NHRA NEWS: TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS ADVANCE PACKAGE
TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 21ST annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, the 19th 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 six categories earn
points leading to 2005 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world
championships.
WHERE: Maple Grove Raceway, Mohnton, Pa. Track is located
off the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Exit 298), 10 miles south of Reading, Pa.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 15-18.
PURSE: Cash and contingency awards of more than $1.5
million.
SCHEDULE: THURSDAY, Sept. 15 -- Sportsman qualifying and
eliminations begin at 8:45 a.m.
FRIDAY, Sept. 16 -- Sportsman qualifying and
eliminations begin at 8:45 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 2 and 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 17 -- Sportsman qualifying
and eliminations begin at 8:45 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 18 -- Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS
begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION: Saturday, Sept. 17, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise one
hour of qualifying highlights at 4 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 18, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will
broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30
a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 18, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will
televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE: Friday, Sept. 16, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) - SBS 6 /
Transponder 17K (12117 MHz, horizontal)
Saturday, Sept. 17, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) - SBS 6
/ Transponder 17K (12117 MHz, horizontal)
Sunday, Sept. 18, 8:30-9 p.m. (ET) - SBS 6 /
Transponder 17K (12117 MHz, horizontal)
2004 EVENT
WINNERS: Tony Schumacher, Top Fuel; Gary Scelzi, Funny Car;
Jason Line, Pro Stock; and Angelle Sampey, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
TRACK
RECORDS: Top Fuel - 4.441 seconds by Tony Schumacher, Oct. 2003;
333.08 mph by Schumacher, Oct. 2001
Funny Car -- 4.728 seconds by John Force,
Oct. 2004; 327.82 mph by Force, Oct. 2004
Pro Stock - 6.669 seconds by Jason Line,
Oct. 2004; 206.67 mph by Greg Anderson, Oct. 2004
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 7.018 seconds by
Angelle Sampey, Oct. 2004; 194.77 mph by GT Tonglet, Oct. 2001
NATIONAL Top Fuel -- 4.441 sec. (Oct. '03, Reading, Pa.) and
336.15 mph (May '05, Columbus, Ohio) by Tony Schumacher.
RECORDS: Funny Car -- 4.665 sec. (Oct. '04, Joliet, Ill.) and
333.58 mph (Oct. '04, Joliet, Ill.) by John Force.
Pro Stock -- 6.633 sec. (March '05,
Gainesville, Fla.) and 208.23 mph (March '05, Gainesville, Fla.) by Greg
Anderson.
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.968 sec. (July '05,
Sonoma, Calif.) and 197.45 mph (March '05, Gainesville, Fla.) by Andrew
Hines.
TICKETS: For tickets call (610) 856-7200. Tickets also are
available at maplegroveraceway.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: Adult, $10; Junior
(6-12 years), free. Friday: Adult, $32; Junior (6-12 years), $10.
Saturday: Adult, $40; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Sunday: Adult, $45;
Junior (6-12 years), $10. Child (5 years and under), free in general
admission and pit areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Saturday: Adult, $52; Junior (6-12
years), $20; Child (5 years and under), $10. Sunday: Adult, $60; Junior
(6-12 years), $25; Child (5 years and under), $15.
CONTACT: NHRA Communications Department, (626) 914-4761.
SCHUMACHER LOOKING FOR THE HAT TRICK AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
THE TWO-TIME AND DEFENDING POWERADE SERIES WORLD CHAMPION HAS WON
BACK-TO-BACK TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS AND HE SET THE NATIONAL E.T.
RECORD THERE IN 2003
MOHNTON, Pa. - With five races to go and the POWERade Series world
championship title hanging in the balance, Tony Schumacher could think
of no better track to be at than Maple Grove Raceway.
He's won there in each of the last two seasons and it was back in 2003
that Schumacher set the national elapsed time record of 4.441 seconds
that still stands today.
"I do have added confidence (at Maple Grove Raceway)," said Schumacher,
who just reclaimed the Top Fuel points lead (by 40 over Doug Kalitta)
with his runner-up finish at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. "If you've
run well at a track, it's like Indianapolis (where Schumacher has won
four times since 2000), you're thinking, 'Man, there's no way I can lose
this race.'"
The Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals is the 19th of 23 events on the $50
million NHRA POWERade Series, so time is clearly running out in the
chase for the Top Fuel championship that Schumacher has won twice, in
1999 and again in 2004.
Last season, the final six races on the POWERade Series schedule turned
into almost a victory lap of sorts for Schumacher, as he advanced to
five final rounds and won four of the six races (Indy, Reading, Dallas
and Pomona 2).
"I'll tell you this," Schumacher said. "I wouldn't trade my chances (of
winning the 2005 POWERade Series world championship) for anyone's in the
world."
His chances took a turn for the better two months ago when Melanie
Troxel was brought on board to give Don Schumacher Racing two dragsters.
Troxel didn't make it through a round in her first four events but she
broke through at a key moment at the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals in
Memphis with her first round win over Doug Kalitta.
With Kalitta leading Schumacher by 64 points entering final
eliminations, Schumacher needed an assist from his teammate to clear the
way for him to make up some ground and Troxel did exactly that with a
4.869-second run to Kalitta's 4.914-second pass to put the Mac Tools
dragster on the trailer.
"That's good interference, she went out and beat Doug," Schumacher said.
"That's her sole purpose this season. It's her job to go out and help
win me a championship."
Schumacher and Co. also will be keeping an eye on the top end scoreboard
with every pass at Maple Grove as they seek the magical formula that
will send their U.S. Army dragster down the track as quick or quicker as
they did here in October, 2003. And if anyone can find the formula,
Schumacher said, it's his crew chief --Alan Johnson.
"He can just create mass power," Schumacher said. "And being at sea
level (at Maple Grove) ... when you give him a place to make power he'll
make power and there's so much air there (to create power). He knows how
to make (the dragster) stick to the track."
"You give 10,000 horsepower to everyone and there are only a handful of
guys that are going to be able to harness it and he's one of them,"
Schumacher said. "I know I'm going to run fast there and each run I will
have a chance to set another record."
The Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals will feature drivers in all four
professional categories making a final push in their respective pursuits
of a POWERade Series world championship.
While 79 points separate the top three drivers in Top Fuel, only 55
points separate the top five drivers in Funny Car and in Pro Stock
Motorcycle less than a round separates Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle
Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and GT Tonglet. Pro Stock is a
bit more clear with Greg Anderson, the two-time defending POWERade
Series world champion and '04 Driver of the Year, holding a 135 point
lead over Kurt Johnson.
The defending champion at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Funny Car is
the driver who just moved into first place for the first time all
season, Gary Scelzi. The other drivers to watch are Scelzi's teammate,
Ron Capps, and the Team Force triumvirate of John Force, Robert Hight
and Eric Medlen.
In Pro Stock, Anderson, now driving a Pontiac GTO for Summit Racing,
will be looking for a win at one of the few tracks that kept him out of
the winner's circle in his historic Driver of the Year campaign of 2004.
In fact, Anderson has never won at Maple Grove. The defending champion
here is Jason Line and he will be a driver to watch along with Warren
Johnson, who has four wins at Maple Grove, and Kurt Johnson, who is
Anderson's closest pursuer.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, until further notice, the Vance & Hines team of
Tonglet and Hines seem to have a stranglehold on the class. Antron
Brown, rider of the U.S. Army Suzuki, is third, 107 points back in third
place.
SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on
Friday, Sept. 16. Qualifying continues at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on
Saturday, Sept. 17 and final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday,
Sept. 18.
TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals. Call
Maple Grove Raceway at (610) 856-7200 for ticket information, or check
online at maplegroveraceway.com or ticketmaster.com.
ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise one hour of qualifying of the
Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at 4 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Sept. 17. ESPN2
and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine
show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 18. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will
televise two hours of final eliminations beginning at 4 p.m. (ET) on
Sunday, Sept. 18.
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.
2005 NHRA POWERADE POINT STANDINGS
(Following 18 of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing
Series)
UPDATED 9/5/2005 (Victories in parentheses)
TOP FUEL
Place Driver
Points
1. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army
dragster (4) 1,374
2. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools dragster
(5) 1,334
3. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Miller Lite/Ameriquest
dragster (3) 1,295
4. Dave Grubnic, Ennis, Mont., Zantrex-3 dragster (1)
1,128
5. Brandon Bernstein, Indianapolis, Budweiser/Lucas
Oil dragster (2) 1,076
6. Morgan Lucas, Riverside, Calif., Lucas Oil/Keystone
dragster 1,064
7. Doug Herbert, Cornelius, N.C., Snap-on
Tools/DougHerbert.com dragster 977
8. Cory McClenathan, Anaheim, Calif., FRAM AirHog
dragster 908
9. Scott Kalitta, Snead Island, Fla., Mac Tools/Jesse
James dragster (2) 903
10. Scott Weis, Ashland, Va., Barrett Enterprises dragster
645
FUNNY CAR
1. Gary Scelzi, Fresno, Calif., Mopar/Oakley Dodge
Stratus R/T (3) 1,172
2. Robert Hight, Anaheim Hills, Calif., Auto Club of
Southern Calif. Ford Mustang (2) 1,171
3. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., Brut Dodge Stratus R/T
(1) 1,136
4. John Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX Start
Up Ford Mustang (4) 1,125
5. Eric Medlen, Indianapolis, Castrol Syntec Ford
Mustang (3) 1,117
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon, Ind., Skoal Racing
Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1) 1,024
7. Whit Bazemore, Indianapolis, Matco Tools Dodge
Stratus R/T (2) 969
8. Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., Checker Schuck's
Kragen Chevrolet Monte Carlo (2) 946
9. Cruz Pedregon, Camarillo, Calif., Advance Auto
Parts Chevrolet Monte Carlo 873
10. Tony Pedregon, Chino Hills, Calif., Q Racing Chevrolet
Monte Carlo 843
PRO STOCK
1. Greg Anderson, Charlotte, N.C., Summit Racing
Equipment Pontiac GTO (6) 1,458
2. Kurt Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., ACDelco Chevrolet
Cobalt (3) 1,323
3. Warren Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., GM Performance
Parts Pontiac GTO (3) 1,245
4. Jason Line, Terrell, N.C., Summit Racing Equipment
Pontiac (3) 1,174
5. Dave Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, Skull Gear Chevrolet
Cobalt (2) 1,095
6. Greg Stanfield, Bossier City, La., PiranaZ
Chevrolet 901
7. Richie Stevens, New Orleans, Team Mopar Dodge
Stratus R/T 873
8. Ron Krisher, Warren, Ohio, Valvoline Chevrolet
872
9. Jeg Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, Jeg's Mail Order
Dodge Stratus R/T 841
10. Jim Yates, Occoquan, Va., Yates Racing Pontiac
774
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
(Following 12 of 15 events)
1. Andrew Hines, Indianapolis, Screamin' Eagle
Harley-Davidson (2) 888
2. GT Tonglet, New Orleans, Screamin' Eagle
Harley-Davidson (2) 871
3. Antron Brown, Indianapolis, U.S. Army Suzuki (1)
781
4. Angelle Sampey, New Orleans, U.S. Army Suzuki (1)
702
5. Ryan Schnitz, Decatur, Ind., Muzzys.com Buell
V-Twin (2) 692
6. Chip Ellis, Americus, Ga., G-Squared S&S Buell
V-Twin (1) 674
7. Geno Scali, Chicago, Trim-Tex Drywall Products
Suzuki 655
8. Karen Stoffer, Minden, Nev., Geico Motorcycle
Suzuki (1) 644
9. Steve Johnson, Birmingham, Ala., Steve Johnson
Racing Suzuki (2) 626
10. Craig Treble, Hensley, Ark., Matco Tools/Lucas Oil
Suzuki 591
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