NHRA NEWS: ENGLISHTOWN ADVANCE PACKAGE
K&N FILTERS SUPERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY STRAUSS AUTO FACT SHEET
WHAT: 37th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Strauss Auto, the 11th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Professional competitors in four categories earn points leading to 2006 NHRA POWERade Series world championships. Sportsman competitors in six categories earn points leading to 2006 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J. From the North, take N.J. Turnpike South to Exit 9, follow the signs to Rt. 18 South. Go six miles to the Englishtown exit. Take Rt. 527 South five miles. Make a left onto Pension Rd. Go ¼ mile, track entrance on left.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, June 15-18.
PURSE: Cash and contingency awards of more than $1.8 million.
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, June 15 -- Sportsman qualifying and time trials, 10:15 a.m. to 6 p.m.
FRIDAY, June 16 -- Sportsman qualifying and eliminations, 10:15 a.m. to 10 p.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 17-- Qualifying and sportsman time trials, 10:15 a.m. to 10 p.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 18-- Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 17, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 5 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 18, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise the 30-minute newsmagazine NHRA 2Day beginning at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, June 18, ESPN2 and ESPN 2 HD will televise three hours of eliminations at 4 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, June 16, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 6/Transponder 15K (Downlink frequency: 12072 MHz, horizontal)
Saturday, June 17, 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 6/Transpoinder 17K (Downlink frequency: 12117 MHz, horizontal)
Sunday, June 18, 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 6/Transponder 15K (Downlink frequency: 12072 MHz, horizontal)
2005 EVENT WINNERS: Larry Dixon, Top Fuel; Del Worsham, Funny Car; Jason Line, Pro Stock; Antron Brown, Pro Stock Motorcycle
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel-4.481 seconds by Doug Kalitta, May '03; 332.26 mph by Larry Dixon, June 2005
Funny Car-- 4.760 seconds by Tony Pedregon, May '03; 328.30 mph by Gary Scelzi, June 2005
Pro Stock-- 6.659 seconds by Jason Line, June 2005; 207.50 mph by Warren Johnson, June 2005
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 7.016 seconds by Andrew Hines, June '04; 194.10 mph by Matt Hines, May '01
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel -- 4.437 sec. (Sept. '05,Joliet, Ill.) and 336.15 mph (May '05, Columbus, Ohio) by Tony Schumacher
Funny Car -- 4.665 sec. and 333.58 mph (Oct. '04, Joliet, Ill.) by John Force
Pro Stock -- 6.633 sec. and 208.23 mph (March '05, Gainesville, Fla.) by Greg Anderson
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.968 sec. (July '05, Sonoma, Calif.) and 197.45 mph (March '05, Gainesville, Fla.) by Andrew Hines
TICKETS:
For tickets, call (732) 446-7800. Tickets also available at Ticketmaster and racewaypark.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: Adult, $10; Junior (6-12 years), free. Friday: Adult, $33; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Saturday: Adult, $45; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Sunday: Adult, $45; Junior (6-12 years) $10; Child (5 years and under), free in general admission and pit access areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $40; Junior (6-12 years), $18; Child (5 years and under), $8. Saturday: Adult, $55; Junior (6-12 years), $20; Child (5 years and under), $10. Sunday: Adult, $60; Junior (6-12 years), $25; Child (5 years and under), $15.
LARRY DIXON LOOKS TO MAINTAIN FATHER'S DAY DOMINANCE WITH TOP FUEL VICTORY AT K&N FILTERS SUPERNATIONALS
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - For most, the standard gift on Father's Day is a tie. For NHRA Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon, the gift he's become accustomed to on Father's Day has been a Wally.
Five years running now - every year since his first child, Donovan, was born - Dixon has celebrated Father's Day with an NHRA POWERade Series victory. The streak began with three consecutive wins at Columbus and even a revision in the schedule failed to slow him down as he picked up right where he left off when the Father's Day event was moved to Englishtown with wins there in each of the past two years.
"Every year I've been a dad, I've won on Father's Day," said Dixon, who is currently in fifth place in the NHRA POWERade Series Top Fuel standings.
"I don't know what it is, divine intervention or something, I don't know," Dixon said, trying to explain his Father's Day fortunes. "If it was something we were doing, I promise you we'd do it at every race."
Dixon hopes to extend the Father's Day streak to six with a third straight win at the 36th annual K&N Filters SuperNationals presented by Strauss Auto, June 15-18 at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. The $1.8 million race, which will be televised on ESPN2 HD, is the 11th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
"(Old Bridge Township Raceway Park) is awesome. I really enjoy racing there," said the 39-year old Dixon, an NHRA historian of sorts who takes great pride in conquering the tracks he grew up watching the legends like team owner Don Prudhomme race on. "It's a track that's been part of the (NHRA POWERade Series) for so long ... for me, those are the tracks I always dreamed of going to, much less racing. And winning at those tracks, it's like winning a (PGA Tour) Major. I consider Englishtown (along with Pomona, Indianapolis, Gainesville and Columbus) certainly to be one of the (NHRA) Majors."
So far in 2006, Dixon is winless but the two-time POWERade Series world champion (2002-'03) has a new crew chief in Dick LaHaie protégé Donnie Bender and the two are still in a feeling out period. Bender had been LaHaie's assistant crew chief for many years so there's been a fairly smooth transition; still, there is a learning curve with respect to building a trust and an understanding with one another.
Dixon has had his moments in 2006. He's made it out of the first round at all but three of the first 10 events and he's been to the semifinals at three events.
He's currently 299 points south of season-long Top Fuel points leader Melanie Troxel, who has won two races and been to seven final rounds. He's also looking up in the standings at the two hottest drivers in the class, Doug Kalitta and Brandon Bernstein, who've combined to win the last five events with Kalitta claiming four of the five.
Dixon, who set the Old Bridge Township track record for speed (332.26 mph) en route to his 2005 title, also has a three-year old daughter Alanna and he is married to Allison.
Other defending event winners include Del Worsham in Funny Car, Jason Line in Pro Stock, and Antron Brown in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
In Funny Car, POWERade Series points leader Ron Capps has been the driver to beat, posting a season-leading four victories in his Brut Dodge Charger with three of the four coming at the expense of NHRA icon John Force, who recently earned his first victory of the season and 120th of his career. Force is currently 48 points back of Capps in second place.
Force hopes to make up more ground at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, however he has not won there since 1999 - the longest dry spell for Force at any of the tracks on this year's schedule. Old Bridge is one of just two tracks (with Route 66 Raceway at Chicago) where Force isn't the all-time wins leader in Funny Car (at Old Bridge, it's Don Prudhomme with six; Force has four).
Defending Series champion Gary Scelzi is back in eighth place and is looking for his first victory of the season. Other drivers to watch in Funny Car are defending event champion Worsham and Tony Pedregon, a two-time winner this season in his Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo.
In Pro Stock, the Summit Racing Pontiac GTO tandem of three-time defending POWERade Series champion Greg Anderson and defending event champion Line come in limping a bit with only one victory each on the season, though they remain 1-3 in the POWERade Series standings. Sixth-place Erica Enders recently became the first female in Pro Stock to qualify No. 1 in NHRA history and she is a threat to earn her first victory at any event.
Pro Stock Motorcycle has featured the return of the Suzukis as U.S. Army teammates Antron Brown and Angelle Sampey have four of five events with Sampey claiming three to take the early lead in the POWERade Series standings as she tracks down her fourth world championship. Still, Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and GT Tonglet are not to be forgotten. Chicago winner Ryan Schnitz also is a threat on his Trim-Tex Buell.
SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 16. Qualifying continues at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 17 and final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 18.
TICKETS: Tickets are available for the K&N Filters SuperNationals. Call Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at (732) 446-7800 for ticket information, or check online at racewaypark.com or ticketmaster.com.
ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying of the K&N Filters NHRA SuperNationals at 5 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 17. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of final eliminations coverage beginning at 4 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, June 18.
ON THE WEB: Quick access to NHRA media relations department press releases, electronic images and other information is available on the Internet at http://media.nhra.com.
2006 NHRA POWERADE POINT STANDINGS
(Following 10 of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing Series)
UPDATED 6/11/2006 (Victories in parentheses)
TOP FUEL
Place Driver Points
1. Melanie Troxel, Avon, Ind., Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels dragster (2) 840
2. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools dragster (4) 769
3. Brandon Bernstein, Lake Forest, Calif., Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster (2) 639
4. Dave Grubnic, Ennis, Mont., StriVectin-SD dragster (1) 592
5. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Miller Lite dragster 541
6. Rod Fuller, Las Vegas, David Powers Homes/Valvoline dragster (1) 537
7. Morgan Lucas, Riverside, Calif., Lucas Oil dragster 529
8. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster 504
9. Cory McClenathan, Anaheim, Calif., FRAM Boost2 dragster 495
10. Doug Herbert, Lincolnton, N.C., Snap-on Tools dragster 454
FUNNY CAR
1. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., Brut Dodge Charger R/T (4) 833
2. John Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX Ford Mustang (1) 785
3. Robert Hight, Anaheim Hills, Calif., Auto Club Mustang (1) 647
4. Eric Medlen, Indianapolis, Castrol Syntec Mustang 604
5. Tony Pedregon, Chino Hills, Calif., Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo (2) 562
6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon, Ind., Skoal Racing Monte Carlo (1) 536
7. Whit Bazemore, Indianapolis, Matco Tools Charger 503
8. Gary Scelzi, Fresno, Calif., Mopar/Oakley Charger 473
9. Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., Checker Schuck's Kragen Monte Carlo 469
10. Cruz Pedregon, Santa Rosa Valley, Calif., Advance Auto Parts Monte Carlo (1) 467
PRO STOCK
1. Greg Anderson, Charlotte, N.C., Summit Racing Pontiac GTO (1) 726
2. Jim Yates, Alexandria, Va., SeaRay Boats GTO (1) 616
3. Jason Line, Terrell, N.C., Summit Racing GTO (1) 612
4. Kurt Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., ACDelco Chevy Cobalt (2) 565
5. Dave Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, Skull Gear Cobalt (2) 564
6. Erica Enders, Houston, Slammers Ultimate Milk Cobalt 550
7. Mike Edwards, Coweta, Okla., Young Life GTO (1) 534
8. Larry Morgan, Newark, Ohio, zMax Micro Lubricants Dodge Stratus R/T 466
9. Warren Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., GM Performance Parts GTO (1) 452
10. V Gaines, Lakewood, Colo., Kendall Synthetic Blend Stratus R/T 449
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
(Following five of 15 events)
1. Angelle Sampey, New Orleans, U.S. Army Suzuki (3) 432
2. Andrew Hines, Indianapolis, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson 418
3. Antron Brown, Indianapolis, U.S. Army Suzuki (1) 358
4. Chip Ellis, Americus, Ga., Drag Specialties S&S Buell V-Twin 300
5. Ryan Schnitz, Decatur, Ind., Trim-Tex Drywall Products Buell V-Twin (1) 286
6. Karen Stoffer, Minden, Nev., Geico Motorcycle Suzuki 267
7. Matt Smith, King, N.C., Torco/Skull Gear S&S Buell V-Twin 231
8. Matt Guidera, Folsom, Calif. Rocklin Motorsports Buell V-Twin 221
9. Geno Scali, Chicago, Performance Machine Suzuki 218
10. GT Tonglet, New Orleans, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson 218
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