Record Setting
Weekend at
Route 66 Raceway...Records Fall
The track's nickname is "Record Setting Drag Strip" and boy did it sure
ever live up to its name.
The NHRA's 10th National event this year provided the quickest run in
Pro Stock History (6.620 seconds), and the quickest Pro Stock
Motorcycle pass ever (6.988 seconds), while both classes saw the
quickest-ever fields in ideal racing situations.
Drag racing legend John Force finally got the monkey off his back and
won his record 120th Funny Car race Sunday. It was also his first
victory of the year. Force is now within 48 points of the championship
leader Doug Kalitta. The 120 wins are the most in NHRA history.
Force's
beat teammate Robert Hight in the Final round with an off-pace
4.930-second pass at 233.60 mph in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang after
both men encountered engine trouble. Hight posted a 4.890 at 244.56 mph
but left the starting line .057 seconds behind Force. Coming into this
race, the 13-time champion had tried unsuccessfully on four different
occasions to get his 120th victory.
"You get older and you start to wonder what it's going to take," Force
said. "I've had to monitor how I sleep the night and what I eat. I used
to coffee-up."
Kurt Johnson, and Ryan Schnitz joined the 13-time series titlist in the
winner's circle of the ninth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals,
the 10th of 23 races in the $50 million POWERade Drag Racing Series
Johnson and Anderson had another great Pro Stock final with Johnson
scoring his 34th victory and second of the year by 03 seconds. The
Chevrolet Cobalt driver used a great .012- to .050-second reaction time
advantage to steal this one away as Anderson's quicker 6.641 at 208.10
mph lost to Johnson's 6.646
at 207.46 mph.
"It was fun to race Greg in the final," Johnson said of his former
teammate. "It's all-star boxing when the helmets are on but we're
friends again at the other end. Everyone has an opponent that brings
out the very best in you. For me that person is Greg."
Chip Ellis became the second Pro Stock Motorcycle Racer in NHRA history
to run in the "Sixes" when he scorched a 6.988 ET during qualifying of
Friday.Andrew Hines was first to do it last year with a 6.991 at
Gainesville.
Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the Ninth
annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The $1.9
million race is the tenth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Doug Kalitta; 2. Melanie Troxel; 3. Cory McClenathan; 4. Alan
Bradshaw; 5. Doug Herbert; 6. Bob Vandergriff; 7. J.R. Todd; 8. David
Baca; 9. Rod Fuller; 10. Hillary Will; 11. Brandon Bernstein; 12. Tony
Schumacher; 13. Morgan Lucas; 14. Larry Dixon; 15. Joe Hartley; 16.
David Grubnic.
1. John Force, Ford Mustang; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang; 3. Gary Scelzi,
Dodge Charger; 4. Eric Medlen, Mustang; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy
Monte Carlo; 6. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo; 7. Ron Capps, Charger; 8.
Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 9. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo; 10. Del
Worsham, Monte Carlo; 11. Whit Bazemore, Charger; 12. Tony Bartone,
Monte Carlo; 13. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo; 14. Mike Ashley, Monte
Carlo; 15. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo; 16. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge
Stratus.
1. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt; 2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO; 3. Richie
Stevens, Dodge Stratus; 4. Jim Yates, GTO; 5. Jason Line, GTO; 6. Dave
Connolly, Cobalt; 7. Mike Edwards, GTO; 8. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 9.
V. Gaines, Stratus; 10. Steve Schmidt, GTO; 11. Ron Krisher, Cobalt;
12. Erica Enders, Cobalt; 13. Warren Johnson, GTO; 14. Dave Northrop,
Stratus; 15. Mark Pawuk, Cobalt; 16. Dave Howard, Cobalt.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Ryan Schnitz; 2. Matt Guidera; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 4.
Chip Ellis; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki; 6. Antron Brown, Suzuki; 7. Matt
Smith; 8. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 9. Tom Bradford; 10. Craig Treble,
Suzuki; 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki; 12. Michael Phillips, Suzuki; 13. GT
Tonglet, Harley-Davidson; 14. Chris Rivas; 15. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki;
16. Marco Andreano.
KING DEMON CROWN:
1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO; 2. Jason Line, GTO; 3. Richie Stevens,
Dodge Stratus; 4. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt; 5. V. Gaines, Stratus; 6.
Warren Johnson, GTO; 7. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt; 8. Allen Johnson,
Stratus.
Sunday's final results from the Ninth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA
Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The $1.9 million race is the tenth of 23
in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Super Comp Allstars -- Shawn Langdon, Dragster, 8.947, 150.65 def. Gary
Stinnett, Dragster, 8.911, 174.39.
Super Gas Allstars -- Rock Haas, Chevy Corvette, 9.965, 145.81 def.
George Smith, Chevy Camaro, 9.888, 153.30.
Super Street Allstars -- Lynn Hoosigian, Chevy Chevelle, 10.898, 137.53
def. Michael Ruff, Chevy Camaro, foul.
***
Final round-by-round results from the Ninth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts
NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, the tenth of 23 events in the $50
million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the
Ninth annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway,
the tenth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series - Top Fuel
1. Melanie Troxel, 840; 2. Doug Kalitta, 769; 3. Brandon Bernstein,
639; 4. David Grubnic, 592; 5. Larry Dixon, 541; 6. Rod Fuller, 537; 7.
Morgan Lucas, 529; 8. Tony Schumacher, 504; 9. Cory McClenathan, 495;
10. Doug Herbert, 454.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 833; 2. John Force, 785; 3. Robert Hight, 647; 4. Eric
Medlen, 604; 5. Tony Pedregon, 562; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr. 536; 7. Whit
Bazemore, 503; 8. Gary Scelzi, 473; 9. Del Worsham, 469; 10. Cruz
Pedregon, 467.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 726; 2. Jim Yates, 616; 3. Jason Line, 612; 4. Kurt
Johnson, 565; 5. Dave Connolly, 564; 6. Erica Enders, 550; 7. Mike
Edwards, 534; 8. Larry Morgan, 466; 9. Warren Johnson, 452; 10. V.
Gaines, 449.
