NEWS NUGGETS
SEATTLE WINS COME AT RIGHT TIME FOR NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRIVERS:
To say that Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson was looking for success on
the Western Swing would be an understatement. Just three weeks ago,
Wilkerson entered the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals—the first event of
the three-race swing—in 11th place in the point standings. In the first
11 races of the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season, he
had racked up eight first-round losses and had only advanced further
than the second round once with a semifinal finish in Charlotte. Things
were, to say the least, looking bleak. But as Wilkerson stood in the
winner’s circle Sunday evening at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest
Nationals—the final leg of the famed Western Swing in Seattle—his
struggles seemed a distant memory.
NEWS NUGGETS
RACE WINS IN SONOMA COME JUST IN TIME FOR COUNTDOWN CLINCHERS: Winning. It’s the force and desire behind every driver and team in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, but sometimes a race win can have more value than one can realize. This was the case Sunday for Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson and LE Tonglet, who stood in the winner’s circle at the FRAM/Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway. For Brown and Anderson, their winning performance helped clinch their spots in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs, and for Capps and Tonglet, the win moved them further up the points standings in their respective categories and even closer to clinching their own berths in the Countdown with only three races remaining in the regular season.
RACE WINS IN SONOMA COME JUST IN TIME FOR COUNTDOWN CLINCHERS: Winning. It’s the force and desire behind every driver and team in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, but sometimes a race win can have more value than one can realize. This was the case Sunday for Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson and LE Tonglet, who stood in the winner’s circle at the FRAM/Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway. For Brown and Anderson, their winning performance helped clinch their spots in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs, and for Capps and Tonglet, the win moved them further up the points standings in their respective categories and even closer to clinching their own berths in the Countdown with only three races remaining in the regular season.
NEWS NUGGETS
FIRST SEASON WINS FOR BIG NAMES COULD BE START OF ‘SWING’ SWEEP: The surprise in the winner’s circle Sunday as the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals came to a close might not have been who was there, but how long it had taken them to get there. Top Fuel and Pro Stock event winners Spencer Massey and Mike Edwards were making their third winner’s circle appearance in 2011. But it was the presence of 15-time and defending Funny Car Full Throttle world champion John Force, joined by Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Karen Stoffer that may have had the biggest headlines of the day. For Force, it was his first win of the season after all but dominating the series in 2010 en route to his 15th world title, while for Stoffer, it was her first win in four years, dating back to Atlanta 2007, and assumed the points lead heading into the second race of the grueling Western Swing. But while both drivers are relishing their first victories of the season, the all-too-familiar question lingers for all four Denver winners: Can they keep on that performance high and do what few have done—sweep the Western Swing? While Stoffer is unable to accomplish this task, since the Pro Stock Motorcycle category does not compete in Seattle, the opportunity is definitely there for the other three winners.
FIRST SEASON WINS FOR BIG NAMES COULD BE START OF ‘SWING’ SWEEP: The surprise in the winner’s circle Sunday as the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals came to a close might not have been who was there, but how long it had taken them to get there. Top Fuel and Pro Stock event winners Spencer Massey and Mike Edwards were making their third winner’s circle appearance in 2011. But it was the presence of 15-time and defending Funny Car Full Throttle world champion John Force, joined by Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Karen Stoffer that may have had the biggest headlines of the day. For Force, it was his first win of the season after all but dominating the series in 2010 en route to his 15th world title, while for Stoffer, it was her first win in four years, dating back to Atlanta 2007, and assumed the points lead heading into the second race of the grueling Western Swing. But while both drivers are relishing their first victories of the season, the all-too-familiar question lingers for all four Denver winners: Can they keep on that performance high and do what few have done—sweep the Western Swing? While Stoffer is unable to accomplish this task, since the Pro Stock Motorcycle category does not compete in Seattle, the opportunity is definitely there for the other three winners.
NEWS NUGGETS
POINTS LEADERS HOPE TO MAKE HISTORY WITH WESTERN SWING SWEEP: Seven drivers. In the 22-year history of the famed Western Swing, the grueling three-races-in-three-weeks summer stretch that includes stops in Denver; Sonoma, California; and Seattle, only seven drivers have ever won all three races. And of those seven, none have ever swept the swing twice. With the NHRA Full Throttle Series heading to Bandimere Speedway in Denver, the first of the three stops in the Western Swing, many drivers are hoping to make history by becoming the eighth name to be added to the famed list that includes NHRA greats Joe Amato, John Force, Cory McClenathan, Larry Dixon, Greg Anderson, Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown. Top Fuel points leader Del Worsham is one of those. Since making the switch from Funny Car to Top Fuel, Worsham has won an impressive five races in six final-round appearances, including two consecutive wins heading into the event this weekend. He currently sits 131 points ahead of his closest competition, Spencer Massey, entering the summer racing stretch.
POINTS LEADERS HOPE TO MAKE HISTORY WITH WESTERN SWING SWEEP: Seven drivers. In the 22-year history of the famed Western Swing, the grueling three-races-in-three-weeks summer stretch that includes stops in Denver; Sonoma, California; and Seattle, only seven drivers have ever won all three races. And of those seven, none have ever swept the swing twice. With the NHRA Full Throttle Series heading to Bandimere Speedway in Denver, the first of the three stops in the Western Swing, many drivers are hoping to make history by becoming the eighth name to be added to the famed list that includes NHRA greats Joe Amato, John Force, Cory McClenathan, Larry Dixon, Greg Anderson, Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown. Top Fuel points leader Del Worsham is one of those. Since making the switch from Funny Car to Top Fuel, Worsham has won an impressive five races in six final-round appearances, including two consecutive wins heading into the event this weekend. He currently sits 131 points ahead of his closest competition, Spencer Massey, entering the summer racing stretch.
NEWS NUGGETS
NEFF GIVES FORD ITS 200TH FUNNY CAR VICTORY: Funny Car points leader Mike Neff raced to victory Sunday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, claiming his fourth victory of the season. In the process, the driver of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang gave Ford its milestone 200th Funny Car victory. With the win, Neff increased his series lead to 172 points over second place Jack Beckman with five races remaining in the 16-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Regular Season. Other winners at Route 66 Raceway included Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
NEFF GIVES FORD ITS 200TH FUNNY CAR VICTORY: Funny Car points leader Mike Neff raced to victory Sunday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, claiming his fourth victory of the season. In the process, the driver of the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang gave Ford its milestone 200th Funny Car victory. With the win, Neff increased his series lead to 172 points over second place Jack Beckman with five races remaining in the 16-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Regular Season. Other winners at Route 66 Raceway included Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
NEWS NUGGETS
DEFENDING EVENT WINNERS HOPING FOR ADDITIONAL SEASON WINS WHILE ONE LOOKS FOR FIRST AS NHRA FULL THROTTLE SERIES HEADS TO CHICAGO: For Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon, Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider LE Tonglet, the path down the 2011 season hasn’t been what they had hoped. As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads to its 11th stop of the season, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago, these defending event winners hope that a return to a track that brought them so much success just one year ago might be the push they need in the point standings with just five races left until the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. After all, it was here that the road to success for two of those drivers began last year; Dixon and Tonglet went on to win world championships at season’s end.
NHRA Unleashed and NMCA to Join Forces
The NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Nationals series has announced that the Aerospace Components NHRA Unleashed program will combine forces with the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) to deliver fun and close side-by-side racing for fans and competitors alike. The NHRA Unleashed program, which was formed in 2010, will be featured at five NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Nationals events for the remainder of the 2011 season.
The NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Nationals series has announced that the Aerospace Components NHRA Unleashed program will combine forces with the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) to deliver fun and close side-by-side racing for fans and competitors alike. The NHRA Unleashed program, which was formed in 2010, will be featured at five NMCA Flowmaster Muscle Car Nationals events for the remainder of the 2011 season.
NEWS NUGGETS
CAREER-CHANGING SEASONS COULD BRING FIRST FULL THROTTLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR FIRST-PLACE DRIVERS: When NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing driver Del Worsham got the news from Al-Anabi team manger Alan Johnson that he would be adding a second Al-Anabi dragster to the stable and that he wanted the long-time Funny Car racer to pilot that dragster, Worsham could never have imagined the change that this move would bring to his life. But 10 races into the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle season, that change has resulted in four race wins in five final-round appearances as well as the points lead in Top Fuel.
CAREER-CHANGING SEASONS COULD BRING FIRST FULL THROTTLE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR FIRST-PLACE DRIVERS: When NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing driver Del Worsham got the news from Al-Anabi team manger Alan Johnson that he would be adding a second Al-Anabi dragster to the stable and that he wanted the long-time Funny Car racer to pilot that dragster, Worsham could never have imagined the change that this move would bring to his life. But 10 races into the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle season, that change has resulted in four race wins in five final-round appearances as well as the points lead in Top Fuel.
Rockstar Energy Drink Driver Tanner Foust
in European Championship Contention After Round 4
Rockstar Energy Drink Driver Tanner Foust once again put on a spectacular show for fans of the European Rallycross Championship at Round 4 in Hell, Norway. The American driver set top times and was the fastest in the third qualifying heat to best hometown favorite—and defending champion—Sverre Isachsen. The series visited a new track for this round, Lånkebanen at Hell, near Trondheim. Featuring huge elevation changes and a turn similar to Laguna Seca's famed "Corkscrew," the pressure was on for strong, technical driving. But during the A-Main final race, Foust's throttle stuck open and a bump by another competitor sent him flying into the wall at 60 mph. Although he was largely uninjured, the vehicle was damaged and he was unable to finish the race. He scored sixth-place points for the event.
Rockstar Energy Drink Driver Tanner Foust once again put on a spectacular show for fans of the European Rallycross Championship at Round 4 in Hell, Norway. The American driver set top times and was the fastest in the third qualifying heat to best hometown favorite—and defending champion—Sverre Isachsen. The series visited a new track for this round, Lånkebanen at Hell, near Trondheim. Featuring huge elevation changes and a turn similar to Laguna Seca's famed "Corkscrew," the pressure was on for strong, technical driving. But during the A-Main final race, Foust's throttle stuck open and a bump by another competitor sent him flying into the wall at 60 mph. Although he was largely uninjured, the vehicle was damaged and he was unable to finish the race. He scored sixth-place points for the event.
NEWS NUGGETS
BRISTOL WINNERS READY FOR SUMMER STRETCH OF NHRA FULL THROTTLE SERIES: At the end of a long day of racing Sunday at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers, three drivers stood in the winner’s circle, reflecting on their wins and the constantly changing weather conditions that they and their teams battled all weekend. As Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon, Funny Car driver Robert Hight and Pro Stock racer Mike Edwards spoke with the media following the race, one statement was loud and clear—their teams are ready for summer racing in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
BRISTOL WINNERS READY FOR SUMMER STRETCH OF NHRA FULL THROTTLE SERIES: At the end of a long day of racing Sunday at the Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers, three drivers stood in the winner’s circle, reflecting on their wins and the constantly changing weather conditions that they and their teams battled all weekend. As Top Fuel pilot Larry Dixon, Funny Car driver Robert Hight and Pro Stock racer Mike Edwards spoke with the media following the race, one statement was loud and clear—their teams are ready for summer racing in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.