By Rick Sheek (rsheek@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Mike Neff nailed down his first No. 1 qualifying position on Saturday, leading the Funny Car class in the eighth-annual O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
The John Force Racing driver covered the quarter-mile strip in 4.783 seconds at 321.04 mph in a Ford.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Neff said. [...]
By Rick Sheek (rsheek@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Reigning and five-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher remains the man to beat.
Schumacher, who has led the points since winning the season-opening event, remained top qualifier on Saturday for the eighth-annual O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
“The car’s driving fantastic, and the race track’s outstanding,” Schumacher, a two-time [...]
By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Pro Stock’s Professor returned to one of his favorite classrooms in a big way. Its defending champion, however, was sent home early.
Thirty years since he raced Lee Edwards in the finals at the track, eight-time Bristol winner and six-time NHRA champion Warren Johnson established a track record with his run [...]
By Rick Sheek (rsheek@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Rickie Smith, Bristol Dragway’s all-time national event winner, doesn’t think much of the Pro Stock class these days.
The veteran driver and crew chief stresses big money has taken over the sport, fan interest has deteriorated and no longer does ability on the drag strip win races.
“We won a lot of [...]
By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Ron Capps is hoping a new chassis finally gets him over the hump.
A year ago, the NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car driver appeared ready to pick up his first NHRA title with one of the best seasons of his career.
Once the Countdown to the Championship began, however, things went awry [...]
The subject is 14-time world champion John Force and his little girl, Ashley Force - who is second in the Funny Car points. Radio interviews, television spots and non-stop spotlight - Scelzi doesn’t think it is fair.
“Yes. Absolutely. I think It’s a problem,” Scelzi said on Friday at Bristol Dragway before qualifying for the eight-annual O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. “I think it’s even a bigger problem now with Ashley, that the whole TV show is all about them whether they win, lose or not. I know that they draw ratings.
“Everybody loves Ashley. She’s a beautiful, well-spoken girl. She’s done a great job driving the race car, but this class isn’t just John Force and his family. It’s the rest of us, and it’s a problem.”
By Rick Sheek (rsheek@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Doug Herbert may be mired at 10th in the POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Fuel points, but he has a smile on his face.
He’s by no means content with the Snap-OnFranchise.com dragster, but the fact he is trudging on after the most tragic event his his 40 years is a [...]
NHRA Photo (Cory McClenathan delivers a win earlier this season)
By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
BRISTOL – After driving for an array of owners, Cory Mac has found the perfect fit.
One of Top Fuel’s most popular and successful drivers, Cory McClenathan began a new chapter to his career this season with Don Schumacher Racing.
Right off the bat, Schumacher [...]
By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
BRISTOL — Jeg Coughlin Jr. has seen drag racing evolve in many ways from a young age
“I’ve grown up around the sport since diapers, so to see all the different segments the sport has evolved has been awesome,” Coughlin said last Wednesday. “It’s a professional sport and it’s grown by leaps and [...]
By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
Tim Wilkerson’s formula for success is simple.
Thus far, it has paid dividends for the Levi, Ray & Shoup Chevy Impala SS.
“My goal is to qualify right off the bat every race,” Wilkerson said by phone Wednesday. “If we do that, we’re going to go some rounds. That’s just all there is to [...]
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