NHRA NEWS: Final Qualifying from O'Reilly Spring Nationals

 McClenathan surprise low qualifier in Houston; Force, Line, Sampey join
him on low qualifier's podium

BAYTOWN, Texas -- Veteran Top Fuel racer Cory McClenathan is the
surprise No. 1 qualifier at the 19th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring
Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park. McClenathan
posted a class-leading 4.531 at 329.42 mph Saturday in the final time
trial of the $2 million race to earn his 30th career low qualifier
award. 

Funny Car continues to be led by 13-time champion John Force's
double-track-record 4.695 at 328.06 mph, with Jason Line remaining on
top of Pro Stock with a 6.686 at 206.29 mph. Pro Stock Motorcycle point
leader Angelle Sampey moved around U.S. Army teammate Antron Brown to
take the lead in the two-wheeled class with a 7.038 at 190.59 mph.

Gary Scelzi became the first defending Funny Car champion to fail to
qualify for an event in 21 years by missing the cut here. Mark Oswald
was the last to record a DNQ as the reigning champ when he couldn't
break into the Indy field in 1985. It was the first time Scelzi failed
to qualify for an event since Las Vegas I in 2003 -- a stretch of 70
events.

McClenathan broke a 30-race stretch where he'd not led the field by
qualifying No. 1 for the 30th time in his career. His last-gasp 4.531 at
329.42 mph in the Fram Boost2 dragster might have been even a click
quicker had his blower belt not come off at the top end of the
racetrack.

"It's been a long time since I've been outside the top 10 (in the
POWERade Series standings) looking in," McClenathan said. "I've tried to
be patient and everyone knows I'm not a patient guy, and we've been
getting pressure from a lot of different places, but Wes (Cerny, Crew
chief) keeps smiling and telling us to just wait because when we get it
running it's going to be great. I think we're just now starting to see
that."

Top Fuel POWERade Series points leader Melanie Troxel waited until the
last session to get in the field with a seventh-best 4.581 at 326.32 mph
in her Skull Gea/Torco Race Fuels dragster. 

It was the sixth 1-2-3 qualifying sweep for John Force Racing as team
patriarch Force led Ford Mustang teammates Robert Hight and Eric Medlen
on the Funny Car ladder. 

"We're the fastest today but that don't make you win the race tomorrow,"
Force said.

Capps, the man at the top of the POWERade Series standings, jumped up to
fourth overall with a 4.766 at 319.14 mph in his Brut Dodge Stratus R/T.

It was just hot enough to keep anyone from knocking Day 1 leader Line
off the Pro Stock podium, so the track record 6.686 at 206.29 mph he
posted Friday in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO will earn him his fifth
career low qualifier award. 

"I need to get out of my driving slump," said Line, who has struggled
mightily in the first three races this year. "Everyone goes through
slumps; how you get out of them is the trick. The plan is very simple,
it's just execution. I know our guys will make all the right calls with
the car. I have complete confidence with that part."

Sampey edged teammate and Friday leader Brown to take over the No. 1
slot in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Sampey's U.S. Army Suzuki carried her to a
track-record 7.038 at 190.59 mph in Saturday's early session to help her
capture the 38th low qualifier award of her career. She also has 38
career victories, more than twice as many as any other woman in NHRA
history.

"I personally feel more confident this year than I have in the past,"
Sampey said. "I'm not saying I'm gonna kick everybody's butts but
mentally I feel right, like I know my riding is going to be there."

Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday. 



BAYTOWN, Texas -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations
Sunday for the 19th annual O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by
Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park, the fourth of 23 events in the $50
million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in
qualifying, which ended Saturday.

 
        Top Fuel -- 1. Cory McClenathan, 4.531 seconds, 329.42 mph  vs.
16. Bruce Litton, 4.669, 308.50; 2. Doug Kalitta, 4.533, 326.08  vs. 15.
Bob Vandergriff, 4.665, 320.51; 3. Doug Herbert, 4.537, 318.77  vs. 14.
Hillary Will, 4.645, 326.32; 4. Tony Schumacher, 4.546, 324.28  vs. 13.
Morgan Lucas, 4.627, 321.35; 5. David Grubnic, 4.553, 326.24  vs. 12.
Brandon Bernstein, 4.625, 324.44; 6. Rod Fuller, 4.561, 327.11  vs. 11.
Clay Millican, 4.618, 318.92; 7. Melanie Troxel, 4.581, 326.32  vs. 10.
Alan Bradshaw, 4.611, 314.39; 8. David Baca, 4.592, 327.03  vs. 9. Larry
Dixon, 4.600, 326.56. 

 
        Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.695, 328.06  vs. 16.
Jim Head, Dodge Stratus, 4.887, 320.36; 2. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.721,
324.44  vs. 15. Bob Gilbertson, Stratus, 4.865, 316.45; 3. Eric Medlen,
Mustang, 4.725, 325.92  vs. 14. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.855,
314.90; 4. Ron Capps, Stratus, 4.766, 322.65  vs. 13. Frank Pedregon,
Stratus, 4.846, 299.26; 5.
Del Worsham, Monte Carlo, 4.777, 327.82  vs. 12. Mike Ashley, Monte
Carlo, 4.831, 327.51; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.793, 326.40
vs. 11. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.825, 303.91; 7. Phil Burkart, Monte
Carlo, 4.797, 326.24  vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.821, 316.08;
8. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.798, 318.32  vs. 9. Whit Bazemore,
Dodge Charger, 4.818, 323.19. 

 
        Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.686, 206.35  vs. 16.
Barry Grant, Chevy Cavalier, 6.756, 205.07; 2. Greg Anderson, GTO,
6.692, 206.39  vs. 15. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.740, 205.07; 3. Erica
Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.698, 206.13  vs. 14. Richie Stevens, Dodge
Stratus, 6.739, 205.82; 4. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.699, 206.95  vs. 13.
Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.737, 205.13; 5. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.706,
205.54  vs. 12. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.726, 205.88; 6. V. Gaines,
Stratus, 6.707, 206.26  vs. 11. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.724, 205.44; 7.
Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.712, 206.29  vs. 10. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.720,
205.72; 8. Rickie Smith, Cobalt, 6.715, 205.94  vs.
9. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.719, 204.98. 

 
        Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.038, 190.59
vs. 16. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.177, 186.23; 2. Antron Brown, Suzuki,
7.059, 190.70  vs. 15. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.168, 186.61; 3. Chip
Ellis, Buell, 7.063, 190.14  vs. 14. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.136,
191.16; 4. Tom Bradford, Buell, 7.067, 191.89  vs. 13. GT Tonglet,
Harley-Davidson, 7.134, 190.70; 5. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.071, 190.94
vs. 12. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.128, 193.65; 6. Ryan Schnitz, Buell,
7.090, 194.16  vs. 11. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.117, 189.34; 7. Andrew
Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.096, 190.92  vs. 10. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.110,
194.04; 8. Marco Andreano, Buell, 7.099, 187.39 vs. 9. Mike Berry,
Suzuki, 7.110, 190.14.