July 2009 Archives

For Antron Brown, the above photo supplied by team spokesman
Ted Yerzyk says it all.

Antron Brown, two years removed from moving from the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks to Top Fuel, has an enjoyed a banner year so far during the 2009 season.
But Sunday might have been his finest moment.
Brown, who has sat atop the Top Fuel points standings most of the season, joined a select group by winning all three races of the Western Swing, capping it with a victory at the Fram Autolite Nationals.
The veteran competitor now holds a 199-point advantage over six-time champion Tony Schumacher with three races to go before the points are reset for NHRA's Countdown to 1 playoff after the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend.
But Sunday, Brown just wanted to soak of the glory of joining Joe Amato (1991), John Force (1994), Cory McClenathan (1997), Larry Dixon (2003), Greg Anderson (2004) and Schumacher (2008) as the only drivers to sweep the Western Swing.
"This just doesn't feel real right now,"said Brown, who scored his fifth event victory of the season, beating McClenathan in the final round with a stout 3.99. "With all the turmoil and changes we had in the off season with Mike Ashley coming in to own our team - Mike is a fantastic team owner - this is unreal. With all the ups-and-downs we went through and with Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, two Funny Car tuners, coming in it's such an awesome feeling.
"Through everything, we just kept our heads down and kept digging and we're where we want to be. We wanted to be competitive and compete for the championship and we've proven we can do that this season. I told Mike (Ashley) before the season that we could win eight races and to do that you've got to win rounds. Our plan, all season long, has been to take things one round at a time and that's what we do here at MAR. This is just awesome."
Other winners Sunday included Tim Wilkerson in Funny Car and Jason Line in Pro Stock.
Wilkerson won his second consecutive final round over Chino Hills' Tony Pedregon, who took over the points lead.
"We had a great car (Sunday)," Wilkerson, said. "Heck, we had a good car in Denver but I made a really bad tuning call in the first round. To win Seattle and then come to the next race and back it up with another win is great. I try to be smart and not have the fastest car out there but to be consistent. I am a little afraid that our car is getting fatigued and I thought about bringing out a new one, but after winning Seattle I decided against it. I'm still thinking about racing last year's car because I think it's a little more forgiving but I can live with it."

Above: Ron Capps became the first Funny Car driver to qualify for the upcoming
NHRA "playoffs."

Funny Car driver Ron Capps, who has come up short in his quest to win his first NHRA championship, officially gets another shot.
The veteran, after making a pass of 4.215 seconds during the first round of qualifying at the Fram Autolite Nationals in Somona today, clinched his spot in the NHRA's Countdown to 1 playoffs.
"Obviously, it feels great to have clinched a spot in the Countdown," said Capps, who sits atop the Funny Car points standings after winning a class-best five national events coming into this weekend's event. "We have a lot of unfinished business. We want to stay No. 1 going into the Countdown. But to know that you're already going to be involved in the Countdown takes a little bit of pressure off, for sure.
"And now we can sit back and watch everybody else battle."
Now the question is who will join him.

Photo courtsey of NHRA.com

Summertime?
And the living is easy?
Not for the competitors of the NHRA, who are readying themselves for the series toughest stretch of the season. It includes the famed Western Swing, a three-race stretch to the altitude of Denver, the mixed weather conditions of Seattle and the scoring heat of Sonoma.
The stretch begins this weekend with the Mile High Nationals near Denver and ends on July 26 with the Fram Autolite Nationals.
Only seven drivers have accomplished the feat of sweeping the three-race stretch and Larry Dixon, who has won four events, including the past two, comes into the series with the best shot at bringing out the broom. But he says its not always easy as 1-2-3.
"The elevation changes, the track surface changes, you start out at Denver where you're a mile‑high in elevation and you finish off in Sonoma where you're right at sea level," Dixon said. "So it's definitely challenging for the teams and being fortunate enough to have won all three, I just feel lucky to be a part of that deal, and obviously we are going to go out there and try and do it again."

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.