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One week ago, when Jeff Arend was stringing powerful runs together, one after another while advancing to the semi-finals in Englishtown, it was obvious to him that the same consistent car he had driven all year was at the peak of its form. On that successful Sunday, he edged Tim Wilkerson in round two, driving his Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Impala to a beautiful lap. On this weekend, in sunny Norwalk and in front of a massive throng of drag racing fans, Arend again faced Wilkerson, though this time in round one, and it was a sudden disappearance of his team's famed consistency that cost him.
"We really have had a great car, for most of the year, and these guys are fantastic at giving me a chance to win every lap, because we almost always go A-to-B," Arend said. "We put some good laps on the board here this weekend, and ended up being the last team standing in terms of qualifying for every race, but it got away from us on Sunday morning, and that's what hurts."
Arend made the most of his Friday night lap, here in Norwalk, though he and his co-crew chiefs, Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner, knew they had left more than a little on the table. Arend's 4.830 planted him firmly in the No. 11 spot, and when Gary Scelzi missed the cut it left Arend holding the longest consecutive qualifying streak, with the somewhat stunning total of 12 (all 11 this year, plus his last event in 2006.)
"Well, there's probably no better example of how consistent we've been all season than the streak," Arend said. "Like I've said before, we're not big home run hitters and we usually end up right in the middle of the pack, but so far this year we've been there for every single race and no one else in the Funny Car class can say that. I know that nobody thought we'd be the team to keep it going the longest, but we never doubted we could outlast everyone. I mean, once Force DNQd it was like all the water in the world started coming over the dam, and it's been a flood of big names, every week, since then."
On Saturday, Arend watched in horrified amazement as his teammate, Del Worsham, shredded the Impala body off his car in the lights. His team then sent him on a superior run in Q4, posting a strong 4.897 in the heat of the day. That run, more than any, gave the Madman Murray crew the confidence they were looking for heading into Sunday.
Opening the Funny Car festivities as the first pair in the first round, Arend and Wilkerson lined up for the rematch of their Englishtown race, with the bright yellow Madman Impala on the left side and Wilkerson's LRS Chevy on the right.
At the flash of amber, Arend maintained his stellar reputation for leaving first, as he grabbed a big 4-hundredths of a second advantage at the tree. He gained more ground by the 60-foot timer, and seemed to be on his way to an important first-round win, when tire smoke began to billow from Goodyears just short of the 330-block.
"We just made more power than the track would take, and it got out there and drove straight into spin on us," Arend said. "There wasn't anything I could do about it. Tim went tearing off into the distance and we had to face the fact that we weren't as consistent today as we have been almost all year. It's a tough deal, you know, and it's a very tough sport full of very talented people. One week ago we had it rolling, and only lost in the semi-final by inches, and here we are this weekend getting left behind in the first round.
"We know we can go straight to Bristol and win the whole thing, there's no doubt in any of our minds. We have a fast and consistent car, we have a great team, and we have the right attitude and chemistry to accomplish great things. There really aren't any missing pieces here right now, we just need to operate at our best and we'll be fine. This was a great weekend for the fans, in this unbelievable venue, and the weather was spectacular. Our result on Sunday just stunk. We'll fix that next weekend."
And if they do that, the class-leading qualifying streak will have expanded to the enormous total of 13 straight races. A paltry amount by some comparisons, but the perfect example of just how difficult it is to compete in the 2007 Funny Car world.
AREND'S REVERSAL OF FORTUNE CREATES FIRST-ROUND LOSS
One week ago, when Jeff Arend was stringing powerful runs together, one after another while advancing to the semi-finals in Englishtown, it was obvious to him that the same consistent car he had driven all year was at the peak of its form. On that successful Sunday, he edged Tim Wilkerson in round two, driving his Checker, Schuck's, Kragen Impala to a beautiful lap. On this weekend, in sunny Norwalk and in front of a massive throng of drag racing fans, Arend again faced Wilkerson, though this time in round one, and it was a sudden disappearance of his team's famed consistency that cost him.
"We really have had a great car, for most of the year, and these guys are fantastic at giving me a chance to win every lap, because we almost always go A-to-B," Arend said. "We put some good laps on the board here this weekend, and ended up being the last team standing in terms of qualifying for every race, but it got away from us on Sunday morning, and that's what hurts."
Arend made the most of his Friday night lap, here in Norwalk, though he and his co-crew chiefs, Chris Cunningham and Marc Denner, knew they had left more than a little on the table. Arend's 4.830 planted him firmly in the No. 11 spot, and when Gary Scelzi missed the cut it left Arend holding the longest consecutive qualifying streak, with the somewhat stunning total of 12 (all 11 this year, plus his last event in 2006.)
"Well, there's probably no better example of how consistent we've been all season than the streak," Arend said. "Like I've said before, we're not big home run hitters and we usually end up right in the middle of the pack, but so far this year we've been there for every single race and no one else in the Funny Car class can say that. I know that nobody thought we'd be the team to keep it going the longest, but we never doubted we could outlast everyone. I mean, once Force DNQd it was like all the water in the world started coming over the dam, and it's been a flood of big names, every week, since then."
On Saturday, Arend watched in horrified amazement as his teammate, Del Worsham, shredded the Impala body off his car in the lights. His team then sent him on a superior run in Q4, posting a strong 4.897 in the heat of the day. That run, more than any, gave the Madman Murray crew the confidence they were looking for heading into Sunday.
Opening the Funny Car festivities as the first pair in the first round, Arend and Wilkerson lined up for the rematch of their Englishtown race, with the bright yellow Madman Impala on the left side and Wilkerson's LRS Chevy on the right.
At the flash of amber, Arend maintained his stellar reputation for leaving first, as he grabbed a big 4-hundredths of a second advantage at the tree. He gained more ground by the 60-foot timer, and seemed to be on his way to an important first-round win, when tire smoke began to billow from Goodyears just short of the 330-block.
"We just made more power than the track would take, and it got out there and drove straight into spin on us," Arend said. "There wasn't anything I could do about it. Tim went tearing off into the distance and we had to face the fact that we weren't as consistent today as we have been almost all year. It's a tough deal, you know, and it's a very tough sport full of very talented people. One week ago we had it rolling, and only lost in the semi-final by inches, and here we are this weekend getting left behind in the first round.
"We know we can go straight to Bristol and win the whole thing, there's no doubt in any of our minds. We have a fast and consistent car, we have a great team, and we have the right attitude and chemistry to accomplish great things. There really aren't any missing pieces here right now, we just need to operate at our best and we'll be fine. This was a great weekend for the fans, in this unbelievable venue, and the weather was spectacular. Our result on Sunday just stunk. We'll fix that next weekend."
And if they do that, the class-leading qualifying streak will have expanded to the enormous total of 13 straight races. A paltry amount by some comparisons, but the perfect example of just how difficult it is to compete in the 2007 Funny Car world.
