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Pomona II Pre-Race Report
Auto Club NHRA Finals
Event 24 of 24 (Pomona II)
NHRA Countdown, Event 6 of 6
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
Pomona, California
November 9-11, 2018
Noteworthy:
- Ron Capps remains mathematically in the hunt for the 2018 Funny Car title entering the final race of the season (165 points out of first)
- Tony Schumacher will fly the U.S. Army colors on his Top Fuel dragster for the final time, closing out a partnership that dates back to the 2000 NHRA U.S. Nationals and includes:
- Seven Top Fuel world championships
- 80 event wins
- 86 No. 1 qualifiers
- 745 round wins
- Jack Beckman will reach the '300 events' milestone this weekend at his home track
- Tommy Johnson Jr. returns as the defending Funny Car event champion
- Johnson has been to the Pomona II final round the past three years in a row, winning in 2016 and 2017, and finishing as the runner-up in 2015
- Johnson has earned the pole at the previous three NHRA events (Dallas, Charlotte II, Las Vegas II)
- Beckman has qualified No. 1 at the NHRA Finals for the past two years
- Matt Hagan returns as the most recent Pomona Funny Car winner, having raced to victory from the No. 1 spot at the 2018 season-opener
- Schumacher leads the Top Fuel class in number of No. 1 qualifiers (10) at Pomona:
- Spring: 2005 - 2007, 2013
- Fall: 2003, 2005, 2007 - 2010
- Schumacher is tied with Don Garlits for most TF wins (six) at Pomona:
- Spring: 2004, 2008
- Fall: 2004 - 2007
- Antron Brown has been successful in earning victories in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle at the Pomona II event
- Beckman, Capps and Leah Pritchett consider Pomona to be a hometown track. Beckman resides in Norco; Capps resides in Carlsbad; Pritchett grew up in nearby Redlands
DSR Driver Information:
Top Fuel:
ANTRON BROWN
Driver of the Matco Tools Maximus 3.0/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 6
Pomona II Event Highlights:
- Three-time event champion
- Top Fuel: 2009, 2010
- Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1999
- Two-time runner-up
- Top Fuel: 2015
- Pro Stock Motorcycle: 2004
- 2015 No. 1 qualifier
Qualified fourth; Semifinal finish (defeated Mike Salinas in E1, Steve Torrence in E2; defeated by Brittany Force in E3)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified fifth; First round exit (defeated by Blake Alexander in E1)
2018 Season Statistics:
26 round wins; ranked sixth in points
Career Statistics:
405 races; 66 wins (16 Pro Stock Motorcycle); 49 No. 1 qualifiers (11 PSM)
Noteworthy:
- For the second consecutive event, Brown will pilot a Matco Tools Maximus 3.0 paint scheme in support of Matco's launch of their newest diagnostic tool, the Maximus 3.0, now available
- The Maximus 3.0 is the fastest, strongest and most intuitive member of the Maximus diagnostic tool family
- The Maximus 3.0 bridges the gap between diagnosis and repair utilizing the MaximusFix repair database. Once a technician scans a vehicle, they will have full information to help them get to the fix faster. With MaximusFix, they gain instant access to technical service bulletins, wiring diagrams, flow charts and more to complete the job at hand.
Quotable:
"We're definitely getting to the realm of where we want to be. The team's confidence is growing. We just need a little luck to go our way on race day. We're going to go out to Pomona and try to qualify better, hopefully in the top three and end the year on a good note."
LEAH PRITCHETT
Driver of the Mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 4
2017 Pomona II Recap:
Qualified third; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Scott Palmer in E1; defeated by Shawn Langdon in E2)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified fourth; Event runner-up (defeated Troy Buff in E1, Blake Alexander in E2, Tony Schumacher in E3; defeated by Steve Torrence in E4)
2018 Season Statistics:
33 round wins; ranked fourth in points
Career Statistics:
117 races; seven wins; ten No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- Pritchett grew up in nearby Redlands, California and considers Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to be her hometown track
Quotable:
"The season may be coming to a close, but there is still so much on the line for our Mopar team with the potential to finish second in the world. Coming off of a very consistent performance in Vegas, we know the chances and confidence are high as we look forward to soaring our momentum at my official home track. Qualifying will be key as it always is.
"We began the season with the incredible opportunity to represent the men and women of the U.S. Army and their recruiting efforts with an emphasis on STEM. We have grown in this short time as a team from the values they represent and resilience to be the best in everything they do. As this chapter closes on the official partnership, we will forever continue to be proud of our service men and women and pursue wins on the track in their honor. There are no words to describe how humbled and proud I am to have carried the star all season long, and I look forward to being one of the final panelists at the last YES program, especially in my hometown community."
TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 3
Pomona II Event Highlights:
- Four-time event champion (2004 - 2007)
- Four-time runner-up (2000, 2011, 2012, 2014)
- Six-time No. 1 qualifier (2003, 2005, 2007 - 2010)
2017 Pomona II Recap:
Qualified sixth; First round exit (defeated by Shawn Langdon in E1)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified No. 9; Semifinal finish (defeated Scott Palmer in E1, Clay Millican in E2; defeated by Leah Pritchett in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
33 round wins; ranked third in points
Career Statistics:
503 races; 84 wins; 87 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- Will fly the U.S. Army colors on his Top Fuel dragster for the final time, closing out a partnership that dates back to the 2000 NHRA U.S. Nationals and includes:
- Seven Top Fuel world championships
- 80 event wins
- 86 No. 1 qualifiers
- 745 round wins
- Leads the Top Fuel class in number of No. 1 qualifiers (10) at Pomona:
- Spring: 2005 - 2007, 2013
- Fall: 2003, 2005, 2007 - 2010
- Tied with Don Garlits for most Top Fuel wins (six) at Pomona:
- Spring: 2004, 2008
- Fall: 2004 - 2007
Quotable:
“The championship is out of reach but, believe it or not, we’re really looking forward to Pomona, which is pretty much the case every race weekend with this U.S. Army team. We want to say hats off to Steve Torrence for the incredible year he and his team have had. We always say it’s nice to once in a while enjoy someone else’s good fortune. Life’s too short to feel otherwise. We’re an awesome race team with an incredible winning record, a championship heritage. Having won championships, we can really enjoy someone else’s championship efforts because we know every little thing that goes into winning them, just what it takes to earn it.
"As for what we expect this weekend, it’ll be business as usual. We are going to try and win the race. We’re well aware of the points situation and the fact we can finish as high as second in the points if we have the kind of weekend we’re capable of. That would be all well and good, but we’ve first got to go in with the mindset of trying to win this race. The points will take care of themselves, as they always do. If you’re not No. 1 at the end of the season, it really doesn’t matter where you end up, does it? It’s all about winning. This is the best time to win because, if you don’t, you really have a long wait until you get your next chance.”
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 8
Pomona II Event Highlights:
- 2006 runner-up
- Three-time No. 1 qualifier (2006, 2016, 2017)
Qualified No. 1; Semifinal finish (defeated Jeff Arend in E1, John Force in E2; defeated by Tommy Johnson Jr. in E3)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified No. 3; Semifinal finish (defeated Jim Campbell in E1, Courtney Force in E2; defeated by J.R. Todd in E3)
2018 Season Statistics:
27 round wins; ranked eighth in points
Career Statistics:
299 races; 28 wins; 24 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- Will reach the '300 events' milestone this weekend at his home track
- Has started from the No. 1 spot at the Fall Pomona event the past two years in a row (2016, 2017)
- As a resident of nearby Norco, considers Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to be his hometown track
Quotable:
"There's going to be two happy Funny Car drivers after Pomona - whoever is going to win the championship, and whoever wins the race. For us, we know we're not going to win the championship, but man, the winter is a lot more palatable if you have that last trophy of the year.
"Our Infinite Hero team ran good enough in Vegas that we could've won the race, we just came out on the wrong end of another close side-by-sider. We have every reason to be optimistic going into Pomona. The guys have had a week to go over notes and I think that we have zeroed-in on all of our tuneup stuff. This is going to be a race where there are no excuses. It's going to be about performance, it's going to be about beating four people, and that's a big, big trophy. It's the same size as the other 23 they give out, but it's going to mean a lot more to anyone that wins it, and I hope it's us."
RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 3
Pomona II Event Highlights:
- 2008 runner-up
- Three-time No. 1 qualifier (1999, 2012, 2015)
2017 Pomona II Recap:
Qualified sixth; First round exit (defeated by Del Worsham in E1)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified twelfth; Quarterfinal finish (defeated John Force in E1; defeated by Bob Tasca III in E2)
2018 Season Statistics:
33 round wins; ranked third in points
Career Statistics:
530 races; 61 wins (one Top Fuel); 21 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- Remains mathematically in the hunt for the 2018 Funny Car title entering Pomona (165 points out of first)
- As a resident of Carlsbad (greater San Diego area), considers Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to be his hometown track
Quotable:
"Going into Pomona with a chance to win the championship these past few years, it's only fitting that here we are again, with a mathematical shot at it. We have a race car that's really running well. I can't say enough about what (crew chief) Rahn Tobler's done these last few races. He put the five-disc back in and really put the performance back in the car in Charlotte, and we went on to win that race.
"The conditions in Pomona are always great, especially with the time change and it getting darker earlier. It'll be a fast race track. The NAPA AutoCare team continues to give me a great car, and if I can do my job driving, we'll have a great weekend. We'd love to finish up the year with another win."
MATT HAGAN
Driver of the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 7
Pomona II Event Highlights:
- Three-time event champion (2011, 2013, 2014)
- 2011 No. 1 qualifier
2017 Pomona II Recap:
Qualified seventh; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Gary Densham in E1; defeated by Robert Hight in E2)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified ninth; Event runner-up (defeated Tim Wilkerson in E1, Tommy Johnson Jr. in E2, Bob Tasca III in E3; defeated by J.R. Todd in E4)
2018 Season Statistics:
31 round wins; ranked seventh in points
Career Statistics:
239 races; 29 wins; 34 No. 1 qualifiers
Noteworthy:
- Returns as the most recent Pomona Funny Car winner, having raced to victory from the No. 1 spot at the 2018 season-opener
"Wow, where did the year go? We don't have a shot to win the title, but there's still a race to win. We want to finish strong, and we'd like to set the tone for next year. It's a quick off-season and then we're right back at it for testing; it'll go by quick. We've had some struggles this year adjusting to new combinations and track prep, but it's still been a good year overall; we've won a few races. We want nothing more than to put this new Mopar Hellcat Funny Car body in the winner's circle, and to be the first ones to do that."
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
Countdown to the Championship Ranking: No. 5
Pomona II Event Highlights:
- Two-time event champion (2016, 2017)
- Two-time runner-up (2002, 2015)
2017 Pomona II Recap:
Qualified fourth; Event champion (defeated Bob Bode in E1, Alexis DeJoria in E2, Jack Beckman in E3, Robert Hight in E4)
Last event (Las Vegas II):
Qualified No. 1; Quarterfinal finish (defeated Jeff Arend in E1; defeated by Matt Hagan in E2)
2018 Season Statistics:
26 round wins; ranked fifth in points
Career Statistics:
444 races; 17 wins (two Top Fuel); 17 No. 1 qualifiers (one Top Fuel)
Noteworthy:
- Returns as the defending Funny Car event champion
- Johnson has been to the Pomona II final round the past three years in a row, winning in 2016 and 2017, and finishing as the runner-up in 2015
- Has earned the pole at the previous three NHRA events (Dallas, Charlotte II, Las Vegas II)
"Looking forward to Pomona. Going to the final the past three years in a row, and winning it the last two years, it gives you a lot of confidence and it's a great way to finish the season strong. We're excited about our chances there. Unfortunately, 2018 wasn't the championship year we were looking for, but we're still looking to go out, finish strong and see if we can't keep things going with a fourth No. 1 qualifier in a row, and a third consecutive NHRA Finals event win."
