NHRA POWERade Championship: Torco Racing Fuels Nationals, Virginia Motorsports Park, Oct 5-7, 2007

NHRA, VA Motorsports Park, Inet ^ | Oct 2, 2007 | FlAttorney & Co.

[flattorney]

2nd Annual NHRA Torco Racing Fuels Nationals
Virginia Motorsports Park – Richmond, Virginia
October 5 - 7, 2007

NHRA.com's Torco Racing Fuels Nationals homepage

     The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series returned to Virginia last year with a race that shattered Pro performance barriers, especially in Pro Stock with Jason Line setting the National record that helped him capture the World Championship. This is the last 2007 “Countdown to 4 Championship” race. After this Sunday’s final elimination rounds the field of eight drivers eligible for the championship in each category - Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock - is reduced to four for the final two “Countdown to 1 Championship” races of the season. Pro Stock Motorcycles do not race this weekend and their eligible drivers for the championship was reduced to 4 at the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, Sept 23rd.
     Peggy Llewellyn was the superstar in pro stock motorcycles at Dallas winning her first NHRA national event, she became the first black woman to win a NHRA national event, and her earned points bumped her into the final 4 drivers eligible for the championship. In her first year back to NHRA, after a five year absence due to a lack of sponsorship, the San Antonio native pulled off a hole-shot win in the semi-finals to beat Chip Ellis (#3 in points) and another incredible hole-shot win in the finals to beat Andrew Hines (#1 in points). See complete NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” information below. - FlA

Complete Event Schedule
Fri, Oct 5: Pro Qualifying Sessions at 3:30 & 6 pm
Sat, Oct 6: Pro Qualifying Sessions at Noon & 2:30 pm
Sun, Oct 7: Pre-Race Ceremonies, 10 am
Sun, Oct 7: Final Eliminations begin at 11 am

MotorSport-NHRA: Pre & Post Race Driver Interviews & News
NHRA Drivers Blogs
Virginia Motorsports Park Weather Forecast
Richmond Times Dispatch - Sports
ESPN2 TV Coverage (All Times ET)
10/06: Qualifying 7:00 - 8:00 pm
10/07: NHRA Race Day 11:00 - 11:30 am
10/07: Eliminations 7:00 - 10:00 pm
# 10/07: Repeat - Qualifying 1:00 - 2:00 am
# 10/12: Repeat - Eliminations 4:00 - 6:00 am

Paul “The Voice of NHRA” Page will anchor ESPN2’s coverage from Virginia, with outstanding color commentary and analysis by 22-time NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould, Dave Rieff and John Kernan will report the action from the pits. Rieff also will host Sunday’s NHRA Race Day The half-hour program will set the stage for Sunday’s eliminations with driver interviews, features and up-to-the-minute information.

ESPN NHRA homepage

[flattorney]

Thanks for the ping. Great job on this thread with all the pics and stories. I grew up watching some of the original top fuel dragsters. The San Fernando Valley in California was home to some of the drivers and there was also Long Beach and Fontana Don’t worry about bashing Nascar, some of the fans bash it now also.

Thanks for the thoughts! Yelp, professional drag racing was born and bred in Cali. You experienced some real history in the making. I was lucky living in Texas back then that both NHRA legends Kenny Bernstein and Raymond Beadle were living and based their NHRA racing operations out of Dallas.

Re NASCAR: All that needs to be said at this juncture, imo, is that NASCAR needs to have a great weekend at Talladega and NHRA needs to have a great weekend at Richmond. It's ironic that both of American's King's of Motorsports are coming into this weekend off two very rough previous races, caused for different reasons. I'm greatly looking forward to both races this weekend but will also be glad when they are over.

[flattorney]

Please add me to your NHRA ping list.

Have you covered.

[flattorney]

Top Fuel Driver Melanie Troxel - - One of NHRA Top Fuel driver Melanie Troxel’s sponsors is the National League of Families - POW~MIA. She is the quickest and fastest female in NHRA history at 4.576 ET- 326.08 MPH. I finally got the opportunity to met Melanie last season and she is really a good person in addition to being a very impressive driver. Unfortunately, she missed the Top 8 NHRA Championship cut and is currently 9th. She finished last season 4th in Top Fuel and no other current TF female driver is in the same league with Melanie. She is moving to TF Funny Car next season, where her new husband Tommy Johnson Jr presently drives, and is 10th in points. – FlA

--- Linked to Melanie’s page at POW-MIAFamilies.org – Number of photos here

NHRA TOP FUEL TEAM REPORT: MELANIE TROXEL

The current crest of performance for the Vietnam Veterans POW/MIA Top Fuel team has its driver, Melanie Troxel in more of a winning spirit than usual. Her victories at the St. Louis and Memphis races places her in a capable car and taking a win at this weekend’s Virginia Motorsports Park in front of her sponsor and race backer Torco Race Fuels would make for a perfect Hollywood script. “We’re definitely riding a great performance level that we understand can go out and win races,” said a confident Troxel. “It’s the first time in a while that we have had a competitive car going into a Torco-sponsored race. It’s exciting to know we have a legitimate chance and I know Richmond is a young event, we’ve only been there only once before, but would be a great opportunity for our team to bring home a win for us.” The October Richmond date gives the Vietnam Veterans POW/MIA team a late season chance to reel off some incredible elapsed times with no stress of a points championship to interfere with their advance thinking. The cooler ambient conditions will allow them to use all four qualifying runs in hopes of improving their starting position. “As it starts to cool off later in the year, it should become less important to get in on that Friday night session,” said Troxel. “The cooler air temperatures during the day will allow the teams more consistent runs to be able to qualify with. Let’s not forget that Friday night run, it’s always important. We’ll try to do our best to make a reasonably safe run early on Friday afternoon and get after it that night. That’s the goal of all the teams is to get as far back in the pack as you can for that session and be ready.” In memory of NHRA founder, Wally Parks, the passing of such of great man has Troxel remembering her fond thoughts of him and on the sport she loves so much. “Wally Parks is NHRA Drag Racing,” she said. “With his passing we lose a huge part of the sport. Everybody involved with drag racing, in general, is certainly going to feel that loss.”

More about Melanie at:
Her Website
NHRA Drivers Profile: Melanie Troxel

[flattorney]

In addition that this weekend is the last 2007 “Countdown to 4 Championship” race - - which after Sunday’s Final Eliminations the field of eight drivers eligible in each pro category for the Championship will be cut to 4 - - in Top Fuel (dragsters) the Torco Racing Fuels Nationals is also the final event that drivers can earn points to qualify for the 2007 Top Fuel Technicoat $100,000 Shootout. The top eight TF point earners after Final Eliminations this Sunday will advance to the Sat, October 27th Shootout - a special race-within-a-race - at the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals, Oct. 25–28, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For example, Melanie Troxel is one of four drivers (Troxel, Todd, McClenathan, and Grubnic), while eliminated from the POWERade Top Fuel Championship chase, she/they are currently in the top 8 for the Technicoat Shootout. Below is further details. – Posted for FlA by TAB

[SouthTexas]

ping

[tubebender]

I started drag racing at Hammer Field in FResno in 1952. I was third in line when the flywheel exploded in a chopped and channeled Ford coupe (33/34) and it not only destroyed the car but it sawed the driver in pieces. There were no aluminum flywheels in those days so they would machine the heavy cast iron wheels to reduce the reciprocating weight.

I also raced once at Formosa and twice at Kingdon near Lodi before moving to Eureka in 1954 and continued racing at the Somoa Drag Strip across Humboldt Bay from Eureka. Belonged to the FResno Pandraggers and the Nor Cal Slicks here. Still have the plaques and one jacket. Samoa is still running and celebrated it’s 50th anniversary as a NHRA track last year...

[WestCoastGal]

I will definitelt be glad when this weekends race is over! The COT which we cal the POSCOT

My driver thinks this new car will drive as follows....

“About the first Car o’ Tomorrow race with restrictor plates: “If you thought it was wild with the old cars, wait until Sunday. The bumpers on these things match-up and they’re built like a tank, so the bump drafting is going to be big time! These things punch such a hole in the air, so we’ll be bottled-up 43 deep all day. The closing speeds are so fast, no one will be able to get away from anyone else. I like to think I’m pretty good at those sorts of things, so maybe that gives us a big advantage when the flag falls.”

I remember Bernstein and Beadle from back in the day. :D

I also remember some of the smaller strips had grudge matches where you could take any car out there and race someone. I was fortunate enough to get to do that once, it was a blast.

[flattorney]

I started drag racing at Hammer Field in FResno in 1952. I was third in line when the flywheel exploded in a chopped and channeled Ford coupe (33/34) and it not only destroyed the car but it sawed the driver in pieces. There were no aluminum flywheels in those days so they would machine the heavy cast iron wheels to reduce the reciprocating weight. I also raced once at Formosa and twice at Kingdon near Lodi before moving to Eureka in 1954 and continued racing at the Somoa Drag Strip across Humboldt Bay from Eureka. Belonged to the FResno Pandraggers and the Nor Cal Slicks here. Still have the plaques and one jacket. Samoa is still running and celebrated it’s 50th anniversary as a NHRA track last year...

Thanks for sharing! Helluva story **doing my Wayne's World "I'm not Worthy" impression**

I noticed today there was an article on the upcoming 2007 California Hot Rod Reunion at Auto Club Famoso Raceway - * HERE *

- Image link to Famoso Raceway
Automobile Club of Southern California Hot Rod Reunion
Auto Club Famoso Raceway
Bakersfield, California.
Oct. 12-14, 2007

[flattorney]

I will definitely be glad when this weekends race is over! The COT which we cal the POSCOT. My driver thinks this new car will drive as follows....

“About the first Car o’ Tomorrow race with restrictor plates: “If you thought it was wild with the old cars, wait until Sunday. The bumpers on these things match-up and they’re built like a tank, so the bump drafting is going to be big time! These things punch such a hole in the air, so we’ll be bottled-up 43 deep all day. The closing speeds are so fast, no one will be able to get away from anyone else. I like to think I’m pretty good at those sorts of things, so maybe that gives us a big advantage when the flag falls.”

Imo, there will be another supertrack (Daytona, Taladega) driver killed with NASCAR's crazy rat pack restrictor plate regulations, PLUS them allowing all the excess bump drafting. It's gotten out of control. I've attended 16 NASCAR races at those two supertracks and it's my favorite form of stockcar racing. But without NASCAR regulations changes, I'm about ready to hang-it-up. NASCAR had four(4) track deaths(*) in 9 months before they stopped blowing off their safety technology problems and seriously upgraded track and car safety. I hope another cycle is not getting ready to start again due to NASCAR's regulation stupidity only to sell tickets.
- - (*) Dale Earnhardt at Daytona 500, February 18, 2001 ( I was at the race); Tony Roper at Texas Motor Speedway, October 13, 2000; Kenny Irwin at Louden, New Hampshire, July 7, 2000; Adam Petty at Louden, New Hampshire May 12, 2000

I remember Bernstein and Beadle from back in the day. :D

Both are outstanding individuals! I have a major Raymond "Blue Max" Beadle - Del Worsham posts coming up. Imo, the NHRA event of the decade was at Dallas in 2005 when Worsham ran his new nostalgia "Blue Max" TF Funny Car and broke a record. I was there and it was incredible. The 2005 NHRA O'Reilly Fall Nationals were sold out with Raymond Beadle in attendance with many of his old crew and car owners. When Del came out on the track with his Blue Max II all the NHRA crews and drivers emptied the pits to go see his runs.

[flattorney]

Oct 4, 2007 - NHRA Weekly Interview Transcript

Interviews With: Pro Stock drivers Jeg Coughlin, Top Fuel drivers Tony Schumacher and Bob Vandergriff, and Funny Cary driver Gary Scelzi.

FlAttorney says >>> Re: Tony Schumacher - Tony is not only a great driver he survived the worst Top Fuel crash of this decade, imo, when at the 2000 O'Reilly Mid South Nationals-Memphis at the top end of the his run (going over 320 MPH) his rear wing strut broke sending his car over the track wall. The car totally disintegrated in a horrendous crash very similar to NHRA legend Shirley Muldowney’s Top Fuel dragster over the wall crash that crushed one of her legs, both her feet, and caused significant internal injuries. There was a big tree in the grass area where Tony’s car disintegrated and God was with him as his intact drivers compartment/tub barely missed hitting the tree. He survived with only a broken leg, some broken fingers, and mild internal injuries. Tony was back to Top Fuel racing in only 5 weeks. * HERE * is a video clip.

Tony "The Sarge" Schumacher
4 Time NHRA Top Fuel Champion 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006
NHRA Drivers Profile: Tony Schumacher

(Link: Don Schumacher Racing: Tony Schumacher homepage)

[Dumpster Baby]

Remember this?

[tubebender]

I have a Scelzi Digger tee shirt he autographed for me at Sears Point a few years ago. He was living in Santa Rosa at the time.

Hillary Will grew up racing at the Samoa Drag Strip before moving to Alcohol Dragster and then Top Fuel 2 years ago. She was in town a few weeks ago but I missed her. There was a competing Nascrud race on the TE BE

[tubebender]

It was after that that he put the motor in the back....

[tubebender]

WCG may have been there?

[flattorney]

CAPTION THE PHOTO _________________________

I think I’m going for:
1) “Nice set of umm….. matched headers”
or maybe
2) “I was just talking to my good friend Stanley about the benefits of deep staging”

[tubebender]

“Would you apply some sunscreen to my B...B...B... Back”

[tubebender]

Click around here for some back woods racing. It’s a all volunteer club run organization. They just repaved the track and installed a first class concrete launch pad. Most of it was paid by local donors and contractors...

http://www.samoadragstrip.com/

The Eureka Police dept puts on Thursday evening grudge races...

[flattorney]

NHRA legends Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Raymond “Blue Max” Beadle - Part I
- - Both have talked to John Force in the hospital

Below is a great Sept 25, 2007 interview with Don

War Stories with Don "The Snake" Prudhomme
- - When you’re rolling with the Snake, things tend to happen

I understand Don has talked, at length, with John Force twice in the hospital in Dallas. Snake has been in John’s shoes. During his driving days he also had a very bad wreck when his nitro funny car broke in half during a pass. I remember seeing the video years ago and I think it was the only time in Snake’s legendary career he broke down emotionally over a wreck. It happened during the days when all the nitro funny cars were using two speed automatic transmissions that would blow-up from time-to-time, sometimes blowing the chassis into two pieces. Didn’t have titanium clutch-bellhousings back then like today. At $4,000 a pop currently, even if titanium bellhousing were available in the old days, none of the NHRA teams could have afforded them.

I previously wrote on the FR John Force accident thread that legendary 3 time NHRA TF Funny Car Champion (1979, 1980, 1981) Raymond “Blue Max” Beadle personally went and saw John in the hospital (I understand he still lives in Dallas). I thought this was the #1 perfect person to go see Force and get him to settle down, let his body heal, and do some straight talking with someone John really respects. In my book, Raymond was the toughest “ice water in his veins” and coolest guy to ever race NHRA nitro cars. He walked away from several very serious crashes unfazed and many times refused medical attention. In fact, if I had to pick a motor sports driver that was most like super-legend Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (RIP) it would be Raymond Beadle. They both have very similar M.O.’s.

NHRA 1980 Flashback
The Two Biggest Names in NHRA Funny Car Racing Square Off for Battle
at legendary Orange County International Raceway in California
<> NHRA TF Funny Car Champions:
1975-78 Don “The Snake” Prudhomme
1979-81 Raymond “Blue Max” Beadle

Check out this 1982 * VIDEO * of one of Beadle’s infamous wild rides and post-wreck interviews. The accident happened at the legendary Gaternationals, Gainesville, Florida. Don “The Snake” Prudhomme is doing the color commentary in this NHRA "Decade of Thrills" video.

The first NHRA Funny Car match racing I ever attended was when my father took me to see Prudhomme (#3 on NHRA’s Greatest List), Ed "The Ace" McCulloch (#19, outstanding person, imo), and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen (#16, very cool, wild, and funny guy) – back in the old “Fuel Floopers” days. Been hooked on nitro racing ever since. We went to the local dragstrip again, for a big match racing event, when Raymond “Blue Max” Beadle came to town (#20, my all-time favorite NHRA driver), with the aforementioned drag racers, along with "Jungle Jim" Liberman (#17), and "T.V. Tommy" Ivo (#25). After the race it was all I talked about for weeks, lol.

We need all the cool drivers “handles” back in NHRA! - FlA

[flattorney]

Raymond “Blue Max” Beadle - Part II
and current NHRA TF Funny Car Driver Del Worsham (great guy!)
with his 2005 Blue Max II nostalgia record breaking TF Funny Car

FlA says >> With Raymond Beadle’s approval and general assistance, in 2004-05, current NHRA TF Funny Car driver Del Worsham, his father Chuck, and the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen crew built a vintage 1977 “Blue Max” nostalgia Funny Car… that is nothing short of incredible. It currently holds the Nostalgia Funny Car track record with Del behind the wheel. Del first ran the car at the 2005 O’Reilly Fall Nationals in Dallas (track is actually in Ennis, TX), - which I and a friend attended - and the sold-out crowd went bonkers over the car AND I /we did too. Legendary 3 time NHRA Funny Car Champion Raymond Beadle and his old NHRA crew were in attendance for Del’s “Blue Max” exhibition runs on both Friday and Saturday. It was on Saturday that Del broke the NHRA nostalgia funny car record with a blistering 5.97 ET @ 244 MPH pass. I made a special effort in 2006 to meet Del and Chuck to thank them for their massive contribution they made to the sport of drag racing. It would be great for several other top NHRA drag racers to also do something like this. Check out Worsham’s website which has a boatload of photos from every NHRA race they have run the last three years – * HERE *

Del Worsham’s “Blue Max” Photos:
09.23-24.05 Dallas Inaugural NHRA Appearance (1)
04.21.07 Nostalgia Nitro Shoot Out, Fontana, CA (2) (3)
<> (1) 20th Annual O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals; Texas Motorplex, Dallas Texas, Sept. 23-25, 2005. On Satuday, Sept. 24th Del set a record with the first pass every under 6 seconds - 5.97 @ 244 MPH - in a nostalgia funny car.
<> (2) Large number of photos on this page, not only of Del and his “Blue Max” TF-FC, but many other fantastic nostalgia nitro “diggers”, “floppers”, and “altereds” in action at this great event.
<> (3) * HERE * is a video clip of when Del raced his Blue Max on April 21, 2007 at the Nostalgia Nitro Shoot Out, AutoClub Dragway at California Speedway, Fontana, California.

-- Check out that high-tech used plywood the car is sitting on in the “pits”

[flattorney]

Here’s a great article about Worsham’s effort and his Blue Max TF-FC that was published before the 2005 NHRA O’Reilly Fall Nationals in Dallas. Interview comments by Raymond Beadle are also in the article.

Worsham "Getting Nostalgic"
Courtesy of Bob Wilber
Mon, September 19, 2005

- - Bringing Newly Completed "Blue Max" Funny Car to Dallas

ORANGE, Calif. -- Del Worsham lives, eats, breathes, and most likely dreams drag racing. In what little spare time his hectic racing life allows, he usually keeps his hands dirty by embarking on pet projects, including the building of his now-famous "Mega-Rita" nitro-powered margarita mixer, as well as the construction of an alcohol Funny Car his crew members were allowed to drive, and the complete interior build-out of his team's new shop in California. Now, it's time to get nostalgic.

Worsham will bring a recently completed 1977 Mustang II Blue Max nostalgia Funny Car to this weekend's NHRA event at the Texas Motorplex, and he plans to do more than just display the car. Under the watchful eyes of legendary Blue Max driver Raymond Beadle, who will be in attendance with original Blue Max owner Harry Schmidt, as well as team members Fred Miller and Dale Emery, Worsham plans to make a couple of exhibition laps down the Motorplex quarter-mile in the beautiful new "old" car. Built by Worsham, his father Chuck, and the Checker, Schuck's, Kragen crew over the past year, the replica of one of drag racing's most historic cars was painstakingly recreated, including a stunning paint job provided by Paintin' Place and striping and airbrush work from Signs By Kelly and Kenny Youngblood.

"The car is absolutely gorgeous," Worsham said. "It's easily one of the nicest paint jobs I've ever seen, and after Paintin' Place got done, the guys from Kelly did all the outlining and striping, and Youngblood went to work airbrushing and hand-lettering the car. The Blue Max logo is done old-school, hand-applied in gold leaf. It was like watching the masters at work to see this body come to life. It takes your breath away."

The seed for this idea was planted more than two years ago when Chuck Worsham was assisting a friend, nostalgia racer Nate Bugg, on the "Lil Nate" nostalgia flopper. Looking for a fun new side project, the younger Worsham told his father he wanted to build a similar car, but the body could only be fashioned after one particular historic racing vehicle, Raymond Beadle's Blue Max. Before they could proceed, of course, Worsham needed to find a rare '77 Mustang Funny Car body, and it was Bugg who returned the favor to the Worshams by locating the historic piece.

"When I decided I wanted to do this, there was absolutely no question it would be a replica of Beadle's Blue Max," Del Worsham said. "It's my favorite car of all time, and I think it's one of the most famous and most popular Funny Cars to ever compete. I knew we needed a real 1977 Mustang II body and I wasn't sure how hard it was going to be to find one, but once Nate landed this one for us, it was on. The body is 30 years old but it's in good shape. It was actually found at a swap meet in Riverside. Once we got the process in motion, I talked to Fred Miller and he immediately got Raymond Beadle's blessing. That was key, as I wanted this to be something Raymond would be proud of.

"We started picking away at it over the past year, putting a chassis together and ordering parts. Finally, we learned that Raymond was planning on attending the Dallas event to help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Motorplex, and that gave us a target date. We got the car finished, and we're bringing it with us. I have no idea what it's going to be like to drive it, but I'm so excited to get in there and light it up I can't sleep." Beadle, who drove the original Blue Max from 1975 to 1986, is understandably excited to the see the Worshams' recreation of his legendary fuel coupe.

"First of all, when I heard that Del and Chuck Worsham wanted to do this project it really excited me," Beadle said. "Other people have approached me over the years, with ideas about bringing the Blue Max back, but when I heard it was the Worshams I knew it would be a first class deal. I know Del loved the Blue Max when he was kid, and I've seen how they carry themselves and run their NHRA operation, so I'm really looking forward to this. "I can't wait to get to the Motorplex. It will be great to see what the Worshams have done, and it will be great to see my guys again. It will be like old times. I guess that's what this whole nostalgia thing is all about, and I think it's a great thing."

Worsham plans to fit the exhibition runs into his racing schedule on both Friday and Saturday at this weekend's NHRA national event.