INDIANAPOLIS – Alexis DeJoria knows what is on the line at the world’s most prestigious drag race, the 61st annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. But like she proved a year ago, the Funny Car standout is more than capable of rising to the occasion on drag racing’s biggest stage.
DeJoria is the defending Funny Car winner of the tradition-rich event, putting together a thrilling performance a year ago at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis to cap off her breakout season in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
A year later, DeJoria will need another big performance to ensure her spot in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. Currently in 10th place in the loaded Funny Car class, DeJoria sits 73 points ahead of Courtney Force, the winningest female driver in Funny Car history, in the race for the final playoff transfer spot. That means all eyes will be on two of the top females on the NHRA circuit when they roll into the venerable NHRA-owned multipurpose motorsports facility Sept. 2-7.
“My mindset should be the way it was last year: with a clear head and all of the confidence in the world that we can accomplish what we’ve done in the past,” said DeJoria, who has three career wins. “To focus on what anybody else is doing at this moment is a defeatist mentality. We’re just going to ‘stay in our lane,’ so to speak, and concentrate on what we need to do to stay in the top 10.”
Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) joined DeJoria as winners of the Big Go last season. Once again, ESPN and ESPN2 will provide national television coverage of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. The event, which has provided drag racing’s biggest stage for six decades, is the final race of the NHRA regular season, giving drivers one last chance to qualify for the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
That means plenty of added drama for Force and DeJoria, as well as the other NHRA stars trying to slip into the top 10. Force will have to put together her best performance in a season that has been filled with frustration and currently five straight first-round losses.
But if there was an ideal place for a turnaround, Indy and the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals would be the exact location for Force, who has seven career wins, but only one final round appearance in 2015. Indy is a points and a half race, meaning 30 points are up for grabs each round and winning the race means 150 points instead of the typical 100. A max total of 208 points are available for a single driver in each category, meaning a season-making showing from Force may be enough to get into the Countdown.
“Obviously it’s a huge race and our focus is on getting down the track,” Force said. “In the back of our heads, we’re thinking about trying to get into the Countdown to the Championship. It’s definitely going to be a little bit of a longshot and a huge challenge for our Traxxas Chevy Camaro team, but we’re up for the challenge. My teammate (Robert Hight) has done it before in the past and got in there. We’re going to give it everything we’ve got. This is a big weekend for us and a lot of pressure, but we’re excited for it.”
Cruz Pedregon is just 28 points ahead of DeJoria and her 10,000-horsepower Patron XO Cafe Incendio Toyota Camry, meaning a good weekend could also put DeJoria in a great position heading into the Countdown. Taking that confidence from her previous Indy win could also be beneficial in any upcoming pressure situation.
“We’ve won Indy before, and that’s a huge accomplishment,” DeJoria said. “We won the 60th anniversary and that’ll never be done again. I feel great going back to a place where we’ve done so well.”
For Force, it’s simply a matter of putting together a string of strong performances on raceday. That hasn’t happened in a while, but she knows there is too much potential and already proven success on her team for the struggles to last much longer.
“We’re just trying to find a faster race car and a more consistent one,” Force said. “We’ve had a pretty good car lately, (we’ve) just kind of stumbled in the first rounds. We’re just trying to figure out what that problem is.”
Force and DeJoria will both have to contend with a standout Funny Car group that starts with points leader Jack Beckman and also features reigning world champion Matt Hagan, John Force, who has four wins at the prestigious event, Ron Capps, Tommy Johnson Jr., Tim Wilkerson, Del Worsham, and three-time Indy winner Robert Hight.
In Top Fuel, Clay Millican and Dave Connolly are both trying to sneak into the final spot, as they sit 124 and 134 points behind 10th-place Spencer Massey, respectively. Steve Torrence is just three points ahead of Massey as he tries to hold onto his position as well. They will all have to deal with reigning world champion Tony Schumacher, who is after his 10th Indy win, four-time season winners Richie Crampton and Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, J.R. Todd, Larry Dixon, Brittany Force and Shawn Langdon.
Gray would love to get back-to-back Pro Stock wins at Indy, but four-time world champion and current points leader Greg Anderson, who has won four races in 2015, is primed for a seventh Pro Stock win at the Big Go. Others to watch include reigning world champion Erica Enders, who also has four wins this season, Jason Line, Allen Johnson, Jonathan Gray, Chris McGaha, who won back-to-back races on the Western Swing to jump firmly into the championship picture, Vincent Nobile, rookie and local favorite Drew Skillman and two-time season winner Larry Morgan.
Veteran racer V. Gaines is the only Pro Stock driver with a shot of breaking into the top 10, but the Denver businessman sits 176 points back of 10th-place Skillman.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, another Indy victory would add to Eddie Krawiec’s impressive season and secure the No. 1 spot heading into the Countdown to the Championship. He will face off against top challengers like reigning world champion Andrew Hines, Hector Arana Jr., Karen Stoffer, Jim Underdahl, two-time world champ and past Indy winner Matt Smith, 2009 Indy winner Hector Arana and alligator farmer Jerry Savoie.
There is an exciting race brewing for 10th-place in the two-wheel category, as L.E. Tonglet, who trails ninth-place Scotty Pollacheck by only 21 points, is 26 points ahead of Chip Ellis and 51 points ahead of multi-time Indy winner Angelle Sampey. Chaz Kennedy and Angie Smith are both 68 points back of Ellis, while former Indy winner Steve Johnson has an outside shot at 78 points behind.
Bonus bucks and bragging rights will be on the line for qualified drivers in Top Fuel and Funny Car as they battle in the lucrative Traxxas Nitro Shootout. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Top Fuel will be held on Saturday evening, while the Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car is contested Sunday afternoon. The winners in each Traxxas Nitro Shootout will earn $100,000. Prior to each Traxxas Nitro Shootout there will be a fan Q&A and autograph session conducted with all qualified drivers.
Drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Pro Mod Series also will take to the track during the weekend in their 250-mph machines with the goal of trying to win the prestigious event. The fan-favorite Mopar HEMI Challenge on Friday, featuring the world’s quickest Super Stock machines, will highlight the Lucas Oil Series action.
Thundering Jet Cars will take to the track to make exhibition passes as part of Friday and Saturday’s racing activities, and also on Friday, a special fireworks show will close out that day’s racing. Fan-favorite vintage racecars will be on display in the Hot Rod Junction, along with several autograph sessions featuring the biggest stars of the sport will be featured throughout each day of the event.
A special Monday edition of the SealMaster NHRA Track Walk also will take place prior to final eliminations, where many of the sport’s most celebrated drivers will walk alongside fans down the historic dragstrip. Also on Monday during pre-race ceremonies, fans will get to experience a very special treat when the famed Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s highly-decorated parachute team, descends into Lucas Oil Raceway. As usual, one of the highlights of the spectacular pre-race show on Monday will feature highly-skilled skydiver Jason Peters soaring into Lucas Oil Raceway with an American Flag in tow during the traditional performance of the National Anthem.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
The first of five Mello Yello Series qualifying sessions is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. Two more sessions will take to the track on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 2:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m., and the final two qualifying sessions will take place on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 7. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Top Fuel will be contested Saturday, Sept. 5 with rounds at 4 p.m., 5:25 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The Traxxas Nitro Shootout for Funny Car takes place on Sunday, Sept. 6 for the eight qualified drivers, with rounds at 12:30 p.m., 1:55 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
ESPN and ESPN2 will televise eight hours of coverage of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Five hours of qualifying coverage and coverage of the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts will air on ESPN from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (ET) and on ESPN2 from 11 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6. Monday’s (Sept. 7) eliminations for the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals will be featured in three hours of coverage on ESPN starting at 4 p.m. (ET).
Tickets for the world’s most prestigious drag race can be purchased by calling the NHRA Ticket Sales Center at (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or online at www.NHRATIX.com.
* * *
CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE U.S. NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 61st annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, 18th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the last race in the NHRA Mello Yello Series regular season. At the conclusion of this event, the top 10 drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – will be locked in to begin the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs, leading to 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Brownsburg, Ind. From I-465, exit Crawfordsville Road (Hwy. 136). Head west for four miles past downtown Clermont. The facility’s main entrance is on the left, one-half mile past Raceway Road. From I-74 go south on Ronald Reagan Parkway, exit 68 and turn south. Turn east on U.S. 136 and entrance on the track will be on the right.
COURSE: Championship dragstrip; Track elevation is 700 feet above sea level; Track direction is south to north.
POINTS: A special world championship points system is in effect at this event, where drivers in the Mello Yello Series categories will earn points based on a point-and-a-half system (150 points to win). A single racer in each category can earn a maximum of 208 points at this event. All other NHRA Mello Yello Series events offer 100 points to win. Teams also will get 15 points instead of 10 for making a qualifying attempt. Qualifying bonus points will remain at 3-2-1 for the five qualifying sessions and the standard 1-8 points will be given for qualifying positions. Drivers who set a national E.T. record will earn 20 points.
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 7.
SCHEDULE:
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying
THURSDAY, Sept. 3 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and eliminations
FRIDAY, Sept. 4 – LUCAS OIL SERIES (featuring Mopar HEMI Challenge)
J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 6 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 5 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and eliminations
PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 2 and 5:30 p.m.
TRAXXAS NITRO SHOOTOUT (Top Fuel) rounds at 4, 5:25 and 7:45 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 2:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 6 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying and eliminations
J&A SERVICE PRO MOD SERIES qualifying at 10:30 a.m.; first round of eliminations at 2 p.m.
TRAXXAS NITRO SHOOTOUT (Funny Car) rounds at 12:30, 1:55 and 4:15 p.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
MONDAY, Sept. 7 – Pre-race ceremonies, 9:45 a.m.
MELLO YELLO SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, Sept. 6, ESPN will televise two hours and 30 minutes of qualifying coverage at 11 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 6, ESPN2 will televise two hours and 30 minutes of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET).
Monday, Sept. 7, ESPN will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).
2014 EVENT WINNERS: Richie Crampton, Top Fuel; Alexis DeJoria, Funny Car; Shane Gray, Pro Stock; Eddie Krawiec, Pro Stock Motorcycle;
MOST VICTORIES: Tony Schumacher, Top Fuel, 9; Bob Glidden, Pro Stock, 9; Don Garlits, Top Fuel, 8; Don Prudhomme, Top Fuel and Funny Car, 7; Warren Johnson, Pro Stock, 6; Dave Schultz, Pro Stock Motorcycle, 6; Ed McCulloch, Funny Car and Top Fuel, 6; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock, 6; John Force, Funny Car, 4; Larry Dixon, Top Fuel, 4.
EVENT HISTORY: The most historic and prestigious event in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals has been contested annually since 1955. Originally known as “The Nationals” and often called the “Big Go” by drag racing historians and fans, the event was first held at an abandoned airstrip in Great Bend, Kan., the event made stops at Kansas City, Mo., Oklahoma City and Detroit before eventually moving to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in 1961. Past winners include “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, an eight-time winner in Top Fuel; Shirley Muldowney, 1982 Top Fuel winner; Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, a seven-time winner and one of a handful of drivers to win the event in both Top Fuel and Funny Car; and Bob Glidden, the legendary Pro Stock driver who dominated the race by advancing to the final round in 13 consecutive seasons from 1977-’89. The Indiana native won the event a record nine times, a mark he shares with current Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher. It is the only major motorsports event to be contested on Labor Day.
FAST FACTS: The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the final of 18 regular season Mello Yello Series races. Following conclusion of this event the top 10 drivers in each Mello Yello Series category will qualify for the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs that begin Sept. 18-20 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C.… The Traxxas Nitro Shootout will offer $100,000 to the winners in special bonus events for qualified Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers… Tony Schumacher is an 11-time U.S. Nationals finalist in Top Fuel (winning nine)… Schumacher’s first career NHRA start came at the U.S. Nationals in 1996 and the then rookie posted a runner-up finish to Cory McClenathan… John Force, 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Series world champion and winner of a record 143 events, has won the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals four times, his last coming in 2002… Four women have earned Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victories, including Shirley Muldowney once in Top Fuel, Ashley Force Hood twice in Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria once in Funny Car and Angelle Sampey twice in Pro Stock Motorcycle… Pro Stock’s Bob Glidden and Top Fuel’s Tony Schumacher are the winningest drivers in the history of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, with nine victories each… Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme, Jim Head and Ed McCulloch have won the race in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, while Antron Brown has also won the race in multiple MYDRS classes, Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle… The event also will feature competition in the Lucas Oil Series and the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, featuring high-horsepower machines that accelerate to more than 250 mph.
WHAT TO WATCH: The Traxxas Nitro Shootout will offer $100,000 to the winners in special bonus events for qualified Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers… Tony Schumacher is seeking a record 10th Top Fuel victory at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals… A victory by Schumacher would break a tie with Pro Stock’s Bob Glidden for most Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victories… Four-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson is seeking his seventh Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victory… Eight female drivers representing all four Mello Yello Series categories are expected to compete in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals… Several high-profile drivers are looking for their first victory in the world’s most prestigious drag race, including two-time Indy runner-up Doug Kalitta in Top Fuel, defending world champ Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman and Tony Pedregon in Funny Car and defending world champ Allen Johnson in Pro Stock… Drivers in all four Mello Yello Series categories who are on the bubble to make it into the top 10 in points will be trying to take advantage of Indy’s point-and-a-half system and secure their berths into the Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race postseason playoffs.
TRACK HISTORY: In 1958, led by Tom Binford, Frank Dickie, Rodger Ward and Howard Fieber, 15 Indianapolis-area businessmen and racing professionals invested $5,000 each to fund the development of what would become Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. The group purchased a 267-acre farm about seven miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and developed a multipurpose auto racing facility. The original intention in creating Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis was to design a 15-turn, 2.5-mile road course. Nearly as an afterthought, and as an insurance measure against economic problems, the investment group decided to incorporate a quarter-mile drag strip into the long straightaway of the 2.5-mile road course design. Constructed with assistance from the NHRA, the drag strip was the first of the three courses to be completed, with the facility’s first event held on the strip in the fall of 1960. During the 1960 U.S. Nationals in Detroit, a handshake agreement between Binford and NHRA founder Wally Parks promised that the event would move to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in 1961. The historic three-year pact was signed and sealed under a tree in Detroit Dragway’s pits, and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis eventually became the home of NHRA’s biggest annual event. The NHRA purchased the entire facility in 1979. The first major improvement came in 1983 with the construction and dedication of Parks Tower, the four-story drag strip tower. In 1998, new grandstands, suites and a tower complex on the front straightaway were completed at the oval track at a cost of nearly $2.5 million, which included the repaving of the entire oval surface as part of a three-phase facility improvement project. In 2001, NHRA and Lucas Oil Raceway constructed a new drag strip racing surface, replacing the strip with a 660-foot concrete pad and laying new asphalt on the remainder of the track and shutdown area. Prior to the 2003 race, eight new luxury suites were added along the top of the west-side grandstands of the drag strip, giving fans a unique perspective of the action on the famed track. In 2006, new soft barrier walls were added to the oval. In 2007, the track announced its first track entitlement with O’Reilly Auto Parts. In 2011, the track announced a new track entitlement with Lucas Oil Products. The track – formerly known as Indianapolis Raceway Park – is now known as Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. During the winter of 2008, a new main track office building was constructed near the track entrance.
DRIVER QUICK QUOTES:
Richie Crampton, defending U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner: “You have to keep in mind that just having a job driving a dragster was more than I ever expected in my life. Then to be asked to drive for a top team like Morgan Lucas Racing where I knew we had a chance to contend at every event, well, I knew the weakest link was me. We had become the 100th different Top Fuel winner in Englishtown earlier in the year and I simply didn’t think it could get any better. Then we come to Indy, the biggest race of all, in Lucas Oil’s backyard, in the team’s backyard, and winning the race was probably the last thing I was thinking about. I remember thinking that we needed to have a respectable showing. The guys were all on their game, but they are every race. On race day things just started falling into place. I truly never let myself think beyond the next round. I was helping the guys work on the car, staying busy. When we got to the semis and the TV guys started hanging about, it started creeping into my head that we may make some history. Even then, it wasn’t until we won that I even allowed myself to fully imagine that we could win Indy. It was such an intense feeling and it carried for several days, both here and back home. No matter what happens, I’ll always have that memory and it’s always going to be extremely special.”
Alexis DeJoria, defending U.S. Nationals winner in Funny Car: “It would be incredible for the Patrón XO Cafe Incendio team to back up our first Indy win. I’m going to approach Indy the same way I did last year – stay focused, stay on my game-plan and have fun.”
Shane Gray, defending U.S. Nationals Pro Stock winner: “Winning Indy is big. It’s something most guys only ever dream of. My first two years racing the U.S. Nationals I was driving a B/A Comp car, and I started racing Pro Stock there in 2010, but the first time I won a round in Indy [in Pro Stock] was in 2013. Last year was the first time I came to Indy and thought I had a chance to do something, and with all of the history there, to even have a chance is something special. When you get there, you have to try not to think about what a big deal it is. You just want to try to be the best you can be.”
Eddie Krawiec, defending U.S. Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle winner: “I have won 28 races and three Mello Yello championships and the one race that I will forever remember was my 2014 Indy win. As a pro racer we try to treat every race as the same but I have never been able to do that for Indy. The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the race everyone wants to win.”
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel – 3.740 sec. by Shawn Langdon, Sept. ’13; 328.54 mph by Tony Schumacher, Sept. ’14.
Funny Car – 3.998 sec. by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’14; 322.73 mph by Courtney Force, Sept. ’14.
Pro Stock – 6.538 sec. by Jason Line, Sept. ’11; 211.13 mph by Mike Edwards, Sept. ’12.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.815 sec. by Andrew Hines, Sept. ’10; 196.76 mph by Hines, Sept. ’10.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel – 3.680 sec. by Antron Brown, Aug. ‘15, Brainerd, Minn.; 332.75 mph by Spencer Massey, Aug. ’15, Brainerd, Minn.
Funny Car – 3.901 sec. by Jack Beckman, Aug. ’15, Brainerd, Minn.; 329.58 mph by Matt Hagan, Aug. ‘15, Brainerd, Minn.
Pro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders-Stevens, May ‘14, Englishtown, N.J.
PS Motorcycle – 6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 199.88 mph by Hector Arana Jr., April ’15, Charlotte, N.C.
TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also are available online at www.NHRA.com/tickets.
* * *
NHRA MELLO YELLO DRAG RACING SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. — Point standings (top 10) following the 17th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel: 1. Tony Schumacher, 1,348 *; 2. Antron Brown, 1,295 *; 3. Richie Crampton, 1,093 *; 4. Larry Dixon, 1,086 *; 5. Doug Kalitta, 956; 6. Shawn Langdon, 951; 7. Brittany Force, 943; 8. J.R. Todd, 929; 9. Steve Torrence, 891; 10. Spencer Massey, 888.
Funny Car: 1. Jack Beckman, 1,279 *; 2. Matt Hagan, 1,229 *; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., 1,158 *; 4. John Force, 1,084 *; 5. Del Worsham, 1,037 *; 6. Ron Capps, 1,020 *; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 942; 8. Robert Hight, 935; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 884; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 856.
Pro Stock: 1. Erica Enders, 1,391 *; 2. Greg Anderson, 1,375 *; 3. Chris McGaha, 1,254 *; 4. Jason Line, 1,197 *; 5. Allen Johnson, 1,011 *; 6. Larry Morgan, 958 *; 7. Shane Gray, 918 *; 8. Jonathan Gray, 855 *; 9. Vincent Nobile, 821; 10. Drew Skillman, 812.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 824 *; 2. Hector Arana Jr, 658 *; 3. Andrew Hines, 647 *; 4. Karen Stoffer, 523; 5. Jim Underdahl, 492; 6. Jerry Savoie, 485; 7. Matt Smith, 463; 8. Hector Arana, 448; 9. Scotty Pollacheck, 408; 10. LE Tonglet, 387.
* Clinched berth in NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship
