The Little Ol' FR 2009 NHRA Drag Racing Thread

FlAttorney's FR Racing ^ | March 12, 2009 | FlAttorney & Co. and a "cast of many"

[flattorney]

The FR 2009 NHRA Championship Drag Racing Thread
No Turns. . . No Pit Stops. . . Just White Knuckles Ground Pounding Speed



NHRA-CDR: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle <> HRH: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Groups 1 & 2
Drag School Locations: Gainesville & Pomona ~ Frank Hawley, 2 Time NHRA Funny Car World Champion
NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series Schedule - Full Nostalgia Drag Racing Schedule

2009 NHRA Full Throttle Championship Drag Racing Schedule
For Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock cars there are twenty-four(24) racing events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Series divided between a regular season and playoffs format. The regular season eighteen(18) “Countdown to 10” races concludes at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis. The final six(6) playoffs “Countdown to 1” races begins at the NHRA Nationals, Charlotte and concludes at the NHRA Finals, Pomona. After the first 18 races, only the top 10 drivers in each of the divisions advance to the Countdown to 1, based on total points won. Their points are reset to within 10 of each another except for the points leader who will have a 30-point advantage over second place. The drivers will then compete for NHRA Full Throttle Championships. Drivers earn NHRA national event points as follows: Winner 100; Runner-up 80; Third-round loser 60; Second-round loser 40; First-round loser 20. Additional points are awarded at national events as follows: 10 points to all contestants - 1 qualifying run required. Qualifying positions earn points as follows: 1st 8; 2nd 7; 3rd 6; 4th 5; 5th & 6th 4; 7th & 8th 3; 9th thru 12th 2; 13th thru 16th 1. For the highly popular Pro Stock Motorcycles, they follow the same championship format as the other three divisions. However, their 2009 regular season is twelve(12) Countdown to 10 races, which begins at the legendary NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville. Their Countdown to 1 playoffs is the final five(5) races, which like the other three divisions, begins at the NHRA Nationals, Charlotte, and concludes at the NHRA Finals, Pomona. However, they do not race at the October 9-11th Virginia NHRA Nationals, Richmond. ~ fla

NHRA RaceDay | Full Throttle Championship Drag Racing | Classic NHRA

Watch NHRA Finals On-Line ESPN begins its ninth consecutive year of NHRA action with same-day coverage of qualifying and eliminations on ESPN2 and ESPN2-HD. Paul Page anchors the coverage with analysis by 22-time NHRA winner Mike Dunn. Gary Gerould and Dave Rieff report from the pits. Rieff and Dunn also host NHRA RaceDay to set the stage for that day’s eliminations action. NHRA drag racing is also being broadcast on the American Forces Network and for the eighth year on TSN (Canada). Websites: Paul Page Blog | Mike Dunn
Paul and Mike are an outstanding broadcasting team and a major asset. NHRA would not be the same without these two in the booth. Here’s a great “inside look” article Paul wrote on Feb. 6, 2009.

NHRA Official: News | Media Center | Notebook | Tracks Directory | Staff
Owners/Crew Chiefs | Drivers: Profiles Blogs | Dragster Insider | Ticketmaster-NHRA

Auto Imagery – 2009 NHRA
NHRA: Photos | Videos | Full Throttle TV || Competition Plus | Flickr-NHRA

NHRA Top 50 Greatest Drivers | Greatest Races | Photos: Legends in Action '09 Photos

1974-2008 NHRA World Champions | Quarter-Mile Record Holders (1,000 feet nitro records not recognized)
NHRA Founder Wally Parks RIP Tribute | MotorSports Hall of Fame-NHRA
Petersen Automotive Museum
Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing 741 Photos | Smithsonian: Don Garlits "Swamp Rat XXX"

About the "Wally" Winners Trophy | Drag Racing Basics
Lingo: Drag Racing | Racers Definitive List | Nostalgia Racers
What's occurs in the pits between a race: The 75 minute turaround(PDF)
The Sound’s of NHRA Nitro Racing: Nitro Motor Start-up | Top Fuel Dragster “Pass”
(Windows Media Player Direct Links)

Remembering Drag Racers Lost doing what they and we love
Additional Resources, Off-Thread Items, and Comments
FlAttorney's FR Racing - NHRA

[Cheetahcat]

Nice very nice!

[SouthTexas]

Uh no.

Angelle has won the championship three times, Danica has won one race.

[Loud Mime]

If the number of wins is your sole unit of measure, you have a point. WHAT TYPE of race they are driving is my point. If Angelle won championships in the GP circuit, I would immediately concede the point. But straight-arrow racing does not hold a candle to the courses.

If the two motorsports were an even test of abilities, the great, incredible, super champion John Force would be earning a LOT more money from his "driving abilities" on the world circuit, as would other drivers. But John Force owes his success to his crew chief's (Austin Coyle) setups on the car, as does Ashley. As does Robert Hight.

GP racer Michael Schumacher made over $60 million per year for the last few. Force is NOT on the Forbes list. Do you think that is because Force does NOT want to make that much money? He does not have the driving talent to even qualify for a position to race against Schumacher, so he has to stay in drag racing. Angelle as well.

I know that Indy racing is not GP, but it is a far greater test of abilities than drag racing. One should give credit where credit is due.

Face the facts. Drag racing is the shortest auto race with the least driver involvement. The fact that both Angelle and Danica are competitive in their respective sports is enough to give credit to the better driver: Danica.

QED.

[kickonly88]

’ But Danica’s sport is more challenging than Angelle’s. “Indy” racing involves far more than acceleration and reaction. Shall we start with stamina? Cornering? Maneuvering?

The driver doesn’t have their own lane in Indy racing. Oh, how I could go on!’

But it’s such a long wait to see who wins.

[the invisib1e hand]

this is amazing information that a coworker sent my way a year or so ago.

[the invisib1e hand]

incredible shot.

[kickonly88]

I would like to see the other side of the coin.A few years ago one of the Pedregon brothers took second in an IROC style race.I bet a lot of “real” race car drivers would have to change their skivies if they were to strap themselves into a fuel car and mash the throttle.

[SouthTexas]

If the objective isn’t to win, what is the point?

We were not discussing John Force, his crew, nor Michael Shcmumacher, how much money they make, where they are on the Forbes list, yada-yada.

Angelle hands down.

[Loud Mime]

Actually, I used the other drivers to validate my initial argument. Drag racing proves little about the driver’s ability. Saying a drag racer has comparable skills to an Indy or GP driver is like saying that a community organizer would make the best president.

On second thought, many people would agree with that. You win, we all lose.

[SouthTexas]

There you go again...

[nancytx]

Thank you for letting hubby and I tag up with you all last weekend. You certainly know how to host a racers and friends get-together. It was grand and we had a wonderful time! I am still on a high from watching Ashley win it all. She keeps getting better and better. I am so proud of her! The way John acted when Ashley won the finals you would have thought he won. A very proud father. We must do this again for the Fall Nationals. I hope your schedule allows you all to make the trip. Again thank you for the DRAW support and the link button on post one of this wonderful thread.

Drag Racing Association of Women

[flattorney]

I’ll be at the Vegas races next month (if we reach a verdict by then).

You going to the Las Vegas SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals? Thought we better not wait to post this with the rest of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals event posts tomorrow night. Be well - TAB

03.31.09: Free NHRA Driver Autograph Session at The Palms Resort & Casino
      A free NHRA driver autograph session will kick off the annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals, April 2-5, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The autograph session will take place in the Key West Room of The Palms Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 2, from 6-8 p.m. Drag racing fans are invited to obtain autographs and take photos with their favorite drivers. Drivers scheduled to appear include: Tony Schumacher, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps, Antron Brown, Jack Beckman, Kurt Johnson, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, Urs Erbacher, Matt Hagan, Jeff Arend, Johnny Gray, Kenny Koretsky and Bob Bode. Many more are expected to join the festivities.

03.05.09: Palms Casino Gaming Chips to Feature NHRA Champions
      Reigning NHRA drag racing champions Tony Schumacher, Cruz Pedregon, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. will be honored in a uniquely Las Vegas manner when the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series returns to Glitter Gulch April 2-5 for the first of two annual visits to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In what is quickly becoming an annual tradition, the Palms Casino Resort will put into circulation a limited number of special-edition $5 and $25 gaming chips that feature the three reigning world champs. The chips will be made available April 2nd in advance of a prerace party taking place from 6-8 p.m. in the Key West Room at the popular hotel, located at 4321 West Flamingo Road.
      Schumacher, Pedregon, and Coughlin will headline the special meet-and-greet party that will be attended by at least 20 other professional drivers on the NHRA tour. "So many special things have happened as a result of our team winning the 2008 POWERade championship and I have to say being on a real chip in Las Vegas is way up there," Coughlin said. "We were lucky enough to have this honor bestowed on us last year as well and I can tell you it's a surreal feeling to sit at a Blackjack table and bet with a chip that has your face and racecar on it.      
"This year, Jim Baker of the Palms was looking for some input on the design and I asked him to put my father on there with me because he's such a big part of what we do. They graciously fulfilled my wishes and I promise you I'm going to fill my pockets with plenty of those chips before I leave. My thanks to the Palms Casino resort, not only for this very cool deal for me, but also for the support they show to our sport."
      As associate sponsors of Funny Car champions Tony and Cruz Pedregon, the Palms Casino Resort is offering a special "Pedregon Racing" room deal for race teams, sponsors, and fans for the April race. Palms Tower Deluxe rooms are $89 a night on April 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th, with reduced rates on April 3rd and 4th of only $159 a night. Fantasy Tower rooms are only $119 and $189, respectively.
      To book one of these special rooms, call the Palms Casino Resort at 866-725-6773 and mention the "Pedregon Racing" special. There are a limited number of rooms available and rates are subject to availability. Reservations should be booked ASAP to take advantage of this offer.

[flattorney]

Thanks for your posts. Your Dale Earnhardt Jr. profile page and NASCAR threads are awesome. At the start of the season I updated FlAttorney's FR Racing - NASCAR section and added links to your profile page and 2009 NASCAR threads in the Dale Jr. section. After a bad start Dale seems to be doing better. I like Jeff Gordon too. It was my first time to attend the Daytona 500 this year with other Firm members and clients. OMG it was exciting. "Someone" may have rated it a C but for me it was an A++. I hope you have an awesome time this weekend at the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

This needed to be pulled forward from the FR 2007 NHRA thread that FlA posted.

TAB

[flattorney]

OFF THREAD TOPIC

If anyone has interest the second 2009 updated was performed on FlAttorney's FR Racing - Formula One section. Be well - TAB

04.01.09: During the off-season, Formula One teams experiencing significant loss of sponsorships. F1 has always been the most expensive motor racing in the world and many sponsors said enough was enough. To field a F1 team for one season it costs a minimum of 5-7 times more than a top NASCAR team. A NASCAR team costs on average 4 times more than a NHRA Top Fuel dragster or Funny Car team. Also in the off-season, FIA totally rewrote the rules book with the most significant changes in F1 history. Many of the changes I like. The cars have a much more traditional look, passing should be easier, and for the first time in eleven years they are racing on slicks again. There were many engine rules changes with the largest being that a driver is only allowed eight engines for the season before penalties are assessed. The maximum allowed engine RPM's was reduced from 19,000 to 18,000 but the reduction is not enough to realistically increase the engine's racing life. Last night, I/we DVR watched the season opening Australian Grand Prix. It was outstanding with a wild finish. Of the season opening NHRA, NASCAR, and F1 races, Formula One blew the other two away. Compared to last year's race, and all the '08-'09 off-season problems, I was surprised how good the race turned out. One last comment, F1 requires the most driver endurance and stamina, followed by NASCAR supertrack racing, and then NHRA's championship top fuel racing. Unlike NHRA and NASCAR, very few F1 drivers race past their early to mid 30's. ~ fla

[flattorney]

Happy 29th Birthday Hillary!

Hope you find a TF ride soon. We missed seeing you at Gainesville and Houston. And I hope you make it to The Strip this weekend, with or without ____________ , and we see some face time on ESPN2 like the Winternationals.

FlA and all the crew

12.28.08: NHRA Top Fueler Hillary Will wins the Scott Kalitta Memorial Trophy in Sydney

[tubebender]

Thanks! I'll try to get those photos down to Big Louie's Pizza on 4th street. They may be having a party down there tonight...

[flattorney]

April 2-5, 2009
5th of 24 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Events
First of Two Events at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
First of Three Summit Racing Equipment Sponsored '09 NHRA Events
SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk

Event Schedule | Entry List | Team Reports | Live Sunday Audiocast (WMPlayer Direct) | Results
2008 Winners: TF Cory McClenathan ~ FC Tim Wilkerson ~ PS Jason Line ~ PSM N/A
Fans Assistance KBase | Tickets | Weather: Las Vegas Race Track
Surface Maps: U.S. West IR Satellite Wind | Live Radar: WU NWS Storm Loop
Forecasts may be inaccurate. Las Vegas Spring weather is unpredictable and can change on short notice.

      04.01.09-22:00 FlA Says: Pro Stock Motorcycles don't race this weekend. Their next race is April 16-19 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals Atlanta, GA. This weekend we may see a Déjà vu of the 2009 Spring Nationals as to weather. See my next post "Déjà vu? Maybe yes but I hope not". Last year's "Vegas1" NHRA event was marred by two situations of very poor judgments by NHRA "brass". One turned the event into a National media covered debacle and NHRA did it on purpose. I expressed my thoughts about this fiasco on thread post #41 * here * . Last year's nitro action was also poor due to the track getting very hot and it was windy.
      About The Strip: While opinions vary on the track, The Strip is an outstanding A+ facility. The inaugural NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals was held at The Strip on April 6-9, 2000. The winners were, Top Fuel: Kenny Bernstein, Funny Car: Jim Epler, Pro Stock: Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Pro Stock Motorcycle: Angelle Sampey. There was still construction going on when many of the NHRA pro's arrived at the track. Workers were laying asphalt, painting and putting in glass just about everywhere you looked, according to Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson. But, it was ready to go for the first qualifying session. In the track's early days there were some surface and other problems. It reminded me of the problems Speedway Motorsports experienced after they built Texas Motor Speedway to host NASCAR events, but the problems at The Strip were not as serious.
      As to the drag strip, many veterans don't like the down the hill, up the big hill surface. When I first attended a NHRA championship event at The Strip in 2003, I didn't like the Top Fuel chassis compression at the bottom of the hill after the speed traps. This was the period of time when several TF chassis had snapped in half at the top-end. Frankly, I didn't like the thought process on how the drag strip was designed and built. I also don't like the fact that when it's windy sand blows on the track making traction difficult. In 2007, we were talking to some guys sitting in front of us during a break in the action. The subject of what I thought about the track came up. I told them I was a Southerner and liked our flat and long drag strips. They said some of their friends were not that hot about the track(layout) but The Strip had the best round-trip ET for getting cold beers of any track they had been to. I laughed and said yes this is a first class facility in all regards.
      Due to the track's proximity to California, many NHRA pro teams test at The Strip during the off-season. I will now yield to 2009 Miss Nevada USA, Georgina Vaughan, to tell you more about the NHRA event this weekend at The Strip. She's much hotter than I am. - 03.30.09 Video: This Week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals ESPN2 Coverage (ET)
Sat, 04.04: Qualifying 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Sun, 04.05: NHRA Race Day 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Sun, 04.05: Eliminations 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. (1)
Fri, 04.10: Repeat Eliminations 3:00 - 5:00 a.m.
(1) Watch Full Coverage On-Line at ESPN 360


Inaugural NHRA SummitRacing.Com Nationals
Finals Pre-Race Ceremonies, April 9, 2000
(L) Speedway Motorsports Inc.'s Chairman and CEO Bruton Smith - Track Owner/Builder
(R) NHRA's new President Tom Compton(Jan 2000) & NHRA Founder Wally Parks(2007, RIP)


Team Summit



Home: The FR 2009 NHRA Championship Drag Racing Thread
FlAttorney's FR Racing

[flattorney]

      04.01.09-22:45 FlA Says: 2009 Spring Nationals Déjà vu? Maybe yes but I hope not. - - For last weekend's NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, on Friday's Day 1 Qualifying, a weather front passed through the area bringing day long rain and it dropped the temperature 13 degrees. For Saturday's Day 2 Qualifying, it was somewhat humid, strong cross-winds affecting the track and a high temperature of only 65 degrees. For Sunday's Final Eliminations, it was a sunny high of 72 degrees, 5-10 mph winds and very low humidity. The track was under a high pressure dome and drag racing conditions were perfect.
      The current weather forecast for Las Vegas is: Thursday, a high of 81 degrees, winds WSW 23-30 mph, 16-20% humidity. For Friday, a weather front is passing through the area dropping the temperature about 15 degrees with a 20-30 % chance of rain and mostly cloudy. The front will bring NW winds 25-35 mph with gusts to 50 mph. For Saturday, sunny, high in the mid 60s, winds NW 10-18 mph, with gusts to 24 mph. For Sunday, sunny, high in the low-mid 70s, winds only SE 5-8 mph with typical desert low humidity. Like the Spring Nationals, Sunday will be another perfect day for drag racing at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals.
      The point of this forensic analysis is that last Saturday at the Spring Nationals, despite the strong cross-winds condition, the final day of qualifying was nothing short of fantastic with National, track, and driver personal best records set. With perfect conditions forecast for Final Eliminations on Sunday, our group of fifty-four(54) people(I was very surprised - it was twice what I expected), could not wait to head out to the track. We were not alone, as the crowd for the Finals was much larger than at the Gatornationals. It was the largest Finals attendance of the '09 season. Unfortunately, the nitro crew chief's got greedy on Sunday and many cars over-powered the track, resulting in poor side-by-side racing. There was still some great races particularly the Top Fuel showdown everyone had been waiting for, since the start of the season, of Larry Dixon vs. Tony Schumacher. Great side-by-side race on Tony's march to his 1st '09 Wally. The only good side-by-side race Ashley Force had was in her Funny Car final against Jack Beckman. It was a great race but her previous three races were poor. Had it not been for the fantastic racing action in the two Pro Stock classes(cars/motorcycles), Sunday would have ended up a disappointment.
      If this Sunday ends up being another optimum race day, I sincerely hope the nitro crew chief's demonstrate good judgment in their set-ups and remember their team, car, and driver are there to entertain the ticket purchasing fans.

[flattorney]

10th annual

EVENT SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2009
Sponsor Midway Parking		8:00 AM  -  6:00 PM
Competitor Parking, Registration & Tech (all categories)		10:00 AM  -  6:00 PM
THURSDAY, April 2, 2009
	Spectator Gates Open	7:30 AM
	Registration/Tech Inspection (all categories)	7:30 AM  -  5:00 PM
	Sportsman Qualifying	8:00 AM
	Comp Eliminator Qualifying Session	4:00 PM
	Secure Track	6:00 PM
FRIDAY, April 3, 2009
	Spectator Gates Open	7:30 AM
	Registration/Tech Inspection (Pro's and TAD/TAFC only)	7:30 AM  -  12:00 PM
	Sportsman Eliminations	8:00 AM
	Comp Eliminator Qualifying Session	12:00 PM
	Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Car)	12:30 PM
	Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster)	1:00 PM
	Top Alcohol Qualifying Sessions (Funny Car / Dragster)	2:00 PM
	Comp Eliminator Qualifying Session	3:00 PM
	Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Car)	3:30 PM
	Nitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car / Top Fuel Dragster)	4:00 PM
	Top Alcohol Qualifying Sessions (Funny Car / Dragster)	5:00 PM
	Secure Track	6:30 PM
SATURDAY, April 4, 2009
	Spectator Gates Open	7:30 AM
	Sportsman Eliminations	8:00 AM
	Comp Eliminator - Round 1	11:30 AM
	Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Car)	12:00 PM
	Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car)	12:30 PM
	Top Alcohol Qualifying Session (Dragster / Funny Car)	1:30 PM
	Pro Stock Qualifying Session (PS Car)	3:00 PM
	Nitro Qualifying Session (Top Fuel Dragster / Funny Car)	3:30 PM
	Top Alcohol (Dragster / Funny Car) - Round 1	4:30 PM
	Secure Track	6:30 PM
SUNDAY, April 5, 2009
	Spectator Gates Open	7:30 AM
	Sportsman Eliminations	9:00 AM
	Pre-Race Ceremonies	10:00 AM
	Final Eliminations	11:00 AM
	Secure Event	4:30 PM
Schedule subject to change

[flattorney]

The Palms Resort & Casino Winners Odds
NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals
April 2 - 5, 2009
Las Vegas, NV

== TOP FUEL ==
Larry Dixon 3/1
Tony Schumacher 4/1
Antron Brown 9/2
Brandon Bernstein 6/1
Cory McClenathan 7/1
Doug Kalitta 10/1
Morgan Lucas 12/1
Shawn Langdon 15/1
Spencer Massey 25/1
Joe Hartley 50/1
Field (all others) 18/1

== FUNNY CAR ==
Del Worsham 4/1
Ron Capps 5/1
Ashley Force Hood 5/1
Robert Hight 6/1
Tim Wilkerson 8/1
Jack Beckman 9/1
Cruz Pedregon 10/1
Tony Pedregon 10/1
Bob Tasca III 12/1
John Force 12/1
Field (all others) 18/1

== PRO STOCK ==
Jason Line 5/2
Jeg Coughlin Jr. 3/1
Greg Anderson 9/2
Mike Edwards 6/1
Allen Johnson 8/1
Kurt Johnson 10/1
Ron Krisher 12/1
Larry Morgan 15/1
Warren Johnson 25/1
Jim Yates 25/1
Field (all others) 20/1