NHRA NEWSMAKERS: Nov. 6, 2006
NHRA Newsmakers - CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY AT POMONA Your inside glimpse at the world's fastest motorsport NEWS NUGGETS * SCHUMACHER GOES FOR THREE IN A ROW: Tony Schumacher, winner of the last two NHRA POWERade Series Top Fuel world championship titles and three overall (also 1999), will need to earn 46 points more than current leader Doug Kalitta this weekend if he's to tie Joe Amato's record for most consecutive series titles in the 7,000 horsepower category. Amato won three straight championships from 1990-1992. If Schumacher completes his quest at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., it will be regarded as the greatest championship comeback in NHRA history. Following the season's 10th race, Schumacher was more than 330 points out of first place. A mid-season victory at St. Louis propelled the U.S. Army dragster driver to a streak of five consecutive final rounds and new life in the championship hunt. The three closest championship finishes in Top Fuel history are Jeb Allen winning by 3 over Gary Beck in 1981; Dick LaHaie winning by 4 over Joe Amato in 1987; and Amato winning by 9 over Cory McClenathan in 1992. * FORCE IN POSITION TO CLAIM TITLE NO. 14: In Funny Car, John Force has a comfortable lead heading into Pomona as he works on securing a record 14th POWERade championship title. His challengers, Brut Dodge driver Ron Capps (71 points back) and teammate and son-in-law Robert Hight (73 points back), will need to win the race and hope that Force loses early in order to realize their longshot potential. National record elapsed time performances also could play a factor, as 20 bonus points are available to a driver that sets an NHRA E.T. record in his or her pro category. * HINES SEEKS THIRD PSM CROWN: In the closest POWERade battle at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Andrew Hines will try to put the finishing touches on his third straight Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship on his Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson. If he's successful he will join his brother Matt and Angelle Sampey as the only riders in the two-wheel category to win three consecutive crowns. Standing in his way is the U.S. Army Suzuki tandem of Antron Brown (37 points back) and Sampey (98 points back). Should Brown win the title, he would become the first African-American to win a pro category championship in NHRA history. * THE POWERADE TOP 10 SHUFFLE: While the three NHRA POWERade Series world championship battles will take center stage at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, many other drivers will be racing hard to secure important and lucrative positions in the POWERade Top 10. In Top Fuel, Morgan Lucas, currently 11th, Hillary Will (10th) and Cory McClenathan (9th) are all separated by less than one round of competition (15 points). Rookie sensation J.R. Todd (8th) has his eyes set on moving up one more spot, as he trails current 7th place driver Larry Dixon by 45 points. In Funny Car, Del Worsham could salvage his season by breaking into the top 10 for the ninth consecutive time in his career. Worsham is currently 11th, 52 points out of 10th place. However, with ninth place Whit Bazemore on the sidelines, the door is open for Worsham to move into the top 10 if he can advance to the semifinals. In Pro Stock, V. Gaines will try to break into the top 10, while Larry Morgan, Richie Stevens, Greg Stanfield and Jim Yates will all jockey to solidify their claims for positions 7-10. Chip Ellis, Matt Smith and Karen Stoffer will battle to make a move in the middle of the Pro Stock Motorcycle top 10. Two-wheelers Matt Guidera and Craig Treble have an opportunity to move into the top 10 with a strong showing at Pomona. * SEASON WIN STREAKS ON THE LINE: Two drivers enter the Auto Club NHRA Finals with season win streaks hanging in the balance. Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon, who has won at least one national event every season since 1998, and Del Worsham, who has won a race every season since 2001, will need to reach the winner's circle at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona this weekend to keep those streaks going. The driver with the most seasons (20) with at least one victory is 13-time Funny Car world champ John Force, a streak that started in 1987. Other drivers who joined Force in extending their streaks this year included Kurt Johnson (12); Angelle Sampey (11); Whit Bazemore (10); Doug Kalitta (9); and Greg Anderson (6). * NHRA POWERADE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP TIE-BREAKERS: If a tie exists between the top two championship contending drivers in any of the three POWERade Series categories following Sunday's eliminations at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, the following three tie-breaker methods are used: o First tie-breaker: Driver with most elimination round wins o Second: Driver with most head-to-head elimination victories o Third: Apply points based on qualifying at each national event - low qualifier, 16 points; second qualifier, 15 points; third, 14 points, and so on. Driver with most points wins tie. WHO'S HOT! * J.R. TODD: During the last three NHRA POWERade Series events, Top Fuel rookie sensation J.R. Todd has raced to one victory, a runner-up finish and a semifinal appearance, netting nine round wins out of a possible 12. The driver of the Skull Shine dragster has claimed three victories this season, including his historic win in Denver where he became the first African-American driver to win a Top Fuel race. He is one of four NHRA rookies who are in contention for the $20,000 Auto Club Road to the Future Award, which will be presented to the season's best-performing rookie driver on Monday, Nov. 13 at the NHRA POWERade Series Awards Ceremony at the Westin Mission Hills Resort, Rancho Mirage, Calif. The other candidates include Top Fuel drivers Hillary Will and Alan Bradshaw and Pro Stock driver Max Naylor. INSIDE THE NUMBERS * 4: Jack Beckman, a native of North Hills, Calif., powered his Matco Tools Dodge Charger to the winner's circle at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals on Oct. 29 for his first professional victory in only his fourth pro start. While winning in four races is a tremendous achievement for the cancer survivor, drag racing school instructor and 2003 NHRA Super Comp world champ, it is not the quickest that a novice Funny Car driver has won. In 1990, flashy K.C. Spurlock burst onto the scene by winning the Winternationals at Pomona in his pro debut. In Top Fuel, Gary Scelzi won his first pro race in 1997, and the late Darrell Russell won his debut in 2001. In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin won in only his second pro start in 1997 at Houston Raceway Park. COMING ATTRACTIONS * AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS, POMONA, CALIF., NOV. 9-12: The final race of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Series season will feature champions crowned in three NHRA pro categories, as well as some of the most intense side-by-side racing of the season. National performance records also may be on the line at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. * CARQUEST AUTO PARTS WINTERNATIONALS, POMONA, CALIF., FEB. 8-11, 2007: The NHRA POWERade Countdown to the Championship kicks off at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California in three months. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, Nov. 14 for the first of 23 events in the 2007 season. For more information, call the NHRA ticket office at (800) 884-6472. DRIVERS TELL ALL * SCHUMACHER ON HIS 2006 COMEBACK: A slow start to the season put two-time defending POWERade Series champ Tony Schumacher 336 points behind the leader after the 10th race of the season. However the driver of the U.S. Army dragster made a huge charge, starting with a mid-season victory at St. Louis. He enters the season's finale, the Auto Club NHRA Finals at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, 45 points back of leader Doug Kalitta. "No matter how it all ends up, this U.S. Army team has staged one of the greatest comebacks in NHRA history," Schumacher said. HE SAID, SHE SAID * ANDERSON PREDICTS MORE SUCCESS: Three-time NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series champ Greg Anderson watched his teammate, Jason Line, clinch the 2006 championship in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO that Anderson helped tune. Anderson says he is confident the team will be a power in Pro Stock for many more years. "I can't ever remember a two-car team having so much success in this class," Anderson said. "This is a strong team, and the fact we can win in either car says a lot. I'm so proud of Jason. He learned the game well, and together I think we're a great one-two punch. We're going to win championships for a long time to come." -30- For more information, contact the NHRA Communications Dept. at (626) 914-4761. To access the latest NHRA news, statistics and photos, please visit http://media.nhra.com <http://media.nhra.com/> .