Tue, 14 Sep 2010, 12:46 PM It's Crunch Time

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Dave Connolly

Before I get on with the story I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up. Watch for some exciting news from the Victor Cagnazzi camp later today. I can't say what it's about but I will say that it may cut into Dave Connolly's bracket racing for the rest of the year. Stay tuned.

With the MAC Tools U.S. Nationals in our rear view mirror it's time to focus on the last five races of the season. At this time of the season I always think about how fast the year has gone. I also think about how few races remain and how important every race is for the rest of the year. Yes, I know, every race is important, but with one race in the "Countdown" already in the books the drivers who went out early, or who didn't qualify, in Indy have to make up some ground this week or they can start to think about where they'll finish in the standings. If you lost early in Indy and you lose early this weekend your title hopes are just about over. Not completely over, mind you, but they may be on life support.

Greg Stanfield

Before I go on I do want to thank a couple of people for helping some teams stay on the tour. Of course Ken Koretsky has to be at or near the top of the list. The jovial one, who takes racing very seriously, is one of the main reasons why Greg Stanfield is the 2010 Indy champ. Kenny's Nitro Fish brand has been the primary sponsor on Greg's car and now it looks like the Louisiana native has a real shot at the championship. Sure he's 72 points behind the leader, Mike Edwards, but that's not a lot, especially if Greg continues to drive the way he did in Indy. Did you know that Greg had two holeshot wins at Indy, including the final round, and that brings his total to a class-leading nine holeshot wins this year? When you consider the fact that Greg has won nineteen rounds this year, nine holeshot wins is very impressive. Other than the 4-wide race this year, and counting only "green light" starts, did you know that Greg has left first 92% of the time this year and that's simply amazing? Only Bob Yonke and Justin Humphrey have beaten Greg on the starting line this year. Anyway,

LE Tonglet

Greg and his entire team are doing well, and "Captain Chaos," Ken Koretsky, has been a huge part of their success...Kenny has also helped out Tony Pedregon this season and they have become very good friends. Not only has Nitro Fish been the primary sponsor on Tony's car a couple of times this year, but Kenny also supported the big auction that Tony and his wife, Andrea, put on earlier this year. And by supported I mean he bought a lot of items and contributed a lot of money to the cause. Kenny also helps the DRAW folks at their auctions, too, and for that I thank him. Now comes word that LE Tonglet, who was struggling just to get to Indy, will now be able to breathe a little easier since Kenny will be sponsoring him down the stretch. "I think this kid can win the championship," Kenny told me before making the announcement. And now that LE and his father and brother don't have to worry quite as much about the funding, they can concentrate on racing. By the way, I agree with Kenny, LE could win the

Craig Treble

championship and what a story that would be.The other people who deserve some recognition are Rodger Brogdon and Steve Kent. The pair, who field the "Pistonator" Pro Stock Pontiac, has stepped up big-time recently to help both Craig Treble and Michael Phillips. In fact, along with Steve's Corvette, which ran in Comp Eliminator at Indy, there were four "Pistonator" vehicles in action. I'm sure that Michael and Craig are thankful to Rodger and Steve and we should be, too. To keep a couple of really good racers on the tour is huge, especially in these tough economic times. And, like Kenny, Rodger and Steve also give back to the racing community by supporting DRAW and by helping out at the upcoming Greg Morris Memorial Golf Tournament in Dallas. Through their Attitude Apparel line of clothing the pair will be sponsoring a $10,000 hole-in-one challenge at the event, with half the money going to the golfer who makes a hole-in-one and the other half being split between DRAW and the Greg Morris Memorial Fund. Now how cool is that? On behalf of the drag racing community, thanks to Kenny, Rodger and Steve and I hope you'll reward them by visiting their popular souvenir booths at the next race you attend.

Doug Herbert

Another driver who does a lot to help others is Doug Herbert. Doug will be having his annual B.R.A.K.E.S. dinner and auction this week in Charlotte. This is the third year for the event and I will be the emcee/host (not the entertainment, they have pros to do that.thank goodness) and it takes place on Thursday night. "This is our biggest fund raiser of the year," said Doug. "The supporters who come out for this event are the ones who make it possible for us to host our driving school for free." As you probably know, B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) is an organization that Doug started after his two sons were killed in a highway accident. His goal is to make sure that no parents ever have to get the call that he did. Speedway Children's Charities, a group that is part of every Bruton Smith-owned facility, will also be part of the night's activities. "Bruton's group does so much for the community and it's great to be partners with them for our event," Doug said. Tickets are still available and you can get them and find out more about the event by going to www.putonthebrakes.org or by calling Sara Fensterer at 704-732-8950..Doug will also have a live auction that is sponsored by Irwin Tools, the same company that was on Doug's car when he ran at the 4-wide event earlier this year. Doug is also entered in the race and he could be a spoiler in the Top Fuel class this weekend..The big question right now in Top Fuel seems to be who can stop Larry Dixon and the Al-Anabi team? With a perfect, and unheard of, ten wins in as many final rounds this year, Larry is enjoying one of the best years of his career and that's saying a lot. Coming

Larry Dixon

into the race this weekend Larry's two closest challengers, Cory McClenathan and Tony Schumacher, are the ones who have won the first two races at Z-Max Dragway, Tony in 2008 and Cory last year. Cory also won the 4-wide race earlier this year so he is coming to a track that he really likes and that's a big thing, believe me. I've never been able to figure out why some drivers do well at certain tracks, but it's a fact, and Cory does well in North Carolina. Larry, meanwhile, will be trying to do something that he hasn't done since 2003. Did you know that Larry hasn't won three consecutive races since he swept the "Western Swing" back in '03? Now that's not a bad thing, mind you, because winning one Top Fuel race is tough let alone winning three in a row. At the two previous (conventional) races at Z-Max, Larry has been the top qualifier both times, and he lost in the second round both times, once to Cory and once to Tony. Like I often say, what are the odds? It should be fun this weekend and I think the goal for the other Top Fuel teams is to go rounds and to keep Larry from winning the race.

John Force

I don't know if it's destiny or what, but John Force certainly seems like he's on a path to another championship. Now before you write and holler let me explain. I'm not saying that John is going to win the championship, but I am saying he certainly has everything going in that direction right now. Did you know that John has won thirty-three rounds this year and that's his best production since the 2006 season when he won forty-one rounds and he still has five races to go? With the bonus points he got for being number one going into the "Countdown," and with his runner-up finish in Indy, John is now sixty points, or three rounds, ahead of Jack Beckman who is in second place. Matt Hagan is third, just one point behind Jack, with Ashley Force, Robert Hight and Ron Capps rounding out the top six. Since four of those six made it to the semi-finals in Indy, it looks like Team Force and Team Schumacher are going to slug it out for the championship. With early exits in Indy by Tim Wilkerson, Del Worsham and Tony Pedregon it's imperative that they win some rounds this weekend. They don't have to win the race, although that would be a plus, but they must win some rounds. For the record, Robert Hight and Jack Beckman have won the first two races at Z-Max while John won the 4-wide event earlier this year....I still think that one of the drivers who could have a big impact on the final standings this year is Cruz Pedregon. Cruz, and his Snap-On Tools team, has looked very good recently and he has been to a final round in Carolina. Watch the pairings after qualifying is done this week and see which side of the ladder he is on. Mark my words, he can make life miserable for the contenders. Of course, with his luck (or Tony's), he'll line up against his brother in round one. Here's a little word of advice to the Pedregon's.don't do that!!...John Smith will be in North Carolina and I expect him to qualify for the event. John, who had a run tossed out at Indy because he was a few

Paul Lee

pounds light, had run quick enough to make the field, but rules are rules and he had to start all over and he missed the cut. Still, I think that the car showed a lot of promise and I think Paul Smith will come in with a little chip on his shoulder and that's not good for the other teams. Of course I always think that Paul's car will qualify so we'll just have to wait and see what happens this weekend..Paul Lee and Jim Dunn ran well in Indy and it will be interesting to see if they can duplicate that performance this weekend. Paul, who ran a career best of 4.114 in his first round win over Robert Hight in Indy, seems confident as a driver and Jim seems to be making more power and they, too, could be a spoiler in the class. Of course their goal isn't to spoil anyone's day, it's to win the race. While I'm mentioning folks who have helped racers, let's not forget Forest Lucas. In addition to fielding his own two-car team, Forest has been a big supporter of Jim Dunn's team and they'd love to reward him with a win. If they can duplicate those Indy numbers they could win some rounds this weekend. Did you know that in the last two races Paul has beaten Ashley Force (Brainerd) and Robert Hight (Indy) in the first round?...Ashley, who won Indy, will have her hands full trying to win back-to-back races, especially Indy and Charlotte. Did you know that in the entire history of the Funny Car class the Indy winner has gone on to win the next event just four times? Oddly enough, three of those happened in consecutive years of 1991 (Jim White), 1992 (Cruz Pedregon) and 1993 (John Force)..By the way, congratulations go to Bob Bode Jr. who won the 8-9 year old class at the Division 3 Jr. Dragster championships this past weekend at Bunker Hill Drag Strip. Dad was their serving as crew chief on the car and I'm sure that mom was there, too. Looks like 2010 has been a banner year for the Bode family.

Andrew Hines

The motorcycle class was very interesting in Indy and I can't wait so see what they do for an encore. Andrew Hines, who set the record in Indy, comes in as the leader with LE Tonglet in second place. If John Force has everything pointing in the right direction you would have to say the same about Andrew. Did you know that he has been in the last four final rounds? Throw in the fact that he also set the record and you're looking at one, certifiably hot racer.Even though he beat Andrew in the final round in Indy, LE still didn't earn as many points as Andrew did and that's because of the record (twenty points) and the qualifying bonus points (fifteen) that Andrew picked up. The gap between the two is eighty-eight points and that's the biggest lead any of the drivers have in the four Full Throttle classes.Hector Arana, the defending champion, is 105 points behind the leader and that makes this a very important race for him. To put it bluntly, Hector needs to gain about forty points on Andrew if he wants to keep his title hopes alive. You don't want to go into the last four races of the year with a triple-digit deficit..Michael Phillips has lost in the first round at the last two events and that's the first time this year that has happened. Like Hector, Michael needs to have a good outing this week or he, too, will be running strictly for position after Charlotte..We keep talking about the fact that only four drivers have won in Top Fuel this year, but did you know that only five have won in the motorcycle class in 2010? That's equals the lowest number since 2002, a year when only five drivers visited the winner's circle. Did you know that of the five who won in 2002 only one, Craig Treble, is still active in the bike class?...After settling down for a few races and getting a lot of green lights, the riders seemed to get a little anxious in Indy. Did you know that there were six red-light starts in Indy and that's the most in the bike class since Gainesville?

Dina Parise

The Get Screened America Pro Mods will be in action this week and the field is loaded. With Z-Max Dragway being located right in the heart of Pro Mod country, over two dozen cars are entered including the team of Dina and Andrew Parise from New York. Dina and Andrew carry the logo for the Wounded Warriors Project and they have done a lot to lift the spirits of our wounded soldiers. They also support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and I hope you'll take a moment to visit them in the pits this weekend. Dina, who may be the only driver in the country who can say that they once skated with the Ice Capades, has had a few wild rides this year, but in true drag racing fashion, she keeps bouncing back. Their cars are beautiful and they'll make a nice addition to the field this week. Plus, they are one more example of drag racers who give back to the community..And speaking of Pro Mods, it was good to see Mike Castellana in action this week. Mike was diagnosed with colon cancer a few weeks back and he'll begin treatment for it shortly. Mike was in Rockingham this past weekend doing what he loves, drag racing. Let's hope his treatment goes well, but in the meantime let's all keep him in our prayers.