NHRA NEWS: SEATTLE POST RACE NOTES
NHRA POWERADE SERIES POST RACE NOTES: 19th annual Schuck's Auto Supply NHRA Nationals presented by Lucas Oil July 21-23, Pacific Raceways, Kent, Wash. TOP FUEL * Tony Schumacher, from Chicago, raced to his second victory of the season in his third consecutive final round. Schumacher powered his U.S. Army dragster to a 4.690 second run at 321.96 mph to hold off Dave Grubnic's charging StriVectin-SD dragster, which clocked a 4.761 at 316.75. * It was Schumacher's 32nd career victory and his second win at Pacific Raceways. It was his third straight Seattle final. * Brandon Bernstein drove his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to his 11th No. 1 qualifying effort of his career, clocking a category-leading 4.555-second run at 327.11 mph. It was his third No. 1 of the season and first ever at Pacific Raceways. * Doug Kalitta extended his POWERade Series lead over Melanie Troxel, who lost in the first round. Kalitta now leads Troxel by 40 points. * With the victory, three-time POWERade Series world champ Schumacher continued his mid-season surge, and now sits only 150 points out of the lead in fourth. * Rod Fuller was docked 10 points during eliminations for oiling the racing surface. * Bernstein's Budweiser/Lucas Oil crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award. FUNNY CAR * Whit Bazemore, from Indianapolis, ended a yearlong drought from winner's circle by defeating teammate Ron Capps in the final. Bazemore's Matco Tools Dodge Charger posted a 5.036 at 309.42 while Capps' Brut Dodge trailed with a 5.108 at 293.15. * It was Bazemore's 20th career victory and his fifth Pacific Raceways final and third victory at the Northwest track. * Robert Hight raced to the No. 1 qualifying spot with a performance of 4.840 at 318.17 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. It was Hight's fifth No. 1 position of the season, first at this track and 11th of his career. * Ron Capps increased his POWERade Series lead to 88 points over John Force, who lost in the first round. * Eric Medlen and Cruz Pedregon were docked 10 points during eliminations for oiling the racing surface. * Eric Medlen's Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award. PRO STOCK * Allen Johnson, from Greeneville, Tenn., raced to his first victory of the season and defeated veteran driver Tom Martino in the final round. Johnson powered his J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Stratus to a 6.767 second run at 204.63 mph to take the win over Martino's Skull Gear Chevy Cobalt, which lost traction near mid-track. * It was Johnson's fourth career victory and first at Pacific Raceways. * Jason Line claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO with a performance of 6.690 at 206.86 mph. It is Line's fourth No. 1 of the season and the seventh of his career. * Larry Morgan defeated Kurt Johnson by .0044-second margin of victory in the first round of eliminations to earn the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light? Award. * Line increased his POWERade Series lead to 25 over three-time defending champ Greg Anderson. Both drivers lost in the first round. * Line's Summit Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award. POWERADE FAN NATIONALS * Taren Smith, 12, of Puyallup, Wash., won the 14th round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals. Smith, a seventh grade student at Kalles Junior High School and a competitor in the NHRA O'Reilly Jr. Drag Racing League, defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the POWERade Fan Nationals victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. With the victory, Smith, 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.