NHRA NEWS: SEATTLE ADVANCE PACKAGE
SCHUCK'S AUTO SUPPLY NHRA NATIONALS presented by LUCAS OIL FACT SHEET
WHAT: 19th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
presented by Lucas Oil, the 14th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series. Professional competitors in three
categories earn points leading to 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series
world championships. Sportsman competitors in seven categories earn
points leading to 2006 NHRA Lucas Oil Series world championships.
WHERE: Pacific Raceways, Kent, Wash. The track is located 10
miles east of Interstate 5 on Highway 18. From I-5, use Exit 142A
(Auburn exit) and travel east 10 miles on Highway 18, following the
signs to the track. From other points, use Highway 18 and exit S.E.
304th St. or S.E. 312th St.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, July 21-23.
PURSE: Cash and contingency awards of more than $1.4
million.
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, July 21 -- Sportsman qualifying and eliminations begin at 9:15
a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 3:30 and 6 p.m.
SATURDAY, July 22 -- Sportsman eliminations begin at 9:15 a.m.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, July 23-- Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FINAL ELIMINATIONS begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, July 22, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of
qualifying highlights at 8 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise three hours of
eliminations at 8 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, July 23, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute
magazine show at 11:30 a.m. (ET).
SATELLITE:
Friday, July 21, 11-11:30 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 10R / Transponder 24k
(Downlink frequency: 12184 MHz, horizontal)
Saturday, July 22, 10:30-11 p.m. (ET) - Galaxy 10R / Transponder 24k
(Downlink frequency: 12184 MHz, horizontal)
Sunday, July 23, 11:30 p.m.-Midnight (ET) - Galaxy 10R / Transponder 24k
(Downlink frequency: 12184 MHz, horizontal)
2005 EVENT WINNERS: Brandon Bernstein, Top Fuel; Eric Medlen, Funny
Car; Kurt Johnson, Pro Stock.
TRACK
RECORDS:
Top Fuel -- 4.490 seconds and 331.36 mph by Larry Dixon, July '05
Funny Car -- 4.735 seconds by Eric Medlen, July '05; 325.85 mph by Gary
Scelzi, July '05
Pro Stock -- 6.661 seconds by Mike Thomas, July '05; 207.24 mph by Greg
Anderson, July '05
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
TICKETS: For tickets call (253) 639-5927. Tickets also are
available online at ticketmaster.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $35; Junior (6-12
years), $10; Saturday: Adult, $43; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Sunday:
Adult, $45; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Child (5 and under), free in
general admission/ pit areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $40; Junior (6-12
years), $15; Child (5 years and under), $5. Saturday: Adult, $53-55;
Junior (6-12 years), $20-22; Child (5 and under), $10-12. Sunday: Adult,
$55-$58; Junior (6-12 years), $20-$22; Child (5 and under), $10-$12.
CONTACT: NHRA Communications Department, (626) 914-4761.
Anthony Vestal, ext. 425 (626-695-6649, cell).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NHRA Communications Dept., (626) 914-4761
WORSHAM LOOKS TO TURN FUNNY CAR SEASON AROUND WITH VICTORY
AT PACIFIC RACEWAYS AND STRONG WESTERN SWING PERFORMANCE
KENT, Wash. - If you analyze Del Worsham's 2006 season score card, the
results are mixed. He has had a fast race car. It has been consistent,
too. However, it seems that every driver he has faced during
eliminations in the first half of the season has had a race car that was
just a little bit faster.
The net result: a lot of photo finishes, too many early round losses and
a ton of frustration for the veteran driver.
However, just like some golfers will do after a rough start, Worsham is
ready to toss out his front nine score and focus on his back nine
performance as the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season turns the
corner and zooms at full speed into its second half.
Worsham will need a lot of birdies and eagles during the final 10 races
of the season to improve on his 10th place position in the POWERade
Series standings.
The Chino Hills, Calif. driver, who has earned 21 victories during his
career, is confident he can make up some ground on the series points
leaders with a strong showing at the Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals
presented by Lucas Oil, July 21-23 at scenic Pacific Raceways near
Seattle. The $1.4 million race, which will be televised on ESPN2 and
ESPN2 HD, is the 14th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series.
Defending race winners include Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel); Eric Medlen
(Funny Car) and Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock).
Worsham, who won this event in 1999, says the keys to running well at
Pacific Raceways are having a car that runs consistently, qualifying in
the top half of the lineup and being quick enough throughout
eliminations to maintain lane choice.
"It's never been a huge performance track, so you always have to have a
delicate balance on your tune-up, to take what the track will give you
but never any more," Worsham said. "If bumps (on the track) are an
issue, lane choice can be huge."
He also is one of a handful of Funny Car drivers who have won the career
Western Swing, the gut-wrenching three-week tour of NHRA events in
Denver, Seattle and Sonoma, Calif. Only one Funny Car driver -- John
Force in 1994 -- has swept the Western Swing in one season.
Additionally, only five drivers have accomplished the rare feat in NHRA
history in all pro categories.
"I think the swing had a lot more mystique back in the day when it was
really something unique, but we go on back-to-back swings, and even
back-to-back-to-back swings, throughout the season," Worsham said. "It's
not so unique anymore, but it's still the original and it has a lot of
history. The old thoughts about the Swing still apply. It's three races
very far apart, which means the teams are really hustling to get from
race to race and still be ready at the next one, and it's run in three
totally different environments. It takes a brilliant crew chief to
handle all three."
Worsham says it is one of the most competitive Funny Car seasons that he
can remember. Ron Capps, who won this event in 1997, has led the
championship chase all year in his Brut Dodge, while 13-time POWERade
Series world champ Force, who has won here a record seven times and has
an NHRA record 120 career victories, is close behind in the standings in
his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.
"We've lost by a hundredth, by a few thousandths, and even by seven-ten
thousandths of a second this year, which is absolutely ridiculous," said
Worsham, whose best finish in the first 12 races was a semifinal run at
Atlanta. "You can't even imagine seven-ten thousandths of a second. It's
like high school science class when they start talking about atoms and
protons. You know it's real, but you can't really imagine it. Everyone
out here can win, but what we're seeing is the competition tightening up
so much that more and more of the races are heartbreakers for the guy
who loses. I know that for a fact, trust me."
In Top Fuel, Melanie Troxel has raced to two victories in seven final
rounds and has led the standings for most of the season in her Skull
Shine/Torco Racing Fuels dragster. However, yesterday at Denver, Doug
Kalitta moved into the points lead, 22 up on Troxel thanks to a
semifinal finish. Kalitta has posted four victories in his Mac Tools
dragster. Defending winner Bernstein and Rod Fuller have claimed two
wins each and are certainly threats to win. Three-time and defending
world champ Tony Schumacher, who won here in 2004, earned his first
victory of the season last month in St. Louis and posted a runner-up
finish to rookie first-time winner J.R. Todd at Denver and could be
primed for a late season championship run in his U.S. Army dragster.
Three-time world champ Greg Anderson has led the way all year in Pro
Stock in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO but gave up the lead at Denver to
his teammate and two-time winner Jason Line. Three time winner Dave
Connolly is making a strong move late in the season with a win at Denver
over the weekend. Kurt Johnson, Mike Edwards and former two-time series
champ Jim Yates are all ones to watch and young phenom Erica Enders
continues to have the best Pro Stock season ever for a female driver.
SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:30 and 6
p.m. on July 21, and 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on July 22. Eliminations
start at 11 a.m. on July 23.
TICKETS: For tickets, call Pacific Raceways, at (253) 639-5927. Tickets
also are available at Ticketmaster.com.
ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will televise two hours of qualifying at 8
p.m. (ET) on July 22. ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD will air NHRA 2Day, a 30-minute
weekly news magazine show, at 11:30 a.m. (ET), followed by three hours
of eliminations coverage at 8 p.m. (ET) on July 23.
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.
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2006 NHRA POWERADE POINT STANDINGS
(Following 13 of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERADE Drag Racing
Series)
UPDATED 7/16/2006 (Victories in parentheses)
TOP FUEL
Place Driver
Points
1. Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mac Tools dragster (4)
978
2. Melanie Troxel, Avon, Ind., Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels
dragster (2) 956
3. Brandon Bernstein, Lake Forest, Calif., Budweiser/Lucas Oil
dragster (2) 850
4. Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster (1)
769
5. Larry Dixon, Indianapolis, Miller Lite dragster
740
6. Dave Grubnic, Ennis, Mont., StriVectin-SD dragster (1)
729
7. Rod Fuller, Las Vegas, David Powers Homes/Valvoline dragster
(2) 722
8. Morgan Lucas, Riverside, Calif., Lucas Oil dragster
622
9. Cory McClenathan, Anaheim, Calif., FRAM Boost dragster
611
10. Hillary Will, Ypsilanti, Mich., KB Racing dragster
551
FUNNY CAR
1. Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., Brut Dodge Stratus R/T (5)
1,009
2. John Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Castrol GTX Ford Mustang
(1) 983
3. Robert Hight, Anaheim Hills, Calif., Auto Club of Southern
Calif. Ford Mustang (1) 797
4. Tony Pedregon, Chino Hills, Calif., Q Racing Chevrolet Monte
Carlo (3) 781
5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon, Ind., Skoal Racing Chevrolet Monte
Carlo (1) 760
6. Gary Scelzi, Fresno, Calif., Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger (1)
758
7. Eric Medlen, Indianapolis, Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang
744
8. Whit Bazemore, Indianapolis, Matco Tools Dodge Charger
625
9. Cruz Pedregon, Santa Rosa Valley, Calif., Advance Auto Parts
Chevy Monte Carlo (1) 586
10. Del Worsham, Chino Hills, Calif., Checker Schuck's Kragen
Chevrolet Monte Carlo 568
PRO STOCK
1. Jason Line, Terrell, N.C., Summit Racing Pontiac GTO (2)
897
2. Greg Anderson, Charlotte, N.C., Summit Racing Pontiac GTO
(1) 875
3. Dave Connolly, Elyria, Ohio, Skull Gear Chevrolet Cobalt (3)
846
4. Jim Yates, Alexandria, Va., SeaRay Boats Pontiac GTO (1)
760
5. Kurt Johnson, Sugar Hill, Ga., ACDelco Chevrolet Cobalt (2)
730
6. Mike Edwards, Coweta, Okla., Young Life Pontiac GTO (2)
714
7. Erica Enders, Houston, Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Stratus
R/T 625
8. Larry Morgan, Newark, Ohio, zMax Micro Lubricants Dodge
Stratus R/T 622
9. Vieri Gaines, Lakewood, Colo., Kendall Synthetic Blend Dodge
Stratus R/T 585
10. Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn., J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge
Stratus R/T 578
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
(Following eight of 15 events)
1. Andrew Hines, Indianapolis, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
(1) 620
2. Angelle Sampey, New Orleans, U.S. Army Suzuki (3)
592
3. Antron Brown, Indianapolis, U.S. Army Suzuki (1)
521
4. Chip Ellis, Americus, Ga., Drag Specialties S&S Buell V-Twin
(1) 512
5. Ryan Schnitz, Decatur, Ind., Trim-Tex Drywall Products Buell
V-Twin (1) 443
6. Karen Stoffer, Minden, Nev., Geico Motorcycle Suzuki
422
7. Matt Guidera, Rocklin, Calif., Rocklin Motorsports Buell
V-Twin 420
8. Matt Smith, King, N.C., Torco/Skull Gear S&S Buell V-Twin
(1) 413
9. Geno Scali, Lake in the Hills, Ill., Performance Machine
Suzuki 360
10. GT Tonglet, Metairie, La., Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
V-Rod 354
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