Dixon, Pedregon and Anderson Hit
Jackpot at NHRA Summitracing.Com
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas
By NHRA Communications
LAS VEGAS -- Larry Dixon increased his NHRA POWERade Top Fuel points lead by earning his second victory of the season Sunday at the NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Tony Pedregon and Greg Anderson also were winners in their respective pro categories at the $1.8 million race, the fourth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Dixon scored his 27th career victory and his third-straight at LVMS by outrunning top qualifier Doug Kalitta in the final round. Dixon powered his Miller Lite dragster to a performance of 4.608 seconds at 312.57 mph to hold off Kalitta's Mac Tools dragster, which clocked a 4.695 at 314.39.
"I wish we could run Vegas every week, this is awesome," said Dixon. "It's great to win today because it's Snake's (team owner Don Prudhomme's 62nd) birthday. With the win and the national speed record (332.75 mph) this weekend, it sure does take the heat off me on deciding what gift to get for him."
Dixon, who moved to fourth place on the all-time Top Fuel win list, earned round wins over Mike Strasburg, Doug Herbert and rookie David Baca to advance to the final.
In the final, Dixon was uncertain if he was indeed the winner when the small light positioned along the guard wall just past the finish line that signals the winner failed to come on. Fortunately for Dixon, it was only an electronic malfunction.
"It's so emotional out there that when I didn't see that win-light come on right away and then Doug drove by me, I just couldn't believe that we had lost the race," Dixon said. "I was trying to figure out what happened. It was such a relief to see all the cameras heading my way."
With the victory, Dixon increased his points lead to 59 over rookie sensation Brandon Bernstein, who lost in the semifinals.
Pedregon moved into the Funny Car points lead for the third time in his career with his second victory of the season and the 21st of his career when final round opponent Whit Bazemore fouled at the start in his Matco Tools Dodge Stratus.
Pedregon, who defeated John Force, Ron Capps and Gary Densham to advance to the final, drove his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to a final round performance of 4.916 at 283.07, even though he didn't need it.
"This wasn't a knock 'em down kind of weekend for us, so we'll take the win," Pedregon said. "We just made our own breaks and tried to keep the car in one piece. The guys did a good job of recovering between every round. The first round was really our best. We ended up with two complete engine changes during the day. The guys did their job and I'm sure John is proud of us."
Pedregon holds a 25 point lead over Densham and Bazemore moved to third in the points order with his runner-up effort.
"Bazemore and Prudhomme's guys proved today what we've been saying all along, that this is going to be a tough class all year long," Pedregon said. "They're not going anywhere and neither are we."
Anderson earned his second Pro Stock victory of the season and sixth of his career. He used a holeshot start and performance of 6.907 at 200.95 in his Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am to edge the quicker ACDelco Chevy Cavalier of Kurt Johnson, which posted a 6.896 at 201.10 at the finish.
"I had a great car all weekend, and we earned this one," said Anderson, who beat defending series champion Jeg Coughlin, Barry Grant and six-time champ Warren Johnson for the final round opportunity. "Kurt did a great job too. The two best cars made it to the final. That's the way it should be, but it doesn't always happen that way. The guys did a great job preparing for this race and it showed in the results."
Anderson was extremely thrilled to give his Las Vegas resident team owner Ken Black a victory at his home track.
"I'm so happy for Ken and his entire family," Anderson said. "They've done so much for me over the past two years."
With the victory, Anderson increased his points lead to 63 over Kurt Johnson.
"It's early but it's great to be in the points lead and running at the top of the pack," Anderson said. "We're all lucky that we have families that allow us to put in the hours it takes to pursue our dream like this."
The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 16th annual O'Reilly Spring Nationals, April 10-13 at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.
LAS VEGAS -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the Fourth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the fourth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Larry Dixon; 2. Doug Kalitta; 3. Brandon Bernstein; 4. David Baca; 5. Rhonda Hartman-Smith; 6. Doug Herbert; 7. Darrell Russell; 8. Melanie Troxel; 9. Jim Head; 10. Cory McClenathan; 11. Paul Romine; 12. Mike Strasburg; 13. David Grubnic; 14. Tony Schumacher; 15. John Smith; 16. Steven Chrisman.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Tony Pedregon, Ford Mustang; 2. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Camaro; 4. Gary Densham, Mustang; 5. Del Worsham, Pontiac Firebird; 6. Ron Capps, Camaro; 7. Scotty Cannon, Firebird; 8. Frank Pedregon, Firebird; 9. Bob Gilbertson, Firebird; 10. Johnny Gray, Firebird; 11. Cruz Pedregon, Firebird; 12. John Force, Mustang; 13. Dale Creasy Jr., Firebird; 14. Bob Bode, Firebird; 15. Jack Wyatt, Firebird; 16. Dean Skuza, Firebird.
PRO STOCK:
1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am; 2. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cavalier; 3. Mark Whisnant, Cavalier; 4. Warren Johnson, Grand Am; 5. Ron Krisher, Cavalier; 6. Scott Geoffrion, Ford Escort; 7. Mike Edwards, Grand Am; 8. Barry Grant, Cavalier; 9. Bruce Allen, Grand Am; 10. V. Gaines, Cavalier; 11. Taylor Lastor, Cavalier; 12. Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier; 13. Gene Wilson, Dodge Stratus; 14. Allen Johnson, Dodge Neon R/T; 15. Terry Adams, Cavalier; 16. Darrell Alderman, Neon R/T.
LAS VEGAS -- Sunday's final results from the Fourth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is the fourth of 23 in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Larry Dixon, 4.608 seconds, 312.57 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.695 seconds, 314.39 mph.
Funny Car -- Tony Pedregon, Ford Mustang, 4.916, 283.07 def. Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, foul.
Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.907, 200.95 def. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cavalier, 6.896, 201.10.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- David Wells, 5.374, 265.53 def. Don Hudson, 5.457, 262.59.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Bucky Austin, Pontiac Firebird, 5.651, 257.14 def. Cy Chesterman, Pontiac Trans Am, 5.693, 253.47.
Competition Eliminator -- David Rampy, Roadster, 7.445, 176.24 def. Dean Carter, Dragster, 7.197, 184.14.
Super Stock -- Jeff Lane, Pontiac Grand Am, 9.144, 147.49 def. Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.486, 120.76.
Stock Eliminator -- Toby Lang, Chevelle, 11.920, 108.36 def. Jody Lang, Chevy Malibu, 12.877, 101.44.
Super Comp -- Brent Cannon, Dragster, 9.052, 163.83 def. Guy Aguayo, Dragster, foul.
Super Gas -- Todd Stewart, Chevy Corvette, 10.047, 142.16 def. Gregory Carrillo, Roadster, 10.044, 149.43.
LAS VEGAS -- Final round-by-round results from the Fourth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fourth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Rhonda Hartman-Smith, 5.555, 252.71 def. John Smith, 6.446, 134.64; Doug Herbert, 4.814, 284.93 def. David Grubnic, 5.756, 160.56; Darrell Russell, 4.579, 319.82 def. Paul Romine, 4.998, 215.93; Melanie Troxel, 4.693, 308.28 def. Tony Schumacher, 6.143, 159.02; Brandon Bernstein, 4.528, 330.31 def. Cory McClenathan, 4.976, 282.78; David Baca, 4.561, 315.19 def. Jim Head, 4.770, 295.40; Larry Dixon, 4.546, 325.53 def. Mike Strasburg, 5.142, 208.65; Doug Kalitta, 4.981, 224.88 def. Steven Chrisman, 8.983, 84.71;
QUARTERFINALS -- Kalitta, 4.664, 317.19 def. Hartman-Smith, 4.673, 277.20; Baca, 4.592, 313.88 def. Russell, 6.535, 133.67; Dixon, 4.570, 326.00 def. Herbert, 6.099, 159.76; Bernstein, 4.615, 322.34 def. Troxel, 8.467, 100.09;
SEMIFINALS -- Kalitta, 4.660, 316.60 def. Bernstein, 5.349, 190.16; Dixon, 4.572, 320.74 def. Baca, 5.758, 160.54;
FINAL -- Dixon, 4.608, 312.57 def. Kalitta, 4.695, 314.39.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Del Worsham, Pontiac Firebird, 4.868, 315.49 def. Bob Gilbertson, Firebird, 4.873, 315.78; Tony Pedregon, Ford Mustang, 4.825, 315.05 def. John Force, Mustang, 6.180, 150.41; Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.856, 321.12 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Firebird, 6.197, 146.32; Whit Bazemore, Dodge Stratus, 4.812, 323.58 def. Jack Wyatt, Firebird, 12.135, 89.31; Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Camaro, 4.804, 321.04 def. Bob Bode, Firebird, 8.915, 88.73; Ron Capps, Camaro, 4.892, 314.24 def. Johnny Gray, Firebird, 5.282, 207.75; Frank Pedregon, Firebird, 4.879, 316.30 def. Cruz Pedregon, Firebird, 5.973, 159.91; Scotty Cannon, Firebird, 4.976, 252.99 def. Dean Skuza, Firebird, broke;
QUARTERFINALS -- Johnson Jr., 4.880, 310.41 def. Worsham, 5.727, 177.65; Bazemore, 5.230, 250.78 def. Cannon, broke; T. Pedregon, 4.919, 279.32 def. Capps, 7.281, 118.44; Densham, 4.887, 308.78 def. F. Pedregon, broke;
SEMIFINALS -- T. Pedregon, 5.003, 288.89 def. Densham, 10.289, 93.58; Bazemore, 4.899, 319.22 def. Johnson Jr., 4.986, 248.89;
FINAL -- T. Pedregon, 4.916, 283.07 def. Bazemore, foul.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Barry Grant, Chevy Cavalier, 6.927, 199.61 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Neon R/T, foul; Mike Edwards, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.975, 199.02 def. V. Gaines, Cavalier, 6.926, 199.29; Mark Whisnant, Cavalier, 6.915, 198.26 def. Taylor Lastor, Cavalier, 6.944, 199.82; Ron Krisher, Cavalier, 6.935, 199.52 def. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, foul; Warren Johnson, Grand Am, 6.879, 200.83 def. Darrell Alderman, Neon R/T, 14.558, 73.94; Kurt Johnson, Cavalier, 6.883, 201.73 def. Gene Wilson, Dodge Stratus, 6.963, 199.94; Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.875, 201.19 def. Jeg Coughlin, Cavalier, 6.949, 199.11; Scott Geoffrion, Ford Escort, 6.881, 200.47 def. Terry Adams, Cavalier, 12.421, 69.94;
QUARTERFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.895, 200.95 def. Edwards, 7.260, 156.63; Whisnant, 6.967, 197.59 def. Geoffrion, 7.031, 198.99; W. Johnson, 6.902, 200.17 def. Krisher, 6.971, 198.20; Anderson, 6.888, 201.10 def. Grant, broke;
SEMIFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.894, 201.16 def. Whisnant, 6.954, 197.57; Anderson, 6.901, 201.16 def. W. Johnson, 7.167, 177.32;
FINAL -- Anderson, 6.907, 200.95 def. K. Johnson, 6.896, 201.10.
LAS VEGAS -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the Fourth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fourth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Larry Dixon, 403; 2. Brandon Bernstein, 344; 3. Doug Kalitta, 272; 4. John Smith, 230; 5. David Baca, 212; 6. Cory McClenathan, 208; 7. Tony Schumacher, 198; 8. Doug Herbert, 193; 9. Darrell Russell, 174; 10. (tie) Jim Head, 166.
Clay Millican, 166.
Funny Car
1. Tony Pedregon, 348; 2. Gary Densham, 323; 3. Whit Bazemore, 304; 4. Ron Capps, 287; 5. Del Worsham, 234; 6. Johnny Gray, 216; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 210; 8. Frank Pedregon, 190; 9. Gary Scelzi, 169; 10. Bob Gilbertson, 165.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 383; 2. Kurt Johnson, 320; 3. Warren Johnson, 282; 4. Allen Johnson, 231; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 229; 6. Bruce Allen, 202; 7. Darrell Alderman, 171; 8. Ron Krisher, 168; 9. Scott Geoffrion, 153; 10. V. Gaines, 151.
NHRA Communications
