NHRA News: Saturday Results from Phoenix

SCHUMACHER, MEDLEN AND ANDERSON EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING AWARDS AT CHECKER
SCHUCK'S KRAGEN NHRA NATIONALS

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Tony Schumacher raced to a string of 4.4-second
passes to secure the No. 1 qualifying position Saturday at the Checker
Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by Castrol at Firebird
International Raceway. 

Eric Medlen and Greg Anderson also were No. 1 qualifiers in their
respective categories at the $1.5 million race, the second of 23 events
in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

It's just the third time a racer has posted 4.4-second runs during all
four qualifying attempts. Schumacher, a three-time NHRA Top Fuel world
champion, also claimed the other two, one at the 2003 NHRA Finals and
the second at last year's fall race in Chicago.

Schumacher's performance, a 4.459 second run at 330.96 mph, earned him
his second consecutive top qualifying position of the year and the 24th
of his career. He also logged runs of 4.47, 4.48, and 4.49 in his U.S.
Army dragster. He will face rookie driver Alan Bradshaw in Sunday's 11
a.m. eliminations. 

He credited his crew chief for the consistent performance of his race
car.

"Some crew chief has to be the best," said Schumacher, who won this
event last year and also in 2000 and 2002. "In Top Fuel it's obviously
Alan Johnson. I compare it to chess. We all basically have the same
pieces and play on the same board, but some guys are just better than
others. I can't give you an answer why and I bet Alan can't either. It's
just the way it is. He's very expensive, but worth every penny."

Schumacher is looking to get back to his winning ways after losing in
the second round at the season-opener two weeks ago. Winternationals
winner Melanie Troxel is third with a 4.502 at 326.48 in her Skull
Gear/Torco Race Fuels dragster.

"I'll still be nervous tomorrow morning," Schumacher said. "We just went
4.49 and Melanie went 4.50. That's not a huge advantage. There are lots
of cars right there that could win. We just qualified a little bit
better than they did."

Eric Medlen earned his sixth career low qualifier award in Funny Car
with his Friday performance of 4.707 at 321.96 mph in his Castrol Syntec
Ford Mustang. 

"We got to run in the heat today both times," said Medlen, who will meet
Scott Kalitta in the first round. "It's harder to do but you saw a lot
of guys pick it up and run better. That proves the track is there. You
just have to tune your car right."

Cruz Pedregon was second in his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo
with a 4.717 at 325.45. Defending race winner John Force, who has won
this race a record eight times, will start seventh in his Castrol GTX
Mustang with a qualifying best of 4.742 at 316.52. 

In Pro Stock, Anderson denied Friday leader Erica Enders a shot at
history on his final attempt by producing a track record time of 6.671
seconds at 206.83 mph in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO. Enders was
bidding to become the first female in class history to earn No. 1
qualifier honors, but she ended up second instead. 

"It's just a matter of time of time before she gets a (No. 1 qualifying
position) and before she gets a win," Anderson said. "She's doing a
great job and she's got a great team behind her.  That's the key. It's
just inevitable when it's going to happen.  But being a guy, like most
the guys in the class, we're going to try and hold her off as long as we
can, but we know it won't be forever." 

It was Anderson's 42nd No. 1 qualifying performance of his career,
second of the season and second at this track. He will face defending
race winner Allen Johnson in the opening round.

"That run was pretty much all you can get out of this track," said
Anderson, who won this event in 2003. "It's very tricky but it's always
that way so I guess we shouldn't be surprised. It took both of our cars
all four passes to get it figured out. This is probably the best we've
ever done here."

***

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations
Sunday for the 22nd annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals
presented by Castrol at Firebird International Raceway, the second 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, 4.459 seconds, 330.96 mph vs. 16. Alan
Bradshaw, 4.627, 316.01; 2. Larry Dixon, 4.501, 329.91 vs. 15. Cory
McClenathan, 4.580, 325.77; 3. Melanie Troxel, 4.502, 326.48 vs. 14. Bob
Vandergriff, 4.572, 324.36; 4. Rod Fuller, 4.505, 327.59 vs. 13. Doug
Herbert, 4.571, 321.73; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 4.516, 328.94 vs. 12.
Hillary Will, 4.565, 325.22; 6. David Grubnic, 4.517, 323.74 vs. 11.
Doug Foley, 4.563, 322.96; 7. Doug Kalitta, 4.525, 321.96 vs. 10. Morgan
Lucas, 4.535, 325.77; 8. Clay Millican, 4.532, 317.27 vs. 9. David Baca,
4.533, 326.24. 

Funny Car -- 1. Eric Medlen, Ford Mustang, 4.707, 321.96 vs. 16. Scott
Kalitta, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.988, 306.53; 2. Cruz Pedregon, Monte
Carlo, 4.717, 325.45 vs. 15. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.836, 305.42;
3. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.722, 328.70 vs. 14. Mike Ashley, Monte
Carlo, 4.800, 323.35; 4. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.724, 317.19 vs.
13. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.781, 317.12; 5. Robert Hight, Mustang,
4.729, 326.08 vs. 12. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.780, 315.71; 6.
Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus, 4.733, 324.44 vs. 11. Whit Bazemore, Stratus,
4.780, 318.62; 7. John Force, Mustang, 4.742, 316.52 vs. 10. Bob
Gilbertson, Stratus, 4.769, 316.23; 8. Gary Scelzi, Stratus, 4.754,
323.27 vs. 9. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.755, 322.88. 

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.671, 206.83 vs. 16. Allen
Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.730, 205.29; 2. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt,
6.679, 206.48 vs. 15. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.727, 205.41; 3. Jason
Line, GTO, 6.684, 207.05 vs. 14. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.723, 206.73; 4.
Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.685, 205.63 vs. 13. Dave Connolly, Cobalt,
6.720, 205.79; 5. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.687, 206.23 vs. 12. Max Naylor,
Stratus, 6.717, 205.94; 6. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.690, 205.66 vs. 11.
Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.716, 207.08; 7. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.692, 206.95
vs. 10. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.714, 205.76; 8. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.696,
205.54 vs. 9. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.710, 205.41. 

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