Tue, 11 Nov 2008, 06:54 PM It's All On The Line

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2008 Auto Imagery, Inc.

It's hard to believe that, with all that is on the line this weekend in Pomona, a lot of the drivers who are still in the running for the POWERade championships will be playing softball just one day before the race begins. The charity softball game that was scheduled for Reading during the Maple Grove national event, was rained out and it will be played this Wednesday night at the Arrowhead Credit Union Park in San Bernardino. For those of you who may be visiting for the race from out of town or out of state and aren't familiar with southern California, the ball park is just off the "10." I don't know if it really is, I just like saying that when I'm in southern California because it seems like everything is "just off the 10." Anyway, the game, which will feature dozens of the top drivers on the NHRA circuit, will begin with an autograph session at 5:00 P.M. with the game to follow at 7:30. That's after a time out to apply Ben Gay or whatever other muscle-relaxing drugs that will be on hand and will be required. Seriously though, (I also like to say that), it's for a very worthy cause, DRAW, drag racing's charity that helps injured racers,

Schumacher celebrates Championship.

and it should be a lot of fun. I hope a lot of people show up and I hope that nobody gets hurt. If it's nearly as exciting as the famous NHRA-NASCAR game years ago it will be well worth your time. By the way, the early line from Las Vegas has the Burn Down Bombers favored over Scelzi's Superchargers by nine. That's not nine runs, that's nine calls to the medical squad. Stay tuned....

It's hard to imagine what can get Tony Schumacher pumped up for this weekend, after all, he already has the championship locked up and he has virtually ever record in the books under his belt. Still, if I know the Army team, they'll come out fired up and they'll be looking to end the season on a high note. What they would like to do is add a few more round wins, another national event win, and the opportunity to put every single-season record in the history of the sport on their side of the ledger and out of reach. Right now, Tony is tied with Greg Anderson for the most wins in a season with 15 and Greg holds the edge with 76 round wins to Tony's 75. All Tony has to do is win his first round match and he'll tie that mark and, since he hasn't lost all year in round one, there's a pretty good chance that will happen. Did you know that the last person to beat Tony in an opening round was Morgan Lucas at Richmond last year? Tony has now won twenty-five consecutive round one matches and that's in stark contrast to his record last year. Did you know that Tony

Schumacher vs Lucas at Richmond last year.

lost twelve times in the first round last year? That's more than half the races, so if you want to know what the key to his success is in 2008 I'd say simply getting past that first round has been a big part of it. Beating Tony in round one isn't easy, especially at Pomona. Did you know that he has raced at the "Finals" a dozen times and that he has won his first round match eight of those times? The last time he lost in round one at this event was in 2002 when Doug Kalitta beat him. I'm not saying that he's a lock for a round one win but I certainly wouldn't bet against it, and I'll bet on almost anything....Hillary Will, Antron Brown, Cory McClenathan and Larry Dixon are all going to be part of the softball game on Wednesday and, if

Hillary Will

they can all get doctor's notes, they'll race on Thursday, too. Only kidding. But all four of them are still fighting for the number two spot in the points this year so Pomona will be big for all of them. Even though, as the expression goes, nobody remembers who finished second, the drivers will remember and so will their sponsors and that's why this weekend is very big for all of them. With only forty-one points separating the four of them, even the qualifying runs will be important. It has been an interesting year in the TF class and it only promises to get better next year with the addition of Alan Johnson's team and the realignment of the Army team. Regardless of who gets the nod to drive for Alan, it will be hard, if not impossible, for that team to approach the success of this year's Army team. So, as they get ready for their final race together, with a lot less pressure than they had on them the last two years at Pomona, let's just sit back, watch and enjoy the fact that we all have had the opportunity to watch the greatest Top Fuel team ever do their thing. And that thing is winning.

Cruz Pedregon celebrates win.

I am so excited about the Funny Car points chase this weekend and I think it could be one of the great days in drag racing history. Five drivers and five very talented teams all have a real shot at winning the POWERade championship. Of course, if I had my choice, I would much rather be Cruz Pedregon than anyone else right now, if for no other reason than the fact that he is the leader and everyone else has to catch him this weekend. There was a lot of excitement last year when Tony Pedregon, Gary Scelzi and Robert Hight all came to Pomona with a shot at the title and, when Tony lost in round one, Gary and Robert still had hope. When Robert beat Gary in the opening round he was the last one with a shot at the title and he needed to win the race and set the record to do so, and we all know how that turned out. Now, Cruz, Tim Wilkerson, Robert, Tony and Jack Beckman all have a shot at the title, and that sets up the possibility for some key matchups early in the program. After all, with five drivers still alive, you would think there would be at least one first round match between two of the contenders, wouldn't you? If you're Tony and Jack you might actually welcome it, because they are three full rounds behind Cruz and more than two behind Tim, so they

Neff vs. Wilkerson

need something to happen early on. For his part, Tony has raced at the "Finals" fourteen times and he only has two round one losses, 1992 and that one last year. He needs to get past round one this weekend to stay alive. Tim, meanwhile, has eleven appearances at this race with one DNQ and five round one losses. Did you know that Tim is the only one of the contenders who has never been to a final round at the last race of the year? No matter what happens this week, Tim will look to those two first round losses in the "Countdown," the one in Charlotte and the one in Las Vegas, as rounds he would certainly like to have back. I spent some time talking with Tim and Tony at the SEMA show and they both seem very resigned to their individual positions. "Whatever happens,

Don Prudhomme '75

happens," they both said. "We've got good teams and good cars, now we just have to go out and win."...Robert Hight has only raced at three "Finals" but he has never lost in the first round and he needs to maintain that record this week. Of all the folks that I have spoken with over the past two weeks, almost everyone says that Robert has the car that they expect to go rounds this weekend. Regardless of who wins it, I think this weekend could be one of the more exciting in recent years and that's saying a lot after what we've seen at Pomona the past few seasons. There are still, and will always be, people who don't like the "Countdown" format and that's their prerogative, but I'll tell you this. To have five teams all with a real shot at winning the championship at the last race is something you don't see very often and it can only be good for the sport. Of course, out in southern California, the fans of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim probably aren't real big proponents of that baseball playoff idea, either. Speaking of baseball, I hear that Tommy Lasorda is going to be with us at the track this weekend and maybe that's just what Robert and his team need to give them a little emotional lift. That and a pep talk from John Force. Or both...Robert did win the final race last year and that means that he'll try to do something this year that has only been done twice in the long history of

Kenny Bernstein

this race. Did you know that Don Prudhomme (1975 - 76) and Kenny Bernstein (1985 - 86) are the only two Funny Car drivers ever to win this race in consecutive years? Isn't that amazing for a race that has been a regular fixture on the circuit for so long? "Fast" Eddie Schartman won the first "Finals' Funny Car title back in 1966 when he beat Don Nicholson in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The class then became a regular part of the tour in 1970 and Gene Snow beat Ed McCulloch at the final race that year. And did you know that there wasn't a full field of Funny Cars at that 1970 event? But the field did include Eldon Huffman and Bob Steakley. Every time I mention those two it reminds me of how much I would love to have one of the press kits from the original Coca-Cola Cavalcade of Stars. If you know where I can get one, let me know. But I digress.....Let's all have fun this weekend, enjoy the battle for the Funny Car championship and may the best team win, which they almost always do.

Jeg Coughlin

The Pro Stock championship is basically in the same situation that Top Fuel was in Las Vegas. With a good qualifying effort, and that means making the field, Jeg Coughlin will secure his fourth professional title and his fifth overall. That includes a Super Gas crown back in 1992 and professional titles in 2000, 2002 and last year. Arguably the Pro Stock class is tougher this year than it's ever been so to go the distance and win consecutive titles is very impressive. Jeg has been very consistent all season long and only that little blip in Bristol where he failed to qualify takes away from a very good year. Still, when he is crowned champion, that Tennessee race will seem like a long time ago. When I interviewed most of the title contenders a few weeks ago for the 2008 Year in Review DVD (which will be really nice), they all said that you will have to win at least two races and maybe three in the "Countdown" if you wanted to win the championship. Jeg hasn't done that yet,

Greg Anderson

but then neither has anyone else. Jeg has been to three finals during the "Countdown" and that's enough to put him in the lead since the Dallas race and keep him there....Greg Anderson, the leader going into the "Countdown," has been uncharacteristically quite over the past few races. Did you know that since his win in Denver Greg hasn't been to a final round? That's a span of ten races and that's amazing for one of the top drivers and teams in the class. Did you know that you have to go all the way back to the beginning of the 2000 season to find the last time that Greg went ten races without a final round appearance? I ask you, how many other Pro Stock drivers, or drivers in any professional class can say that?....Several of the other Pro Stock teams have made a little run during the

Dave Connolly

"Countdown" but nobody has been as consistent as Jeg. He has driven well and he has had a very good car, thanks to car owner Victor Cagnazzi and the rest of the team "back at the shop."...It's a little surprising when you look at it and see that Greg has won five races this year but still won't win the championship. It's certainly not unusual that the driver with the most wins doesn't take home the championship but that won't make it any easier on Greg, or Kurt Johnson or Dave Connolly because they also have more wins than Jeg this year. But just like the baseball playoffs, it's the team that gets hot during the playoffs that gets to celebrate at the end of the year. The Cubs, Angels and Rays all won more games than the Phillies during the regular season but only the Phils got to have a parade. Hey, that's just the way it works.

Rivas vs. Krawiec

For the second consecutive year the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship will come down to the last race of the season, with Matt Smith, Eddie Krawiec and Chris Rivas all having a shot at winning it all. With just thirty-nine points separating the top three, qualifying will be very important. Chris needs to qualify as well as or better than Matt to keep his deficit within two rounds, otherwise it will be a long weekend for the Drag Specialties bike. Matt will come into the race in first place, unlike last year when he came to Pomona in third place but still won the race and the championship. Of course the fact that he made four runs in the six-second zone was a huge help and he may need that kind of performance this weekend, too. Although, if you believe the weather people in California, it could be ninety degrees this weekend and that could slow the bikes down a bit. We'll see....When I interviewed Matt for the Year in Review DVD I asked him who he would like to see in the other lane with everything on the line. He

Matt Smith

just smiled and said, "Angie." Don't know how I didn't see that one coming. Of course the two, who are a couple, did meet in the first round last year at Pomona with Matt getting the win. Did you know that is the only time the two have faced each other in eliminations? Matt then met and beat Peggy Llewellyn in the next round before beating Antron Brown and Chip Ellis to secure the 2007 championship. Did you know that Matt has never lost to Peggy in their seven meetings and that he is 23-7 against women riders in his career? Only Karen Stoffer is close to having a winning record against him. Matt is 4-3 against Karen and 11-4 against Angelle Sampey....There are a lot of

Llewellyn, Stoffer, Will Troxel and Force

really good riders in the motorcycle class this year and there will be no easy draws in the opening round and that could spell upset for some of the favorites. The scenario is simple, if Matt matches Eddie and Chris round-for-round he's the champion.....Since I mentioned Peggy and Karen I would like to point out that they were part of the huge NHRA breakfast at the SEMA show last week. Along with Ashley Force, Melanie Troxel and Hillary Will, the ladies answered questions, signed autographs and spent over an hour with the fans who attended the breakfast. I've done several of these affairs and this was one of the best. Thanks to everyone who had a part in the planning and thanks to the ladies for making it so special.

Lee Zane

The final Lucas Oil Divisional race finally ended yesterday and a couple of the season champs won the race. Dan Fletcher, the Comp champ, and Lee Zane, the Stock Eliminator champion, both won their respective eliminators, while Shawn Cowie and Steve Harker won in the alky classes. Did you know that the bump spot for the Top Alcohol Dragster class was the quickest ever in divisional history. It took an amazing 5.370 just to make the eight-car field ...With that race in the books there weren't any real shifts in the points and only a couple of classes are still up for grabs. By my way of figuring it, Jimmy DeFrank is the only guy with a shot at catching Ricky Decker for the Super Stock title and Mike Ferderer is the last guy who could pass Brian Forrester for the Super Gas crown. Jimmy would have to win five rounds this weekend and "Ferd" would have to get to the third round to take over the lead in their respective classes. Ricky and Brian have been the leaders for a while but, as we all know, it's not over until, well, you know.