Moving toward the Countdown in Minnesota
Written by Sheila Scarborough · August 11, 2008
Another race, another dominating performance in Top Fuel at the Brainerd, Minnesota Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.
Tony Schumacher, who swept the 2008 Western Swing and is the five-time NHRA Top Fuel champion, marched to his 50th career victory in Brainerd (two away from tying Joe Amato’s Top Fuel record) as he defeated his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Cory McClenathan.
“I’m quite aware of how good this team is; it’s the best team I’ve ever seen,” said Schumacher. “We’re racing against great teams. It’s a lot of pressure, but I love those situations. It’s amazing to be a part of these moments. I feel like I’m driving my best. I feel like I’m doing a good job keeping the car in the center [of the lane] I feel like I’m part of the team right now.”
Responded Cory Mac: “The day went as planned: let’s have the right people go out so we can start moving up in the points. Everyone was talking about clinching a spot in the Countdown before Indy, but that still doesn’t deny the fact that I still want to win drag races and make a statement and catch up to my teammate [who is No. 1 in the standings.] That’s really what we were looking at, just moving up in the points,” said McClenathan.
“And we did that today, and we made some ground up in some areas. That U.S. Army car was bad all weekend long, that’s all there is to it. [Crew chief] Mike Green and [assistant crew chief] Neal Strausbaugh and all the FRAM guys are awesome. They had my back all day. My lights weren’t good and didn’t come around until the semis and the final. Tony and I were awfully close leaving the starting line together and it was a great drag race. We ran a 3.90 and they ran a 3.86 and it’s just one of those things. They’re a great team and they’re tough to beat.”
In Funny Car, Tony Pedregon’s Q car beat former boss John Force to move through the field, then he took out a DSR car as “Fast Jack” Beckman red-lighted to lose the final, despite posting a quicker pass of 4.216 seconds at 293.28 mph to Pedregon’s 4.238/289.89.
“I have never won in Brainerd and this is a big achievement,” said Pedregon. “There is never a bad time for a win but this was really important, because we’re trying to get back in that No. 2 spot in the Countdown. Everyone is a big challenge but the toughest one is still [John] Force. I know he says he’s old and he’s tired but I ain’t buying it; he’s still as tough as ever.
“I have to have a certain amount of confidence and I have to remind myself of that,” Pedregon said. “You take all this stuff away and I think I’m pretty humble because of where I come from, and how I was brought up. I look across the pit and see Don Schumacher’s team and John Force’s, and I was in the stands watching these guys - I was kid taking pictures of Force when I was 12 years old. That part of me will never change. But there’s a competitive nature that was instilled in me when I was a child. I know what it’s like to be on the top, and I know what it’s like to be on the bottom and I don’t want to go back there.”
“Beckman is tough too, but sometimes you can force people to make mistakes when your car is running well and our car is running well right now.”
A disappointed Beckman explained, “I changed my routine a little bit; I went to take a little bump (stage deeper) because it was the final round and lane choice isn’t a big deal because there is no next round. My brain told my right foot to go and the light hadn’t come on yet. Absolutely 100 percent a driver’s mistake.
“The Valvoline/MTS Dodge guys gave us a car that could win this race today. We ran great all four rounds. It was a great weekend. Points-wise we couldn’t have asked for much more. It could have been an outstanding weekend if I’d been effective in the final. I’m really disappointed, but we’ve got a race in a week. I’m going to get over it, the Valvoline/MTS Dodge guys are over it already. Everybody is excited that our car is predictable and repeatable now.”
Pro Stock’s Kurt Johnson enjoyed a return to his home state of Minnesota and a 39th career win over Dave Connolly (who missed the first five races of the season) with a 6.696 at 206.29 mph.
“Just a super, great day today,” exclaimed Johnson. “We were a little behind at first and we kept tuning on it and kept paying attention to what we needed to be doing and the car kept getting faster and faster. We’ve had some fifty and sixty lights this year where we didn’t put the win light on and I knew that anybody that’s going to be champion has got to drive well.
“That Chevrolet was flawless today. We had to make some small changes to it, but it does add pressure. Especially since you know the car is going to be fast. If you miss the tree you can be quicker at the finish line and still lose. It definitely adds pressure and you have to perform. It costs a lot of money to run these cars and the driver has to perform. To keep my job, I have to do what I have to and it’s all on the tree. That’s free horsepower and I’ve never seen free horsepower in the dyno room.”
“It’s obviously big anytime I can win a race in Brainerd because this is my home track and we have a lot of support here,” Johnson continued. “It can be a distraction but when they close the door and I pull into the water, I have no distractions at all.”
Holeshot wins helped to catapult numerous Pro Stock Motorcycle bottom-half qualifiers to better-than-expected finishes, and although Matt Smith struggled with painful kidney stones (can you imagine riding a bike with those?) he managed to hang on to win a single run as Angelle Sampey broke in the final.
“This is amazing,” said Smith. “For us to come here with a new bike, qualify No. 1 and win the race is unreal. When we brought this new bike out, we thought we might have to give up a race or two while we were getting it sorted out. We figured that we’d be in good shape for the start of the Countdown in Charlotte [at the new track] but obviously I’m really happy with it now.
“I was in a lot of pain this weekend and last night I went to the hospital and they told me I have 10 kidney stones,” said Smith. “It really hurts, but it helps to get the win. In the third round, I was really in a lot of pain and maybe that’s why I had a late [.110 reaction time] but now I’m just going to go home and get well before Reading.”
The next race is August 14-17, the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania at Maple Grove Raceway.
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