NHRA NEWS: Summit Racing Southern Nationals
SCHUMACHER LEADS AFTER DAY 1 OF QUALIFYING AT SUMMIT RACING NHRA SOUTHERN
NATIONALS
Worsham, Krisher and Hines also are leaders at Atlanta Dragway
COMMERCE, Ga. – Tony Schumacher is the leader after the first two rounds of
Top Fuel qualifying Friday at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals at
the Atlanta Dragway.
Schumacher set the time on the final run of the day, making a pass of 4.550
seconds at 321.58 mph.
“That 4.55 was cool but the 4.63 we ran in the heat of the day shutting off
earlier was cooler,” said Schumacher, who pilots the U.S. Army Top Fuel
Dragster. “This is a different place to race when it’s cooler. Look how many
guys got down the track tonight versus how many struggled in the heat. We
were a tenth better and we didn’t do anything different.”
Schumacher who sits in second place in the NHRA POWERade point standings
behind Doug Kalitta, found himself more concerned with sixth-place Cory
McClenathan entering the second round of qualifying Saturday and final
eliminations on Sunday.
“I don’t know why any of us are bothering to race at this point. Everyone
said Cory Mac was gonna win this weekend so we might as well pack it in and
save the money, right? Hey, I love the competition. That’s what makes it so
much fun,” Schumacher said.
Friday was a record-setting day in the Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle
classes.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Andrew Hines set a new elapsed time record (7.094
seconds) riding his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson to his top
run of the day at 189.87 mph and in Pro Stock it was Ron Krisher breaking
the elapsed time (6.757) and speed (203.89) records at the Atlanta Dragway.
If Krisher holds onto the No. 1 qualifying position, it will be the first
No. 1 qualifier for Krisher since Dallas in 2002.
“It’s been awhile. But I think we’re gonna be a lot better now. We just have
15 passes on this new car and only the two from today in competition so
we’ve still got a lot to learn about it but it’s definitely better than our
old car,” said Krisher, referring to the recently introduced Chevrolet
Cobalt chassis into NHRA Pro Stock competition.
Warren Johnson, a Buford, Ga. native, is in his final scheduled competition
as a driver at the Atlanta Dragway and he sat No. 1 after the afternoon
round.
“We saw what W.J. [Warren Johnson] did in Round 1. He just beat us to 330
feet. After that we matched him or beat him so I knew I could fix the early
part of the run in the transmission. The car responded, and most importantly
it went straight.”
Hines’ run was the stunner of the day as he secured the top qualifying
position in the afternoon session with the track as hot as it was all day.
“We hit the nail right on the head in the first session,” Hines said. “So we
took that tune-up and put it in GT’s bike and pretty much left mine alone.
Then we saw him bog big-time at the starting line so we changed the set-up
on my ride, but the bike didn’t like it at all. Somehow we stayed on top so
we’re very happy. It looks like we've stumbled on our hot-weather tune-up a
little early this year.”
The other top qualifier Friday was Del Worsham, whose Checker Schuck’s
Kragen Chevy Monte Carlo Funny Car was the fastest down the track at 4.834
seconds and 321.58 mph.
He laid down the top run just moments after teammate Phil Burkart had a
4.838-second run at 320.58 mph in his Checker Schuck’s Kragen Toyota Celica.
“How about Atlanta,” said an excited Worsham. “I’m more excited to be No. 1
with my car but I’m pretty darn happy about Phil being No. 2. That’s
probably the bigger surprise of the two of us because that car is brand new.
Dad and I drove home to get that body, loaded in a $400 boat trailer we
bought off some guy, and drove three days straight to get it here. We never
shut the bus off.”
Atlanta also has good feeling for Worsham as it was the site of his first
win 14 years ago.
“Fourteen years ago I won this race and I was so inexperienced I didn’t know
what to do,” Worsham said. “I thought you just went and partied with your
crew. Kenny Bernstein saw me wandering around in the pits and said, ‘Come
here kid, let me show you what to do.’ I didn’t know about the media or
coming to the tower for interviews. He got me up here and I froze up and
could barely talk."
As good a career as Worsham has had – 19 career wins including five last
season – he has struggled a bit in 2005, sitting 10th in the Funny Car
standings entering this seventh of 23 events as part of the NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series.
“Everyone's been asking us what’s been wrong,” Worsham said. “There’s
nothing wrong. We just haven’t been getting the little breaks and we’ve lost
a few by thousandths of a second. This is just qualifying but hopefully
everything is working right now and we won’t have to answer that question
any more.”
**************************************
AGATE ……………..
COMMERCE, Ga. -- Results Friday after qualifying for the 25th annual Summit
Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals presented by Pontiac at Atlanta
Dragway, seventh of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing
Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.550 seconds, 324.98 mph; 2. Cory
McClenathan, 4.559, 322.34; 3. Larry Dixon, 4.604, 319.98; 4. Brandon
Bernstein, 4.611, 323.04; 5. Doug Herbert, 4.612, 319.52; 6. David Baca,
4.634, 326.00; 7. Doug Kalitta, 4.684, 314.61; 8. John Smith, 4.687, 307.02;
9. Scott Palmer, 4.712, 324.67; 10. Morgan Lucas, 4.718, 314.83; 11. David
Grubnic, 4.802, 308.28; 12. Scott Kalitta, 4.813, 303.78; 13. Mitch King,
4.867, 294.43; 14. Bobby Lagana Jr., 5.010, 295.21; 15. Roger Dean, 5.033,
272.56; 16. Luigi Novelli, 5.071, 235.80.
Funny Car -- 1. Del Worsham, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.834, 321.58; 2.
Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 4.838, 320.58; 3. John Force, Ford Mustang,
4.861, 313.88; 4. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Stratus, 4.871, 319.90; 5. Robert
Hight, Mustang, 4.883, 313.58; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.906,
312.28; 7. Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 4.917, 318.17; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Monte
Carlo, 4.922, 316.45; 9. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.927, 310.05; 10. Tony
Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.952, 303.37; 11. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.964, 301.94;
12. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo, 4.976, 302.01; 13. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo,
5.013, 261.32; 14. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 5.015, 331.85; 15. Jim Head,
Stratus, 5.067, 302.41; 16. Bob Gilbertson, Monte Carlo, 5.145, 293.79.
Pro Stock -- 1. Ron Krisher, Chevy Cobalt, 6.757, 203.89; 2. Warren
Johnson, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.758, 203.55; 3. Greg Anderson, Grand Am, 6.772,
203.43; 4. Jason Line, Grand Am, 6.778, 203.37; 5. Mike Edwards, Grand Am,
6.779, 203.25; 6. Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.783, 204.05; 7. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.783, 203.77; 8. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.785, 204.23; 9. Kurt
Johnson, Cobalt, 6.789, 204.23; 10. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier, 6.790,
203.25; 11. Bruce Allen, Grand Am, 6.794, 203.37; 12. Jim Yates, Grand Am,
6.796, 202.58; 13. Greg Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.798, 202.58; 14. Jeg
Coughlin, Stratus, 6.800, 203.34; 15. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.802, 203.09;
16. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.806, 202.70.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.094,
189.87; 2. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.159, 189.95; 3. Chris Rivas, Buell,
7.159, 184.83; 4. Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.159, 187.03; 5. Ryan Schnitz, Buell,
7.191, 187.83; 6. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.213, 186.72; 7. Craig Treble,
Suzuki, 7.214, 186.43; 8. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.217, 187.26; 9. GT Tonglet,
Harley-Davidson, 7.237, 188.23; 10. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.238, 183.94;
11. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.251, 184.67; 12.Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.252,
185.87; 13. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.256, 183.02; 14. Wesley Wells, Suzuki,
7.265, 183.54; 15. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.269, 184.47; 16. Rickey Gadson,
Suzuki, 7.275, 182.62.
