SOHR Guest Preview 1/12 Broadcast: Bob Tasca III

School of HOT ROD Radio will be joined this weekend by Bob Tasca III. We will talk about the rich history of the Tasca dealership as well as the new MOD SHOP. After a little shop talk will will dive into whats in store for 2013 NHRA season and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Shelby Mustang GT500. If you have questions for Bob make sure to call into the show 1.800.510.8255 or email me at dennis@ernlive.com - Show starts at 1pm PST go to ernlive.com or radioamerica.org for station and live streaming information. 

TRIO OF NHRA FUNNY CAR DRIVERS HEAD TO LAS VEGAS WITH FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE WITHIN THEIR GRASP

One of the most intriguing battles for an NHRA world championship title this season is unfolding in the Funny Car division. Three drivers head to the penultimate race of the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a first world championship trophy up for grabs. For each of them, this finally could be the year.

One driver finished second last season, just missing the opportunity by the narrowest of margins.

Another has come agonizingly close on three separate occasions, finishing second each time.

A third driver has won multiple championships as a crew chief, but none from behind the wheel.

Series points leader Jack Beckman, second place Ron Capps and third place Mike Neff head to the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals, Oct. 25-28, each with an excellent opportunity to become a part of NHRA history and to lift the season champion Wally trophy that only 13 drivers have claimed since NHRA started crowning Funny Car world champs in 1974.

“You know, it’s an exciting time right now,” said Neff, who guided Gary Scelzi and John Force to separate series titles as a crew chief, but has never claimed one as a driver.

Neff, who serves as both crew chief and driver of his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, won the circuit’s most recent event in Reading, Pa., and is riding a bit of momentum, but sits in third place in the standings and trails Beckman by 54 points. He is 31 back of Capps.

“This is why you put all that work in over the last winter and go through this whole season to come to the very end here, and you just want to have a shot,” Neff said. “We’ve been running better here lately and I’m just happy to be in contention, and definitely these last two races out west are going to be exciting for everyone.”

Capps, who got hot after an early season crew change and raced to six consecutive final rounds in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger, was the top seed heading into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. He and tuner Rahn Tobler built a sizeable lead after winning the first playoff race in Charlotte, N.C.  and advancing to the semifinals in round two at Dallas. However, the veteran driver has seen leads come and go, especially at crunch time over the years. With 37 career victories and three second place points finishes, Capps is one of the winningest drivers in the sport not to own a championship ring. He hopes to change that stat this season.

“I've said this before, we had a lot of people talking about the championship was going to be wrapped up by us when we had that 100-something points lead going into St. Louis, and it almost irritated me every time somebody would say something, whether it was media or just fans, because I think they forget how quickly things can turn around,” said Capps, the defending winner of this event who heads to Vegas 23 points behind Beckman. “I just had a hunch that was the way it was going to go. It wasn’t going to be an easy championship run for anybody. There are just too many good cars.”

Beckman emerged into the title conversation with a victory at St. Louis and a national record performance and semifinal finish at Maple Grove Raceway two weeks ago. The driver of the Valvoline/NextGen Dodge Charger pushed Matt Hagan to the wire last season in an incredibly close championship battle, so this is certainly not new territory for him.

He says nothing short of perfection over the next two events will get the job done.

“With only eight rounds left and in a sport where when you lose you don’t get those next few rounds, if somebody goes out second round at Vegas, they lose out on three rounds,” Beckman said. “I think we all want to be able to contest all eight rounds to have a legitimate shot for the championship, so you can’t have any screw-ups, mechanical issues, or tune-up question marks.”

In Top Fuel, Antron Brown holds a 104-point lead over teammate and series rival Spencer Massey. Tony Schumacher, Shawn Langdon and Brandon Bernstein are all still mathematically alive for the title.

Allen Johnson leads Pro Stock into Las Vegas with an 82-point lead over second place driver and defending champ Jason Line. Four-time season winner Erica Enders is third in the standings and also still in the title mix at 125 points back.

The Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson tandem of Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines are one-two in the Pro Stock Motorcycle points standings and before they settle anything regarding the Las Vegas event they will need to decide the rain-delayed final round from the Reading, Pa. That final round will be run on Saturday afternoon during the day’s second qualifying session. The winner of the Reading final will be the points leader in the two-wheel class heading into Sunday's eliminations at The Strip at LVMS.

* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for noon and 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28.

* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals. Please call The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444 or visit www.lvms.com.

* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 4 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Oct. 28, preceded by one hour of coverage at 1:30 a.m. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three-hours of eliminations coverage at 8 p.m. (ET), also on Sunday, Oct. 28.

* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on Oct. 25 and continue through Oct. 26. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on Oct. 27.

* NHRA PRO MOD SERIES PRESENTED BY PROCARE RX: NHRA’s popular Pro Mod touring series will make its final start of the 2012 season at the 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals. The first two qualifying sessions will be Oct. 26 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Qualifying will continue on Saturday, Oct. 27 with a session at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by the first round of eliminations at 4 p.m. Eliminations will continue Sunday, Oct. 28 at approximately 2:30 p.m.

* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

* * *

BIG O TIRES NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET

WHAT: 12th annual Big O Tires NHRA Nationals, 22nd of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the fifth of six playoff races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship. The top 10 drivers in four categories - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle - earn points leading to 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.

WHERE: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas. Track is located approximately 15 miles north of Las Vegas off I-15.

WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 25-28.

SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY, Oct. 25- LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 8 a.m.

FRIDAY, Oct. 26– LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 8 a.m.

PRO MOD SERIES PRESENTED BY PROCARE RX qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at noon and 3 p.m.

SATURDAY, Oct. 27– LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 8 a.m.

PRO MOD SERIES PRESENTED BY PROCARE RX qualifying at 10:30 a.m.; first round of eliminations at 4 p.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

SUNDAY, Oct. 28- Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

PRO MOD SERIES PRESENTED BY PROCARE RX second round at approximately 2:30 p.m.

TELEVISION:

Sunday, Oct. 28, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 1:30 a.m. (ET).

Sunday, Oct. 28, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 4 p.m. (ET).            

Sunday, Oct. 28, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of coverage starting at 8 p.m. (ET).

SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):

Friday, Oct. 26, 9 - 9:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C

Saturday, Oct. 27, 9 - 9:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C

Sunday, Oct. 28, 9:30 - 10 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C

(3720 MHz, horizontal; Data Rate: 40.461470554 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)

Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’ interviews on Sunday.             

2011 EVENT WINNERS: Del Worsham, Top Fuel; Ron Capps, Funny Car; Mike Edwards, Pro Stock; Eddie Krawiec, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST VICTORIES: Greg Anderson, PS, 4; Tony Schumacher, TF, 4; Ron Capps, FC, 3; Andrew Hines, PSM, 3.

TRACK RECORDS:            

Top Fuel - 3.779 sec. by Antron Brown, April ’12; 326.08 mph by Brown, April ’12

Funny Car - 4.030 sec. by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’09; 315.49 mph by Ron Capps, Oct. ’11

Pro Stock - 6.594 sec. by Mike Edwards, Oct. ’11; 208.84 mph by Edwards, Oct. ’11

PS Motorcycle - 6.879 sec. by Hector Arana Jr., Oct. ’11; 196.56 mph by Eddie Krawiec, Oct. ’11

NATIONAL RECORDS:

Top Fuel - 3.701 sec. by Antron Brown, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.

Funny Car - 3.986 sec. by Jack Beckman, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 320.58 mph by Beckman, Oct. ‘12, Reading, Pa.

Pro Stock - 6.477 sec. by Jason Line, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 214.35 mph by Line, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.

PS Motorcycle - 6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

TICKETS: For tickets call The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444, or visit www.LVMS.com online.

* * *

NHRA FULL THROTTLE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS

GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) following the 21st of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the fourth of six races in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA's playoffs -

Top Fuel: 1.  Antron Brown, 2,491; 2.  Spencer Massey, 2,387; 3.  Tony Schumacher, 2,355; 4.  Shawn Langdon, 2,351; 5.  Brandon Bernstein, 2,314; 6.  Morgan Lucas, 2,267; 7.  Doug Kalitta, 2,228; 8.  Steve Torrence, 2,212; 9.  David Grubnic, 2,193; 10.  Bob Vandergriff, 2,149.

Funny Car: 1.  Jack Beckman, 2,437; 2.  Ron Capps, 2,414; 3.  Mike Neff, 2,383; 4.  Johnny Gray, 2,246; 5. Cruz Pedregon, 2,244; 6.  John Force, 2,217; 7.  Courtney Force, 2,216; 8.  Robert Hight, 2,211; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 2,207; 10.  Jeff Arend, 2,180.

Pro Stock: 1.  Allen Johnson, 2,502; 2.  Jason Line, 2,420; 3.  Erica Enders, 2,377; 4.  Vincent Nobile, 2,325; 5.  Greg Anderson, 2,272; 6.  V. Gaines, 2,235; 7.  Mike Edwards, 2,214; 8.  Jeg Coughlin, 2,187; 9.  Ron Krisher, 2,161; 10.  Larry Morgan, 2,157.

Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1.  Eddie Krawiec, 2,523; 2.  Andrew Hines, 2,506; 3.  Hector Arana Jr, 2,384; 4.  Hector Arana, 2,326; 5.  Karen Stoffer, 2,282; 6.  Michael Ray, 2,251; 7.  Scotty Pollacheck, 2,209; 8.  Matt Smith, 2,192; 9.  LE Tonglet, 2,182; 10.  Shawn Gann, 2,177.

BECKMAN SETS NATIONAL RECORD, LANDS NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITION; GRUBNIC, LINE AND KRAWIEC ALSO TOP QUALIFIERS HEADING INTO SUNDAY’S ELIMINATIONS

Funny Car title contender Jack Beckman set a national record en route to his fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

David Grubnic (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the fourth of six playoff events in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.

After a dominating performance during Friday’s qualifying runs, Beckman powered his Schumacher Electric Dodge Charger to a time of 4.003 seconds in Saturday’s first qualifying attempt, which was quick enough to certify his 3.989 effort from Friday as an NHRA national record.  Beckman, who now trails series points leader Ron Capps by only 17, will earn a 20-point bonus if he hangs onto the record following the completion of Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations.

"We want to win the championship,” said Beckman, who will face Mike Smith in the opening round of eliminations. “Some people would tell you they want to win at all costs and I’m not one of those people. We want to win because we did everything right out there and we want the other cars to be at their prime. We’d like to do it the right way.” 

Cruz Pedregon was second with a performance of 3.997 at 320.58 in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry while Mike Neff was third in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang with a 4.017 at 318.84. Points leader Capps will start eighth in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger after qualifying with a performance of 4.055 at 317.64. Countdown contender Tim Wilkerson, who had charged from 10th to fifth in the points standings during the first three playoff races, failed to qualify for eliminations in his Levi Ray & Shoup Shelby Ford Mustang.

In Top Fuel, Grubnic drove his Rocky Boots dragster to a performance of 3.728 at 327.11 mph to earn his first No. 1 qualifying position this season and first since 2008. His time tied the quickest Top Fuel run in history, and he could certify it as a national record during Sunday’s eliminations when he opens against Canadian driver Ike Maier.

“It’s good to be back in the No. 1 spot,” Grubnic said. “When I started with Connie [Kalitta] in 2004, we were No. 1 qualifier five times that year, and so it’s great to be back in that position. Not only that, but [teammate] Doug Kalitta running 331 miles per hour side-by-side with me. It’s great for the team, great for Connie, great for all the guys that work on the car, and great for our sponsors.”

Morgan Lucas, who qualified second with a 3.733-second effort in his GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster, set the Top Fuel national elapsed time record on that run. Series points leader Antron Brown was 11th in his Matco Tools dragster with a 3.758 at 325.14 while Spencer Massey, currently second in the standings, was eighth with a 3.763 at 321.12. Four-time Maple Grove winner Tony Schumacher qualified third  in the U.S. Army dragster with a 3.736 at 325.14.

In Pro Stock, defending world champion and event winner Jason Line raced to his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of the season, 31st of his career in his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro with a time of 6.515 at 212.36. Line will race Shane Gray in the opening round.

“Tomorrow should be interesting, and fun to watch,” Line said. “Especially if it’s cold out and we could set a new national record. Those 20 points could really come in handy.”

Pro Stock points leader Allen Johnson was sixth with a 6.545 at 211.49 in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger and title challenger and St. Louis winner Erica Enders was second in her GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt with a 6.538 at 211.30.

Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Eddie Krawiec rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to his fourth No. 1 of the season with a performance of 6.821 at 196.19, bringing his career total to 13.

“I have a good race day bike,” said Krawiec, who will meet veteran rider Craig Treble in the first round. “I think it’s just consistently getting it down the track, getting it off the starting line and going. I’m going to do the best I can. I am just going to look for good green lights and I think the rest will come.”

Krawiec’s teammate Andrew Hines was second on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson with a 6.824 at 195.85, while the father and son Lucas Oil Buell duo of Hector Arana Sr. and Hector Arana Jr. head into eliminations third and fourth.

FULL THROTTLE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP HITS MIDWAY POINT

With half of the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoff races complete, only three events remain and it is becoming critical for title challengers to make a move at one of the three upcoming events, the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals, Oct. 4-7 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., Big O Tires NHRA Nationals, Oct. 25-28 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 8-11 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. At the midway point, in Top Fuel, leader and playoff top seed Antron Brown holds a 21-point edge over teammate Spencer Massey. Seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher and Al-Anabi Racing’s Shawn Langdon are well within striking distance with, as history has shown, two very capable teams. In Funny Car, top seed Ron Capps holds a 30 point lead over teammate Jack Beckman, while Mike Neff is 99 points back in his Castrol Ford Mustang. The biggest mover in Funny Car has been Tim Wilkerson, who has jumped from 10^th to fifth in the first three playoff events. Another top seed, Pro Stock’s Allen Johnson holds a 109-point lead over defending world champ Jason Line. Johnson has advanced to the final in all three Countdown events, winning once. Erica Enders has some momentum from her win last weekend in St. Louis which moved her to third in the standings. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, defending world champ and top seed Eddie Krawiec earned his seventh victory of the season in St. Louis and increased his series lead to 33 over teammate Andrew Hines.

JENKINS TRIBUTE, INTENSE RACING, MUCH MORE AT AUTO-PLUS NHRA NATIONALS

The pressure is building for NHRA Full Throttle Series drivers who are aching to return to scenic Maple Grove Raceway for the 28th annual Auto-Plus® NHRA Nationals, Oct. 4-7, which is also the fourth race in the intense six-race Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship – the NHRA playoffs. The Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals will pay a special tribute to one of NHRA’s most iconic names in Pro Stock, Pennsylvania native Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, who died earlier this year. A Grumpy Car Corral, Grump Parade and a Sunday Track Walk with members of the Jenkins family are planned in commemoration of his life and legacy. All Sunday ticket holders can take advantage of this free tribute Track Walk with the opportunity to walk side-by-side, interact with some of NHRA’s most popular drivers while they remember “Grumpy,” one of drag racing’s greatest pioneers. In celebration of Maple Grove Raceway’s 50th Anniversary, fans will be treated to numerous festivities all weekend long including the “50 Cars for 50 Years” display featuring some of the coolest cars selected from events held at Maple Grove, the display will be near Nitro Alley on Sunday. The top 10 drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will continue their charges during the demanding playoffs that kicked off mid-September in Charlotte, N.C. Defending event champions Spencer Massey (Top Fuel); Robert Hight (Funny Car); Jason Line (Pro Stock); and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are pushing hard to return to the winner’s circle at the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals en route to the NHRA Full Throttle world championship. As always, every ticket is a pit pass giving fans unlimited access to the sport’s biggest stars for autographs and photo opportunities. Combine the remarkable lineup of the sport’s greatest drivers with all of the drama and intense racing that comes with an NHRA playoff race, the ingredients equal a memorable experience. For tickets for the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals please call (610) 856-7200 or log on towww.maplegroveraceway.com. 

BROWN, BECKMAN, ENDERS, KRAWIEC SAY ‘SEE YOU’ IN ST. LOUIS

Antron Brown raced to his sixth Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, and in the process, increased his championship points lead. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners of the event, the first race for NHRA in the St. Louis area in more than two years. Brown defeated championship rival Spencer Massey in the final round and moved 21 points ahead of the Texas driver with only three races remain in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Brown, who battled side-by-side with Massey all weekend, took the victory with a final-round performance of 3.766 seconds at 325.22 mph in his Matco Tools/Aaron’s dragster while Massey trailed with a 3.812 at 324.05 in his FRAM/Prestone dragster. “Our team hit a grand slam here this weekend,” Brown said. “We qualified No. 1 and took it one round at a time. It was a great weekend, but it’s always a struggle. This class is very competitive, and these guys aren’t playing anymore. You have your struggles here and there, and you have to keep on overcoming them. I’m just so happy for our Aaron’s/Matco guys.” Brown beat Bruce Litton, Steve Torrence, and Brandon Bernstein in early rounds before unleashing his quickest run of the day in the final against Massey. “It was a stressful day where we matched up against some great competition,” Brown said. “Matching up against my teammate [Massey] in the final was big — we’ve been back and forth in the points. It’s great to have six wins, but right now, they’re all in the past. We need to go back to the shop and get focused on these last three races. It’s just so competitive out here, and this points race is going to go down to the last race.” For more on this story, please visit www.nhra.com.

C. FORCE AND TRAXXAS TO RUN PINK BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CAR AT READING

As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing season winds down John Force Racing driver Courtney Force takes advantage of the month of October and the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway  to show her support for those who have been affected by breast cancer.

This weekend in Reading, Penn., Force will sport a pink Traxxas Funny Car Ford Mustang to commemorate breast cancer awareness month and to raise support for breast cancer prevention and research.

“I’m really excited to be able to run my first specialty car at our next event in Maple Grove. Being that it is pink and brings awareness to breast cancer makes me really proud to showcase this car in Reading. I really hope to get a lot of people’s attention with it and show our support from Traxxas and John Force Racing. It’s really cool to kick-off October with this. My crew guys are just as excited as I am even though it is hot pink because it’s for a great cause,” said Force.

The Action Racing Collectables die-cast of Courtney's Traxxas Pink Ford Mustang Funny Car is now available to order onwww.lionelracing.com.  A portion of the proceeds from each die-cast sold will benefit breast cancer awareness, research and prevention.

“So many women and families have been affected by breast cancer. Driving the Traxxas Pink Funny Car is just one small way I can show that I care and support them as we try to find a cure for this terrible disease,” said Force.

BROWN, BECKMAN, ENDERS AND KRAWIEC WIN AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS AT GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK

Antron Brown raced to his sixth Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park and in the process increased his championship points lead.

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners of the event, the first race for NHRA in the St. Louis area in more than two years.

Brown defeated championship rival Spencer Massey in the final round and moved 21 points ahead of the Texas driver as only three races remain in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Brown, who battled side-by-side with Massey all weekend, took the victory with a final round performance of 3.766 seconds at 325.22 mph in his Matco Tools/Aaron’s dragster, while Massey trailed with a 3.812 at 324.05 in his FRAM/Prestone dragster.

“Our team hit a grand slam here this weekend,” Brown said. “We qualified No. 1 and took it one round at a time. It was a great weekend, but it’s always a struggle. This class is very competitive, and these guys aren’t playing anymore. You have your struggles here and there, and you have to keep on overcoming them. I’m just so happy for our Aaron’s/Matco guys.”

Brown beat Bruce Litton, Steve Torrence and Brandon Bernstein in early rounds before unleashing his quickest run of the day in the final against Massey. 

“It was a stressful day where we matched up against some great competition,” Brown said. “Matching up against my teammate [Massey] in the final was big – we’ve been back and forth in the points.  It’s great to have six wins, but right now they’re all in the past.  We need to go back to the shop and get focused on these last three races. It’s just so competitive out here and this points race is going to go down to the last race.”

Beckman moved to within 30 points of Funny Car points leader Ron Capps by racing to his third victory of the season. He took the final round win in his Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger over Matt Hagan, who fouled at the start in his DieHard Dodge Charger.

“It’s nice to know that we have a car that can challenge for the championship,” said Beckman, who beat Alexis DeJoria, Jeff Arend and Tony Pedregon to advance to the final round. “This wasn’t do-or-die, but it’s getting pretty close. I’m not saying we counted points, but we had a tablet going with a lot of cross marks and updated math. Losing to Capps by four-thousandths in Dallas hurt a lot, but today went a long way towards healing that. It’s awesome to know that we have three races to go and are only 30 points back. All we want is a fighting chance going into Pomona."

Points leader Capps lost in the second round to Hagan, a non-Countdown performer and the defending world champ who has now advanced to back-to-back final rounds in the playoffs. Beckman was surprised when he saw Hagan blast away from the line so early in the final.

“From my perspective, you’re ready to go up there and squeeze the trigger if anything happens,” Beckman said. “I heard noise, saw the red light come on, and saw the big DieHard logo from Matt’s car. We have a big respect for that car. Over the last four races, it might be the best-running car on average.”

In Pro Stock, Enders earned her fourth victory of the season and first ever in the playoffs by using a reaction time advantage to defeat series points leader Allen Johnson in the final round. She powered her GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt to a 6.540 at 211.79 to finish just inches in front of Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, who posted a quicker, but losing run of 6.538 at 212.13.

“This is the win I wanted to get in Texas last week, but I’ll take it,” Enders said. “We were definitely consistent this weekend and that’s why we got to the final so I could race my bud [Allen Johnson] and get to the winner’s circle.”

Enders outran Shane Gray, teammate Dave Connolly and event top qualifier Jason Line to advance to her second straight Countdown final round appearance.

“It is a total team effort every week,” she said. “My team is the reason why I get to do this. They’re great. They helped me get down a tricky track when other guys were getting in pedal-fests. We were a little behind performance-wise in the final, but we made a good run and I did my job.”

With the runner-up finish and third straight final round appearance in the Countdown playoffs, Johnson increased his series lead to 109 over Line, while Enders moved to third in the standings, 126 back of Johnson.

Krawiec claimed his seventh Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of the season and increased his points lead to 33 over his final round opponent and teammate, Andrew Hines. Krawiec took his 18th career victory when Hines fouled on his identically-prepared Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

Krawiec took three of his round wins via red-light starts by his opponents, including his first round win over Steve Johnson and second round win over Chip Ellis. Krawiec used a strong performance on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson to outrun Hector Arana Sr.’s Lucas Oil Buell in the semifinals.

“Andrew and I were lucky to take out the Hectors in the semis and that really helped us in the points,” Krawiec said. “I lost in Dallas due to rider error. I had a .066 light which is unacceptable. This week I was good on the tree and had a good bike which is what it takes to win some rounds. Yes, I had three red-lights against me here but I did well and all my runs were good. I pushed it a little in the final but I know the potential of what he [Andrew] has. He crushed me in Charlotte.”

The NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs continues with round four of six, Oct. 4-7 with the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pa.

* * *

MADISON, Ill. -- Final finish order (1-16) at the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.  The race is the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1.  Antron Brown; 2.  Spencer Massey; 3.  Brandon Bernstein; 4.  David Grubnic; 5.  Tony Schumacher; 6.  Khalid alBalooshi; 7.  Steve Torrence; 8.  Shawn Langdon; 9.  Doug Kalitta; 10. Bob Vandergriff; 11.  Larry Dixon; 12.  Clay Millican; 13.  Morgan Lucas; 14.  T.J. Zizzo; 15. Terry McMillen; 16.  Bruce Litton.

FUNNY CAR:

1.  Jack Beckman; 2.  Matt Hagan; 3.  Tim Wilkerson; 4.  Tony Pedregon; 5.  Ron Capps; 6.  Dale Creasy Jr.; 7.  Mike Neff; 8.  Jeff Arend; 9.  Johnny Gray; 10.  Jim Head; 11.  Alexis DeJoria; 12. Robert Hight; 13.  Cruz Pedregon; 14.  John Force; 15.  Bob Tasca III; 16.  Courtney Force.

PRO STOCK:

1.  Erica Enders; 2.  Allen Johnson; 3.  Vincent Nobile; 4.  Jason Line; 5.  Greg Anderson; 6. Buddy Perkinson; 7.  Dave Connolly; 8.  Mike Edwards; 9.  V. Gaines; 10.  Larry Morgan; 11.  Chris McGaha; 12.  Jeg Coughlin; 13.  Shane Gray; 14.  Greg Stanfield; 15.  Ron Krisher; 16.  Warren Johnson.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1.  Eddie Krawiec; 2.  Andrew Hines; 3.  Hector Arana; 4.  Hector Arana Jr; 5.  Karen Stoffer; 6. Chip Ellis; 7.  Scotty Pollacheck; 8.  Shawn Gann; 9.  Matt Smith; 10.  Michael Ray; 11.  John Hall; 12.  Jim Underdahl; 13.  Jerry Savoie; 14.  Mike Berry; 15.  LE Tonglet; 16.  Steve Johnson.

COUGHLIN RACES TO FIRST NHRA PRO MOD SERIES VICTORY IN ST. LOUIS

Troy Coughlin raced to the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx victory Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Coughlin outran Danny Rowe in the final round to score his first career victory in the high-horsepower doorslammer category and move to third in the points standings with only one race remaining in the NHRA Pro Mod season.

Coughlin powered his turbocharged JEGS.com ’68 Camaro to a final round performance of 5.873 seconds at 257.58 mph to take the victory over Rowe, who had problems getting his supercharged Sterling Bridge ’68 Camaro to start for the final. Once Rowe got his machine fired, the car had issues going down the track and finished in 6.732 at 179.42.

“When I let the button go at the starting line in the final, I knew it was over when I didn’t see him, because those blower cars accelerate fast,” Coughlin said. “From then on, I just focused on making a clean run. It was just our time to win.”

Coughlin defeated Rickie Smith, Charlotte winner Leah Pruett and Pete Farber to advance to the final round. Coughlin is a three-time winner in NHRA Pro Stock competition and he claimed a 2005 Pro Mod exhibition victory in Englishtown, N.J., but this is his first Wally in official NHRA Pro Mod competition.

“My guys Steve Petty, Bryan Metzenheim, Mike Rees, Nick Gaylord, all the folks at JEGS.com deserve all the credit in the world,” Coughlin said. “Pro Line, our engine shop, has given us a fantastic race car all year. We beat a five-star team today.”

Coughlin moves to third in the points standings, 42 back of leader Mike Castellana and one point back of second-place Smith.

“Going into the last race out in Vegas with this kind of momentum is important,” Coughlin said. “There are still some spots up for grabs and everything is still pretty tight. Any time you can go to the end of an NHRA season and be in the running for a top three for four spot in your class, that's saying something.”

The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx world champion will be crowned at the season-finale, Oct. 25-28, during the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

* * *

MADISON, Ill. -- Final finish order (1-16) at the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.  The race is the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx.

PRO MODIFIED:

1.  Troy Coughlin; 2.  Danny Rowe; 3.  Pete Farber; 4.  Don Walsh; 5.  Donald Martin; 6.  Leah Pruett; 7.  Mike Castellana; 8.  Mike Janis; 9.  Raymond Commisso; 10.  Rickie Smith; 11.  Clint Satterfield; 12.  Kenny Lang; 13.  Harold Martin; 14.  Steve Matusek; 15.  Mike Knowles; 16.  Scott Ray.

MADISON, Ill. -- Final round-by-round results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx:

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE -- Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 5.883, 245.00 def. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.964, 248.11; Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.910, 257.97 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.966, 243.55; Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.353, 218.19 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 11.229, 77.20; Donald Martin, Camaro, 5.875, 247.16 def. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 6.006, 241.20; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.293, 229.31 def. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 6.358, 183.00; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.921, 245.49 def. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 6.039, 243.11; Leah Pruett, Mustang, 5.894, 251.95 def. Harold Martin, Chevy Corvette, 6.147, 211.76; Don Walsh, Mustang, 5.856, 252.57 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, broke;

QUARTERFINALS -- Farber, 10.830, 79.15 def. D. Martin, foul; Rowe, 5.932, 236.75 def. Castellana, 5.955, 242.76; Coughlin, 5.922, 255.97 def. Pruett, 5.912, 251.58; Walsh, 5.860, 253.28 def. Janis, 6.069, 196.96;

SEMIFINALS -- Coughlin, 5.930, 252.99 def. Farber, 6.041, 243.68; Rowe, 5.866, 247.20 def. Walsh, foul;

FINAL -- Coughlin, 5.873, 257.58 def. Rowe, 6.732, 179.42.

BROWN, TASCA, A. JOHNSON AND RAY EARN AAA TEXAS NHRA FALL NATIONALS VICTORIES AT TEXAS MOTORPLEX

Antron Brown raced to the Top Fuel victory Sunday at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the famed all-concrete Texas Motorplex near Dallas.

Bob Tasca (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Michael Ray (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the second of six playoff events in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.

Brown claimed his fifth victory of the season and moved into a tie for the points lead with the driver he beat in the final round, teammate Spencer Massey. Brown powered his Matco Tools dragster to a 3.898 second run at 311.49 mph to hold off Massey’s FRAM dragster, which finished with a 3.945 at 300.60.

“This is definitely the way to rebound,” said Brown, the playoff top seed who dropped to fourth in the standings after a first round loss at the playoff-opener last weekend in Charlotte, N.C. “I have to give credit to my team for sticking together. We were winning in the first round in Charlotte when we broke an input shaft. It’s so easy to get down after something like that. We came here, and the car was throwing us fits by being overaggressive. Brian [Corradi] and Mark [Oswald, co-crew chiefs] kept backing it off until they got a good handle on it in the semis.”

Brown and Massey lead seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher by 24 points and the suddenly surging Shawn Langdon is 41 back as the playoff race in the 8,000-horsepower category gets intense.

“In that final, we had to give it everything we had against the FRAM car,” said Brown, who beat three Countdown contenders -- David Grubnic, Langdon and Morgan Lucas – in the first three rounds. “We edged them, and it felt really good to win and to tie them in the points lead. We have four races left, and it’s going to be a slugfest to the end. Everybody’s throwing haymakers. It’s an all-out battle royal right now.”

Funny Car featured a final round battle between two drivers who aren’t in the Countdown playoffs, as Tasca prevailed in a tire-smoking final round duel with defending world champ Matt Hagan. Both cars lost traction near mid-track, but Tasca was able to guide his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Ford Mustang to the finish line in front of Hagan’s Aaron’s/Mopar Dodge Charger.

“This weekend just kind of epitomized our whole season, just keep fighting,” Tasca said. “We went through three motors. The guys haven’t worked this hard all year, but to put Motorcraft and Ford in the winner’s circle where they belong, I tell you, is long overdue for our team. We just kept fighting. Marc [Denner] and Chris [Cunningham, crew chiefs] just pulled together and got this car back on track. It wasn’t pretty. Trust me, there was some driving that had to be done out there, but we got it done. We got a win, and hopefully this is the momentum we need to finish the year strong.”

Tasca outran Alexis DeJoria, top qualifier Courtney Force and defending event winner Cruz Pedregon to advance to the final round. Tasca was very proud of his team’s effort in taking out two top Countdown contenders and claiming the team’s first victory of the season and fourth of his career.

“We have as much fight now, and I think we’re more determined now than ever before,” Tasca said. “Not making the top 10 was a lot of heartache for the guys on this team. I said to my team, ‘This will be a defining six races because I want to see what we’re all made of, me included. Are we going to roll over and play dead these next six races, or are we going to come out with some fire in us and take this thing to Pomona and let everyone know that we may not be in this year but watch out next year.’ I think this weekend was a defining weekend for our team because we fought through some tough rounds, three motor changes in four rounds in this heat, and we put ourselves in a position to win. I did my job, and we’re leaving with the trophy.”

Series leader Ron Capps, who lost to Hagan in the semifinals, increased his Countdown playoff lead to 96 over second place Mike Neff, who lost in the second round to Pedregon. Saturday’s Traxxas Nitro Shootout winner, John Force, lost in the first round to Hagan.

Johnson earned his fifth Pro Stock victory of the season and first in the Countdown playoffs by outrunning local favorite Erica Enders in the final round. Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger pulled away at the start and finished with a 6.598 at 210.93, while Enders’ GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt slowed to a 6.835 at 209.39.

“The Mopar Dodge Avenger was consistent,” Johnson said. “It was low in all four qualifying rounds, low in two of four rounds today, and got the job done. We’ve got a great crew that makes great decisions. We’ve got great power from Dad [Roy Johnson] and the guys at the engine shop. The driver, fortunately, did his job.”

Johnson outran the ‘Professor of Pro Stock’ Warren Johnson, Charlotte winner Dave Connolly and the ultra-quick Vincent Nobile in the first three rounds.  With the win, Johnson increased his points lead to 93 over defending world champ Jason Line.

“I looked at the elimination ladder last night and thought, ‘Oh, my, I’m going to have to work for this one,’” Johnson said. “We just took it one round at a time without getting ahead of ourselves. Somebody who’s won several championships called me before this thing ever started and told me, ‘Just enjoy it, and have fun.’ That advice was very important. I'm up for this challenge, and I'm enjoying it.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Texas native Ray claimed his first career victory, powering his Viper Motorcycle Company/GottSpeed Racing Buell to a performance of 6.920 at 192.77 to hold off Karen Stoffer’s GEICO Suzuki, which trailed with a 7.028 at 190.48.

“It’s really surreal, and I don’t think it’s really sank in yet that I’m getting to go home with the biggest thing that I’ve worked my whole life for,” Ray said.  “When we got here this weekend, we knew we had a great bike that could go out there and be competitive, coming off our performance in Charlotte. I just knew that as long as I just kept my cool and rode the bike consistently there’s not a better tuner out here when it’s hot than Matt Smith, and I think we showcased that today.”

Ray, who beat Scotty Pollacheck, Hector Arana Jr., and Andrew Hines to advance to his second career final round, moved from seventh to fourth in the standings with the victory. Points leader Eddie Krawiec increased his championship lead to 11 over second place Hines.

“I think there’s no better time than now to start a run at [the championship],” Ray said. “I don’t think there’s any better team on Sunday to be consistent than our bike. I think if I’m sitting here answering questions in Reading my response might be a little bit different, but right now I just want to go out and be consistent and then let the points shake out where they’re supposed to.”

The NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs continues with the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, Sept. 28-30 at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis.

* * *

ENNIS, Texas -- Final finish order (1-16) at the 27th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.  The race is the 19th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1.  Antron Brown; 2.  Spencer Massey; 3.  Morgan Lucas; 4.  Brandon Bernstein; 5.  J.R. Todd; 6. Khalid alBalooshi; 7.  Tony Schumacher; 8.  Shawn Langdon; 9.  Steve Torrence; 10.  Doug Kalitta; 11.  Bob Vandergriff; 12.  Scott Palmer; 13.  Bruce Litton; 14.  David Grubnic; 15.  Chris Karamesines; 16.  Terry McMillen.

FUNNY CAR:

1.  Bob Tasca III; 2.  Matt Hagan; 3.  Ron Capps; 4.  Cruz Pedregon; 5.  Mike Neff; 6.  Jack Beckman; 7.  Tim Wilkerson; 8.  Courtney Force; 9.  Blake Alexander; 10.  John Force; 11.  Tony Pedregon; 12.  Jeff Arend; 13.  Johnny Gray; 14.  Alexis DeJoria; 15.  Todd Lesenko; 16.  Robert Hight.

PRO STOCK:

1.  Allen Johnson; 2.  Erica Enders; 3.  Vincent Nobile; 4.  Richard Freeman; 5.  Greg Anderson; 6. Dave Connolly; 7.  Jeg Coughlin; 8.  Rodger Brogdon; 9.  Jason Line; 10.  V. Gaines; 11.  Warren Johnson; 12.  Ron Krisher; 13.  Larry Morgan; 14.  Chris McGaha; 15.  Greg Stanfield; 16.  Mike Edwards.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1.  Michael Ray; 2.  Karen Stoffer; 3.  Andrew Hines; 4.  Eddie Krawiec; 5.  LE Tonglet; 6.  Mike Berry; 7.  Redell Harris; 8.  Hector Arana Jr; 9.  Scotty Pollacheck; 10.  Matt Smith; 11.  Chip Ellis; 12.  Jerry Savoie; 13.  Steve Johnson; 14.  Matt Guidera; 15.  Shawn Gann; 16.  Hector Arana.

*  * *

ENNIS, Texas -- Sunday's final results from the 27th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex. The race is the 19th of 23 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Antron Brown, 3.898 seconds, 311.49 mph  def. Spencer Massey, 3.945 seconds, 300.60 mph.

Funny Car -- Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.826, 197.59  def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 5.025, 188.15.

Pro Stock -- Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.598, 210.93  def. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.835, 209.39.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Michael Ray, Buell, 6.920, 192.77  def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.028, 190.48.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Jim Whiteley, 5.275, 271.68  def. Chris Demke, 5.739, 263.77.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Clint Thompson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.591, 259.46  def. Tony Bartone, Ford Mustang, 5.685, 260.36.

Competition Eliminator -- David Rampy, Bantam Roadster, 7.230, 182.75  def. Joey Tanksley, Dragster, 6.764, 197.36.

Super Stock -- Eric Pearson, AMX, 10.789, 108.58  def. David Latino, Chevy Cobalt, foul.

Stock Eliminator -- Terry Emmons, Camaro, 10.537, 117.36  def. Jacob Pitt, Plymouth Duster, 11.426, 112.00.

Super Comp -- Tommy Phillips, Dragster, 8.907, 160.46  def. Austin Williams, Dragster, 8.868, 157.19.

Super Gas -- Tommy Phillips, Chevy Corvette, 9.911, 149.08  def. Jimmy Lewis, Corvette, 9.921, 156.55.

Super Street -- Steven Wilson, Chevy II, 10.873, 131.22  def. Jeff Hefler, Chevy Vega, 10.864, 118.98.

Top Sportsman -- Jimmy Lewis, Pontiac GXP, 6.960, 201.61  def. Joe Pigford, GXP, 7.129, 193.63.