Rookie Carlson still adapting and learning in Pro Stock

DON SCHUMACHER RACING
2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES
Round 4 of 23
O'REILLY NHRA SPRING NATIONALS
Houston Raceway
Race Date: March 31-April 2, 2006


BAYTOWN, Texas (April 1, 2006) - Rookie Shaun Carlson has been adapting to
the elite Pro Stock class in a trial-and-error fashion so far in the 2006
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season. So, he plans to make some
changes to the Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus R/T to help his adjustment
following a fourth consecutive DNQ today at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring
Nationals at Houston Raceway.

In testing and on race weekends, Carlson kept hitting his arm with his
leg as he was going down the quarter-mile. Carlson believes he has found the
remedy. "I put an adapter on the steering wheel that gives me more room for
my leg, so hopefully that will make my runs straighter. I was going to the
left every run, and then I would get off of the accelerator a little bit. My
last run today was the first time I used it, and I think it worked great."

Carlson's last two passes were his best of the weekend: 6.761/204.05 and
6.765/204.48.

"After that last run Bob (Glidden, crew chief) told me I did my job," said
the eager-to-learn Carlson. "So, that made me feel better. That is what I
want to do; I want to do my job because these guys are working so hard, and
they deserve to race on Sundays."

Much like his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Richie Stevens Jr., the
Southern California native fought extremely humid conditions Friday night.
"I really couldn't see anything out of the car because the windows were
fogging up. I actually had to open my door at the top end of the track to
see where I was going," said Carlson. "I thought maybe it was me, but this
morning I talked to some of my DSR teammates, and a lot of them were having
the same problems. That made me feel a little better."

Carlson packs up and heads West for the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals next
weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "The good thing is that we
race next weekend, so I won't have to wait a couple weeks to get back in the
car," he said. "Two weeks doesn't seem like much, but it's an eternity when
you are trying to learn and get comfortable."