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

[the invisib1e hand]

Finally, a thread I can peruse without cringing.

How's Don Garlits these days?

[the invisib1e hand]

that’s deadly.

[flattorney]

The Sponsorship Carnage Continues. . . . .

Historic Budweiser and Kenny Bernstein Racing Deal to End. NHRA also gets the boot.
03.16.09: Belguim based InBev, the owners of Anheuser-Busch ("ABInBev"), announced today that the longest running sponsorship in auto racing will come to a close when Budweiser ends its 30-year relationship with Kenny Bernstein Racing's("KBR") NHRA team after the 2009 season. In their announcement, ABInBev also stated that 2009 will be the last year for Budweiser as the official beer sponsor of the NHRA. Budweiser has sponsored the NHRA since the early 1980s and is celebrating its 30th season with Kenny Bernstein Racing.
      Budweiser was with Bernstein through all six of his NHRA championships, including four consecutive Funny Car titles from 1985-88 and his two Top Fuel crowns in 1996 and 2001. The relationship continued after Bernstein retired and handed over the driving duties to his son, Brandon Bernstein, in 2003. KBR will began its process of finding a new sponsor for the 2010 season. "Budweiser provided us the opportunity to make a career of doing what we love," Kenny Bernstein said. "We owe a debt of gratitude to all the Anheuser-Busch employees and wholesalers we've worked with, as well as the fans and friends who've followed and supported us all these years." The Budweiser deal made history last season when it surpassed the 28-year relationship STP had with Richard Petty to become the longest sponsorship agreement in racing. "The NHRA and Kenny Bernstein Racing have been world class partners and we're proud of everything we've accomplished together," said Dan McHugh, vice president of Anheuser-Busch. "For three decades, Budweiser helped grow the sport."
      InBev, a Belgian beer company, purchased Anheuser-Busch for $49.9 billion last July. The purchase of the U.S. beer giant brought speculation over how the sale would affect Budweiser's sponsorship programs in sports. Budweiser continues to sponsor the No. 9 Dodge that Kasey Kahne drives for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Sprint Cup series.

03.16.09, Kenny Bernstein Racing Press Release: Lake Forest, CA - Kenny's Statement: “While we are disappointed by the news, the 30 years we’ve spent with Budweiser have been memorable and we’ve had experiences because of that relationship we’ll will never forget. “We owe a debt of gratitude to all the Budweiser employees and wholesalers we’ve worked with through the years, as well as the fans and friends who have followed and supported us beginning with the Funny Car era. “The Budweiser sponsorship has provided us the opportunity to make a career in the sport that we love while fielding championship-caliber teams through the years. It has been a wonderful win-win relationship for three decades.
      “As a driver, Brandon has 17 career victories to his credit and to this date holds the distinguished record of having the most successful career launch of any Funny Car or Top Fuel driver in NHRA history. “We’re passionate about the sport of NHRA drag racing and plan to continue if we can secure sponsorship. We are moving forward with the search for a replacement so that we can field an NHRA team in 2010 with Brandon as the driver.
      “We are proud of our long-term sponsorships, not only with Budweiser, but we’re also celebrating our 31st season with LaPaz party mixes, 22nd anniversary with Mac Tools, and our seventh season with Lucas Oil. We believe that taking a proactive role in initiating programs and promotions that help sell product and build brand awareness has been an integral part of retaining our sponsorship associations through the years. Coupled with the success we’ve had on the racetrack while flying the Budweiser colors, including six NHRA championships and 85 national event victories between Brandon and me, then it’s a very attractive opportunity for another sponsor.
      “We pride ourselves on ethics and integrity. We recognize you can’t have success without good people, and we have a skilled staff that offers the opportunity for a turn-key program that is inclusive from marketing and sales to public relations, highlighted by a race team that is professional and capable of winning on Sunday.”

031609-1315 FlA Says: Glad this wasn't publicly announced until after the Gatornationals. I heard the rumor last Friday in the pits. The worst part of this news is we will be losing the Bud Girls at the end of the season *lol*. Seriously, the total withdraw of Budweiser from NHRA drag racing is more bad sponsorship news. Many foreign corporations don't give a [beep] about our American heritage and what we enjoy. They only care about how much money they can suck out of American consumers at the lowest possible cost. Further, ABInBev is drowning in a sea of acquisition debt. Bottom-line is that Kenny is a class act and the best marketer in NHRA. Brandon is also first class and a great individual. They will survive without Budweiser. The only reason ABInBev didn't pull the plug on Richard Petty is because it's a low dollar sponsorship. It's peanuts compared to Budweiser's previous sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr. And, let's be honest, Richard is "The King" but RPM hasn't done squat, for many years, as to fielding a championship NASCAR team. Many fans don't know Richard is still involved in NASCAR except for his racing schools.
      On a positive note, we had a fantastic three days at Gainesville. Much better than last year's Gatornationals. I will post more later this week, or weekend, when I get unburied here at work. Thanks all!

TAB UPDATE: 03.16.09: Anheuser-Busch InBev Looking to Sell Assets to Pay Off Creditors
- - It’s an awkward position, to be sure. Fresh off a $52 billion debt-fueled deal to create the world’s biggest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev looks to sell assets to pay off its creditors. But the most likely buyer for brewing assets turns out to be…its fiercest rival. Cash-stocked SABMiller of London, the world’s second-largest brewer, may be interested in swooping in and purchasing Anheuser-Busch InBev’s assets in Germany and Russia. The game of global beer-industry consolidation may be entering a new phase. The world’s largest brewers, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, SABMiller, Carlsberg and Heineken, fattened up in recent years through acquisitions, including purchases of smaller brewers in emerging economies. Now, these giants might start selling assets to each other out of necessity. Nowhere is this better seen than in Anheuser-Busch InBev’s desire to sell $7 billion of assets to help repay debt from the tide-shifting $52 billion deal that created the company last November. Depending on how things play out, Anheuser, the world’s biggest brewer by sales, may find itself in the odd position of selling operations to its next-largest rival, SABMiller.

FR 2009 NHRA Drag Racing Thread Related Posts:
Kenny Bernstein Racing
    Kenny Bernstein to be inducted into Motorsports Hall Of Fame of America
    The Hot NHRA event Bud Girls

Brandon Bernstein

ABInBev should change their logo to the Eagle flying head first straight into the ground

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[flattorney]

PING

NASCAR related post for your ping list consideration.

TAB

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks for the ping, I actually just posted this on the Nascar thread :) - I’m wondering what AB thoughts are on the 9 car with Kasey Kahne next year. I still get Bud catalogs from the Dale Jr days when I subscribed. There isn’t
any Nascar stuff in there anymore.

Ping to 63 on the AB story.

[tubebender]

LOL... My 20 year old grandson is in the market for a four car garage with a attached bedroom/bathroom combo...

[SouthTexas]

Now I’m glad I quit drinking Bud.

[tubebender]

OMG poser...on closer inspection I notice the 1950 Chevy 2 door sedan just like the one I bought to share with my Mother and little Sister in 1953. I moved north in 1954 and gave then the car so they would have wheels and I took the Greyhound. My Sister has the car in her barn on their farm near FResno and it is bone stock and solid with just a few dings.

While I am blessed with many riches here on Humboldt Bay I often wonder what life held for me if I had turned south on 99 and gone to the LA area instead. I was already drag racing in Fresno, Lodi and Formosa (Bakersfield) in 52 and 53 with a 38 Chevy as a member of the Fresno Pandraggers. I was a founding member of the Humboldt Timing Association here and the Samoa Drag Strip is the oldest NHRA drag strip still going. The business I founded still sponsors the yearly Nostalgia Races for grass roots racers...

[flattorney]

Sunday evening, driving home from Gainesville to Miami we saw the Space Shuttle in the sky after it's 7:43 pm launch. We were just north of Orlando and pulled off on the side of the road with the rest of our group. Here is NASA's STS-119 main webpage and their launch webpage for anyone interested. - fla

2009 Gatornationals: The exchange probably went something like this. . .
Don Garlits(L): "Look Don.... I'm (NHRA) number 1 and always will be".
Don Prudhomme(R): "You may think you're The Don but get a Top Fuel team out here and I'll kick your butt back to Ocala". *puts his other earplug back in and walks off. . . grinning from his "show"* - fla

ESPN Video Note: At the second race at Phoenix, behind the line, John Force was talking to Don Prudhomme about something. The ESPN TV crew came over and Don stopped talking (he's not big on unannounced TV cameras ). Force yaps "this is my 25th year here at Phoenix. . . . I'm older than you are Snake". Don half-grinned and gives John this "righttttt... boy" look and turned away. I got a good laugh out of that. No one gets the better of The Snake - fla.

Don Prudhomme's Cars at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala

Seventy-seven years young Don Garlits (NHRA No. 1 Greatest) was honored at the '09 Gatornationals for 60 years of drag racing. - fla
01.14.09: Happy Birthday Don Garlits - - The man considered by many as the father of drag racing, Don Garlits, was born on this day in 1932 in Tampa, Fla. Aside from his wins and champions, "Big Daddy" probably made his greatest contribution to the sport by helping perfect the rear-engine top-fuel dragster after losing part of a foot in an accident. He was also one of the first drivers to get behind the idea of racers wearing fire-proof uniforms, socks, and gloves to increase safety. While his safety innovations are recognized and appreciated by both racers and fans alike, it was his ability to wheel a car down a dragstrip with the aid of his Swamp Rat machines that will forever mark him as one of, if not the, greatest drag racer ever. Garlits was the first driver to top 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, 260, and 270 mph down a quarter-mile and the first driver to break the 200 mph barrier on the eighth-mile. During his hall-of-fame career, Garlits earned 144 Nationals wins, along with three NHRA titles (the first driver to do so), and three world championships.

I saw Don race this dragster. - fla

GATORNATIONALS 1986: In the weeks leading up to the 1986 event, Don Garlits had been finishing work on his streamlined Swamp Rat XXX dragster. With its enclosed front end and cockpit, it looked like it could do 270 mph standing still. "Big Daddy" broke the 270-mph mark in the semifinals of that event, beating former NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini with a stunning speed of 272.56 in what was then the quickest side-by-side race in history, 5.40 to 5.49, surpassing the old mark set by Gary Beck and Gary Ormsby (5.39 to 5.54) at the 1983 Golden Gate Nationals. Garlits then beat Dick LaHaie in the final for his last of four Gatornationals wins. The only hitch in Garlits' weekend was the front "tire" setup, which featured generator belts wrapped around aluminum discs. The belts repeatedly exited the "wheels" at the top end of every pass when "Big" pulled the chute, and they were replaced at the next race by small aircraft tires, which became all the rage for a few years before the teams realized that what they gained in aero advantage was lost on less rollout. - Credit NHRA

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[the invisib1e hand]

Thanks. Know an honest divorce attorney?

[flattorney]

03.13.09: Recession is a Drag for Drivers
      With her marketable personality and good looks, and her ability to go fearlessly fast, one could say Angelle Sampey was Danica Patrick before Danica Patrick(1). When she started out in NHRA drag racing in 1996, the sport was male dominated. That has since changed, with Sampey playing a significant role with the success she's had on her Pro Stock Motorcycle. She's not only won races (41 in all), she's won over thousands of fans and is now one of NHRA's most popular and recognizable drivers. But she no longer has a ride. Only 38 and still in her racing prime, Sampey has been sidelined by the sagging economy. Not only is she sitting out Gatornationals this weekend, she's sitting out the entire 2009 NHRA season after failing to find a new owner. "I was hoping and praying something would come through, but the call never came," she said. "It's been hard. I've been competing for 13 years. This is something I'm going to struggle with."
      Sampey isn't alone. Some of the sports other prominent drivers also have been knocked off the track by the recession, including four of the top 10 Top Fuel drivers from a year ago - Rod Fuller, Doug Herbert, Hillary Will and 2006 Gatornationals winner Dave Grubnic. Some drivers in the other classes (Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Bike) also are without rides after failing to secure sponsors, among them, Tommy Johnson Jr. and his wife, Melanie Troxel, in Funny Car. The couple made headlines after racing head-to-head for the first time at last year's Gatornationals.
      "It's a scary thing to think about what's happened to our sport," Sampey said. "It's not the sport of NHRA, it's the economy. It's affecting everybody. "Some fans think that if you're on television, you're rich. They put us on a pedestal. But we're no different than anybody else. It's scary. Every day I'm thinking about what I can do to pay my house note for next month. We're like anyone else who loses their job." Sampey said she and some of the other out-of-work drivers will be at Gainesville Raceway this weekend to do some networking that hopefully might lead to future employment. "I'm hoping to see some of the other drivers and see how they're doing," Sampey said. "It's good for people in the same state to get together. Hopefully, everyone is doing something on the side and doing OK financially. "It will be tough (being a spectator). I'll do my best to have a smile on my face." #SNIP# - Credit GatorSports

(1) 06.21.06: Angelle Sampey No Fan of Danica Patrick
      Please forgive Angelle Sampey if she’s not caught up in the Danica Patrick fanfare. One of her crew members made mention of how much he liked the IRL driver and almost immediately Angelle expressed her dislike of the way the media plays up her gender more than her being a racer. Leave it to a crew member with too much time on his hands to exploit the situation. “There she is in my leathers,” Sampey said, when showing a picture of the good-natured fun with a Danica life size cut-out. “Here’s a picture of her posted in my locker and it says this is my locker now, get your s*** out biatch." “Here’s another picture of her holding a bottle of Cajun whoop ass.”
      The crew member, who shall remain anonymous, is infatuated with Danica. A poster, which has since been defaced [allegedly by Sampey], hangs in the trailer. “They know I hate this whole female racer angle,” Sampey said. “I hate being asked about it and I hate being referred to as a female racer. It’s on my website but not by my doing. I don’t like the whole topic. I like to be noticed for the attributes of my team and not my gender.” Sampey says she made comments in the shop and that set it all off. Angelle’s leathers on the cut-out started it all. The crew even set up a camera for Sampey reaction. It wasn’t pretty. “I went in the restroom and there was a life-sized picture of Danica from the neck up taped to the toilet seat. I had chewed up some M&Ms and smeared them on her mouth. That ended it all.” At least that’s what Sampey thought. Her NHRA POWERade sign outside of her pit area was replaced with Danica’s likeness from the chest up. - Credit CP

I think a veteran racing friend said it best. "Danica couldn't carry Angelle's bra". From AS's lips… "I will be racing". - fla

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[SouthTexas]

"Danica couldn't carry Angelle's bra"

I'll second that!

[Vigilantcitizen]

Bump.

[flattorney]

Add to WTH file. You can't make this stuff up. Just wait until those commie bastards in China start running our lives. - fla

NHRA was informed that Budweiser’s owner ABInBev decided to terminate its sponsorship relationship in order to redirect dollars to a non-sports-enthusiast audience.

Leuven, Belgium based ABInBev President & CEO Carlos Brito who lives in San Paulo, Brazil

03.12.09: NHRA and Texas's own Kenny Bernstein not Alone. Budweiser Dumps Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Speaking of beer consumption at NHRA events, this is a funny Gatornationals video - Drunk Guys Love. . .

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[SouthTexas]

to redirect dollars to a non-sports-enthusiast audience.

Huh?

Really don't think that many going to the ballet are beer drinkers.

[flattorney]

"The Wrap"



2009 Gatornationals: NHRA Full Throttle Points Standings After Event | Photos Albums: (1) (2) (3) (4)
Videos: ESPN Recap | Event Montage | Top Fuel Finals | PS Jason Line Press Interview
John Force's blast in Round 2 Eliminations that sent Jerry Toliver packing. He lost to Tasca in Round 3.
John knows Bob's father and was very pleased with III's incredible weekend.

2009 Winners (L-R): Funny Car Bob Tasca III, Pro Stock Motorcycle Hector Arana,
Pro Stock Jason Line, and Top Fuel Larry Dixon

The crowd was largest on Saturday for the final two rounds of qualifying. ~ fla
03.19.09 ESPN: Larry Dixon and Al-Anabi Racing break through at Gatornationals
      Many of Larry Dixon's watershed moments in NHRA drag racing have come at historic Gainesville Raceway. Eighteen years ago he attended Frank Hawley's driving school at the Florida track and first climbed into an alcohol dragster. Three years later, in 1994, he got his Top Fuel license there. The national record at the time was 4.74 seconds at a quarter-mile; his license-earning time was 4.76. Call it a preview of a driving career that would see Dixon go on to score four national wins in a 1995 rookie season, back-to-back series titles in 2002-03 and 43 total wins over 14 years in Don Prudhomme's dragsters.
      This season, Dixon is not with Don Prudhomme Snake Racing but instead is piloting the flagship ride for Alan Johnson's new Al-Anabi Racing team. Most figured the new group wouldn't take long to start a Wally collection, between eight-time champion Johnson and several crewmen from Tony Schumacher's perennial champ team, and sure enough the first win came in the third event of the Full Throttle season -- at Gainesville and the 40th annual Gatornationals.
      Dixon was the fastest through two days of qualifying and, on race day, laid down sub-3.9-second passes at 1,000 feet in three of four runs, including the final, to win his fourth Gatornationals title, tying Joe Amato for the most in Top Fuel history. "To have won four times at this place, at a place that I grew up wanting to compete at, let alone be able to win at, I'm as honored to win at this facility as I am being with this team," Dixon said.
      Al-Anabi Racing didn't have a shop four months ago, but quickly put together cars for Dixon and Funny Car driver Del Worsham (coincidentally, the driver who signed Dixon's Top Fuel license 15 years ago). The dragster failed to qualify at the season opener at Pomona, Calif., although the rain-shortened event allowed for only one qualifying pass, hardly enough to judge any team. The second race date, at Phoenix, was a better sign of what was developing between Dixon, crew chief Jason McCulloch and the team, as Dixon qualified No. 1 and advanced to the semifinals before a $50 cable broke and kept the team from challenging for a spot in the final round.
      At Gainesville, it all came together. With another top qualifying spot and no bad luck in eliminations, the ballyhooed new bunch got its win. "It's obviously just a wonderful experience for us, starting this as late in the year as we did and having this group of the guys do all they did over the winter -- it's a tribute to how well these guys have worked together," Johnson said. It's not as easy as it would appear, Dixon said, putting together a virtual all-star team with plenty of funding and just expecting the wins to be automatic. "It's hard to win these races, especially with a brand-new team," said Dixon, now third in TF points. "They can have all the notes they want from last season, but you don't have the same parts that you had last season, you don't have the same blowers, you don't have the same clutch disks. Anyone who runs a fuel car will tell you, each one of those parts has its own personality; you have to learn it and understand it and kind of find its personality. It finally paid off at Gainesville, a place that continues to reward Dixon.

Larry Dixon Wins 44th Career "Wally"


Many drivers had problems with the left lane with many wins coming in the right lane. However, Larry had no problem winning the Wally from the left lane. Note rear tire sidewall wrinkle from the track bite. ~ fla

Sunday evening launch of Space Shuttle Discovery seen from north of Orlando.

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[flattorney]

03.22.09: NHRA Stars Participate in Celebrity Race at Bristol Motor Speedway
      A trio of NHRA racers spent the off weekend racing. Representing three of the pro divisions, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson, and Doug Herbert participated in a celebrity late model charity race on the .533- mile Bristol Motor Speedway during the track’s NASCAR event weekend. The rules of the race, dubbed the Saturday Night Special, were simple. A celebrity was paired with a former NASCAR Bristol race winner with a $100,000 purse up for grabs. The winning team, that of NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Sterling Marlin, was awarded $25,000 for his favorite charity. The second place finisher, Rusty Wallace, the retired 1989 Cup champion, earned $10,000 for his charity of choice, and every other participating driver earned $5,000 for their designated charity.
      The event kicked off with a 15-lap heat race run by the celebrities in order to set the lineup for the 35-lap race, run by retired NASCAR legends Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson. In addition to some of drag racing’s most notable, the celebrity field was peppered with TV personalities and several athletes and coaches, spanning NCAA, the NFL, and the NBA.
      Capps, a two-time NHRA event winner already this season and the current points leader in Funny Car, was paired with 1982 and 1985 Nationwide Series champion Jack Ingram, racing for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. He was entered in the second heat race and finished third. Former NASCAR crew chief and car owner Andy Petree won under caution after Ray Evernham, four-time champion Jeff Gordon’s former crew chief, spun and wrecked his car on lap 10. Petree was paired with Marlin, giving Marlin the pole for the feature.
      Television analyst and former NBA player Brad Daugherty moved up to second after Evernham wrecked out. Capps finished third and Evernham fourth. "I wish we could have run better," Capps said. "I was just texting my crew chief Ace (Ed McCullough), he asked me what happened. Being in California, these guys spent more time on their cars and testing. Ray (Evernham) was in one of Rusty’s cars. "It’s fun to come out here and see some friends, Mike (Waltrip, fellow NAPA-sponsored driver) and all of the guys."
      Neither Anderson nor Herbert participated in the heat races. During the morning practice session, the two got caught up in a typical Bristol run-in. Known as one of the toughest short tracks on the NASCAR circuit, Bristol has a reputation for multiple melees. Anderson had troubles off of turn 4 and Herbert was in the wrong place at the wrong time, wrecking hard on the front stretch. He climbed from his battered machine unhurt. "Anderson hit the wall right in front of me," Herbert said. "He didn’t hang me out but I was doing everything I could to get away from him and I ended up spinning my car in the process. I owe Greg one." Anderson, who is fourth in the Pro Stock points, was aligned with former champ and current driver of the No. 07 Toyota in the Nationwide Series, David Green. Herbert, who has been absent from the Top Fuel field this season due to sponsorship troubles, was partnered up with 1986 and ’87 Nationwide Series champ Larry Pearson. - Credit: RDRN

# # # # #

03.17.09: NHRA Driver Doug Herbert to Participate in NASCAR Activities at Bristol Motor Speedway
      NHRA Top Fuel Driver Doug Herbert will participate in activities surrounding the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held at Bristol Motor Speedway, March 21-22. Herbert will compete in a celebrity amateur race as part of the Scotts Saturday Night Special Charity Event, and will start his dragster in front of nearly 160,000 spectators during the pre-race ceremonies prior to Sunday's Food City 500. Herbert's Top Fuel Dragster will be on display outside Bristol Motor Speedway throughout the weekend, beginning Friday for Food City Race Night, but will be moved inside the .533-mile oval Sunday morning, when he will start the 8,000-horsepower machine on the track's frontstretch. "Bristol is one of my favorite races," said Herbert, who scored his first Top Fuel victory at Thunder Valley in 1992. "Before they built zMAX Dragway in Charlotte last year, Bristol was my home track. I like going up there so I was excited when they asked me to be at the circle track. When we start the dragster for all the NASCAR fans I'm sure they'll love it!"
      During the Scotts Saturday Night Special Herbert will wheel a late model car in a 15-lap, celebrity amateur race. Each celebrity is paired with a pro driver and the celebrity heats help determine the starting spots of their pro driver teammate, who will then run 35 laps. "Driving in Saturday's UARA event will be really fun," said Herbert. "When we were racing in Bristol last year the Speedway had a NHRA Circle Track Challenge, where a bunch of NHRA drivers raced in street stock cars, and I loved it. My buddy Ray Evernham will be there racing too, maybe he can give me a little expert advice!" Herbert, who is currently working with Evernham to build a land speed car to run at the Bonneville Salt Flats, will be at the dragster display on Saturday, March 21, from 1:30-2:30 p.m., to greet fans and sign autographs. Although the veteran racer is not running the full 2009 NHRA schedule, he plans to compete in the upcoming NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, May 15-17.
      "We're really happy to have Doug back at the round track at Bristol," said Jeff Byrd, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. "He's used to tearing it up at Thunder Valley but last May he got a little taste of the Speedway and we really thought he would enjoy taking part in the celebrity portion of the Saturday Night Special. This is a big event for us and we're excited about him being in the race and also about him bringing his Top Fuel dragster here. He's going to start it up in in front of a packed house on Sunday and believe me, the fans will go crazy."
- Credit: Doug Herbert Racing

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[SouthTexas]

I was working and tried to get finished before the race came on, but missed it.

Hopefully it will show again.

[flattorney]

Speaking of good guy Doug Herbert. . . - fla

On November 12, 1999, at the NHRA Finals, Pomona CA Top Fuel qualifying was halted Friday afternoon by a violent blower explosion that occurred when Doug Herbert left the starting line. His dragster traveled less than the thirty feet when a devastating supercharger blast erupted unlike any witnessed in NHRA history. According to NHRA reporting, fourteen spectators were treated for injuries with ten being transported to area hospitals. The blast was so intense, segments of the supercharger rotor casing landed hundreds of feet outside the race facility. Fans and racers inside the facility were showered with debris that littered the area of the return road from the starting line hundreds of feet forward. Herbert received a headache from the concussion and some black and blue toes where a piece of metal hit his foot.
Articles: 11.13.99: Another Catastrophic Engine Failure | 11.15.99: Pomona Doug Herbert NHRA Finals Review

Notice how high the supercharger "hat" is blown (left of red Pontiac sign at top of bleachers)

Proof that nitromethane has a more energetic high explosive factor than TNT

TAB

[SouthTexas]

He done blowed up real good!

A lot of very lucky people there.