Rookie Carlson hopes friendly Vegas site brings success in qualifying
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 5 of 23 NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY Race Date: April 7-9, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net ROOKIE CARLSON HOPES FRIENDLY SITE BRINGS SUCCESS IN QUALIFYING LAS VEGAS (April 5, 2006) - Rookie Shaun Carlson first climbed into a Pro Stock car at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the fall of 2004, when he tested Darrell Alderman's Mopar entry before subbing for the injured Alderman at the season finale in Pomona, Calif. It is also the first track at which he got into the Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus R/T for Don Schumacher Racing during testing in early February 2006. Now, he finds himself back at The Strip, where he'll continue to hone his driving skills and attempt to qualify for his first NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event of the season at this weekend's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals. The Southern California resident has been making small adjustments to his driving style and the Team Mopar/SRT Dodge to speed along his progress in the highly-competitive Pro Stock class. "Every good driver can get into any car and can do well," he says, "but this class is so competitive that well isn't good enough. So, I've been doing things inside the car, like adjusting the steering wheel to give myself more room, that will help my driving. "Going into Vegas and feeling like I know the track and, at the same time, feeling more comfortable in the car, is going to be a good deal. It's the track where I got my Pro Stock license, the first track I tested on with Darrell's car, and the first track I tested the Mopar/SRT car, so it kind of feels like home. I have more experience in a Pro Stock car on this track than any other track in the world." Qualifying for this weekend's event is No 1. "I want to get into the field," says Carlson. "If you ask me, I'd say I would be happy with No. 16, but, if that happens, I won't be happy with that. I'll want to be qualified higher, but I know it's one thing at a time." SCHEDULE: On Friday, April 7, professional qualifying sessions are at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. On Saturday, April 8, pro qualifying sessions continue at noon and 3 p.m. On Sunday, April 9, final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. TELEVISION: Saturday, April 8, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET). Sunday April 9, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will broadcast NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET). Sunday, April 9, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET). SATELLITE: Friday, April 7, 11-11:30 p.m. (ET) Galaxy 11 / Transponder 13 K (downlink freq: 11960 horizontal) Saturday, April 8, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) Galaxy 11 / 13 K (downlink freq: 11960 horizontal) Sunday, April 9, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) Galaxy 10R / 23 K (downlink freq: 12160 horizontal) SHAUN CARLSON QUICK FACTS: * Failed to qualify in first four events (of 23) of the season * Rookie season in Pro Stock class * First year with Don Schumacher Racing * Obtained his Pro Stock license at LVMS * Was named second DSR Pro Stock driver after February '06 test session at LVMS * Owned and drove his Team Mopar SRT4 in the NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series in 2005, grabbing one win and finishing fourth in points. * Finished fourth in 2004 Sport Compact points standings * Is a two-time Sport Compact event winner * Subbed for an injured Darrell Alderman in the 2004 NHRA Winternationals Pro Stock event at Pomona, grabbing an early round win and nearly advancing to the semifinals in his Pro Stock debut * Finished third in '03 Pro FWD points * 2002 Xbox Cup champion in the Pro Outlaw class * A famous engine builder and FWD performance guru, Carlson has worked on projects such as the world record-holding import drag car driven by Stephan Papadakis. * First FWD builder to run in the 9s and 8s. * Built the first Sport Compact drag car with a tube chassis * Has been drag racing professionally since 1999 * President and founder of NuFormz, an 11-year-old company that builds aftermarket components in Ontario, Calif. ***