NHRA NEWS: SONOMA POST RACE NOTES
NHRA POWERADE SERIES POST RACE NOTES: 19th annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA NATIONALS July 28-30, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. TOP FUEL * Rookie J.R. Todd bookended the storied Western Swing with his second victory of the three-race tour of the western United States. Todd earned his second career win over Tony Schumacher when he drove his Skull Shine Top Fuel dragster to a 4.619-second finish at 309.27 mph over Schumacher's 4.679 at 316.01 in his U.S. Army dragster. * Todd, a leading contender for the "Auto Club Road to the Future" rookie of the year award, became the first African-American to win an NHRA event in Top Fuel or Funny Car in Denver. * It was Todd's first win at Infineon Raceway. * Doug Kalitta maintained his lead in the POWERade point standings and carries an 82-point advantage over second-place Melanie Troxel going into Brainerd. * Schumacher earned the Budweiser Shootout award as the No. 1 qualifier for the event with a 4.486 at 331.36. * Schumacher set the track E.T. record with his 4.486, while David Grubnic set the track record speed at 331.36 in his StriVectin-SD Top Fuel dragster. * Brandon Bernstein's Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. FUNNY CAR * Eric Medlen earned his first win in almost a year and the fifth of his career when he drove his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang to a 4.854 at 316.30 over Tony Pedregon's 5.021 at 271.62 in his Q Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Medlen's last win was in Memphis last season. * Robert Hight earned the Skoal Showdown award as No. 1 qualifier with a 4.738 at 325.30 in his Automobile Club of Southern California Ford Mustang. * Hight set the track E.T. record at 4.738. * Medlen's crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. PRO STOCK * Jason Line earned his third win of the season and the 11th of his career when he drove his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO to a 6.672 at 207.15 over V.Gaines' 6.668 at 207.05 in his Kendall Synthetic Blend Dodge Stratus R/T. * Three-time and defending world champion Greg Anderson set the national record for time when he drove his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO to a 6.631 at 207.82 during the third qualifying round. That performance also set both ends of the track record. That pass became a record when backed up by his Friday night qualifying pass of 6.657 at 207.24. NHRA rules require drivers to back up a potential national record with another record within one percent of the provisional record performance in the same weekend. * Anderson earned the NHRA King Demon Crown award as No. 1 qualifier with a 6.631 at 207.82 in his Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO. * Allen Johnson earned the Motel 6 "Who Got the Light" award when he defeated Anderson by a .0014-second margin of victory in the quarterfinal round of Pro Stock eliminations. * Gaines' crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE * Chip Ellis earned his second win of the season and the fifth of his career when opponent Antron Brown fouled at the starting Line. Ellis drove his injured Drag Specialties S&S Buell to a 8.863 at 88.41. * Ellis posted the quickest time in Pro Stock Motorcycle history when he rode his Buell to a 6.911 at 193.21 mph. * During the third qualifying session, two riders eclipsed the seven-second barrier in the same session for the first time in NHRA history. Both riders - Andrew Hines and Antron Brown - were already members of the NHRA Mickey Thompson 6-Second Pro Stock Bike Club. * Brown became the third rider inducted into the Club when he rode his U.S. Army Suzuki to a 6.983 at 191.51 during Friday qualifying. Brown earned $2,000 for his effort. The NHRA Mickey Thompson 6-Second Pro Stock Bike Club is a lucrative bonus program available to all NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors at each NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event until the eight-member club is filled. Five spots remain open. * Hines earned the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle award as No. 1 qualifier with a 6.974 at 191.48. * Brown's U.S. Army crew earned the Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship award. POWERade FAN NATIONALS * Sean Charters, 15, of Fresno, beat out hundreds of participants to become the local POWERade Fan Nationals event champion. Charters, a 10th grade student at Duncan Polytechnical High School, will ultimately be one of 23 event champions from drag strips across the country to compete to become the Series Champion at the season-ending 42nd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., on Nov. 9-12. - www.nhra.com