15. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.878, 313.58; 16. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.908, 282.01.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.787, 202.82; 2. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus, 6.790, 202.67; 3. Dave Howard, Chevy Cobalt, 6.797, 202.88; 4. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.798, 202.58; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.803, 202.94; 6. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.804, 202.67; 7. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.806, 202.70; 8. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.813, 202.61; 9. Jason Line, GTO, 6.814, 202.76; 10. Shaun Carlson, Stratus, 6.816, 201.79; 11. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.823, 203.19; 12. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.829, 201.94; 13. Mark Pawuk, Cobalt, 6.829, 201.43; 14. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.834, 202.67; 15. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.840, 201.79; 16. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.843, 201.73.
2006 NHRA Las Vegas Coverage
Last edited by draglist on Sun Apr 09, 2006 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bill Pratt
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
Final qualifying results...
Schumacher, Hight and Anderson Take No. 1 Qualifying Positions at Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS -- Reigning Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher leads all qualifiers at the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals. Schumacher covered The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's quarter-mile in 4.501 seconds at 327 mph in his U.S. Army dragster to post his fourth No. 1 qualifying effort of the first five races and 26th of his career.
Robert Hight and Greg Anderson also finished qualifying at the front of their respective categories Saturday at the $1.7 million race, the fifth of 23 in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series. Sunday's eliminations start at 11 a.m.
Winless on the season thus far, Schumacher will now try and become the first top qualifier in a nitro-powered category this year to convert a No. 1 qualifying effort into a win on race day.
"You can't win a championship eight points at a time," Schumacher said of the extra bonus points he's earned for qualifying No. 1. "All I know is there's nothing we can do differently to make this car better. We've just been beaten down by stupid little things.
"I started worrying about the points race getting away from us two races ago. You just can't post anyone too big a lead."
Current Top Fuel point leader and Schumacher teammate Melanie Troxel improved to fourth place on the grid in the final session with a 4.543 in the Skull Gear/Torco Fuels dragster.
Hight's track-record 4.702 at 327.11 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang earned him his seventh career low qualifier award and first of his sophomore season in Funny Car. "It's awesome to be No. 1 no matter when it happens," Hight said. "I honestly think our three Fords have a distinct performance advantage at the moment. We're just a little quicker and faster then the others. But a performance advantage doesn't always win you races."
Hight teammates John Force and Eric Medlen finished second and fourth, respectively. Force's Castrol GTX Ford posted a 4.715 at 326.16 mph, while Medlen's Syntec Mustang recorded a 4.758 at 318.47 mph.
Former series champion Tony Pedregon failed to qualify for the first time in 114 races. Pedregon's second round effort of 4.79 seconds from Friday night was disqualified by NHRA officials after his team failed to stop and weigh his hot rod following the run.
Anderson didn't improve on his class-leading 6.787 at 202.82 mph from Friday night, but he did let his Pro Stock competitors know his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO would be tough to beat by posting a pair of 6.79s Saturday to top each of the final two qualifying sessions.
"This remains a very important race for us," said Anderson, who earned his fourth No. 1 qualifying effort of the year and the 44th of his career. "Not only is it [team owner] Ken Black's home track, but we're just not where we need to be with our entire program. We haven't found our comfort zone, our happy place, yet. We've been able to qualify well but we still end up guessing at things in eliminations. You're not gonna win like that, at least not consistently."
LAS VEGAS -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.501 seconds, 329.91 mph vs. 16. Alan Bradshaw, 4.702, 309.49; 2. Larry Dixon, 4.528, 330.80 vs. 15. Mike Strasburg, 4.631, 330.15; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.534, 330.23 vs. 14. Bob Vandergriff, 4.608, 326.16; 4. Melanie Troxel, 4.543, 325.92 vs. 13. David Baca, 4.606, 327.66; 5. Hillary Will, 4.559, 320.43 vs. 12. Morgan Lucas, 4.604, 315.86; 6. Doug Herbert, 4.571, 320.97 vs. 11. J.R. Todd, 4.590, 315.64; 7. Cory McClenathan, 4.579, 330.47 vs. 10. David Grubnic, 4.589, 325.69; 8. Doug Kalitta, 4.580, 330.07 vs. 9. Rod Fuller, 4.586, 327.59.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.702, 327.11 vs. 16. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.870, 320.97; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.715, 326.16 vs. 15. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 4.841, 319.37; 3. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.750, 325.61 vs. 14. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo, 4.838, 322.81; 4. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.758, 318.47 vs. 13. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.821, 300.33; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.767, 327.82 vs. 12. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Charger, 4.813, 323.97; 6. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.771, 321.35 vs. 11. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 4.804, 317.49; 7. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.773, 325.37 vs. 10. Whit Bazemore, Charger, 4.799, 327.19; 8. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.780, 319.14 vs. 9. Jim Head, Stratus, 4.785, 325.14.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.787, 203.31 vs. 16. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.832, 202.67; 2. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.790, 203.49 vs. 15. Mark Pawuk, Chevy Cobalt, 6.829, 201.82; 3. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.790, 202.94 vs. 14. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.829, 202.00; 4. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.790, 202.67 vs. 13. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.821, 202.58; 5. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.793, 203.19 vs. 12. Shaun Carlson, Stratus, 6.816, 201.79; 6. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.795, 203.34 vs. 11. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.816, 203.09; 7. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.797, 203.28 vs. 10. Jason Line, GTO, 6.814, 202.76; 8. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.806, 203.12 vs. 9. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.810, 203.09.
LAS VEGAS -- Reigning Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher leads all qualifiers at the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals. Schumacher covered The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's quarter-mile in 4.501 seconds at 327 mph in his U.S. Army dragster to post his fourth No. 1 qualifying effort of the first five races and 26th of his career.
Robert Hight and Greg Anderson also finished qualifying at the front of their respective categories Saturday at the $1.7 million race, the fifth of 23 in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series. Sunday's eliminations start at 11 a.m.
Winless on the season thus far, Schumacher will now try and become the first top qualifier in a nitro-powered category this year to convert a No. 1 qualifying effort into a win on race day.
"You can't win a championship eight points at a time," Schumacher said of the extra bonus points he's earned for qualifying No. 1. "All I know is there's nothing we can do differently to make this car better. We've just been beaten down by stupid little things.
"I started worrying about the points race getting away from us two races ago. You just can't post anyone too big a lead."
Current Top Fuel point leader and Schumacher teammate Melanie Troxel improved to fourth place on the grid in the final session with a 4.543 in the Skull Gear/Torco Fuels dragster.
Hight's track-record 4.702 at 327.11 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang earned him his seventh career low qualifier award and first of his sophomore season in Funny Car. "It's awesome to be No. 1 no matter when it happens," Hight said. "I honestly think our three Fords have a distinct performance advantage at the moment. We're just a little quicker and faster then the others. But a performance advantage doesn't always win you races."
Hight teammates John Force and Eric Medlen finished second and fourth, respectively. Force's Castrol GTX Ford posted a 4.715 at 326.16 mph, while Medlen's Syntec Mustang recorded a 4.758 at 318.47 mph.
Former series champion Tony Pedregon failed to qualify for the first time in 114 races. Pedregon's second round effort of 4.79 seconds from Friday night was disqualified by NHRA officials after his team failed to stop and weigh his hot rod following the run.
Anderson didn't improve on his class-leading 6.787 at 202.82 mph from Friday night, but he did let his Pro Stock competitors know his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO would be tough to beat by posting a pair of 6.79s Saturday to top each of the final two qualifying sessions.
"This remains a very important race for us," said Anderson, who earned his fourth No. 1 qualifying effort of the year and the 44th of his career. "Not only is it [team owner] Ken Black's home track, but we're just not where we need to be with our entire program. We haven't found our comfort zone, our happy place, yet. We've been able to qualify well but we still end up guessing at things in eliminations. You're not gonna win like that, at least not consistently."
LAS VEGAS -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.501 seconds, 329.91 mph vs. 16. Alan Bradshaw, 4.702, 309.49; 2. Larry Dixon, 4.528, 330.80 vs. 15. Mike Strasburg, 4.631, 330.15; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 4.534, 330.23 vs. 14. Bob Vandergriff, 4.608, 326.16; 4. Melanie Troxel, 4.543, 325.92 vs. 13. David Baca, 4.606, 327.66; 5. Hillary Will, 4.559, 320.43 vs. 12. Morgan Lucas, 4.604, 315.86; 6. Doug Herbert, 4.571, 320.97 vs. 11. J.R. Todd, 4.590, 315.64; 7. Cory McClenathan, 4.579, 330.47 vs. 10. David Grubnic, 4.589, 325.69; 8. Doug Kalitta, 4.580, 330.07 vs. 9. Rod Fuller, 4.586, 327.59.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.702, 327.11 vs. 16. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.870, 320.97; 2. John Force, Mustang, 4.715, 326.16 vs. 15. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 4.841, 319.37; 3. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.750, 325.61 vs. 14. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo, 4.838, 322.81; 4. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.758, 318.47 vs. 13. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.821, 300.33; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.767, 327.82 vs. 12. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Charger, 4.813, 323.97; 6. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.771, 321.35 vs. 11. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 4.804, 317.49; 7. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.773, 325.37 vs. 10. Whit Bazemore, Charger, 4.799, 327.19; 8. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.780, 319.14 vs. 9. Jim Head, Stratus, 4.785, 325.14.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.787, 203.31 vs. 16. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.832, 202.67; 2. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.790, 203.49 vs. 15. Mark Pawuk, Chevy Cobalt, 6.829, 201.82; 3. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.790, 202.94 vs. 14. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.829, 202.00; 4. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.790, 202.67 vs. 13. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.821, 202.58; 5. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.793, 203.19 vs. 12. Shaun Carlson, Stratus, 6.816, 201.79; 6. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.795, 203.34 vs. 11. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.816, 203.09; 7. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.797, 203.28 vs. 10. Jason Line, GTO, 6.814, 202.76; 8. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.806, 203.12 vs. 9. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.810, 203.09.
Bill Pratt
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
-
Rapid Randy Baker
- Posts:8075
- Joined:Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:05 am
- Location:Des Moines, Iowa
- Contact:
Final Eliminations Results
Troxel Races to Second Victory of Season, Becomes First Top Fuel Driver in NHRA History to Open with Five Consecutive Finals
Pedregon and Johnson also score wins at NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS -- Season-long NHRA POWERade Series points leader Melanie Troxel raced to her second Top Fuel victory of the season and made drag racing history along the way Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by becoming the first driver in her category to open the season with five consecutive final-round appearances.
Troxel's Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels dragster covered the quarter-mile distance in 4.834 seconds at 285.65 mph to win the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals, the fifth of 23 races in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series. She was joined in the winners' circle by former Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon and Pro Stock veteran Kurt Johnson.
One of two females currently leading the 2006 POWERade Series standings, along with Pro Stock Motorcycle frontrunner Angelle Sampey, Troxel's dragster was nearly flawless in the early rounds as she posted three straight 4.5-second passes. She had to fight through some engine problems against runner-up Dave Grubnic, but he was in bigger trouble, sputtering through the timers in 4.987 seconds at 319.60 mph in his StriVectin-SD dragster.
"It seems like we can do no wrong," said Troxel, who outran David Baca, Morgan Lucas, and Doug Kalitta in earlier rounds. "Richard Hogan (crew chief) seems to have the ability to adapt the car to whatever conditions we face, and the guys are doing a great job of getting the car back together the same way every time. We're not making many mistakes.
"I don't want to wake up from this. No matter how good a team you have, you just can't think that you'll continue to go to the finals every week. I'm surprised as anybody. We're on a team that has all the resources and is enjoying a lot of success and that motivates you to go out there and perform at your best."
Troxel increased her lead in the POWERade standings from 128 to 156 points over second place Grubnic. Three-time and defending world champion Tony Schumacher lost in the first round and fell to ninth in the standings.
Pedregon won his first Funny Car race in 126 events, which dates back to the tour's 2000 stop in Englishtown, N.J. Like Troxel, Pedregon's final-round pass wasn't pretty, but the 5.417 at 266.16 mph he posted in his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo was more than enough to take out series leader Ron Capps, whose Brut Dodge lost traction at the hit of the throttle.
"You can say I had a gorilla on my back because it was definitely bigger than a monkey," said Pedregon, who moved from 10th to fifth in the points. "My feeling in the final when I started smoking the tires out there was, 'oh well, Ron's gonna go by me.' But when I didn't see him, I just started driving off adrenaline and instinct. I've never been so glad to see a win light come on."
Pedregon beat Jim Head, Tony Bartone, and Tommy Johnson Jr. along the way to his 50th career final. Capps' third final in a row -- he was coming off back-to-back wins -- pushed his lead in the series standings to 105 over John Force.
An 18-1 underdog with the local bookmakers, Johnson hadn't won a round all season but he collected four here, winning Pro Stock by 10 inches in his ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt with a come-from-behind 6.842 at 202.42 mph against Dave Connolly's 6.874 at 202.00 mph in his Skull Gear Cobalt. It was Johnson's 33rd career victory and he is the fifth different Pro Stock winner of the first five races.
"We've been slumping, no doubt," said Johnson, who suffered first round losses in the season's first four races. "I was just glad the car started this morning. We've had some success here and we were able to look in the recipe book and figured out what to do. Everybody has periods where they're not running so well. You just have to fight through it.
"I came here in 2002 and I was an 18-1 underdog so I bet on myself. I got drilled in the second round so I said the heck with that, I'm not gonna bet on myself any more. I guess some people made money on me today but not me. I guarantee you I'm happier with this trophy."
The win also extends a personal streak for Johnson of winning at least one race in each of the past 12 seasons. He moved from 16th to 10th in the series standings.
Despite a first round upset, Greg Anderson maintained a 40-point lead in the POWERade Pro Stock standings over Mike Edwards.
The NHRA POWERade Series continues with the sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, April 28-30 at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway.
LAS VEGAS -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $1.7 million race is the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL: 1. Melanie Troxel; 2. David Grubnic; 3. Doug Kalitta; 4. Brandon Bernstein; 5. Doug Herbert; 6. Morgan Lucas; 7. Larry Dixon; 8. Alan Bradshaw; 9. Bob Vandergriff; 10. Hillary Will; 11. J.R. Todd; 12. Rod Fuller; 13. Cory McClenathan; 14. David Baca; 15. Tony Schumacher; 16. Mike Strasburg.
FUNNY CAR: 1. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo; 2. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus; 3. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger; 4. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo; 5. John Force, Ford Mustang; 6. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo; 7. Eric Medlen, Mustang; 8. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo; 9. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo; 10. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo; 11. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 12. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo; 13. Bob Gilbertson, Stratus; 14. Jim Head, Stratus; 15. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo; 16. Robert Hight, Mustang.
PRO STOCK: 1. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt; 2. Dave Connolly, Cobalt; 3. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO; 4. Jim Yates, GTO; 5. Greg Stanfield, GTO; 6. Erica Enders, Cobalt; 7. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus; 8. Mark Pawuk, Cobalt; 9. Greg Anderson, GTO; 10. V. Gaines, Stratus; 11. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 12. Dave Howard, Cobalt; 13. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 14. Mike Edwards, GTO; 15. Warren Johnson, GTO; 16. Shaun Carlson, Stratus.
LAS VEGAS -- Sunday's final results from the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $1.7 million race is the fifth of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Melanie Troxel, 4.837 seconds, 285.65 mph def. David Grubnic, 4.987 seconds, 319.60 mph.
Funny Car -- Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.417, 266.16 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 6.474, 229.31.
Pro Stock -- Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.842, 202.42 def. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.874, 202.00.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Sean O'Bannon, 5.454, 266.32 def. Steve Federlin, 5.495, 261.02.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Ron August Jr, Chevy Camaro, 5.732, 253.18 def. Cy Chesterman, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.749, 252.14.
Competition Eliminator -- Tom Mettler, Dodge Dakota, 7.606, 177.95 def. Frank Aragona, Bantam Roadster, 8.646, 151.22.
Super Stock -- Bob Mazzolini, Plymouth Barracuda, 9.197, 137.34 def. Jimmy DeFrank, Pontiac Grand Am, 9.532, 146.72.
Stock Eliminator -- Steve Wann, Plymouth GTX, 10.423, 125.29 def. Gene Mosbek, Plymouth Savoy, 10.548, 125.29.
Super Comp -- Milton Gedo, Dragster, 9.055, 161.02 def. Chad Langdon, Dragster, 9.070, 159.83.
LAS VEGAS -- Final round-by-round results from the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Doug Kalitta, 4.566, 330.63 def. Rod Fuller, 5.115, 275.06; David Grubnic, 5.129, 305.29 def. Cory McClenathan, 5.612, 236.42; Doug Herbert, 4.630, 318.39 def. J.R. Todd, 4.669, 315.42; Brandon Bernstein, 4.535, 328.14 def. Bob Vandergriff, 4.601, 326.32; Alan Bradshaw, 4.685, 318.24 def. Tony Schumacher, 8.105, 93.66; Larry Dixon, 4.537, 330.23 def. Mike Strasburg, 10.210, 100.28; Melanie Troxel, 4.577, 328.14 def. David Baca, 6.991, 119.47; Morgan Lucas, 4.580, 316.38 def. Hillary Will, 4.602, 320.81; QUARTERFINALS -- Troxel, 4.542, 323.12 def. Lucas, 4.714, 311.41; Kalitta, 4.603, 330.39 def. Bradshaw, 12.050, 83.33; Grubnic, 4.988, 320.28 def. Dixon, 5.274, 282.42; Bernstein, 4.564, 324.75 def. Herbert, 4.681, 311.49; SEMIFINALS -- Grubnic, 4.629, 324.98 def. Bernstein, 9.799, 69.79; Troxel, 4.547, 327.35 def. Kalitta, 4.721, 327.43; FINAL -- Troxel, 4.837, 285.65 def. Grubnic, 4.987, 319.60.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.826, 302.28 def. Gary Densham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.845, 312.13; Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.866, 317.49 def. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo, 4.898, 326.63; John Force, Mustang, 4.795, 323.43 def. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 8.305, 96.19; Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.884, 292.52 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 12.286, 30.77; Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.820, 327.27 def. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Charger, 7.641, 111.22; Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.886, 315.27 def. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 9.178, 89.28; Whit Bazemore, Charger, 4.833, 321.73 def. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 7.866, 114.91; Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.871, 296.57 def. Jim Head, Stratus, 8.396, 94.77; QUARTERFINALS -- Capps, 4.874, 318.99 def. Worsham, 4.928, 312.35; Johnson Jr., 4.887, 316.90 def. Medlen, 4.938, 305.56; Bazemore, 4.832, 324.36 def. Force, 4.839, 323.58; C. Pedregon, 4.864, 321.19 def. Bartone, 7.530, 113.91; SEMIFINALS -- C. Pedregon, 5.314, 282.30 def. Johnson Jr., 6.583, 162.67; Capps, 4.888, 317.05 def. Bazemore, 4.969, 300.40; FINAL -- C. Pedregon, 5.417, 266.16 def. Capps, 6.474, 229.31.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.841, 202.58 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.831, 202.48; Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.834, 202.15 def. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.852, 201.55; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.817, 202.85 def. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.867, 201.61; Jim Yates, GTO, 6.835, 202.03 def. Shaun Carlson, Stratus, 11.659, 75.74; Mark Pawuk, Cobalt, 6.927, 200.20 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.938, 201.37; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.823, 202.24 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.850, 201.76; Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.817, 202.36 def. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.801, 203.00; Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.827, 202.55 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.864, 200.86; QUARTERFINALS -- Line, 6.924, 199.91 def. Pawuk, 6.918, 200.32; Yates, 6.869, 201.25 def. Stevens, 6.912, 201.55; K. Johnson, 6.823, 202.33 def. Enders, 6.857, 201.88; Connolly, 6.867, 201.67 def. Stanfield, 6.851, 201.97; SEMIFINALS -- Connolly, 6.882, 201.58 def. Yates, 6.867, 201.22; K. Johnson, 6.864, 201.94 def. Line, 6.862, 202.00; FINAL -- K. Johnson, 6.842, 202.42 def. Connolly, 6.874, 202.00.
LAS VEGAS -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Melanie Troxel, 483; 2. David Grubnic, 327; 3. Larry Dixon, 297; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 289; 5. Morgan Lucas, 281; 6. Doug Kalitta, 273; 7. Rod Fuller, 268; 8. Doug Herbert, 263; 9. Tony Schumacher, 247; 10. Cory McClenathan, 226.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 489; 2. John Force, 384; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., 288; 4. Robert Hight, 286; 5. Cruz Pedregon, 284; 6. Phil Burkart, 282; 7. Eric Medlen, 276; 8. Del Worsham, 269; 9. Bob Gilbertson, 236; 10. Whit Bazemore, 207.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 369; 2. Mike Edwards, 329; 3. Erica Enders, 317; 4. Jason Line, 297; 5. Jim Yates, 283; 6. Warren Johnson, 268; 7. Greg Stanfield, 261; 8. Rickie Smith, 239; 9. Larry Morgan, 227; 10. Kurt Johnson, 221.
Pedregon and Johnson also score wins at NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS -- Season-long NHRA POWERade Series points leader Melanie Troxel raced to her second Top Fuel victory of the season and made drag racing history along the way Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by becoming the first driver in her category to open the season with five consecutive final-round appearances.
Troxel's Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels dragster covered the quarter-mile distance in 4.834 seconds at 285.65 mph to win the seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals, the fifth of 23 races in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series. She was joined in the winners' circle by former Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon and Pro Stock veteran Kurt Johnson.
One of two females currently leading the 2006 POWERade Series standings, along with Pro Stock Motorcycle frontrunner Angelle Sampey, Troxel's dragster was nearly flawless in the early rounds as she posted three straight 4.5-second passes. She had to fight through some engine problems against runner-up Dave Grubnic, but he was in bigger trouble, sputtering through the timers in 4.987 seconds at 319.60 mph in his StriVectin-SD dragster.
"It seems like we can do no wrong," said Troxel, who outran David Baca, Morgan Lucas, and Doug Kalitta in earlier rounds. "Richard Hogan (crew chief) seems to have the ability to adapt the car to whatever conditions we face, and the guys are doing a great job of getting the car back together the same way every time. We're not making many mistakes.
"I don't want to wake up from this. No matter how good a team you have, you just can't think that you'll continue to go to the finals every week. I'm surprised as anybody. We're on a team that has all the resources and is enjoying a lot of success and that motivates you to go out there and perform at your best."
Troxel increased her lead in the POWERade standings from 128 to 156 points over second place Grubnic. Three-time and defending world champion Tony Schumacher lost in the first round and fell to ninth in the standings.
Pedregon won his first Funny Car race in 126 events, which dates back to the tour's 2000 stop in Englishtown, N.J. Like Troxel, Pedregon's final-round pass wasn't pretty, but the 5.417 at 266.16 mph he posted in his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo was more than enough to take out series leader Ron Capps, whose Brut Dodge lost traction at the hit of the throttle.
"You can say I had a gorilla on my back because it was definitely bigger than a monkey," said Pedregon, who moved from 10th to fifth in the points. "My feeling in the final when I started smoking the tires out there was, 'oh well, Ron's gonna go by me.' But when I didn't see him, I just started driving off adrenaline and instinct. I've never been so glad to see a win light come on."
Pedregon beat Jim Head, Tony Bartone, and Tommy Johnson Jr. along the way to his 50th career final. Capps' third final in a row -- he was coming off back-to-back wins -- pushed his lead in the series standings to 105 over John Force.
An 18-1 underdog with the local bookmakers, Johnson hadn't won a round all season but he collected four here, winning Pro Stock by 10 inches in his ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt with a come-from-behind 6.842 at 202.42 mph against Dave Connolly's 6.874 at 202.00 mph in his Skull Gear Cobalt. It was Johnson's 33rd career victory and he is the fifth different Pro Stock winner of the first five races.
"We've been slumping, no doubt," said Johnson, who suffered first round losses in the season's first four races. "I was just glad the car started this morning. We've had some success here and we were able to look in the recipe book and figured out what to do. Everybody has periods where they're not running so well. You just have to fight through it.
"I came here in 2002 and I was an 18-1 underdog so I bet on myself. I got drilled in the second round so I said the heck with that, I'm not gonna bet on myself any more. I guess some people made money on me today but not me. I guarantee you I'm happier with this trophy."
The win also extends a personal streak for Johnson of winning at least one race in each of the past 12 seasons. He moved from 16th to 10th in the series standings.
Despite a first round upset, Greg Anderson maintained a 40-point lead in the POWERade Pro Stock standings over Mike Edwards.
The NHRA POWERade Series continues with the sixth annual O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, April 28-30 at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway.
LAS VEGAS -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $1.7 million race is the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL: 1. Melanie Troxel; 2. David Grubnic; 3. Doug Kalitta; 4. Brandon Bernstein; 5. Doug Herbert; 6. Morgan Lucas; 7. Larry Dixon; 8. Alan Bradshaw; 9. Bob Vandergriff; 10. Hillary Will; 11. J.R. Todd; 12. Rod Fuller; 13. Cory McClenathan; 14. David Baca; 15. Tony Schumacher; 16. Mike Strasburg.
FUNNY CAR: 1. Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo; 2. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus; 3. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Charger; 4. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo; 5. John Force, Ford Mustang; 6. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo; 7. Eric Medlen, Mustang; 8. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo; 9. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo; 10. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo; 11. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 12. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo; 13. Bob Gilbertson, Stratus; 14. Jim Head, Stratus; 15. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo; 16. Robert Hight, Mustang.
PRO STOCK: 1. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt; 2. Dave Connolly, Cobalt; 3. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO; 4. Jim Yates, GTO; 5. Greg Stanfield, GTO; 6. Erica Enders, Cobalt; 7. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus; 8. Mark Pawuk, Cobalt; 9. Greg Anderson, GTO; 10. V. Gaines, Stratus; 11. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 12. Dave Howard, Cobalt; 13. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 14. Mike Edwards, GTO; 15. Warren Johnson, GTO; 16. Shaun Carlson, Stratus.
LAS VEGAS -- Sunday's final results from the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $1.7 million race is the fifth of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Melanie Troxel, 4.837 seconds, 285.65 mph def. David Grubnic, 4.987 seconds, 319.60 mph.
Funny Car -- Cruz Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.417, 266.16 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 6.474, 229.31.
Pro Stock -- Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.842, 202.42 def. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.874, 202.00.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Sean O'Bannon, 5.454, 266.32 def. Steve Federlin, 5.495, 261.02.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Ron August Jr, Chevy Camaro, 5.732, 253.18 def. Cy Chesterman, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.749, 252.14.
Competition Eliminator -- Tom Mettler, Dodge Dakota, 7.606, 177.95 def. Frank Aragona, Bantam Roadster, 8.646, 151.22.
Super Stock -- Bob Mazzolini, Plymouth Barracuda, 9.197, 137.34 def. Jimmy DeFrank, Pontiac Grand Am, 9.532, 146.72.
Stock Eliminator -- Steve Wann, Plymouth GTX, 10.423, 125.29 def. Gene Mosbek, Plymouth Savoy, 10.548, 125.29.
Super Comp -- Milton Gedo, Dragster, 9.055, 161.02 def. Chad Langdon, Dragster, 9.070, 159.83.
LAS VEGAS -- Final round-by-round results from the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Doug Kalitta, 4.566, 330.63 def. Rod Fuller, 5.115, 275.06; David Grubnic, 5.129, 305.29 def. Cory McClenathan, 5.612, 236.42; Doug Herbert, 4.630, 318.39 def. J.R. Todd, 4.669, 315.42; Brandon Bernstein, 4.535, 328.14 def. Bob Vandergriff, 4.601, 326.32; Alan Bradshaw, 4.685, 318.24 def. Tony Schumacher, 8.105, 93.66; Larry Dixon, 4.537, 330.23 def. Mike Strasburg, 10.210, 100.28; Melanie Troxel, 4.577, 328.14 def. David Baca, 6.991, 119.47; Morgan Lucas, 4.580, 316.38 def. Hillary Will, 4.602, 320.81; QUARTERFINALS -- Troxel, 4.542, 323.12 def. Lucas, 4.714, 311.41; Kalitta, 4.603, 330.39 def. Bradshaw, 12.050, 83.33; Grubnic, 4.988, 320.28 def. Dixon, 5.274, 282.42; Bernstein, 4.564, 324.75 def. Herbert, 4.681, 311.49; SEMIFINALS -- Grubnic, 4.629, 324.98 def. Bernstein, 9.799, 69.79; Troxel, 4.547, 327.35 def. Kalitta, 4.721, 327.43; FINAL -- Troxel, 4.837, 285.65 def. Grubnic, 4.987, 319.60.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.826, 302.28 def. Gary Densham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.845, 312.13; Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.866, 317.49 def. Mike Ashley, Monte Carlo, 4.898, 326.63; John Force, Mustang, 4.795, 323.43 def. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 8.305, 96.19; Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.884, 292.52 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 12.286, 30.77; Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.820, 327.27 def. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Charger, 7.641, 111.22; Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.886, 315.27 def. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 9.178, 89.28; Whit Bazemore, Charger, 4.833, 321.73 def. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 7.866, 114.91; Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.871, 296.57 def. Jim Head, Stratus, 8.396, 94.77; QUARTERFINALS -- Capps, 4.874, 318.99 def. Worsham, 4.928, 312.35; Johnson Jr., 4.887, 316.90 def. Medlen, 4.938, 305.56; Bazemore, 4.832, 324.36 def. Force, 4.839, 323.58; C. Pedregon, 4.864, 321.19 def. Bartone, 7.530, 113.91; SEMIFINALS -- C. Pedregon, 5.314, 282.30 def. Johnson Jr., 6.583, 162.67; Capps, 4.888, 317.05 def. Bazemore, 4.969, 300.40; FINAL -- C. Pedregon, 5.417, 266.16 def. Capps, 6.474, 229.31.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.841, 202.58 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.831, 202.48; Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.834, 202.15 def. Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.852, 201.55; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.817, 202.85 def. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.867, 201.61; Jim Yates, GTO, 6.835, 202.03 def. Shaun Carlson, Stratus, 11.659, 75.74; Mark Pawuk, Cobalt, 6.927, 200.20 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.938, 201.37; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.823, 202.24 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.850, 201.76; Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.817, 202.36 def. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.801, 203.00; Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.827, 202.55 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.864, 200.86; QUARTERFINALS -- Line, 6.924, 199.91 def. Pawuk, 6.918, 200.32; Yates, 6.869, 201.25 def. Stevens, 6.912, 201.55; K. Johnson, 6.823, 202.33 def. Enders, 6.857, 201.88; Connolly, 6.867, 201.67 def. Stanfield, 6.851, 201.97; SEMIFINALS -- Connolly, 6.882, 201.58 def. Yates, 6.867, 201.22; K. Johnson, 6.864, 201.94 def. Line, 6.862, 202.00; FINAL -- K. Johnson, 6.842, 202.42 def. Connolly, 6.874, 202.00.
LAS VEGAS -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fifth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Melanie Troxel, 483; 2. David Grubnic, 327; 3. Larry Dixon, 297; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 289; 5. Morgan Lucas, 281; 6. Doug Kalitta, 273; 7. Rod Fuller, 268; 8. Doug Herbert, 263; 9. Tony Schumacher, 247; 10. Cory McClenathan, 226.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 489; 2. John Force, 384; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., 288; 4. Robert Hight, 286; 5. Cruz Pedregon, 284; 6. Phil Burkart, 282; 7. Eric Medlen, 276; 8. Del Worsham, 269; 9. Bob Gilbertson, 236; 10. Whit Bazemore, 207.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 369; 2. Mike Edwards, 329; 3. Erica Enders, 317; 4. Jason Line, 297; 5. Jim Yates, 283; 6. Warren Johnson, 268; 7. Greg Stanfield, 261; 8. Rickie Smith, 239; 9. Larry Morgan, 227; 10. Kurt Johnson, 221.
Bill Pratt
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
Post Race Notes
NHRA POWERADE SERIES POST RACE NOTES:
Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals
April 6-9, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas
TOP FUEL
· Melanie Troxel raced to her second victory of the season and her fifth consecutive final round of the season. It is her first victory at The Strip at LVMS. She defeated native Australian Dave Grubnic for the victory. Troxel’s Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels dragster posted a 4.837 second run at 285.65 to hold off Grubnic’s StriVectin-SD dragster, which posted a 4.987 at 319.60 for the runner-up finish.
· Troxel became the first Top Fuel driver to open an NHRA season with five consecutive final round appearances. It is Troxel’s sixth consecutive final, dating back to the 2005 NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif. She is one final short of the NHRA record for most consecutive finals in Top Fuel, set by Tony Schumacher last season.
· With Troxel’s final round appearance, that is the 12th Top Fuel final in a row for a car from Don Schumacher Racing. Her teammate, Tony Schumacher, closed the 2005 season by advancing to the last seven finals, and Troxel has advanced to the first five finals in 2006.
· Tony Schumacher drove his U.S. Army dragster to the No. 1 qualifying position with an elapsed time of 4.501 seconds at 329.91 mph. It was Schumacher’s 26th No. 1 qualifying effort of his career and his fourth No. 1 effort of the season.
· Three-time and defending POWERade Series world champion Schumacher was upset in the first round and fell to ninth in the point standings.
· Troxel extended her POWERade Series points lead to 156 points over Grubnic.
· Hillary Will’s KB Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
FUNNY CAR
· Cruz Pedregon earned his first victory in more than five years (Englishtown, N.J. 2000) and the 23rd win of his career. It was his first victory at The Strip at LVMS.
· Pedregon defeated Ron Capps, who was making his fourth final round appearance of the season in his Brut Dodge Stratus. Pedregon won a tire-smoking battle, as his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo crossed the finish line in 5.417 at 266.16, while Capps’ machine finished in 6.474 at 229.31.
· Robert Hight raced to his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of his career with a track record performance of 4.702 at 327.11 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. It was his first No. 1 effort of the season and his first at The Strip at LVMS.
· With the runner-up finish, Capps increased his POWERade Series lead to 105 over second place driver John Force.
· Tony Pedregon failed to qualify for the 16-car starting order. It was the first time Pedregon had failed to qualify in 114 races (since Bristol 2001). Following Friday’s second session Pedregon posted a performance (4.799 seconds) that would’ve put his car in the starting lineup, however his team failed to stop at the scales to weigh his car following the run – which is required per NHRA rules -- so that performance was disallowed by NHRA officials. The miscue was costly for Pedregon, who dropped out of the POWERade Series Top 10, Skoal Showdown Top 8 and the Full Throttle Crew Challenge Top 5.
· John Force’s Castrol GTX team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK
· Kurt Johnson earned his first victory of the season and 33rd of his career, powering his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt to the victory over Dave Connolly, defending winner of this race, who clocked a 6.874 at 202.00 in his Skull Gear Cobalt. It was Johnson’s second victory at this track in five finals. The victory also extended a personal record for Johnson, who has now won at least one race in 12 consecutive seasons.
· Greg Anderson raced to the 44th No. 1 qualifying effort of his career, his fourth of the season and the fifth at this track. He clocked a track record time of 6.787 seconds in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to earn the top position.
· Warren Johnson clocked a track record speed of 203.49 mph in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac GTO.
· Despite his first round exit, Anderson leads Mike Edwards by 40 points in the POWERade Series standings.
· Kurt Johnson defeated Dave Connolly by .0031-second margin of victory in the final-round of eliminations to claim the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light award.
· Greg Anderson’s Summit Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
GENERAL NOTES
· No. 1 qualifiers in Top Fuel (Tony Schumacher), Funny Car (Robert Hight) and Pro Stock (Greg Anderson) all lost in the first round of eliminations. The last time that happened was 2004 at Englishtown, N.J.
· All three defending NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series world champions – Tony Schumacher (TF), Gary Scelzi (FC) and Greg Anderson (PS) -- lost in the first round of eliminations.
POWERADE FAN NATIONALS
· Joseph Bilodeau, 18, of Las Cruces, N.M, won the fifth round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals. Bilodeau, a high school senior at Mayfield (N.M.) High, defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. He will have the opportunity to race for the ultimate title of 2006 POWERade Fan Nationals Series champion in November at the 42nd Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.
Seventh annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals
April 6-9, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas
TOP FUEL
· Melanie Troxel raced to her second victory of the season and her fifth consecutive final round of the season. It is her first victory at The Strip at LVMS. She defeated native Australian Dave Grubnic for the victory. Troxel’s Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels dragster posted a 4.837 second run at 285.65 to hold off Grubnic’s StriVectin-SD dragster, which posted a 4.987 at 319.60 for the runner-up finish.
· Troxel became the first Top Fuel driver to open an NHRA season with five consecutive final round appearances. It is Troxel’s sixth consecutive final, dating back to the 2005 NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif. She is one final short of the NHRA record for most consecutive finals in Top Fuel, set by Tony Schumacher last season.
· With Troxel’s final round appearance, that is the 12th Top Fuel final in a row for a car from Don Schumacher Racing. Her teammate, Tony Schumacher, closed the 2005 season by advancing to the last seven finals, and Troxel has advanced to the first five finals in 2006.
· Tony Schumacher drove his U.S. Army dragster to the No. 1 qualifying position with an elapsed time of 4.501 seconds at 329.91 mph. It was Schumacher’s 26th No. 1 qualifying effort of his career and his fourth No. 1 effort of the season.
· Three-time and defending POWERade Series world champion Schumacher was upset in the first round and fell to ninth in the point standings.
· Troxel extended her POWERade Series points lead to 156 points over Grubnic.
· Hillary Will’s KB Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
FUNNY CAR
· Cruz Pedregon earned his first victory in more than five years (Englishtown, N.J. 2000) and the 23rd win of his career. It was his first victory at The Strip at LVMS.
· Pedregon defeated Ron Capps, who was making his fourth final round appearance of the season in his Brut Dodge Stratus. Pedregon won a tire-smoking battle, as his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo crossed the finish line in 5.417 at 266.16, while Capps’ machine finished in 6.474 at 229.31.
· Robert Hight raced to his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of his career with a track record performance of 4.702 at 327.11 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. It was his first No. 1 effort of the season and his first at The Strip at LVMS.
· With the runner-up finish, Capps increased his POWERade Series lead to 105 over second place driver John Force.
· Tony Pedregon failed to qualify for the 16-car starting order. It was the first time Pedregon had failed to qualify in 114 races (since Bristol 2001). Following Friday’s second session Pedregon posted a performance (4.799 seconds) that would’ve put his car in the starting lineup, however his team failed to stop at the scales to weigh his car following the run – which is required per NHRA rules -- so that performance was disallowed by NHRA officials. The miscue was costly for Pedregon, who dropped out of the POWERade Series Top 10, Skoal Showdown Top 8 and the Full Throttle Crew Challenge Top 5.
· John Force’s Castrol GTX team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK
· Kurt Johnson earned his first victory of the season and 33rd of his career, powering his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt to the victory over Dave Connolly, defending winner of this race, who clocked a 6.874 at 202.00 in his Skull Gear Cobalt. It was Johnson’s second victory at this track in five finals. The victory also extended a personal record for Johnson, who has now won at least one race in 12 consecutive seasons.
· Greg Anderson raced to the 44th No. 1 qualifying effort of his career, his fourth of the season and the fifth at this track. He clocked a track record time of 6.787 seconds in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to earn the top position.
· Warren Johnson clocked a track record speed of 203.49 mph in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac GTO.
· Despite his first round exit, Anderson leads Mike Edwards by 40 points in the POWERade Series standings.
· Kurt Johnson defeated Dave Connolly by .0031-second margin of victory in the final-round of eliminations to claim the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light award.
· Greg Anderson’s Summit Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
GENERAL NOTES
· No. 1 qualifiers in Top Fuel (Tony Schumacher), Funny Car (Robert Hight) and Pro Stock (Greg Anderson) all lost in the first round of eliminations. The last time that happened was 2004 at Englishtown, N.J.
· All three defending NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series world champions – Tony Schumacher (TF), Gary Scelzi (FC) and Greg Anderson (PS) -- lost in the first round of eliminations.
POWERADE FAN NATIONALS
· Joseph Bilodeau, 18, of Las Cruces, N.M, won the fifth round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals. Bilodeau, a high school senior at Mayfield (N.M.) High, defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. He will have the opportunity to race for the ultimate title of 2006 POWERade Fan Nationals Series champion in November at the 42nd Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.
Bill Pratt
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
Draglist.com - Crowdsourced drag racing history.
Headlines and Results: http://www.draglist.com/
Drag Lists: http://www.draglist.com/draglist/draglist.php
-
Rapid Randy Baker
- Posts:8075
- Joined:Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:05 am
- Location:Des Moines, Iowa
- Contact:
Good racing. The Shoe is struggling, Mel is rocking. Hogan has that car hauling just like he did with Hot Rod Fuller.
WJ, sad to say isn't killing them. KJ comes out of the slump in a big way! Erica is gonna catch them slipping up and win on pretty soon. Good to see Yates running well. You just can't nap against Connley. He seems to need more car though. Cowboy Mark grinning was good to see. Not against WJ though.
WJ, sad to say isn't killing them. KJ comes out of the slump in a big way! Erica is gonna catch them slipping up and win on pretty soon. Good to see Yates running well. You just can't nap against Connley. He seems to need more car though. Cowboy Mark grinning was good to see. Not against WJ though.
NITRO PILOT
[url]http://.www.rapidrandy.net[/url]
[url]http://.www.rapidrandy.net[/url]
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 117 guests