NHRA NEWS -- Post-Race Notes: Sonoma
POST RACE NOTES: 18th ANNUAL FRAM AUTOLITE NHRA NATIONALS JULY 29-31, INFINEON RACEWAY, SONOMA, CALIF. TOP FUEL * Doug Kalitta, from Ann Arbor, Mich., earned his 23rd career victory and fourth of the season behind the wheel of his Mac Tools dragster. Kalitta blasted down the quarter-mile in 4.665 seconds at 319.90 mph to outrun Doug Herbert in his Snap-on Tools dragster, which posted a quicker, but losing 4.603 at 319.98. It was Kalitta's fifth win in the last eight years at Infineon Raceway, dating back to his first ever NHRA victory in 1998. * Tony Schumacher raced to his 16th career No. 1 qualifying position and fifth of the season, powering his U.S. Army dragster to the finish line in a category best time of 4.529 at 325.77. * With the victory, Kalitta regained the top position in the POWERade Top Fuel standings, 16 points ahead of Schumacher and 126 points in front Larry Dixon and the Miller Lite team. * Cory McClenathan's FRAM Airhog/Carrier Boyz Racing crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew Challenge award. FUNNY CAR * Gary Scelzi, from Fresno, Calif., raced to his 32nd career victory (seven Funny Car, 25 Top Fuel) and third of the season in his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus. Scelzi's Stratus powered down the drag strip in 4.984 seconds at 295.21 mph to outrun final round opponent and Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps, who steered his Brut Stratus to final round numbers of 5.079 at 293.60. * Tony Pedregon raced to his third No. 1 qualifying award of the season behind the wheel of his Madagascar-themed Q-Racing Chevy Monte Carlo. Pedregon posted a track record time of 4.759 at 321.12 to claim the top spot in the 16-car order. * In addition to Pedregon's track record E.T., Del Worsham's top speed of 325.69 mph in his Checker Schuck's Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo established a Funny Car speed record at Infineon Raceway. * Rookie sensation and current points leader Robert Hight and his Auto Club Ford Mustang crew claimed the Full Throttle Pit Crew Challenge award. * Perennial world champion John Force lost in the first round of eliminations for the fourth consecutive race, giving him eight opening round losses this season. In his career, Force has posted four straight first round losses only once (1986) and had never recorded more than seven first round losses in a single season prior to this event. * With the victory, Scelzi moved ahead of Force into the No. 2 position in the POWERade standings, 16 points behind Force Racing rookie Hight. Hight maintained his No. 1 position in the standings despite his first round loss to Phil Burkart, Hight's third first round loss this season (Pomona 1, Bristol). PRO STOCK * Greg Anderson, from Concord, N.C., earned his fourth victory of the season and 35th of his career by crossing the finish line ahead of rival Kurt Johnson. Anderson's Summit Racing Pontiac GTO shut the timers off in 6.732 seconds at 205.63 mph, outrunning Johnson's ACDelco Chevy Cobalt, which posted a slower pass of 6.760 at 204.23. * With the victory, Anderson tied NHRA legend "Big Daddy" Don Garlits for 10th place on the all-time NHRA victory list for professional categories. * It is the first-ever NHRA Pro Stock victory for Pontiac's GTO brand vehicle, which Anderson debuted at Denver two weeks earlier. * Johnson earned his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season and the 26th of his career in his ACDelco Chevy Cobalt, using a track record time of 6.676 at 206.80. Anderson, who entered eliminations in the No. 7 slot, used a qualifying-best 206.95 to establish the track record for speed. * With the victory, two-time defending POWERade world champion Anderson regained the lead in the standings, 50 points ahead of Warren Johnson. W. Johnson was eliminated in round one of eliminations by 22-year-old Dave Connolly. With the runner-up finish, K. Johnson moved up to the No. 3 spot in the standings, 20 points in front of Jason Line. The younger Johnson trails his father by 44 points and is 94 championship points behind the front-running Anderson. * K. Johnson won the Motel 6 'Who Got the Light' award for his .0047-second margin of victory over Richie Stevens in the second round of eliminations. * Line's Summit Racing Pontiac team earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Challenge award. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE * Andrew Hines, from Indianapolis, rode his Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to his fourth career victory, his first visit to the winner's circle this season. Hines became the eighth different winner in nine races for the two-wheel category in 2005. * Hines' Harley-Davidson posted a final round performance of 7.253 seconds at 186.46 mph to defeat Karen Stoffer, who clocked a 7.343 at 181.64 on her Geico Suzuki. It was Stoffer's third final round appearance of the season. * Hines claimed his sixth No. 1 effort of the season and the 14th of his career aboard his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, running a qualifying best 7.021 at 192.47. * Hines was awarded 20 POWERade bonus points when he lowered his category's national E.T. record to 6.968 seconds during his first round win over Matt Smith. Hines had eclipsed the seven second barrier once before in '05, making history at Gainesville, Fla., with the first-ever six-second run (6.991) in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle history. * Hines established a national record at Infineon Raceway for the first time in more than a decade. The track previously served as host to three NHRA national records, all three in Pro Stock with the last coming in 1994. * The victory moved Hines into second place in the POWERade point standings, three points behind new leader Antron Brown. Brown, who lost in the semifinals to Hines, moved ahead of former standings leader GT Tonglet, who dropped to third place with his second round loss to Brown, 15 points behind his Harley-Davidson teammate Hines. It is the second time in his career that Brown has led the NHRA POWERade point standings, which he achieved in 2001 following his victory at Columbus, Ohio). * Hines' Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew Challenge award.