NHRA NEWS: POWERADE SERIES RESULTS SATURDAY FROM PHOENIX

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: NHRA Communications, (626) 695-6649

NHRA Media Center Online: http://media.nhra.com

SCHUMACHER, HIGHT AND LINE EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT CHECKER
SCHUCK'S KRAGEN NHRA NATIONALS

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Four-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher raced to
his 37th career No. 1 qualifying position Saturday after covering
Firebird International Raceway's quarter-mile dragstrip in a track
record time of 4.430 seconds -- the fourth quickest run in NHRA history.


Robert Hight and Jason Line also earned No. 1 qualifying honors at the
Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by Castrol, the second
of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to the
Championship. Sunday's eliminations start at 11 a.m. (MT), with
television coverage on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. (ET).

Saturday's drama came in the form of last-ditch qualifying efforts by
John Force and Doug Kalitta. With their class-leading qualifying streaks
hanging in the balance, both drivers managed to make the starting
lineups in their respective categories during the final session. Force
powered his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang to a 4.818 and Kalitta
posted a 4.547 in his Mac Tools dragster. Force has now qualified for
394 consecutive events, while Kalitta has reached 162 straight race
days.

Force's son-in-law Hight has yet to back up his 4.636 at 327.74 mph from
Friday evening to make it an official NHRA national record for his Auto
Club Ford Mustang, but it's still the quickest run ever recorded in the
Funny Car class and earned him his 16th career top qualifier award.
Force's daughter Ashley will start sixth after clocking a career-best
4.730-second run in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

"John [Force] was really pumped up before that round," Hight said. "He
needs to quit waiting until the final session to qualify. We're all
running a new clutch combo that Jimmy (Prock, crew chief) and I tested
extensively in the off-season. John just started using it this weekend
and he was complaining it was hard to hold the clutch pedal in. I told
him Ashley didn't have any trouble with it. He'll be fine. It just takes
getting used to."

Tony Pedregon, who also has a shot at the national record if he can back
up his 4.659-second run, is second overall in his Q Racing Chevrolet
Monte Carlo.  

Schumacher didn't improve on his track-record 4.430 at 328.22 mph from
Friday, but his 4.457 in Saturday's final session, the hottest round of
the weekend, proved his U.S. Army dragster is ready for the anticipated
race-day conditions. 

"I like to say that you don't win championships in qualifying, you win
them on race days," Schumacher said. "But last year I won the
championship by 16 points so technically, we won the title with the
extra points we earned in qualifying. That proves that qualifying well
does pay off."

In Pro Stock, Line used the optimum conditions to post his best pass of
the weekend, a track-record performance of 6.635 at 209.33 mph in his
Summit Racing Pontiac GTO, to claim his 12th career No. 1 qualifying
award.

"As racers, no matter how good your car is running, you always want more
out of it," Line said. "That's what drives you and pushes you to be
better. I guess it's the way we're wired. But I am happy with what we've
done here so far, for sure."

* * *

CHANDLER, Ariz. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations
Sunday for the Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals at Firebird
International Raceway, the second of 23 events in the  NHRA POWERade
Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.  Pairings based on
results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Top Fuel -- 1. Tony Schumacher, 4.430 seconds, 329.34 mph  vs. 16. Doug
Herbert, 4.594, 309.06; 2. Rod Fuller, 4.471, 331.61  vs. 15. David
Grubnic, 4.589, 322.42; 3. Clay Millican, 4.479, 317.05  vs. 14. Doug
Foley, 4.560, 326.16; 4. Brandon Bernstein, 4.494, 330.31  vs. 13. Doug
Kalitta, 4.547, 327.90; 5. Melanie Troxel, 4.495, 331.12  vs. 12. Morgan
Lucas, 4.539, 326.32; 6. Whit Bazemore, 4.507, 327.19  vs. 11. Hillary
Will, 4.535, 327.98; 7. J.R. Todd, 4.510, 323.43  vs. 10. Bob
Vandergriff, 4.523, 329.58; 8. Larry Dixon, 4.511, 323.19  vs. 9. Cory
McClenathan, 4.516, 327.51. 

Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.636, 327.74  vs. 16. Jeff
Arend, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.864, 307.16; 2. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo,
4.659, 324.44  vs. 15. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.847, 323.43; 3.
Gary Scelzi, Dodge Charger, 4.697, 330.15  vs. 14. Gary Densham, Monte
Carlo, 4.841, 316.08; 4. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.699, 330.07  vs. 13. John
Force, Mustang, 4.818, 297.88; 5. Mike Ashley, Charger, 4.727, 326.48
vs. 12. Tim Wilkerson, Monte Carlo, 4.810, 314.09; 6. Ashley Force,
Mustang, 4.730, 323.43  vs. 11. Bob Gilbertson, Dodge Stratus, 4.797,
300.20; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Chevy Impala, 4.733, 330.88  vs. 10. Jim
Head, Solara, 4.762, 325.61; 8. Eric Medlen, Mustang, 4.740, 321.81  vs.
9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.748, 323.04. 

Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.635, 209.33  vs. 16. Max
Naylor, Dodge Stratus, 6.690, 206.86; 2. Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.640,
207.53  vs. 15. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.688, 207.05; 3. Erica Enders,
Stratus, 6.648, 207.02  vs. 14. Roger Brogdon, Stratus, 6.684, 208.07;
4. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.650, 209.49  vs. 13. Tom Martino, GTO, 6.680,
207.53; 5. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.652, 208.14  vs. 12. Jim Yates, GTO,
6.673, 207.02; 6. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.658, 207.82  vs.
11. Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.670, 207.34; 7. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt,
6.658, 207.75  vs. 10. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.667, 207.50; 8. Kenny
Koretsky, Cobalt, 6.659, 207.66  vs. 9. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.660,
207.78. 

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