NHRA (ATLANTA) - BERNSTEIN, HIGHT, ANDERSON AND STOFFER RACE TO VICTORIES AT SUMMIT

Second-generation driver Brandon Bernstein raced to the Top Fuel victory Sunday at Atlanta Dragway and moved into first place in the POWERade Series standings. The son of NHRA legend Kenny Bernstein has won the last two races and 14 in his brief career.

Bernstein was joined in the winner's circle at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals by Robert Hight, who claimed the Funny Car title over Mike Ashley, Pro Stock points leader Greg Anderson, and Karen Stoffer, who won her second race of the year in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Bernstein posted a 4.662 at 305.01 in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to claim the Top Fuel victory over Doug Herbert, who posted a 4.714 at 297.02 in his Snap-on Tools dragster.

"It's huge to grab the points lead heading into Anheuser-Busch's backyard," said Bernstein. "They've been a part of our family for so long and to be able to go into the race on a two-race win streak and with the points lead is quite a feeling. I'd love to make it three-in-a-row and the way Tim and Kim [Richards, crew chiefs] have this Budweiser car running right now it could happen."

The Funny Car final was a classic battle between the top two qualifiers with No. 2 Hight taking advantage of some late tire smoke from opponent Mike Ashley, the No. 1 qualifier. The two were side-by-side most of the way down the track until Ashley's Torco Dodge Charger started spinning its tires around 1,000 feet. That was all Hight needed to take the win in his Auto Club Ford Mustang, crossing the finish line with a 4.882 at 314.61 mph to Ashley's 5.167 at 229.66 mph.

With his seventh career victory, Hight cut Ron Capps' points lead to 45.

"We've got Eric Medlen and we've got Jimmy Prock and that's a pretty awesome combination," Hight said. "I think Eric is looking down on all of us out here racing but he's probably favoring these Ford Mustangs a little more than the others. Winning races sure lifts the spirits of everyone at John Force Racing and I'm happy to be able to give everyone something else to think about for a little while."

The marquee match-up of the day came in Round 1 when Ashley Force beat her famous father John in the first father/daughter pro category race in NHRA history. The 24-year-old rookie driver advanced to the semifinals in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang, equaling the best Funny Car effort for a female in NHRA history.

"Today I'm a proud father," John said. "I've dreamed of this day for a long time and it makes me emotional to think it finally came true. She's a great young driver and she's probably gonna whip me a bunch, but I'm OK with it because she's my baby."

Anderson won his fourth Pro Stock race of the season to take a commanding 212-point lead in the POWERade standings. Racing his former boss Warren Johnson in an all-Pontiac final, Anderson claimed his 47th career victory by posting a 6.671 at 207.62 mph in his Summit Racing GTO to hold off the recent International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee's performance of 6.719 at 205.79 mph in his GM Performance Parts GTO.

"I'm so proud of that guy," Anderson said of Johnson, who he helped win three world championship titles during the 1990s. "He did a great job today at his home track and I'm sure all his fans here are happy for him. It still means a lot to beat him, especially in a final. We've got some great history here too and the time I spent with him here for all those years certainly didn't hurt. I love this place and winning a race that has your sponsor's name on it is important."

Stoffer's second win of the year helped her regain the points lead she held after Gainesville and kept the 2007 streak of female winners alive in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Angelle Sampey won the Houston race, the only other event that featured motorcycles. Stoffer took an easy win on her Geico Suzuki in the final as opponent Matt Smith's Torco Buell broke as he let the clutch out at the start of the race.

"We've been striving for consistency for four years and it finally feels like we've found it," said Stoffer of her fifth career victory. "I never expected to be standing here after three races with two wins and the points lead. It's quite a feeling. Kudos to Gary [Stoffer, husband and crew chief] for helping me hit the lights and for setting up the perfect clutch combination."

Sampey slipped to third in the standings, 48 back of Stoffer. Smith is in between the two, 32 points off the lead.

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship continues with the 11th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, Madison, Ill.

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COMMERCE, Ga. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 27th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The race is the sixth of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL: 1. Brandon Bernstein; 2. Doug Herbert; 3. Bob Vandergriff; 4. Doug Foley; 5. Doug Kalitta; 6. Brady Kalivoda; 7. Hillary Will; 8. Cory McClenathan; 9. Whit Bazemore; 10. Larry Dixon; 11. Tony Schumacher; 12. Clay Millican; 13. Rod Fuller; 14. Melanie Troxel; 15. David Grubnic; 16. J.R. Todd.

FUNNY CAR: 1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang; 2. Mike Ashley, Dodge Charger; 3. Ron Capps, Charger; 4. Ashley Force, Mustang; 5. Del Worsham, Chevy Impala; 6. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Monte Carlo; 7. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo; 8. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 9. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo; 10. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara; 11. Jack Beckman, Charger; 12. John Force, Mustang; 13. Jim Head, Solara; 14. Tim Wilkerson, Impala; 15. Gary Densham, Impala; 16. Kenny Bernstein, Charger.

PRO STOCK: 1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO; 2. Warren Johnson, GTO; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt; 4. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt; 6. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 7. Mike Edwards, GTO; 8. Erica Enders, Stratus; 9. Jason Line, GTO; 10. Dave Connolly, Cobalt; 11. V. Gaines, Stratus; 12. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 13. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt; 14. Greg Stanfield, GTO; 15. Jim Yates, GTO; 16. Kenny Koretsky, Cobalt.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 2. Matt Smith; 3. Chip Ellis; 4. Geno Scali, Suzuki; 5. Antron Brown, Suzuki; 6. Peggy Llewellyn; 7. Tom Bradford; 8. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 9. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki; 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 11. Matt Guidera; 12. Chris Rivas; 13. Hector Arana; 14. Steve Johnson, Suzuki; 15. Marco Andreano; 16. Paul Gast, Suzuki.

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Sunday's final results from the 27th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. The race is the sixth of 23 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Brandon Bernstein, 4.662 seconds, 305.01 mph def. Doug Herbert, 4.714 seconds, 297.02 mph.

Funny Car -- Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.882, 314.61 def. Mike Ashley, Dodge Charger, 5.167, 229.66.

Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac GTO, 6.671, 207.62 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.719, 205.79.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.063, 188.65 def. Matt Smith, Buell, broke.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Spencer Massey, 5.624, 249.58 def. Dan Mercier, 6.301, 177.32.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Frank Manzo, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.577, 262.18 def. Marc White, Pontiac Firebird, 7.115, 130.40.

Competition Eliminator -- Glen Treadwell, Dragster, 8.109, 159.68 def. Steve Ambrose, '23-T Ford, 7.799, 164.59.

Stock Eliminator -- Michael Iacono, Ford Mustang, 11.005, 108.52 def. Peter Biondo, Chevy Camaro, 10.717, 114.63.

Super Comp -- Edmond Richardson Jr., Dragster, 8.913, 161.57 def. Mike Fuqua, Dragster, 8.916, 170.73.

Super Gas -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 13.219, 69.11 def. William Crenshaw, '27-T Ford, 9.876, 142.97.

Super Street -- Lamar Stevenson III, Chevy Camaro, 10.911, 122.64 def. Don Strickland, Chevy II, 10.970, 120.29.

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Final round-by-round results from the 27th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, the sixth of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Brandon Bernstein, 4.548, 324.75 def. David Grubnic, 8.363, 96.22; Hillary Will, 4.588, 312.35 def. J.R. Todd, 10.706, 87.19; Bob Vandergriff, 4.561, 317.42 def. Tony Schumacher, 4.694, 308.57; Brady Kalivoda, 4.689, 261.27 def. Clay Millican, 4.758, 254.38; Doug Kalitta, 4.606, 317.19 def. Rod Fuller, 7.103, 107.26; Doug Herbert, 4.579, 319.98 def. Larry Dixon, 4.576, 319.37; Cory McClenathan, 4.569, 317.79 def. Whit Bazemore, 4.527, 319.22; Doug Foley, 5.464, 189.63 def. Melanie Troxel, foul;

QUARTERFINALS -- Herbert, 7.955, 118.55 def. Will, foul; Vandergriff, 4.715, 303.37 def. Kalivoda, 5.834, 147.50; Bernstein, 5.166, 194.18 def. Kalitta, foul; Foley, 4.699, 302.21 def. McClenathan, 13.289, 79.64;

SEMIFINALS -- Herbert, 4.720, 310.20 def. Vandergriff, 8.806, 103.44; Bernstein, 4.614, 324.05 def. Foley, 11.152, 86.44;

FINAL -- Bernstein, 4.662, 305.01 def. Herbert, 4.714, 297.02.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Del Worsham, Chevy Impala, 4.869, 308.92 def. Kenny Bernstein, Dodge Charger, 13.030, 79.55; Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.779, 317.05 def. John Force, Mustang, 5.783, 174.84; Jeff Arend, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.902, 311.20 def. Gary Densham, Impala, 10.595, 95.99; Mike Ashley, Charger, 4.804, 316.82 def. Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 7.973, 105.58; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.779, 321.96 def. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo, 4.842, 319.07; Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo, 4.824, 316.30 def. Scott Kalitta, Toyota Solara, 4.887, 307.79; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.853, 314.24 def. Jim Head, Solara, 7.913, 102.51; Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.873, 312.28 def. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.917, 306.67;

QUARTERFINALS -- Capps, 4.940, 305.01 def. Arend, 6.798, 136.04; Ashley, 4.848, 316.38 def. Scelzi, 6.902, 129.14; A. Force, 4.872, 301.00 def. T. Pedregon, 6.351, 150.05; Hight, 4.877, 311.70 def. Worsham, 5.048, 257.83;

SEMIFINALS -- Hight, 4.906, 311.56 def. Capps, 4.989, 297.88; Ashley, 4.913, 320.51 def. A. Force, 5.887, 175.23;

FINAL -- Hight, 4.882, 314.61 def. Ashley, 5.167, 229.66.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Mike Edwards, Pontiac GTO, 6.687, 206.39 def. Kenny Koretsky, Chevy Cobalt, foul; Larry Morgan, Dodge Stratus, 6.684, 206.10 def. V. Gaines, Stratus, 6.669, 207.27; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.692, 206.61 def. Jim Yates, GTO, 8.986, 104.43; Erica Enders, Stratus, 6.684, 205.88 def. Jason Line, GTO, 6.662, 208.65; Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.693, 206.01 def. Allen Johnson, Stratus, foul; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.710, 206.35 def. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.664, 206.61; Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.630, 208.42 def. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt, 6.693, 206.26; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.665, 206.83 def. Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.721, 206.04;

QUARTERFINALS -- K. Johnson, 6.754, 205.98 def. Enders, 6.752, 204.66; W. Johnson, 6.702, 205.85 def. Morgan, 6.721, 206.26; Stevens, 6.703, 206.42 def. Coughlin, 6.680, 207.02; Anderson, 6.653, 208.49 def. Edwards, 6.722, 206.32;

SEMIFINALS -- W. Johnson, 6.737, 205.60 def. Stevens, 16.106, 51.47; Anderson, 6.678, 207.30 def. K. Johnson, 6.789, 205.35;

FINAL -- Anderson, 6.671, 207.62 def. W. Johnson, 6.719, 205.79.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.085, 187.70 def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.121, 187.63; Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.124, 186.51 def. Hector Arana, foul; Peggy Llewellyn, 7.057, 186.02 def. Marco Andreano, Buell, 7.233, 181.47; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.082, 186.18 def. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.152, 183.59; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.057, 188.07 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.191, 184.14; Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.016, 187.42 def. Paul Gast, Suzuki, 12.475, 59.39; Tom Bradford, Buell, 7.218, 183.62 def. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, foul; Matt Smith, Buell, 7.001, 187.65 def. Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.159, 184.93;

QUARTERFINALS -- Scali, 7.151, 186.43 def. Bradford, 7.229, 182.48; Stoffer, 7.079, 187.99 def. Hines, 41.235, 48.61; Ellis, 7.057, 187.81 def. Llewellyn, 7.214, 183.44; Smith, 7.064, 186.92 def. Brown, foul;

SEMIFINALS -- Stoffer, 7.060, 188.67 def. Scali, 7.167, 186.43; Smith, 7.079, 187.39 def. Ellis, 7.079, 187.68;

FINAL -- Stoffer, 7.063, 188.65 def. Smith, broke.

COMMERCE, Ga. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 27th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, the sixth of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1. Brandon Bernstein, 440; 2. Rod Fuller, 421; 3. J.R. Todd, 375; 4. Tony Schumacher, 338; 5. Whit Bazemore, 330; 6. Larry Dixon, 324; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 294; 8. David Grubnic, 293; 9. Melanie Troxel, 280; 10. Cory McClenathan, 241.

Funny Car

1. Ron Capps, 532; 2. Robert Hight, 487; 3. Tony Pedregon, 369; 4. Jim Head, 333; 5. Gary Scelzi, 332; 6. Mike Ashley, 307; 7. Jeff Arend, 258; 8. Ashley Force, 246; 9. Del Worsham, 228; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 223.

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson, 602; 2. Jason Line, 390; 3. Jeg Coughlin, 371; 4. Dave Connolly, 363; 5. Warren Johnson, 298; 6. Mike Edwards, 296; 7. Kurt Johnson, 291; 8. Allen Johnson, 287; 9. Richie Stevens, 280; 10. Greg Stanfield, 273.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Karen Stoffer, 261; 2. Matt Smith, 229; 3. Angelle Sampey, 213; 4. Tom Bradford, 173; 5. Craig Treble, 162; 6. Chris Rivas, 157; 7. Steve Johnson, 153; 8. Chip Ellis, 145; 9. Antron Brown, 142; 10. Peggy Llewellyn, 139.