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Sept. 21-24, Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas
TOP FUEL
· Brandon Bernstein, from Lake Forest, Calif., raced to his fourth victory of the season in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster, defeating Rod Fuller’s Valvoline dragster in the final.
· For Dallas-native Bernstein, a graduate of Texas A&M, it was his first victory at the Texas Motorplex. It was his 12th career victory.
· Tony Schumacher claimed his 10th No. 1 qualifying award of the season, second at this track and 32nd of his career by powering his U.S. Army dragster to a qualifying best of 4.520 seconds at 325.22 mph. With the effort, Schumacher is one short of his category-record 11 No. 1 performances in a season.
· Schumacher advanced to the semifinals and cut Doug Kalitta’s series lead to 33. With his victory, Bernstein moved within 40 points of the leader.
· Schumacher’s U.S. Army dragster crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award
FUNNY CAR
· Robert Hight, from Anaheim Hills, Calif., raced to the victory in his Auto Club Ford Mustang over first-time finalist Mike Ashley, a New York mortgage broker, who drives the Torco Racing Fuels Dodge Charger.
· It was Hight’s third win of the season, his first win at the Motorplex and the fifth victory of his career.
· With the victory, Hight ended a streak of 25 races where the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car had been shut out of the winner’s circle.
· Hight raced to a category-leading eighth No. 1 qualifying spot of the season with a performance of 4.742 seconds at 324.75 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. It is Hight’s 14th No. 1 of his career and first ever at the Texas Motorplex.
· In a pivotal first round meeting, series points leader Ron Capps defeated top challenger John Force. Capps powered his Brut Dodge Charger to the win while Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang lost traction at the start. It was Force’s fourth first round loss of the season.
· With his first round victory, Capps increased his series points lead to 37 over Force. Capps lost in the second round to teammate Ashley. With the victory, Hight moved to third overall, 93 behind Capps.
· Tony Bartone was docked 10 championship points for oiling the racing surface in the first round in his Lucas Oil Chevy Monte Carlo.
· Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK
· Richie Stevens, from New Orleans, drove his Team Mopar Dodge Stratus to the victory over Mike Edwards, who drives the Young Life Pontiac GTO.
· The win ended a long drought from the winner’s circle for Stevens, who last won in 2001 at Englishtown, N.J. It was Stevens’ fifth career victory and the first at the Motorplex.
· Greg 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 11th top qualifying effort of the season, 51st of his career and third at this track.
· Top qualifier Anderson was upset in the first round by No. 16 qualifier Dave Northrop. It is Anderson’s sixth first round loss of the season and fourth as No. 1 qualifier.
· Line, who lost in the second round, increased his series lead to 78 over Anderson. Connolly is third, 140 points back.
· Tommy Lee drove his Slammers Ultimate Milk Chevy Cobalt to the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light award with a .0013-second margin of victory over Larry Morgan in the first round of Pro Stock.
· Anderson’s Summit Racing Pontiac GTO team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
POWERADE FAN NATIONALS
· Colton Chapman, of Texarkana, Ark., won the 19th round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals. Chapman, a seventh grade student and an NHRA O’Reilly Jr. Drag Racing League competitor, defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the POWERade Fan Nationals victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. With the victory, Chapman, 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:
21st annual O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals
Sept. 21-24, Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas
TOP FUEL
· Brandon Bernstein, from Lake Forest, Calif., raced to his fourth victory of the season in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster, defeating Rod Fuller’s Valvoline dragster in the final.
· For Dallas-native Bernstein, a graduate of Texas A&M, it was his first victory at the Texas Motorplex. It was his 12th career victory.
· Tony Schumacher claimed his 10th No. 1 qualifying award of the season, second at this track and 32nd of his career by powering his U.S. Army dragster to a qualifying best of 4.520 seconds at 325.22 mph. With the effort, Schumacher is one short of his category-record 11 No. 1 performances in a season.
· Schumacher advanced to the semifinals and cut Doug Kalitta’s series lead to 33. With his victory, Bernstein moved within 40 points of the leader.
· Schumacher’s U.S. Army dragster crew won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award
FUNNY CAR
· Robert Hight, from Anaheim Hills, Calif., raced to the victory in his Auto Club Ford Mustang over first-time finalist Mike Ashley, a New York mortgage broker, who drives the Torco Racing Fuels Dodge Charger.
· It was Hight’s third win of the season, his first win at the Motorplex and the fifth victory of his career.
· With the victory, Hight ended a streak of 25 races where the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car had been shut out of the winner’s circle.
· Hight raced to a category-leading eighth No. 1 qualifying spot of the season with a performance of 4.742 seconds at 324.75 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang. It is Hight’s 14th No. 1 of his career and first ever at the Texas Motorplex.
· In a pivotal first round meeting, series points leader Ron Capps defeated top challenger John Force. Capps powered his Brut Dodge Charger to the win while Force’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang lost traction at the start. It was Force’s fourth first round loss of the season.
· With his first round victory, Capps increased his series points lead to 37 over Force. Capps lost in the second round to teammate Ashley. With the victory, Hight moved to third overall, 93 behind Capps.
· Tony Bartone was docked 10 championship points for oiling the racing surface in the first round in his Lucas Oil Chevy Monte Carlo.
· Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Skoal Racing Chevy Monte Carlo team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
PRO STOCK
· Richie Stevens, from New Orleans, drove his Team Mopar Dodge Stratus to the victory over Mike Edwards, who drives the Young Life Pontiac GTO.
· The win ended a long drought from the winner’s circle for Stevens, who last won in 2001 at Englishtown, N.J. It was Stevens’ fifth career victory and the first at the Motorplex.
· Greg 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 11th top qualifying effort of the season, 51st of his career and third at this track.
· Top qualifier Anderson was upset in the first round by No. 16 qualifier Dave Northrop. It is Anderson’s sixth first round loss of the season and fourth as No. 1 qualifier.
· Line, who lost in the second round, increased his series lead to 78 over Anderson. Connolly is third, 140 points back.
· Tommy Lee drove his Slammers Ultimate Milk Chevy Cobalt to the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light award with a .0013-second margin of victory over Larry Morgan in the first round of Pro Stock.
· Anderson’s Summit Racing Pontiac GTO team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.
POWERADE FAN NATIONALS
· Colton Chapman, of Texarkana, Ark., won the 19th round of the NHRA POWERade Fan Nationals. Chapman, a seventh grade student and an NHRA O’Reilly Jr. Drag Racing League competitor, defeated hundreds of area fans to claim the POWERade Fan Nationals victory, driving realistic POWERade Funny Car simulators. With the victory, Chapman, 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.
