Automobile of Southern Calfornia NHRA Finals

Tony Schumacher needed to win the NHRA season finale at Auto Club Raceway for a chance at the Top Fuel championship. He reached the finals against Brandon Bernstein, beating Bob Vandergriff by 0.027 seconds in the semifinals.
Antron Brown, looking to become the first African-American to win the NHRA Top Fuel championship, lost in the first round and could only watch as Schmacher marched through the elimination rounds.
Jack Beckman and Ron Capps battled for the Funny Car championship. Both drivers reached the semifinals. Beckman came into the season finale with the lead in the Funny Car standings, but needed to win one more round than Capps to capture the championship.
Beckman won the championship by two points over Capps. They both lost in the semis, Capps to Courtney Force, Beckman to Cruz Pedregon.

Schumacher vs. Johnson: It's no contest

Brad Keselowski is supposed to be the newest NASCAR super villain and all is right with the NASCAR world.
But what has Keselowski done? Won one race? Become the most avoided driver in NASCAR?
NASCAR doesn’t need a super villain. Jimmie Johnson needs a worthy adversary, a rival, a challenger.
After spending the weekend covering the National Hot Rod Assn. Auto Club Finals in Pomona, it is clear that a rivalry does exist there and it’s fueling the top fuel class.
Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon have a great rivalry brewing. Schumacher has won six straight top fuel championships. Dixon has finished second to Schumacher three times in that span. The latest showdown between the two came down to the semifinals of the last race of the year. Schumacher won by two points, the closest margin of victory in NHRA history.
“It was a classic example of a bases loaded, bottom of the ninth situation,” Schumacher said. “We needed to come up with the big hit and that’s exactly what happened.”
Add to the rivalry that Schumacher’s crew chief, Alan Johnson, left to lead Dixon’s team, and the intrigue increases.
Schumacher has dominated the top fuel class the same way Johnson has dominated the Sprint Cup Series. The only difference is Schumacher has done it longer and under more adverse circumstances. One year Schumacher had to win out in the season finale and set a national record to win the top fuel championship. He did both.

Johnson has not had to perform under such conditions. It’s no fault of his. The rest of the Sprint Cup Series field is just not good enough to challenge Johnson. This year, like most years in the Chase, is over before the season finale in Miami because Johnson built up such a huge lead.
He had one bad Chase race, won four Chase races, and no one else even came close to matching him. His one bad race came at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, and Johnson is trying to sell that race as a reason for not celebrating too soon.
“Luckily Texas is still really close in my mind and something that I think about,” Johnson said. “And because of what happened in Texas I’m just not letting my guard down. I’m not letting my mind wander and think about the ‘what ifs.’ I'm trying to keep the same focus and mindset that I had in Phoenix. Things obviously went really well there for us.”
Johnson needs to finish 25th or better at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the Cup championship. Even though he’s not admitting it, he should have no problem being in the top 25 at Miami.
“I am just dying to get in the race car,” Johnson said. “I’m pouring through my notes. I’ve driven hundreds of laps in my mind before I go to bed each night, worrying about qualifying trim, worrying about race trim, all the things I can do to prepare myself on my side. I’m there.”
Schumacher has won his championships with Dixon close on his heels. He’s done it with a different crew chief, having to break records and making clutch runs in the most pressure-packed situations.
“Of all of the championships, this one ranks pretty far up there,” Schumacher said. “Nobody expected us to win a race no less a title. Boy, did we prove them all wrong. I'm already looking forward to the 2010 season.”
The interesting things is, the NHRA could manufacture an element of the Schumacher-Dixon rivalry, but either haven’t noticed it or choose not to notice it.
Schumacher is sponsored by the U.S. Army. Dixon’s team is funded by a sheik from Qatar. There has never been a better time for a natural rivalry between the United States and an Arab nation. But the NHRA isn’t going there. It doesn’t have to. Schumacher and Dixon have a great rivalry without any added manufacturing.
Keselowski is not the savior NASCAR is looking for. He’s not good enough to challenge Johnson. But that’s not a knock on Keselowski. No one in the Sprint Cup Series is good enough to challenge Johnson.



Photo: At top, Tony Schumacher has won six straight NHRA top fuel championships. (NHRA)



At bottom, Jimmie Johnson celebrates winning the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil at Phoenix International Raceway, his seventh victory of 2009. Johnson is on the verge of winning his fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Schumacher earns another championship -- latimes.com

Seeing Tony Schumacher wearing one of his National Hot Rod Assn. top-fuel championship leather jackets during breakfast Sunday morning didn't look too much out of place. It was a pretty chilly morning for the NHRA season finale at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.

Had it been 100 degrees, Schumacher probably still would have worn one of his six championship jackets. Schumacher, with a hint of premonition, a sprinkle of confidence and proudly donning a reminder of his drag racing dominance, addressed friends and sponsors in the garage area before driver introductions.

Schumacher added to his championship collection and his wardrobe by winning the top-fuel championship by the slimmest of margins.

Schumacher earns another championship -- latimes.com

Posted using ShareThis

Photo: Tony Schumacher celebrates his seventh NHRA top-fuel championship at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.

Tony Schumacher wins NHRA top fuel championship

Tony Schumacher won his seventh National Hot Rod Assn. top fuel championship and his sixth in a row at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona on Sunday.
While waiting for his semifinal run against Antron Brown, he watched from his car as Spencer Massey beat Larry Dixon in the other semifinal race. Dixons loss secured the championship for Schumacher, who won by two points.
Schumacher took over the lead in the top fuel standings on Saturday. He posted the top qualifying time and earned three points in the top fuel standings. That gave him a two-point lead heading into the elimination rounds at Pomona.
Schumacher and Dixon won their first two races, but each lost in the semifinals.

Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon advance to second round of NHRA finals in Pomona

Tony Schumacher, top, has a two-point lead over Larry Dixon in the NHRA top fuel standings. Both drivers won their first-round races at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona on Sunday.

Tony Schumacher, Larry Dixon advance to second round of NHRA finals in Pomona

Posted using ShareThis

NHRA leaders post top qualifying times

It was a good day of qualifying Thursday for the leaders in the National Hot Rod Assn. top fuel, funny car and pro stock standings.
Tony Schumacher doubled his lead in the top fuel standings. Don’t get too excited. His lead went from one point to two. Schumacher was the top driver on the first day of qualifying for the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.
"Seriously, this is an intense deal going on right now,” Schumacher said. “Every lap we make this weekend carries so much importance. We want to leave nothing on the table."
Larry Dixon was the second fastest qualifier, followed by Doug Kalitta. Schumacher earned three points for being the top qualifier. Dixon, a Van Nuys High graduate, earned two points and Kalitta earned one.
Cory McClenathan, who is third in the top fuel standings and within striking distance, 51 points out of first, was the fourth fastest qualifier.
In funny car, Robert Hight added to his 105-point lead with the top qualifying run. He has a 108-point lead over John Force Racing teammate, Ashley Force Hood. Mike Neff, another John Force Racing driver, was the second fastest qualifier, followed by Jack Beckman of Norco and a driver for Don Schumacher Racing.
“We need to stay focused,” Hight said. “This is what we have worked for. We’ve earned it and we deserve it. It is not over yet. He wants us to get out there and work hard but have some fun. That is what we are doing now.”
Force Hood was the eighth fastest qualifier.
Mike Edwards, the leader in the pro stock standings, was the top qualifier. But he was only able to extend his lead by one point as Greg Anderson, the second place driver in the pro stock standings, was the second-fastest qualifier. Roger Brogdon was the third fastest qualifier.
The biggest surprise came in the pro stock motorcycle qualifying. Karen Stoffer, a graduate of St. Genevieve High School in Sun Valley, was the top qualifier in pro stock motorcycle. She is seventh in the pro stock motorcycle standings.
"Were looking for a win," Stoffer said. "There's no question about it. A victory would be the best way to go into the off-season."
Andrew Hines was the second fastest qualifier, followed by Hector Arana, the leader in the pro stock motorcycle standings.

Photo: Tony Schumacher doubled his lead in the NHRA top fuel standings after recording the top speed on the first day of qualifying on Thursday at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.

Three out of four NHRA drivers ain't bad

National Hot Rod Assn. drivers Tony Schumacher, Cory McClenathan and Robert Hight spent Wednesday at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Pasadena talking about this weekend’s drag races at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.
Larry Dixon, a Van Nuys High graduate and two-time NHRA top fuel champion, was supposed to be at the luncheon too, but his plane was delayed and he did not make it on time.
Schumacher, who holds a slim one-point lead over Dixon in the top fuel standings, was asked if he thought it was God’s plan to have Dixon’s plane to stay lost until Sunday.
“That’s my plan,” Schumacher said. “That’s not God’s plan. I don’t think he does that to anybody.”
The tightest NHRA championship race is in the top fuel division. Three drivers are still in contention. In addition to Schumacher and Dixon, McClenathan is in the hunt, in third place and 48 points out of the lead. McClenathan and Schumacher are teammates at Don Schumacher Racing.
“We’ve won two championships coming back that far,” Schumacher said. “It’s definitely not out of reach. It’s wide open. It’s going to be a stout battle. He’s got two good cars ahead of him. But he can be assured that these two cars ahead of him are going to be going for it on Sunday morning, and all kinds of things happen. If we can’t get it done, we sure hope he does.”
McClenathan has been the runner-up in the top fuel division four times in his NHRA career, but has never won a top fuel championship.
“But it is one of those things where you come back to a race, the final of the season, and it’s going to be the last race, and Tony has been here before, too, and won the whole thing, set a record to do it and went on to win the championship that day. So anything can happen,” McClenathan said. “I mean, I don’t wish anything bad for my teammate, but if something goes on, I’d sure like to know that he’s got my back, too, and I know he does.”
Hight has a comfortable 105-point lead in the funny car standings. His John Force Racing teammate, Ashley Force Hood, is in second place in the funny car standings.
“You know, Ashley Force, my teammate, she’s had a great race car all year long, and then they just stumbled last weekend, and it ended up being some parts problem,” Hight said. “That’s the kind of stuff that can keep us from winning this weekend. So we’ve got to stay focused and just worry about every run and do our best because it’s not that easy. These cars are tough. There’s a lot of tough competition, and just do our best to try to get qualified. That’s No. 1 for us right now.”

Photo: Tony Schumacher has a one-point lead over Larry Dixon in the NHRA top fuel standings entering the season-finale event at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. (NHRA)

Antron Brown moves into first in NHRA top fuel standings

Antron Brown is back atop the top fuel standings after a final round appearance at Route 66 Raceway. He is 18 points ahead of Tony Schumacher, the reigning top fuel champion and last year’s winner at Old Bridge Township Raceway in Englishtown, N.J.
“I couldn’t be more excited to get back to racing at E-Town,'” said Brown, whose hometown is Chesterfield, N.J. “I always love getting to go home to the home track in New Jersey and race in front of all the family and friends. Our Matco Tools dragster is running awesome. We’re leading the points standings and coming off a great race at Chicago. We just want to keep things rolling along and qualify well and go rounds on race day.”
Schumacher lost in the first round at Route 66 Raceway and broke his streak of 35 races in a row without a first-round loss. Even though he won at Englishtown last year, he does not have fond memories of the event because of the death of Kalitta.
“For sure, it’s going to be tough for everyone in the NHRA family,” said the six-time NHRA champion. “It’s hard to believe, but it’s already been a year since we lost Scott Kalitta.”

Photo: Antron Brown raced to a runner-up finish in the NHRA top fuel races at Route 66 Raceway in Illinois on Sunday and moved into first place in the top fuel standings. (NHRA)

Schumacher back on top of NHRA top fuel standings

Top fuel driver Tony Schumacher won his third race of the season and took over the lead in the top fuel standings after the races at Bristol. It was his third career win at Bristol. Schumacher has a 45-point lead over Antron Brown in the top fuel standings. At least up to this point, he’s not running away with the top fuel championship like he did last year.
He too stayed in Bristol to test after winning the top fuel portion of the races there.
“We need to do that,” he said. “A lot of teams are going to be testing over the next few days, so you don’t want to get left behind. We also want to make sure we’re prepared for the upcoming hot weather months. That’s typically the time period when you see some shuffling in the standings.”
Schumacher has won 59 career NHRA events, but has yet to win one at Heartland Park Topeka. He has also never won at Atlanta Dragway.
"Along with Atlanta Dragway, we definitely want to cross that track off the non-win list," he said.

Photo: NHRA top fuel driver Tony Schumacher celebrates after winning at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee. It was the third win of the season for Schumacher and his third career win at Bristol. (NHRA)

Sunday auto racing roundup

Kyle Busch won the NASCAR Camping World Series East-West race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday night. The race at Iowa Speedway included drivers from the Camping World Series West and East Series.
David Mayhew of Atascadera won the West portion of the race. Busch, a driver from Las Vegas who races for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was in the Sprint All-Star race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in North Carolina on Saturday night. Busch was seventh in the all-star race.
Jason Bowles of Ontario was fourth in the West Series portion of the race at Iowa Speedway. Greg Pursley, a Canyon High School graduate, was 12th in the West Series portion of the race.

Photo: Kyle Busch celebrated the Long John Silver's 200 win in Victory Lane Sunday at Iowa Speedway. (Photo Credit: David Purdy/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Tony Schumacher won the NHRA top fuel portion of the drag races at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee on Sunday. The reigning top fuel champion won for the third time in his career at Bristol and recorded his third win of the season.
Del Worsham won for the second time in a row in the funny car division. He beat Tony Pedregon in the final at Bristol.
Jack Beckman, a funny car driver from North Hills, beat John Force in the first round at Bristol, but lost in the second round to Tim Wilkerson.
“We just didn’t get the job done," said Beckman, who drives for Don Schumacher Racing. “Wilkerson outran us that round. I think we had a great recovery from smoking the tires first round to put that competitive lap up there, but it wasn’t enough.”
Ashley Force Hood made it to the semifinals at Bristol and lost to Pedregon by 0.012 seconds.
“That shows how far our category has come,” said Force Hood. “Our class is almost like Pro Stock with how close the racing is. They are showing these races at the finish line where my team is driving down track along side of us and they can’t tell who won. I can’t tell who has won when I am in the car. That is a good thing. I am glad that I am in those races, the close races. That means our team is up to par with everyone else is doing. If we can keep that up we’ll have a really good chance at the end of the year.”

Stanton Barrett, a stuntman in movies and television, NASCAR driver and IndyCar Series driver, failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
He was one of a handful of drivers trying make the 33-car field on Bump Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was one of three drivers who did not qualify for Sunday’s Indy 500.
"I don’t know. We just gave it our all,” said Barrett. “Team 3G worked really hard, and all these guys just put a huge effort forth. It’s just a real bummer it didn’t work out. I don't know. They called it off because we didn't have the speed the first lap, and I just think taking time to learn without a teammate and taking time to learn what a difference this year and last year. We definitely made a change with the car speed-wise, aero-wise. I think it’s right in there. Too much scrub in the corners really killed our lap times, and unfortunately tough to go back and study what I can do better and what we can do as a team better. It’s a real disappointment.”
Former Indy 500 winner Buddy Lazier and Alex Tagliani were the other two drivers who did not qualify for the Indy 500.
With Barrett not qualifying for the Indy 500, it could hurt his team financially.
“We need to make this race for sponsors that we had in line,” Barrett said. “It’s just one of those things. A lot of other guys didn’t make it too. There were (two) others. It’s not an easy deal.”