John Force won't be racing Sunday.

The final day of qualifying for the U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis certainly seemed like a Black Sunday.
I've covered NHRA drag racing since 1993 and can't remember a year where so many big names missed the field for the sport's biggest race.
The list is topped by NHRA icon John Force, who missed "The Big Go" for the second consecutive season. He is joined in the Funny Car ranks by four-time champion Gary Scelzi, who also failed to advance to the NHRA "playoffs," and Tommy Johnson Jr., whose first season with Kenny Bernstein's Monster Energy team has been a constant struggle, although they accounted for themselves pretty well on Sunday, making a solid 4.211 on a slippery race track during the final qualifying session. It was one of the better runs of the final session.
Morgan Lucas also saw his chances at making the Countdown to the Championship go up in smoke when he hazed the tires in his final qualifying attempt. HIs disappointment is elation for Doug Kalitta and David Grubnic, who both clinched their spots. The 20 positions for Top Fuel and Funny Car are all now filled.
I wonder what Monday will bring us, but for me expect Tony Schumacher, who struggled during the first two days of qualifying before recapturing the magic Sunday, to win in Top Fuel, with Tony Pedregon completing a Pedregon Racing double by winning in Funny Car, joining brother Cruz, who won Sunday's U.S. Smokeless Showdown, and I'll take Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock. I also see Matt Smith winning Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Alan Johnson, left, will leave the U.S. Army team to form his own team next season.

Alan Johnson, who has won more Top Fuel titles than any other crew chief, officially dropped the hammer on arguably the most dominant team in drag racing today.
Johnson, who helped Tony Schumacher win the past four Top Fuel championships and the reason Schumacher is cruising to a fifth this season with 10 wins through the first 17 events, announced today he will leave the U.S. Army team to form a two-car team with Qatar-based Al-Anabi Racing, beginning next season. The team will field a Top Fuel dragster and a Funny Car coupe.
Johnson hinted two years ago that if a deal to form his own way, he would strongly consider it. That time came today.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Alan Johnson Racing," Johnson said. "We look forward to our relationship with Al-Anabi Racing and the people of Qatar. It's widely known that my goal for quite some time now has been to become a team owner again, and this is my best opportunity to achieve that goal.
"I have enjoyed a wonderful experience with the U.S. Army race team. I wouldn't change the past five years for anything. My focus for the remainder of the season will be to put forth my best effort to win the fifth consecutive championship for the U.S. Army, Tony Schumacher, and (Don Schumacher Racing)."
This will be a major hit for Schumacher. At best, this drops the U.S. Army team to the rest of the field, and if you look at the pre-Johnson era for this team, even further down the ladder as it struggled before Johnson came aboard midway through the 2003 season.
Johnson? Don't be surprised if his team wins the title next season. But that also depends on who he brings in to pilot this new ride.

Will Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army dragster ever lose again?

This is either going to be the most dominant season in the history of NHRA drag racing, or the sports' cruelest hoax.
Tony Schumacher, who's already had incredible run winning the past four Top Fuel titles, has been unbelievable this season, winning an astonishing 10 of the first 17 events, including equally a class record by scoring wins in the past five national events. The team leads the Top Fuel standings by more than 500 points, and no one would be surprised if the team closed the season by winning the final six events. Of course, imagine the irony if Schumacher won 10 of the 18 "regular season" events, then fell on his face during the five-event playoff. Wouldn't that be the ultimate hoax?
But don't count on it.
The key to figure Schumacher's success? Look no further than crew chief Alan Johnson. It's no coincidence that the U.S. Army team has been unbeatable since NHRA reduced the drag-strip course for Top Fuel and Funny Cars to 1,000 feet.
The length is perfect for the A.J. setup, which has always been the best in the sport to 60 feet. Now with only 1,000 feet of drag strip, competitors don't have much asphalt to track the U.S. Army dragster down.
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Schumacher wins out the rest of the season, and scores 16 wins this season, obliterating John Force's pro record of 13 wins, which he achieved in 1996.
There appears to be no stopping this army.

Will fans still get to see Big Red on the NHRA tour?

Budweiser and Kenny Bernstein Racing have been synonymous with NHRA Drag Racing for nearly 30 years. But now that lies in question following this week's announcement of Anheuser-Busch's $52 billion dollar sale to InBev SA.
Some believe that the Belgium-based company may trim several of A-B's sports sponsorships, including Bud King Racing.
There's nervousness out there, and it's palpable," said Eric Shepard, executive editor of the trade magazine, Beer Marketer's Insights.
The big question, by most, is not if InBev will trim it's marketing budget, but by how much.
But others say it's still too soon to tell.
InBev CEO Carlos Brito even praised A-B for its marketing expertises. But the question lies is he willing to back up that praise with his pocketbook.
"What we see in Anheuser-Busch is its marketing expertise, and that's one of the pillars of why they built such great brands," Brito said.
Time will eventually give us the answers. Let's hope it includes Big Red.

Tony Schumacher drives to another victory as his crew watches from the starting line.

The switch to a 1,000-foot drag strip didn't seem to bother Tony Schumacher or Tim Wilkerson.
The duo, who lead their respective classes in Top Fuel and Funny Car, continued their winning ways this past weekend at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver.
Schumacher, who has dominated Top Fuel the past four seasons, scored his sixth win of the season to extend his lead in the class to 275 points over second-place Antron Brown, who he beat in the final.
""It doesn't matter if it's 1,000 feet, it's still a great race," Schumacher said."You are clicking off only four-tenths of a second earlier, that's the only difference. The car went right down the track every single time. I couldn't have asked for a better race car. It was flawless."
Wilkerson's wasn't bad either. He continued to be the car to beat among the flopper contingent, winning his fourth of the season and his second in the past three races. He leads second-place Robert Hight by 215 points.
"The 1,000-foot deal, I don't know what the fans think about it, but it looked pretty good to me from where I was at," said Wilkerson, who beat Jack Beckman in the final Sunday. "It was pretty good racing the entire weekend, and I want to applaud the NHRA for that.
"We were a little nervous coming into Denver, but we can't get too worked up about it. We just go with what we have. Hopefully, this is a good start for us on the Western Swing. We're excited about going the rest of the way and running (to) 1,000-foot for the next few races."

Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon will be racing on a shorter drag strip beginning this weekend's NHRA event near Denver, Colo.

Was it an April Fools' joke?
It sure sounded like one when the NHRA announced a radical change for Top Fuel and Funny racing, reducing the length of a competition lap from the traditional quartermile or 1,320 feet to 1,000 feet.
But this was no joke. It's the NHRA's initial reaction to the horrific crash that resulted in the death of veteran Scott Kalitta.
NHRA says the reduction in track length is an interim step as it continues to investigate and decide whether and what changes may be made down the line in the eye of safety.
My initial reaction, is that it will not really solve the problem.
Crew chiefs try to make maxium horsepower through the entire quartermile, and if they miss, they miss short, resulting in engine explosions between the 1,000-foot mark and the finish line.
They will now try to make even more horsepower through 1,000-foot finish line, lowering the window for engine failures to the 800-foot mark. But the engines will still explode.
This will provide a much longer shut-down area, but I'm not sure that would have saved Kalitta's life. It looked like on the video that he never slowed down, and perhaps was unconscious following the explosion.
Some will argue that this decision is too radical for an in-season change. I will say, though, that if it saves lives, go for it. But I'm not sure they are addressing the right issue.
I just happen to like the other ideas, including one that will feature an automatic parachute release.

A memorial service for Scott Kalitta, NHRA's Top Fuel champion in 1994-95 who died from injuries suffered in a qualifying crash at last weekend's SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., will be Thursday at Ernsthausen Performing Arts Center in Norwalk, Ohio.
The Kalitta family has asked in lieu of flowers, fans contribute to two charities Scott Kalitta was very supportive of - Saint Stephen's Episcopal School and B.R.A.K.E.S., an organization that teaches youth about safe driving and acting responsible.
Donations for St. Stephen's Episcopal can be sent to the development office
at 315 41st Street West Bradenton, FL 34209. Donations to B.R.A.K.E.S can be sent in care of Doug Herbert Performance Parts at 1443 E. Gaston St. Lincolnton, NC 28092.
Team Kalitta also announced that team drivers Doug Kalitta, Hillary Will and David Grubnic will compete at this weekend's national event in Norwalk. The team also released plans for a memorial decal and t-shirt, which will be made available on the team's website . The items will also be available at national events, although the t-shirt might not be available at this weekend's event. The logo is at the top of this post.

Veteran racer Scott Kalitta, who died from injuries suffered in a qualifying crash, will be missed.

It's been two days since veteran Scott Kalitta lost his life doing what he loved to do - driving a nitromethane-powered racing machine down the quartermile. But the shock and pain hasn't subsided much.
Most of the drag racing message boards have begun to ask questions of why this happened, and what can do to prevent it.
Of course, we all want that. But my suggestion would be to give it time. NHRA will figure something out. They've always had in the past
So my reflections are just to remember Scott Kalitta for what he was - a racer. And he was a good one, winning back-to-back Top Fuel titles in 1994 and '95.
I wasn't as close to Scott as some of the other drivers on the circuit. I had only talked to him a handful of times over the years. But the shock and pain is still there.
I've always told myself what separates racers from baseball, basketball or football players is that the former put their life at stake whenever they compete. In a blink of an eye, they could be gone. You say that, but you don't ever believe its going to happen and when it does...well, you're shocked; you're in disbelief, especially when it happens to a racer who was as talented as Scott.
My best memory of Scott was at the World Finals in 1994 when I was in my second year covering NHRA drag racing. I still had the cub reporter mentality; wondering that I was kind of out of my league covering these guys.
He quickly let me feel at ease, treating this 'cub reporter' as if I were Shav Glick, the famed motor sports guru of the L.A. Times, or Louis Brewster, my well-respected writer from our sister paper, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
He answered all my questions and I left thinking this was guy who had passion for what he did. My thoughts on that would be what Tony Pedregon said Sunday:
"We're a lot like Scott, in that we were born and raised in this sport," Pedregon said. "There was something that really drew us and lured us. I think there is a lot of parallel in our up bringing. It was something that our fathers did, and it was instilled in us at a young age.
"This is what we wanted to do. I had all the respect for Scott. When I see him, I saw a champion."

Southern California native Larry Dixon is a good bet to be in the winner's circle as the Powerade Series Tour visits Englishtown, N.J. for the SuperNationals this weekend.


Welcome to another version of who will win in the NHRA.

This weekend the Powerade Series tour visits Old Bridge Township Raceway in Englishtown, N.J. for the SuperNationals, and here is who we like in the pro classes:

Top Fuel - Who else but Larry Dixon, who has advanced to the past six finals at this race track, winning three.

Funny Car - Del Worsham. It's been an inconsistent season for the Chino Hills driver, but I like his chances this weekend.

Pro Stock - Englishtown has also been good for Greg Anderson, so I will go with the three-time champ.

Now it's your turn.

Jimmy Walsh is no longer the crew chief of the Montser Energy Funny Car for Kenny Bernstein Racing.
Walsh, unable to give driver Tommy Johnson Jr. a competitive entry, resigned Tuesday, ending speculation that he would be fired. Veteran Rick Cassel will take over the tuning duties, beginning with this weekend's event in Englishtown, N.J.
But his reasoning, as stated by team owner Kenny Bersntein, is not exactly believable.
"Jimmy Walsh has resigned from the Monster Energy Funny Car team to spend some time with his family," Bernstein said. "We all love Jimmy and wish him the very best."
While that sounds sweet and nice, I just don't believe it.
It's funny how Walsh, who tuned J.R. Todd to three victories and an eighth-place finish in 2006 before moving to the Bernstein camp last year, didn't make this commitment to his family during the off-season when he had more time to reflect and decide that the NHRA's traveling circuit was something he needed to step away from.
No, he only makes this commitment after the Monster Energy team fails to qualify during six of the first 10 races of the season and slumps to 19th in points.
As Kevin Costner said in the 1990s feature film "JFK" while portraying Jim Garrison, "I just find your story not believable."
I guess if high school, college and pro football coaches can use that excuse, why can't motor sports competitors?
Don't be surprised if Walsh finds his way into another team's camp, perhaps by next weekend's national even in Norwalk, Ohio.

Will we see racing like this in August?

Got Nitro?
That apparently is what NHRA teams may be asking later this summer.
If published reports are accurate, NHRA may face a nitromethane shortage due to the XXIX Olympics in Beijing, China. China is the lead importer for the fuel, and there will be no deliveries during the Games, scheduled Aug. 8-24, thus creating the shortage.
NHRA is already preparing for a possible shortage, asking for a limit on Monday testing after national events and for the fuel teams to warm up their engines with alcohol fuel.
This should be interesting as the series schedule calls for three events during the month, including the U.S. Nationals near Indianapolis.
Stay tuned

U.S. Army looking to be strong this weekend in Chicago

It's on to Chicago.
The NHRA POWERade Series tour, after a weekend in Topeka, heads to one of the top tracks on the circuit - Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.
The track usually features some of the top times and speeds on the circuit, but conditions will tell the story this weekend.
Here's who I like to wind up kissing a Wally on Sunday afternoon:
Top Fuel - Tony Schumacher...look for the U.S. Army team to come through in Schu's home town.
Funny Car - Tony Pedregon...he's run well in Chicago before, and he usually follows a first-round loss with a solid performance at the next race. I say he does it again.

Pro Stock - Jeg Coughlin Jr. ...Jeggie hasn't done much since winning at the Gators and a runnerup at Pomona, but it's time for the yellow and black to go the distance on Sunday.

Now it's your turn to pick the winners?

John Force showed last weekend that he still has what it takes to win.

I was like most, who believed after experiencing a horrific crash in Dallas late late season that NHRA icon John Force should finally heed the warning and hang up his helmet and funny car boots.
I even remember discussing the subject with a few of my fellow motorsports writers, and we all agreed that John should retire and let the younger set do the driving, and in this case - Phil Burkart Jr.
But Force has made his living proving us wrong, and this past Sunday he proved it again, coming back from a career low to winning. He admitted this week that even he was beginning to have some doubt.
"I've had a lot of wins," Force said via teleconference earlier this week. "Your first win is always your best. I said in Atlanta that seeing my daughter (Ashley) win was the biggest in my career because it was my child. I made the statement at Topeka (last weekend) - because the media kept asking, 'Is this your biggest win?' It's my biggest win for me personally because I bounced back from the crash and I didn't know if I could win again. I believed it, but (the car just wasn't showing it, and), the driver is part of the car. We just couldn't get that magic to win a race. It was just on my list that I can stay in the business of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing and I can do what I love to do. Being an owner doesn't excite me. Driving excites me."
Don't worry John, we'll never doubt you again. May the Force be with us all.

It must be the year of the woman in NHRA drag racing.
Hillary Will became the latest female racer to breakthough in 2008, She defeated Larry Dixon in the final round and won Sunday's Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan.
She became just the eight woman to win the NHRA's elite category and joined Ashley Force and Melanie Troxel, who both scored historic victories in Funny Car earlier this season.
"Words can't describe how I feel right now," said Will, a 28-year old California native. "I have dreamed of this day for so long, and it's finally here. My KB racing, LLC team is awesome. They've given me such a great race car all year long, and I can't thank them and my team owners Ken Black and Kenny Black enough for everything that they have done for me and this wonderful opportunity.
"We knew we had everything to win, and (Sunday) everything went our way. Thank you to all of our sponsors and everyone who has supported us and stuck with us. Now that we have gotten a win, I'm sure it's just going to make us hungrier for more.
"This is definitely the year of the woman racer. It's an honor for me to be mentioned with all of the great women who have raced and won."