NHRA NEWSMAKERS: Halfway through and anyone's game
NHRA Newsmakers Your inside glimpse at the world's fastest motorsport INSIDE THE NUMBERS * 24, 44, 2, 28: The difference between No. 1 and No. 2 in the POWERade point standings for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, consecutively, after the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis. For the first time in recent memory the leads of all four professional categories are less than 50 points. NEWS NUGGETS * TROXEL BOOKS TRIP TO ESPYS FOR DOUBLE NOMINATION: Melanie Troxel will celebrate the one-year anniversary of her return to fulltime NHRA POWERade Series drag racing with a trip to Los Angeles for the 2006 ESPY Awards. Troxel - the fastest woman in motorsports - is the first professional drag racer to ever be nominated in two categories. The 33-year-old pilot of the Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels Top Fuel dragster will vie against the likes of NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart for Best Driver, and Olympic Gold Medalist Hannah Teter and LPGA golfer Annika Sorenstam for Best Female Athlete. Cast your vote now at www.espn.go.com/espy2006. Troxel, 33, set an NHRA record for the most consecutive final round appearances (five) to open a season in Top Fuel. The quickest (4.458 seconds) and fastest (331.04 mph) female in NHRA history, she is trying to join the legendary Shirley Muldowney has the only women in NHRA history to win a Top Fuel world championship title. * SIGHS OF RELIEF FOR SCHUMACHER'S ARMY: Defending Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher broke his Sunday afternoon curse at one of the (literally) hottest stops on the circuit, the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis. Although Schumacher entered the event with six No. 1 qualifiers so far this season, his attempts to reach the winner's circle he once knew so well had fallen flat thus far in 2006. Schumacher drove his U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster to a 4.565-second pass at 327.59 to claim the win over hometown-sponsor favorite, Brandon Bernstein, whose hope for a victory in his Budweiser dragster went up in smoke along with his traction. The win was the 31st of Schumacher's career and his first in St. Louis. * 'DRIVING FORCE' DRIVES FANS TO WEBSITE: Press kits have been released for A&E's "Driving Force," a reality show based on 13-time NHRA Funny Car world champion John Force and his drag racing daughters Ashley, Brittany and Courtney. Fans eagerly await the premier, slated for July 17. For more information, check out the latest news and family photos at http://www.aetv.com/drivingforce/. * ARKANSAS RESIDENT CLAIMS POWERade FAN NATIONALS WIN: Longtime drag racing fan Darryl Osborn, 49, of Mountain Home, Ark., won the 12th round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals, at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals. Osborn defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the event title in Nitro Alley's realistic Funny Car simulators. With his win, Osborn 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. COMING ATTRACTIONS * MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS, DENVER, JULY 14-16: NHRA teams will race at high altitude at scenic Bandimere Speedway and kick-off the grueling Western Swing. * LAS VEGAS NHRA SPORT COMPACT NATIONALS AND D1 GRAND PRIX, LAS VEGAS, JULY 15-16: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will host the NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Series which includes the 220 mph Scion of Pro RWD racer Brad Personett and the world's best drifting cars in the D1 Grand Prix. * SCHUCK'S AUTO SUPPLY NHRA NATIONALS PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL, KENT, WASH., JULY 21-23: The Western Swing rolls into the beautiful Northwest as NHRA teams will battle for the POWERade Series race victory at Pacific Raceways. * FRAM-AUTOLITE NHRA NATIONALS, SONOMA, CALIF., JULY 28-30: Infineon Raceway hosts the final stop of the Western Swing, where POWERade Series world championship contenders often reveal themselves and brace for the season's final eight events. WHO'S HOT! * WHO NEEDS THE POINTS LEAD ANYWAY? Doug Kalitta proved hot can be cool, turning in a scorching 330.55 mph run in his Mac Tools dragster - the first 330 mph pass in Top Fuel at Gateway International Raceway. He also took advantage of Melanie Troxel's second-round exit to whittle her lead in the POWERade point standings to just 24 points - and placing her well within his sites just in time for the famed Western Swing. DRIVERS TELL ALL * 'YOUNG LIFE' EDWARDS SAYS OLD ISN'T OVER: At 49, Mike Edwards may be a bit older than some of the other drivers in his category - say, Dave Connolly or Erica Enders - but the driver of the (perhaps ironically named, as Edwards pointed out) Young Life Pontiac GTO continued to prove that with age comes experience with his second win of the season, and the 13th of his career. "Us old guys can do it every once in a while," Edwards said. "What a difference a year makes. I tell you what, I love O'Reilly. Every time I win a race, it seems like it's an O'Reilly race ... It's a tremendous blessing to come out here and win one of these races in this (category). To be successful is just unbelievable." Edwards defeated seasoned veteran Larry Morgan in the final round. For more information, contact NHRA Media Relations at (626) 914-4761.