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Brown Def. Schumacher in a Classic Final Round
Wilkerson gets first win; Edwards pulls to within 20 points of first place
KENT, Wash. – The top two teams in Top Fuel squared off in a classic final round at the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways Sunday with Antron Brown edging Tony Schumacher by eight-thousandths of a second at the stripe.
The other winners at the 14th of 24 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series were Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock).
Brown won for the fourth time this season in the Matco Tools dragster and extended his lead to 137 points over Schumacher with his 3.985-second pass (0.079 reaction time) at 301.07 mph to Schumacher’s 3.990 (0.082 RT) at 300.00.
“When you race Tony Schumacher, six-time (NHRA Full Throttle Series) champion, and you get the better of him by eight-thousandths … that is just a sensational, phenomenal drag race right there,” Brown said. “And it feels good to be on the right side of it.”
The win was also Brown’s second straight on the Western Swing – he won last week at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver – and he can become the seventh driver in NHRA Full Throttle Series history to complete the sweep next weekend in Sonoma at the third and final leg of the Western Swing, the 22nd annual FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals.
Schumacher and the U.S. Army dragster team were bidding for their fifth win this season and fourth straight at Pacific Raceways.
“Tony made sure I knew that,” said Brown, who for years was teammates with Schumacher when he rode the U.S. Army Suzuki in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.
In Funny Car, Tim Wilkerson picked up his first win of the year in the Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang – after a career-high six wins last year – with a 4.211 at 291.01 to Tony Pedregon’s 4.283 at 289.57 in his Q Horsepower Chevy Impala. Wilkerson moved up from seventh to fifth place in the Funny Car standings.
“We’ve had a struggle this year, we’ve had a decent car, just had bad racing luck,” Wilkerson said. “We finally got it all hooked up together today.”
In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards continued his best season ever in the A.R.T. Pontiac by defeating Jason Line, 6.583 at 211.03 to 6.601 at 210.50, to pull within 20 points of points-leader Jeg Coughlin. It was the third win this year for Edwards, who also set both ends of the Pacific Raceways track record with a 6.556-second pass at 210.67 mph in his first-round win over Ben Watson.
“The car is just a joy to drive, it just does everything right,” Edwards said.
Also, three more drivers – Larry Dixon and Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel and Jason Line in Pro Stock –clinched berths in the NHRA Playoffs, the Countdown to 1.
The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series resumes in a week with the third and final leg of the Western Swing, the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals July 24-26 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma.
KENT, Wash. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. The race is the 14th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Antron Brown; 2. Tony Schumacher; 3. Spencer Massey; 4. Troy Buff; 5. Shawn Langdon; 6. J.R. Todd; 7. Larry Dixon; 8. Morgan Lucas; 9. Cory McClenathan; 10. Doug Kalitta; 11. Steven Chrisman; 12. Clay Millican; 13. Terry Haddock; 14. Ron Smith; 15. Joe Hartley; 16. Brandon Bernstein.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang; 2. Tony Pedregon; 3. Ron Capps; 4. John Force; 5. Ashley Force Hood; 6. Mike Neff; 7. Jack Beckman; 8. Bob Tasca III; 9. Robert Hight; 10. Del Worsham; 11. Jerry Toliver; 12. Gary Densham; 13. Cruz Pedregon; 14. Jeff Arend; 15. Matt Hagan; 16. Grant Downing.
PRO STOCK:
1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP; 2. Jason Line; 3. Ron Krisher; 4. Allen Johnson; 5. Greg Stanfield; 6. Kurt Johnson; 7. Rickie Jones; 8. Jeg Coughlin; 9. Greg Anderson; 10. Rodger Brogdon; 11. Warren Johnson; 12. Larry Morgan; 13. Johnny Gray; 14. V. Gaines; 15. Ben Watson; 16. Danny Gruninger.
KENT, Wash. -- Sunday's final NHRA Full Throttle Series results from the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. The race is the 14th of 24 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Antron Brown, 3.985 seconds, 301.07 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 3.990 seconds, 300.00 mph.
Funny Car -- Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.211, 291.01 def. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.283, 289.57.
Pro Stock -- Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.583, 211.03 def. Jason Line, GXP, 6.601, 210.50.
KENT, Wash. -- Final round-by-round results from the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 14th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Tony Schumacher, 3.935, 297.88 def. Brandon Bernstein, 6.533, 95.06; Antron Brown, 4.073, 261.52 def. Clay Millican, 4.104, 268.60; Shawn Langdon, 3.885, 307.51 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.959, 308.21; Spencer Massey, 3.944, 300.13 def. Ron Smith, 4.320, 265.59; Larry Dixon, 3.907, 308.78 def. Joe Hartley, 4.495, 193.16; Morgan Lucas, 3.921, 305.63 def. Steven Chrisman, 3.994, 291.63; Troy Buff, 3.921, 298.54 def. Cory McClenathan, 3.929, 304.46; J.R. Todd, 3.964, 307.51 def. Terry Haddock, 4.115, 280.54;
QUARTERFINALS -- Massey, 4.006, 292.33 def. Todd, 5.131, 143.11; Buff, 3.999, 290.19 def. Langdon, 4.083, 281.48; Brown, 3.987, 282.54 def. Lucas, 8.399, 93.16; Schumacher, 3.937, 297.09 def. Dixon, 5.367, 126.29;
SEMIFINALS -- Brown, 4.000, 295.79 def. Massey, 8.097, 75.51; Schumacher, 5.115, 203.86 def. Buff, 11.750, 30.81;
FINAL -- Brown, 3.985, 301.07 def. Schumacher, 3.990, 300.00.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.180, 297.88 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.274, 276.69; Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.206, 290.26 def. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.774, 178.24; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.498, 246.80 def. Jerry Toliver, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.535, 205.85; Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.401, 247.07 def. Grant Downing, Monte Carlo, 14.750, 37.02; Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.829, 226.16 def. Jeff Arend, Solara, 5.095, 180.24; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.605, 241.67 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 6.052, 88.10; John Force, Mustang, 4.293, 281.42 def. Del Worsham, Solara, 4.393, 253.42; Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.410, 235.84 def. Gary Densham, Impala, 4.705, 181.42;
QUARTERFINALS -- Wilkerson, 4.265, 287.17 def. Neff, 4.289, 282.95; Capps, 4.250, 273.33 def. Beckman, 4.359, 282.72; Force, 4.281, 283.07 def. Tasca III, 5.317, 139.54; T. Pedregon, 4.305, 279.38 def. Force Hood, 4.285, 284.15;
SEMIFINALS -- Wilkerson, 4.243, 281.60 def. Capps, 4.291, 284.21; T. Pedregon, 4.262, 292.71 def. Force, 4.308, 288.09;
FINAL -- Wilkerson, 4.211, 291.01 def. T. Pedregon, 4.283, 289.57.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Rickie Jones, Dodge Stratus, 6.679, 207.91 def. Johnny Gray, Stratus, 6.638, 209.14; Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 6.626, 209.01 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.624, 210.24; Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.602, 209.39 def. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.615, 208.88; Jason Line, GXP, 6.584, 209.95 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.663, 207.98; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.622, 209.95 def. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.609, 210.64; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.556, 210.67 def. Ben Watson, Pontiac GTO, 6.685, 206.42; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.585, 209.72 def. Danny Gruninger, Stratus, 13.200, 47.82; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.595, 210.41 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.637, 208.26;
QUARTERFINALS -- Krisher, 6.634, 208.71 def. K. Johnson, 6.688, 208.91; A. Johnson, 6.611, 208.71 def. Jones, 6.693, 207.50; Line, 6.605, 209.52 def. Coughlin, 13.731, 63.95; Edwards, 6.583, 210.11 def. Stanfield, 6.637, 209.04;
SEMIFINALS -- Line, 6.609, 209.92 def. A. Johnson, 14.469, 57.03; Edwards, 6.580, 210.01 def. Krisher, 6.634, 208.84;
FINAL -- Edwards, 6.583, 211.03 def. Line, 6.601, 210.50.
KENT, Wash. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 14th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 1,168*; 2. Tony Schumacher, 1,031*; 3. Larry Dixon, 998*; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 913; 5. Spencer Massey, 819; 6. Cory McClenathan, 814; 7. (tie) Shawn Langdon, 773; Morgan Lucas, 773; 9. Doug Kalitta, 666; 10. Clay Millican, 567.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 1,039; 2. Ashley Force Hood, 1,018; 3. Tony Pedregon, 1,009; 4. Jack Beckman, 855; 5. Tim Wilkerson, 804; 6. Del Worsham, 791; 7. Bob Tasca III, 787; 8. John Force, 739; 9. Mike Neff, 683; 10. Matt Hagan, 669.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 1,199*; 2. Mike Edwards, 1,179*; 3. Jason Line, 1,086*; 4. Greg Anderson, 951; 5. Allen Johnson, 933; 6. Greg Stanfield, 744; 7. Ron Krisher, 704; 8. Kurt Johnson, 668; 9. Rickie Jones, 608; 10. Warren Johnson, 575.
* - Clinched spot in Countdown to 1.
LUCAS OIL SERIES
KENT, Wash. -- Sunday's final Lucas Oil Series results from the 22nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. The race is the 14th of 24 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Doug Gordon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.572, 258.91 def. Roger Bateman, Ford Mustang, 9.047, 94.18.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Courtney Force, 5.440, 257.83 def. Chris Demke, 5.508, 218.87.
Competition Eliminator -- Tom Mettler, Dodge Dakota, 7.416, 168.35 def. Craig Schuck, Dragster, 7.395, 176.84.
Super Stock -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.319, 87.16 def. Joe Sorensen, Camaro, foul.
Stock Eliminator -- Doug Lambeck, Chevy Camaro, 11.130, 85.92 def. Dan Fletcher, Camaro, 30.533, 64.06.
Super Comp -- Michael Dalrymple, Dragster, 8.899, 172.43 def. Ed Hauter, Dragster, 8.868, 167.49.
Super Gas -- Mike Shannon, Chevy Corvette, 9.921, 151.31 def. Mike Ferderer, Pontiac Grand Am, 9.953, 166.44.
Super Street -- Gary Ericksen, Ford Mustang, 10.920, 133.50 def. Steve Beggerly, Pontiac Firebird, 10.920, 143.22.
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