Great Stuff at the Grove
Written by Sheila Scarborough · September 29, 2006
Schumacher, Ashley, Anderson and Sampey lead the field on Friday night at Maple Grove Raceway.
What a day for excitement in Pennsylvania. With outstanding racing conditions at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, we have a new national ET record and speed record in Pro Stock and a national ET in Pro Stock Motorcycle. We also have some cars understandably pushing envelopes and ending up in the sand pit.
NHRA.com Friday recap.
The Sarge and “the world’s fastest mortgage banker” continued their strong qualifying performances from last week’s race in Texas.
Event defending champion Tony Schumacher and the US Army rail ran a 4.471 at 331.85 mph, but he’s keeping his eyes on the Top Fuel points prize currently held by Doug Kalitta in the Mac Tools dragster.
“Are you kidding me?” Schumacher said. “We’re down to four races. Every single pass we make gets bigger and bigger. Every qualifying run, every point you can get, keeping lane choice on Sunday, all those things are huge right now. We’re not in the points lead. We’ve made up a lot of the 336 points we were behind but we’re still chasing.
“It’s brutal. I know Alan [Johnson, crew chief] was going after it. There are 15 cars here so if we can get the No. 1 spot with a good safe mid-4.4 right there then we can try three times to set the national record, twice tomorrow and in Round 1 on Sunday. Those 20 points could be the difference.”
Funny Car driver Mike Ashley and his Gotham City Racing team have really put the pieces together in the past few weeks; it looks as though he won’t be quite so new any more to those post-run interviews in the press/media room. He ran a personal-best and track record 4.694 at 330.96 mph in the Torco Race Fuels Dodge Charger.
He also had to catch a plane back to New York after his runs to conduct some business for mortgage company Lend America, where he is Executive Vice President, but that didn’t change his focus.
“I grew up racing here,” Ashley said. “This is like my second home, next to E-town. I don’t know, I just had such a good feeling this morning. My son asked me what I thought I’d run today and I told him not to be too surprised if I ran a 4.60-something.
“I’ve been working hard on my driving with Frank Hawley and this team, as I said a week ago, is top notch. All of this recent success is just a matter of things finally coming together for us.
“The time is stout but you know John Force, or Ron Capps, or Tommy Johnson are all going after it tomorrow. But if they run quick, we can run quick also.”
Capps had some parachute deployment problems that put him a bit into the sand, but he’s in the show.
Pro Stock, on the other hand, had two accidents that put everybody’s nerves on edge. Kurt Johnson had a parachute deployment problem and went way into the sand, and Dave Northrup’s car flipped at half track and he spent some time skidding down the strip on his roof. Both drivers are unhurt.
From the NHRA race data entry notes before Pro Stock started: “Conditions like this are when it’s hard not to be greedy. Sessions like the one to come puts butterflies in the stomach of even the most seasoned racers. Everyone knows there is a great run for the taking, but matched with that is the realization that there is a limit to even the best tracks. Everyone is setting their car on kill, but going over that line means a lost opportunity that may not repeat for a long time.”
Event defending champion Greg Anderson didn’t let it affect his performance; he laid down national records of 6.626 at 208.91 mph in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO.
“I’d be lying if I said those accidents don’t get in your head,” Anderson said. “These cars are right on the edge and you don’t like to think about the consequences because it’ll cost you. But I don’t know how you turn it off when it happens right in front of you.”
“Obviously the conditions are optimum when you see world record numbers like this,” Anderson said. “The only thing off was the barometer, which was low. If that goes up tomorrow we’ll be even faster.
“The way I look at it, I need the record bad. It’s a 40-point swing in my mind because the record is going down this weekend, it’s just a matter of who’s gonna get it. If it isn’t me, it’s someone else, probably one of the guys were battling for the championship. This is something I’m taking very, very serious at the moment.”
Angelle Sampey has won the Pro Stock Motorcycle Wally six times at this race, and she wants another trophy, to say nothing of the championship.
“We’re five rounds behind with 12 left this season,” Sampey said. “I have to get those points. It wouldn’t be impossible to win it all if I don’t but it sure would help to get them. Antron [Brown, teammate] is just eight behind so it would be great if it comes down to me and him going for the title.
“I text messaged a friend before that first round and said I was going to run a six [second pass]. As soon as I left I knew it was going to be good. It went nice and straight and I knew it was quick. I started jumping around down there, high-fiving everyone, yelling, ‘I’m in the club I’m in the club.’ ”
Obviously a rain delay for a few weeks didn’t dampen any possibilities for great performances at Maple Grove Raceway.
(Pro Stock Motorcycle Ladder not available at press time.)
Top Fuel Standings After Round Two
1. Tony Schumacher 4.471 ET 331.85 mph
2. Doug Kalitta 4.496 330.39
3. Rod Fuller 4.518 328.78
4. David Grubnic 4.533 326.95
5. Larry Dixon 4.541 328.54
6. Brandon Bernstein 4.542 329.50
7. Cory McClenathan 4.550 317.64
8. J.R. Todd 4.554 328.06
9. Hillary Will 4.560 322.19
10. Melanie Troxel 4.566 327.74
11. Morgan Lucas 4.662 299.26
12. Doug Herbert 4.701 291.82
13. Luigi Novelli 4.837 285.95
14. David Baca 8.228 89.33
15. Bob Vandergriff 9.810 79.83
Funny Car Standings After Round Two
1. Mike Ashley 4.694 ET 330.96 mph
2. Gary Scelzi 4.709 328.62
3. Ron Capps 4.717 323.97
4. Tony Pedregon 4.723 321.12
5. Robert Hight 4.739 325.69
6. Jack Beckman 4.756 325.45
7. Eric Medlen 4.768 322.34
8. Cruz Pedregon 4.792 308.99
9. Phil Burkart 4.794 324.44
10. John Force 4.796 323.58
11. Tommy Johnson Jr. 4.821 283.13
12. Gary Densham 4.829 321.50
13. Scott Kalitta 4.840 320.97
14. Del Worsham 4.843 321.19
15. Jim Head 4.854 308.00
16. Tony Bartone 5.060 292.96
——— Not Qualified ———
17. Tim Wilkerson 5.549 198.35
Pro Stock Standings After Round Two
1. Greg Anderson 6.626($) ET 208.91 (^) mph
2. Mike Edwards 6.632 208.20
3. Tommy Lee 6.634 207.62
4. Tom Martino 6.637 208.07
5. Richie Stevens 6.640 207.11
6. Allen Johnson 6.647 207.53
7. Jim Yates 6.648 206.95
8. Greg Stanfield 6.649 207.85
9. Kurt Johnson 6.649 207.66
10. Dave Howard 6.649 207.37
11. Dave Connolly 6.651 207.30
12. Jason Line 6.652 207.66
13. Larry Morgan 6.653 207.40
14. Warren Johnson 6.659 206.83
15. Max Naylor 6.662 206.83
16. Dave Northrop 6.664 206.57
——— Not Qualified ———
17. Mark Pawuk 6.671 207.05
18. V. Gaines 6.681 207.43
19. Tommy Brown 6.688 207.27
20. Bob Benza 6.700 206.83
21. Ron Krisher 6.711 205.98
22. Tony Rizzo 6.717 205.38
23. Matt Hartford 6.852 181.72
24. John Mahoney 6.936 198.12
$ = National ET Record
^ = National Speed Record
(Pro Stock Motorcycle standings not available at press time.)
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