NHRA Newsmakers: Aug. 1, 2006
NHRA Newsmakers Your inside glimpse at the world's fastest motorsport WHO'S HOT! * J.R. TODD WINS AGAIN: Rookie J.R. Todd raced to his second Top Fuel victory during the NHRA's Western Swing and once again defeated three-time world champion Tony Schumacher in the final round Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Todd, who two weeks ago in Denver became the first African American to win in Top Fuel, proved his initial win was no fluke. The Lawrenceville, Ind. driver now has his eyes set on a POWERade Series Top 10 points finish, as well as earning the Auto Club Road to the Future Award, given annually to the POWERade Series' top performing rookie driver. "You couldn't write it any better than this," Todd said. "Beating Tony and that team once for your first trophy ever is like a dream. To do it twice in three races is unreal. I can't even believe this is happening. You work so hard just to get to this level and you don't even think what it will be like to actually win. I'm not thinking about rookie of the year. I'm more excited about being three rounds out of the top 10. If we can finish in the top 10 and keep running like this, the rookie of the year deal should take care of itself." NEWS NUGGETS * FRAM-AUTOLITE EXTENDS SONOMA SPONSORSHIP: Honeywell Consumer Products Group has extended its title sponsorship of an NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event at Infineon Raceway, it was announced this week by NHRA officials. In the multi-year agreement, FRAM automotive filters and Autolite spark plugs will sponsor the exciting event, annually the third stop of the grueling three-race NHRA Western Swing, and NHRA's only tour stop in scenic Northern California. The commitment maintains Honeywell Consumer Products Group's position as a high-profile NHRA sponsor, as the company's FRAM brand is the Official Oil Filter of NHRA and its Prestone brand is the Official Antifreeze/Coolant of NHRA. Honeywell also is title sponsor of Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan, who drives the FRAM Boost dragster, and Funny Car driver Bob Gilbertson, who drives the Prestone/Autolite Dodge Stratus. In addition, FRAM is an active associate sponsor for many NHRA professional teams, and every Funny Car and Top Fuel winner crowned this season has powered their dragsters with Autolite spark plugs. FRAM also participates in NHRA's lucrative contingency program. * NEW OWNERS AT BIR: Brainerd International Raceway, Minnesota's premier motorsports facility and host of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals POWERade Drag Racing Series event, has been sold to BIR Holdings LLC, held by Jed and Kristi Copham of Forest Lake, Minn. The new owners plan to continue the current drag racing programs and road course racing programs while searching for new racing events for BIR's patrons and racing customers. The sale in no way affects the running of this year's 25th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, scheduled for Aug. 10-13. The 600-acre facility, long held by Sports Resorts International Inc., a Michigan-based company, will be known as Brainerd International Raceway and Resort. * WYOTECH NAMED OFFICIAL NHRA TECHNICAL SCHOOL: NHRA and WyoTech jointly announced that WyoTech, a highly respected group of technical schools, has been named as the Official Technical School of NHRA. As such, WyoTech can use the NHRA logo in advertising and promotional campaigns and will receive signage at all NHRA national events. WyoTech also will be featured in many NHRA-driven marketing initiatives. "We are very pleased to be named the Official Technical School of NHRA," said Tim Schutz, president and chief operating officer of Titan Schools, Inc., the operating division of Corinthian Colleges to which the WyoTech schools belong. "WyoTech has been involved in racing through Jr Dragster, Top Dragster, Super Comp and many other racing venues. We currently sponsor Steve Johnson Racing in Pro Stock Motorcycle and Bruno Massel, host of NHRA Sport Compact Racing TV Series, in Competition Eliminator. We see a direct correlation between the NHRA fan base and the WyoTech student population and believe NHRA will be a key component of our continued growth as one of the leading technical training providers in the country." * POWERADE FAN NATIONALS WINNER FROM SONOMA: Fresno, Calif.'s Sean Charters, 15, beat out hundreds of participants at the 19th annual FRAM-Autolite Nationals, to become the local POWERade Fan Nationals Event Champion. Now, Charters will travel to Auto Club Raceway at Pomona at the end of the season to compete for the national championship. Charters, a sophomore 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. He and one guest will travel to the 42nd Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. the weekend of Nov. 9-12, 2006. There, Charters will compete in a series of qualifying rounds for the chance to claim the title of POWERade Fan Nationals Series Champion. INSIDE THE NUMBERS * 6.911: Chip Ellis rode his Drag Specialties/S&S Buell to the quickest Pro Stock Motorcycle run in NHRA history in his first round victory over Karen Stoffer Sunday at Infineon Raceway. Ellis was not able to back up the performance within 1 percent as required by NHRA rules to solidify the performance as a national record. Several riders posted performances in the six-second zone during the event and two gained entry into the prestigious NHRA Mickey Thompson Pro Stock Bike Club, including Antron Brown (6.981 seconds, Suzuki) and Tom Bradford (6.981 seconds, Buell). Andrew Hines became the first member of the club last year at Gainesville, Fla., and Ellis became the second rider to enter the club with his first 6-second performance earlier in the season at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago. COMING ATTRACTIONS * LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS, BRAINERD, MINN., AUG. 10-13: Last year at Brainerd International Raceway Tony Schumacher powered his U.S. Army dragster to the fastest quarter-mile speed ever recorded at 337.58 mph. * O'REILLY NHRA MID-SOUTH NATIONALS, MEMPHIS, TENN., AUG. 18-20: Funny Car legend John Force claims to have seen Elvis at 1,000 feet down the quarter-mile track at Memphis Motorsports Park during this popular event. * PALM BEACH NHRA SPORT COMPACT NATIONALS, JUPITER, FLA., AUG. 19-20: The world's quickest and fastest sport compact cars battle for the prestigious NHRA Xplod Sport Compact Racing Series world championship titles. * MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS, INDIANAPOLIS, AUG. 30-SEPT. 4: The world's most prestigious, richest and longest running drag race is a Labor Day weekend tradition at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Every driver wants to win the super bowl of drag racing and join eight-time winner "Big Daddy" Don Garlits in the NHRA record book. DRIVERS TELL ALL * SCHUMACHER CONTINUES TOP FUEL CHARGE: With four straight final round appearances, including two victories and two runner-up finishes, Tony Schumacher continues his rapid climb in the Top Fuel point standings. He now sits in third, 126 points behind leader Doug Kalitta. Schumacher, who at one point in the season was as low as ninth in the standings and more than 350 points out of first, credits his U.S. Army team, led by crew chief Alan Johnson, for sticking with the game plan and staying in the hunt. Now he focuses his charge toward running down Kalitta's Mac Tools dragster in the season's final eight races. "I'd like to say we don't care what Doug does but that would be a lie," Schumacher said. "We watch what he does in qualifying and I'm smiling when he goes out early on race day. It's not personal. I like the guy. We're friends. But my sole purpose in life right now is to win the championship and he's in the way." NHRA POWERADE SERIES POINTS UPDATE * CAPPS HANGS ON THROUGH WESTERN SWING: Only one driver maintained his NHRA POWERade Series championship points lead through the grueling Western Swing. Ron Capps, driver of the Brut Dodge Charger, managed to post a runner-up finish at Seattle, and increased his lead over John Force by 26 points during the grueling three-race span. Capps now leads 13-time Funny Car champ Force by 70. In the other three categories, new series leaders emerged during the Western Swing, including Doug Kalitta in Top Fuel, who now holds the advantage over season-long leader Melanie Troxel by 82 points; Jason Line in Pro Stock, who holds a 64 point lead over teammate and three-time defending champ Greg Anderson; and two-time defending champ Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle, who moved 33 ahead of Angelle Sampey with a victory at Denver and second round finish at Sonoma.