Wed, 10 Oct 2007, 12:50 PM Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals Post Race Notes

Courtesy of NHRA Communications

DINWIDDIE, Va. -- Post race notes from the Second annual Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals, (Race 4 of 4 of the Countdown to 1, the first round of the NHRA Playoffs), Oct. 5-7, Virginia Motorsports Park.

TOP FUEL
Doug Kalitta claimed his 30th career victory by powering his Mac Tools dragster to a razor-thin win over Melanie Troxel. Kalitta posted the winning performance of 4.647 seconds at 316.08 mph to Troxel's 4.649 at 316.45.

Kalitta won for the first time this season, extending his streak of consecutive seasons with a win that began in 1998 to 10. That is the fourth longest streak on the POWERade Series circuit (John Force, 21; Kurt Johnson, 13; Angelle Sampey, 12, Whit Bazemore, 10).

The four-driver field for the Countdown to 1 was set and the points will be reset as follows for the two-race championship at Las Vegas and Pomona: 1. Larry Dixon (SkyTel dragster), 3030; 2. Rod Fuller (Caterpillar dragster), 3020; 3. Tony Schumacher (U.S. Army dragster), 3010; 4. Brandon Bernstein (Budweiser dragster), 3000.

Fuller and Schumacher finished with identical 2,285-point totals and Fuller's Caterpillar team gained the No. 2 position by virtue of their first-round win in Dallas over Schumacher's U.S. Army team.

Brandon Bernstein drove his way into the Countdown to 1 with his first-round win over a tire-spinning Bob Vandergriff, whose fifth-place UPS team entered Sunday 27 points, or two rounds, behind Bernstein; Bernstein could have moved as high as second with one more round win, but Doug Foley got the better of him in the quarterfinals.

Tony Schumacher earned the 45th No. 1 qualifying position of his career - and 10th of this season - with his 4.524-second pass at 321.27 mph.

Brandon Bernstein's Budweiser dragster team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.

FUNNY CAR
Gary Scelzi ran a 4.956 at 306.60 in his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger to defeat teammate Ron Capps (5.935 at 207.11) and the Brut Dodge Charger, which spun the wheels around half track.

The four-driver field for the Countdown to 1 was set and the points will be reset as follows for the two-race championship at Las Vegas and Pomona: 1. Tony Pedregon (Q Racing Chevy), 3030; 2. Gary Scelzi (Mopar/Oakley Dodge), 3020; 3. Robert Hight (Auto Club Ford), 3010; 4. Ron Capps (Brut Dodge), 3000.

The final-round was essentially the first race of the Countdown to 1 because there were two positions - and 20 points - at stake. Capps and Scelzi entered the final round with identical point totals and within a round of Robert Hight so the winner (Scelzi) was going to be the No. 2 seed and start the Countdown to 1 with 3,020 points and the loser (Capps) would be the No. 4 seed and start the Countdown to 1 with 3,000 points.

The four-driver Countdown to 1 field was set during a dramatic semifinal round when Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps each won to pass and bump teammate Jack Beckman; Beckman, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals, was in third place entering the day and the semis, but was dropped to fourth when Scelzi got by Tony Bartone and bumped out of the Countdown to 1 when Capps got by Tim Wilkerson.

Mike Ashley's hopes of making the Countdown to 1 ended with his first-round loss to Tim Wilkerson. The driver of the Torco Dodge Charger, in just his first full season of competion on the POWERade Series circuit, started the day seven points behind Ron Capps and Gary Scelzi, who were tied for fourth.

Only six of the remaining eight drivers in the Countdown to 4 made it to Sunday raceday - John Force did not start due to injuries suffered in an accident one race earlier at Dallas and Jim Head DNQ'd.

Tommy Johnson Jr. earned his ninth career No. 1 qualifying position and second this season (Englishtown) with his 4.790-second pass at 312.06 mph.

Tim Wilkerson's Levi, Ray and Shoup team claimed the Motel 6 "Who Got the Light" award on the strength of their .0013-second win over Tony Pedregon's Q Racing team in the quarterfinals.

Robert Hight's Auto Club Ford Mustang team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.

PRO STOCK
Dave Connolly defeated V Gaines for his fifth straight win Connolly had the better reaction time and that was bad news for Gaines as Connolly also had the better car with a 6.671 at 206.95 against Gaines's 6.679 at 206.92.

The last time a Pro Stock driver won five straight in Pro Stock was Greg Anderson in 2004, from Gainesville to Atlanta.

V Gaines was seeking his first win since Dallas 2001.

The four-driver field for the Countdown to 1 was set and the points will be reset as follows for the two-race championship at Las Vegas and Pomona: 1. Dave Connolly (Torco Chevy), 3030; 2. Greg Anderson (Summit Pontiac), 3020; 3. Jeg Coughlin (JEGS.com Chevy), 3010; 4. Allen Johnson (Team Mopar Dodge), 3000.

The field wasn't set until Allen Johnson's Mopar teammate Richie Stevens defeated fifth-place Kurt Johnson in the quarterfinals. Kurt Johnson had beaten Allen Johnson in the opening round to give himself a shot, but he couldn't get past the second Mopar Dodge and as a result he came up two round-wins short of making the Countdown to 1.

Connolly has 20 straight round wins.

Connolly's fifth straight win put him in select company: The only Pro Stock drivers to win five or more races consecutively are: Bob Glidden (9 in a row), Greg Anderson (5) and Ronnie Sox (5).

Connolly won for the eighth time in 2007 and the 17th time in his career.

Jeg Coughlin earned his 12th career No. 1 qualifier and fourth this season with his 6.645-second pass at 207.27 mph.

Jeg Coughlin's JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.

POWERade FAN NATIONALS
Carlton Thornton, 15, of Richmond, Va., won the 21st round of the NHRA POWERade Series Fan Nationals. Thornton defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the POWERade Fan Nationals victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. With the victory, Thornton will have the opportunity to race for the ultimate title of 2007 POWERade Fan Nationals Series champion in November at the 43nd Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.