<img src="http://gallery.nitromater.com/files/6/5/Indy.gif" alt="Indy" align="right"borders="0"/>
TOP FUEL
· Tony Schumacher continued his Mac Tools U.S. Nationals dominance by earning his fifth trophy at the world’s most prestigious drag race. He powered his U.S. Army dragster past Brandon Bernstein’s Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster in the final in what was an emotional victory that he dedicated to the late Blaine Johnson who was killed in a crash at this event in 1996.
· It was Schumacher’s third victory of the season and 33rd of his career. It is the fifth consecutive year Schumacher has advanced to the final at this event, and his seventh career final here.
· Schumacher drove his U.S. Army dragster to his 10th No. 1 qualifying effort of the season and the 31st of his career, clocking a category-leading 4.475-second run with a speed of 332.59 mph. It was his third No. 1 effort at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis .
· Bernstein clocked a track speed record of 332.67 mph in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster.
· Schumacher is the first nitro category driver to win from the No. 1 qualifying position this season.
· With his victory, Schumacher cut Doug Kalitta’s points lead to 54. Kalitta was upset in the first round. With the runner-up finish, Bernstein moved to third, 96 points behind the leader.
· Brandon Bernstein defeated Cory McClenathan by .0023-second in the semifinal round to earn the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light Award
· No. 16 qualifier J.R. Todd anchored the quickest Top Fuel field in NHRA history with his qualifying run of 4.585 seconds in his Skull Shine dragster.
· Two crew members for the Top Fuel dragster driven by Scott Weis received minor injuries when the car’s engine backfired at the starting line during qualifying. Steve Prince, the bottom end specialist, and Frank Mazzarrelli, the cylinder head builder, were standing near the dragster when the engine backfired. Both were checked and released at the track by NHRA emergency services officials.
· Rod Fuller’s Valvoline/David Powers Homes dragster crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award
FUNNY CAR
· Robert Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang to the victory, outrunning Whit Bazemore’s Matco Tools Dodge Charger in the final round.
· It was Hight’s second victory of the season, first at the U.S. Nationals and fourth of his career. It was Bazemore’s fourth career U.S. Nationals final round (2 wins, 2 runner-up finishes).
· John Force raced to the No. 1 qualifying spot with a track record time of 4.691 seconds at 328.54 mph in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. It was Force’s sixth No. 1 position of the season, 10th at this track and 131st of his career.
· Gary Scelzi drove his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger to the first 330 mph run in ORP history during qualifying (330.31 mph). During eliminations, Robert Hight set the track record with a 331.04 mph run in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.
· Force won the $100,000 Skoal Showdown for the sixth time in his career, powering his Castrol GTX Mustang past Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Skoal Chevy Monte Carlo for the victory. It was Johnson’s first final round appearance in the special bonus event for Funny Car.
· No. 16 qualifier Jim Head anchored the quickest Funny Car field in NHRA history with his qualifying run of 4.801 seconds in his Head Racing Dodge Stratus.
· Jim Head was disqualified in the semifinals for crossing the centerline when his Dodge Stratus hit a timing cone. Whit Bazemore was awarded the round win.
· Ron Capps advanced to the semis and moved back into the series points lead. He is 19 points in front of John Force, who lost in the first round with an uncharacteristic red light start.
· Eric Medlen was docked 15 points for oiling the racing surface during eliminations.
· Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK
· Greg Anderson raced to his second victory of the season and the 41st of his career as he drove his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to the win over Dave Connolly, who fouled at the start.
· It was Anderson ’s fourth consecutive U.S. Nationals victory and his fifth overall at this event. He joins Bob Glidden and Warren Johnson as the only Pro Stock drivers to win the U.S. Nationals in four consecutive seasons.
· Anderson claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO with a track record performance of 6.662 at 206.95 mph. It is Anderson ’s 10th top qualifying effort of the season and third at this track.
· With the victory, Anderson cut Jason Line’s series lead to 59.
· Veteran Pro Stock racer Ron Krisher was transported to a local hospital after his Valvoline Chevy Cobalt went out of control and crashed during the second round of eliminations. His car, which was competing in the right lane, veered across the track and impacted the left guardwall. Krisher was alert and conscious after the crash and reported to have only minor injuries by NHRA emergency services officials.
· Andrew Hines’ Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
· Matt Smith rode his Torco Race Fuels Buell to victory over a red-lighting Angelle Sampey in the final. The victory avenged his effort here last year, a photo-finish final that was overturned in favor of Steve Johnson.
· It was Smith’s second victory of the season and his career.
· Smith claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot on his Torco Buell with a track record performance of 6.994 at 189.68 mph. It is Smith’s second career No. 1 qualifying effort.
· With his time of 6.994 seconds, Smith became the fifth member of the eight-rider Mickey Thompson Pro Stock Bike Six-Second Club and earned $500 for the achievement.
· Andrew Hines raced to the $25,000 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle victory, defeating Chip Ellis in the final round of the special bonus event for Pro Stock Motorcycle. It was Hines’ second victory in the event in only three career starts. It was Ellis’ second consecutive runner-up finish in the event in as many starts.
· Andrew Hines increased his series points lead to eight over Antron Brown. Both riders lost in the semifinals.
· Jason Line’s Summit Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
POWERADE FAN NATIONALS
· Tyler Hall, 9, of Amelia , Ohio , won the 18th round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals. Hall, a fourth grade student at Merwin Elementary and the youngest winner in the two-year-history of the popular POWERade Fan Nationals program, defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the POWERade Fan Nationals victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. With the victory, Hall, will have the opportunity to race for the ultimate title of 2006 POWERade Fan Nationals Series champion in November at the 42nd Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.
NHRA POWERADE SERIES POST RACE NOTES
52nd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Aug. 30-Sept. 4, O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis , Clermont , Ind.
52nd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Aug. 30-Sept. 4, O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis , Clermont , Ind.
TOP FUEL
· Tony Schumacher continued his Mac Tools U.S. Nationals dominance by earning his fifth trophy at the world’s most prestigious drag race. He powered his U.S. Army dragster past Brandon Bernstein’s Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster in the final in what was an emotional victory that he dedicated to the late Blaine Johnson who was killed in a crash at this event in 1996.
· It was Schumacher’s third victory of the season and 33rd of his career. It is the fifth consecutive year Schumacher has advanced to the final at this event, and his seventh career final here.
· Schumacher drove his U.S. Army dragster to his 10th No. 1 qualifying effort of the season and the 31st of his career, clocking a category-leading 4.475-second run with a speed of 332.59 mph. It was his third No. 1 effort at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis .
· Bernstein clocked a track speed record of 332.67 mph in his Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster.
· Schumacher is the first nitro category driver to win from the No. 1 qualifying position this season.
· With his victory, Schumacher cut Doug Kalitta’s points lead to 54. Kalitta was upset in the first round. With the runner-up finish, Bernstein moved to third, 96 points behind the leader.
· Brandon Bernstein defeated Cory McClenathan by .0023-second in the semifinal round to earn the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light Award
· No. 16 qualifier J.R. Todd anchored the quickest Top Fuel field in NHRA history with his qualifying run of 4.585 seconds in his Skull Shine dragster.
· Two crew members for the Top Fuel dragster driven by Scott Weis received minor injuries when the car’s engine backfired at the starting line during qualifying. Steve Prince, the bottom end specialist, and Frank Mazzarrelli, the cylinder head builder, were standing near the dragster when the engine backfired. Both were checked and released at the track by NHRA emergency services officials.
· Rod Fuller’s Valvoline/David Powers Homes dragster crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award
FUNNY CAR
· Robert Hight drove his Auto Club Ford Mustang to the victory, outrunning Whit Bazemore’s Matco Tools Dodge Charger in the final round.
· It was Hight’s second victory of the season, first at the U.S. Nationals and fourth of his career. It was Bazemore’s fourth career U.S. Nationals final round (2 wins, 2 runner-up finishes).
· John Force raced to the No. 1 qualifying spot with a track record time of 4.691 seconds at 328.54 mph in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. It was Force’s sixth No. 1 position of the season, 10th at this track and 131st of his career.
· Gary Scelzi drove his Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger to the first 330 mph run in ORP history during qualifying (330.31 mph). During eliminations, Robert Hight set the track record with a 331.04 mph run in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.
· Force won the $100,000 Skoal Showdown for the sixth time in his career, powering his Castrol GTX Mustang past Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Skoal Chevy Monte Carlo for the victory. It was Johnson’s first final round appearance in the special bonus event for Funny Car.
· No. 16 qualifier Jim Head anchored the quickest Funny Car field in NHRA history with his qualifying run of 4.801 seconds in his Head Racing Dodge Stratus.
· Jim Head was disqualified in the semifinals for crossing the centerline when his Dodge Stratus hit a timing cone. Whit Bazemore was awarded the round win.
· Ron Capps advanced to the semis and moved back into the series points lead. He is 19 points in front of John Force, who lost in the first round with an uncharacteristic red light start.
· Eric Medlen was docked 15 points for oiling the racing surface during eliminations.
· Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK
· Greg Anderson raced to his second victory of the season and the 41st of his career as he drove his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to the win over Dave Connolly, who fouled at the start.
· It was Anderson ’s fourth consecutive U.S. Nationals victory and his fifth overall at this event. He joins Bob Glidden and Warren Johnson as the only Pro Stock drivers to win the U.S. Nationals in four consecutive seasons.
· Anderson claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO with a track record performance of 6.662 at 206.95 mph. It is Anderson ’s 10th top qualifying effort of the season and third at this track.
· With the victory, Anderson cut Jason Line’s series lead to 59.
· Veteran Pro Stock racer Ron Krisher was transported to a local hospital after his Valvoline Chevy Cobalt went out of control and crashed during the second round of eliminations. His car, which was competing in the right lane, veered across the track and impacted the left guardwall. Krisher was alert and conscious after the crash and reported to have only minor injuries by NHRA emergency services officials.
· Andrew Hines’ Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
· Matt Smith rode his Torco Race Fuels Buell to victory over a red-lighting Angelle Sampey in the final. The victory avenged his effort here last year, a photo-finish final that was overturned in favor of Steve Johnson.
· It was Smith’s second victory of the season and his career.
· Smith claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot on his Torco Buell with a track record performance of 6.994 at 189.68 mph. It is Smith’s second career No. 1 qualifying effort.
· With his time of 6.994 seconds, Smith became the fifth member of the eight-rider Mickey Thompson Pro Stock Bike Six-Second Club and earned $500 for the achievement.
· Andrew Hines raced to the $25,000 Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle victory, defeating Chip Ellis in the final round of the special bonus event for Pro Stock Motorcycle. It was Hines’ second victory in the event in only three career starts. It was Ellis’ second consecutive runner-up finish in the event in as many starts.
· Andrew Hines increased his series points lead to eight over Antron Brown. Both riders lost in the semifinals.
· Jason Line’s Summit Racing team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
POWERADE FAN NATIONALS
· Tyler Hall, 9, of Amelia , Ohio , won the 18th round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals. Hall, a fourth grade student at Merwin Elementary and the youngest winner in the two-year-history of the popular POWERade Fan Nationals program, defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the POWERade Fan Nationals victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. With the victory, Hall, will have the opportunity to race for the ultimate title of 2006 POWERade Fan Nationals Series champion in November at the 42nd Annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.
