NHRA NEWS: Women lead 2 of 3 Categories at O'Reilly Summer Nationals

WOMEN DRIVERS LEAD TWO OF THREE CATEGORIES HALFWAY THROUGH QUALIFYING
Melanie Troxel leads in Top Fuel, Robert Hight in Funny Car, Erica
Enders in Pro Stock

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Melanie Troxel and Erica Enders stood atop their
respective categories after the first two of four rounds of qualifying
at this weekend's 18th annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented
by Castrol GTX.

Troxel and Enders were joined by Robert Hight on Heartland Park Topeka's
provisional No. 1 qualifying podium at the $1.9 million race, the ninth
of 23 on the $50 million NHRA POWERade Series.

If the 4.567 of Troxel in Top Fuel and the 6.785 of Enders in Pro Stock
hold up -- as is expected with temperatures in the mid-90s expected
Saturday -- it would mark the first time in NHRA history that two women
have earned No. 1 qualifiers at the same event.

"These are the kind of things we should expect to happen," Troxel said.
"So many women have come before us that it's just a non-event to me. I'm
not surprised one bit that women are doing well. What's good to see is
that good drivers are getting opportunities with good teams and some of
those drivers just happen to be female."

For season-long Top Fuel points leader Troxel and her Skull Shine team,
it would be the second No. 1 qualifier of this season and the second of
her career. 

Like Troxel, Enders took advantage of the cooler evening round to grab
the No. 1 slot in Pro Stock with a 6.785 at 203.06 mph in her Slammers
Ultimate Milk Chevrolet Cobalt. Her margin over the chase pack was an
even three-hundredths of a second. For Enders, it would be the first No.
1 qualifier of her career and she would become the first female in NHRA
history to earn a No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock. 

"It looks good but I'm not going to say anything to jinx this," Enders
said, when reminded that she would become the first woman in the class
to qualify No. 1 should her time hold through Saturday's two sessions.
"We thought we had it in Phoenix because you don't see many people
improve in the heat, but Greg (Anderson) got around us in the final
session. You just never know."

John Force Racing has set the table for their seventh 1-2-3 sweep of the
top three qualifying slots if they can maintain the positions team
drivers Hight, Force, and Eric Medlen earned Friday. Hight's 4.824 at
315.19 mph in his Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang was the
quickest of the three.

"This is a good deal except no one who has qualified No. 1 this year (in
Top Fuel or Funny Car) has ended up winning the race," said Hight, who
was low qualifier at last weekend's race in Columbus, Ohio. "I hope we
can change that because I really think that 4.82 will hold. It's
supposed to be very hot tomorrow and I don't see anyone out-running that
number when the sun's out."

If the number holds up, it would mark the ninth No. 1 qualifier for Team
Force Drivers (Force 4, Hight 3, Medlen 2) in nine events, but that is
only half the story: Of the 16 No. 1 qualifiers in Top Fuel in Funny Car
this season, there have been no winners and only one runner-up.

Saturday's final two qualifying sessions are scheduled to begin at noon
and 2:30 p.m.
 
TOPEKA, Kan. -- Results Friday after qualifying for the 18th annual
O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX at Heartland
Park Topeka, ninth of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series.  Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final
eliminations.

 
        Top Fuel -- 1. Melanie Troxel, 4.567 seconds, 321.50 mph; 2.
Cory McClenathan, 4.602, 316.30; 3. Doug Kalitta, 4.614, 319.98; 4. Tony
Schumacher, 4.622, 312.35; 5. David Baca, 4.638, 316.08; 6. J.R. Todd,
4.642, 308.99; 7. Hillary Will, 4.665, 310.05; 8. Brandon Bernstein,
4.684, 316.45; 9. Larry Dixon, 4.696, 312.64; 10. Morgan Lucas, 4.699,
290.76; 11. David Grubnic, 4.713, 263.36; 12. Clay Millican, 4.721,
305.49; 13. Bob Vandergriff, 4.723, 309.77; 14. Doug Herbert, 4.798,
291.13; 15. Alan Bradshaw, 4.805, 303.30; 16. Rod Fuller, 4.906, 322.96.


 
        Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.824, 315.19; 2.
John Force, Mustang, 4.859, 314.53; 3. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.880,
268.60; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.883, 301.94; 5. Whit Bazemore,
Charger, 4.893, 311.49; 6. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.897,
311.70; 7. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 4.903, 307.58; 8. Gary Scelzi,
Charger, 4.905, 245.18; 9. Frank Pedregon, Dodge Stratus, 4.911, 302.62;
10. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo, 4.914, 314.17; 11. Tony Bartone, Monte
Carlo, 4.929, 306.26; 12. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.933, 303.71;
13. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.953, 270.75; 14. Mike Ashley, Monte
Carlo, 4.988, 301.00; 15. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.998, 300.40; 16.
Gary Densham, Monte Carlo, 5.001, 187.05. 

 
        Pro Stock -- 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.785, 203.06; 2. V.
Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.815, 202.48; 3. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.818,
202.61; 4. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.820, 202.91; 5. Jim Yates, GTO,
6.820, 201.88; 6. Rickie Smith, GTO, 6.824, 202.27; 7. Allen Johnson,
Stratus, 6.827, 201.88; 8. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.831, 202.03; 9. Kurt
Johnson, Cobalt, 6.833, 201.91; 10. Jason Line, GTO, 6.836, 202.42; 11.
Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.840, 201.01; 12. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.847,
202.39; 13. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.853, 201.25; 14. Mike Edwards, GTO,
6.856, 201.88; 15. Mark Pawuk, Cobalt, 6.863, 201.46; 16. Max Naylor,
Stratus, 6.873, 201.13.