NHRA NEWS: DENVER POST RACE NOTES

NHRA POWERADE SERIES POST RACE NOTES:

27th annual MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS

July 14-16, Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colo.

 


TOP FUEL


*     Rookie J.R. Todd raced to his first career victory in only his
ninth start by defeating three-time world champ Tony Schumacher. 

*         Todd became the first African American to win an NHRA POWERade
event in Top Fuel .  He drove his Skull Shine/Torco Race Fuels dragster
to a 4.906-second finish at 291.63 mph  to hold off Schumacher's 4.966
at 306.33 in his U.S. Army dragster.

*         Todd defeated Larry Dixon in the semifinal round, but landed
in the sand trap at the end of the track when his chute failed to open. 

*         Top qualifier Doug Kalitta moved 22 points in front of
season-long leader Melanie Troxel in the POWERade Series point
standings.  

*          Kalitta  powered his Mac Tools dragster to his first No. 1
qualifying performance of the season and 27th of his career. 

*          Kalitta's Mac Tools dragster crew earned the Full Throttle
Pit Crew Championship award.

 


FUNNY CAR


*         Gary Scelzi earned his first win of the season and 33rd
victory of his career in his first final round appearance at Bandimere
Speedway.

*         The defending world champion drove his Mopar/Oakley Dodge
Charger to a 5.132 at 301.94 to defeat Cruz Pedregon's Advance Auto
Parts Chevy Monte Carlo. 

*         Pedregon lost 35 points for oiling the track twice during
Sunday's eliminations - including during his final round with Scelzi.

*         Funny Car was the only category to not see a point change on
Sunday as Ron Capps stayed in front of John Force.     

*          Gary Densham earned his ninth career No. 1 qualifying award,
and the first of the season. 

*         Whit Bazemore's Matco Tools Iron Eagle Dodge crew earned the
Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award.

 


PRO STOCK


*         Dave Connolly  used a holeshot start to upset new POWERade
Series  point leader Jason Line at the starting line to claim his third
win of the season.

*         Connolly drove his Skull Gear Chevy Cobalt to a 7.123 at
193.07 to defeat Line's Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO. Connolly
now trails Line by 51 points in the Series standings. 

*         Line not only claimed the points lead from teammate and
defending Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson - he also defeated
Anderson in the semifinals . 

*         Jason Line earned  his third No. 1 qualifying award of the
season and the seventh of his career. 

*         Greg Anderson's Summit Racing Pontiac GTO crew earned the Full
Throttle Pit Crew Championship award .

  *         Greg Stanfield defeated Jim Yates by a .0008-second margin
of victory in the quarterfinal round of Pro Stock eliminations.


 


PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE


*         Two-time defending world champion Andrew Hines earned his
first victory of 2006 when he rode his Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines
Harley-Davidson to a 7.435 at 179.97 around Matt Guidera's Rocklin
Motorsports Buell.

*         Hines forced the third POWERade point lead change of the day
when he defeated Geno Scali in the semifinals  and in the process moved
in front of season-long leader Angelle Sampey .

*         Chip Ellis  rode his Drag Specialties Buell to his fourth No.
1 qualifying award of the season and sixth of his career. 

*         Angelle Sampey's U.S. Army Suzuki crew earned the Full
Throttle Pit Crew Championship award.

 

POWERade FAN NATIONALS

*        Justin Ashley, 11, beat out hundreds of participants to become
the POWERade Fan Nationals event champion for Denver. Ashley, a seventh
grade student and the son of NHRA Funny Car racer and former NHRA Pro
Mod champion Mike Ashley, will ultimately be one of 23 event champions
from drag strips across the country to compete to become the series
champion at Pomona at the end of the season.


 


 


-30-