Force regains points lead, joins Shoe, Edwards in winner's circle
Craig Wack, Senior Editor
Sunday, 20 June 2010
 John Force |
If there's a lesson the rest of the NHRA Funny Car class has learned in 2010 it's that you can't keep John Force down for very long.
Force won for the fourth time this season and recaptured the Funny Car points lead Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. It was his first win since the Las Vegas event in April, a span of six races in which he hadn't even reached a final. But the mini slump was quickly forgotten.
"Can you believe this old man just won?" Force said. "I ain’t quitting tomorrow and I ain’t gonna have a heart attack tomorrow, knock on wood, but there will be a day when I can’t come back or there will be a day when I won't win any more. I just keep praying to the Lord to keep me healthy and keep me fighting."
Other winners on Sunday were Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel and Mike Edwards in Pro Stock.
Force's Castrol Ford Mustang was consistent all weekend long in the Tennessee heat. In the finals he faced fellow Ford driver Tim Wilkerson. Force was once again smooth off the line and glided to a 4.317 second run at 285.59 mph. Wilkerson's car had trouble off the start and the parachutes deployed before the 100-foot mark, ending the race really before it began. The Levi, Ray and Shoup Ford Mustang coasted across the line with a 12.365 at 31.80 mph.
"I was in the gym last night because if I don’t keep working the legs, I can’t keep up with the kids," Force said. "Look at those lights out there. [Bob] Tasca, Wilkerson, [Matt] Hagan all leaping up there, putting up those .04 numbers, and I was able to put them up there right with them."
 Tony Schumacher |
Schumacher took advantage of a perfect scenario to make big gains on Top Fuel points leader Larry Dixon, who lost in the first round to Morgan Lucas.
"It’s nice to know we will definitely be competing for another world championship," Schumacher said. "Not that we had any doubt we would make the playoffs, but now we can sort of take a deep breath. With Larry going out in the first round, we had a great chance to close the gap. Fortunately, we were able to take advantage of the situation."
The U.S. Army rail won the closest of the three finals in Thunder Valley. Schumacher and Brandon Bernstein were neck-and-neck until about half track when the Copart dragster started to haze the tires, followed quickly by the engine catching fire.
That was all the edge Schumacher needed as he crossed the line in 3.982 seconds at 306.53 mph. Bernstein finished with a 4.054 at 272.56 mph.
"I had to do a lot of driving, let me tell you," Schumacher said. "With the track being so slick, the car was sliding around quite a bit and I had to make sure I kept it in the center of the lane. We may not have put up the kind of numbers we normally do, but we got the job done and that’s what counts."
 Mike Edwards |
Edwards won for the eighth time this season after Rickie Jones fouled out, going -.150 seconds to the red. Edwards saw the win light and coasted the Penhall Pontiac GXP across the line in 7.570 seconds at 135.16 mph.
"There’s so much heritage around this track and that track over there it’s a real honor to come here and run good and win this race," Edwards said. "I’ve just got a great team, and I don’t know what to say other than I’m truly living my dream. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I never dreamed I could do this."
The NHRA will complete its fourth of four consecutive races June 25-27 at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
Top Fuel:
ROUND ONE -- Shawn Langdon, 3.975, 297.88 def. Terry McMillen, 4.026, 295.46; Steve Torrence, 3.970, 297.09 def. David Grubnic, 3.995, 297.35; Troy Buff, 3.968, 303.09 def. Bob Vandergriff, 4.010, 295.34; Antron Brown, 3.943, 309.06 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.959, 300.40; Morgan Lucas, 3.988, 294.63 def. Larry Dixon, 4.009, 298.67; Cory McClenathan, 3.918, 311.34 def. Scott Palmer, 4.160, 255.00; Brandon Bernstein, 3.919, 301.00 def. Pat Dakin, 7.722, 88.59; Tony Schumacher, 3.991, 303.57 def. Doug Herbert, 4.015, 282.07; QUARTERFINALS -- Schumacher, 3.977, 299.60 def. Lucas, 6.067, 115.81; Brown, 3.952, 297.55 def. Langdon, 3.980, 292.33; Bernstein, 3.975, 300.80 def. Buff, 4.236, 257.73; McClenathan, 4.243, 252.19 def. Torrence, 4.327, 255.19; SEMIFINALS -- Schumacher, 3.971, 302.62 def. McClenathan, 3.992, 291.89; Bernstein, 4.036, 275.67 def. Brown, 4.186, 222.77; FINAL -- Schumacher, 3.982, 306.53 def. Bernstein, 4.054, 272.56.
Funny Car:
ROUND ONE -- Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.236, 292.65 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.299, 277.77; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.243, 285.47 def. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.296, 268.17; Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.279, 290.82 def. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Monte Carlo, 6.425, 111.57; Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.289, 257.78 def. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.405, 266.85; Del Worsham, Solara, 4.256, 291.63 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 6.472, 100.05; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.270, 285.17 def. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.291, 282.48; John Force, Mustang, 4.246, 293.98 def. Paul Lee, Chevy Impala SS, 4.338, 282.30; Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.233, 295.46 def. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 5.533, 141.65; QUARTERFINALS -- Force, 4.290, 291.19 def. Hagan, 4.356, 274.83; Beckman, broke def. Beckman, broke; Worsham, 4.530, 266.74 def. Beckman, 5.120, 208.17; Tasca III, 4.336, 280.60 def. T. Pedregon, 5.712, 127.04; Wilkerson, 4.313, 281.71 def. Force Hood, 4.329, 279.67; Force, 4.290, 291.19 def. Hagan, 4.356, 274.83; Worsham, 4.530, 266.74 def. Beckman, 5.120, 208.17; Tasca III, 4.336, 280.60 def. T. Pedregon, 5.712, 127.04; Wilkerson, 4.313, 281.71 def. Force Hood, 4.329, 279.67; SEMIFINALS -- Wilkerson, 4.317, 279.27 def. Worsham, 4.390, 271.41; Force, 4.284, 292.71 def. Tasca III, 4.783, 190.32; FINAL -- Force, 4.317, 285.59 def. Wilkerson, 12.365, 31.80.
Pro Stock:
ROUND ONE -- Vinnie Deceglie, Dodge Avenger, 6.743, 205.10 def. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.728, 205.04; Jason Line, GXP, 6.741, 203.46 def. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.762, 204.11; Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.750, 204.42 def. Johnny Gray, GXP, foul; Rickie Jones, GXP, 6.742, 204.01 def. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, foul; Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.767, 203.37 def. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.744, 204.66; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.720, 205.04 def. Bob Yonke, GXP, 6.788, 202.55; Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.744, 205.04 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.760, 204.32; Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.739, 205.38 def. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.784, 203.22; QUARTERFINALS -- Coughlin, 6.734, 205.04 def. Stanfield, foul; A. Johnson, 6.729, 205.04 def. Deceglie, 8.615, 111.02; Jones, 6.751, 204.39 def. Krisher, 6.734, 205.16; Edwards, 6.718, 204.91 def. Line, 6.748, 203.98; SEMIFINALS -- Jones, 7.102, 187.21 def. A. Johnson, 10.759, 82.69; Edwards, 6.730, 204.82 def. Coughlin, 10.459, 86.26; FINAL -- Edwards, 7.570, 135.16 def. Jones, foul.
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