Top Fuel notes

The U.S. Army dragster and crew get ready before making their first run of the season.

Fan-favorite David Baca is back on the circuit and gives the crowd something to cheer about, driving to a steady 3.92. "This stuff gets in your blood," Baca said. "It's great to be back. We were hoping for a 3.88, but I can't complain." ...Wow!!!!! Little-known Joe Harley just made the run of the race, dropping the hammer for a 3.748 pass, which is the quickest pass in the sport since the move to 1,000 feet. "That's great," Hartley said. "We were expecting that. We were just trying, this being the first run, to get it down the track. But it's great, it's awesome."....Fan-favorite Melanie Troxel is not racing here this weekend, but she is at the track doing some analysis over the P.A. system. She did enlighten the crowd of her plans this year. "We're not running, unfortunately," Troxel said. "We are trying re-organize this team. We're working on some marketing efforts. It's a tought (economic) climent. We're hoping to be back mid-season. But it might be just a few weeks. You just never know." ... Morgan Lucas, with new sponsor Geico on board, slumps to a 4.54. He shook the tires early, back pedaled and blew the panels off near the finish line. "These one-shot deals are so tough. These types of deals you have to leg it out, no matter what happens." ..Antron Brown, just in his second season in Top Fuel, trumps Hartley, running a stout 3.70. These guys have come to play. "It's just unbelievable," Brown said. "To make a run like that right out of the box, that's what this team needs."...Now comes the matchup everybody's been waiting for - Larry Dixon, with former U.S. Army crew chief Alan Johnson his new team owner, vs. Johnson's former driver, Tony Schumacher. You know what they about being careful what you wish for...Dixon blows the tires off on the hit, and forgetting that this might be the only session, slumps to a 6.32. Schumacher is less than stellar, running a 3.89.