NHRA NEWS: Qualifying results from 18th annual O'Reilly
Mid-South Nationals
CONTACT: Michael Padian, 626-278-0312
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SCHUMACHER SETS THE PACE IN QUALIFYING AT 18TH ANNUAL O'REILLY MID-SOUTH
NATIONALS
Hight leads the way in Funny Car, Kurt Johnson in Pro Stock and Hines in
Pro Stock Motorcycle
MEMPHIS - Tony Schumacher is not going to let his POWERade Series Top
Fuel championship go without a fight.
The pilot of the U.S. Army dragster, second in the POWERade Series
standings, set the top qualifying mark of 4.610 seconds at 309.56 mph on
Friday and it held up through the final two rounds of Saturday at the
18th annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.
The other top qualifiers at the $1.6 million event, the 17th of 23 on
the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, were Robert Hight (Funny Car),
Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
In a wildly competitive season across all four categories in the
POWERade Series - there have been a total of 23 lead changes and 15
different drivers who've led their category for at least one week -- the
potential is there for lead changes in every category on Sunday.
"We've got such a big points race going on right now," Schumacher said.
"It's a big, big race tomorrow."
Schumacher's 70-point deficit entering the weekend - already reduced to
64 points based on qualifying (first-place Doug Kalitta qualified 10th)
- was the largest in any of the four categories but the script that
places him back on top of the standings by Sunday night is easily
written.
His new teammate in the Don Schumacher Racing stable, Melanie Troxel,
faces off against first-place Doug Kalitta in the first round of final
eliminations Sunday. A win by Troxel over Kalitta combined with
Schumacher running the table and winning the event would put the Sarge
back on top of the Top Fuel standings.
"She can do us a huge favor," Schumacher said. "But if we don't win our
race, it won't matter.
"We're trying to win a championship," Schumacher said. "I'll be honest,
I'll spend two seconds worrying about Melanie and spend the rest of the
time worrying about myself."
Also in Top Fuel, No. 2 qualifier Larry Dixon is in a good position to
make headway given his track record at Memphis - he has made it to five
consecutive final rounds here and won twice, in 2002 and 2004.
Robert Hight (4.883 at 295.72) set the number in Funny Car in his Auto
Club of Southern California Ford Mustang on Friday and it held up
Saturday, giving the rookie and POWERade Series points leader his sixth
No. 1 qualifier of the season.
"I feel like a hundred and one today," said Hight, who by virtue of his
No. 1 qualifier and the qualifying positions of a couple of other
drivers squeaked into the Skoal Showdown in Indianapolis. "I had given
up after Brainerd, but I woke up in the middle of the night, started
doing the math, and figured I could still do it."
Hight's four-even run atop the standings is the longest current streak
of any category, but he is in the most precarious position. Gary Scelzi
trails by 14 points, John Force by 22 and Ronn Capps is only 45 points
behind.
Rounding out the top qualifiers were Kurt Johnson, whose best time
(6.787 at 202.85) from Friday held up Saturday, and Hines (7.127 at
181.57).
"We kind of missed the setup, but it was the same for everybody," said
Kurt Johnson, who noted a 20-point drop in the track temperature as
cloud cover set in just as the Pro Stock round began. "We're going to
have to watch (the weather) closely (Sunday). That's what it's all about
(in Pro Stock) ... preparation."
Johnson, who has been among the hottest drivers in any class with three
wins in the last five events and four No. 1 qualifiers in the last seven
events in his ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt, compared the conditions to St.
Louis where he began this hot stretch.
"We ran the first couple of (final elimination) rounds (in St. Louis) in
the sunshine and then it got cloudy (and the sun began to set)," Kurt
Johnson said. "You've got to know your car. If it does what you expect
it to do when you make a change, you'll be fine."
Johnson (1,169), in third place in the POWERade Standings, will meet
Kenny Koretsky in the first round Sunday and a win there would set up an
interesting second-round matchup with his father, Warren, who is just
ahead of him in the standings with 1,175 points. Greg Anderson leads
with 1,224.
Hines has seven No. 1 qualifiers now in his Screamin' Eagle Vance &
Hines Harley Davidson and he needs four more in the final five Pro Stock
Motorcycle events to match the category record set by his older brother,
Matt.
"My team overcame a lot of tough struggles this weekend," Hines said.
"Luckily we made a clean pass on the fourth run and got the No. 1
qualifier.
"We knew my bike had it in it," said Hines, who is six points back of
teammate GT Tonglet in the POWERade Series point standings. "We just had
to find it. We went through three motors this weekend."
** AGATE ***
MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations
Sunday for the 18th annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by
Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park, the 17th of 23 events in the $50
million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in
qualifying, which ended Saturday.
Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.610 seconds, 309.56 mph vs. 16. Bobby
Lagana Jr., 5.106, 285.17; 2. Larry Dixon, 4.618, 314.61 vs. 15. John
Smith, 5.094, 272.89; 3. Rod Fuller, 4.625, 311.20 vs. 14. Scott Weis,
5.003, 273.27; 4. Cory McClenathan, 4.640, 311.92 vs. 13. Mitch King,
4.901, 269.73; 5. Doug Herbert, 4.655, 302.48 vs. 12. Scott Kalitta,
4.718, 302.75; 6. Clay Millican, 4.661, 307.86 vs. 11. David Grubnic,
4.705, 303.37; 7. Melanie Troxel, 4.676, 312.78 vs. 10. Doug Kalitta,
4.703, 304.53; 8. Brandon Bernstein, 4.676, 306.88 vs. 9. Morgan Lucas,
4.691, 311.49.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.883, 295.72 vs. 16. Jack
Wyatt, Pontiac Firebird, 5.198, 252.61; 2. Gary Scelzi, Dodge Stratus,
4.906, 300.66 vs. 15. Bob Gilbertson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.157, 274.11;
3. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.936, 299.33 vs. 14. Tony Bartone,
Monte Carlo, 5.128, 280.95; 4. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.940, 300.86
vs. 13. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica, 5.067, 290.19; 5. Eric Medlen,
Mustang, 4.951, 294.37 vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 5.040,
295.40; 6. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.955, 306.40 vs. 11. Gary Densham,
Monte Carlo, 5.010, 289.32; 7. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.967, 295.46 vs. 10.
Whit Bazemore, Stratus, 5.009, 289.88; 8. John Force, Mustang, 4.982,
292.90 vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.993, 301.20.
Pro Stock -- 1. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.787, 202.85 vs. 16. Kenny
Koretsky, Dodge Stratus, 6.847, 200.86; 2. Rickie Smith, Chevy Cavalier,
6.792, 202.91 vs. 15. Jim Yates, Pontiac Grand Am, 6.847, 200.71; 3.
Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.805, 202.55 vs. 14. Ronnie Humphrey,
Cavalier, 6.845, 200.80; 4. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.812, 201.94 vs. 13.
Dave Howard, Cobalt, 6.835, 201.43; 5. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.818,
201.94 vs. 12. Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.833, 201.16; 6. Jason Line,
Grand Am, 6.819, 202.09 vs. 11. Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.832, 201.55; 7.
Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.820, 202.03 vs. 10. Jeg Coughlin, Stratus,
6.829, 201.61; 8. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.824, 201.67 vs. 9. Greg
Stanfield, Cavalier, 6.826, 201.49.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.127, 181.57
vs. 16. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 7.235, 187.99; 2. GT Tonglet,
Harley-Davidson, 7.129, 187.68 vs. 15. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.224,
184.95; 3. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.169, 184.25 vs. 14. Joe DeSantis,
Suzuki, 7.222, 183.72; 4. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.174, 184.45 vs. 13.
Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.220, 184.09; 5. Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.182,
185.72 vs. 12. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.212, 181.23; 6. Chip Ellis, Buell,
7.183, 183.97 vs. 11. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.210, 186.18; 7. Michael
Phillips, Suzuki, 7.187, 186.72 vs. 10. Mike Berry, Suzuki, 7.207,
185.13; 8. Ryan Schnitz, Buell, 7.199, 185.89 vs. 9. Karen Stoffer,
Suzuki, 7.202, 188.28.