After two action-packed days of qualifying, the professional fields are set for the NHRA Carolina Nationals. As the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship, anxiety levels will be high for those racers who are pursuing Mello Yello championships because there is no longer any room for error. The big crowd at zMAX Dragway on Saturday also enjoyed a great show with final qualifying and eliminations for the popular NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
Here are the day's top highlights.
1. Summit drivers go 1-2
In a scene that was repeated often in the first half of the season, Summit Racing Pro Stock drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line claimed the top two spots in Pro Stock. Line entered the day as the provisional low qualifier and was bumped to No. 2 after Anderson made the best run of the event with a 6.578.
2. Enders misses the show
For the first time since the 2010 season, two-time and defending Mello Yello champ Erica Enders will not be racing on Sunday. Enders encountered mechanical issues on both of her Saturday runs and was not able to break into the field.
3. Sampey lowers the boom
Angelle Sampey qualified No. 1 for the third straight race when she rode her Star/PSE Buell to a 6.815. The three-time champion finished qualifying three-hundredths ahead of No. 2 qualifier Eddie Krawiec.
4. Langdon and Wilkerson set Saturday pace
Friday's low qualifiers Doug Kalitta and Tommy Johnson Jr. were able to maintain the top spots in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively, but Shawn Langdon (3.764) and Tim Wilkerson (3.911) will head into Sunday with a lot of momentum after making the best nitro runs of the day.
5. Trickie Rickie extends his lead
The battle for the championship in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series took an unexpected turn when defending champion Troy Coughlin lost in the opening round on Saturday. Incoming leader Rickie Smith won the first round and now holds a commanding lead for what could be his third Pro Mod title.
Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Etc.
J.R. Todd's team caught everyone's attention when they rolled up with a different style of headers on their SealMaster entry for the first run today. The headers jutted out from the car and were laid back a bit, similar to what is currently run on the Funny Cars. When asked about the new style headers, Todd was a little coy, noting that he just 'gets in there and hits the gas and do what I'm told,' but he did acknowledge his team was inspired by what the Kalitta Funny Cars have been able to accomplish with new headers.
'We've seen what the DHL and the Patrón cars have done just by switching headers, and there's definitely something there, so I'm sure there's something with it with the dragsters as well,' said Todd. "It's just a matter of trial and error, I would say, just something we need to test. We knew that we weren't going to improve on last night's run, so you've got nothing to lose but throw them on there and try them.
'That was the first time that we put it on, and we put a hole out when I hit the gas. We're not sure if that was related or not, but either way, they're not back on for [the final session]. I'm sure you'll see them again at some point this year.'
You probably couldn't find someone in the pits with a bigger smile on their face after the third session this afternoon than Cameron Ferre. The newcomer made his first full pull in a Top Fuel dragster, and it was a solid one, registering at 3.932 seconds at 313.37 mph.
'I couldn't be any more excited,' said Ferre, who was slowed by a dropped cylinder on his second run of the day. 'This has just been the ride of a lifetime, and I'm just kind of riding the wave. I can't thank the Patons enough and all my sponsors that allowed me to be here, my parents, and my fiancée. It's been awesome.
'Yesterday was a planned shut off. They wanted to make sure I was acclimated in the car and everything because it's been a little bit, but [it did shut off early because] it got pan pressure. They think it stuck a nozzle, and that caused the pan pressure and shut it off a little earlier. I was supposed to go to half-track and didn't really make it that far. Right as I was getting out of it, the safety device shut it off, which is good. It at least got my feet wet as far as the launch and stuff like that. It worked out great.'
After a couple of solid runs at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the Rapisarda team picked right back up where they left off, putting three very solid 3.8-second times on the boards during qualifying. In the first session, driver Wayne Newby piloted the team's dragster to a 3.81. Though he smoked the tires last night, Newby again went right downtrack on both attempts today, clocking times of 3.80 and 3.82.
'We backed off that 3.80 [for the second run], and in the heat of the day, that was pretty good. I think the team will be happy with that,' said Newby. 'The team is doing a hell of a job tuning this car, and I'm glad to be driving for them.'
Two weeks ago, Terry McMillen entered the final qualifying session in Indy not qualified, but his Rob Wendland-led team was able to make a strong pass and claw his way into the field in the No. 16 spot. This weekend, McMillen was once again faced with needing a big Hail Mary in the final session to make the NHRA Carolina Nationals field. Unfortunately for McMillen, his team was unable to re-create their Indy magic, posting a 3.994 that was slowed when his car lost power near the end of the track. The run was .006-second slower than Ike Maier's 3.98, leaving McMillen outside the field.
This is McMillen's first DNQ of the 2016 season. The last time he was a spectator on race day was in Las Vegas last October.
After a strong opening day, in which he collected four qualifying bonus points and grabbed the provisional No. 1, Doug Kalitta had another great outing today, clocking a pair of 3.77s, including one that was the second-best time of the final session. Though leader Antron Brown was able to also earn some bonus points today, Kalitta's efforts allowed him to take a bite out of Brown's lead, which is now at 22 points entering race day.
'That was real strong. You look at one or two points here or there, but I've lost by just a couple points, too, so every point you can get is good. The whole Mac Tools team is real focused on each qualifying session and definitely each round,' said Kalitta, who held onto the No. 1 spot thanks to his 3.72 Friday night. 'The car is running good, so we'll see what we can do tomorrow. It's good that it is warm like this today so that we can go into tomorrow with the same setup. It's going to be an interesting day, for sure. Everybody's running good and tight, so it's going to be some good racing for all the fans out here.'
Dave Richards, who collected his second career round-win last time out in Indy, and his team are racing with a purpose this weekend, and if you look closely at his Funny Car, you will notice decals that give a clue at what has them motivated to do well here in Charlotte, the site of his first ever round-win, in 2014.
'Our sponsors, Brian and Janie Mahoney, were in a bad crash leaving Indy last Monday in their motorhome, and Janie got hurt really bad, and she's still in Indy recovering,' said Richards about the 'Hurry Back Janie' and '#teamJanie' decals on his car. 'We're just trying to lift her spirits and run good and give her something to smile about. Unfortunately, she's still at the hospital, where she would usually be here rooting us on in person. We're hoping to do well and win a couple rounds for her.'
Richards started today solidly with a 4.11 before slowing to a 4.31 on his final attempt. He starts race day from the No. 14 slot and will face John Force in round one.
When Alexis DeJoria rolled up to the starting line today for her final qualifying passes, there was a noticeable difference to her Patrón Toyota, which was sporting a new, unpainted body. The reason for the swap was simple, according to crew chief Tommy DeLago.
'It's lighter,' he said. 'The other one's an old war tank. It's been repaired a lot of times, and it's actually the body that went into the sand that we had to repair the front on in Denver, then the other body we hurt in Sonoma is not fixed yet. It's one of our newer bodies. It's lighter, but it's not done. This body here is not painted because that's going to get wrapped for Maple Grove and Dallas for the breast awareness. We've never run these swoopy headers like everybody else has run until Indy, and you have to add a lot of weight to the front to keep the front end on the ground because they make the front end light, and they're undriveable, so that made our car overweight. We weighed some of our bodies at the shop and went, 'Hey, that one's 30 lbs. lighter. Let's put that on there.' It got us closer to being around where all the other guys will be. We're just trying to give ourselves the best opportunity to run with the pack.'
DeJoria's entry performed well with the new body, recording times of 3.92 and 3.94.
Matt Hagan is no stranger to big engine explosions at zMAX Dragway, having been involved in a number of big boomers at the Charlotte-area track over the years, and he once again lit 'er up on his final qualifying run today.
'It's unfortunate,' said Hagan of his latest highlight-reel-worthy run at zMAX. 'We were staged inside, and I let it get inside a little bit, and it smoked the tires there. As soon as it smoked, it popped, so I don't think it would have revved up that quick. We'll look at everything, but it was probably on me. I let it get a little bit inside even though we were staged in, but it just got over there and smoked the tires.'
Tim Wilkerson made the best run of Saturday, clocking a 3.911 on his final qualifying attempt of the weekend. However, it was what happened after that stellar pass that had Wilk and others buzzing at the top end.
'Obviously, something went wrong in our fire-bottles system because just sitting here staring at the thing, the fire bottles went off,' said Wilkerson, who landed sixth thanks to that 3.91 and will race Chad Head in round one. 'It's just 500 or 600 bucks I didn't know what to do with. I'd have gladly bought somebody in the stands dinner instead, but, hey, good run for the LRS team.'
Morning clouds gave way to sun midway through the day today, and that meant that Tommy Johnson Jr.'s track record 3.87 was untouchable through today's two qualifying rounds, giving him his first No. 1 start of the season and second straight at this event.
'When we left here last night, I was pretty confident [that run would hold up]. When I got up this morning and headed to the track, I wasn't so confident it was going to stick,' said Johnson, who smoked the tires on his first attempt today, then ran a solid 3.93 to close out qualifying. 'It was probably noon or later before the sun came out. I said I was being a little selfish. I was hoping it was really hot and sunny today when everybody was telling me how much they loved the clouds and how much cooler it was. When the sun came back out, then I thought, 'OK, I think it's going to hold.' There were still some really good runs and numbers.
'We weren't backing off of it a lot. We were standing on it to see what we could run in the heat for what we're going to do tomorrow. Whenever you go out and run a good run on Friday night, it allows you to go out and play a little bit on Saturday. Conditions are usually different and what you will see on race day, so you have a chance to play a little bit where other guys are trying to move up in the field or get qualified. It's definitely an advantage to make a good run Friday night. We had a mechanical issue on the third qualifying run, but the car was running well until it had that problem, so we were confident coming into the last session that it should make a good run.'
Chris McGaha has been racing the same Harlow Sammons Camaro for the last two years, so one might assume that by now he knows every nut and bolt of the car, but the recent Indy winner says that's not quite the case. McGaha is quick to point out that like most Pro Stock racers, he never stops learning new things, and that mentality extends to his race car.
'Just this weekend, we discovered a problem that this car has had probably since it was built,' said McGaha. 'We've been working to fix an issue with the front struts, and in the process, we discovered that one of them was not mounted perfectly straight. The strut was not lined up right, and it was getting bound up, and that changes the whole dynamic of the car as far as how it transfers weight. We fixed the problem, and if the car behaves like we think it will from this point forward, it should be a lot more smooth and predictable. Of course, if the changes we made work, we can also pretty much take all our notebooks from the last two years and set fire to them, but that's just life in Pro Stock.'
McGaha won Indy from the bottom half of the field, and if he's going to win in Charlotte, he'll have to pull off a similar feat since his 6.641 best is just ninth-quickest. McGaha will be paired against Brainerd champ Drew Skillman in round one.
'I still think we have a lot left in this car,' McGaha said. 'At Indy, we should have been about sixth. We were sixth on the sheet most of the time, but we missed the two good sessions. Starting ninth doesn't bother me a bit.'
Normally reliable John Gaydosh struggled through the first three rounds of qualifying with his Pypes Performance Camaro before clinching his spot in the field with a solid 6.694 in the final session. For Gaydosh, it was a big relief, especially after he failed to qualify two weeks ago at Indy.
'On our first run, we had a problem with the burnout chip, and then Friday afternoon, we had a fuel line leak, so we got shut off behind the starting line," said Gaydosh. "That was actually a good thing because if the lead had happened going down the track, I'm sure we would have had a big fire and probably lost the car. This whole deal is frustrating because I know we have top-10 power. This was a weekend of dumb mistakes, but on the last run, we finally made a decent pass. Still, I know there's more left. The [Gray Motorsports] engine that is in this car has run 6.60 in the Gas Monkey car during testing at this track. We just haven't had any luck. I can't thank Shane Gray enough for all he does for us.'
The way Vincent Nobile sees it, the only thing that has kept him out of the winner's circle so far this season has been luck, or a lack of it. Nobile's Elite Motorsports-powered Mountain View Racing Camaro has been the low qualifier at three events, but the best he has to show for it is a runner-up finish at the rain-delayed Seattle event, which was completed in Indy. Nobile has every reason to think that he can break his lengthy winless drought this weekend, especially after qualifying No. 3 with a 6.593.
'Nobody is going to panic over here. We all know what to do,' said Nobile. 'We know we have a great car, and we know we've got the ability to win rounds. We just need to go out and do it. As a driver, I need to do my part, too. Obviously, we should already have a win or two or three this year, and my red-light at Indy [the Seattle final] really hurt, but if we can win a couple of races during the Countdown, that will make up for everything that's gone wrong.'
In perhaps the biggest shocker of the weekend, two-time and reigning Mello Yello champion Erica Enders failed to qualify for the NHRA Carolina Nationals. Heading into Q4, Enders was facing a soft 14-second bump spot, but she couldn't even run that quick after the engine in her Mopar Dodge went silent shortly after she dumped the clutch. The culprit was later diagnosed as a loose wire in the fuel-injection unit. For Enders, it was the first time since the 2010 Auto Club NHRA Finals that she did not qualify for a Pro Stock field. At that event, Enders was driving a Ford for the late Jim Cunningham.
'This year has been a challenge for us; that is no secret,' said Enders. 'Someone already asked me how we bounce back from this. The answer is that we do it with the best guys in the world, and that's what we have at Elite Motorsports. We have a team that sticks together and partners that stick with us. For sure, this is a disheartening experience, but we'll be alright.'
Enders' DNQ all but ends her chances to win a third straight NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock championship. She entered the Countdown as the No. 9 seed, 100 points behind leader Jason Line, and that deficit is now likely to be well in excess of 150 markers depending on Sunday's results.
After watching teammate Jason Line lead the Pro Stock class on Friday, Greg Anderson had pretty much resigned himself to starting no better than second in the zMAX field, but the four-time world champion surprised even himself with a 6.578 to take the top spot for the first time since the Norwalk event last July.
'I didn't think I could run with Jason to be honest with you,' said Anderson, who will face Alan Prusiensky's Dodge in round one. 'I made a pretty decent run. I feel a ton better, but for sure, the rest of the pack has closed the gap to us. I feel good about the work we've put in, but there are still at least six or eight cars that can win.
'We've got a lot of sun and heat on the track this weekend, and that makes it difficult, but you can still make great runs,' Anderson said. 'The trick is to manage the first 10 feet. You have to get the car off the starting line and then feed it all the coal you can because the rest of the track is great. That will make this a crew chief's race for sure, but the drivers also need to get up on the wheel. Jason and I haven't done a great job at times this year. We have to get our heads in the game driver-wise. This is the Countdown, and that's a whole new season to us. I've always said that you can't win the Countdown at the first event, but you can lose it. It's easy to get yourself into a hole that you can't dig out of. We've had such a magical year I'd hate to see it go up in smoke.'
After a pair of runs on Friday that he described as 'very average,' Eddie Krawiec and his Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson came to life on Saturday with a 6.843 to take over the top spot in the field. Even though he was later bumped back to No. 2 by Angelle Sampey, Krawiec was encouraged by the improvement.
'It was a pretty good run. It rattled the tire a little bit, but otherwise it's been very good,' said Krawiec. 'We just need to work on our tune-up a little bit and try to get the bike running right. I've done pretty well at this track in the past, and I'm one of the few people who actually enjoy racing in the Countdown; the pressure doesn't bother me, so I'm looking forward to eliminations.'
Krawiec will face Karen Stoffer's Suzuki in round one, and there is a distinct possibility that he could face off with teammate Andrew Hines in the semifinals because the two Harley-Davidson V-Rods are on the same side of the ladder.
Chip Ellis' debut in the Super Stock class came to an early end when he broke out in the first round aboard Roy Hill's Cobra Jet Mustang. If there is a silver lining to the loss, Ellis is now free to concentrate on his primary mission, which is winning rounds in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Ellis, who recently relocated from Indianapolis to the Charlotte area to be closer to his Junior Pippin-owned team, will start from the No. 4 spot after a best of 6.855 on his S&S-powered Buell.
'Man, I had a lot of fun driving that Cobra Jet. I hope I get an opportunity to do it again soon,' said Ellis. 'It's a lot different than riding the bike, but I think you can still learn a few things that are helpful. As far as the bike goes, we've made some nice runs lately. We have some new engine stuff that [crew chief and engine builder] Lon Moyer has been working on, and I think we're good to go during the Countdown. We haven't won a race in a while, and this being the Countdown, it would be a perfect time to fix that.'
After enjoying a lot of success in other forms of motorcycle racing, including a 200-mph turbocharged Funny Bike, Mark Paquette made his long-awaited NHRA debut two weeks ago at Indy aboard a Suzuki that was leased from Gary Stoffer. Paquette returned for his second event at zMAX Dragway, but this time, he was riding a V-Twin-powered Buell leased from Matt Smith. The bike became available after Scotty Pollacheck elected to sit out a couple of races after missing the Countdown to the Championship. As for Paquette, the Charlotte event marked the first time he's ever ridden a V-Twin bike, but he quickly adapted and rode to a 6.993 that was good enough for the bump spot in the all-six-second field.
'Hanging around the bump spot is stressful,' said Paquette, who bumped out teammate Smith's wife, Angie. 'I had to get used to a bike that I'd never been on before, but Matt Smith gave me a lot of horsepower. I'm just happy that I get to race tomorrow.'
Professional athletes try all kinds of crazy things to change their luck during the playoffs, and Pro Stock Motorcycle rookie Cory Reed adapted that approach when he shaved his head and goatee prior to the start of the Countdown to the Championship. Pro Mod racer Jim Whiteley, Reed's stepfather, also shaved his head last week. Reed, one of the early favorites for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, managed a 6.913 for the No. 12 spot and will take on fellow Countdown rider LE Tonglet in round one.
'Jim did it, so I thought, 'What the heck?' ' said Reed. 'I don't know if it will change my luck or not. It was just something to do. As for the bike, it ran OK. We could have made a better run, but at least we're qualified. That hasn't always been easy for us.'
For the third straight race, Angelle Sampey and her Star/PSE team claimed the top spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying. Sampey lowered the boom on the field during Saturday's opening session with a 6.815, a full three-hundredths quicker than No. 2 qualifier Eddie Krawiec's Harley-Davidson.
'If that wasn't a perfect run, it was about as close as I've ever been to one,' said Sampey, who has now been the top qualifier 49 times in her career. 'There was not a whole bunch left in it. I may have over-revved low gear a tiny bit, and it broke the tire loose, but I don't think we lost much e.t. On the fourth run, we broke a throttle body and the engine wouldn't shut down, and that scared me a little, but it was OK, and we didn't hurt the engine. Coming into today, I didn't think we'd do it. I thought it was going to be too hot.
'This is perfect timing,' said Sampey. 'I always want to be the best I can be on every run. Ken [Johnson, crew chief] thinks this is a curse, and Eddie [Krawiec] says it's a curse, but I want to be best. I want to get these green hats.'
Sampey has won three championships, but her last one was more than a decade ago, but she agrees that this season represents probably her best shot to add a fourth title to her résumé. She also admits that her approach to the sport has changed dramatically since she returned from her eight-year hiatus.
'I'm a different person than I was when I raced the first time around,' Sampey said. 'Back then, I was always so nervous. The first round was such torture. Now, I'm so calm; I have no nerves. I don't want it any less, but I understand that life goes on no matter what happens. On Sunday mornings, I can breathe. I came back because of my child. I wanted to show my little girl, Ava, that anything is possible, so to win another championship would mean more than anything else I've done.'
Beautiful weather drew large crowds out to zMAX Dragway for the final day of qualifying. The crowd attending this weekend's event is a truly diverse one, representing 16 different countries, 43 U.S. states, and more than 1,300 different cities worldwide.
One popular draw in the pits at each event is the Mello Yello Powerhouse, which in addition to having a Funny Car simulator, Mello Yello tastings, and more, hosts autograph sessions each race. Today's well-attended session featured a number of drivers, including Top Fuel runner Clay Millican and former Funny Car champ Cruz Pedregon.
Prior to the start of qualifying, fans were invited to learn more about the ins and outs of nitro racing at NHRA Nitro School. Joining Alan Reinhart as special guest professor this week was reigning Funny Car world champion Del Worsham, who kicked off his title run with a win at this event last year.
Fans got a blast from the past after each NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying session today when AA/Gassers took to the track for a series of exhibition runs. Times varied among the entries with the quickest times in the mid-five-second range.
Friday notebook