EVENT RESULTS
EVENT NOTEBOOK
POINTS AFTER EVENT
ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS
FINAL ROUND RESULTS
EVENT GALLERY
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - BECKMAN CLOCKS FIRST THREE-SECOND FUNNY CAR RUN AT HOUSTON, TOP FUEL’S MASSEY AND PRO STOCK’S SHANE GRAY ALSO TAKE PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFYING SPOTS AS RAIN SPRINKLES ONLY MINOR INCONVENIENCE FRIDAY, BUFF APPRECIATES TOP FUEL CREW MEMBER, DIXON INTACT, TEXANS WANT TO SHINE IN HOME RACE, TORRENCE TEAMS WITH CHRIS KYLE FROG FOUNDATION, UNCOOPERATIVE SCALE GETTING FIXED, BYRNES HONORED
. . . AND MORE . . .
RAINS HOLD OFF – Thunderstorms forecast for Friday never materialized, although a heavy cloud cover blanketed Royal Purple Raceway and a few brief sprinkles interrupted professional-class qualifying for the O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Baytown, Texas.
TOP FUEL
MASSEY READY TO CARVE HOUSTON HISTORY – Fort Worth native Spencer Massey hasn't left a mark at Royal Purple Raceway, where he earned his Top Fuel license. He hasn't won, hasn't been runner-up, and hasn't led the Top Fuel field.
He left a pretty impressive memory on the fans Friday night. He lit up his right-lane scoreboard with a track-record 330.07-mph performance – in a class-best 3.734 seconds on the 1,000-foot course to move into the tentative No. 1 position.
"I have a lot of memories from this track, but none of them [is] in the winners circle with my DSR team," the Red Fuel/Sandvik Coromant Dragster driver said before running the third-quickest elapsed time in the opening Top Fuel session Friday with a 3.807-second pass at 327.03 mph. "I've been to a lot of races in Houston, helping out friends with their cars, but I really, really want to get a win there for myself and all of my family and friends that will be coming out."
(If it’s any consolation, Massey earned his International Hot Rod Association Top Fuel license here in Galveston businessman-racer Mitch King's Bexar Waste Dragster, under the watchful eye of veteran tuner Paul Smith and with help from seasoned driver John Smith. And within 20 days, Massey had two Ironmen trophies on his way to an IHRA championship.)
Massey entered the weekend fourth in the standings, less than two rounds of racing behind DSR mate and leader Antron Brown.
"We're sitting in a good spot this early in the season," he said, "but we need to work on getting more consistent. Our goal is to really be in the top three in points. We have a lot of racing left to go, but we're in a good position."
IN MEMORY – Houston-area native Troy Buff, of Spring, Texas, said he’s excited so many family members and friends have come out to Royal Purple Raceway this weekend to support him and the Bill Miller-owned BME / Okuma team. However, he said, “I don’t have enough time to spend with them. That’s the problem. I want to talk to every one of them. If I get a chance, I will.” He also has been inundated with ticket requests. “My phone started ringing a week ago!” he said. “That’s the hardest part, saying no to everybody. I’d be doing good to get one [complimentary] ticket.”
He did help give something special to crew member Brent Everitt: the name of Everitt’s father, Greg, on the dragster’s scoop. Greg Everitt passed away suddenly a few days ago of a heart attack while attending to his wife at a hospital. But the young cylinder-head specialist set his grief aside this weekend to maintain his responsibilities for the Carson City, Nev.-based team.
“His dad just passed away, and he came to the race, anyway. I couldn’t believe he came. He’s here working.” Buff said. “We put his dad’s name on the scoop.
“I really want to win the race and dedicate it to his dad,” Buff said. “I cannot imagine losing my dad. I’m close to my dad, and he [Brent Everitt] was the same way. I can’t even comprehend that loss.”
GOING FOR 100 – If JR Todd wins this weekend in the Red Line Oil / Kalitta Air Dragster – and based on his No. 1 qualifying positions at the past two events, he well could do that – he'll hit the 100-round-win plateau.
The seven-time Top Fuel winner earned his fifth Wally here in 2007, defeating Joe Hartley in the final round and dedicating the accomplishment to late buddy Eric Medlen.
Todd, the NHRA's 2006 rookie of the year, won the Winternationals to open that 2007 season for team owner Dexter Tuttle. And things began to go wrong for the Lawrenceburg, Ind., native. Crew chief Jimmy Walsh left the team to revive Kenny Bernstein's struggling new Funny Car team. Johnny West and Jim Head came in to tune the car, and they weren't Todd's last crew chiefs of the year. In March, just after the third race, he lost Medlen to injuries from a testing crash. Four days after Medlen's funeral, he won here and presented his trophy to Medlen's family. At Las Vegas for the next race, he stood by for support as Brandon Bernstein won and dedicated his victory to Medlen, too. Two races later, Todd got a new tuner: Kevin Poynter from Medlen's crew at John Force Racing.
"It was mission accomplished," Todd said in the 2007 winners circle. "All week long I worried how long it would take me to win a race so I could dedicate it to Eric and John Force Racing. I've never wanted to win a race as bad as I did today. I wanted to prove that we could win after Jimmy went over to Bernsteins. I think a lot of people thought it was over for us."
That was then, and right now, Todd said his plan has been "to carry our recent performance into Houston. Houston has been a great race for the Kalitta team in the past, and we are looking for the Wally this weekend."
Doug Kalitta won here in 2003 in Top Fuel, and his cousin Scott Kalitta won here in Funny Car in 1989.
Todd took the 16th qualifying spot early Friday (6.293, 105.74) and improved to seventh overnight at 3.780, 321.27.
SUPPORTING CHRIS KYLE FOUNDATION – Kilgore, Texas, native Steve Torrence called his strategic partnership with the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation “a no-brainer” because he has shared Kyle’s core values. The Top Fuel owner-driver said the late Army soldier of “American Sniper” renown “was all about God, family, and country. He was passionate about those things and so am I. The fact that we’re both Texans and that we shared a love of the outdoors and of properly-used firearms made this association a no-brainer.”
Taya Kyle, widow of Chris Kyle, was on hand Friday to help Torrence unveil the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation logo on his Capco Contractors Dragster. Torrence, No. 1 qualifier here last season, talked about helping generate awareness of the non-profit organization before driving the car into the protected top 12 in the first qualifying session.
The mission of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, which Taya Kyle established to carry on her husband’s passion, is to help members of the military and first responders re-connect with family following deployment or separation. Its immediate goal is to fund a series of “Revitalization Retreats” for married military and first-responder couples after deployment — opportunities allowing them to get to know each other again while adapting to changes that occurred during their time away from the family unit.
“Our military and first responders serve bravely, but they are struggling on the home front,” she said. “Nearly three in four married veterans are likely to have had family problems after deployment and half say [their military service] had a negative effect on their marriages.
“The experiences provided by the foundation are designed to give veterans an opportunity to re-connect with their spouses and remember what they love about one another,” she said. “Trees without roots fall over, and sometimes those roots need re-generation. That’s what we’re here for.”
Torrence, calling the alignment “an honor for me and the team,” said, “I just wish Chris was here to see his dream of helping the families of military members and first responders coming true through the efforts of his wife and the foundation. It’s a wonderful cause I know our fans will support. The military is a brotherhood, and so is drag racing.”
He ended Friday qualifying in 10th place.
HAD A BLAST DESPITE CRASH – Antron Brown said he "had a blast" participating in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Pro-Celebrity race last Saturday but wishes he hadn't been involved in an accident, one that involved former NFL and Super Bowl star Willie Gault in Turn 1 on the street course. Gault somehow plowed into the tire barrier and didn’t mash on the brake, which caused him to roll back into traffic. Brown hit Gault's car. "I needed a parachute on my car when I saw Willie rolling back at me," Brown teased.
The Top Fuel 2012 champion said, "I'm a big fan of every kind of racing, but my sport is more about a reaction sport. I wish I could have finished clean, because I think I could have come up through the field some more and finished closer to the top.
"Anytime you can get out of your own element and try something new, you learn from it," Brown said. "The people were tremendous and, from qualifying to the race, we definitely grew by leaps and bounds. I appreciated being involved with it and look forward to doing it again."
This weekend Brown could make a bit of NHRA history. If he wins, he’ll have his 49th overall triumph, which would tie him with the legendary Don “The Snake” Prudhomme for 10th on the victories list.
And the Matco Tools Dragster driver has some special history here. In 2008, when he switched form the Pro Stock Motorcycle class to Top Fuel, he earned his first Wally in a dragster at Royal Purple Raceway, defeating Khalid alBalooshi in an all-Toyota final round. This visit, seven seasons later, he is the points leader and last year’s event winner with 32 Top Fuel victories and a series championship. Brown is the only driver in the series to have won a race in every season since that first victory in 2008.
Brown closed the opening day of qualifying at No. 8 (3.782, 314.02).
HE’S A STAR IN ANOTHER ORBIT, TOO – While many of his colleagues were enjoying some time off at home with family last week, Ann Arbor, Mich., Top Fuel racer Doug Kalitta was in Miami, promoting drag racing and his Mac Tools Dragster at the MRO Americas trade show that focuses on aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul. Kalitta was featured among Aviation Week magazine’s key social media posts.
The exposition drew about 800 exhibitors and 15,000 attendees from all 50 states and 87 different nations. So Kalitta had a full house to discuss with the aviation industry his accomplishments in drag racing and to explain how he meshes that with his Ypsilanti,Mich.-headquartered charter airline. Assuming he qualifies at the Atlanta race, the next on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, he will be making his 400th start.
“We were down for the aircraft maintenance show in Miami. It is the biggest show of its kind. It is for third-party maintenance, and we have one of the largest maintenance facilities up in Northern Michigan. It is where we maintain all our 747s,” Kalitta said. “It was a great opportunity to support the team that went down there from Kalitta Maintenance. Jim O [crew chief Oberhofer] joined me, and we had a great time signing autographs and honoring them."
Kalitta will start Saturday qualifying from the No. 4 slot.
FUNNY CAR
BECKMAN LIKES BONUS POINTS – Jack Beckman said that recording the first and so far only three-second Funny Car pass at Royal Purple Raceway, a 3.988-second elapsed time (at 318.17 mph), was exhilarating. But he said, “I didn’t know it was a three-second run.”
Instead he said he was thrilled to get the three qualifying bonus points and said he hopes to gobble up some more this weekend. “We’re in 10th place and desperate to move into the top 10.” He said that especially because Don Schumacher Racing mate Matt Hagan took his “sure-thing” No. 1 spot away at Indianapolis, he has learned not to count this achievement until qualifying officially is finished.
Beckman’s DSR colleague Ron Capps reset the track speed record with a 319.67-mph blast in the NAPA Dodge.
Both marks erased John Force’s five-year old records.
CRAZY SPORT - It's April, the month that starts with people playing tricks on one another and gets worse with the tax-filing and tax-paying deadline. It's a month associated with rain showers but also the blossoming of spring and new life. It's a month with plot twists, just like the early drag-racing calendar. For Tim Wilkerson, this April is a time he has stopped to recognize that winning in the Funny Car class is neither as easy nor hard as it sounds. The independent racer and 17-time winner from Springfield, Ill., is on an 84-race winless streak, trying to find the winning combo for the first time since the 2011 Seattle event.
"People underestimate how hard this is, but they also overestimate it sometimes too," he said. "You hear everything from 'Why don't you just go out and beat those guys?' to 'You don't stand a chance against them.' But it's not that cut-and-dried in either direction. Yeah, I think the multi-car teams that win most of these races are better than ever, and it sure feels like it's harder for a guy like me to win these days, but we can still do it. You're just lining up against teams that have so many more resources and so much more manpower. But our group is very good in their own right, and I'm proud of them.
"So far this year, we've been able to string some pretty good runs together, and we have everyone's attention, I'm sure. Let's just say I don't think anyone is overjoyed when they have to run against us," he said. "Just give me another inch in the semifinals in Gainesville and we probably wouldn't be talking about a winless streak right now, because we had the best car there and that's about how much we lost by in the semis. So we can do it, and we will. We'll never give up the fight, I can promise you that."
Through his three-and-a-half-year drought, Wilkerson has recorded 65 round-wins since his Seattle victory. Because of his reputation as a "warm-weather tuner," he's hoping Houston might launch another serious run for his first championship. "I think I'm still pretty good at negotiating a hot track, but a lot of people seem to think that's all we can do, and I don't agree with that," he said. "We've been able to run up front when the conditions are good, but maybe because we haven't run a three-second run yet they think we're not contenders. I'm not worried about running threes, I'm more worried about getting my Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang to the stripe first, against all these all-star quality teams we've been having to face."
But "worried," really? Wilkerson said it’s not a matter of emotion, just a matter of executing all tasks correctly.
"Whatever the weather holds for us this weekend – and let me say that I don't think the weather guys have a harder time getting it right anywhere more than they do in Houston – we're all going to have to deal with the same thing. And the people who make the most of it will win. There's absolutely no reason that can't be us," Wilkerson said. "I tell my guys all the time that if we just do our jobs right and we all pull together, there's nothing we can't do. They believe it, I believe it, Dick Levi believes it, all my other sponsors believe it, my wife believes it, my kids believe it, and we'll prove it someday soon."
Wilkerson, with 4.041-second E.T. at 308.78 mph, has a tentative hold on the No. 5 berth in the order.
GETTING GREEDY – Matt Hagan's a Virginian, but he's kind of partial to Texas, Houston in particular. "I got my first-ever [NHRA] win at Houston, and I'd love to bring home another trophy this weekend," he said.
He's starting to get a little bit greedy, for he already has victories at each of the first two races this season – and this is just race No. 6. So he and crew chief Dickie Venables, who, incidentally, is a Houston product, tested the Monday after the Las Vegas race, mostly to experiment with their combination. Hagan said the purpose was "to get us ready for the summer stretch when we know it will be hot" . . . like this weekend.
Hagan called the post-Las Vegas session "really productive" and said, "I feel good about our chances this weekend."
So far he's sixth-quickest, with two more sessions scheduled for Saturday.
PENNZOIL PROUD – Ron Capps recorded back-to-back victories in 2006-2007, but sponsorship is on his mind as Don Schumacher Racing brings his top-five NAPA Dodge Charger team back to town. Pennzoil joined DSR last month as its "Official Oil Technology" partner in a multiyear agreement, and Pennzoil supported Capps in the1990s, long before he racked up 44 professional victories. This will mark the first time in 20 years Capps will race in Houston with Pennzoil decals on his Funny Car. And this time, Mom Betty didn't have to sew the Pennzoil patches onto his tidy white uniform.
"Pennzoil was one of my first sponsors, and this is the first time in many years I'll race at Houston, where Shell Oil is headquartered with Pennzoil support. Pennzoil started with me when I drove John Mitchell's Montana Express A/Fuel car [in 1994]. Then I brought Pennzoil to Roger Primm when I started in Top Fuel the next year. The Houston race was always important to me," Capps said.
This year, it means he gets to stay in one place for four days. He left home at Carlsbad, Calif., near San Diego, Monday. He spent Tuesday visiting NAPA Auto Parts stores at Lincoln, Neb. He flew Wednesday to Lake Charles, La., for an appearance at the Burton Coliseum, sharing the spotlight with the NAPA Funny Car simulator.
He had to share the Friday qualifying spotlight with his DSR teammate Jack Beckman and Kalitta Motorsports’ Del Worsham. Capps is third behind them at the moment with his Friday-best of 4.038-second E.T. and 319.67 mph.
PEDREGON HUNGRY BUT NOT FOR TEX-MEX DISHES - Foodies go to Houston for Tex-Mex or Cajun fare or steak and seafood. But Funny Car owner-driver Cruz Pedregon, according to crew chief Chris "Warrior" Kullberg, is hungry for his first victory of the season.
He has led the field once in the first five events (at Gainesville) but hasn't made it past the second round anywhere yet. Kullberg, one of the few who said the warmer, muggier weather "is not looking as warm as this car likes for it to be," said the crew wants a taste of the winners circle, too, and that they've evaluated and re-evaluated what we need to do."
Pedregon has earned three Funny Car victories here, and he said the Snap-on Toyota team "is really coming together and ready to be winners in a very competitive Funny Car field. We're focused and setting our sights on a Wally from Royal Purple. Over the years we've done well at this track, and I am confident we're ready to recreate those winning efforts. We have the crew, the determination, and the car to do what it takes. We're ready to follow up a series of solid efforts with one that generates a win this weekend."
He had a bit of trouble on his first run this weekend. On the launch, his engine went quiet, and the parachutes fell out. He experienced tire shake and had to abort the run. So he ended up dead last among 17 racers. He has two more chances Saturday to avoid being the odd-man out.
Cruz and brother-teammate Tony Pedregon are second-generation racers whose father hailed from El Paso, in far West Texas. And with Cruz's team this weekend is second-generation Snap-on franchisee Derek Walters, a 15-year veteran of his own brand of tool wars. Walters' name is on the side of Pedregon's Toyota. He joined Pedregon for a Snap-on Grill 'n' Chill with at a local Toyota dealership. He did it once before, when the store ran out of hot dogs because more than 300 fans showed up to meet the two-time NHRA Funny Car champion.
INFINITE OPTIMISM – Little did Jack Beckman know last April 27 that his runner-up finish here would be the only time in 2014 he would advance to a final round. Little did he know he wouldn’t qualify for a chance to earn a second Funny Car championship since 2012. "I didn't think that would be the only time we got that far on Sunday," he said. And little did he know that with an infusion of highly respected help in Jimmy Prock and John Medlen he'd begin this season with a DNQ at the racetrack he taught hundreds of racers how to drive and not crack the top 10 through the first three events.
But Beckman is pointed in the right direction, with a March 29 victory in probably the hardest race all season, the Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte. Only a minor parts failure curbed him in the most recent race, at Las Vegas.
"We have a great race car. It just blew a couple spark plugs out of it at the last race and we still only lost by two-thousandths of a second," he said. "I thought we made good runs every time down the track but got bit by some bad fortune in the first round and that's going to happen once in a while in a nitro Funny Car. In a checks and balances system, steady performance is going to win us a lot of races."
Beckman was leading opponent Cruz Pedregon in the opening round two weeks ago when his car experienced trouble. "I was staring at the finish line, just staring at it," Beckman said. "I wasn't even looking for Cruz, because I thought we've got this win. We were a half-car ahead when it started to lose power. We still were still going 299 at the finish line, and that was after it also dropped a cylinder right before the finish line. It was still pulling pretty good. I pulled the 'chute then looked over and saw his win light. I thought, 'Gosh, you've got to be kidding me.' "
He's still energized, though, looking for his 17th victory and first at Royal Purple Raceway. "I'm not hanging my head. Jimmy has the tune-up sorted out. We're right where we need to be to start picking off race wins and moving up in the standings," Beckman said.
This Houston race last season marked the first time he carried the Infinite Hero Foundation banner on his Don Schumacher Racing-owned Dodge Charger. Infinite Hero has returned with sponsor Terry Chandler.
PRO STOCK
INACCURATE SCALE TRIGGERS MORGAN TIRADE – Call it a tempest in a tech trailer.
Veteran Pro Stock racer Larry Morgan said before Friday’s first qualifying session for the O’Reilly SpringNationals that the scales at Royal Purple Raceway are not set correctly. And he went on a rant about how that affects the cars and the racers’ pocketbooks.
The positive news for the driver of the FireAde Chevy Camaro is that Graham Light, NHRA senior vice-president of racing operations, has promised the sanctioning body has hired a technician to recalibrate the scale Saturday morning.
“The track’s scales are screwed up. They’re 35 or 40 pounds heavy. They know that. They acknowledged it,” Morgan said.
NHRA rules dictate that a Pro Stock car may weigh no less than 2,350 pounds.
“Instead of adding 35 pounds to 2,350, they make everybody take weight out of their car,” Morgan said. “What it does is change the ride height, gets the cars out of whack. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. All they have to do is simple arithmetic. Add 35 pounds. Make it 40 pounds.
“Don’t make us take weight out. You’ve got to change the ride height of the car, change the suspension all around, the gear ratios . . .,” he said.
“Some of the s*** they do . . . It p***** me off, because there’s absolutely no common sense used in what we do here. That’s the problem that we have,” the owner-driver said.
Asked why the NHRA or track officials immediately didn’t reset the scale, Morgan only had a guess.
“It would cost money, I guess,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. They don’t care about costing us money. Making our cars unsafe is what they’re doing. They don’t give a s***.”
Light, after speaking with Danny Gracia, NHRA director of technical operations, confirmed Morgan’s charge that the scale is weighing heavy and said that from time to time and at certain tracks, that is not uncommon.
“Every category has to adjust for that, not just Pro Stock,” Light said. “We do have a scales technician coming out at 7:30 tomorrow morning to recalibrate the scales. The issue should be resolved in the morning.”
The adjustments didn’t slow down Morgan. He took the provisional No. 5 spot with the day’s first 6.5-second pass (6.581 seconds at 210.87 mph).
“That was pretty good,” Morgan said.
HOMETOWN RACER READY TO SHOW HIS BEST – Rodger Brogdon is ready to be aggressive again. "We were good at the first two races, and we qualified well and went to the semis at the Gatornationals," the roofing contractor from nearby Tomball said. "Charlotte, we didn't do very well. We only had one decent run and the transmission broke first round. In Vegas, we didn't run as good as we could, either. We've been a little bit too conservative the last couple of races."
But he made some eighth-mile runs at a local track Monday, concluded that "we're going to be more aggressive" at this hometown race, and even predicted, "I think we should be able to qualify in the top three."
His prediction wasn’t too far off, for he earned a spot in the top half of the ladder early Friday. He started the weekend seventh with a 6.594-second elapsed time at 210.90 mph. Brogdon had the last of the 6.5s in the opening session.
"The top 10 is so tough this year," Brogdon said. "The top 10 cars are really, really fast. We kind of figured that at the first of the year, but there are eight or 10 cars that can win any race. We've had six different winners in six races this year, so there are a bunch of fast, good cars. And there are a couple of cars who haven't shown themselves yet, so it's really tough."
GOOD TO BE HOME AGAIN – Probably nobody arrived at Royal Purple Raceway with more enthusiasm than Pro Stock's Erica Enders-Stevens. The hometown hero shared the winners circle last spring with Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Robert Hight (Funny Car) and went on to win the championship. This time she comes in two weeks after winning both the Las Vegas event and the K&N Horsepower Challenge bonus race.
This weekend will be unique, as well, because she will be racing with and against both husband Richie Stevens and team owner Richard Freeman. She outshone both in the first session. Enders-Stevens grabbed the No. 2 position in the order at 6.563, at a class-fastest 211.33-mph speed. Freeman was 13th on the grid at 6.647, 208.62 in his season debut, and Stevens was 15th at 6.676, 208.91 in his first race as Allen Johnson’s J&J Racing / Mopar teammate.
Last year's victory here was Enders-Stevens’ first at her hometown track since she turned professional.
"It was a really important race win to me, not only because it was my first professional win in my hometown but also because it's sort of a home track for my team owner, Richard Freeman, as well," Enders-Stevens said. "And it was the first Pro Stock race my dad ever got to see me win. It was really an exciting weekend, and everything came together."
So was the most recent event, in which she moved to No. 2 in the current Pro Stock standings.
"Vegas was huge for us," Enders-Stevens said. "We didn't exactly start off the season the way we wanted to. Granted, it wasn't horrible, but we hadn't gotten a handle on the tires and the fuel yet. Staying after Charlotte to test got things looking up for us. It was a huge confidence builder, and it was also pretty surreal to be able to double up [at Las Vegas] two years in a row.
"That was an awesome experience. I believe we create our own momentum, and we're on a high right now," she said. "I'm excited to carry that into Houston."
NOBILE ‘FEELING PRETTY GOOD’ – Vincent Nobile has come close to a first victory this season, especially at the most recent race, at Las Vegas, when he was runner-up to Erica Enders-Stevens in both the K&N Horsepower Challenge and the event final. He also reached the Charlotte final.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” the Mountain View Chevy Camaro driver said. “Luck seems to be on our side, and the car isn’t half bad. We’re making headway and things are starting to go our way, so I’m feeling pretty good. We have a pretty good track record here in Houston. We’ve won two times. This is where I won my first race.” – Michael Dennis
MORGAN WAS LIGHTS OUT, LITERALLY – Larry Morgan and the FireAde Racing Pro Stock team got a non-electric jolt at the Las Vegas race, which interrupted his momentum. After he qualified in the top half of the field for the fourth time in five races this season, the generator in his hauler malfunctioned that Sunday morning. That wiped out any electricity to the semi, including to the computers that help in tuning Morgan's Chevy Camaro. Understandably, Morgan experienced tire shake in the first round and lost to Jimmy Ålund.
"It was just crazy," the Charlotte Pro Stock winner said. "We were more worried about the stuff we weren't there for than what we were there for, but that happens when stuff breaks, I guess. What a deal. Everything is good now. We got the computers back and everything else, too. It blew up more stuff than 10 things, but we got all that fixed. It's over now, and we're moving on to something else, like winning in Houston."
PRO MODIFIED
DOUBLING DOWN – Two-time Pro Modified series champion Troy Coughlin has added son T.J. to the team this season, and so far Dad said this is "the best start to a Pro Mod season I've ever had. Both father and son reached the semifinals at the class' season-opener at Gainesville, Fla.
"For whatever reason, we've always had a tough go of it in Gainesville. Nothing against that track or anything, it's just been a rough location for us. Obviously, to start off with both T.J. and I going to the semifinals and being third and fourth in the points when we left town, that's a great boost for us," Troy Coughlin said.
"We expanded to a two-car team and moved T.J. up to the pro ranks this past off-season, but the guys stepped up and made it seamless. I feel like we're already reaping the benefits of a two-car team and have gotten past any growing pains we might have had. That's an indication of the talent level in this crew," he said.
T.J. made the transition to the pro ranks and his new high-horsepower JEGS.com twin-turbo Corvette. His father switched to a brand-new, nearly identical race car that had barely been broken in with only five or six passes when they arrived in Florida last month for the Gatornationals.
Troy Coughlin said, "Steve [crew chief Petty] and the guys just put together perfect cars for us. We had some luck, and we had horsepower when we needed it and came very close to having an all-JEGS final round."
To further their cause, Troy and T.J. added Brandon Stroud to the established crew of Mike Rees, Kyle Pettis, and Justin Beaver. The group also spent the early part of this week testing at Texas Motorplex, south of Dallas.
"The guys have been great and I'm doing all I can to give them the best feedback possible," T.J. said. "My dad has been a huge help in answering all my questions, and I'm just absolutely living the dream right now.
"Everyone in the category went out of their way to welcome me in Florida and I felt really comfortable right away. I've been analyzing video and there are so many things I want to improve on, so [this week's] test has been great."
The Coughlins are eighth and ninth in the Pro Mod lineup overnight, Dad edging out his son.
QUICK TAKES:
KALITTA MOTORSPORTS – Team Kalitta is honoring the legacy of longtime motorsports reporter Steve Byrnes this weekend, with both of its dragster and both Funny Cars bearing the #ByrnesStrong decal. Byrnes, 56, lost his battle with cancer Tuesday, just two days after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway that was named the "Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes." Byrnes was a FOX analyst since the network began covering NASCAR in 2001. FOX Executive David Hill said, "Viewers simply loved his knowledge, his sense of humor, and his easygoing nature" and called him "the Mr. Rogers of NASCAR."
TERRY HADDOCK – Funny Car driver Terry Haddock has some new help from his adopted home state of Texas by way of Norway. This weekend he has the support of Deer Park, Texas-based 1Diamond Technologies, LLC. The company is a research and development company that specializes in developing and commercializing cutting technology products using both blades and wires. Their diamond-infused technology allows cuts on land, in space, or 10,000 feet below the sea. They operate primarily in the oil and gas industry but have the resources to design cutting solutions for any application. Harald Ramfjord, president of 1Diamond invented a new cutting technology, brought it from Norway a few years ago, and established its headquarters in the United States. Ramfjord, who met Haddock at Royal Purple Raceway when attending his first NHRA national event when he first arrived at Houston, said he stayed in touch with Haddock and realized drag racing was a suitable fit for his marketing endeavors. “At 1Diamond, we are focused on commercializing our market, and I have studied many different avenues,” he said. “In learning more about NHRA drag racing and Terry, I am convinced that this is the new marketing avenue for our technology. I am excited to take this new approach with Terry and his team.” Haddock and racer wife Jenna are residents of Temple, Texas. Terry Haddock is 15th in the Funny Car order after Friday.
MUY BUENO – If anyone wants to know where to get the best fajitas or dinner this weekend, reigning Pro Stock series and event champion Erica Enders-Stevens, a Houston-area native, has a ready answer: Lupe Tortilla Mexican Restaurants. Longtime friend Stan Holt, owner of the restaurant chain with 17 locations throughout Houston (and Austin, San Antonio, Beaumont, and College Station), has partnered again with her Elite Chevy Camaro for this event.
"We've got a different name on the door this weekend, and it's a great family-owned business in Lupe Tortilla," Enders-Stevens said. "Stan Holt has been a big part of my career for as long as I can remember, going back to Jr. Dragsters, and he's been a longtime family friend. Stan even performed the wedding ceremony when Richie and I got married. We're really proud to fly his colors in Houston and support him. Hopefully we'll get a bunch of people to go try the best food in the country."
Enders-Stevens attended Spring-Cypress High School and Texas A&M University. Holt and wife Sheila have supported Enders-Stevens since she was eight years old. "He has always been there for me, and I consider him and Sheila part of my family. It would be another dream come true to win this race for Stan, his sons, Sheila Mae, and all of their employees across the state. No matter what, if we can remind people to go eat at one of their restaurants, then I'll be super happy, and trust me everyone leaves that place happy. It's the best Tex-Mex ever."
Holt, who drag races himself at the sportsman level, said, "It'll be really neat to see the Lupe Tortilla car on the racetrack. We came up with the idea to support Erica and the Elite Motorsports team at this race since it's in our backyard, and when I talked to my sons about it they thought it would be a lot of fun. We always have a good time at the races, and many of the professional drivers and crewmen come to visit and have lunch or dinner when they're in town. We have great relationships with so many people out there, including the Angel family, who own the racetrack. The NHRA is really a big family and we're happy to feed them all."
RAHN TOBLER – Rahn Tobler, crew chief for Ron Capps' NAPA Dodge for Don Schumacher Racing, spent most of his teenage years living in Houston after his mother, an analyst for Shell Oil, was transferred there from Southern California.
At age 16, while riding his bicycle home from a part-time job at a grocery store, Tobler discovered a garage behind a filling station that housed the front-engine Top Fuel dragster owned by legendary racers Stevens & Venables.
He went from volunteering to clean the shop to becoming a three-time NHRA champion Top Fuel and Funny Car crew chief. And it bolstered a lifelong friendship with Dickie Venables, crew chief for Matt Hagan's DSR Funny Car.
PRO MODIFIEDS – The Pro Modified class is scheduled to get a third and final qualifying session at 2 p.m. Saturday. Round 1 of eliminations is set to start at 5 p.m. Saturday and will continue Sunday following the first round of Pro Stock action.
QUOTES:
“And the car’s still got four wheels on it!”
Larry Dixon after seizing the early Top Fuel lead with a 3.793-second elapsed time at his career-best 328.46-mph speed in the Bob Vandergriff-owned C&J Energy Services Dragster
“I’m ready to rock and roll. Well, I hope it doesn’t roll. I hope it just rolls. It rocked in the warm-up. It sounded a little bit aggressive. If the track will hold it, I believe it’s going to run good. This track’s usually pretty good.”
Troy Buff, before qualifying 13th in the opening session Friday with a 4.801-second, 156.35-mph clocking. In Q2, the car fired up, the clutch engaged, and it took off. No one was injured. The car was shut off, as was Jenna Haddock’s, which had an erratic idle in the opposite lane. (Her husband and crew chief, Terry Haddock, decided to be safe rather than sorry, so her car also was removed from the starting line.)
Swedish Pro Stock racer Jimmy Ålund, who’s closing his early 2015 U.S. drag-racing stint here this weekend and will return to Europe to pursue his 11th FIA championship. He also filled in for KB / Summit Racing's Greg Anderson for the first five events of last year.
Richie Crampton, who's fresh off his Top Fuel victory at Las Vegas, his third overall
"It's not that hard [to deal with any potential distractions]. On Friday and Saturday, you try to visit as many people as you can. You have set times, and you run twice each day. We have most of our people out on Saturday, but Sunday is all business, so there's not much visiting going on. Everybody who comes out on Sunday knows that we're trying to win the race, but most of the people actually come out on Saturday. We'll probably have close to 100 people on Saturday alone."
Rodger Brogdon, the Pro Stock hometown favorite who said he's expecting plenty of friends and customers from his RoofTec roofing business to be in his cheering section this weekend
Tony Schumacher, Texan by choice
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