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All NHRA Numbers are courtesy DRC.

Pre Season is underway and SpeedZone was at Palm Beach for the start of the 2012 Full Throttle season

Four interviews from PBIR

Pat Welsh photos, Speedviews and gallerys

Top Fuel Gallery

Funny Car Gallery

People and Pits Gallery

Courtney Force, Hillary Will, Terry McMillen, Gene Snow Speedviews (interviews)

Only a non National event track could attract a crowd like Palm Beach had this past weekend for the first NHRA Full Throttle test session of the season. Thousands were on hand for the Friday and Saturday evening sessions as the Pro teams ran side by side. Most teams were in full test mode, but many runs were solid 1000 foot shots in front of the appreciative crowd.

Tony Schumacher's pit area and car was likely the most watched and photographed Top Fuel car on the grounds as the DSR lead car was unveiled with the new canopy cockpit. While this is not new to Top Fuel racing (a number of cars had them in the past including Big Daddy's), because of the controversy in 2011 when the NHRA inexplicably stopped the DSR team from running the shroud they had developed earlier in the year, this is a design that the NHRA will take a hard look at.

If they don't okay the canopy, Don Schumacher will have a great case for the bias he has stated the sanctioning body appears to have against his way of doing business.

Clay Millican/ Parts Plus 3.985/ 302.01
Terry McMillen/ Amalie Oil 3.931/304.19
Bob Vandergriff Jr./ C&J Energy Services 3.825/ 322.04
Doug Kalitta/ Kalitta Air 3.789/ 322.96
Tony Schumacher/ U.S. Army 3.761/324.28
David Grubnic /Kalitta Air 3.786/319.07
Antron Brown/ Aaron's/Matco Tools 3.815/ 324.20
Spencer Massey, FRAM 3.792/ 322.27
Hillary Will/ Dote Racing 4.063/275.11
Morgan Lucas/ Gieco/Lucas Oil 3.791/322.88
Brandon Bernstein/ Mav TV/ Lucas Oil 3.830/318.84
Shawn Langdon/ Al-Anabi 3.784/322.58
Steve Torrence 3.874/279.32
Kahalid Al Balooshi/ Al-Anabi 3.794/324.20

Courtney Force, her new Mustang and new sponsor Traxxas was likely the most photographed team on the track and in the pits in the Funny Car class. She is the newest phenom to hit NHRA in the professional classes, and is the early season favorite for "Rookie of the Year". She made a number of runs over the last five days and when counting the 40-60 she made in 2011, she has more laps under her belt already then most part time teams have over the last two or three years. She will be ready! Her interview is here.

John Force and Tim Wikerson face off here in one of the side by side.

Jack Beckman went a 4.09 best on the weekend, and a 4.03 earlier in the week

Jeff Arend

Ron Capps, NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T 4.092/30892
Johnny Gray, Service Central Dodge Charger R/T 4.085/ 311.99
Alexis DeJoria, Tequila Patron Toyota 4.120/309.77
Bob Tasca III, Quick Lane Shelby Mustang 4.098/308.64
John Force, Castrol GTX HIGH MILEAGE Ford Mustang 4.213/ 297.88
Matt Hagan, Aaron's Dream Machine Dodge Charger R/T 4.062/ 315.71
Mike Neff, Castrol GTX Ford Mustang 4.088/ 310.34
Courtney Force, Traxxas Ford Mustang 5.505/107.71
Robert Hight, Auto Club Ford Mustang 4.034/ 316.67
Jack Beckman, Valvoline NextGEN Dodge Charger R/T 4.073/ 311.49
Jim Head 4.195/264.80
Cruz Pedregon/ Snap-On 4.068/310.05
Jeff Arend DHL/ Kalitta 4.126/306.60
Tim Wilkerson LRS 4.174/271.46