Tue, 3 Nov 2009, 01:58 PM Jim Luikens' Reporter's Notebook at the 9th Annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals

By Jim Luikens Photo copyright 2009 Auto Imagery, Inc. & Jim Luikens

LAS VEGAS -- Notes from Jim Luikens' Reporter's Notebook at the 9th Annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.

Beautiful weather again graced the Las Vegas Nationals. This year's version, the ninth annual, continued the ascent that this race has enjoyed during recent years. It became apparent, while talking with many of the racers and fans here, that this event has joined Indy and Charlotte as the premier NHRA events each season. While I'm sure that some Gainesville or Pomona fans might question that assessment the combination of a showplace facility, typically pleasant weather conditions, and thrilling points battles, all set against the backdrop of one of the most glamorous and exciting cities in the world, combine for a nearly- unparalleled racing experience.

To keep the momentum rolling Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) track officials announced their 2010 Season Ticket Power Package to the media here. Any fan who purchases Reserved or Platinum (starting line) tickets for both 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Series events at The Strip will receive a number of ticket benefits including 2009 ticket pricing, participation in a members-only drag race during the fall NHRA national event, a free commemorative poker chip from each event, and their choice of a free ticket to five of seven LVMS companion events including the NHRA Lucas Oil event, the NHRA PRO Stock Showdown, and the newly-announced NHRA Heritage Series/Rockabilly Rod Reunion that is scheduled for next May. Best of all each package includes VIP parking and a designated quick exit route. Package pricing begins at $274 and four equal monthly payments are available after a 10% deposit by December 1st. Visit www.lvms.com or call (702) 644-4444 for more details or to purchase.

Thomas Nataas

The "story" of this race has to be the cadre of international racers that competed in Top Fuel. When the dust settled after qualifying no less than 25% of the Top Fuel starting field was comprised of "foreigners." Thomas Nataas from Norway led the international squadron by qualifying in the top half of the T/F field. Stig Neergaard from Denmark qualified 14th and he joined familiar NHRA competitors Urs Erbacher from Switzerland and a returning David Grubnic from Australia in making the starting lineup. Another international racer, Lex Joon from the Netherlands, was a non-qualifier in Top Fuel as well when he was troubled by broken blower belts all weekend long.

Lex Joon

Joon, the most successful drag racer in the history of the Netherlands, won several class championships before becoming the FIA European Top Fuel Champion in 2005 and the Top Fuel Runner-Up in 2007 and 2008. Interestingly, the Netherlands is a country where there are quite a few drag racers, relatively speaking, but no drag strips.

Joon and his wife Gerda live in Zaandam, a town near Amsterdam. Together they own and run a car dealership that specializes in servicing American-made cars. The highly successful Dutch racer has never made it a secret that he hoped someday to compete in America. Thanks in part to his sponsor, the MPM International Oil Company, Joon is now living his dream. For Joon's American tour the well-respected American fuel tuner Kevin Poynter is serving as his crew chief with the team's next stop scheduled for Pomoma.

Morgan vs. Jones

Mike Edwards had a chance here to become the first 2009 Full Throttle Champion here but a hole shot upset win by Larry Morgan in the second round delayed the crowning festivities until the final event in Pomona. Morgan combined a telepathic .005 reaction time and a 6.720-second elapsed time to beat Edwards' .056 reaction time and much better 6.677-second elapsed time.

Edwards, who was the 1981 NHRA Modified Eliminator World Champion, dryly remarked on Saturday that the only other time he had won a championship NHRA discontinued the eliminator the following year.

After beating Edwards, Morgan went on to the P/S final where he faced a surprising Rickie Jones in an all-Mopar contest. The Jones team is a Morgan engine customer and, before the final, Morgan asked that his engine be returned. A frantic thrash ensued as the Jones team replaced the Morgan engine with one that they own. Rickie's 6.79-second e.t. was not enough to beat Morgan's 6.72-second elapsed time.

For the second year in a row the Pro Stock Motorcycle team members dressed up in costume for their final qualifying session on Saturday. While all of the costumes were creative, a member of the championship-leading Hector Arana team stole the show with his "Wonder Woman" outfit. The image of a burly, tattooed gentleman in a halter top and short red skirt is an image that most fans will not forget any time soon.

As good as the outfits were this year, and they were very good, they did not eclipse the favorites from last year. Angelle Sampey, who was not present this year, stole the show last year with her cheerleader outfit. Meanwhile, S&S Racing crew chief Ken Johnson, an amputee in real life who also was not present this year, was everyone's favorite last year as an authentic peg-leg pirate.

Top Alcohol Dragster newcomer Monroe Guest continued to impress here with a pair of very impressive runs. During final T/AD qualifying late on Saturday evening he recorded an absolutely unbelievable 5.155-second elapsed time. This is the seventh-quickest T/AD elapsed time ever recorded while his 281.01 mph top speed is the fifth-highest T/AD top speed ever recorded. In the first round Guest proved that his run of the previous day was no fluke as he recorded a 5.164-second winning elapsed time at an even faster 281.77 miles per hour. Three-time T/AD World Champion Bill Reichert remains the category leader in both departments. His 5.103-second elapsed time and his 284.75 top speed, both recorded at Baytown, Texas in April, 2007, are the T/AD standards.

Speaking of Reichert, he was not in attendance at Las Vegas while Jim Whitely and Duane Shields, his two closest competitors for the 2009 T/AD World Championship, were. Brandon Johnson proved to be a one-man wrecking crew as he beat Shields in the first round and Whitely in the second with the net result that neither competitor gained a single point for the weekend. Both Whitely and Shields have one points meet left to claim, but with only one points meet left to be contested one of those two is going to come up short since they both can't be the winner at the final Lucas Oil event of 2009. Meanwhile, Reichert has one national event left claim and he is going to use Pomona as his final 2009 event. Even at this late date there several points' scenarios that can play out but this weekend's results definitely helped Reichert in the quest for his fourth-straight T/AD World Championship.