Go2Geiger Drag Racing News

Tragedy opened the initial ESPN race broadcast of the weekend as somber hosts, Paul Page and Mike Dunn, introduced and discussed the crash of Neal Parker’s Alcohol Funny Car, the "Excavator." Also a part of both Sunday broadcasts, the theme of their talk became "safer is paramount." The questions pondered included why the incidents here involve funny cars, and why is it happening at Englishtown. Mike Dunn described Englishtown as older (built on these grounds in 1964), the Pomona of the East Coast, and one of the shorter tracks. However, he noted four others are shorter still, though he left them unnamed. The booth concluded that questions needing further consideration are somewhat eternal: Can’t runoff areas be modernized, and what enhancements critical to the dragster need consideration.

John Force commented, "It was terrible. Stuff has to be addressed (like) safety. But that family will be okay as the Lord will see them through." Senior Vice-President of Operations, Graham Light, clinically opined the crash "was coincidence that it was here." Mounting evidence seems to be opposing that view. Antron Brown commented that in Phoenix there is a long runoff into the desert, "going on and on," minimizing the type of threat seen here.

Advancements have been made in the driver compartment, frames, and fire suppression systems. It appears similar advances are required on parachute systems even if that is later dismissed as a factor in this crash. In the tragedy of Neal Parker, if chutes had deployed the wreck might not have occurred. Sure to get discussion will be Sportsman Top Alcohol races going to the nitro standard of 1000 feet.

The following is Rick Green’s Summit FastNews Entry for the Neal Parker lap

(Note the left lane ET): "11:52 a.m. - Right Lane: Lourie took his car down the groove (in a single)

Left Lane: John Headley Runs 6.666/158.00, Now #3

Right Lane: Neal Parker Runs 5.732/249.90, Now #2

Headley spun the tires coming off the starting line and it sounded as if he never shifted. Parker ran his career best ET and speed but then never opened his chutes. The car went off the track into the sand ..."

Qualifying Show: This week’s broadcast was a ninety-minute version as opposed to the typical two hour telecast. The 11:00 pm start stole more sleep as it was delayed 20 minutes due to the NCAA Regional baseball tournament requiring extra innings between winner, UCLA, and Cal State (Fullerton).

First Pair -- What a Pair: What a run to start the racing portion of the qualifying broadcast. Force and Robert Hight both zoomed down the track with all their candles bright in the Friday night session. Hight’s Funny Car ran a record ET for the 1000 ft. era.

Run to the Zip Code?: Brandon Bernstein’s Copart dragster ran a stout 3.80 in qualifying while Cory McClenathan’s Fram ride in the other lane was setting a record ET of 3.752. This led Mike to declare Brandon’s pass was "not even in the same zip code." Paul asked, "Is this Cory McClenathan’s year? (This lap) makes you wonder."

Later Cory revealed his new secret ... He has been spending time with a legacy coach to help the mental part of drag racing. What is a legacy coach? In broad terms, they work with individuals on goals, commitments, focus, and ... stuff.

The Fram team suffered a hugely disappointing race day as the qualifying record went for naught, and all advantage was lost. The unopposed first lap looked to be a shot in tough conditions to backup the record, but the results were the same as the race in round two: up in smoke.

"Flat Tracking at the Drags": Craig Treble straddles his makeshift Pro Stock Motorcycle, his new ride since losing Schumacher’s sponsorship funding. Sliding from side to side in his run led to this flat track depiction by Dunn. Surprisingly, Craig made it to the finals. Event winner, Michael Phillips, earns kudos for giving credit to Craig for helping him "with a few things" with his motorcycle.

"Little Bit Short": Rickie Jones defined this phrase for all when he said, "We just came up a little bit short" when the Elite GXP team failed to squeeze into the Pro Stock field by a stingy .0007 of a second.

Bold Prediction: "Allen Johnson has a chance to win out of the thirteenth Pro Stock position," figured Mike Dunn considering the Mopar team had the quickest pass of the third session. Mike also selected the opening race of Johnson’ Mopar and Jason Line’s Summit GXP as an upset alert. Did this prediction hex Allen? Not in the first round of eliminations as Jason Line was the one who broke on the start.

"Nice call, Mr. Dunn," commented Paul Page. Facing Jeg Coughlin in the next round, however, the belated hex snuck in as Johnson experienced multiple problems on the line and down track, only winning an early start back to Tennessee.

Battle of the Mustangs: Mike Dunn picked Ashley Force Hood’s Castrol GTX Mustang over the higher qualified Bob Tasca driving his Motorcraft / Quick Lane Mustang. Result? Bob got to meet Ashley’s daddy in the next round, where he also put John Force’s Castrol GTX Mustang on the trailer.

Earlier, Mike pointed out to viewers the hood on Bob Tasca’s Ford Funny Car was weak. The replay video showed the ‘r’ in the word ‘parts’ painted broadly on the hood was concave from the down force. "They gotta go back and add a brace there." We never heard whether the crew took his suggestion thereby helping Bob win the whole thing here in his own backyard.

Good move by Tasca to grab John Force after eliminating him in round two and get him in the post-lap interview seeing that JFR is working closely with his team -- and it shows.

Did You Know?: Learn new terms and phrases weekly from these broadcasts such as this one: "Driving into the chutes," meaning the driver pulls the chute lever at the finish line while still hard on the throttle.

New Data Idea: After each pass, the best qualifying position of that driver flashes on the screen along with the current lap ET and speed results. Running Saturday sessions, the better qualifier at Englishtown, and most tracks, was Friday night, so that is the qualifying number shown. Even though there may be no improvement in the following round(s), and even though the subsequent qualifying number for that round is announced, why can’t it be displayed in the graphic, too?

Typical of the importance of these later rounds is Pro Stock competitor Allen Johnson’s poor No. 13 qualifier in the cool Friday night conditions. In the third qualifying round run on Saturday, he would not improve on that number but importantly was the quickest in that round. Why is that key? As Mike Dunn points out, the daytime conditions were more like those on race day. Even with a bottom of the field start, Allen’s performance in the heat of the day showed he had a good race day setup. The graphic needs to show his (worse) starting position, but also reflect the current session’s run. So, show the standings in each of those subsequent rounds. It’s a key -- Mike said so.

Best Sign: Displayed at the "NHRA RaceDay" show with a massive crowd in attendance, this choice is a take on ESPN: Eat Sleep Play NHRA

Mike’s Picks to Click: First he selected Robert Hight’s AAA of Southern California Funny Car who went out in the second round. He also wisely chose Larry Dixon’s Al-Anabi Top Fuel Dragster -- the event winner.

NT-Broke Before Staging: When was the last time you watched three dragsters win this dubious designation for their first round efforts? With Cory McClenathan’s bye round, only four pair raced the opening frame.

Best Line: "Steve Torrence with his Simple Mobile Dragster wished we were still racing the quarter mile as he would have won it," exclaimed Mike Dunn. Terry McMillen pushing his Amalie Oil dragster was flashing flames and distributing engine parts as he (barely) won their first round meeting.

Most Sentimental Round: The emotion surrounding the semifinal father/son race of the Grays could not be beat. Rookie son in his Tire Kingdom GXP overpowers the senior and experienced Johnny with his NTB GXP at the tree and the run. Johnny explained Shane for some reason had the better car, seemingly questioning himself how the heck did he let THAT happen. Minister Mike Edwards gave young Shane a sermon in the final round, his seventh delivered thus far this season. The message this time? I’m not dad.

Drag Racing Poetry: Would poetry and drag racing mix? Why not! Paul Page says the sport needs a Robert Frost to describe the sounds and sights of drag racing; he is right. Who will be among those to email me stanzas of an attempt to do just that? Adapting a Frost verse like this from The Road Not Taken does not qualify:

"Two drag lanes diverged in a finish feud,
And sorry they could not win both
But only one winner, long they booed
And looked to the finish line as I could
To watch the other win as they should."

Sportsman Broadcast: The Englishtown Sportsman Broadcast is scheduled for Saturday, June 19 at 2:00 pm.

Favorite Names in a Round: Round three, Pro Stock Motorcycles, featured Michael vs. Matt, or better still, their last names: Phillips vs. Smith.

E-mail your thoughts to Phillip Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

All information published on go2geiger.com is protected by all applicable copyright laws of the United States of America and is the sole property of go2geiger.com unless mentioned otherwise. It is intended solely for the private use of the individual reader and may not be retransmitted or reposted in any form without the prior written permission of go2geiger.com.

Last year's Topeka event was so steamy we used the movie title "Some Like it Hot" to headline my Media Matters column. Race day 2010 was a test of cool: cooler conditions, drivers who kept their cool, and the cool breezes known as crew chiefs.

It all started Friday night when conditions were coolest, with some of the best in the business running track records with those big header flames lit the whole way down, seemingly magnified by the darkness.

John Force was the first star, setting a track speed record with a run described by ESPN's Paul Page as "all candles A-Ok." Page then added this gem, "In Kansas, even the cows know who John Force is."

'The Wilk,' Tim Wilkerson, as he is called by the broadcasters, follows with an HRP track record for elapsed time.

Then Robert Hight secures the No. 1 slot with the only sub 4.10 ET of the weekend, coupling it with best speed of 308 mph. It's no wonder Hight later described crew chief Jimmy Prock as "the Kobe Bryant of drag racing."

Another highlight at this race was the big finals pair in Pro Stock as points king Mike Edwards lined up against Allen Johnson, who had posted the better ET and top speed. Summit FastNews’ Rick Green wrote, "This is the way it’s supposed to work out with the two best cars meeting in the final."

The character Dragline in "Cool Hand Luke" would have said this about Mike Edwards and his startling 13-inch holeshot victory: "He grins like a baby but bites like a gator."

Speaking of best pictures, "Cool Hand Luke" wasn't the only hot movie in 1968, with the likes of "The Graduate," "Bonnie and Clyde," "The Dirty Dozen," and "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner," coming out that same year.

Tops on the film list this May weekend was ESPN2 with the coolest of racing images. They simultaneously televised the six teams of the three pro classes in their pits preparing for the finals. First, they gave a viewer enough time to adjust to the images and then get a chance to look at each. Secondly, each class was in various states of teardown and race readiness as they had arrived in the pits at different times. It was fun noting those stages, moving from image to image.

Coolest New Technology: You would almost expect that Lewis Bloom, aka "Statman," would be the first to display a new Apple iPad in use on the broadcast -- and he did not disappoint. He made a good choice for his first images displayed to the camera off his new gadget: Topeka Funny Car winner Robert Hight. "My new iPad is the greatest device of all time; photos look amazing on it," he said.

Feature Race: The Matt Hagan/John Force tilt in the first round was identified on the broadcast as the day’s feature race. Mike Dunn "leaned" towards John Force to win, which wasn’t much of a stretch -- his performance advantage was evident this day if not this year. "Hagan has his work cut out," Mike summarized. The fun of Matt giving John a set of bullhorns attached to a helmet as a gift recently added sparkle to the pair -- plus, of course, the minor detail that former Force braintrust member, John Medlen, is now Matt’s crew chief.

Force, referring to Matt’s continuing ranch work, exclaimed, "That ole cowboy knows how to get down the track in these conditions." Sure John, Matt’s old -- he was born in November 1982, 11 days before the young queen of drag racing, Ashley Force Hood.

How Many Championships?: Interviewed before his second round race with Force, Jeff Arend offered, "It’s always a good thing to race the Champion who has won it, what, a million times?" It doesn’t happen often between these two, but today Jeff won. This prompted a broadcast comment from Dunn and Page -- they actually spotted a smile coming from legend Connie "the Bounty Hunter" Kalitta.

Breathtaking: In Round 3, the most spectacular event of the day occurred when Jim Head, racing Arend, created his own version of Matt Hagen’s big blow in Charlotte. As FastNews described, "Head’s engine let go with a massive explosion. The body broke in half and went flying really high. Then there is a lot fire coming back into Head's face, and the chutes are out but he can't see where he is going."

Numerous replays from four different angles reflected the intense power of the blast. Dependably, viewers knew the broadcast team would be on top of the story and ESPN2 did not disappoint. In an interview moments afterward Jim Head, who has been a catalyst for safety, calmly stated, "These cars are so safe, it’s remarkable."

Interestingly, ESPN carried the film of the blast before the race broadcast commenced on the Deuce but failed to promote the upcoming race broadcast.

Doh!: Visibly pained, Antron Brown blows his No. 1 qualifying effort in the second round of eliminations with a big-time red-light against Larry Dixon. Then Dixon sputters to the finish, providing even more consternation to the affable Brown. "The tree caught me with my pants down," he answered honestly.

Best Movie Reference: G-man, Gary Gerould, asked Larry Dixon of the Al-Anabi team how it felt to race the Army’s Tony Schumacher team for the third time in as many races. Larry got it right when he said, "It’s like the movie 'Ground Hog Day'...We keep doing the same thing over and over." In this fifth Dixon/Schumacher match-up of the year, Schumacher won the tiebreaker.

Best Imitation of Force: Winning the first round of racing this year, Terry McMillen demonstrated the team’s effort to get the monkey off their back by stomping a stuffed monkey -- with gusto -- for the cameras. Talking like he was on nitro, he told the cameras how his team wanted him to get smaller: "Don’t worry! I’m losing weight!" Just watching this emotional display makes me look forward to his next lap. Paul Page reminded us, "More sports would like to have a showman like Force." Drag racing needs more showmen of both genders.

Close Finals: Good conditions yielded exciting eliminations and championship rounds. Paul Page happily noted, "What great racing we’re seeing today." In addition to the aforementioned 13-inch victory by Mike Edwards in Pro Stock finals, those nitro rockets racing in the Top Fuel final put on a show. Schumacher edged teammate Cory McClenathan by the narrowest of victories -- .0052 seconds -- definitely a cool race on which to end the weekend.

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All information published on go2geiger.com is protected by all applicable copyright laws of the United States of America and is the sole property of go2geiger.com unless mentioned otherwise. It is intended solely for the private use of the individual reader and may not be retransmitted or reposted in any form without the prior written permission of go2geiger.com.

The Atlanta race proved that summer definitely has landed in the South, even while some Northern tier states continue to flirt with freezing temperatures.

Mike Dunn, co-host of "ESPN Race Day," obviously still has a warm place in his heart for Atlanta Dragway as he took his last Pro victory at this country track located in the rolling fields of Commerce, Georgia. He noted, "Heat starts here, but this track holds heat well." One of the best descriptions of Atlanta's heavy southern air was made by a fan saying, "It’s a wet heat," meaning plenty of humidity to go along with the thermometer, playing havoc with any bouffant hairdos.

The broadcast kept viewers informed of track temperatures throughout the weekend with numerous shots of the digital gauge on the starting line. This brought to mind the line from a David Lynch movie, Wild at Heart: "It’s hotter than Georgia asphalt."

"Georgia, the Peach State; Here, life is the pits," quipped co-host Dave Reiff, referring to his location on pit row.

No Love for Bob Bode: What advantage did Bob Bode win for his Alard Machine Products team by out-qualifying three Funny Car champions? Dave noted, "He gets to race John Force" in Round 1 and, later, extends John’s 5-0 streak over him to 6-0.

Big Goal: "We want four or five of them this year," said Michael Phillips, referring to his goal for Pro Stock Motorcycle wins after capturing his first Wally in St. Louis. He was filmed during an upbeat visit to Team Tonglet’s trailer where, during banter with LE, tuning tips were laughingly discussed. Meeting in the first round, tuning had little to do with Phillips’ win as LE went big-time red. David Hope dashed Michael’s hope to advance his goal today with a strong second round 6.98.

Special Interview with Jim Oberhofer: Regarding his motivation and devotion to the Kalittas, crew chief Jim said, "We want to do good for Connie; he’s like another dad to me. Doug is like a brother."

'The Professor' Speaks: How did Warren Johnson describe his unique win at St. Louis" "Bizarre. Maybe it all balances out at the end." Kurt, asked if his dad is hard to work for, answered with a politically correct, "No, actually he is pretty easy." Then he added the qualifier, "as long as you do your job." Later, Kurt defined his job with a stellar first-round performance, winning with his Mark Christopher Cobalt by a tiny four-inch margin.

Statman Lewis Bloom praised Warren with this comment: "I love Warren Johnson -- one of my favorite drag racers of all time."

Is Warren really a grumpy man? "I’m one of the nicest sob’s I know," he said. It must be because he has so much free time now as he quipped, "I’ve slowed down to 14 to 18 hours a day." He’s not the first to remark that he works half-days -- 12 hours for the uninitiated -- but one of the few who claims that dedication on Christmas. His continuing drive in racing the K&N Filters GXP is a reminder to all about the effort required to compete at the top level of any sport or business.

Third is Best: Johnny Gray had his best qualifying position yet for the National Tire and Battery GXP team. Gary Gerould asked an intriguing question, "How big of a challenge has this been?" Johnny answered, "Probably more than I should have taken." Later he said, "I think we’ll get in their rear pockets," meaning he'd likely win some victory dollars. He made it to the semifinals, eliciting this bit of info from Rick Green of Summit FastNews, "The team made 25 test passes since St. Louis. It's working."

.001: A couple of these phenomenal reaction times were given special note today. One was by Greg Stanfield’s Nitrofish GXP taking out Jason Line driving his Summit Racing Equipment GXP in Round 1. I wondered what Rick Green would say about that and wasn’t disappointed as he wrote, "I've been talking up Stanfield for a few races, and he does me proud here with a stellar light."

Birthday boy Rickie Jones and his Elite GXP pulled off the biggest .001 of the day, knocking out Pro Stock dominator Mike Edwards and his Penhall GXP in the first round. Asked how he pulled off this feat, Rickie, showing sponsor wisdom beyond his 23 years, answered, "It was my can of Full Throttle (I drank) this morning." Later he took out Johnny Gray in the strangest of holeshots. Mike Dunn was perplexed, "Gray was so late, I thought Rickie had red lighted." Rick Green exhorted, "Did I talk about Hole Shot City?" The broadcast later reported that Johnny‘s foot was sliding off the clutch pedal.

Paul Page reported that Mike Edwards’ first round loss left Allen Johnson as the only Pro Stock driver to win every first round of the season thus far.

All Quiet on the Starting Line: What does a drag racer think about before the launch of their dragsters while waiting for the green light? We still do not know for sure, but the comment made by one driver, "The last minute of quiet is tough," is a very good clue it isn’t all that comfortable.

Upset Alert: Cory McClenathan qualified his Fram Tough Guard dragster higher but faced the "best leaver" in Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon. Shawn’s Lucas Oil/Speedco rail has won the reaction time stat for every round he has raced thus far in 2010. Cory is at the other end of this rainbow, but this time he wins the R/T battle and the lap with a sterling effort. Maybe Mike Dunn calling this race an upset alert inspired Cory to step up the effort; perhaps Cory needed no additional inspiration at all. However, Shawn has now lost his perfect starting line record.

Did you notice the new stat showing up on the screen, reflecting the percentage of time the driver leaves the starting line first? This kind of information displayed on every round makes the entire broadcast even more fun.

A Reverser: "New professor," Mike Dunn, gave an intriguing explanation of the gears required to back up a dragster. Paul Page remarked, "That was like watching Mr. Wizard!"

Now We Know: John Force and Ashley Force Hood line up for their second round race and then tear off on the burnout. "Side-by-side, long, smoky burnouts, that’s what I like!”

Astonishing Photo: A Goodyear wadding up on a wheel after a launch looked like squeezing play dough.

Best Call: Comparing the Dixon/Schumacher rivalry to that of the Yankees and Red Sox might be extreme, but it makes the point. Mike Dunn astutely called the round correctly by giving the edge to Larry Dixon.

Racer’s Prayer: Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s thought as he was backing up from his burnout just before he won his 50th Pro Stock race was, "God, I hope nothing goes wrong!" It was a reference to the previous race, where he broke in the final. This time he had no problems.

Best Winner’s Speech: Robert Hight, winning his final round over Ashley Force Hood in an all Team Force final, exclaimed, "I visited Ford and found President and CEO, Alan Mulally who said he is fixing Ford for the American people!" The team winning today is a part of that fix.

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All information published on go2geiger.com is protected by all applicable copyright laws of the United States of America and is the sole property of go2geiger.com unless mentioned otherwise. It is intended solely for the private use of the individual reader and may not be retransmitted or reposted in any form without the prior written permission of go2geiger.com.

Tommy Johnson Sr. gets in your face with his new book, How I Survived Absolute Terminal Cancer.

"I thought about walking into his office and shooting. Yes, murder! I’d be dead from the cancer before I ever came to trial."

In this blunt, no-holds-barred edict, Johnson unapologetically lays out his views of living and dying with cancer. He is crystal-bullet direct in how he survived the dreaded disease and how we can apply his example. Perhaps one can even avoid cancer by following a list of his very detailed instructions of exactly what worked for him.

Should you follow his advice? Written by a determined cancer conquistador, you will know your answer long before finishing this survivor’s handbook. Moreover, you will enjoy a fresh appreciation of having fine health and living life.

You take a headstrong guy like Johnson -- the underdog in a drag race, but simultaneously a bulldog fighter in the quarter mile -- and put him through the emotional wringer of a death sentence with no hope, no chance. Then you let him discover -- on his own -- a way, a methodology to survive. This is what you will get: A kicked-in-the-butt Pit Bull amped with the nitro of life, which is an extreme sense of urgency, blended with 100 percent intense, personal revelation. Move out of the way, he’s coming through, obstacles or not.

All can learn for our own personal lives from his book, insights you will not hear, certainly, in polite conversation. Unpretty things, too. But perhaps, it is the kind of book that can save your mother’s life, your child’s, a friend’s, or save your own. What better gift is there?

Opening his story, don’t expect a comforting read serving you a cup of warm words with a side of buttered prose; instead, expect to be confronted, challenged, and then awakened to the dangers he found on the rough, rough road to surviving. On one level, you will meet people who helped his survival. Conversely, his most forceful wrath and distaste is saved for those he thinks were booting him down death’s highway, just as nonchalant kids would kick a discarded can.

This book is riveting, no doubt about that -- no finessing his dire situation or time line. He is told to go home, get your affairs in order; you’ll never see Christmas, you are a walking dead man. And, oh, have a nice day.

Take a step back and view this tale from a different perspective. Perhaps it is his startling directness giving this message special meaning. However, there seems to be something more going on here, emitting from a higher calling. Consider this possibility: He has lived his whole life unknowingly preparing for this exact time and circumstance, where all of those past life experiences jelled, morphing into these rules for surviving and even preventing the cancer that struck him.

Maybe this is Johnson's true mission in life, his destiny, coming decades after a horrific dragster crash left his colon upside down and reversed in surgery, only found during his cancer ordeal. Maybe the true mission for his life is to preach his lessons decades after the love of his life is tossed out of a dragster in a "harmless" powder puff race, spinning her wildly in the air, her blond hair lifeless as she crashes to the ground in a condition first thought terminal.

It is his singular focus on the reader’s well-being, how he can help right now, grabbing your attention fast like being put in a small cage with a very anxious tiger.

As he writes, "Don’t be afraid to walk down the unconventional path. It might just save your life." And Johnson has not walked a conventional trail anywhere in his life, self-described as filled with "...wild women, racecars, drinking, (and) partying." But this cancer business, causing him to "stare death in the face," changed all of that. "I’m a 1000 percent better husband than before. It also made me a better father, but, most of all, it changed me into a better person."

His foibles had to be dealt with, he had to come clean before he could write these stark and literal words and mean them, before they would have validity, credibility, and the potentiality of changing your life. "I guess you can say that coming so close to death really causes you to get your priorities straight in life."

In the midst of awfulness and pain, though, come moments of true joy. For instance, getting these extra years "to spend every day with my two grandsons. I now want to live long enough to see them graduate. Now every day is precious, the sky is so much bluer, and the ones who love you and you love, mean so much more to you."

Really, you do not just read Johnson; you hang on to his intensity like a cowboy riding an eight-second bull, all the while learning from his evangelizing. So, here is short list of his ideas explained in the book; the answers remain for your discovery. Rest assured -- they are controversial. I call them...

The Top Ten Tommy Teachings:

1. Tommy teaches how much you should contribute to cancer research
2. Tommy teaches when to get chemo
3. Tommy teaches what to buy at a fast food restaurant
4. Tommy teaches when cancer will be cured
5. Tommy teaches how often you should drink tap water
6. Tommy teaches the most dangerous job in nitro engine teardowns
7. Tommy teaches if stress can cure cancer
8. Tommy teaches why cancer treatment should not be the goal
9. Tommy teaches how a B-17 is more than just a plane
10. Tommy teaches why apricot kernels are a better food than corn kernels

If reading his book on cancer doesn’t shock you into straightening out your life in many ways, the cover will. There is nothing like facing the black-robed, scythe-carrying Doctor of Death staring you in the eye, sizing you up as a full moon hangs in the background. Plus, the covers are tinted in an unsettling gangrene green.

So who should read this book? The answer is quite simple: Only those who want to live longer.

To get your copy now of "The True Story of How I Survived Absolute Terminal Cancer," go to www.tommyjohnsonjr.com.

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ESPN's Dave Rieff set the scene in the open for "NHRA RaceDay" about what would become a crazy day on the track with his not-so-understated reference to the Gateway Arch: "Land of Lincoln or the Show Me State ... we’re going to show you drag racing with arch rivals."

Here are the weekend highlights:

Pick of the Day: Mike Dunn says, "Antron Brown can win Top Fuel out of the No. 16 Qualifying spot." His first round pairing with No. 1 qualifier Cory McClenathan leads to an upset victory, a smoking pedalfest with Antron exploding near the line. Mike comments, "This (win) is a little bit of a surprise." The crew rebuilt Antron’s dragster and just missed winning over eventual finalist Doug Kalitta in the second round.

Did you notice?: When the Al-Anabi team of Larry Dixon and Del Worsham were announced as guests for "RaceDay," they were already in the crowd, smiling and happy with the fans with Del busy signing autographs. At the end, Dave Rieff was tossing out hats to the good-sized crowd assembled on the cool, damp morning.

Best Sign: "Go Erica," referencing Erica Enders 14th qualifying spot, meeting up with Jeg "I want a win" Coughlin. Summit FastNews gave Erica her due in the losing lap by noting, "Enders welded Jeggie to the tree and led most of the way."

Roy Johnson: Gary Gerould interviewed the patriarch of the East Tennessee team and Allen Johnson’s father. Regarding the huge point deficit to No. 1, Mike Edwards, and even though the team is second in the points, Roy said, "It’s scary, real scary. We’re trying to get ready for The Countdown and make our mistakes now. Last year we thought we were ready but just shot ourselves in the foot."

Day’s Strangest Round: Roy Johnson had another scare in the first round as the red light came on in the team’s lane, handing the easy victory to Ronnie Humphrey. FastNews described the moment: "What got wacky is that almost immediately the bulb went red on AJ's side" after Ronnie staged. A mistake by starter Rick Stewart on the starting line was cited as the cause of the foul-up on the tree, necessitating a rare re-run of the lap at the end of the session. That result had Allen easily winning the lap. Ronnie Humphrey gave a kind version of "That’s racing," when questioned by Gary Gerould after the loss.

Busiest Man in the NHRA?: A feature pointed out that racer is ... Tony Shumacher. Filmed visiting a U.S. Army hospital and troops Mike Dunn said, "He consistently meets with the Army (groups) every single week."

Tony responded, "I figure this is a gift for me to get to visit with these soldiers who inspire us. I really enjoy the U.S. Army soldiers. I’ve trained with the Rangers, driven tanks ..."

"A terrific Ambassador for the sport," remarked Gary Gerould.

Missing in Funny Car? Ms. (possible) Double-Up, Melanie Troxel, that’s who. She has an unfortunate break in Funny Car competition due to sponsorship dollars, and then failed to qualify in the weekend’s Pro Mod Class, her other ride.

Mr. (Almost) Double-Up: Jeg Coughlin won the Top Dragster Wally in the Sportsman Class and had the ET’s from earlier rounds that seemingly had him winning the Pro Stock Class and accomplishing a feat not seen since -- do you remember? -- Pat Austin’s double-win in 1992. Gremlins attacked his motor, though, and broke a rocker arm at the start of the money round, so it wasn’t to be. Jeg gave a positive view on things, though, summing up the challenge by saying, "All the engines are still in one piece, which is nice." However, in the other lane for the final was the beneficiary -- Warren Johnson -- giving another moment of glory for senior fans. He extended the age for the oldest professional class winner by four years (he already held that honor) with this win. Rick Green (Summit FastNews) was on his game today as he noted for Warren, "sometimes it's just your day." Son Kurt Johnson quipped, "It takes luck."

Cute Car: A model of Joe Pisano’s Funny Car was held up by a fan in the "RaceDay" audience, causing Mike Dunn to remind us, "I’ve driven that." Media Matters carried a picture of that very car in a book review feature of the Bristol Dragway in 2009.

"I’m Not Worthy": Far more serious than the Wayne’s World movie "We’re not worthy" famous line, Larry Dixon makes his remark after being compared to greats like Joe Amato in the 50 wins group.

Best Stats: Did you know nitro racers Larry Dixon and Del Worsham have never raced one another in competition? They’re looking to double up with victories in their respective Top Fuel and Funny Car classes today, they said. The result? They’ll have to try on another day. Thanks, StatMan for this info -- and happy 51st birthday; as a gift, his Mom is watching "RaceDay" for the first time.

Prediction!: Here is a rare prediction by Rick Green writing for his Summit FastNews race accounts: "For Stanfield, it's simply business as usual (winning over Shane Gray in Round 1). He lays down a highly effective run. I'm convinced Greg is going to have a big role in the outcome of this season; why he's being largely ignored by other media types is a mystery to me. This team is going to make some big noise before we're done this year."

Best Use of the Word ‘Flummoxed’: After losing in Round 2, Bob Wilber, team manager, wrote of Tim Wilkerson’s investigation of the lap, ". . . Wilkerson was flummoxed by what the data was showing him." He overcame the confusion to discover, "Of all the volatile, explosive, and expensive parts or systems on a Funny Car, it was the most benign and cost-free ingredient that was lacking" -- air in the air bottle.

Day’s Most Poignant Moment: Justin Schriefer (Creasy Family Camaro) was back in Funny Car racing after the loss of his beautiful daughter, Ericka, 24, in a snowboarding accident on Cooper Mountain, Colo., Jan. 31. Although wearing a helmet, she was unable to survive the head and neck injuries. She was a nuclear medicine technician. Justin’s first round opponent, John Force, with daughters of his own, offered kind words regarding his return to racing.

"Very Tense Situation": Mike Dunn’s commentary on the fire in Roger Brogdon’s turtled Pro Stocker at about 1,000 feet in the first round.

Oh, For a Head Gasket: After his "first (Top Fuel) round win this century," as Paul Page put it, Pat Dakin, 64, almost pulled off an upset over champion Tony Schumacher in Round 2. Spewing fire from the get-go, "He must’ve had a head gasket out from the start" surmised Mike Dunn, Pat made a noble go of it. Tony won but was vulnerable with his slow 4.209.

Good Advice: "Watch the ones coming bearing gifts," said John Force after Matt Hagan gave him a 61st birthday present -- an old pro mod helmet fitted with wide Texas Bull horns. This referenced a round at a previous race where Matt said he wrestled steers for entertainment. John noted that in a round where Matt and Ashley Force Hood were meeting up. Force’s closing comment on ‘bearing gifts?’ "That’s in the Bible, isn’t it?" Try again John, it's credited to Laocoon in Virgil's "Aeneid," about the Trojan Horse.

New Word: "Puke Pit." A small storage tank for excess oil in a dragster, cited as the cause of Doug Kalitta’s fire while winning the semifinal lap with Brandon Bernstein.

Best Final?: Paul Page exclaimed the Pro Bike finals as an "incredible matchup," as two unlikely racers were paired: Michael Phillips and his incredible energy against LE Tonglet whose brother had his first win at Gateway Raceway. FastNews pointed out "Phillips sold (LE Tonglet) the bike the team is using here today."

Good Reporting: First round, Top Fuel, Terry Haddock lines up but there is no David Grubnic and the Kalitta Air dragster. Haddock of course takes the win. Dave Rieff later catches up with Grubnic who explained the frustration, "It wouldn’t ignite" with the comment, "Whaddya do?"

Here’s ‘whaddya do’: Send your comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Paul Page exclaimed at the start of ESPN2's broadcast of the Las Vegas event. "Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. There are two strips in Las Vegas; both can be rewarding."

Drag racing fans rolled hard eights Saturday night with the qualifying broadcast airing at a terrific time, 6-8 p.m., way better than the middle of the night norm. NHRA definitely benefitted with that rainstorm in Texas fouling up NASCAR’s schedule.

Continuing the gambling metaphor, Dave Rieff added, "Larry Dixon hit the jackpot in Houston," in a piece on Dixon’s 50th career win. Gary Gerould noted, "John Force has really struggled here; he needs a reversal of Vegas fortune this weekend." The odds-makers gave him good 2-1 odds of winning the event, even though he had never won this race.

TV to Come: For whatever reason, this weekend's helmet cam was the best yet, literally putting the viewer in the cockpit, racing down the strip with the stands and crowd on the left and the desert finish lined up in front. Imagine what it is going to be like experiencing the broadcast in television 3-D.

Fashion Statement: Striking neckties by the hosts -- a solid red worn by Paul Page, silver for Mike Dunn, along with dark, blue suit jackets -- really lit up the camera. The big question: were they wearing Vegas shorts out of view?

New Vegas Tourism Slogan: Asked by Dave Rieff to comment on the next PRO announcement about the four-wide racing saga, John Force said, "What stays in Vegas, stays in Vegas." What Force really meant was, well, I don’t know, but it was funny stuff.

Four Warned: The four-wide controversy continues to brew especially with the NHRA announcing late Saturday the spring Charlotte race in 2011 will be a four-wide "with adjustments." Drivers have varying attitudes like Ron Capps telling the cameras, "(They) need to work on the Christmas Tree but (the format) wouldn’t be good at The Countdown." Mike Dunn was more straightforward: "I think we should run it." Page commented, capturing the crux of the matter, "(four-wide) got us on the front page!" Connie Kalitta said, in agreeing to try it again, "If it don’t work, it don’t work."

You Make the Call: Do you look at the pairings before race day in order to identify the big match-ups? Knowing Mike Dunn and Dave Rieff will be calling attention to these duals on "NHRA RaceDay," try your hand at guessing what they will highlight -- or what they miss. For example, a natural pairing in the Vegas eliminations was the Funny Car rematch of Matt Hagan and Jeff Arend of the Houston finals last week, which yielded Hagan's first Wally. "RaceDay" featured Hagan previewing his upcoming race with Arend with, "I think he’ll want revenge."

Then, did you note beforehand the race between Force and Robert Hight? Even with Hight holding the higher qualifying position, and Force not winning here, they said Force was going to win. This pairing was chosen as the GEICO Powersports matchup to watch. Result? Those oddsmakers are smart.

Better With Age: Retired schoolteacher Gary Densham out-qualifies the entire Force entourage and virtually everyone else in the Funny Car class. Then he faced Tony Pedregon in Round 1. This would be my choice as an upset alert. Result: Tony churned and burned his way past Densham and all the way to the finals where he lost a gallant attempt against Force after having a complete rebuild from a third-round fire. Most interesting shot of this owner/racer was him scampering out of the roof hatch, black sooty smoke and flames chasing him, waving at the Safety Safari to hurry and save his car. That he was in the finals was no surprise, said Paul Page, "I told you he was a good bet."

Tough Bet: Funny Car's No.1 qualifier, Del Worsham, got no respect with a 7-1 wager. No payoff here as he was in the other lane with Pedregon's semifinal torcher. Worsham's luck was in the prior round where he won despite a terrible .354-second light. FastNews put it this way: “Worsham had both the power and the luck to overcome his sleepy reaction time for the win,” passing a faltering Jim Head.

Place Your Bets: Glancing down the wager page, the one "value" bet that that stuck out was Jeg Coughlin at 4-1. He was going after his 50th Pro Stock win, and conditions were tough, which usually plays to his advantage. Yet traction issues in the left lane sent him home in Round 2. The in-car camera/microphone gave the viewer a good example of what it sounds like when wheels spin while the engine revs higher and higher.

Good Advice: Dave Rieff gave some good advice at the beginning of the eliminations broadcast by pointing out, "Larry Dixon figures to be the man to beat today in Top Fuel." Dixon indeed collected his 51st Wally and was humble when interviewed earlier about joining the vaunted "50 Wins Club," a small, exclusive group.

Racing Dictionary: Paul Page used a rare reference when describing the crowds milling around the pits. He said, "The crowd gimbals around." Essentially, he explained he was using a navigation reference. Page described, when questioned by Dunn, that the crowd was revolving, moving independently of one another. Certainly the word spruced up the conversation.

Nice Shot: Worsham playing mix-and-match with Funny Car pistons in his trailer Sunday morning.

Do They Ever sleep?: A "small but mighty crowd at 7 a.m. Vegas time," on hand for "RaceDay," pointed out by host Rieff

Great Line: Rieff noted Mike Edward’s "slim" lead of 229 points in Pro Stock with tongue firmly in cheek. And with Lewis Bloom’s stat work, we found his Pro Stock lead is the largest for a pro class at this stage of the season since 1998.

Surprising Answer: The best question coming from a fan on the "RaceDay" dais to Matt Hagan: "Which is worse, roping a Funny Car or roping a bull?" Answer: "I’ve been beat up more with those cows." Remember, this was after his big highlight film explosion from the four-wide race in Charlotte. Force, racing Matt in the semis, gave him his due, saying something along the order that Hagan, "must have ice in his veins to be wrestling bulls."

Heads Up Here: Once again, instant info was available directly from the starting line to the viewers as the guys lugging those heavy cameras gave a quick, on-the-go explanation about Bob Bode having a problem that resulted in him being pushed off the line, thereby giving Tim Wilkerson a free pass.

History Lesson: Doug Kalitta and Steven Chrisman, Top Fuel veterans meeting in Round 1, were identified by Dunn as representing, "names going back to the start of drag racing."

A Favorite Feature: I always enjoy "Sounds of the Strip" in that it replicates in the mind’s eye the feelings, sounds, and sights I recognize from my trips to the races.

How did your favorites roll in Vegas? Let me know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

All information published on go2geiger.com is protected by all applicable copyright laws of the United States of America and is the sole property of go2geiger.com unless mentioned otherwise. It is intended solely for the private use of the individual reader and may not be retransmitted or reposted in any form without the prior written permission of go2geiger.com.

Paul Page summed the O'Reilly Auto Parts Spring Nationals up during the opening of the qualifying show""It’s all about speed and power at Houston; perfect for springtime in the Lone Star State."

What he didn’t say was, springtime in Texas is celebrated with big bangs as any number of dragsters snapped crackled, and popped on their way down the strip, blowing parts like flower petals. And it was beautiful, too.

Tony Pedregon set a ‘new height record,’ noted Mike Dunn, with his Funny Car shell launching into dragway sub-orbit.

Robert Hight, 2009 Funny Car Champion, blew up, too.

Angie Smith, "Hot Stuff" later taped on her Pro Stock Motorcycle, caught on fire as the fuel line came off and spewed all over the hot cylinders. Taking care of the equipment, she heroically held the bike upright as help extinguished the flames. Paul Page suggested she might have considered letting it tip over.

Terry Haddock lit up the finish during the Friday qualifying in his Paul Smith tuned dragster.

David Grubnic launched parts and sent the blower belt on a ride nearing the finish during a third round qualifying pass.

Terry McMillen matched the Grubnic launch of a blower belt while racing him in the first round of eliminations.

These weekend nitro blasts set up an ongoing theme on the broadcasts, revolving around the theme: How to fix it, how to make these rockets safer.

First, Mike Dunn quoted Don Prudhomme as saying, when the change curbing the quarter of a mile to 18.9 percent of a mile was made, "They’ll be blowing up at 1000 feet soon." Dunn said, "I absolutely agree."

Second, the Tony Pedregon incident was noted by Paul Page as "a scary move as he passed behind (Bob) Tasca" but, thankfully, avoided a crash. Dave Rieff in a great piece of ESPN2 broadcasting, showed the culprit, a billet connecting rod split in half like a soft-point bullet that had seared through the engine, eating up everything in sight. Tony lit up the microphone, "They need to take something away to minimize explosions," meaning the governing body, pointing out to the less initiated among us that the big blow is also a big financial blow of $120,000. He could have bought almost everybody in the stands a Texas barbeque sandwich with that money instead.

A possible ultimate double up? Another more pleasant theme was the dueling banjoes of Melanie Troxel racing the Funny Cars and the Pro Mods, both professional categories, at this race. As was shown in demos and words, both dragsters are different creatures from one another; Gary Gerould said they require "different styles," with a nice graphic comparison of the two. Summarizing, Mike noted, "Pro Mod requires finesse, Funny Car muscle . . . She’s really a Pro." That Melanie can race both is a phenomenal statement for a drag racer and a woman. Her sponsor for both cars, In-N-Out Burger, may have to alter their Double-Double burger to a Double-Up Burger. Here’s hoping we see a Melanie/Ashley Force Hood finals pairing soon.

Is this drag racing’s Mr. Quick?: A feature showed Shawn Langdon has a perfect 8-for-8 record for getting off the line first in eliminations. Mike Dunn called him "The Babe Ruth" of drag racing because he can virtually call his RT as Babe could call his home runs. Crew Chief of the Lucas Oil/Speedco dragster, John Stewart, reminisced, "I’ve never had anybody who could do that." So how did it go in this race after the build-up? In both rounds he raced today, Fast News said, "As usual, Langdon was first off the line . . ." but was sent to the trailer by eventual runner-up, Antron Brown.

A New Shoe?: No, not a replacement for Tony Shumacher, but rather a foot feature on John Force’s new silver striped driving shoe which celebrated a 25th anniversary for Castrol. John Kiernan noted for Force, this is "the rejuvenation season."

507 MPH -- A Drag Racing Speed Record?: No, but Paul Lee in the Canidae/Lucas Oil Funny Car took out the timing blocks at the line in the third round of qualifying. This was the speed that popped up on the track-end timing displays. Crossing ahead of the other lane meant Jim Head didn’t get his data.

Honor among drag racers: Matt Hagan won his first national event in four tries with his DieHard Charger over a tire hazing Jeff Arend piloting his DHL Solara. New to the crew, John "Formerly of JFR" Medlen, gushed, "It’s an honor to be on this team." Nothing like winning to put honor in the picture. In this case (reported the TV crew) team owner, Don Schumacher, enjoyed his 15th different dragster winner.

Four Wide Charlotte Circus: In a rare statement of hostility, the Pro Racers Organization condemned the four-wide racing format and stated, though not in these words, that they would take their toys and go home if it was ever a points event again. Why point this out? Because how else would I be able to get one of the most fun comments of the weekend in the column, churning out of the ‘Professor,’ Warren Johnson: "Glad it was tried. I believe the fans and sponsors will determine what happens." Stay tuned, here is where it gets really good, "Fuel racers are the most crying, snively group..." FYI: he was one of only three who voted FOR four-wide. Mike Dunn made a credible point, "NASCAR goes to Sonoma (for a road course); quit complaining, and let the fans decide. Drivers should be willing to try something new." Bruton Smith (regrettably, no relation) was graceful in saying, "I’ve invested huge dollars but will back away."

How About This Angle: Camera behind the front spoke wheel of Cory McClenathan’s Fram Tough Guard Dragster, giving a view from the frame looking out.

Numbers: Top Fuel No. 2 qualifier, Antron Brown, rolled three 7’s in his 3.777 time, and the top three qualifiers, No. 1 Larry Dixon and No. 3 Tony Schumacher, were also in the sevens. In Pro Stock, Jason Line and Greg Stanfield both had ET’s of 6.566; Jason by a narrow margin had a faster MPH and took the better the position.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith": No, not the movie with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but rather our own Mr. Matt Smith and Mrs. Angie McBride Smith. Pairing up on the altar -- no, make that the starting line -- Angie zaps him on the tree but lost the race to his faster bike. Angie’s ‘Hot Stuff’ label from her burning bike from Saturday’s qualifying might have been more like the 1941 version of the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" film, the one made by the mystery master, Alfred Hitchcock. In that version, Mrs. Smith is known to take a baseball bat to those who cross her ... or edge her at the line? Nah, not with these two because after her Saturday incident, the weekend’s most tender shot was of Matt hugging Angie for a loooooong time in the shut down area.

Double Up History: Lewis Bloom doubles our pleasure with this history: Last Double up in Pro Classes was Pat Austin -- twice!

Best Name for a Funny Car: Tony Pedregon’s last remark on his explosion, referring to his dragster, "Now it’s a bomb."

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All information published on go2geiger.com is protected by all applicable copyright laws of the United States of America and is the sole property of go2geiger.com unless mentioned otherwise. It is intended solely for the private use of the individual reader and may not be retransmitted or reposted in any form without the prior written permission of go2geiger.com.

Phillip Gary Smith

Behind the scenes, a big effort was made by ESPN2 to provide the amazing coverage of four-wide racing at this past weekend's inaugural NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.

Shawn Murphy, senior coordinating producer for ESPN2's NHRA coverage, said seven additional cameras, a helicopter, and about 15 more crew were added to make sure the event was properly covered.

"We needed the additional equipment to help tell the story," Murphy said. "A single round of racing will take approximately the same amount of time (but) we have to tell the story about four racers instead of two during each run, so we have to maximize that time with more camera selections and graphics."

Here is Murphy's list of additional equipment for this special broadcast:

• Two hand-held cameras for the extra lanes were added at the starting line.
• A second super-slow-mo camera that "shoots 600 frames per second versus the normal 30 frames per second," according to ESPN2 Executive Producer Eric Swaringen.
• A new crane camera positioned near mid-track just outside Lane 4 that "was 100 feet in the air," Swaringen estimated.
• One helicopter camera for overhead visuals. "We've used a helicopter camera before, most recently at Indianapolis two or three years ago," Swaringen said, "And we used a blimp camera once or twice a year."
• A small robotic camera was mounted on the wall outside Lane 4.
• One point-of-view camera.

This brought the total of cameras in use by ESPN2 for this event to 28.

So how about the event itself, the work to get all of the things we’re accustomed to seeing like instant time-slip readouts? Swaringen commented, "ESPN spent a lot of time rewriting the computer program that dissects RT's, ET's and mph. They did a great job having everything prepared on short notice. While the challenge of the weekend was enormous, the feedback of how we covered it has been overwhelmingly positive. The speed and power of nitro cars going four-wide was hard to comprehend, but with the additional equipment and manpower I thought we were able to cover it well."

Does four-wide help the low qualifiers? Yes! Look at this example: In the side-by-side world of two dragsters, the No. 1 qualifier generally wins against the No. 16 driver. Only one dragster advances in that race.

In the four-wide scenario with two winners, the No. 16 person has improved odds of going forward. In the other two lanes are the Nos. 8 and 9 qualifiers, somewhat easier competition than No. 1, plus having two slots makes this a three-way race between eight, nine, and 16.

Did this occur in eliminations? Yes, again. The biggest beneficiary in the four-wide setup was Funny Car racer Paul Lee, who qualified last with a lousy 7.251 in the Canidae racer. In normal heads-up racing, he would have lost in the first round to the top qualifier Matt Hagan, whose Diehard Charger led him across the finish line by 100 feet. Instead, Lee snuck in as the other racers, Robert Hight and Jeff Arend, had troubles.

Welcome back, Erica Enders. With her, there are now three competitive Fords in Pro Stock class plus a woman competitor in each of the pro classes, as was reported the NHRA Race Day crew.

The Big Bang Theory: The big bang theory was at work during the first session of Funny Car qualifying and we all watched Jeff Diehl and Matt Hagan blow their hot rods into smithereens several times thanks to multiple replays. Running Lanes 2 and 4, the resulting explosions and fireballs appeared on television like something from the Fourth of July. The incident was broadcast multiple times during ESPN’s Sportscenter over the weekend, giving additional visibility to a wider audience for this new creation in drag racing.

After the incident, Gary Gerould asked Matt, "How do you feel?" and he responded, "My wrists are sore trying to keep it off of Del (Worsham) there." Turned out, they were sprained. No wonder -- he was on one wheel going 300 mph.

"Look at the carnage," said Mike Dunn of Hagan’s car. One could say the four-wide era truly was born with this big bang.

Impressive Numbers: Did you notice the top half of Funny Car qualifiers all were in the 4.0s? From Robert Hight’s ET track record, 4.024 to No. 8 qualifier Jeff Arend’s 4.091.

Best Number of the Weekend: Winner Cory McClenathan earned the Top Fuel Wally in the four-wide Top Fuel finals by an amazingly small .0015 seconds against Doug Kalitta, who led the whole way, except the last inch of track.

Tie 'em Up: Top Fuel qualifiers Rhonda Hartman-Smith and Morgan Lucas both had 3.888 ETs for the starting order, with Rhonda capturing the eighth spot with her slightly better speed. It is possible in the four-wide world that they both may advance. Did they? Only Rhonda goes forward in her inaugural welcome back race, satisfying Dunn’s "Upset Alert." He quipped, "She looked awfully good in qualifying."

Not to be outdone, the Pro Stock class had these qualifying ET ties:
12. Rickie Jones, Elite GXP, 6.606
13. Kurt Johnson, Mark Christopher Cobalt, 6.606
14. Larry Morgan, Lucas Oil Mustang, 6.614
15. John Nobile, Nobile Racing Mustang, 6.614

While bikes featured:
6. Steve Johnson, Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki, 6.924
7. Shawn Gann, Rum Bum Racing Buell, 6.924

Funniest Bit: "Since 1951 the NHRA has always been side-by-side. Don’t adjust your TV's, it is side-by-side-by-side-by-side," noted Dave Rieff, as the camera showed a humorous look of Steve Johnson’s brain (a whole egg) in a "side-by-side" skillet and his "four-wide brain" represented with a pan of scrambled eggs. The bit worked because Steve is a natural ham.

Best Sign: A creative takeoff of the "Got Milk?" campaign, for Tim Wilkerson a sign was displayed saying, "Got Wilk?" My suggestion? Drink it up! And guest on the dais? Showing four fingers while milling around in the audience, Tim Wilkerson himself. How is four- wide racing, they asked. He quipped, "It’s a good novelty." For those who might be critical of his choice of the word "novelty,”"note that it can mean unique and original which certainly nails four-wide.

"Some may time out (in staging)," Wilkerson said. "I don’t pay attention to drivers anyway; I race crew chiefs." Some race the track, some race the racers. As his own chief crew, that’s an interesting take. "There is weird air here being cool and all." He was correct, as rain caused a later delay, and tornadoes hit the surrounding area.

But Wilk outran the other three cars this day but still lost. As team manager Bob Wilber put it, "that's drag racing."

Staging Strategy: Mike Dunn didn’t think its going to be a factor, because "You gotta beat three other racers, not one."

Obama Care comes to NHRA: John Force says, "Four-wide racing is like Obama Care -- some like it, some don’t." In the Funny Car finals, Bob Frey called the lineup of John Force, Ashley Force Hood, Ron Capps, and Matt Hagan "about as good of a match race as you’re going to see."

"Goliath versus Goliath," said Mike Dunn, referencing the split of two cars each from Force and Schumacher racing camps for that final round.

A "Blue" Christmas: For the purpose of aiding drivers to know what the other drivers are doing. It was nice to choose blue as the impressive Blue Ridge Parkway is accessible nearby.

Coolest Moment of the Day: The 2010 Olympic gold medal bobsled team members spent the weekend with Jeg Coughlin Jr., Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, and Melanie Troxel -- the same four racers that supported the bobsled team in January -- with a good interview by Gary Gerould right in the pits.

Statman: In 1973 at Budd’s Creek, Md., a four-wide exhibition at a NHRA sanctioned track had a different purpose than winning Wallys. It was for pari-mutuel wagering -- you need four to have a win, place, show, and a loser. Bob Metzler, Drag Racing Hall of Fame member, tells me of his own four-wide race at Great Lakes Dragway in Union Grove, Wis. Broadway Bob said, "It was in the late 1950s. Nobody ever has told me they had gone four-wide prior to that, plus we just had a flagman." He remembered when Bob Frey interviewed him getting out of a jet dragster at Union Grove, pretending he had driven it.

Note: Union Grove opens Easter weekend (but not Easter Sunday) for racing, and goes full-time April 9-11. They take their racing seriously there as racing starts in May on a six-day-per-week schedule -- each evening and all day Sunday. "When I was there, I had a trophy trailer, and made a production out of the awards," Metzler said.

It Could Happen Quote: "You could beat the same guy twice and still lose to him in the finals." Mike Dunn

Best Shot of the Weekend: Larry Dixon turning the wrench underneath unsponsored Steve Johnson’s Pro Stock Motorcycle. (Thanks to reader KB for helping choose this moment.)

The "Elephant in the Room" Question: The Third Annual NHRA Carolinas Nationals coming in five and a half months from now, Sept. 16-19 at Charlotte -- Will they be four-wide? Email your guess, thoughts, and other comments to my new email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

All information published on go2geiger.com is protected by all applicable copyright laws of the United States of America and is the sole property of go2geiger.com unless mentioned otherwise. It is intended solely for the private use of the individual reader and may not be retransmitted or reposted in any form without the prior written permission of go2geiger.com.

Here is everything you wanted to know about the Arizona Nationals weekend and the television coverage on ESPN2.

Most anticipated round of the day?
It popped right off the pairing charts, the first round meeting of Melanie Troxel in her "I’m back!" year against championship contender extraordinaire, Ashley Force Hood. The start, only the second pair of the class, had all of the makings of a good race until Melanie’s In-N-Out Burger Charger lost traction well before the finish line.

Ashley commented, "It was special because I don’t ever get to run a girl. Last year I was the only girl in the category so it is neat for the fans. It is neat for Melanie and I to race against each other. Not many people know but she actually went to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School at the same time I was getting my Super Comp license. I have known her a lot of years. She is a great driver, and I am proud to have her back in the Funny Car class. I am very lucky to get that win. They are a tough team, and we just got the better lane and got down it."

Force Hood and her Castrol GTX Mustang lost in the next round to teammate Robert Hight, but Ashley did her job on the line with a superb .074 light.

Will the Arizona Nationals Race Date Change next year?
The great idea of keeping the season momentum rolling after the Winternationals by immediately going to Phoenix may need reconsidering after the disastrous weather encountered. We need "Stat Man" Lewis Bloom to answer when the last time three rounds of eliminations for a pro class were moved to the next event, as was the case in Pro Stock. Rain and shortened qualifying sessions were commonplace and even Monday's final rounds were severely delayed. Having a two-week start after Pomona versus this year’s one offers the better chance of warmer conditions.

It’s a long haul to Gainesville and a month gap between the season opener and Florida might be better served by having Phoenix in the middle of the two. This year there are three weeks of dead air time until the next broadcast.

Which big Round 1 match guaranteed a team going forward?
It is always tough for teammates to race one another. Morgan Lucas in his GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil dragster faced pal Shawn Langdon and his Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster in just the third pairing of the day. Shawn got another great light but big tire smoke from the get-go sealed Morgan’s win.

Do you know the definition of 'going turtle?'
That’s the new term defining how Pro Stock hot rods look sliding down the track on their roof after flipped over. Two examples occurred during qualifying, blamed on the colder temps and tough transition from concrete to asphalt. On Saturday, the track claimed Vinnie Deceglie’s 14th start position -- perhaps he was jinxed by his devilish 6.666 qualifying number from Friday. Gordie Rivera turtled on Friday.

Greg Anderson strongly commented in a race day interview, "I hope we don’t lose cars or people," because of the ominous conditions for this class. Dave Rieff was prophetic when he said early Sunday morning, "A possible fix was under consideration." All would have thought that meant a Monday race day. Turns out all the quarterfinalists had successfully protested to go to Gainesville to finish up.

Did you get this kind of reaction from your Valentine after Pomona?
Who would have ever guessed John Force was a true romantic. A big deal was made of his on-air Valentine’s wish to the lovely Mrs. Force after he won the Winternationals. Asked at Arizona how it worked out, he replied, "It was great, but I’m still on the couch."

Did you feel the bad vibes when the race broadcast opened?
A non-standard opening of the broadcast indicates something is amiss, generally revolving around a crash. This time it was actually the death of a fan, hit by a flying tire from Antron Brown's dragster. The broadcast crew performed well given the lack of information supplied to them during the taping of the race. They covered the rounds as best as possible under the circumstances. It had to be a difficult and stressful day for the broadcast group, without considering the challenges and anguish by participants and fans.

Do you ever remember a 'Recorded Earlier' message during an entire broadcast?
Although annoying, it was indicated to me this was an addition made in the aftermath of the Top Fuel accident. The concern was viewers hearing of the incident, tuning in, and mistakenly feeling that the broadcast was being insensitive to the victim's plight. Thus, the "recorded earlier" message was placed on the broadcast screen in order to avoid that perception.

What were the odds of a gargantuan upset?
Drag racing is a great equalizer, providing some wonderful highs, then kicking the stuffing out of ever feeling good -- or so it seems. Ask Larry Dixon. Coming off his 49th career win, Dixon faced part-timer Steve Chrisman in first round, did his job on the start, but shook the big slicks on his Al-Anabi rail and allowed Chrisman to pull the upset. Paul Page exclaimed, "Huge upset! Look at the shock (on the faces of the Al-Anabi crew)!" Mike Dunn noted that Larry "did a nice job trying to fix the tire shake" with several quick pedals, but it was not enough to get the win.

The best line of Sunday’s eliminations?
Listening to Alan Reinhart on the internet broadcast, already late into the extended race day -- the television broadcast was in-between professional rounds -- he uncharacteristically became very personal and lamented, "This has been the strangest, most bizarre day at the drags in a long, long time." Exactly.

Best photo of the weekend?
Nothing looked brighter than a beaming Cory McClenathan holding high his 32nd Wally, dressed in the bright orange Fram race suit, framed with azure skies in the background. And with that, the weekend ended.

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