NHRA NEWS: POWERADE SERIES RESULTS SATURDAY FROM SEATTLE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: NHRA Communications, (626) 695-6649

BERNSTEIN, HIGHT AND LINE EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT SCHUCK'S
AUTO SUPPLY NHRA NATIONALS

KENT, Wash. -- Defending event Top Fuel champion Brandon Bernstein raced
to the No. 1 qualifying position Saturday at the Schuck's Auto Supply
NHRA Nationals presented by Lucas Oil at Pacific Raceways. 

Robert Hight and Jason Line also will lead their categories into
Sunday's 11 a.m. eliminations in their respective categories at the 14th
of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Series.

Top Fuel's Bernstein powered to a 4.555 second run at 327.11 in his
Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to claim his third top qualifying effort of
the season and 11th of his career. 

It was another extremely hot day at Pacific Raceways and crew chiefs
struggled to find relevant data in their tuning log books. Saturday's
first qualifying session started with some cloud cover but that quickly
gave way to more sunshine.

"It's probably gonna be hot again tomorrow so we'll have to see how it
works out for us," Bernstein said. "Seattle's always been good to the
Budweiser team. I think [crew chief] Tim Richards really like running
here and it seems he's got a lot of good data for this track.

"We've had some success this year but the competition in this class is
so fierce that you have to be totally on your game every week. We say
you can go from hero-to-zero real quick out here and it's so true. It's
very humbling but that's just part of the game we play."

Friday's Top Fuel leader, Rod Fuller, ended up second with a best of
4.578 at 322.19 mph in his Valvoline/David Powers Homes dragster.
Melanie Troxel, who held the Top Fuel points lead until last weekend,
moved to fourth with a 4.610 at 322.50 mph in her Skull Shine dragster.
New POWERade Series leader Doug Kalitta dropped back to seventh with a
4.656 at 324.20 mph in his Mac Tools dragster.

Hight earned his fifth No. 1 position of the season in Funny Car with a
4.840 at 318.17 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. The runner-up at this
race last year, Hight was 16th after Friday's two qualifying sessions
and was happy the team made the correct adjustments to give him his 11th
career top qualifying effort. 

"I couldn't sleep at all last night," Hight said. "We were 16th and I
knew for sure the time wouldn't last through today. It was crunch time
and I went up there so nervous for that first round. The thing is Jimmy
[Prock, crew chief] is so confident and it helps me to see him like
that. Fortunately, the cloud cover held for our pass and it was a good
one."

Points leader Ron Capps is third with a best of 4.864 at 313.00 mph in
his Brut Dodge Charger. Challenger John Force ended up sixth with a
4.903 at 316.52 mph in his Castrol GTX Mustang. Interestingly, 13-time
POWERade Series champ Force will face Capps' teammate Gary Scelzi, the
defending category champ, in the first round Sunday. Scelzi finished the
day 11th with a 4.945 at 309.20 mph in his Mopar/Oakley Charger.

In Pro Stock, new series leader Line clocked a 6.690 at 206.80 in his
Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to take his fourth No. 1 qualifying position
of the season and 10th of his career.

"I probably have the best racecar here," Line said. "I mean, it's better
to be in my position than anyone else's at this point. Usually, we like
coming here because it's nice and cool and the scenery is nice, but when
it's 94 degrees out there it knocks some of the fun out of it. Tuning
the engine isn't as hard, but setting the chassis up is a tougher deal."

Defending race winner Kurt Johnson was second in his ACDelco Chevy
Cobalt, while Line's teammate, three-time defending world champ Greg
Anderson, was fourth overall in his Summit Racing GTO.


* * *


KENT, Wash. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday
for the 19th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals presented by
Lucas Oil at Pacific Raceways, the 14th of 23 events in the $50 million
NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in
qualifying, which ended Saturday. Sunday's eliminations start at 11 a.m.
PT.

Top Fuel -- 1. Brandon Bernstein, 4.555 seconds, 327.11 mph  vs. 16.
Alan Bradshaw, 4.827, 311.49; 2. Rod Fuller, 4.578, 325.30  vs. 15. Mike
Strasburg, 4.791, 299.20; 3. David Grubnic, 4.595, 323.89  vs. 14.
Morgan Lucas, 4.738, 310.13; 4. Melanie Troxel, 4.610, 322.50  vs. 13.
J.R. Todd, 4.733, 302.69; 5. David Baca, 4.642, 319.90  vs. 12. Cory
McClenathan, 4.714, 314.75; 6. Hillary Will, 4.642, 315.19  vs. 11. Doug
Herbert, 4.703, 308.64; 7. Doug Kalitta, 4.656, 324.20 vs. 10. Larry
Dixon, 4.663, 321.04; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 4.660, 316.38  vs. 9. Tony
Schumacher, 4.662, 321.73. 

Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.840, 318.17  vs. 16. Tim
Wilkerson, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.058, 301.00; 2. Eric Medlen, Mustang,
4.854, 312.64  vs. 15. Scott Kalitta, Monte Carlo, 4.988, 306.05; 3. Ron
Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.864, 313.00  vs. 14. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo,
4.975, 314.39; 4. Mike Ashley, Dodge Stratus, 4.872, 313.58  vs. 13.
Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.970, 306.74; 5. Phil Burkart, Monte Carlo,
4.898, 316.75  vs. 12. Whit Bazemore, Charger, 4.953, 309.13; 6. John
Force, Mustang, 4.903, 316.52  vs. 11. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.945,
311.41; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.925, 313.95  vs. 10. Gary
Densham, Monte Carlo, 4.934, 310.77; 8. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo,
4.929, 310.27  vs. 9. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo, 4.931, 311.63. 

Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.690, 206.80  vs. 16. Max
Naylor, Dodge Stratus, 6.740, 204.98; 2. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt,
6.696, 206.07  vs. 15. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.737, 205.07; 3. Allen
Johnson, Stratus, 6.700, 205.88  vs. 14. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.733,
205.10; 4. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.707, 206.86  vs. 13. Ron Krisher,
Cobalt, 6.730, 205.54; 5. Tom Martino, GTO, 6.719, 206.26  vs. 12. Tom
Lee, Cobalt, 6.728, 205.66; 6. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.720, 205.29  vs.
11. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.726, 205.72; 7. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.721,
206.07  vs. 10. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.724, 205.98; 8. Richie Stevens,
Stratus, 6.722, 205.41  vs. 9. Jim Yates, GTO, 6.723, 205.29. 

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