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Wilk beats rain, rest of Norwalk Funny Car field

Rob Geiger, Managing Editor
Sunday, 27 June 2010

Larry Dixon improved to a perfect 7-0 in final rounds by beating Antron Brown for the trophy of the Summit Racing NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also scored at the event, the 13th of 23 on the Full Throttle Series.

Dixon's win, his third in the last four weekends, puts him 176 points clear of the Top Fuel chase pack, led by seven-time and reigning champion Tony Schumacher. He didn't give Brown much of a chance, overcoming a .025-second reaction time deficit and winning a great side-by-side drag race with a 3.880 at 313.29 mph in front of Brown's 3.907 at 307.65 mph.

"To race four national events in a row and win three of them is huge," Dixon said. "I honestly feel like it was necessary to stay in the points lead. That's just how tough it is out there.

"This is big and everyone on the Al-Anabi team is excited. We'll celebrate tonight and tomorrow and then we'll all get back to work and start preparing for Seattle and the Western Swing."

The marquee Top Fuel race of the day came in the semifinals where Dixon squared off against Schumacher. Aside from a slight .002-second reaction time advantage for Schumacher, this race was all Dixon as he powered away for a convincing 3.919-second, 306.53-mph victory against Schumacher's surrendering 4.111 at 235.51 mph.

A Norwalk favorite, Funny Car points leader John Force was the sentimental fan pick in the finals but Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford pro Wilkerson was having none of it as he caught and passed Force early in the race and zoomed away to win his second national event of the year with a 4.191 at 300.40 mph to Force's 4.272 at 290.88 mph.

"They were rushing us because of the rain and I got to the starting well behind Force," Wilkerson said. "I thanked him for waiting for me after the race and he said, 'we weren't doing nothing without you.' We're fortunate to get by those guys and I think he was even a little happy to see a Ford win, even if it wasn't his.

"It feels like you won a world championship every time you beat that guy. He's doing great this year and it's good to see."

Force had two big match-ups en route to his record 208th final-round appearance. He had to beat his daughter, top qualifier Ashley Force Hood, in the opening session and did so when Force Hood got out of the groove 800 feet into the run and turned sideways. He then took a controversial win over his son-in-law Robert Hight, whose crew protested vehemently that the Christmas Tree malfunctioned on Hight's side although video tape evidence suggests it worked properly.

It was a huge weekend for Pro Stock's Anderson, who won both Saturday's K&N Horsepower Challenge and Sunday's national event to pocket an extra $75,000.

"My wife and I just moved into a new house so we can use this to buy some furniture and other stuff," he said. "After the fire we had in the off-season, this couldn't have come at a better time. We took every nickel they offered.

"I never would have dreamed this big. We've been in a slump and it seems like forever since we've won a race. It's like John Force says, some times you start to wonder if you're ever gonna win again, then you do and it totally invigorates you."

Anderson beat Allen Johnson in the final round with a convincing 6.722 at 204.54 mph in his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP. Johnson got out of the groove and rode close to the center line before lifting and surrendering the win.

Smith bagged his second win of the year and kept Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Hector Arana winless in four tries with a big win on his Al-Anabi Buell. Smith edged Arana at the start by .012 seconds and never relinquished the lead, inching away to win with a 7.076 at 188.36 mph to Arana's game but losing 7.080 at 188.52 mph.

"Our bike is pretty hateful out there right now," Smith said. "We came here to race and we took it to them today."

SUNDAY'S RESULTS

TOP FUEL: ROUND ONE -- Doug Foley, 3.963, 302.55 def. David Grubnic, 4.626, 171.95; Pat Dakin, 3.970, 297.16 def. Morgan Lucas, 4.624, 253.75; Tony Schumacher, 3.907, 310.41 def. Bob Vandergriff, 3.970, 298.93; Shawn Langdon, 3.964, 301.54 def. Steve Torrence, 5.155, 148.23; Larry Dixon, 3.865, 313.51 def. Troy Buff, 5.038, 140.78; Antron Brown, 3.885, 314.24 def. Luigi Novelli, 4.161, 282.07; Brandon Bernstein, 3.909, 306.60 def. Terry McMillen, 4.809, 157.17; Cory McClenathan, 4.019, 296.96 def. Doug Kalitta, 4.753, 171.82; QUARTERFINALS -- McClenathan, 3.953, 302.48 def. Bernstein, 4.445, 189.98; Schumacher, 3.951, 308.57 def. Langdon, 3.992, 293.60; Brown, 3.934, 299.73 def. Dakin, 6.848, 91.93; Dixon, 3.910, 310.34 def. Foley, foul; SEMIFINALS -- Brown, 4.863, 219.36 def. McClenathan, 7.884, 101.01; Dixon, 3.919, 306.53 def. Schumacher, 4.111, 235.51; FINAL -- Dixon, 3.880, 313.29 def. Brown, 3.907, 307.65.

FUNNY CAR: ROUND ONE -- Del Worsham, Toyota Solara, 4.307, 284.69 def. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.582, 213.81; Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.373, 238.17 def. Jim Head, Solara, 4.961, 170.62; John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.212, 297.35 def. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.445, 224.81; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.173, 295.34 def. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Monte Carlo, 6.247, 115.67; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.333, 273.66 def. Bob Bode, Chevy Impala SS, 4.578, 211.20; Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.405, 280.02 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.753, 236.05; Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.208, 297.61 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.844, 173.87; Paul Lee, Impala SS, 4.450, 221.16 def. Cruz Pedregon, Solara, 4.838, 169.49; QUARTERFINALS -- Worsham, 4.253, 286.56 def. Beckman, 4.327, 277.49; Force, 4.265, 290.26 def. Lee, 6.567, 88.26; Wilkerson, 4.271, 285.05 def. Arend, 4.567, 205.98; Hight, 4.235, 288.70 def. Capps, 4.277, 277.43; SEMIFINALS -- Wilkerson, 4.277, 283.73 def. Worsham, 4.251, 284.62; Force, 4.249, 288.77 def. Hight, 4.564, 196.10; FINAL -- Wilkerson, 4.191, 300.40 def. Force, 4.272, 290.88.

PRO STOCK: ROUND ONE -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 6.698, 205.54 def. Johnny Gray, GXP, 6.727, 205.63; Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.725, 205.16 def. Bob Yonke, GXP, 7.211, 152.33; V. Gaines, Dodge Avenger, 6.725, 205.04 def. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 6.730, 205.91; Jason Line, GXP, 6.704, 205.85 def. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.703, 206.29; Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.736, 205.01 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.708, 206.01; Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.710, 205.04 def. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.697, 205.57; Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.718, 206.16 def. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.742, 205.47; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.722, 205.41 def. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.745, 204.51; QUARTERFINALS -- A. Johnson, 6.734, 205.69 def. Stanfield, 6.802, 202.18; Gaines, 6.816, 204.79 def. Krisher, 6.710, 205.91; Line, 6.711, 205.13 def. Morgan, 6.762, 205.32; Anderson, 6.713, 204.85 def. Coughlin, 6.749, 205.38; SEMIFINALS -- A. Johnson, 6.740, 206.01 def. Gaines, 6.976, 204.05; Anderson, 6.723, 204.88 def. Line, 6.718, 205.57; FINAL -- Anderson, 6.722, 204.54 def. A. Johnson, 6.982, 159.38.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: ROUND ONE -- David Hope, Buell, 7.025, 189.20 def. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.051, 191.46; Angie Smith, Buell, 7.078, 187.31 def. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.089, 187.73; LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 7.089, 187.08 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.073, 188.15; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.016, 191.27 def. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.120, 189.82; Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.018, 192.30 def. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.052, 189.84; Matt Smith, Buell, 7.044, 189.90 def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.324, 188.67; Hector Arana, Buell, 7.012, 190.48 def. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.369, 186.05; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.148, 191.51 def. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, foul; QUARTERFINALS -- Hope, 7.073, 186.48 def. Johnson, foul; M. Smith, 7.047, 189.90 def. Phillips, 7.057, 190.40; Hines, 7.062, 191.35 def. Tonglet, 7.099, 186.23; Arana, 7.032, 188.70 def. A. Smith, 7.085, 188.73; EMIFINALS -- M. Smith, 7.044, 188.10 def. Hope, 7.129, 186.02; Arana, 7.033, 190.27 def. Hines, 7.026, 190.48; FINAL -- M. Smith, 7.076, 188.36 def. Arana, 7.080, 188.52.

POINTS STANDINGS

Top Fuel: 1. Larry Dixon, 1,256; 2. Tony Schumacher, 1,080; 3. Cory McClenathan, 1,030; 4. Antron Brown, 929; 5. Doug Kalitta, 901; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 843; 7. Shawn Langdon, 622; 8. Morgan Lucas, 608; 9. Steve Torrence, 534; 10. Terry McMillen, 474.

Funny Car: 1. John Force, 1,024; 2. Robert Hight, 951; 3. Matt Hagan, 849; 4. Jack Beckman, 835; 5. Ashley Force Hood, 813; 6. Bob Tasca III, 792; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 777; 8. Ron Capps, 751; 9. Del Worsham, 741; 10. Tony Pedregon, 637.

Pro Stock: 1. Mike Edwards, 1379; 2. Allen Johnson, 987; 3. Jeg Coughlin, 857; 4. Greg Anderson, 799; 5. Jason Line, 699; 6. Greg Stanfield, 681; 7. Ron Krisher, 673; 8. Rodger Brogdon, 563; 9. Shane Gray, 561; 10. Rickie Jones, 509.

Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Hector Arana, 721; 2. Matt Smith, 601; 3. Andrew Hines, 562; 4. Michael Phillips, 543; 5. Steve Johnson, 502; 6. LE Tonglet, 481; 7. Eddie Krawiec, 453; 8. David Hope, 416; 9. Craig Treble, 386; 10. Karen Stoffer, 379.

 

 

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