The Little Ol' FR 2009 NHRA Drag Racing Thread

Outstanding news. . . . . ~ fla

05.13.09: Doug Herbert will make 2009 debut this weekend in Bristol

Popular Top Fuel driver Doug Herbert will make his 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series debut this week at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, thanks to the support of zMax and Food City. Herbert, who has experienced a great deal of success at Thunder Valley – he won there from 1992 to 1997 when Bristol Dragway hosted an IHRA event and ran the track's first four-second and 300-mph passes – has been sidelined this season after losing his primary sponsor during the off-season but put together a last-minute deal to compete at this event.

"I had my car at Bristol's circle-track race [the NASCAR Food City 500 in late March] and fired up my car for the fans with my buddy Michael Waltrip in the cockpit, and everyone got pretty excited about it. When the zMax and Food City people heard that I wasn't going to be able to run the NHRA race, they decided they wanted to help me make it to the event. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to run at Bristol again; I love that track."

Herbert's teen safe-driving program, BRAKES, also will be bannered on the car, which Herbert and Scott Gaddy will tune. Herbert will call on the team he has assembled to build his land-speed car to work on the dragster and plans to recruit other help on site as needed. "I have some deals cooking, including one that I hope will come together for later this year or next year," said Herbert. "I do already have a deal worked out for Charlotte [Sept. 17-20], and it looks like I'll also have something together for Memphis and Richmond. We're looking forward to getting back out there full time to represent a sponsor and to get the word out about BRAKES, but I'm thankful to zMax and to Food City to have this opportunity to run in Bristol this weekend."

Herbert last competed at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals last November but did run the car during a PINKS show at zMax Dragway, where he recorded an early-shutoff 3.98 on a track that hadn't been specially prepped for fuel cars.

05.13.09: It was bothering me what Gateway International Raceway, St. Louis, stated they did with the recently finished major overhaul of their shut-down emergency gravel trap area. One, the first of two catch nets they placed at the 25-foot mark of the gravel trap, instead of the end of the trap as is normally done. Two, after the second catch net at the end of the trap, they built a 90-foot wide, four-foot tall concrete wall with a 12-foot wire-supported chain link fence built on top of it. This sounded crazy since a wall at the end of the gravel trap is what killed Scott Kalitta last year at Englishtown. Unlike Englishtown, at GIR in front of the concrete wall, are rows of safety barrels filled with sand. However, the gel barrels available are 100% superior to sand.
I figured that like Englishtown, GIR ran out of land and had to stop the cars no matter what. Even though the gravel trap length was increased to 165 feet this is still inadequate. I also remembered, like Englishtown, that GIR had trees at the end of their dragstrip. FYI, I have never attended an event at GIR. I was going to look at a GIR aerial photo to understand this situation better. However, during the Midwest Nationals there were two major and one moderate top-end Pro Modified crashes. All three drivers sustained no serious injures. So it's a two-for-one deal. Wild crash photos which includes the end of the track emergency shut-down area. First photos are of the new gravel trap area and wall. The front catch net is not installed. The bottom-line is, that despite the modifications, GIR should not be allowed to host quarter-mile NHRA nitro racing in the future. # SNIP # ~ FlA

But there is much more to the GIR Pro Mods crashes story. . . .

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(Continued)

There was a fourth Pro Modified crash that the NHRA media missed. On Monday, May 4, at Gateway International Raceway, NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car driver Melanie Troxel was attempting to earn her Pro Mod license driving Raymond Commisso’s Firebird. The car is owned by Melanie's 2008 Funny Car team owner Roger Burgess of R2B2 Racing who parked the FC team due to lack of 2009 sponsorship. This season Roger is running two Pro Mod cars. On Melanie's third pass she crashed flipping the car on its roof - * VIDEO *. She was uninjured but learned the hard way how volatile and highly unstable these 2,000+ horsepower cars are.

The Monday after the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol there was an NHRA approved testing day. Melaine was at the track with team owner Roger Burgess and Raymond Commisso’s fully repaired Pro Modified car in order to make more runs to earn her Pro Mod license(see below track photo). In 2008, she won the NHRA Funny Car "Wally" at Bristol becoming the first woman to win events in both NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car. According to track reports, Melaine made four runs of various length (mostly 330 feet), but no full quarter-mile passes. I don't know what the exact requirements are to earn a Pro Mod license. But if she is successful, Melanie plans to debut at the NHRA SuperNationals, Englishtown.

However, there is a major problem. I, and many other NHRA veterans, have very serious problems with Pro Mods and NHRA negligence in managing this drag racing class. While I greatly enjoy blown Pro Mods, and they are very popular with racing fans, the fact is these cars are unsafe and more dangerous than nitro/alcohol Funny Cars. Further, most Pro Mod drivers are much less experienced than top nitro/alcohol drivers. Blown Pro Mods have the ability to run the quarter-mile in the mid-high 5 seconds range at 250+ mph. Their chassis specs, and the fact that they are suspended, are inadequate for the 2,000-2,500+ horsepower motors being used. There continues to be a significant number of Pro Mod crashes in both NHRA and the American Drag Racing League(ADRL), which is 660 feet(1/8 mile) candy-ass drag racing. I understand one NHRA PMod driver has been killed at the track and two others seriously injured. Since I don't follow this class there many be others that I have not heard/read about. Further, many top alcohol dragster and funny car drivers/teams are very upset about the current Pro Mods lack of proper regulation.

In short, the only reason NHRA is allowing this situation to continue is they are extremely desperate to sell event tickets, the Al-Anabi racing(TF Larry Dixon, FC Del Worsham) owner, Qatar Shiek Khalid, also owns the top two points leaders Pro Mod cars, and NHRA "brass" are threatened by the success? of the ADRL. However, the crowds at ADRL events only looks successful because their President Kenny Nowling gives away boat loads of free tickets to every event. - American Drag Racing League (FR NHRA #41)

In my opinion, the macro problem is that NHRA "brass" once again appears incompetent to their insurance company. It's the insurance company that is calling the shots regarding the NHRA's returning to quarter-mile(mixed 1,000 ft - 1/4 mile) nitro racing next year, along with the changes required. If another Pro Mod driver is killed/seriously injured this season, and the family sues the NHRA because they have let the Pro Mod class run amok, it will undermine the entire nitro racing efforts. This presumes the insurance company doesn't cancel the NHRA's coverage, which will not be the first company to do so. The thing that really upset me was that after four crashes at Topeka, all NHRA did was have a "friendly talk" with the PMod drivers/owners at Bristol about being safe, and then veteran drag racing school instructor Frank Hawley spent 15 minutes talking with the drivers on the "science of changing their minds on when to lift from an errant race car." It's stuff like this that makes insurers go crazy and plaintiff's attorneys see big dollar signs.

Bristol Original Testing Photo Courtesy: Yonson Racing. Edited/enhanced by FlA & Co.

I remember when this was NHRA's logo and the mission statement in which founder Wally Park built this great sport. Now, NHRA's President Tom Compton's only concern is how much money he can bag from this non-profit organization so he will not be in any financial danger of having to sell his Bentley.

I noticed Tom's major triumph this week was ringing the opening bell at the NYSE. . . BFD. NHRA has a full time marketing weenie and staff, in their California corporate headquarters, from IMG Sports and Entertainment Group that dreams up this garbage. IMG's president was also at the NYSE for the "ringing" of his personal $ pockets. I guarantee that drag racing fans don't give a [beep] about this stuff. And, it proves how out of touch NHRA is with them. ~ fla

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Top Fuel Tom Schumacher, Funny Car Del Worsham, and Pro Stock Mike Edwards
Win NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

Tony Schumacher

In earlier rounds, Schumacher beat Terry Haddock, Morgan Lucas and Brandon Bernstein. With the victory the six-time NHRA Full Throttle Series world champ moved back into the series lead.

"To be back in the points lead is outstanding," said Schumacher, who now leads Antron Brown by 45 points. "We started this year with everyone telling us we'd probably never win another race. To be sitting here now with three wins in the first eight races is very satisfying, I'm not gonna lie. Our team is working so well right now. I don't think there's a guy on this team that would rather be somewhere else. It's a group that wants to get up in the morning and go racing."

In Funny Car, Worsham claimed his second consecutive victory and 24th of his career, powering his Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Solara past Tony Pedregon's special-themed Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy Impala in the final. Worsham posted the quickest run of the weekend in the category to get the win, a 4.075-second blast at 304.67 mph, while Pedregon finished in 4.152 at 293.22.

Del Worsham

"Aaron Brooks and Alan Johnson, that was their win," said Worsham of his crew chief and team owner. "In the semifinals [the engine] blew up on us, it kicked the rods out, and we kind of coasted across with a 4.12. But we went back and put a new engine in it, and when we came to the final Aaron and A.J. told me the run was going to be at least a 4.08. A 4.07 was pretty close." Worsham defeated Jeff Arend, Cruz Pedregon and Tim Wilkerson to advance to the final. "I saw both sides of a team come together today, the Top Fuel and the Funny Car guys, to put this car back together and basically change every part on it for the final round," Worsham said. "That shows you what kind of team this is; they all work together. Aaron Brooks leading this team, it's basically his first full season working as a crew chief and he's really stepped it up. This whole team has, and I just can't say enough about all of them."

Worsham closed the gap with series leader Ron Capps, who lost in the second round. He now trails the NAPA Dodge driver by 57 points.

Mike Edwards

Edwards claimed his second win of the season and 17th of his career in Pro Stock, beating final round opponent Greg Anderson with a track record time of 6.633 at 207.72 in his ART Pontiac GXP. Anderson's Summit Racing GXP trailed Edwards with a performance of 6.658 at 207.94.

"We just ran so good," Edwards said. "Every run it just seemed like we got a little bit better, and I can't believe we ran this good every run. Eight runs, and we were the fastest car every run down the track. I don't know if people really know how hard it is in this class to win one of these races. I respect Greg Anderson and Jason Line, Warren and Kurt Johnson, and everybody. They're the guys you want to try to beat because they've been up there so long. To beat those guys, I just never dreamed I could be this competitive in this class, and to run like this is just an awesome feeling." Edwards, who was the No. 1 qualifier, zoomed past David Beckley in the first round, used a perfect reaction time (.000) to beat Kurt Johnson in the second round and had another stellar reaction of .010 against Jason Line in the semis to move to the final round. "I have a wonderful team," Edwards said. "These guys, they work so hard. We have just tested and tested and tested, and it's paying off for us. My guys just work endless hours. Boy it feels good to do this. I've always wanted to win this race. There is a lot of tradition around here with that big old circle track over there. You get chills just being around here, so this feels good."

Edwards remained in third place in the Pro Stock points order, 102 behind leader Jeg Coughlin and 46 behind second place Line.

Full Throttle Series Final Results: 9th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Top Fuel: Tony Schumacher, 3.857 seconds @ 310.91 mph defeats Doug Kalitta, 3.879 @ 303.43
Funny Car: Del Worsham, 4.075 @ 304.67 defeats Tony Pedregon, 4.152 @ 293.22
Pro Stock: Mike Edwards, 6.633 @ 207.72 defeats Greg Anderson, 6.658 @ 207.94
-- Credits: DRO, Summit FastNews Network, edits/adds FlA & Co.

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John Force Racing's Robert Hight lights it up at the top-end during the first round of qualifying. He was not injured. In Round 1 of Eliminations, against Jack Beckman, John Force loses control of his funny car, shot into "Fast Jack's" lane, and barely missed crashing into him. John straighten out the car and was able to get back into his lane taking out one of the finish line timer cones in the process - Race Video | Video: John post-incident interview | John and Jack discuss the near crash. Jack tells John that he owes him for a new pair of underwear. It was great that Del Worsham bagged his second Wally of the season. Mike Edwards has been very impressive this season while my main man Greg Anderson keeps coming up short for a Wally.

Race event attendance was very poor due to erratic weather/rain and the race being held one week before Memorial Day weekend. Maybe it would have helped it track owner Bruton Smith, Chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., held another swimsuit contest. Probably didn't help Bristol's attendance that, the same weekend, Bruton held the NASCAR All Star race at his track in Charlotte, which is only 200 miles away.

Many teams stayed over Monday because it was an NHRA approved testing day. Bob Tasca III had a bad in-funny car fire but was injured. There are just two testing days left in the season. The NHRA also tested a re-configured nitro motor in order to develop new specs and requirements for the 2010 season. They plan on performing a number of additional tests this season. This, along with other changes and improvements this season, are being done in order to return to quarter-mile nitro racing next season at most tracks. ~ fla

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Video: Dorothy and Toto Land Wrap

Top Fuel Larry Dixon, Funny Car Ron Capps, and Pro Stock Allen Johnson
Win NHRA Summer Nationals

Johnson, Capps, and Dixon

Ron Capps continued his dominance over the Funny Car field with his win at the 21st annual O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

Larry Dixon and Allen Johnson also visited winner's circle after dominating their respective classes at the race that marks the halfway point of the regular season for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing series.

Ron Capps

Capps showed why he's the car to beat this season in Funny Car, driving his NAPA Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.265-second run at 286.07 mph; enough to push the driver past runner-up and No. 1 qualifier Ashley Force Hood and give Capps his third win of the season.

"When they said we won, it was such a great feeling. Ed McCulloch fought the conditions today and all weekend long. We dropped cylinders all weekend, and we got put in that lane that was considered not as good as the left lane, and we won two rounds in that right lane. To have conditions with a 125-degree track temperature and have a two-lane dragstrip with both lanes getting wins was a phenomenal job by Heartland Park Topeka and the NHRA Safety Safari."

The win helped strengthen Capps' lead over second-place Del Worsham in the point standings.

Larry Dixon

Larry Dixon was dominate over the Top Fuel class the entire day and picked up his second win of the season with a 3.971 run at 301.74 in the final round. The run in his Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing dragster was just enough to push Dixon past Clay Millican, who was making his first final round appearance in over five years.

"I've had worse weekends [than Bristol], but it wouldn't be a surprise to anyone to say that I'm not where I want to be driving the car, and I think it peaked out last week," said Dixon. "Alan [Johnson, team owner] took his crew chief hat off and put his coach hat on and worked on me and getting me right. We went and ran the car at Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday after Bristol and just made a whole bunch of runs. That was just nice, hitting the throttle and getting runs. They learned a lot from that test, and I learned a lot from that test. I was very excited and there wasn't anything apprehensive about coming to this event. I just wanted to come here and get the gloves on and get in the game."

The win pushed Dixon from sixth into the fourth spot, just 141 points behind first-place driver and defending world champion Tony Schumacher.

Allen Johnson

In Pro Stock, Allen Johnson grabbed his first win in almost three years, driving his Team Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus to a holeshot win at 6.726 at 204.94 over Mike Edwards.

"I told the media at the end of the track that I felt like we should have won 10 races the last year and a half, and this is the first one," said Johnson. "We've had the car, and I just haven't done my job very good the last year or so. I knew a win would come, but I've been very, very frustrated with myself, to be honest. I hadn't done my job really well for the last year, but I've really been working on it. I feel like I've got my mojo back, and we're going to do well the rest of the year."

The runner-up finish for Edwards closed the gap between he and current points leader and defending world champion Jeg Coughlin to just 75 points.

Full Throttle Series Final Results: 21st annual NHRA Summer Nationals
Top Fuel: Larry Dixon, 3.971 seconds @ 301.74 mph defeats Clay Millican, 4.056 @ 293.41
Funny Car: Ron Capps, 4.265 @ 286.07 defeats Ashley Force Hood, 4.495 @ 238.26
Pro Stock: Allen Johnson, 6.726 @ 204.94 defeats Mike Edwards, 6.718 @ 205.88
-- Credits: DRO, Summit FastNews Network, edits/adds FlA & Co.

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FlA Says: Great Top Fuel win by my main man Larry Dixon, his second this season, and his 45th Wally. And, another great win by my other co-main man (with FC Del Worsham) Ron Capps in Funny Car, his 4th Wally this season. Ron put both John Force(E2) and Ashley(E-Finals) on their trailers. Ashley and John had an outstanding weekend qualifying number 1 & 2. Great drag race between John and Ron with Capps edging out Force by about 2 feet at the finish line.

Photos: (1) PS Allen Johnson, FC Ron Capps, and TF Larry Dixon. (2) NHRA super-legend Ed "The Ace" McCulloch(middle) is a very proud father of his son Jason(left), who is crew chief for Larry Dixon(right). Huge Sunday for Ed with both Larry and Ron winning Wallys. Ace is Capps team co-owner and crew chief. (3) Spiffy event paint job on Capps FC. (4) Paul Page and Mike Dunn in the ESPN broadcast trailer. Paul reminds me of a ol' polled hereford bull and Mike has never figured out how to smile for the camera *lol*. (5) Crew transporter. (6) Hillary Will won the Top Fuel Wally last year at Topeka. I'll have the current situation with Hillary in a mid-regular season NHRA update post.

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Video: Chi-Town Wrap
Top Fuel Spencer Massey; Funny Car Tony Pedregon; Pro Stock Jeg Coughlin
and Pro Stock Motorcycle Matt Guidera Win United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals

Coughlin, Massey, Guidera and Pedregon

Top Fuel rookie driver Spencer Massey raced to his first career victory Sunday at the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago.

Tony Pedregon, Jeg Coughlin and Matt Guidera also were winners in their respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Massey, who drives for NHRA legend Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, just edged category points leader and event No. 1 qualifier Antron Brown at the finish line. Massey's U.S. Smokeless/United Association dragster posted a performance of 3.856 seconds at 308.35 mph to take the win over Brown, whose Matco Tools/DirecTV dragster trailed with a 3.870 at 301.54.

Massey advanced to his second career final with earlier round wins over Troy Buff, Terry Haddock and Larry Dixon.

Spencer Massey

"This whole season has been a dream," said Massey, one of four talented rookies eligible for the coveted 2009 Auto Club Road to the Future Award, which recognizes NHRA's top rookie driver. "I've been watching NHRA racing and wanting to drive a Top Fuel dragster in the NHRA since I was 4 years old and saw my first race. I watched Don Prudhomme win his last Top Fuel race in Dallas in 1994, and now he's high-fiving me in the winner's circle. That's unbelievable."

Pedregon earned his first Funny Car win of the season and moved to second place in the point standings by cruising to the win over Ashley Force Hood, whose Castrol GTX Ford Mustang lost traction at the start in the final round. Pedregon's Q-Horsepower Chevy Impala posted a 4.114 at 303.78 to earn his 41st career victory and second consecutive at this event.

Tony Pedregon

"We had good conditions, and we had tough opponents all day," said Pedregon, who defeated Ron Capps, Robert Hight and brother Cruz Pedregon to advance to the final. "I'm glad we were able to pull it off with Quaker State. (Advancing to the) semifinals and getting to some final rounds, that's good, but it's really all about winning. We feel confident that we're going to make the Countdown, but we gotta keep doing the work to stay there. [This is a] great track, a great facility, and the sun came out, it went away, it rained, you name it and the track hung in there and we were able to execute today."

Coughlin increased his series lead in Pro Stock by claiming his fourth victory of the season and 45th of his career. Coughlin took the automatic win in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt when final round opponent Mike Edwards fouled at the start in his ART/Young Life Pontiac GXP.

Jeg Coughlin

"Mike has been in a zone of his own for the last several races and he's such a good racer that you know you need to get up on the wheel to race him," Coughlin said. "He was clearly quicker than us by at least two-hundredths of a second going into the final so I was really focused on hitting the tree. I went by it and felt like I'd really gotten it and then as I was shifting into second gear I caught the win light flashing in my lane out of my peripheral vision and the party started. If you could have seen inside my helmet you would have seen a grin as big as Texas."

Coughlin outran rookie Ryan Ondrejko, Warren Johnson and Greg Anderson to advance to his sixth final round of the season.

"We've been fortunate to go to a lot of finals and win a lot of rounds this year but we've also had times when we've had to outright abort some runs," Coughlin said. "Our biggest goal for the weekend was to get this JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt to go straight every run and get to the finish line under power. We did that, thanks to the guys in our pit, and this win is really just a result of that effort. It's very satisfying."

Matt Guidera

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Guidera claimed his first victory of the season and fourth overall by outrunning series points leader Eddie Krawiec, winner of the last two events. Guidera's Mohegan Sun/Rocklin Motorsports Buell covered the distance in 7.096 at 181.79, while Krawiec's Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson trailed with a 7.189 at 179.66.

"That was one hell of a final," said Guidera, who beat Craig Treble, Michael Phillips and Steve Johnson in earlier rounds. "I had a great bike all day. It really came around on Saturday. Before that, we were struggling. I don't think I snuck up on anybody this weekend. We just sucked so bad on Friday and it left us in a big hole. On Sunday, I left nothing on the table."

Full Throttle Series Final Results: 12th annual United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals
Top Fuel: Spencer Massey, 3.856 seconds @ 308.35 mph defeats Antron Brown, 3.870 @ 301.54
Funny Car: Tony Pedregon, 4.114 @ 303.78 defeats Ashley Force Hood, 7.780 @ 87.91
Pro Stock: Jeg Coughlin, 6.663 @ 207.30 defeats Mike Edwards, foul-red light
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Guidera, 7.096 @ 181.79 defeats Eddie Krawiec, 7.189 @ 179.66
-- Credits: DRO, Summit FastNews Network, edits/adds FlA & Co.

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FlA's Chi-Town Wrap

Photos: (1) Don Prudhomme Snake Racing's Spencer Massey. (2) Spencer's Top Fuel win takes 10 years off Don Prudhomme's age. (3) John Force has his lil' scooter revved to the max to get Snake to the shutdown area to congratulate Spencer on his 1st Wally of his NHRA rookie season. (4a) Tony Pedregon puts his defending '08 NHRA Funny Car World Champion brother Cruz on the trailer in Round 3 of eliminations, And (4b), then has no trouble pummeling Ashley Force Hood in the Finals. (5) JFR's Mike Neff and John Force causing a track ozone alert. Force took the pedal-fest win.

FlA Says: I raced last weekend, so had not watched the DVRed NHRA event. Monday night when I read that both Spencer Massey and Tony Pedregon won I watch the Finals. I have not seen Snake this excited since his previous driver, Larry Dixon, won the 2002 NHRA Top Fuel World Championship (Larry also repeated in 2003). Great moment and, for me, one of the high points of the season to-date. After Spencer's win, Snake's crew left for the finish line while Don talked with ESPN and other media people. Then John Force gave Don a ride on the back of his motor scooter. It was great/funny watching those two legends going down the return road. Massey is very impressive and Snake knows he has a winner as long as his crew does not struggle with the tune-ups like they have the last several seasons.

FR '09 NHRA: Don Prudhomme Snake Racing (#20)

It was also great to see Tony Pedregon bag his first Wally of the season. It sure was a lot easier than when he won last year, per below. I don't remember if I posted my thoughts about the two-time NHRA Funny Car Champion(2003-2007), but Tony is a great guy, driver, and an asset to NHRA. I hope he has finally found the right combination to keep making final round appearances.

From Tread Post #33: 06.07.08 Route 66 Nationals, Joliet (Chicago), IL: Two-time NHRA world funny car champion Tony Pedregon experienced a second very serious top-end fire during qualifying at the NHRA Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 Nationals. He walked away from the accident and his crew was able to rebuild his car - Video. The next day, Tony won funny car eliminations and hosted the “Wally”– NHRA Results Article. Tony's motor explosion and accident created further controversy because, blinded by the fire and smoke, Tony’s car hit an opening in the track wall due to a gate being opened (or left open from the previous race) by NHRA safety officials. This is not the first time NHRA has left a track retaining wall gate open which compounded a nitro driver's accident. – fla
06.09.08: Tony Pedregon Hit Open Gate In Saturday Crash
07.20.08: More On Pedregon's Gate Incident - “The Dirt”: What really happened. Did NHRA officials lie and cover-up their negligence in leaving the gate open?

From looking at the track data, it is good to see Top Fuel Rod Fuller and J.R. Todd made their 2009 debut at Chicago. Both jockeyed rides in another team's dragsters for media and potential sponsors exposure.

During the weekend, at his hometown track, Chris "The Greek" Karamesines finally admitted he was 80 years young. He has gone out of his way to keep his age a secret over the years. On my Gatornationals tribute post #49 to the Greek I stated "I believe the ageless drag racing marvel is either 80 or 81 years young." I guessed this from an old Don Garlits interview, years back, when he stated his opinion on Greek's age. Here's the active NHRA legendary ol' bulls' ages, to the best of my knowledge:
Chris Karamesines 80
Connie Kalitta 71
Don Prudhomme 68
Ed McCulloch 67
Don Schumacher early-mid 60's ?
John Force 60 (JF sometimes forgets he's the pup of this group)

From time-to-time, Ed "The Ace" McCulloch drivers a nostalgia dragster at one or both of the NHRA Bakerfield's nostalgia meets. I have some great photos of Ace at these meets, with two posted below. I'm not sure how old Don S is. His son Tony Schumacher is 40.

The NHRA needs to have a special seniors nostalgia match race at one of the Bakerfield's Meets, with the above legends and others. They would SRO pack the place if they did this. While nostalgia nitro dragsters and funny cars are much harder to drive, than current nitro cars, they don't go near as fast. NHRA championship drag racing attendance has been declining but nostalgia drag racing attendance has increased significantly over the years. This is why I/us went to the March Meet in Bakersfield this year for the first time. We also will be attending the California Hot Rod Reunion, Bakersfield being held October 16-18, 2009. ~ fla

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One more from my large Ed McCulloch archive. 1973 newpaper clip: Ace with porn star Linda Lovelace. He was probably talking to Linda about the finer aspects of deep staging.

Here's one story from when I saw Ace for the first time - I was 10 years old with my father - during a Funny Cars match racing event between Ace, Snake, and wildman Tom "The Mongoo$e" McEwen. On one of the runs Ace hurt his nitro motor. Back at the pits he was sitting on the back of Goose's truck and was upset. Tom sits down and Ed said his wife is bitching because he's not winning and making any money. Tom gets up, goes over to the side of his trailer, brings back a couple of beers, opens one for Ed, and says "wife's are a lot cheaper to replace than motors, buddy". Ed looks around to see where she was, laughed, and said "you're right". ~ fla

P.S. Poser #56, One helluva post. Thanks ~ fla

Tribute to the legendary Ed "Big Daddy" Roth
March 4, 1932 - April 4, 2001

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After a break in the action, we will be FR covering the 40th annual NHRA SuperNationals at Englishtown, NJ on June 12–14. The SuperNationals is the 5th oldest NHRA event, tied with the Gatornationals. We also previously posted the results of the last three NHRA Full Throttle events at Bristol, Topeka, and Chicago, with related photos, comments, and additional other information. . . and one major rant (Posts #290-298). I will be posting a "Countdown to 10" mid-season update, and selected other catch-up info and rants, after the conclusion of the SuperNationals. This is already shaping up to be one of the strangest NHRA championship drag racing seasons I can remember. But there has been some great racing with many different winners.

I also wanted to post the below special announcement. This is something I do with my daughter when she comes home for the summer to see the ol' man. Hope everyone is doing fantastic and having a great summer start! ~ fla

Mother: . . getting John's autograph
John: Let me hold your baby so you can get a pic
Mom: John she's real picky. Thanks but probably not the best idea
John: Nawww kids love me *grabbing the baby. Baby starts screaming and crying*
Mother: Sorry, maybe she doesn't like the Old Spice cologne you are wearing
John: No way, that ol' sailor smell is great. Sides gotta support our sponsors!
<> Original Photo, FLAC edited: NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, TN ~ fla

* * * SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT * * *

The 4th week of May, the European outdoor rock festivals began and run through the end of June. Many of these massive 3-4 day festivals used to be simulcast live, including the #1 European rock festival(some say #1 in the World) being the Rock Am Ring which is held at the legendary Nürburgring racetrack in Germany. Corporate greed got in the way and the simulcasts went silent in 2008. The Download Festival, previously Monsters of Rock, simulcast for the first time in 2007, sponsored by AT&T. The quality was good and there were a number of outstanding performances (see list of performers). Festival organizers recently announced they will simulcast again this year. You must have a broadband connection with a good computer to watch these simulcasts. In 2007, the simulcast was a Microsoft Windows Media Player streaming format which could not only be watched but also recorded (all simulcast videos are in personal archive, along with many other Euro festivals, '07 Live Earth, and more.). The simulcast format for this year is currently unknown. Additional information will be posted here, on the NHRA thread, as it becomes available. On a side note, the Formula 1 British Grand Prix is moving to Donington Park in 2010. ~ fla

3 Days, 4 Stages, 89 Bands, expected 175,000 party animals
Donington Park - Castle Donington, Leicestershire, UK
Line-Up & Stage Times (BST, +5 ET) | Local Weather | Live Simulcast | Webcam
Top Bill Bands: ZZ Top, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Journey, Whiteshake, Dream Theater,
Tesla, Chris Cornell, Marilyn Manson, and more
05.28.09, Press Release: This year’s Download Festival has just got even bigger, with the announcement that the majority of performances from the Main Stage are to be streamed live throughout the weekend of 12th-14th June. Following on from 2007’s hugely successful live web stream of the festival, including Iron Maiden’s epic main stage performance(1), this free broadcast means a global audience will be able to enjoy a selection of the incredible performances coming live from this year’s Download Main Stage. In addition to the live performances there will also be exclusive behind the scenes news reports coming live from our reporters Rhodri Thomas and Katie P. Highlights will also be broadcast on VH1 Classic and MTV Palladia as well as a special episode of That Metal Show, the rock talk-show hosted by Eddie Trunk with co-hosts Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson.
(1) Velvet Revolver, Megadeth, Mötley Crüe, Evanescence, Dream Theater, Buckcherry, and Stone Sour were also great.

Monday, June 11, 2007: Day after Download Festival conclusion. Main festival grounds
and estimated 25 tons of garbage to clean up. Courtesy: Tom Ballin

2007 Download Festival, Donington Park, England
Tom Ballin's Master List of Available Live Videos Downloads with Photos and Set Lists (Post #272)
Fri-Sun, June 8-10, 2007

FlA Says: Some great live performance videos were posted(all are in personal archive) including from the German Rock Am Ring festivals, which was produced and broadcast by the legendary Rockpalast via WDR TV. RAR '07 Velvet Revolver, Evanescence, and Smashing Pumpkins are outstanding. RAR '05 Billy Idol, with his 80's heyday guitarist Steve Stevens, is incredible. I didn't know Billy was still around. After watching the video I checked out his new '05 Devil's Playground album which is excellent. It's great when the old rockers can still kick the newer bands butts.

TAB

Here's a good article I have in my '09 NHRA To-Post Folder. One of 62 items that have already accumulated this season. ~ fla

"The Snake" was Famous for Lightning Reflexes and Biting Remarks
Las Vegas Review-Journal by Otto Stein
Apr. 17, 2009

"The Snake" hated being second best and wasn't shy about letting people know

They called him "The Snake" because of his cobra-quick reflexes, but it was his will to win that proved to be the biggest factor in Don Prudhomme's remarkable career in drag racing. He simply hated to be second. "I raced for the sheer thrill of driving and winning," he once told a reporter. "I certainly didn't get into drag racing for money because it just wasn't there at the time ... just trophies. That didn't do much for me, but the winning certainly did." When the National Hot Rod Association named him the sport's third greatest driver as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, he was only half joking when he asked for a recount. "A drag racer is never happy if he's not No. 1," Prudhomme said at the time. "I'm not happy with it; you always want to be No. 1."

Happy or not, The Snake has had a remarkable 40-year run in drag racing, ending in 1994, and everyone has recognized his success and longevity as a driver and team owner. It normally takes a lifetime for someone to gain legendary status in his or her chosen field. The Snake, now 68, had already achieved fame and notoriety while barely out of his teens. He had grown up in the San Fernando Valley of California, just north of Los Angeles, where it was cool to have the hottest set of wheels in town. On Saturday night, a bunch of the boys would gather on some straight stretch of blacktop, somewhere off the beaten path, to see who was king of the streets. Then they would spend the next six days working on their cars after school and try again the following weekend.

"The image of drag racing was grease and leather jackets and a package of Pall Malls rolled up in the sleeve of your T-shirt," Prudhomme once told the Indianapolis Star newspaper after leaving the driver's seat for a role as team owner. After testing his fangs racing between orange groves, The Snake was ready to strike. In 1960, he quit his job at a paint shop to work for "TV" Tommy Ivo, who was then already an established drag racer and the sport's first touring professional. Although not keen on his role as a helper with Ivo, Prudhomme stuck it out, determined to learn the finer points of drag racing. By 1962, he served notice that there was a new kid in town. Prudhomme had bought his first dragster from Ivo, replaced the original Buick engine with a supercharged 392-cubic-inch Chrysler V-8 and took on a field of 90 entries in the prestigious Smokers March Meet in Bakersfield, Calif. He won. He was just 20 years old, three years younger than legendary drag-racing great Don Garlits was when he won his first March shootout.

Prudhomme would best Garlits again a few years later, becoming the first drag racer to sweep the NHRA Winternationals and U.S. Nationals, the only two national events at the time. Following the Bakersfield meet, Prudhomme was asked to drive what would become the famed Greer, Black and Prudhomme top-fuel dragster in the highest class in drag racing. The car was so dominant, recording a 230-7 win-loss record between 1963 and 1964, that it usually only made headlines on the rare occasion when it was actually defeated. The dragster consistently ran the quarter mile, the yardstick in drag racing, in the high-seven-second range, and at more than 190 mph. It became the stepping-stone to his renowned ride with Roland Leong and his Hawaiian Punch top-fuel dragster, which The Snake drove to sweep the NHRA's national events in 1965.

By the time he retired from driving at the end of the 1994 season, The Snake had racked up 49 NHRA victories in the Top Fuel dragster (14) and Funny Car closed-body divisions (35). He also became the first driver to record four straight NHRA Winston Funny Car championships (1975-'78) and the first to record a five-second quarter-mile funny car run when he turned a 5.98 at the NHRA World Finals in 1975. He was also the first under 5.20, and piloted the first funny car past the 250-mph mark. While no drag racer has gone undefeated during an NHRA season, Prudhomme came closest in the mid-1970s when he won six of eight national events in 1975 and seven of eight in 1976, driving his nearly unstoppable Army Monza funny cars. Overall, The Snake won 389 of 589 races for a winning percentage of .660.

When he ended his remarkable driving career with his "Final Snake Tour," Prudhomme did so in a cloud of vaporized rubber, winning three NHRA races and finishing second in the points.

TAB

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