Rookie Carlson ready, set for Seattle
DON SCHUMACHER RACING 2006 NHRA POWERade DRAG RACING SERIES Round 14 of 23 SCHUCK'S AUTO SUPPLY NHRA NATIONALS Pacific Raceways Kent, Wash. Race Date: July 21, 23, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jstropus@earthlink.net CARLSON READY, SET FOR SEATTLE KENT, Wash. (July 18, 2006) - NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock rookie Shaun Carlson is ready for this weekend's Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals at Pacific Raceways outside Seattle, after breaking in a brand-new Jerry Haas-built Dodge Stratus R/T at last weekend's Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver. The Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus R/T driver loves the new car tuned by crew chief and engine builder David Nickens and co-crew chief Terry Adams. "The car itself is awesome," he says. "To go out there without any true testing in it, and to let the clutch out and have it go straight was unbelievable. Especially as slippery as the surface was there (in Denver). Terry sure knows the four-link suspension. If it goes left or right, he gets under there and makes a couple adjustments and it's fixed. It's very comforting for me. "All three passes we made at Bandimere (Speedway) were good and straight, and the heat there made it a really tough track to handle. Lanny (Miglizzi, Don Schumacher Racing track consultant) said it was one of the worst surfaces he'd seen because of the 140-degree track temperatures. "The trees (at Pacific Raceways) will make the air and track surface better for these cars, so to have the momentum from Denver fresh in my mind is going to be good for me. I don't like breaks between events because I get out of my comfort zone, if you will, and it takes time to get that back," says the Southern California native. "I am in the mindset that the car is going to go down the track straight; that I'm hitting my shift lights, and that the car is right. I want to take that attitude and get into the show early (Friday), and be able to focus on the race setup on Saturday." SHAUN CARLSON QUICK FACTS: * Qualified for his first event of 2006 in Las Vegas (No. 12) * Rookie season in Pro Stock class * First year with Don Schumacher Racing * Was named second DSR Pro Stock driver after February '06 test session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway * Born 5/17/74 * Born, raised, and currently lives in Alta Loma, Calif. * Quickest Pro Stock elapsed time to date: 6.708 seconds (Chicago 6/10/06) * Fastest speed to date: 205.60 mph (Pomona 1) * Owned and drove his Team Mopar SRT4 in the NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series in 2005, grabbing one win and finishing fourth in points. * Finished fourth in 2004 Sport Compact points standings * Is a two-time Sport Compact event winner * Subbed for an injured Darrell Alderman in the 2004 NHRA Winternationals Pro Stock event at Pomona, grabbing an early round win and nearly advancing to the semifinals in his Pro Stock debut * Finished third in '03 Pro FWD points * 2002 Xbox Cup champion in the Pro Outlaw class * A famous engine builder and FWD performance guru, Carlson has worked on projects such as the world record-holding import drag car driven by Stephan Papadakis. * First FWD builder to run in the 9s and 8s. * Built the first Sport Compact drag car with a tube chassis * Has been drag racing professionally since 1999 * President and founder of NuFormz, an 11-year-old company that builds aftermarket components in Ontario, Calif. WEEKEND SCHEDULE: FRIDAY, July 21, PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS are at 3:30 and 6 p.m. SATURDAY, July 22, PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING SESSIONS are at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. SUNDAY, July 23, Pre-race ceremonies are at 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) ***