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POMONA, Calif. --
With his first Funny Car world championship up for grabs at this weekend's 51st annual Auto Club NHRA Finals, Worsham will look to create that same magic to close out the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Should he claim a championship, Worsham would also become just the third driver in NHRA history to win a world title in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. On the strength of three Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship victories in his 10,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Camry, Worsham takes a 38-point lead over Jack Beckman into the final race of the season. Tommy Johnson Jr. (97 points out of first) and Ron Capps (140 points behind) are still mathematically alive in what could be a spectacular finish to an already incredible 2015 season in the Funny Car class. "I made the comment multiple times a real goal of ours, especially at the beginning of the season, was just to get to the finals with an opportunity to win the championship, the opportunity that if you win the race, you could be the Mello Yello NHRA champion," Worsham said. "We accomplished that, got there. If we win the race, we will be the champions, I believe. It's just kind of in our hands." Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year's winners of the tradition-rich Southern California event that will once again be televised on ESPN2. The lucrative event is the final of six playoff races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship and there is plenty to be decided in Funny Car in Pomona. Worsham and Beckman both lost in the second round in Las Vegas, leaving the door open for both Johnson and Capps, also ensuring plenty of drama could ensue in Pomona. Capps advanced to the semifinals in Vegas, while Johnson posted a runner-up finish to Robert Hight. Johnson, who has two victories and seven final round appearances in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T, could have closed the gap even further with a victory, but he knows he has a car capable of putting together something massive in Pomona.
Beckman, who held off Capps in a thrilling finale at Pomona in 2012 to win his first Funny Car world championship, needs his own Pomona magic to get past Worsham, but considering how memorable his year has been that is certainly not out of the question. Beckman's record-breaking season in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T has included multiple world records and seven victories, but he knows the task ahead includes making up ground on Worsham with only four rounds left in the 2015 campaign. "We're still two rounds out," Beckman said. "It's real simple. We need to out qualify him at Pomona and we need him on the same side of the ladder as us and we need to beat him early. You want to talk about having to be perfect to win the championship and maybe that's what the fans deserve to see. "We will do everything we can to go to Pomona and be perfect and as flawless as a nitro Funny Car team can be. We have a great team right now and we are absolutely capable of winning that race, the thing is we have to win that race and we have to gain two rounds on Del."
It makes for a thrilling weekend for fans, but Worsham remembers rising to the occasion in 2011, winning the final two events that year to claim the Top Fuel world title. The scenario is slightly different this time around, as Worsham is the one being chased, but he remains thankful to just be in the position to claim a championship. That opportunity has him eager to compete for his second world title and Worsham plans to make the most of this weekend in Pomona. "I didn't start off drag racing or being a driver to win championships," said Worsham, who has 37 career victories. "I started off just to get to drive a cool car, a Funny Car, something I'd watched my whole life. So to win the championship in 2011 was definitely very special, something that I could never describe or even tell you how special it was. But this chance now in a Funny Car, what I started in, being a part of this team, kind of being part of building this whole Funny Car team with Nicky (Bonifante), Jon-O (Oberhofer), (team owner) Connie Kalitta, building this thing for (the late) Scott (Kalitta), it would mean a lot to win the championship." Antron Brown clinched his second world championship in Top Fuel in Las Vegas, but Brown, who has a remarkable seven wins in 2015, will look to close out his outstanding season in style. Standing in his way are the likes of eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher, Richie Crampton, three-time world champion Larry Dixon, Doug Kalitta, who won in Las Vegas, J.R. Todd, Steve Torrence, Dave Connolly, Brittany Force and Shawn Langdon. Erica Enders wrapped up her second straight world championship in Pro Stock with her ninth win of the season in Vegas, and will look to put the finishing touches on her dominant season by winning the Auto Club Finals for the second straight year. Looking to end the year with a win is a star-studded lineup, including Greg Anderson, Chris McGaha, Drew Skillman, Allen Johnson, Larry Morgan, Jason Line, Vincent Nobile, Jonathan Gray and Shane Gray.
Drivers in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series also will be racing hard in their quest to become winners of the thrilling event as well as national champions during the weekend. Before the Christmas Tree hits green and the fireworks explode over the track to signify the end of another thrilling season at the Auto Club NHRA Finals, fans will have the opportunity to meet multiple stars of the Mello Yello Series at the NHRA Fanfest at Lordsburg Taphouse in downtown La Verne, Nov. 12., from 6:45-8 p.m. Beckman, John Force, Courtney Force, Brittany Force and Hight will be signing autographs and mingling with fans while Hight's AAA Chevy Camaro SS Funny Car and Schumacher's U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster will be on display. Ticket giveaways and food and drink specials will be offered and everyone who attends will also receive a free Mello Yello t-shirt. Race fans will also have the chance to meet living legend and four-time NHRA Funny Car champion Don "The Snake" Prudhomme in the Snake Skybox with the purchase of a Skybox Pass. Skybox Passes include the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch nitro qualifying and eliminations with Prudhomme in an air conditioned suite, as well as an autograph session and a photo opportunity. Don "The Snake" Prudhomme goodie bags will be handed out and each ticket includes free catered meals daily with non-alcoholic beverages. Limited space is available in the Snake Skybox. Passes can be purchased by calling the NHRA Ticket Office at 800-884-NHRA. The NHRA's Hot Rod Junction will also make its return to the Auto Club NHRA Finals, offering nostalgic entertainment for race fans. The Hot Rod Junction will feature photo opportunities with past and present NHRA celebrities, a remarkable display of historic race cars and hot rods, and daily Cacklefest shows that will rattle the senses. Cacklefests will take fans back to the early days of drag racing with amazing sights and sounds. First-time Cacklefest spectators call it a sensory overload when dozens of nitro-burning historic, front-engine dragsters and other classic race cars are fired up simultaneously, creating a roar of engines and flame-throwing headers. All spectators attending the Auto Club NHRA Finals will have free access to the Hot Rod Junction. A variety of drivers will also participate in the Night of Champions at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, Calif., Friday night after racing has concluded. Drivers will be on hand to answer questions from fans and share some of their most cherished memories from the track. Beckman will moderate the Night of Champions. As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they're granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers. Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Nov. 13, with sessions at 11:45 a.m. and 3 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Nov. 14, at noon and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15. To purchase tickets, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472), or visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information about the NHRA visit www.NHRA.com/tickets.
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