Brian eno

Listen to this article Force, who has also won two more Funny Car titles as a team owner – with Robert Hight in 2009 and Tony Pedregon in ’03 – has scored two wins this season but heads into the Countdown points reset with a 90pt deficit to Don Schumacher Racing’s Ron Capps, having finished the ‘regular’ season in eighth. As a result, this weekend’s NHRA Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., will see Force’s PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team gaining Jason McCulloch in sharing the tune-up duties with crew chief Jon Schaffer, while Nick Casertano will continue his day-to-day duties of crew management. The move brings McCulloch back to his Funny Car roots after over a decade winning championships in Top Fuel. McCulloch used to work on his father’s Funny Car before switching to Top Fuel. Said Force: “Growing up in California I always felt like my heroes – Don ‘Snake’ Prudhomme, Tom ‘Mongoose’ McEwen and Ed ‘The Ace’ McCulloch – were the boys of Southern … [Read more...] about Force recruits McCulloch for title fight

Listen to this article Concord, N.C. – Tommy Johnson Jr. sprinted to the qualifying lead in Funny Car on Friday at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, the first race of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also provisional leaders in their respective categories at the 19th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Funny Car Johnson Jr. pushed his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to a track elapsed time record of 3.876 seconds at 323.43 mph. Johnson, who has a win in Bristol, Tenn., is competing for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season, and 14th of his career. “It just shows how determined they are how much we want this and the Countdown and how on top of it they are,” said Johnson Jr. “You have to be aggressive and take the championship, you can’t wait for it to come your way. Really happy with the … [Read more...] about Johnson Jr., Kalitta, Line and Savoie lead qualifying at the Carolina Nationals

Listen to this article Concord, N.C. – Doug Kalitta secured the Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier Saturday at the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, the first race of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, at zMAX Dragway just outside of Charlotte, N.C. Tommy Johnson Jr. (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also secured No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 19th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Top Fuel Kalitta piloted his Mac Tools dragster to a 3.721-second pass at 325.77 mph on Friday night that held up through Saturday’s two rounds for his fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the season, 47th of his career and first at zMAX Dragway. His first opponent in Sunday’s eliminations will be Ike Maier. “Anytime you can start from pole position is great in my book,” Kalitta said. “We’ve won from there before. Some people wonder if it’s a jinx but my team, we’re good with … [Read more...] about Kalitta, Johnson Jr., Anderson and Sampey secure No. 1 qualifiers Saturday at Carolina Nationals

Listen to this article Madison, Ill. – Robert Hight sprinted to the provisional No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car Friday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Chip Ellis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the 20th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals is the second race of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Funny Car Hight pushed his Auto Club Chevy Camaro SS to a 3.893-second pass at 328.38 mph during Friday’s second qualifying session to lead the Funny Car pack. Hight, who won this event in 2010, has 47 No. 1 qualifiers in his career but has not qualified better than third so far this season. He won in Gainesville, Fla., earlier in the year and is currently seventh in the points standings. “This was a big day for us, but it’s … [Read more...] about Hight, Crampton, Anderson and Ellis lead qualifying Friday at Midwest Nationals

Listen to this article Madison, Ill. – Richie Crampton powered to the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel Saturday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park just outside of St. Louis. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 20th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals is the second race of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Top Fuel Crampton used his Friday night performance of 3.733-seconds at 323.50 mph in his Lucas Oil dragster to earn his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and fifth of his career. Crampton, from Adelaide, South Australia, posted a runner-up finish earlier this year in Sonoma, Calif., but has not yet won an event in 2016. He will look to improve on his 10th place points standing as he opens eliminations against … [Read more...] about Crampton, Hight, Gray and Krawiec secure No. 1 qualifiers in St. Louis

Listen to this article TOP FUEL Langdon powered his Red Fuel / Sandvik Coromant dragster to a 3.798-second pass at 323.66 mph to defeat eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher’s 3.783 at 317.49 in his U.S. Army dragster on a holeshot. Langdon’s 14th career win moved him up to fourth in the points, having beaten champion and points leader Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta and Richie Crampton en route to the final round. The 2013 Top Fuel champion said: “We didn’t really have a dominant car in qualifying, but we just kept picking away at it. The car has just responded well. All in all, this was a great team effort. The whole team did a great job and gave me a great racecar today.” Brown held his grip on the points lead despite the early exit and is followed by Kalitta in second and Schumacher in third. FUNNY CAR Beckman posted a 3.928 at 324.51 in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T to better Tommy Johnson Jr.’s Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T during the Funny … [Read more...] about Surprise winners in NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway

Listen to this article Racers have to be tough to win championships. Putting together a season-long accumulation of pole positions, victories and high points-producing finishes is not for the weak. But that doesn’t mean a champion can’t be imbued with kindness, generosity of spirit and a love of life. Take, for instance, Antron Brown, who has a heady lead in NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. The reigning Top Fuel champion scored four wins in the regular 18-race season this year, and headed the points going into the Countdown (which is basically the NHRA’s equivalent of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup). Remarkably, with four of these six playoff races now done, Brown has added three more victories. He beat his current closest opponent, Doug Kalitta, at the first Countdown race at Charlotte, then took his 60th career NHRA win (16 of which were scored on Pro Stock Motorcycles) in the cold of Reading, PA. two weeks later. Last weekend, the … [Read more...] about Brown trying not to think of a third title

Listen to this article The 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is sprinting to its close, with only two events remaining in a 24-race season. The penultimate event, the 16th annual Toyota NHRA Nationals on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway takes place the final weekend of October, a tradition that incorporates both competition and fun, as it either falls on or close to Halloween. .For the four Mello Yello categories: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, the Countdown to the Championship could continue to the season finale in Pomona two weeks hence. That being said, there’s a very good chance for reigning and two-time Top Fuel champion Antron Brown to rack up his third category title on the dragstrip that abuts Nellis Air Force base. Brown, with seven wins in his pocket and a 150-point lead over Doug Kalitta, earned his second title at this race last year and could take his pink-emblazoned Matco Tools “Tools for the Cause” dragster to the top of … [Read more...] about Titles in the balance in Vegas