Funny Car: Let the fun begin

Mike Neff will race from the top qualifier position today, but all the talk is about Sunday's matchup between Tony Pedregon and Robert Hight, who put their championship hopes on the line in the first round.

Mike Neff stole the top qualifying position from teammate Ashley Force with a stout 4.07 pass, but the real story Saturday was the positioning for the championship contenders. The highlight features an epic battle between third-place Robert Hight, who qualified ninth with a 4.122, against fourth-place and 2008 class champion Tony Pedregon, who qualified eighth with a 4.122, taking the better start on speed.
To win the championship, Pedregon also needs to win the race and hope brother Cruz Pedregon, who leads the points, loses in a first-round matchup with Jerry Toliver. He also needs second-place Tim Wilkerson to get no further than the second round.
But first he needs to beat Hight.
"I'll take (this position)," Pedregon said. "I never back down from anyone. I like this track. Tell Robert to get in line. I'm not ready to concede my championship. If someone is going to take it away, I hope it's (brother Cruz Pedregon). The others will have to fight for it."
History is in Hight's corner. The John Force Racing driver has won here three out of the past four races, including the season-opening Winternationals this past February, Hight also knows, if he wins the race, the championship is his.
"I'm ready," Hight said. "Tony Pedregon is tough, but we're going after him. This team is in this position because we are good, and we're going to win the championship tomorrow."
The rest of the field stacked up for the contenders, as Cruz Pedregon, who qualified 12th, and Time Wilkerson, who will start 13th, also know the championship is theirs if they win the Auto Club Finals.
Jack Beckman, who qualified 10th, is also still in the running. He gets teammate Gary Scelzi in the first round.
"We just have to get to work," Wilkerson said. "It doesn't matter who we race or what lane we are in, we are not going to worry about it and just see what happens."
Said Cruz Pedregon: "Whoever wins this championship, they've really earned it. If it's not me, I'm going to shake his hand."