Robert Hight is fighting to get back in the title chase.

The upcoming western swing has often been the make or break period of the NHRA season. That will be true for Auto Club Funny Car driver Robert Hight, who will need do well in the three-race stretch, which begins next weekend near Denver and concludes on July 26 in Sonoma.
The stretch is crucial for Hight, who after competing for the Funny Car title the past few seasons is in danger of missing the Countdown to the Championship playoff. He is currently in 12th place and trails Matt Hagan and defending champion Cruz Pedregon, who are tied for the final spot, by 55 points with six races left before the playoff field is set with the top 10 drivers in each pro division.
"We moved up a little," said Hight, who advanced two rounds in last weekend's event in Norwalk, Ohio. "We are three rounds - 55 points - back now. We went down the track five out of six runs. We were real respectable.
"We are in a really good spot. (Crew chief) Jimmy (Prock) has a car that is tuneable. The key for us is to get a good solid run in that first session so we can run later in that second session. It worked that way for us in Norwalk. I miss not being able to walk the track before we run. I told Jimmy that. We were running so early in the sessions I didn't have time to check out the track and clear my head. It was great in Norwalk to be at the back in qualifying with (teammate Mike) Neff. We are both fighting to move up in the points."
My personal view is this team is just too good not to make the top 10, and once they do, could find itself hosting the 'gold' Wally at the end of the season.

Above: Tony Schumacher accepts the glory with Ron Capps and
Jeg Coughlin Jr.. All hit the jackpot in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Who needs Alan Johnson?
Certainly not Tony Schumacher, who is proving his team's success over the last five seasons goes beyond the talents of Top Fuel tuning guru Alan Johnson.
Johnson has left and formed his own team, with two-time champ Larry Dixon has his pilot, and Schumacher's U.S. Army team has hardly missed a beat, winning the past two national events, including the SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Schumacher was in old form, running a series of 3.9 and 3.8 runs to take over the points leading, including a stout 3.87 in a final-round victory over Brandon Bernstein.
"The team won today,"” said Schumacher, who scored his 58th career victory. "“I didn't do it with a great driving job like I did in Houston (last week). What a great tune-up we had. They carried me today. It went right down the track every time. That’'s what a team is all about. It'’s fantastic. That was a big (final) round. (Brandon) is an outstanding driver and they have a great team. You aren't just running an average guy. You've got to go up there and do your job. There are certain rounds that are just huge, and that was one of them.”"
The day was also good for Schumacher's Funny Car teammate Ron Capps, who won his third race of the season by beating another teammate, Matt Hagan, in the nitro coupe final. Jeg Coughlin Jr. was the winner in Pro Stock.
"I was asked several times by the media what was wrong the last two races, and I just never worried,” said Capps, who after scoring wins during the first two races of the season followed with back-to-back first round losses at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. and O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston. "“Ace (crew chief Ed McCulloch) needed to get in his comfort zone. You’ll find a lot of teams seem like they may be struggling here the last couple of races, but with four test days for the whole year, there are a lot of teams, including us, testing stuff that you have to try in qualifying once you get in the show and even race day, believe it or not. So it’s tough to gage how people are really doing. ‘Ace’ was trying things.
"“We have found that just trying to approach the season like a NASCAR team and saying, ‘OK, as long as we’re in the Countdown and in the top 10,’ and try to focus and peak at the right time doesn’'t work. So we stepped it up, and 'Ace' is trying to rip their throats out every single run. You can’'t run these cars anymore and be halfway safe and just look to go down the track. You can’'t do it. You have to step all over these things with the tune-up, and the driver has to be on their game. It is days like this where it’'s fun. It sounds cliché, but we’re just focusing on one round at a time, one race at a time.”"

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Above: Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson tries his hand at bowling

Robert Hight, driver of the AAA Ford Mustang for John Fore Racing, and Del Worsham, who pilots a first-year entry for Al-Anabi Racing, showed their talents are not limited to the dragstrip.
The two proved they are very solid on a different type of lane, pacing the way for NHRA competitors who took part in the USBC Open Bowling Championships at Cashman Center in Las Vegas on Thursday. The event was part of the advanced promotions for this weekend's Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The NHRA Floppers, led by Hight and Worsham, outdistanced the NHRA Holeshots, led by Pro Stock driver Jeg Coughlin Jr., and The NHRA Eliminators, paced by Top Fuel driver Shawn Langdon. The Floppers had a team score of 2,180 compared to 2,154 for the Holeshots with the Eliminators third at 1,972. Langdon led all competitors with a three-game total of 528. Hight was next at 525.
""Bowling is a lot like a race car when you consider you have to make a lot of minor adjustments as you go and the lanes change just like a track will change," said Hight, who posted game scores of 165, 178 and 182 to lead his team. "It was a fun experience. The other NHRA teams were really good too. It went right down to the tenth frame of the last game."

Above: Ron Capps looks for a 3-peat this weekend.

What a difference a year makes?
For Ron Capps a lot.
The Funny Car veteran, who failed to crack the top 10 last season, is now the guy to beat in Funny Car after scoring wins at Pomona and Phoenix. He now comes to South Florida and the Gatornationals, where he's had success in the past.
I like him this weekend, but here's some comments about the Cal native:
"When we won the Gators and went back to back and then won Houston I never would have thought that could have happened," Capps said. "So, anything is possible. What happens when you start running well is it puts pressure on other teams that race against you. And I've been in the other position where guys are hot and when it's your time to race them you definitely know it. So, you approach the race a little bit differently. You know you have to get after it, you know they're going to go down the track.
"I've been on both sides of the fence and I definitely like being on this side. It's great exposure for NAPA because that's what we should have done last year: given them at least a couple of wins. (Capps was winless in 2008, the first year NAPA AUTO PARTS came on board.) We feel like we're making up for lost ground and we are where we should be.
"One thing I've learned having won in Gainesville is that you take nothing for granted, especially the weather. More than likely, the conditions are not going to be mineshaft conditions unless you have a storm come in with cool weather because we're at the part of March where we have some sunshine, some humidity. If you look back at the elapsed times that won rounds when we won those two races there, they weren't stellar. We took what the track would give us and that's what I really love about racing with Ace (crew chief Ed McCullough). He knows when to race the race track and not your opponent."

Tony Schumacher looks to rebound at Phoenix

Here's hoping the sun is out in the Arizona desert this weekend.
I want to do something for this season, and that's for every race come out with who I think we wind up in the winner's circle on Sunday night.
Here's what I think will happen:
TOP FUEL
Larry Dixon - Look for the Al-Anabi team, which didn't qualify during the only time trial at the rain-shortened Winternationals. Give Alan Johnson three, four qualifying runs and he's going to be near the top of the qualifying charts. And on race day, he's nearly unbeatable. No combine that with Dixon's prowess in the race car, and it's a pretty good combination.
Don't forget: Also expect Tony Schumacher to bounce back, and look out for the Budweiser team and Brando Bernstein, who has always fared well in Phoenix since his rookie season.
FUNNY CAR
Del Worsham - The Chino Hills resident, who grew up in Whittier, hasn't exactly performed well in the Arizona Desert, but that was when his former sponsor - Checker Schuks and Kragen - were the race sponsor, so he always felt that pressure to do well. He doesn't need to worry about that now, since he no longer is a driver/owner, just a pilot, so expect the Al-Anabi team to complete the sweep.
Don't forget: Tim Wilkerson missed the cut at the Winternationals, so look for him to bounce back, and I wouldn't be surprised with a Wilk-Worsham final.
PRO STOCK
Kurt Johnson - KJ got hurt by the cold track at Pomona. That won't happen this weekend, and he's always done well at Firebird. Expect more of the same this weekend.
Don't forget: Greg Anderson did everything at the Winternationals, but win. I'm sure he'll come back firing at Phoenix. I just like KJ.

Did Matt Kenseth really win the Daytona 500, or the Daytona 380?

As I was watching Matt Kenseth accepting the congratulations for winning the Daytona 380, I began wondering, 'Does the guy really want to win that way? Why can't they just comeback and complete the race Monday?'
You can bash the NHRA all you want for some of their decisions, but at least the winner in Top Fuel, Funny Car or Pro Stock still has to win four rounds to wind up in the victory circle, no matter how many days it takes. Can you imagine if the NHRA awarded a Wally after the semifinals, and said, 'Schumacher gets it based on his e.t. advantage in the semifinals.'
Just a thought.

No sports team or competitor has ever won as many consecutive titles at NHRA icon John Force, left, seen here in Pomona with son-in-law and teammate Robert Hight.

I was watching the pre-race show of Sunday's Daytona 500 and Mike Joy was talking about Jimmie Johnson's quest to win a fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Series Cup, saying that no NFL team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls. He was throwing other comparisons from other sports, but never mentioned NHRA John Force. I guess he forgot that Force won 10 consecutive Funny Car titles between 1993-2002.
Remember him, Mike?

Here we go for Pro Stock elite 8. First up is Jeg Coughlin against Allen Johnson. I like Jeggie. Wow!!!!! Allen Johnson just drove his Dodge to the second-quickest run in history, going 6.549 and Jeg loses, despite running a 6.58...Jason Line takes away some of the luster from Johnson, besting him with 6.549 at 210.90 mph to easily beat Johnny Gray...Now it's Mike Edwards against Jim Yates. I have a feeling neither of these two will get to 6.54, but it should be good. Edwards gets by as Yates gets loose late. Edwards takes it with a 6.67...Now Greg Anderson is up against Vieri Gaines, and the question is not who will win, but how quick Anderson can go. And Anderson does it, making the quickest run in history, with a 6.52, and it should be a national record, backed up by his 6.56 run earlier.
Well, that's it for me today. I have som local events to cover, and will update with the finals and race winners a little later.

Now it's time for the floppers, and our first pair is a battle of the little guys...and Jim Head marches on through with a solid 4.10, while Densham smokes them on the hit...Now it's the big-guys turn, as Robert Hight squares off against Ron Capps in a Don Schumacher entry...Hight gets the advantage, but Capps trucks on by for the win and covers the 1,000-foot course in 4.05.
What a difference for Capps, who didn't get his first round win until Las Vegas last year, and now opens the season 3-0. I like him to make it 4-0 next round, but he'll have be at his best to beat Head, who has been steady in the first two rounds today, after catching a break against Tony Pedregon in his first-round victory on Sunday.

Here we go for the Top Fuel final four. First up is Brandon Bernstein and Antron Brown. I like Bernstein. Oh well, Bersntein is up in smoke by the 60-foot mark, while Brown marches down to one of the quickest passes of the week with a stout 4.77...Now it's Doug Kalitta, with his unsponsored dragster against Morgan Lucas, who hasn't made a final since 2005. Lucas' wait continues as he shakes on the hit and Kalitta goes right down the middle and wins it with a 3.82.

Last season, Tony Schumacher had the season to remember, winning 15 events and advancing to the finals 18 times. He
What a difference a year makes.
Schumacher, with former crew chief Alan Johnson off to form his own team, suffered his earliest exit in nearly a year when he lost to Brandon Bernstein in the second round today. Schumacher won or advanced to the finals at 11 of the final 12 events. He also advanced to the semifinals at the season-ending Auto Club Finals. The last time he failed to advance to the semifinals was in July, losing in the first round at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol., Tenn.
""We were side-by-side pretty much the whole way down the track," said Schumacher, whose time of 3.86 was nipped by Bernstein's 3.83. "Despite the loss, I'm proud of the way we performed today. We have no reason to be down at all."

First up, we have have Larry Morgan - no, not the one who works for the Tribune - against my old golfing partner (we were grouped in a pre-race tournament once) - Jeg Coughlin Jr. Morgan goes red, and Jeggie gets a little sideways, but he shuts it down and coasts to the win in 10.09...Next up is two champions - JIm Yates against Warren Johnson. Johnson leaves first, but he slides a bit down track, and Yates takes the win with a 6.60...Mike Edwards faces Greg Stanfield, and Edwards just trucks on down with a stout 6.59...Next up is former NBA player Tom Hammonds against Allen Johnson, a championship contender. Wow, both cars shake, rattle, but no roll, and the other AJ back pedals and wins with an 8.67. Hammons comes in at 8.92...This next one will go down to the Line - Jason Line, who runs a 6.67 to beat Ricky Jones...Why race the next pair, which pits juggernaut Greg Anderson against Ron Krisher...and Anderson shows why, running a stout 6.56 to advance to the next round.

Now it's time for the nitro coupes, and we start off with Ashley Force Hood against cagy veteran Jim Head...Head gets a huge jump at the start, and holds off Ashley, beating the second-generation Force despite running a slower 4.09 to Force Hood's 4.05. Head came close to the right retaining wall, but he stayed off it for the win...Next up AJR entry Del Worsham against vet Gary Densham. Densham does his burnout, but Worsham is having problems. His car won't wire as Densham is ready to stage. They finally get the Worsham's machine started, but he only has time for a quick, old-time snort...The battle of the 'Shams' is won by Densham, who runs a 4.12, easily beating Worsham's 4.27...Next up is a big-time battle between Jack Beckman and Force entry Robert Hight...and Beckman had too much coffee this morning, he goes red, giving the win to Hight, who advances with a steady 4.09....we're hearing now that Worsham's problem was crossed plug wires. I wonder if some crew member just lost his job...Well, back to racing and the final pair is Bob Tasca against Ron Capps. The pick has to be Capps, but never count out Tasca...It's Capps, who runs a good 4.08, while Tasca appeared to drop a cylinder on the hit and was down on power most of the way down, finishing with a 4.25...The semifinals will feature the big guys - Capps vs. Hight - and the little guys - Head vs. Densham.

It's 11:33 and we're ready to go...it's a single for Antron Brown, as Mike Strasburg has returned to Utah. Brown hits the throttle, shakes and coasts to the finish line in 15.89...Now we have a good one as La Habra's Cory McClenathan takes on Doug Kalitta. It's a pretty good drag race with Kalitta getting there first with solid 3.82. I can't say I'm surprised. Kalitta is running a limited schedule, but he uncle Connie Kalitta still has a full-time tune-up and he showed to best Cory Mac's 3.88. I don't know about you guys, I still can't get a hold of these e.t. numbers. It's going to take a bit running to 1,000 feet...Anyways, its time for the next pair with Morgan Lucas against Steve Chrisman. This is Chrisman's first trip to the quarterfinals. Lucas is looking for a solid starlimbt to the season. I'll take Lucas...Morgan has a nice 3.88 as Chrisman drops a cylinder on the launch and slows to a 5.15...Next up is a monster matchup as the Big Red with the Bud Prince - Brandon Bernstein, against the Sarge - six-time champion Tony Schumacher. Both have new crew chiefs. i think I will go out on the limb here and pick Schu...Wow!! It's the Bud Prince, who runs a solid 3.83, beating Schumacher's 3.86.. The semifinals will be Brown vs. Bernstein and Kalitta vs. Lucas, in a battle of yellow cars. Bring on the Funny Cars.