Force Sets Records To Lead Funny Car; Kalitta Line And Brown Also Go Low
March 31, 2006
BAYTOWN, Texas — The most prolific racer in Houston Raceway Park history, seven-time Funny Car winner John Force, added to his Texas legacy Friday night with a double-track-record pass of 4.695 seconds at 328.06 mph to lead the Day 1 qualifying action at the 19th annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil, the fourth of 23 events on the NHRA POWERade Series.
Qualifying Notes from the DirecTV 500
March 31, 2006
Here, thanks to manufacturers and teams, are the collected notes and quotes from qualifying for the DirecTV 500 at Martinsville. Jimmie Johnson won the pole, followed by Jamie McMurray, reigning champion Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne.
Johnson Bounces Back to Martinsville Pole
March 31, 2006
After a 30th-place finish last week at Bristol, Jimmie Johnson returned to his earlier performance levels by edging Jamie McMurray out of the pole position for Sunday’s DirecTV500. Johnson’s time was foreshadowed by his practice time, 19.700 sec/96.122 mph, good for fourth on the results sheets. Jamie McMurray qualified second to Johnson, just eight thousandths of a second behind the Daytona 500 winner. Reigning NEXTEL Cup champion Tony Stewart qualified his Chevy on the inside of the second row, flanked by Ryan Newman. Kasey Kahne will start fifth on the grid in Sunday’s race.
Q&A with NHRA Top Fuel driver ‘Hot’ Rod Fuller
March 30, 2006
Many might have been surprised when Top Fuel driver ‘Hot’ Rod Fuller won the second race of the year in Phoenix. Maybe only Fuller himself and his team and sponsors were the only ones that thought he had a chance. Now is second place in the NHRA POWERade points, Fuller has two races upcoming that he considers himself to be the hometown favorite. Up next is Houston, the hometown of David Powers Homes, one of his anchor sponsors and after that he heads home to Las Vegas. In this Q&A, Fuller talks about the lucky charm that seems to get better with age, and how he’ll tackle what are essentially back-to-back home races for him.
Charlotte’s New Surface “Smooth and Fast”
March 29, 2006
Scott Riggs was first on the track Tuesday in testing the new surface at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, following a complete resurface of the track. While no times or speeds have been discussed, representatives did say that the No. 18 Craftsman Truck Series entry had broken the old track qualifying record, in race trim. Times mean little in tire testing, as the real intent is to discover what tires or tire construction should be recommended at the next race. The times that have been discussed are not specific enough to do more than indicate that a new lap record will be set. Here, thanks to the Speedway, is the text of their press release this afternoon:
Two Sides to Every Story
March 29, 2006
There has been a lot said and a lot to say about the IRL tragedy last weekend. The biggest argument, to my surprise, isn’t about safety or rookie awareness or any sort of investigation but if the race should have been run or not.
Gordon Fined After Bristol Shove
March 28, 2006
NASCAR fined four-time champion Jeff Gordon for his role in shoving Matt Kenseth following Sunday’s Food City 500. Kenseth had tapped Gordon on the last lap, dropping the Chevy driver back from third to 21st, still on the lead lap. In addition to Gordon’s fine of $10,000, he was placed on probation through August 30, 2006.
NHRA Crossover Helps Power the IHRA in San Antonio
March 28, 2006
After a very busy off season, the much anticipated 2006 International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) schedule kicked off this past weekend at San Antonio Raceway in San Antonio, Texas with the 5th annual Amalie Oil Texas Nationals presented by Ancira Cars, Trucks & RVs and the San Antonio Express-News. With the announcement of EntertainMax Worldwide Inc. as the new title sponsor for the national event tour and the re-introduction of the Pro Nitro Funny Car class, this IHRA season is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best in the sanctioning bodies recent history.
Silver Linings in Season Opener
March 27, 2006
Amid the bad news of rookie driver Paul Dana’s death, some good things emerged from the IRL opening weekend at Homestead.
Tough Start to Season as IRL Loses Driver
March 26, 2006
Tragedy stuck the IRL prior to Sunday’s season opener at Homestead. In a pre-race practice incident, Paul Dana suffered fatal injures and was pronounced dead shortly before 12 noon EST.