NHRA NEWS: Pontiac Performance Nationals POST RACE NOTES
NHRA POWERADE SERIES POST RACE NOTES: 42nd annual Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals presented by Summit Racing May 18-21, National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio TOP FUEL * Brandon Bernstein, of Lake Forest, Calif., claimed his 10th career victory in 11 career final rounds, by powering his Budweiser dragster to the win over Cory McClenathan's Jeg's Mail Order dragster, which lost traction near mid-track. Bernstein posted a winning performance of 4.531 seconds at 329.58, while McClenathan's dragster crossed the finish line in 5.784 at 147.47. * With the victory, Bernstein moved into third place in the POWERade Series point standings, just 21 shy of Doug Kalitta for secnd and 175 shy of Melanie Troxel. * Tony Schumacher set the track elapsed time record in his U.S. Army dragster at 4.476 seconds. Schumacher lost in the first round to No. 16 qualifier Scott Weis. * Doug Herbert, whose Snap-on Tools dragster lit up at the finish line in his first-round loss to McClenathan, lost 10 points when he dropped oil onto the racing surface. * POWERade Series points leader Melanie Troxel suffered a second-round loss to McClenathan, but she actually extended her points lead to 154 (over first-round loser Doug Kalitta) heading into the O'Reilly Spring Nationals May 26-28 in Topeka. * Troxel, who two weeks earlier was named the first quarter winner of the prestigious Driver of the Year award, has advanced out of the first round at every race this season and she has made it into six of eight final rounds with two wins. * Bob Vandergriff's UPS team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award. FUNNY CAR * Tony Pedregon, of Detroit, Mich., earned his second straight victory of the season by driving his Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo to the win over Whit Bazemore's Matco Tools Dodge Charger. * It was Pedregon's 31st career victory and his third victory at National Trail Raceway. * Pedregon has gone from out of the top-10 in the points up to sixth place with the back to back wins. He is 12 points out of the top-5 and 232 points behind Ron Capps. * Pedregon has won four of the last 13 POWERade Series events, second only to the five won in that stretch by Ron Capps. * Hight set the track record for time at 4.715 seconds in his Auto Club Ford Mustang and Gary Scelzi set the track record for speed at 329.58 in his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T. * POWERade Series points leader Ron Capps lost in the first round in his Brut Dodge for the second consecutive event, but he still has a 91-point lead over John Force, who also lost in the first round (in a pedal-fest against Del Worsham). * Tony Pedregon's Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award. PRO STOCK * Jim Yates, of Alexandria, Va., became the eighth different winner in as many races in the 200 mph category this season when he defeated V Gaines in the final. Yates drove his Sea Ray Boats Pontiac GTO to a 6.726 holeshot victory over Gaines' 6.687 in his Kendall Oil Dodge Stratus. * Yates was the eighth different winner in the Pro Stock class in eight events thus far in the 2006 season. The record for consecutive races without a repeat winner in Pro Stock is nine (2002). * The National Trail Raceway track records for time and speed fell in qualifying. The time mark was set by No. 1 qualifier Allen Johnson (6.679) and the speed mark was set by Jason Line (206.64). * Johnson's No. 1 qualifier was the first of his 11-year career. * Anderson's streak of four straight wins and 17 straight round wins at National Trail Raceway was snapped with a second-round loss to No.1 qualifier Allen Johnson. * Anderson had his POWERade Series points lead over teammate Jason Line trimmed from 53 points to just 30. * V Gaines defeated Allen Johnson by .0032 seconds in the semifinals of final eliminations to earn the Motel 6 Who Got the Light Award. * Jason Line's Summit Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE * Angelle Sampey, of Mathews, La., earned her third victory of the season and 40th of her career, when she defeated Matt Smith, who was in just his second career final. Sampey posted a 7.046 at 188.52 on his U.S. Army Suzuki to beat Smith's 7.122 at 185.52 on his G-Squared/Torco Race Fuels Buell. * This is the fourth straight win in four Pro Stock Motorcycle events in 2006 won by a U.S. Army Suzuki (Antron Brown won in Atlanta). * Sampey is five wins shy of Matt Schultz (45) for the all-time lead in career Pro Stock Motorcycle wins. She moved into a tie with Greg Anderson for eighth in all-time NHRA POWERade Series wins list (all categories). * Ellis claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot atop his G-Squared S&S Buell. It was the third career No. 1 qualifier for Ellis. * Chip Ellis set the track record for time and speed at 7.025 seconds and 193.46 mph. * Sampey regained the POWERade Series points lead by 36 points over Andrew Hines. * Antron Brown, who was in first place, fell to third, 74 points behind Sampey. * Karen Stoffer hit a perfect .000 light in her first-round victory over Shawn Gann. * Andrew Hines' Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award. POWERADE FAN NATIONALS * Chris Shaffer, 17, of Grove City, Ohio, won the eighth round of the NHRA POWERade Series Fan Nationals. Shaffer defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the POWERade Fan Nationals victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. With the victory, Shaffer will have the opportunity to race for the ultimate title of 2006 POWERade Fan Nationals Series champion in November at the 42nd Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.