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July 24-27, 2008 Autolite Nationals Sonoma California July 28, 2008 Final Eliminations Sonoma Wrap-up from Bill and Dianne Hello again from Bill and Dianne. We re now on our way home up the Oregon coast after our wonderful trip to the Sonoma and Napa Valleys and of course, Friday and Saturday's qualifying sessions at the NHRA Sonoma Fram Nationals. This was our first time to this race and we really enjoyed the event, the facility and the racing. I have been trying to decide what to write that would be most interesting to those of you who have not been here. I decided that trying to review the race itself was not of great benefit as you can visit many other web sites (including Speedzone) and find out what happened, who won, etc. Instead I really wanted to write about the whole experience of travelling to two back-to-back NHRA National events and the incredible amount of work and behind-the-scenes effort that goes in to putting on "The Big Show". We arrived at Seattle on Friday morning and of course found a complex that was completely set up and ready for a major event, hosting tens of thousands of people. The teams were there (and ready to race), the manufacturer's midway was open for business, the track was prepared and dozens of food and beverage outlets were busy serving the throngs of fans in attendance. However, I don't think many people consider what has taken place in order to reach this point. It has always intrigued me. The logistics of moving millions of dollars of equipment from one race to another is truly amazing and requires tremendous planning, effort and patience. I have watched it many times on a much smaller scale when I go to a race at Mission. I love going out to the track the day before the event, as this facility goes from an empty park to acres of race cars, trailers and equipment and then back to an empty facility. But the travelling road show that is the NHRA national circuit is nothing short of incredible. On Thursday morning, Dianne and I set out for Sausalito and San Fransisco from downtown Sonoma. As we were driving south, we unexpectedly came upon Infinion Raceway. We decided to stop in to see if we could pick up our credentials and familiarize ourselves with the lay-out for Friday's event. First of all let me say that this race track is nestled in the beautiful Sonoma wine country and is truly a first class facility. I have been to Pomona and Las Vegas and it certainly is equivalent to those two tracks. The racers and fans in this area should be grateful for such a fantastic place to race. We pulled up to the Will Call trailer and were warmly greeted by the NHRA staff who we just saw in Seattle the previous week. They were very organized and had us on our way in no time at all. We parked in the M section (for media) and worked our way down to the media centre. Now, Infinion is an unusual place as it has fan and pit parking in several areas throughout the hills surrounding the track itself. Traffic in and out of the track property was extremely well organized all days. But just as impressive, inside the facility several shuttle buses ferry fans from the many parking areas down to the pits and stands at the base of the hill. Dianne and I decided to walk down the hill, which looked directly over the massive stands, Nitro pits, tower and media centre. What we witnessed was amazing. All of the pro teams had arrived and were very busy getting set-up for the weekend's event. Trailers were carefully and strategically parked to ensure maximum use of the allocated pit area. Canopies were in place, race cars were being unloaded, team tents and reception areas were being erected and countless tables were being loaded up with what seemed like endless engine and car parts. We toured the Nitro pits and each team was methodically going about their pre-race business. Clutch specialists were busy grinding dozens of clutch discs and engine techs were inspecting and working on heads, cranks, rods, pistons and a myriad of other engine, fuel and blower systems. Literally hundreds of team members were getting these cars prepared for the upcoming battle on the track. By the way, the only driver that I saw was Cory Mac, pilot of the Fram Top Fuel dragster. As this race was sponsored by Fram, he was being interviewed by ESPN for the televised event. Not to be outdone is NHRA itself. All of the conveniences that fans take for granted at these races were also being put together. The giant Nitro Mall tent was already up and staff were busy building and loading merchandiser systems in preparation for thousands of customers. Several NHRA merchandiser trailers were also being loaded and prepared for the event. Alongside these mobile stores were the dozens of team merchandiser trailers. Their staff were also busily preparing for the days ahead. The NHRA Safety Safari and Tech services were of course in full swing. Hundreds of race cars were going through tech inspections. Track personnel were working hard to prepare the track surface, the timers, the lights and the safety equipment. The media centre (which was first class) was preparing for an onslaught of reporters and photographers during the weekend. Caterers were busily preparing to feed us and the many other track personnel that make this show work. ESPN was also on-site. They were stringing miles of cables, setting up cameras and booms, interviewing teams and preparing for the various shows broadcast throughout the weekend. Then there were the wide range of temporary food vendors, each loading up cases and cases of food and beverages. And there was certainly no shortage of both variety and quantity of food available. Similarly, several tractor trailers loaded with displays and equipment were being assembled in the manufacturer's midway. As we looked beyond this area of the facility, we could see similar preparation going on everywhere. Across the track and just past the finish line, the alcohol pits were coming to life. In other areas, the many other classes of NHRA were readying themselves for some serious racing ahead. Parking attendants abounded and there just seemed to be a rhythm to it all. You get the picture, I'm sure. What's truly amazing is that all of
this took place in Seattle the previous weekend and of course Denver
the weekend before that. And in another couple of weeks it all happens
again. Final eliminations (courtesy NHRA communications)
"It's been a lot of fun, the last couple of races have just been outstanding," said Schumacher, who ran a 3.886 at 307.93 in his U.S. Army dragster to defeat local-favorite Hillary Will (Eureka, Calif.) and her KB Racing team's 3.988 at 306.19 in the final. "Who would not trade places with our car? I love having the bulls-eye on me." The other winners at the 15th of 18 regular season races (24 total) in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series were Robert Hight (Funny Car), Dave Connolly (Pro Stock) and Matt Guidera (Pro Stock Motorcycle). Schumacher, who beat the arch-rival Caterpillar team in the quarterfinals, clinched the No. 1 seed in Top Fuel and the 20-point bonus that comes with it when the points reset after the final regular season race, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis.
In Funny Car, Hight ran a 4.163 at 296.50 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang to defeat one of his mentors when he first started working for John Force Racing, Gary Densham, who ran a 4.222 at 289.14 in his Racebricks Chevy Impala.
The win was the third straight for John Force Racing at Infineon Raceway, a streak that began in 2006 with the late Eric Medlen's win and continued in 2007 with John Force finding the winner's circle. Densham, meanwhile, didn't leave empty-handed as he jumped up from eighth to sixth place, leap-frogging John Force and Ron Capps in the standings. In Pro Stock, late-starter Dave Connolly powered his Charter Communications Chevy Cobalt to a 6.628 at 207.69 to win the final in a narrow holeshot over Jeg Coughlin's 6.627 at 207.24 in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt. "I definitely had my doubts about this weekend (coming off the disappointing loss at Seattle), but you can only beat this team down so much before we're going to bounce back," said Connolly. "I hadn't drove that well and today I told myself it's time to remove my head from my rear."
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Guidera won for the second time this season aboard the Mohegan Sun Buell, earning a holeshot victory with a 7.054 at 185.74 over Andrew Hines' 7.026 at 187.34 on his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Guidera's first two wins came at Reading 2007 and this year at the prestigious ACDelco Gatornationals, but he considered this won near his home in Loomis, Calif. the most cherished. "This is the best win of my career by far," he said. "It's any racer's dream to win in front of the home crowd and that's what we did today. I'm so glad my family could be here today and to have (team owner) Brian (Bozsum and wife) Linda here," Guidera said. The NHRA POWERade Series resumes in two weekends with the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 7-10 in Brainerd, Minn. Sunday's final results from the 21st annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway. The race is the 15th of 24 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series: Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 3.886 seconds, 307.93 mph def. Hillary Will, 3.988 seconds, 306.19 mph. Funny Car -- Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.163, 296.50 def. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 4.222, 289.14. Pro Stock -- Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.628, 207.69 def. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.627, 207.24. Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.054, 185.74 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.026, 187.34. Top Alcohol Dragster -- Jim Whiteley, 5.290, 270.64 def. Mark Niver, 5.546, 262.08. Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 5.612, 252.85 def. Dennis Taylor, Chevy Camaro, 5.710, 217.49. Competition Eliminator -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Cobalt, 8.685, 114.18 def. Dean Carter, Dragster, 7.464, 131.68. Stock Eliminator -- Eric Waldo, Ford Mustang, 11.404, 96.30 def. Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, foul. Super Comp -- Dean Hall, Dragster, 8.925, 172.12 def. Justine Jeffery, Dragster, 8.929, 164.83. Super Gas -- Robert Naber, Chevy S-10, 9.940, 146.40 def. Val Torres Jr, Pontiac Firebird, 9.898, 155.90. Point standings Top Fuel 1. Tony Schumacher 1,414 Funny Car 1. Tim Wilkerson 1,082 Pro Stock 1. Greg Anderson 1,106 Pro Stock Motorcycle 1. Andrew Hines 762
Final Qualifying SONOMA, Calif. --
Force's 4.096-second pass at 301.60 mph in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang from Friday night held up and she will meet No. 16 qualifier Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Monster Energy Drink team in the first round of eliminations on Sunday. Force is bouyed by the fact that she not only set the pace on Friday night, but her team also had the quickest car in both qualifying sessions in the heat on Saturday. "I already knew I had a great team but it really shows that (the No. 1) is not a fluke (from one good run) down the track in good conditions," said Force, who earlier this year earned her first career win and led the point standings for the first time in her career. "On race day, if you have a car that's gone A to B every qualifying run, you know you've got a good chance. It gives you that much more confidence on Sunday."
"I would have only been four (so) I wouldn't remember even if I was there. I was probably at the hotel pool, swimming," Force said. Force and Stoffer became the second pair of ladies to jointly qualify No. 1 at the same race - the first pair were Melanie Troxel in Top Fuel and Erica Enders in Pro Stock at Topeka 2006. Brown glided down the track in his Matco Tools dragster in 3.805 seconds at 316.45 mph to earn the top spot in Top Fuel. It's his third No. 1 qualifier in 2008, one shy of Top Fuel-leader Tony Schumacher's four poles. "Great job by our Matco team," Brown said. "No wine for me tonight. I'm going to tune it up tonight and be ready for a battle tomorrow with that U.S. Army car."
For Edwards, his 6.609 at 208.71 from Friday night in his Young Life Pontiac GTO held up Saturday. It was the sixth No. 1 qualifier of his career but his first since Dallas of 2001, a span of 146 races. "We were fortunate we made a really nice run (Friday)," said Edwards. "It's a great position to be in, but (Sunday's) a different day. That No. 1 is a bulls-eye as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to race like I do every (Sunday), like an underdog."
"They're giving away 118 (points Sunday) and I'm the only one who can get 118," Edwards said. "Real happy with the weekend so far and hopefully we can keep it going." Stoffer earned the first No. 1 qualifier of her career - in her 96th career start - on her Geico Suzuki with a third-round qualifying pass at 6.962 at 191.21. She will meet No. 16 qualifier Fred Camarena of Placentia, Calif. in the first round of Sunday's race. "I started out as a bracket racer in Division 7 so this is a track I call home," said Karen Stoffer. "We also have a lot of fans her so it's neat to give them a treat of getting my first No. 1 qualifier . ever." Final eliminations begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Final numbers (Courtesy DRC) TF 1 123 Antron Brown, Pittsboro IN, Hadman-TFX 3.805
316.45 316.45 FC 1 10 Ashley Force, Yorba Linda CA, '08 Mustang 4.096
301.60 301.60 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 17 427 Tony Bartone, Long Island City NY, '05 Monte C 4.500 217.53 293.09 PS 1 44 Mike Edwards, Coweta OK, '08 GXP 6.609 208.71
208.71 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 17 701 Ben Watson, Concord CA, '06 GTO 6.721 204.26
204.39 PSM 1 8 Karen Stoffer, Smith NV, Suzuki TL 1000 6.962
191.21 191.21 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 17 308 Ryan Schnitz, Decatur IN, Kawasaki ZX 14 7.376
176.58 176.58 TAD 1 681 B/AD Shawn Cowie, Richmond BC, Santos-BAE 5.330
253.28 253.28 TAFC 1 2 Jay Payne, Claremont CA, '07 Mustang 5.572 256.31
256.31 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 17 710D Alexis De Joria, Venice CA, '08 Charger 5.806
244.60 249.63 8 SONOMA, Calif. --
Force's 4.096-second pass at 301.60 mph would be her first career No. 1 qualifier in her 36th career race and Saturday's forecast of temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s are favorable for Force to maintain that position. Her legendary father John needed 59 races to earn his first career No. 1 qualifier (Baton Rouge, 1986). "It (being No. 1) is great. It was kind of a rush between rounds," Force said. "My guys were working so hard and you never know, you get a little nervous thinking, 'Did we put everything back together right? Did we do everything we wanted to?' They never let me down. They got it done exactly how they wanted it to be done. It showed when it went right down the track. It was easy for me the driver to get it from A to B." Brown glided down the track in his Matco Tools dragster in 3.805 seconds at 316.45 mph to earn the provisional top spot in Top Fuel. "When you get those opportune times like we had tonight, you can wick it up and you know the track is going to take it. I knew that car was on a stellar run. We were happy with it," Brown said. For Edwards, if his 6.609 at 208.71 in his Young Life Pontiac GTO holds up Saturday, it would be his sixth career No. 1 qualifier but his first since Dallas in 2001, a span of 146 races. "Provisional is the big word; tomorrow will be another day, but for right now we're No. 1," Edwards said. "We made a great run, and I'm proud of my team. When I let go of the chutes at the other end, I thought 'Whatever that was, we can't go any faster.' That's how good it felt to me."
"This is my home track, and I would definitely say that I have high expectations for this weekend. I came in to this event wanting to win it; we're No. 1 right now, and I don't plan on losing it. That's why I'm here; that's why I do what I do." Qualifying resumes Saturday with Q3 scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. and Q4 slated to get underway at 2:15 p.m. Friday qualifying Top Fuel 1 123 Antron Brown, Pittsboro IN, Hadman-TFX 3.805 316.45 316.45 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 13 7 J.R. Todd, Brownsburg IN, Hadman-TFX 3.912 309.77 309.77 Funny Car 1 10 Ashley Force, Yorba Linda CA, '08 Mustang 4.096 301.60 301.60 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 13 5 Jack Beckman, North Hills CA, '08 Charger 4.218 292.52 292.52 Pro Stock 1 44 Mike Edwards, Coweta OK, '08 GXP 6.609 208.71 208.71 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 13 445 Greg Stanfield, Bossier City LA, '08 GXP 6.687 205.41 205.41 Motorcycle 1 44 Chris Rivas, Fresno CA, Buell 6.987 188.65 188.65 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 13 4 Peggy Llewellyn, San Antonio TX, Buell 7.127 183.99 185.15 TAD 1 681 B/AD Shawn Cowie, Richmond BC, Santos-BAE 5.330 253.28 253.28 TAFC 1 2 Jay Payne, Claremont CA, '07 Mustang 5.572 256.31 256.31 ------------ Not Qualified ------------ 17 715 Mike Drake, Glendora CA, '01 Avenger 6.445 181.79 181.79 |
