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Rumor: Larry Dixon To Leave Snake Racing

The nitro fumes in Pomona have yet to dissipate and the NHRA rumor mill is already in full churn. Drag Racing Online is reporting that Top Fuel Champion Larry Dixon will be leaving Don Prudhomme’s Snake Racing and will drive the Al-Anabi Top Fueler next season. That car, as you know, will be tuned by Alan Johnson. DRO is also reporting that Spencer Massey, who is already under contract with Prudhomme, will be Dixon’s replacement in the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco dragster in 2009. Read more

Vegas clinches it for Schumacher, others still TBD

There is one more race to go in the season, and at least one champ has it in the bag and another is just about there.

At the eighth annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Tony Schumacher locked up his sixth Top Fuel championship simply by qualifying (and taking the pole while he was at it) and then going on to beat the defending event champ “Hot Rod” Fuller in a big ol’ tight drag race. Shoe had a 3.806 at 314.53 mph, and Fuller a 3.821 at 315.19 mph.

This is Schumacher’s 15th win in an amazing season when he never dropped out of first place; if he wins the last race at Pomona he’ll tie Greg Anderson’s record of 16 wins in one season.

“I knew A.J. [his crew chief Alan Johnson] was trying to run in the high-.70s in the final,” said Schumacher. “‘Hot Rod’ is running good, and I told myself before the final that I had to dig deep. Our cars were running so close that I was worried about getting beat on a holeshot.

“Every race we win gets harder and harder because the bar is set so high. Everybody I raced had good lights against me, because they’re all trying hard. I can’t let my guard down against any of them. This is just a great win. We’ve had an outstanding season, and it would have been devastating if we didn’t close the deal at the last couple races.”

Lined up behind Schumacher on the final Top Fuel leaderboard are Hillary Will, Antron Brown, Cory McClenathan and Larry Dixon to round out the top five.

Read more

Bet On Neff as 2008 Rookie of the Year

I’ve been writing for Fastmachines.com for about five years now (wow, has it really been five years?) and each year I try my hand at predicting the NHRA’s Rookie of the Year. The official award is called the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award (what would motorsports be without sponsorship) and I can say with confidence that I have successfully predicted the past four winners. This year it is not as cut and dried as in years past but I’ll stand by my prediction that Funny Car driver Mike Neff will be the 2008 NHRA Rookie of the Year. Read more

Tim and Kim Richards to retire from Bernstein’s Top Fuel team

I just got an email announcement that Kim and Tim Richards will retire from Kenny Bernstein’s Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team after the 2008 season finishes.

“We are deeply indebted to Tim and Kim for their dedication and talent,” said six-time champion Bernstein.  “When Tim and Kim joined our team in 2001 we enjoyed a record-setting year filled with eight race wins and 12 final round appearances culminating in our sixth NHRA championship, our second in Top Fuel.

“Also in 2001, our Budweiser team won 61 rounds of competition which set a Top Fuel record for the most rounds won in one season.  That record held until Dallas of this year. Through the years, Tim and Kim have tuned our team to a total of 33 Top Fuel victories. That is an enviable record for a tuning duo.  Beyond that, their work ethic, integrity and friendship means more to us than all of their victories combined.  Obviously, they will be severely missed.”

Read more

1,000 Feet Racing: You Better Get Used To It

In my regular jaunt around the web I read Jeff Burke’s editorial piece Burk’s Blast that regularly appears on Drag Racing Online. In Burke’s latest piece he reveals that his sources are telling him the NHRA is very close to announcing that nitro class racing in the NHRA will race to 1,000 feet into the 2009 season and beyond. My initial reaction was that of disgust. Then upon further thought I came to the realization that although the expected decision will be unpopular, it is the best to preserve the sport.

Read more

How ’bout that Tim Wilkerson?

Just as he did last week at the Texas Motorplex, Tim Wilkerson put his head down and rammed his way to Funny Car victory at the NHRA Mid-South Nationals, dispatching all three Force cars to do it.

Tony Schumacher continues his march to another Top Fuel championship with a win over Doug Herbert, Mike Edwards took his second win this year (over a tire-smoking Jason Line) and Craig Treble scored his first Pro Stock Motorcycle win of the season since joining Don Schumacher Racing.

Today’s race left Schumacher, Wilkerson, Coughlin and Matt Smith in the Countdown points lead.

For a full rundown, see the NHRA.com Sunday recap.

To be a champion, you have to beat champions

(Post title courtesy Funny Car’s Tim Wilkerson)

As I write this in the press room, I can hear the wild cheers of the post-race ceremony crowd that spilled out of the Texas Motorplex grandstands and onto the drag strip after the Fall Nationals wrapped.

Hey, why get into the dust-choked mob of departing traffic when you can hang around awhile longer and cheer some overjoyed Wally-winners, including a guy who just knocked off a team on a record-setting winning streak?

Top Fuel’s JR Todd, the 2006 Rookie of the Year, came back against a tough season (he’s not in the Countdown to the Championship ) and took out Tony Schumacher with a 3.912 ET at 309.84 mph.

Read more

Friday performances hold at Fall Nationals

It’s hard to beat the cooler weather and cooler track temperatures that accompany Friday night qualifying, so whoever blasts to the provisional low qualifier pole on Friday often still holds that position at the end of Saturday’s runs.

That has been true here at the NHRA Fall Nationals drag race just south of Dallas.

In Top Fuel, Larry Dixon is the pole winner for the third time in a row, and he will match up with Morgan Lucas in Round One.  The Smokeless Tobacco dragster sat out the final elimination round.

“We had a fuel-system malfunction on our first run today and it hurt the engine pretty good, so instead of hurrying up just to come out here and just make a run, the guys wanted to stay in the pits and make the car perfect for tomorrow,” said Dixon. “We knew that even if we got bumped down it would only to be second or third. I’d rather have a perfect horse for tomorrow. Read more

Funny Car driver Scelzi to step away again

We’ve seen this move before from the “Wild Thing.”

Maybe the rather disappointing 2008 season has sealed the deal for him, but Funny Car driver Gary Scelzi says he’s going to stop drag racing after this season.

Press release from Don Schumacher Racing below….

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GARY SCELZI TO STEP AWAY AT END OF 2008 NHRA SEASON

ENNIS, Texas (Sept. 20, 2008) - Four-time NHRA world champion Gary Scelzi announced today that he will step down from NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series competition at the end of the 2008 season.

Scelzi, a one-third partner with his brothers Jim and Mike in Scelzi Enterprises, a custom truck body manufacturing company based in his hometown of Fresno, Calif., said he will concentrate on maintaining and growing the family business during these tough economic times. Read more

Excellent Dallas weather helps qualifying times

After sweltering through drought and hurricanes, it’s quite pleasant to be somewhere in Texas that is enjoying beautiful, slightly crisp fall weather.

Here at the Texas Motorplex (the second all-concrete track in a row after last week’s inaugural Carolinas Nationals) the temps have been in the low-mid 80s and humidity is only about 45%, with a cloudless sky.  Partly as a result, some track records were set and points leads reshuffled in the first day of qualifying at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals.

In Top Fuel, Larry Dixon out of Don “Snake” Prudhomme’s organization is holding the low qualifier position; he took advantage of a tire-smoking Tony Schumacher to run a 3.820 ET at 310.70 mph.  Joe Hartley is on the bump.

“Too bad we don’t run the races on Friday night; we’ve obviously got that part down,” said Dixon. “That was a great run for us, and obviously Donnie [Bender] and Todd [Smith] are making the right calls on the tune-up. The next step would be to not smoke the tires on race day. Read more