Mon, 7 Nov 2005, 01:43 PM 41st annual Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals Special Awards

Courtesy of NHRA Communications

POMONA, Calif. -- Special awards from the 41st annual Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.

Budweiser Shootout award ($4,000 to the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel) - Tony Schumacher, Long Grove, Ill., U.S. Army dragster, 4.466 seconds, 328.78 mph.

Skoal Showdown award ($4,000 to the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car) - Gary Scelzi, Fresno, Calif., Mopar/Oakley Dodge Stratus R/T, 4.696 seconds, 330.23 mph.

NHRA King Demon Crown award ($3,000 to the No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock) - Jason Line, Terrell, N.C., Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GTO, 6.677 seconds, 206.83 mph.

Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle award ($1,000 to the No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle) - Matt Smith, King, N.C., Torco Race Fuels/S&S Cycle Buell V-Twin, 7.000 seconds, 189.71 mph.

Motel 6 "Who Got the Light" award ($1,000 to the individual Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock driver who earns an elimination round win by the narrowest margin.) - Jeg Coughlin defeated Greg Anderson by a .0037-second margin of victory in the quarterfinal round of Pro Stock eliminations.

Strange Engineering "Perfectly Strange" performance award ($250 bonus to the first racer in Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Super Street who wins an elimination round by running dead-on their dial-in or index) - Pete Perry, Super Stock; Rusty Hall, Stock; Mike Hiatt, Super Comp; and Jeff Agalsoff, Super Gas.

Brut "Essence of Racing" award ($1,000 to the Sportsman-level participant that best exemplifies the Brut spirit of racing) West Coast Hemis Plymouth Barracuda Super Stock entry. Driver: Harry Holton, Modesto, Calif.

NHRA Best Appearing Crew - Red Line Oil Chevrolet Camaro Top Alcohol Funny Car entry. Driver: Don Hudson, Stockton, Calif.

Hedman Hedders Best Engineered Vehicle ($1,000 to the best engineered vehicle) - zMax Micro Lubricants Dodge Stratus R/T Pro Stock entry. Driver: Tom Martino, Farmingdale, N.J.

Best Appearing Car - Accu-Air Super Comp entry. Driver: Bud Chesbrough, Cathedral City, Calif.

VP Racing Fuels 30/30 award - It Takes Two/Valvoline/Westek Electric Super Comp dragster entry. Driver: Debbie Locascio, Peoria, Ariz.

Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship ($3,000 each to Top Fuel and Funny Car's top crew, $1,500 to Pro Stock's top crew, and $750 to Pro Stock Motorcycle's top crew) - Top Fuel, Clay Millican's Nitro Fish Wear/Werner Enterprises crew; Funny Car, Gary Scelzi's Oakley/Mopar Dodge Stratus R/T crew; Pro Stock, Erica Enders' Slammers Ultimate Milk Chevrolet Cobalt crew; and Matt Smith's Torco Race Fuels/S&S Cycles Buell V-Twin crew.