Results tagged “NHRA” from Haddock in the Paddock

What was supposed to be a temporary fix until a better idea came along has turned into a change that will last for the rest of the NHRA season.
The Top Fuel and Funny Car entries will race 1,000 feet, instead of the traditional quarter-mile (or 1,320 feet) for the rest of the year.
The change in distance was made in the wake of the death of Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta during the race weekend in New Jersey last month.
The shorter race distance gives drivers more braking area and prevents the cars from reaching higher speeds. Some of the Top Fuel and Funny Car entries reached speeds between 320 mph and 330 mph.
The decision to keep the distance at 1,000 feet was made by NHRA officials and a safety task force headed by Dan Olson, NHRA director of Top Fuel & Funny Car racing. He is joined by Austin Coil, crew chief for John Force Racing; Jim Head, Funny Car driver/crew chief; Alan Johnson, crew chief for the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster; Jon Oberhofer, crew chief for the Doug Kalitta-driven Top Fuel dragster; Mark Oswald, co-crew chief on Melanie Troxel's Funny Car; and Tim Wilkerson, Funny Car driver/crew chief. Other representatives from NHRA and the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) will also participate.
NHRA's two other Professional categories, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, and all Sportsman competition will continue to be contested over the traditional quarter-mile distance.

From John Force's people, for those who can't get enough of John Force Racing.
The 2009 John Force Racing Team Calendar, with 16 months full of drag racing excitement, is now available for pre-order. Pre-orders are being taken exclusively through John Force RaceStation online at www.JohnForceRaceStation.com or via phone at (714) 921-1651.
The 2009 John Force Racing Team Calendar offers a complete behind the scenes look at the winningest team in NHRA Professional Drag Racing. The calendar highlights all JFR drivers, teams and facilities with exclusive photos, plus Force Fast Facts, and the NHRA Full Throttle 2009 Drag Racing Series schedule each and every month.

Before NHRA Top Fuel driver Cory McClenathan heads to Pacific Raceways outside of Seattle in Washington, the second stop of three known as the West Coast swing in drag racing circles, he will be making a pit stop in California.
"Three weeks on the road is tough, but I have to go back to California before I get to Seattle and bury my grandmother (who died last week) and then I'll be in Seattle on Thursday ready to start qualifying and hopefully knock 'em dead on Sunday," McClenathan said.
McClenathan is fourth in the NHRA Top Fuel standings and has won once at Pacific Raceways in 1997. Last year he was the 11th qualifier and was eliminated in the first round.
"Seattle is a great place," said McClenathan. "We've done very well there in the past and I look forward to returning there. The weather's been off and on there, but one thing about Pacific Raceways is that you have all those trees and you get a lot of oxygen, which helps produce more power in the engines, and we also get back down to sea level. And that's good for this FRAM dragster. I think crew chief Mike Green and the guys will do a great job there."

NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman has been struggling lately. After winning at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix in February, Beckman has dropped to 12th in the Funny Car standings.
When he races at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey this weekend, he will have a new chassis and hopefully a change in results. His team tested the new car at Martin, Mich., and decided to unveil it for the next NHRA races.
"We made five runs in the new car," said Beckman, a driver from North Hills. "It went down the track. We never went past half-track because what we needed to know we would have known early."
The NHRA is mandating all teams use what it calls a safer chassis for the races in Denver for July 11-13. But Beckman's team at Don Schumacher Racing decided to debut it early.
"Our very first run in the new chassis was a planned 400-footer," Beckman said. "It made it to 400 feet and it was quick early, which has kind of been our Achille's heel lately. We needed to be quicker earlier in the run, and so this car showed us that it is definitely quicker earlier. That is exactly what we wanted."
Beckman is 12 points out of 10th place. The top 10 drivers in the Funny Car division will qualify for the Countdown, the six-race playoff to determine champions in the four national touring classes of the NHRA, after the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Aug. 27-Sept. 1.
"Any time that you can put a new car together and very first run out it does what it is supposed to, it brings a big sigh of relief to the crew," Beckman said. "I also think it's the shot in the arm that we need right now. If we can combine the consistency we've had lately with these potentially quicker elapsed times, I think we can get right back into this thing."

ESPN will broadcast the final elimination rounds from the NHRA drag races at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago on Wednesday at 3:40 p.m. Pacific.
The segment will be a special 20-minute program following NASCAR Now on ESPN2 and will show highlights from the four final rounds, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
In a release from the NHRA: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock); and Chris Rivas (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were race winners in their respective categories at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event
The race was hampered by unpredictable severe weather throughout the weekend, forcing ESPN officials to juggle its programming schedule.
A two-hour repeat airing of the full telecast of Sunday's eliminations from the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 NHRA Nationals is scheduled for 2 a.m. (ET) on June 11 on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.

A week after Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race, Ashley Force became the first woman to win an NHRA Funny Car race.
Force beat her dad, John Force, in the Funny Car final at Atlanta Dragway in Georgia.
AOL.com wants to know which driver has the most talent, Danica or Ashley. They have set up an online poll, with nearly 40,000 responses so far.

The NHRA fined Don Schumacher Racing $100,000 for having nitromethane in its pits during the drag races at The Strip in Las Vegas on April 13.
Schumacher responded to the fine, releasing a statement saying he will appeal the fine. He also said he takes full responsibility for any violation that might have occurred.
Here is the release:

This past week has been very trying for me, my family, my sponsors and my seven Don Schumacher Racing NHRA drag-racing teams. Since I began to build my operation to include a number of teams in 2001, I have strived to live up to my personal standards, those of the sponsors who so wholeheartedly support my efforts, the outstanding group of drivers and crew chiefs I have been fortunate to have join my racing family, and the incredibly talented medley of team employees.

It is my opinion and belief that the merits of the process begun by the NHRA to fine DSR an unprecedented $100,000 for an alleged infraction of our team possessing nitromethane in its pit area during a national event should not be argued in the media. I believe that a series of errors occurred at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, which led the NHRA to impose the fine.

I would like to extend my apologies to all the DSR sponsors and everyone involved in this situation on behalf of DSR for what appears to me to be a misunderstanding. I regret any focus that may have been put on any of our supporters unnecessarily.

I would never do anything that could be construed as going against the NHRA rules. I believe I have acted properly, with integrity, and this is a matter that is being dealt with between Don Schumacher Racing and the NHRA. I have processed an appeal to the NHRA which will be heard this week pursuant to NHRA's dispute resolution procedures.

Of utmost importance to me is that I explain to the media, fans and our longtime supporters that only I, as team owner, am involved in this situation. None of the seven DSR teams, their sponsors, crew chiefs, drivers or team employees should be singled out as having any responsibility in this situation.

In addition to racing in the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series, Jack Beckman commits himself to what seems like an endless schedule of charitable and selfless causes.
Here is an example of what a typical week is for him:
The NHRA will be racing at The Strip in Las Vegas this weekend. Beckman, second in the NHRA Funny Car standings, will be driving for Don Schumacher Racing during the weekend.
In addition to his commitments at the drag strip, Beckman visited patients at the military hospital at nearby Nellis Air Force Base on Thursday. He is an Air Force veteran and cancer survivor, and visits the military hosptial every time the NHRA races in Las Vegas.
"When I went to Las Vegas a few years ago I got together with a good friend of mine named Pam Robinson, who was in the Air Force for 12 years and does a lot of volunteer work there," said Beckman, who lives in North Hills. "We went over to the military hospital at Nellis Air Force Base and I visited with some of the troops and veterans there."
He will be holding an auction and autograph session tonight in the Don Schumacher Racing pit area to raise money for an NHRA fan and friend who is fighting cancer. He will also be at the Orleans Hotel and Casino on Saturday night for another autograph session.
After the races in Las Vegas, Beckman will be in Santa Monica as part of the Racers Who Care program on Thursday. He is scheduled to make an appearance and give a speech at the Santa Monica Boys and Girls Club.
"I don't think I'm a philanthropic person by nature," said Beckman. "I was always kind of a self-absorbed Southern California hot rodder. Obviously, having cancer was quite an awakening, but even still I didn't particularly go out and find ways to donate my time and money. A lot of them kind of come to me. I know a lot of people and I'm outgoing and I network a lot and many people were aware of my situation and they called me and asked me to help. And I found myself saying yes to almost every offer and it just developed from there."
Because he fought and survived cancer, Beckman said that gives him a different perspective and it's part of the reason he donates his time to so many different causes.
"I think the common denominator you'll find among people who give time to charity is that there is a passion for it, whether they lost somebody close to them or went through something themselves," Beckman said. "They usually have a heartfelt draw to whatever charity they are donating their time to. I have a deep compassion for veterans and sick people so I started visiting the hospital at Nellis and now it's something I try to do every time I'm in Las Vegas. And it's blossomed into other charitable opportunities.
"During my cancer my wife, Jenna, who was still my fiancée, did three marathons and raised over $20,000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. She did that because I had cancer and it was an eye opener to her."

Fans of the NHRA and Don Schumacher Racing will be able to have access to some of their favorite drivers with two new features on the team's web site.
In the "Ask us Anything" area, fans can submit questions for the Don Schumacher Racing drivers: Tony Schumacher, Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, Cory McClenathan, Jerry Toliver and Chip Ellis. Crew chiefs, Ed "Ace" McCulloch, Todd Okuhara, Steve Tartaglia and Mike Green, will also be accepting and answering submitted questions.
"This is pretty darned cool for the fans to be able to submit questions that will be answered on the web site by what I believe is one of the most incredible group of drivers and crew chiefs assembled on one team," Capps said. "Once again Don Schumacher has raised the bar and given the fans a wonderful way to stay up with our sport."
The other new section is called "In the News" and will feature articles written about the drivers.
"Week-in and week-out there are dozens of stories written about DSR drivers, but there is not a centralized location to find them. We believe 'In the News' will accomplish this," offers Mike Lewis, Senior Vice President of Don Schumacher Racing.
Each new feature can be accessed at the shoeracing.com homepage, or directly at shoeracing.com/inthenews and shoeracing.com/askusanything .

Fighting the flu, Jack Beckman of North Hills won the NHRA Funny Car portion of the Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals at Firebird Raceway.
Beckman, a driver for Don Schumacher Racing, beat Robert Hight in the finals to win his first Funny Car event of the year.
"I went through chemotherapy," said Beckman, who battled and survived cancer, "so I get a flu shot now every year, but I guess the flu this year is immune to that shot. I'm living proof. We drove the motor home out here and I had to make an appearance on Wednesday. You get up in the morning and you just feel like hell. I'm thinking it will go away tomorrow and it didn't. And you look at the back of the cold medicine and it says 'do not operate heavy machinery.' I don't know if that counts as a Nitro Funny Car. I didn't want to take anything, but after the second round I finally had to take some Tylenol. It was just getting hot in that thing. I'm glad it wasn't a 95-degree day in the summer. We would have been in big trouble."
Beckman beat Mike Neff from John Force Racing in the first round, then beat his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Gary Scelzi in the second round.
He got lucky in his semifinal race against Jim Head and won with a run of 5.612 seconds. By comparison, his first two wins came with runs in the 4.8 second range.
Beckman beat Hight, a driver from John Force Racing, in the final round and is 2-0 against Hight in final round races.
Beckman said he was having a hard time keeping track of the rounds because of the flu medicine he was taking.
"Your head's kind of fuzzy all day long and we went out there and won the semis and I told (announcer) Alan Reinhart at the top end, 'Ooh, great, we're going to the semifinal.' I couldn't even keep track of winning two or three rounds there," Beckman said. "And it's a little bit surreal because of that, but more so because of what the crew was able to pull off on this deal."
Beckman is second in the NHRA Funny Car standings after two races. He is 27 points behind Hight.
"In the off season Jerry Toliver came on board as another Schumacher car and basically the Valvoline/MTS car started from scratch," Beckman said. "We had an empty trailer, bare chassis and a crew that had never worked together as a group of nine. And they assembled everything, ordered new tools for it, re-stocked the trailer, put new motors together, so they hadn't torn a car apart as a team until we came here for the test session, and I think it was nice to get 12 runs here in the test session. My God, are they jelling now. Two races into it we've already gotten to the winner's circle."
Van Nuys High graduate Larry Dixon, a driver for Don Prudhomme Racing, won the Top Fuel portion of the NHRA event at Firebird Raceway.

John Force has a way of taking over a conversation. So on a rainy day in Phoenix that washed out the first round of the NHRA Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals at Firebird Raceway, Force offered up his Oscar choices.
As is most often the case when Force starts talking, it's hard to get him to stop.
“First let’s talk about some of the greatest movies of all time. The No. 1 movie of all time was The Grapes of Wrath, No.2 was Gone with the Wind and then The African Queen.”
“In the seventies and eighties you had Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T. They were the best movies for that time period. I’d also put Jurassic Park up near the top.”
“The movies that talk to people change over time. In the really early days people believed that there could be a Frankenstein or Werewolf. Now we know that that is bullshit. It doesn’t scare us anymore. Then we moved on to the age of sharks, and E.T. but we didn’t want to be scared by aliens so they made this one follow a trail of Reese’s Pieces.”
“What the people want now is they want the real world.”
“One of the best I’ve seen this year is No Country for Old Men. Tommy Lee Jones played a secondary role as a sheriff. Javier Bardem will win for Best Supporting Actor. That movie was fantastic. It was just a very realistic movie. The one that really inspired me that I have seen twice was There Will Be Blood. It is as story of the J. Paul Gettys and the Sinclairs that got rich during the oil boom. Daniel Day Lewis played that lead role so bitchin. It was the most realistic movie I ever saw in my life. It is better than No Country for Old Men.“
“Daniel Day Lewis has one scene in There Will Be Blood that is so amazing. He is in his mansion and he is drunk. He passes out and his preacher comes to see him. They have to kick him to wake him up. He climbs up off the floor and he takes a big bite out of a steak they served him the night before. To watch him chew that steak you just knew people where connecting with him in that role it was so real. That was when men were men. It reminded me of me in Dallas except I whined a lot. I cried being drug out of my Mustang. It is one of the all time best.”
“I walked out of Atonement. It just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t my kind of movie. I get in late to the movies and I just sat down and watched the first ten minutes. Then I walked out. I don’t even know what it was about. I really shouldn’t give an opinion on it other that it wasn’t my kind of movie. I also walked out of Elizabeth.”
“Michael Clayton doesn’t have a chance for Best Picture but the only player that has a chance is Tilda Swinton who played the lead attorney. She was cut throat and ruthless. George Clooney isn’t going to win anything. He is a big name but he won’t win.”
“Best supporting actor will be Javier Bardem from No Country for Old Men and the Best Actor will be Daniel Day Lewis. Nobody else stands a chance I’ll bet you $1,000 and take a bet with anybody.”
“I think There Will Be Blood will win Best Picture.”
“I go to the movies to just get out of the office. I average two movies a week. Last week I saw five movies. I saw 27 Dresses, There Will Be Blood for the second time, No Country for Old Men again, Cloverfield, and Jumper.”
“Cloverfield was a remake of The Blair Witch Project. Then in the middle they threw in a dinosaur. It really tripped me up.”
“Jumper was cool.”
“For Juno I saw enough commercials that I knew I didn’t want to see it. I saw a hundred commercials and it just didn’t impress me. It probably would be a cute little movie but it wasn’t my cup of tea.”
“The movie that captures you is the movie that you believe could be a possibility. Jaws was real. Jurassic Park could happen with science. The movie that makes you drive around for a week thinking about it; that is the movie I want to see.”

NHRA Funny Car driver Tony Pedregon blew up his car during his first-round race against John Force at the season-opening Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona.
His car caught fire and hit the retaining wall before coming to a fiery stop about three-quarters of the way down the track.
"There was no warning. A lot of times when something happens to your car, like when you drop a cylinder, you feel it and I would have reacted," said Pedregon, who won the Funny Car championship last year. "But it blew up and I had instant flames, like a flame-thrower in my face, and the scary part was I didn't know where I was."
Pedregon was taken to Pomona Valley Medical Center Hospital for evaluation. He exited his car on his own and was checked by track emergency crews before going to the medical center hospital.
"I hit the wall very hard and I feel very lucky," Pedregon said. "I knew my hands were burned and I knew that I got beat up a little. When I got out of the car I thought, 'I can't believe the car finally stopped and I'm going to get out of it.' I got out slowly because I wanted to make sure the car was completely stopped."
Pedregon returned to the track in time to watch his brother Cruz make his second-round run against Jack Beckman of North Hills. Cruz Pedregon beat Beckman to make it into the semifinals against Ashley Force.
Tony Pedregon said his car blowing up was a little bit of a glitch, but his team is deep.
"We have good people and I feel fine -- I feel great," Pedregon said. "I'm anxious to get back in the seat at Phoenix, and hey, if this is what it takes to get to the top, these are unfortuntate things, but in terms of safety, to have a high-speed wreck like that, blow a motor and go into the wall a couple of times at close to 300 mph, I think it proves a lot about the safety features we've added to these cars."

Antron Brown is proving to be a quick learner. In his first year as a Top Fuel driver, with his most recent drag racing experience coming from the Pro Stock Motorcycle division, Brown won the top spot in the Top Fuel elimination rounds.
His fan base is growing as rapidly as his talent.
After the final round of qualifying at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Brown could hear pockets of fans screaming things like: "That's what I'm talking about. That's what you do!"
"That's how the whole day's been," Brown said. "It's just been ongoing and ongoing and ongoing. All this energy, I'm trying to keep up."
Brown will face Urs Erbacher from Switzerland in the first round. There were only 17 cars attempting to qualify for 16 spots in the elimination rounds.
Brown said he would be happy just to qualify for the elimination rounds. But after qualifying, he reassessed his goals.
"I'm never happy to be somewhere," Brown said. "I want to win."
Van Nuys High graduate Larry Dixon took the second spot in qualifying and will face Troy Buff in the opening round of eliminations.
Tony Schumacher, last year's Top Fuel champion, qualified third and will face Doug Kalitta in the first round.

Melanie Troxel had a chance to become the first woman to be the top-seeded driver in NHRA Funny Car eliminations, but ended up third at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.
Troxel, who is in her first year of Funny Car competition after years in the Top Fuel division, had the fastest run in the first two days of qualifying.
But Tim Wilkerson and Jerry Toliver had better runs Saturday and bumped Troxel down to third.
Troxel will face Bob Tasca III in the first round of eliminations. She said she is still trying to get comfortable in the Funny Car after her time in Top Fuel dragsters.
"When you get in the car, your instincts take over," Troxel said. "Ten years of driving dragsters, it's hard to break those habits. Every pass, I'm breaking habits and hopefully working on new ones."
There were 23 cars qualifying for 16 spots in the elimination rounds. Troxel's husband, Tommy Johnson, was not among the top-16 drivers and did not qualify for the finals.
"I'm heartbroken for Tommy," Troxel said. "That's incredibly frustrating as a driver. People make a big deal about when we line up to race each other in the final round for the first time, well that's great. That's a good day for everybody.
"It's times like this when one of us is doing well and the other one isn't, that it kind of puts a bunch of salt in the wound."

NHRA Funny Car driver Jack Beckman had to be quick on his feet when he visited with a group of students from Etiwanda Elementary School on Monday.
"It was actually so big we split it into two groups," said Beckman of North Hills and a driver for Don Schumacher Racing. "The younger kids wanted to know about the race car, how fun is it and how fast does it run, and the older kids were a little bit more open to hearing about school and education. I tried to get the message across that the things you learn in school are all the things that our crew guys, the drivers and team managers are using on a day-to-day basis, so it really is important to pay attention."
Beckman met with a group of first through third graders and a group of fourth and fifth graders to talk about the importance of education. He does these type of programs frequently.
"The other thing we talked about is that it's OK if you're not great in every subject but, as for the subjects that you are good at, dive in with both feet," Beckman said, "because if you really enjoy them then you'll probably use them later in life and build a career around them."
Beckman will be in the Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals at Pomona this weekend. He said talking and meeting with kids is very rewarding.
"You realize how neat it is not when you're speaking and projecting to a room of kids who are out there in front of you, but when they come up for questions and answers. And being able to kneel down next to them and put a hand on their shoulder and take pictures afterward is very rewarding," Beckman said. "It's kind of tough, whether you're talking to kids or adults, to know if they're receptive to your message until afterward. When everything was over, they wanted to come up and touch me and get my autograph and they were very excited, so I knew I got through to them. That's when you know it meant something to them and that's why it meant something to me."

All drivers’ eyes in the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series are on Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals, the season opener in Pomona on Feb. 7.
But their hearts are with NHRA Top Fuel driver Doug Herbert.
Herbert’s two sons died in a car crash Saturday in North Carolina. Herbert was at Firebird Raceway near Phoenix testing when he heard the news of his sons’ deaths. He left the drag strip to be with his family.
“Everybody’s numb to it,” said Jack Beckman, an NHRA Funny Car driver from North Hills. “People I’ve talked to, especially the ones that are parents, this is one of those deals where it’s not going to get better in two weeks, two months, two years.”
Herbert, who finished a career-best sixth in the NHRA Top Fuel standings last year, said in a statement that the loss he and his family is feeling is “unimaginable.”
Jon Herbert, 17, and his brother James, 12, were killed when the Mazda their were driving collided head on with another car. According to newspaper and Web site reports, the other car was a Hummer.
The boys died instantly, according to a release from the team spokeswoman.
Herbert said in a prepared statement that Jon loved music and cars. James loved to skateboard and ride dirt bikes.
“Our boys would not like everyone to be upset and cry right now, so please smile when you think of them,” Herbert said in the statement. “Thank you for keeping Jon, James, Jessie and our entire family in your prayers as we work through this time of sorrow.”
The Herberts have a daughter, Jessica.
In lieu of flowers, Herbert asked that donations be made to the Speedway Children’s Charities in Jon and James Herbert’s name.

New rules, new sponsor and a new season weren't going to slow Jack Beckman down. Rain, on the other hand, did.
Beckman, along with a number of NHRA drivers, were at Firebird Raceway near Phoenix to test in preparation for the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season opener at Pomona Feb. 7-10.
Beckman, a driver from North Hills, was 12th fastest in the rain-shortened test session over the weekend. He made only three passes Saturday and Sunday's sessions were cancelled.

"We've got an all-new crew, new paint scheme, and we're running the chassis we ran the midpart of last season, so basically everything is changed," said Beckman, an NHRA Funny Car driver for Don Schumacher Racing.
Ron Capps, another NHRA Funny Car driver for Don Schumacher Racing, was the fastest during the test at Firebird. Testing continues Monday and will end Wednesday, weather permitting.
"The reason we're staying in Phoenix for six days is just for the purpose of getting everything working well together," Beckman said. "NHRA has upped the nitromethane percentage, they upped the minimum weight, so, fortunately, we're not the only ones who have to adjust. Every team has to contend with the rules changes."
Capps was the only driver to post a lap in the 4.7-second range and have a lap over 320 mph. His best lap was 322.34 mph.
"Our DSR teammate Ron Capps definitely laid down the run of the day (Saturday) in Funny Car, so we know there's hope," Beckman said. "But right now we're dealing with a really finicky race track that hasn't given up many good E.T.s. In addition to that, the teams are chasing these new combos around."
Beckman's best lap was a lackluster 9.316 seconds and 76.26 mph.
"It's frustrating, though, not to unload the car, set low E.T. and then kind of just sit back with your arms crossed," Beckman said. "But everybody is having trouble getting down the race track. It's clearly not that we're off on the tune-up, it's just that all these new variables need to be attended to before we can get down the race track. And I think this track is going to be totally different when we come here next month for the national event.
"Once the rain clears, we've got Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get after it. And not only will the car be getting faster, but all the guys on the team once they've worked together for a while will be getting faster. We're not where we need to be, but we've got the time to get there."
Here's a look at the times and speeds from Firebird:

1. 28 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, '07 Charger 4.785 322.34 322.34
2. 388 Jim Head, Columbus OH, '07 Solara 4.841 313.95 313.95
3. 347 Tim Wilkerson, Springfield IL, '07 Impala 4.969 249.67 249.67
4. 750 Del Worsham, Chino Hills CA, '07 Impala 5.216 216.62 216.62
5. 33 Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon IN, '08 Charger R/T 5.228 216.31 216.31
6. 1 Tony Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '07 Impala 5.329 204.35 204.35
7. 319 Scott Kalitta, Ypsilanti MI, '07 Solara 5.432 195.11 195.11
8. ROCKS Jerry Toliver, Temecula CA, '08 Charger R/T 5.512 163.65 163.65
9. 3 Gary Scelzi, Fresno CA, '07 Charger 7.584 114.07 114.07
10. 999 Melanie Troxel, Indianapolis IN, '08 Charger 8.646 84.44 84.44
11. TASCA Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, Mustang 8.976 93.01 93.01
12. 5 Jack Beckman, North Hills CA, '07 Charger 9.316 76.26 76.26
13. 782 Gary Densham, Bellflower CA, '07 Impala 9.521 97.12 97.12
14. 71 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '07 Impala 11.016 80.81 80.81
15. 999 Melanie Troxel, Indianapolis IN, '08 Charger 11.580 73.08 76.21

Tony Schumacher, a five-time NHRA Top Fuel champion, tested a stock car for Bill McAnally Racing last week, but he said he has no intention of switching to NASCAR.
Schumacher is coming off his fourth straight NHRA Top Fuel championship and his first under the new Countdown format. He went from turning some test laps for McAnally's team, which has won a number of championships in the NASCAR Grand National Division West Series, to testing at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix in preparation for next month's NHRA season opener in Pomona.
“I spent a day at a small oval track out near Sacramento with Bill McAnally Racing,” said Schumacher. “I had a blast. I ran about 150 laps in one of their late model cars and really got a good feel for that kind of racing.”
Schumacher's interest in stock cars has developed from a stint racing in the Richard Petty Driving Experience and in talking with NASCAR driver Mark Martin. Martin and Schumacher share the U.S. Army as sponsors on their race cars. Martin drove the No. 01 car for Ginn Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. that was backed by the U.S. Army last year.
“Everyone kept telling me to try it, so I hooked up with Bill McAnally,” Schumacher said. "I really appreciate those guys giving me the opportunity. Like I said, I had loads of fun.
"At one point, they put me out on track with another one of their drivers and we got to bang around a little bit and run side-by-side. Of course, I know that it would be a lot different with a full field of cars around me. All in all, I’m happy I got this chance. Now, it’s time to return to the world I know.”
A couple of drag racers have tested the open-wheel ranks recently. Cruz Pedregon and Gary Scelzi were entered in the Chili Bowl in Tusla, Okla,, a race for USAC Midgets, earlier this month.
But Schumacher's test was nothing more than an attempt to satisfy his curiousity.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Schumacher said. “I love driving the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster and look forward to challenging for a fifth straight title this year."

Two young sons of NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert died in a car crash this morning in Lake Norman, N.C.
Herbert was at Firebird International Raceway testing near Phoenix when the fatal crash happened. His sons were driving a Mazda3 when, according to reports by other newspapers and web site, it hit a Hummer head on. Herbert's sons, Jon, 17, and James, 12, were killed instantly, according to a statement released by the team.
The statement also said that Doug Herbert was devestated by the news and has headed home to North Carolina to be with his family.
Condolences can be sent to Raymer Funeral Home, 16901 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, N.C. 28078. In lieu of flowers, Herbert asks that people make a donation to the Speedway Children's Charities in Jon and James Herbert's name.
Doug Herbert was at Firebird International Raceway preparing for the NHRA season opener at Pomona Feb. 7-10.
He said he was optimistic about starting the new season and looking forward to the preseason test.
“I can’t begin to explain how pumped we are,” Herbert said Thursday in a release. “The team has worked incredibly hard to get everything ready. They built a brand new race car over the winter and now we are ready to race.”
Herbert finished sixth in last year's NHRA Top Fuel standings, his best career finish in the Top Fuel division.
“Our season ended up being pretty good, but we are hungry for more,” said Herbert.
According to a release from the team, details about a memorial service for his sons were forthcoming.

It took three years for NASCAR to tweak the Chase. The NHRA did it after one year.
Last year the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series introduced the Countdown, a playoff to determine champions in its four national divisions: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
It consisted of the top eight drivers and two round of eliminations.
This year, the playoffs will consist of the top 10 drivers in each division for one, six-round playoff.
There are some other tweaks as well, like awarding the leader in each division 10 bonus points before the Countdown begins.
The Countdown begins with the race after the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Sept. 1.
“It’s going to bring a lot more drama and excitement to the U.S. Nationals with the regular season ending there,” said three-time and defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top 10 drivers will have their points reset in 10-point increments, from 2,070 for first place to 1,980 for 10th, but the first place driver will actually begin
the playoffs with 2,090 after tacking on the 20-point bonus.
The NHRA begins Feb. 7 with the Carquest Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona.
“The Countdown has moved from a good idea to a well-fine-tuned machine,” said five-time Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher.