On a roll in Vegas
Written by Sheila Scarborough · April 14, 2008
(I apologize for sketchy coverage of the NHRA event in Las Vegas this weekend; I was struck down by some heinous virus at the Samsung 500, and any functional moments have found me dealing with the 15 April tax filing deadline.)
A quick summary of the action….
Noteworthy items from Friday and Saturday qualifying include a strong performance by Kenny Koretsky in Pro Stock (his first pole win in 20 years of racing) and Robert Hight’s one thousandth of a second low qualifier win over Tim Wilkerson in Funny Car. John Force did not qualify, and Tony Schumacher was the pole winner in Top Fuel.
In today’s eliminations, it was Cory Mac taking the Top Fuel Wally with a 4.654 at 31.86 mph against Antron Brown, in track temps of over 130 degrees. McClenathan is in his first year with Don Schumacher Racing (who took a hit today for a fuel violation.)
“To say the least, it’s about time. That’s all I can say,” said McClenathan. “It’s been a couple of years since we’ve even had a competitive car and to win Richmond a couple of years ago was great. That was my 29th victory, but to come here exactly 30 races later and win my 30th Top Fuel event is incredible.
“It was a very tricky track, but our Goodyears did the job today. We kept that left-hand lane as lane choice and we worked it. Mike Green [crew chief] and the guys did a great job. We had a lot of help from Alan Johnson [U.S. Army Top Fuel crew chief], all the guys on the Army crew, all the guys on the Rockstar team, all the Valvoline/MTS guys from Jack Beckman’s team, and Gary Scelzi’s Mopar crew. We really appreciate everything that goes on. There were 30 guys working on that race car.
“Lane choice was very important today,” added McClenathan, who also had a runner-up finish this year at the season-opening event in Pomona, Calif. “It was very tricky out there. It was one of those deals where not only do you have to keep it right in the groove, you just had to do your burnout in the exact right spot. We had some early wheel speed that we had to be careful of, and Mike Green did a great job at basically attacking that area and just being a little bit careful early and then letting it spin the tires down course. We got down to the other end and only had like six or seven teeth left on the blower belt.
“So, it was going to be a very close race and it was. Antron [Brown] is a great driver. He’s learned very quickly. Lee Beard is a good crew chief. So, we beat some good teams today, but I would say lane choice really meant a lot.”
In Funny Car, Tim Wilkerson beat Ashley Force (her second straight final, and she’s leading in the points) with a 4.962 at 292.58 mph.
“This is kind of cool to see the single-car teams right in this deal, don’t you think?” said Wilkerson. “
“This was a hard weekend. The track was treacherous from time to time, but NHRA did a good job, and the Goodyear tires worked well today. The U.S. Smokeless guys helped us change motors after I hurt one against Ron Capps.
“My daughter, Rachael, is 16, and she’s a big Ashley [Force] fan; I’m a big fan too. Every time I’m around her, I’m impressed. I want to see Ashley get her first win, but I don’t want to be the guy in that stat. As for Rachael, she’ll be alright. She wants to see me win too.”
Jason Line beat Greg Stanfield (in his first final round) in Pro Stock, with a 6.782 at 203.83 mph.
“I get beat on for my driving or lack thereof so many times; it’s redeeming to finally win again,” said Line. “I know it was probably deserved. I mean the numbers don’t lie. I have struggled at times, but to win at the
“Today, I had the best car that I’ve had for a year and a half. It was the car that got it done today. The engine didn’t perform as well as I would have liked it to, but the car worked great, especially in the right lane. Everybody struggled in that lane, but when I ran that [6.79] in the semifinals, it was an impressive run by anybody’s standards.
“This is three finals in five races, and that’s by far the best start to a season that I’ve ever had,” said Line. “It also feels really good to be tied for the points lead. I’d like to think this is the start of a lot of good things to come for Greg [Anderson, teammate] and myself.”
Next up is the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, GA April 25-27.
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