Tue, 23 Feb 2010, 10:42 PM It Was A Tough Weekend

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Vinnie Deceglie Photo by NHRA

There is no getting around the fact that the Arizona Nationals was a very tough race for everyone. It all started out so well with a great day of weather on Friday but it slowly went downhill. First there was the crash by Gordie Rivera, then the talk about how tough the track was for the Pro Stock Cars, and then there was the rain on Saturday, another Pro Stock crash, this time by Vinnie Deceglie, and then there was Sunday. As much of a challenge as the first two days were, Sunday was even harder on everyone. The weather caused several delays, and eventually the postponement of the race, and the incident involving Antron Brown's car was tragic. There is no way to express the sorrow that everyone feels at the loss of anyone at the race, but when it's a spectator it's especially sad. Drivers anticipate and assume a certain amount of risk in what they do, but not the fans. There is no doubt that what happened was a freak accident, something that couldn't have been anticipated and probably won't ever be repeated, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the loss of a fan. For her family and friends there is nothing we can say that will be adequate, nothing we can do that will bring them comfort. All we can do is say that we will keep them in our prayers, and hope that in some small way they know that the entire drag racing community mourns with them.

As the entire incident was unfolding on Sunday I constantly had people asking me what I knew, and all I could do was tell them what I had been told. It was obvious that there had been an injury and a fan had been taken to the hospital. I didn't know any more, and if I wasn't allowed to announce any developments or updates to the fans, I didn't want to know any more. I specifically didn't ask for any more details either, because I knew that there were privacy concerns and concerns about the family that would make it impossible for me to relay any information to the fans. I certainly appreciate and respect that because it is the right thing to do, from a legal, moral and a compassionate point of view. Others, especially members of the media, may not understand that, or may choose to not understand it. There is, after all, always this constant drive to be first with a story, even if it's not

Antron Brown Photo by Roger Richards

completely accurate. And even if they got the story right before the information was officially released, isn't there or shouldn't there be some consideration for the family and what they are going through? I think so. In the end, it was a very sad day for everyone involved, especially the family of the woman who lost her life, and I only hope that we, as a community, can do whatever it takes to help ease their pain.

As you all know, I am not a technical guy, in fact, that's one of the great understatements of all time. But I have watched a few cars go down the drag strip over the years, and I have to admit that I was as baffled as everyone else about what was going on with the Pro Stock cars. After Gordie crashed, and then after Vinnie crashed, there was a great deal of concern in the Pro Stock pits about the track. Now before I go on, remember, I'm just talking as an observer and certainly not as an expert, so these are simply my views on the subject and not anything you should take as gospel. Having said that, from the times and the speeds that were being turned in the left lane, it seemed apparent that there was something that was causing the Pro Stock teams some problems. The big question was, what was it? The teams, the crews, the car builders, and others all went down to the spot on the track that seemed to be where the troubles began, but from what I heard, they couldn't put their finger on anything that was the single cause of the problem. NHRA sprayed the track repeatedly and it still didn't seem to alleviate the problem. Some cars got down the lane, others did not, and when several drivers expressed concern after the first round on Sunday, it was apparent that there was going to be a real problem. The drivers didn't want to race, everyone had done what they thought needed to be done, and it seemed that the problem still existed. It was a situation that I can honestly say I have never seen before. In addition to not being a technical guy, I am also not a track specialist, so I certainly had no idea about what to

Humphrey vs. Anderson

do. Several cars won out of the left lane in the first round but they still seemed troubled by the lane and they weren't real anxious about going back out there. I don't know what else, if anything, could have been done to appease the drivers, or to make them feel secure about the track, but it seemed to me like almost everything that was suggested was tried. In the end, the rain put a halt to racing on Sunday with the fuel cars down to the final pairs and the Pro Stocks still waiting to run round number two, and shortly after that it was announced that the Pro Stock Cars would finish the race at Gainesville in three weeks, and that's something that I can't ever remember happening before. I don't know what the problem was, and I don't know if anyone does, but I do know that NHRA (and yes, I know, I'm an employee so some will think that colors my statements), and the folks at Firebird Raceway did everything they could to try to alleviate the problem and that included taking with the teams and the car builders in an effort to see if there was something that they could do to the cars to give them more down-force. In the end, nothing worked and so now they will run in Florida. It was all part of a weekend that was unlike any other that I have seen, and I've been doing this a long time.

Rodger Brogdon

Even though the Pro Stock cars didn't finish the race there were a couple things that caught my attention and one of them was Rodger Brogdon and the "Pistonator." Along with his partner, Steve Kent, the team has been making steady progress and this week they qualified third, the best in their relatively brief career. But even though they are still new to the class, anytime you see forward progress it's a good thing. Rodger qualified fifth in Pomona and third this week and that's good. Plus, he has won his opening round at both races and that's more than Jason Line, Kurt Johnson, Jeg Coughlin and Ron Krisher can say. Ok, so he got a bye run in Phoenix when Vinnie couldn't make the call, but it's still a round win and I'm sure Rodger will take it. I would!!...Another driver who got my attention this week was Bob Yonke. Bob, who ran in the Pro

Bob Yonke

Stock Truck class for a while, has teamed up with Greg Stanfield and they have, apparently, come up with a very good combination because Bob qualified sixth in the field. Did you know that this was Bob's first time to make the show in Pro Stock? He then beat Rickie Jones in round one and he'll face the "Pistonator" in round two in Florida. Nice job, Bob. Hey, maybe he could become the "Bobinator." Oh wait, that's me. Forget it, Bob....Greg Stanfield and his team not only make good engines for customers but they keep at least one good one for themselves. Combine that with a really good driver and you have a very formidable team. Greg, who lost to Mike Edwards in Pomona, squared off with Jeg Coughlin in Phoenix in a real marquis match in round one and he beat Jeg on a holeshot. Since both drivers were included in National DRAGSTER's top ten list of drivers (see the current issue), it was a very good match-up for the fans to see. Did you know that Greg and Jeg are two of the four drivers in the history of the sport who have won national events in five classes? That's another

Coughlin vs. Stanfield

reason why it was such a great match. Did you know that before that race on Sunday Jeg had an amazing 16-2 record against Greg, and that he was 9-1 in first round matches against him? Jeg had also lost only twenty-one races on holeshots in his career, a career that spanned 638 rounds coming into Phoenix, so to say that it was a great win for Greg would be an understatement. Those who follow the Pro Stock class have said for the past few years that Greg and his team have done a great job, and now with help from both Ken Koretsky and his Nitrofish line, and with continuing support from Greg Hill's Indicom Electric, 2010 could be a real breakthrough year for them. Keep an eye on the "Fish" as the year goes on....While a lot of the teams were struggling, mostly in the left lane, both Mike Edwards and Ron Krisher showed that there was nothing wrong with the right lane at Firebird. Ron went 6.619 to beat Shane Gray and then Mike followed with a stunning (and I know I use that word a lot, but what else can you say about Mike?) 6.617 - 209.82 run to take care of Warren Johnson. Both runs were very impressive, and from where I sit it sure looks like Mike is the guy to beat again this year.

John Force

I said last week that if John Force got out of Phoenix with a win that it would signal the fact that he is back and ready to make a run for another championship. Well, he didn't win the race but he did make the final round so I would say that he's back. John, who made great qualifying runs in Pomona, was even better this week and he took the top spot for the first time in over three years. Did you know that the last time he qualified number one was at Indy in 2006 and that's a span of 77 races between tops spots for John? When I saw that I thought it must be some kind of record, I mean, how many drivers go that long between number one spots? The answer is, a lot. In fact, John's gap pales in comparison to some others, like Del Worsham's. Did you know that Del went from Brainerd in 1991 until Houston in 2001 between number one qualifying efforts? That's a span of 167 Funny Car races (not counting his TF races over that time), and while that's a lot, it's not the longest drought in the Funny Car class, at least not the longest when you look at the calendar. Did you know Tom McEwen qualified number one at the Winternationals in 1969 and then didn't sit at the top of the Funny Car field again until Denver in 1984. In total number of races it wasn't quite as bad for the "Goose" as it was for Del

Beckman vs. Force

since he didn't race at as many events, still it was a gap of 80 FC races between top spots for him. Like I said, it makes John's drought look like a little glitch, doesn't it?....Not only did he lead the field in Phoenix but John also set a personal best with his 4.044 in round two when he beat Jim Head and he followed that with a 4.080 win over Robert Hight. I don't know who gets the credit for this resurgence, probably John for re-organizing his teams, but whoever it is should get a raise because it sure is working.....Let's not overlook the great start that Jack Beckman is having this year. Jack, who made his national event debut at that infamous Phoenix '92 event, has a semi-final and a win in the season's first two races and that's very good. The MTS/Valvoline team seems to be working well together and that's going to make "Fast Jack" a real contender this year. After sitting out the rain on Sunday and another long delay on Monday, Jack and his team responded with a solid effort, a 4.121 at 301 miles per hour to get the win. Did you know that Jack becomes just the fourth driver to win the Phoenix race more than once? Del Worsham and Ron Capps have each won it twice while John Force has won it eight times and been to another five finals ....Even though we are looking at sixteen to eighteen cars per race, more or less, the Funny Car class is loaded with talent and that should make for some great racing this year.

McClenathan vs. Kalitta

Cory McClenathan has a pretty good hot rod, doesn't he? After sweeping the performance numbers in Pomona Cory came to Phoenix and made it to the winner's circle with the FRAM car. It's a good car, Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler are doing a very good job and I think this could be one of Cory's best years, and that's saying a lot for one of the sport's best drivers. After losing to Doug Kalitta in the semi-finals at Pomona, Cory and his team rebounded to take the win over Doug in Phoenix. Did you know that Cory now has three wins at Firebird Raceway and that ties him for the most wins in the history of that event?...Four cars from the bottom half of the field won in the opening round of Top Fuel and none of the wins were more surprising than the one by Steve Chrisman over Larry Dixon. "It's like you're playing golf with Tiger Woods," Steve said, "and you shoot a birdie and he gets a par." Ok, we can never get enough Tiger references at the drags, but I know what he means. Steve loves running his car and a win like that is huge for him and his team, which includes crew chief Kevin Meredyk. It's also wins like that that make this a great sport. On paper, it looked like an easy win for Larry, but when he shook the tires, Steve took advantage and took the win....Don't look now but Doug Kalitta is off to his best start in years. Did you know that this is the first time since 2004 that Doug has opened the year with two consecutive

Torrence vs. Schumacher

final rounds? And while he didn't overpower anyone in Phoenix he did make it to the money round and that's every racer's goal. I spoke with Doug after his Friday run put him in the number one spot and he really seemed to be enjoying his fast start, plus, he's such a really nice guy and a good family man and a real credit to the sport. He also put a smile on Connie's face several times over the course of the weekend and that's always a good thing....Tony Schumacher's loss to Steve Torrence was one of the real upsets of the weekend and it showed everyone that Dexter Tuttle's "Simple Mobile" team is for real. It also showed that Steve can really drive one of these cars since he won the round on a holeshot. Did you know that this was the first holeshot win in Steve's brief Top Fuel career? I'm sure it's one he'll remember forever. After the run Tony came right over and congratulated Steve, and if there's one thing we've learned over the years it's that Tony is as gracious in loss as is he is humble when he wins.

While nothing really got accomplished in the sportsman classes in Arizona, there was a lot of activity in Florida where Steve Harker and Mike Manners took top honors at the Lucas Oil race in Gainesville. I also noticed that Mark Taliaferro was racing in Florida. Mark ran one of the top blown alcohol dragsters in the country in the late '90's and it's great to see him back in action....The red-hot Luke Bagacki made it to a couple of final rounds in Florida but came up short in each. Still, that's a pretty good weekend for any driver.