NHRA NEWS -- Advance Package for Sears Craftsman NHRA
Nationals
WHAT: Ninth annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals, the 12th of
23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
Professional competitors in four categories earn points leading to 2005
NHRA POWERade Series world championships.
Sportsman competitors in five categories earn
points leading to 2005 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world
championships.
WHERE: Gateway International Raceway, Madison, Ill. Located five
minutes from downtown St. Louis, the track is on Interstate 55/70 at
Exit 4. From St. Louis, take I-70 south to I-55/70 and travel east to
Exit 4.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, June 24-26.
PURSE: Cash and contingency awards of more than $1.8 million.
SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, June 24 - Sportsman qualifying and time trials begin
at 10:30 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 5 and 8 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 25 -- Sportsman eliminations begin
at 10:30 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 5 and 8 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 26 -- Sportsman eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Pre-race
ceremonies, 3:30 p.m.
FINAL PROFESSIONAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 4:30 p.m.
TELEVISION: Saturday, June 25, ESPN2 will televise one hour of
qualifying highlights at midnight (ET).
Sunday, June 26, ESPN2 will televise three hours of
elimination highlights beginning at 9 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE: Friday, June 24, 11-11:30 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 11 /Transponder
12K (11942 MHz, vertical)
Saturday, June 25, 10-10:30 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 11
/Transponder 12K (11942 MHz, vertical)
Monday, June 27, 12:30 a.m.-1 a.m. (ET) - Galaxy 11
/Transponder 6K (11820 MHz, vertical)
2004 EVENT
WINNERS: Doug Kalitta, Top Fuel; Gary Scelzi, Funny Car; Greg
Anderson, Pro Stock; Steve Johnson, Pro Stock Bike.
TRACK
RECORDS: Top Fuel- 4.511 seconds by Darrell Russell, June 2004;
328.94 mph by Scott Kalitta, June 2004.
Funny Car-- 4.724 seconds by Gary Scelzi, June
2004; 330.23 mph by Scelzi, June 2004.
Pro Stock-6.702 seconds by Greg Anderson, June
2004; 206.07 mph by Steve Johns, June 2004.
Pro Stock Bike - 7.086 seconds by Antron Brown,
June 2004; 191.97 mph by Andrew Hines, June 2003.
NATIONAL
RECORDS: Top Fuel -- 4.441 sec. (Oct. '03, Reading, Pa.) by Tony
Schumacher; 336.15 mph (May '05, Columbus, Ohio) by Schumacher
Funny Car -- 4.665 sec. (Oct. '04, Joliet, Ill.) by
John Force; 333.58 mph (Oct. '04, Joliet, Ill.) by John Force
Pro Stock -- 6.633 sec. (March '05, Gainesville,
Fla.) by Greg Anderson; 208.23 mph (March '05, Gainesville, Fla.) by
Anderson
Pro Stock Bike - 6.991 sec. (March '05,
Gainesville, Fla.) by Andrew Hines; 197.45 mph (March '05, Gainesville,
Fla.) by Hines
TICKETS: For tickets and ticket information call, (866)-35-SPEED or
Ticketmaster. Tickets also available at gatewayraceway.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $30; Youth (12
years and under), $10. Saturday: Adult, $40; Youth (12 years and under),
$10; Sunday: Adult, $50; Youth (12 years and under), $20. Child (5 years
and under), free with paying adult in general admission and pit areas
each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $40; Youth (12 years
and under), $15. Saturday: Adult, $50 (Pit Side); Youth (12 years and
under), $20 (Pit Side). Sunday: Adult, $60 (Pit Side); Youth (12 years
and under), $25 (Pit Side).
ROOKIE HIGHT MAKING NAME FOR HIMSELF IN FUNNY CAR
ST. LOUIS - He's been the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car a
category-best three times, in the first 11 races of the 2005 season.
He has recorded the low elapsed time of an event twice,
tying him with Tony Pedregon and Gary Scelzi for the category lead.
He has established the top speed of an event three times
behind the wheel of his Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang,
second only to Scelzi's four top speeds.
He has appeared two final rounds, second-most in Funny Car,
two shy of the four for the man who doubles as his father-in-law and
team-owner, John Force.
He earned his first career victory in his fourth career
Funny Car start (Houston) and is one of six drivers to earn a victory
this season and currently ranking him third in the POWERade standings,
25 points behind the second-place Scelzi.
He's just a rookie.
He is Robert Hight.
"No doubt about it, every day I think about (how I've come
so far so quickly)," Hight said. "It's funny, though. You get so caught
up in what's going on in the races, you just want to do better. We lost
in the semifinals in Topeka and I was pretty bummed out.
"I have to take a step back. If someone would have told me
that I would be No. 2 in the POWERade point standings, and in the best
qualifying car, I would never have believed it. I have no doubt in the
car, but I doubted myself. I wasn't sure I would catch on this quickly."
Hight will certainly be among the favorites when the
7,000-horsepower racers come together outside St. Louis for the ninth
annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals, June 24-26, at Gateway
International Raceway. The $1.8 million race is the 12th of 23 events in
the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
It's not lost on anyone that Hight has benefited from
learning under and driving for Force -- the winningest driver in NHRA
history with 118 career victories (six-time Pro Stock world champion
Warren Johnson is second all-time with 94 career wins).
"Most (of my success this season can be attributed) to being
in a good race car," Hight said. "It goes down the track 90 percent of
the time, it's not blowing up, it's not dropping cylinders. It makes it
easy for a new guy to drive."
Hight's relationship with Force dates back to 1995, when he
was responsible for the clutches and the short blocks in all of Force's
cars. In 2000, he got off the road for a few years, although he was
still part of Force Racing, and then in 2004, he was strapped into a
Funny Car on the Monday after the race at Topeka, Kan., and he received
his Funny Car license.
He said that Eric Medlen, the third Funny Car driver for
Force Racing who was a rookie last season, has been a huge help in terms
of guiding him through the road blocks of a rookie campaign.
"(Being a rookie) is still fresh to Eric," Hight explained
of Medlen, who drives the Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang. "It's been a long
time since (Force) has been a rookie."
With Del Worsham earning the victory at Route 66 Raceway
outside of Chicago last week, the Funny Car point standings continue to
tighten up. Any of the top 10 drivers have a legitimate shot at winning
an event, possibly even the championship. Hight taking the series title
from Force? Anything is possible.
So the rest of the year may be a bit like taking the boss
out to the golf course. You want to do your best, of course, but is it
in your best interest to beat him?
"No, no, I want to beat him," Hight said. "It's kind of a
double-edged sword. He gave me this opportunity and so you think,
'Shoot, I don't want to beat him.' But he wants you to beat him. If I go
out there and (try to let him win), if you don't get up for him, he
won't be happy. He wants everyone to be aggressive no matter who they're
racing."
It's hard to argue with the facts. Hight is 1-1 in
head-to-head matchups with the boss, including a loss in the final round
by just .002-seconds at the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals
outside Atlanta.
"I was trying to win," Hight said simply.
Over the past couple of races, Force has seen his lead in
the standings trimmed to 62 points ahead of Scelzi and 87 in front of
Hight. He and Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta have the largest advantage in
the four professional categories. But as many have proven in the past,
no gap is insurmountable.
The defending champion at the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals
in Funny Car is Scelzi. Scelzi has had a steady 2005 with two No. 1
qualifiers (Las Vegas 1 and Atlanta) and two wins (Bristol and Chicago
1) and his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus will certainly be a car to watch
along with the Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang of Force.
Other defending race winners include Kalitta in the Mac
Tools dragster, two-time defending NHRA POWERade Pro Stock world
champion Greg Anderson in his Summit Racing Pontiac, and Steve Johnson
atop his Suzuki in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
In the Top Fuel category a year ago in St. Louis, Kalitta
qualified fifth before going four-for-four on Sunday to, at the time,
claim the top spot in the Top Fuel point standings. He relinquished the
spot a week later to eventual world champion Tony Schumacher and
remained in second place for the remainder of the season.
In all, Kalitta has a Top Fuel-leading three wins at St.
Louis - Scelzi has the most overall wins in St. Louis with three in Top
Fuel (1998, 1999, and 2000) and one in his current category, Funny Car
(2004) - and Kalitta will certainly be a favorite this year in Top Fuel.
"I wish I could pin it down, just lucky I guess," Kalitta
said of his success in St. Louis where the racing runs from early
evening into the night. "Typically, the track's a little cooler (with
the night racing in St. Louis) and we definitely prefer the cooler
conditions, a little more grip on the track."
Other drivers to watch include Schumacher in his U.S. Army
dragster, Brandon Bernstein in his "hometown" Budweiser dragster and
Dave Grubnic, who won his first-ever NHRA event a few weeks back
(Topeka) in his Zantrex-3 dragster.
In Pro Stock, Anderson, has begun to show signs of his
dominant 2004 form when he was named the SPEED Channel Driver of the
Year and will again be a contender, along with the resurgent Warren
Johnson, and Anderson's charging teammate Jason Line, who moved ahead of
Anderson into second-place in the standings with his victory at
Englishtown, N.J., last weekend.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, defending champion Johnson will be
a rider to watch along with Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley
Davidson duo of defending series champion Andrew Hines and current
points leader GT Tonglet. U.S. Army teammates Angelle Sampey and Antron
Brown will look to make their move in the standings with a winning
performance at Gateway.
-30-
2005 NHRA POWERADE POINT STANDINGS
(Following 11 of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing
Series)
UPDATED 6/19/2005 (Victories in parentheses)
TOP FUEL
Place Driver
Points
1. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools dragster (3)
853
2. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster (3)
791
3. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Miller Lite/Ameriquest dragster
(2) 785
4. Dave Grubnic, Ennis, Mont., Zantrex-3 dragster (1)
719
5. Morgan Lucas, Riverside, Calif., Lucas Oil/Keystone dragster
645
6. Scott Kalitta, Snead Island, Fla., Mac Tools/Jesse James
dragster (2) 610
7. Brandon Bernstein, Indianapolis, Budweiser/Lucas Oil
dragster 596
8. Cory McClenathan, Anaheim, Calif., FRAM AirHog dragster
548
9. Doug Herbert, Cornelius, N.C., Snap-on Tools dragster
543
10. David Baca, Brentwood, Calif., D. Baca & Family dragster
424
FUNNY CAR
1. John Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX Start Up Ford
Mustang (4) 806
2. Gary Scelzi, Fresno, Calif., Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T
(2) 744
3. Robert Hight, Anaheim Hills, Calif., Auto Club of Southern
California Ford Mustang (1) 719
4. Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon, Ind., Skoal Racing Chevrolet Monte
Carlo (1) 647
5. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., Brut Dodge Stratus R/T
639
6. Cruz Pedregon, Camarillo, Calif., Advance Auto Parts
Chevrolet Monte Carlo 609
7. Eric Medlen, Indianapolis, Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang
600
8. Whit Bazemore, Indianapolis, Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T
(2) 598
9. Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., Checker Schuck's Kragen
Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1) 546
10. Tony Pedregon, Chino Hills, Calif., Q Racing Chevrolet Monte
Carlo 492
PRO STOCK
1. Warren Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., GM Performance Parts
Pontiac (2) 857
2. Jason Line, Terrell, N.C., Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac
(3) 851
3. Greg Anderson, Charlotte, N.C., Summit Racing Equipment
Pontiac (3) 844
4. Dave Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, Torco Gear Chevrolet Cobalt (2)
733
5. Kurt Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt
645
6. Richie Stevens, New Orleans, Team Mopar Dodge Stratus R/T
562
7. Ron Krisher, Warren, Ohio, Valvoline Chevrolet
525
8. Jeg Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, Jeg's Mail Order Dodge Stratus
R/T 517
9. Greg Stanfield, Bossier City, La., PiranaZ Chevrolet
511
10. Jim Yates, Occoquan, Va., Yates Racing Pontiac
497
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
(Following six of 15 events)
1. GT Tonglet, New Orleans, Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle
Harley-Davidson (1) 437
2. Karen Stoffer, Minden, Nev., Geico Motorcycle Suzuki (1)
390
3. Antron Brown, Indianapolis, U.S. Army Suzuki (1)
375
4. Chip Ellis, Americus, Ga., G-Squared S&S Buell V-Twin (1)
367
5. Andrew Hines, Indianapolis, Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle
Harley-Davidson 361
Geno Scali, Chicago, Trim-Tex Drywall Products Suzuki
361
7. Steve Johnson, Birmingham, Ala., Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki (1)
355
8. Ryan Schnitz, Decatur, Ind., Muzzys.com Buell V-Twin (1)
344
9. Angelle Sampey, New Orleans, U.S. Army Suzuki
341
10. Craig Treble, Hensley, Ark., Matco Tools Suzuki
334
GENERAL EVENT INFORMATION
* SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 5 p.m.
and 8 p.m. on Friday, June 24. Qualifying continues at 5 and 8 p.m. on
Saturday, June 25 and final eliminations begin at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday,
June 26.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Sears Craftsman
NHRA Nationals. Call Gateway Raceway at 866-35-SPEED (866-357-7333) for
ticket information, or check online at gatewayraceway.com or
tickets.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 will televise one hour of qualifying of the
Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at midnight (ET) on Saturday, June 25.
ESPN2 will televise NHRA Today, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show,
at 11:30 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 26. ESPN2 will televise three hours
of final eliminations beginning at 9 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 26.
* ON THE WEB: Quick access to NHRA media relations
department press releases, electronic images and other information is
available on the Internet at media.nhra.com.
