The Fuller Times
19th annual FRAM-Autolite Nationals
July 27-29, 2007
Infineon Raceway
Sonoma, Calif.
“I’m excited. We love racing at SMI tracks. I feel like I’m part of the SMI family and have lots of friends at those tracks. We have tons of
confidence going into Sonoma . The last three races, we’ve been on a roll. We’ve been testing and still running well. We have a good handle on things. Our goal is to impress the Peterson CAT folks and to try and win for Caterpillar again. It’ll be a great weekend for us to shine.”
Fuller Sonoma Notebook
Last weekend at Seattle , Fuller qualified 14th. It was his lowest qualifying position of the season. Three qualifying sessions were canceled due to rain at Seattle . Before the Seattle race, Fuller had not qualified lower than fourth. He advanced to the semifinals for the 10th race this season before losing to Brandon Bernstein.
Fuller continues to lead the Top Fuel standings. Through 14 races, he leads Bernstein by 134 points. He has led the points following 11 of 14 races this year.
Last July, Fuller qualified his Valvoline dragster fourth with a run of 4.569 seconds at 326.40 mph at Infineon. He was defeated in the quarterfinals by Doug Kalitta.
Fuller has two victories ( Phoenix and Denver ) in four final roundappearances this season. He also has three poles ( Atlanta , St. Louis and Norwalk ). His average starting position this year is 3.07.
Last weekend, Fuller became the first Top Fuel driver to earn a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
In his four previous tries with the Caterpillar car, Fuller has one win ( Denver ), a runner-up ( Joliet , Ill. ) and a semifinal finish ( St. Louis ).
Fuller on Sonoma …
Sonoma :
“Wine country”
Infineon Raceway:
“A beautiful facility”
Favorite local restaurant:
“Scoma’s”
Favorite Infineon Raceway racing memory:
“None yet. I hope to make it on July 29”
Favorite activity while at Sonoma :
“Going to Pier 39 in San Francisco ”
2007 NHRA Top Fuel Standings
1. ROD FULLER (2) 1,048 - - - -
2. Brandon Bernstein (4) 914 - 134
3. Larry Dixon (2) 890 - 158
4. Tony Schumacher (3) 881 - 167
5. J.R. Todd (2) 863 - 185
6. Bob Vandergriff, Jr. 701 - 347
7. WHIT BAZEMORE 696 - 352
8. David Grubnic 672 - 376
9. Melanie Troxel (1) 621 - 51
10. Cory McClenathan 602 - 70
Rod Fuller’s Career Results at Infineon Raceway
Year Qualified Finish & Winning Driver
1995 No. 17* First round– Cory McClenathan
2005 No. 11 First round—Cory McClenathan
2006 No. 4 Second round—Doug Kalitta
*Alternate
Fuller’s Sonoma Schedule
Date & Time Event and Location
Wed., July 25, 11:30 a.m. Media Luncheon – Fior d’Italia
Fri., July 27, 4:30/8 p.m. TF Qualifying 1/2, Infineon Raceway
Sat., July 28, 12:30/2:45 p.m. TF Qualifying 3/4, Infineon Raceway
Sun., July 29, Noon Final Eliminations, Infineon Raceway
Fuller’s Career-Best Performances
E.T.—4.464 seconds Joliet , Ill. June 2007
MPH—331.61 MPH Chandler , Ariz. Feb. 2007
E.T.—4.569 seconds Sonoma , Calif. July 2006
MPH—326.40 MPH Sonoma , Calif. July 2006
