’11 C FULL N H R A THROTTLE SERIES - NHRA Mediamedia.nhra.com/countdown/gamenotes/medianotes.pdf · July 7-10 at Chicago 32nd MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS July 22-24 at Denver

TOP FUEL

Driver (Ws) Pts

1. Worsham (3).......... 505

2. Dixon...................... 410

3. Brown (1) ............... 363

4. Schumacher .......... 353

5. Massey .................. 324

6. Kalitta..................... 288

7. Lucas (1)................ 264

8. Langdon................. 249

9. Bernstein ............... 244

10. Torrence .............. 202

11. Grubnic ................. -24

12. McMillen ............... -26

13. Vandergriff ............ -57

2011 NHRA FULL THROTTLE SERIES

2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

�� NOTE: The Countdown to the Championship consists of a 16-race regular season and a 6-race playoff. The Top 10 drivers after the regular season qualify and have their points reset in 10-point increments (first-place drivers awarded a 20-point bonus); First place begins the playoffs with 2,110 points, second 2,080 and on down to 2,000 for 10th place.

hampionship

to the C ountdown ’11 FULL THROTTLE SERIES N H R A

PRO STOCK

Driver (Ws) Pts

1. Line (2)................... 390

2. Stanfield................. 389

3. Anderson (1) .......... 371

4. V. Nobile (1) .......... 367

5. Edwards (1) ........... 342

6. Brogdon ................. 316

7. Enders ................... 278

8. Krisher ................... 253

9. A. Johnson............. 215

10. Humphrey ............ 213

11. Shane Gray........... -16

12. K. Johnson............ -34

13t. Morgan, Gaines ... -35

PSM (2/16 races)

Rider (RS PP) Pts

1. Krawiec (1) .............202

2. Hines (1) .................184

3. Stoffer .................... 179

4. Arana ......................141

5. LE Tonglet ..............116

6t. Phillips ...................107

6t. Savoie................... 107

8. Gann.......................105

9. Matt Smith ................88

10. S. Johnson .............82

11t. Hope .................... -18

11t. Ray Jr. ................. -18

11t. Underdahl ............ -18

FUNNY CAR

Driver (Ws) Pts

1. Neff (1)................... 399

2. Hight (2) ................. 381

3. Beckman (1) .......... 363

4. C. Pedregon ...........322

5. Arend (1) ...............299

6. Hagan .................... 296

7. Force...................... 281

8. Tasca ..................... 247

9. Capps .................... 244

10. Johnny Gray ........ 234

11. Wilkerson................ -4

12. Head ..................... -14

13. T. Pedregon.......... -39

Race 6 of 16 (Regular season) 31st annual Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals May 13-15

COUNTDOWN TO 10 (Regular Season)

51st KRAGEN O’REILLY NHRA WINTERNAT’LS

Winners: Lucas, Hight, Line

42nd TIRE KINGDOM NHRA GATORNATIONALS

Winners: Worsham, Neff, Line, Krawiec

12th SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS

Winners: Brown, Hight, Edwards

2nd VISITMYRTLEBEACH.COM FOUR-WIDE NAT’LS

Winners: Worsham, Beckman, Anderson

24th O’REILLY NHRA SPRING NATIONALS

Winners: Worsham, Arend, Nobile, Hines

31st SUMMIT NHRA SOUTHERN NAT’LS

May 13-15 at Atlanta

23rd NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS

May 20-22 at Topeka

42nd NHRA SUPERNATIONALS

June 2-5 at Englishtown, N.J.

11th FORD NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NAT’LS

June 17-19 at Bristol, Tenn.

5th SUMMIT NHRA NATIONALS

June 23-26 at Norwalk, Ohio

14th O’REILLY ROUTE 66 NHRA NAT’LS

July 7-10 at Chicago

32nd MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS

July 22-24 at Denver

24th FRAM-AUTOLITE NHRA NATIONALS

July 29-31 at Sonoma, Calif.

24th O’REILLY NORTHWEST NATIONALS

August 5-7 at Seattle

30th LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS

August 18-21 at Brainerd, Minn.

57th MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS

August 31-Sept. 5 at Indianapolis

COUNTDOWN TO 1 (Playoffs)

4th O’REILLY NHRA NATIONALS

Sept. 15-18 at Charlotte

26th AAA TEXAS NHRA FALL NAT’LS

Sept. 22-25 at Dallas

27th UNI-SELECT AUTO PLUS NHRA NAT’LS

Sept. 29-Oct. 2 at Reading, Pa.

27th NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS

Oct. 14-16 at Phoenix

11th NHRA LAS VEGAS NATIONALS

Oct. 27-30 at Las Vegas

47th AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS

Nov. 10-13 at Pomona, Calif.

TRACK: Atlanta Dragway ON TV (ESPN2, ET): Qualifying highlights, Saturday 7-9 p.m.; Race, Sunday at 7-10 p.m. NOTABLE: Del Worsham has three wins already this season, two shy of the career-high five he won in 2004 … That year, Worsham also had his best-ever finish — second behind John Force … Worsham’s four round-wins at Houston also gave him 400 for his career — he is the 16th driver in NHRA FTS history to amass that many round-wins … Ron Capps has 399 round-wins and can match Worsham’s 400 with a first-round win at Atlanta.

Media Relations Mgr.: Zak Elcock, 626-253-0862

Dir. of Media Relations: Anthony Vestal, 626-695-6649

Sr. Communications Mgr.: Scott Smith, 317-281-5049

Communications Asst.: Jamie Stephens, 626-250-2251

Dir. of PR/Social Media: Michael Padian, 626-278-0312

NHRA Communications Team

*-The number in parentheses represents that driver’s position in the final regular season points standings.

> NHRA Full Throttle Series enjoys 12-Month High

in ‘Fan Avidity’

> Interest in NHRA Full Throttle Series is up 51%

among ‘Avid’ Sports Fans

> NHRA Full Throttle Series Growth among ‘Avid’

Sports Fans is No. 1 Overall (among 31 Major

Leagues)

Source: ESPN Sports Poll conducted Sept. 2010

(service of TNS Sport)

By the Numbers

How

points

are

earned

Friday-Saturday Qualifying

Racers earn 10 points for attempting to qual-ify PLUS 1-3 points for the top 3 in each round of qualifying PLUS 1-8 additional points for final qualifying order:

Sunday Raceday Racers earn a minimum

of 20 points PLUS 20 points for each round win:

20-Point Bonus

Racers can earn 20

bonus points by setting

a national elapsed time

record.

The current national

records are 3.770 (TF),

4.011 (FC), 6.495 (PS)

and 6.777 (PSM).

No. 1………... 8 No. 2 ……….. 7 No. 3………... 6 No. 4………... 5

Nos. 5-6………….. 4 Nos. 7-8………….. 3 Nos. 9-12………… 2 Nos. 13-16………..1

First-round loser……… 20 Advance to Quarters… 40 Advance to Semis……. 60 Advance to Final Rd…. 80 Winner……………….. 100

NHRA FTS Headline News

399 Ron Capps is only one

round-win shy of becoming just the 17th driver to reach 400 for a career.

0.8 That’s the time it takes —

eight-tenths of a second — for a TF dragster/FC to ac-celerate from 0-to-100 mph.

Career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force, No. 2 all-time. He is one shy of War-ren Johnson (138) for the one major career record that eludes him.

137

Georgia’s Johnson

featured ‘Legend’

The debate has gone on for years

in NHRA whether it’s the cars or the stars who drive the sport; well, for fans flocking to Atlanta Dragway

May 13-15 for the Summit Racing NHRA Southern Nationals, they won’t have to choose.

That’s because when NHRA’s sea-son-long celebration of its 60th anni-

versary arrives in Georgia, they’ll have both: the featured legend will be Buford, Ga. native Warren John-

son and he’ll be bringing with him the GM Performance Parts Pontiac that he used to break the 200-mph

barrier at Richmond in 1997. Fans who come on Sunday will

also be able to participate in the in-

creasingly popular Track Walk with a Legend series. Fans at each of the first five events have shown up early

on Sunday and in huge numbers for the rare chance to not only walk on the same track where the legends

run, but also to walk side-by-side with the legends and ask them ques-

tions. Johnson’s storied NHRA career

includes 138 No. 1 qualifiers (No. 1

all-time), 97 wins (No. 2 all-time), 869 round-wins (No. 2 all-time) and six NHRA Full Throttle Series

championships (tied for No. 4 all-time with Kenny Bernstein).

NHRA great will have record-setting car on display

15 Number of championships

John Force has won in an un-precedented 21-year run of success in Funny Car.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Andrew Hines’ 24th career win (at Houston) tied him with Terry Vance for fifth place on the all-time PSM wins list. His next target would be his older brother, No. 4 on the list, Matt Hines with 30.

Greg Anderson’s win at Concord was the 66th of his career, pulling him within one of Tony Schu-

macher for fifth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list and three shy of Kenny Bernstein for fourth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list.

Ron Capps is one round-win shy of becoming just the 17th driver to amass 400 round-wins — Del Wor-

sham just became No. 16.

496 Tony Pedregon is four

round-wins shy of becoming the 10th driver to reach 500 for a career.

Georgia Legend

NHRA Legend Warren Johnson, from Buford, Ga., recorded the first 200-mph run in Pro Stock history at Richmond in 1997 and the record-setting car will be on display at the May 13-15 Summit Racing Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

Greg Anderson earned his 66th career win at the VisitMyr-tleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals April 17; that pulled him within one of Tony Schumacher (67) and three of Kenny Bern-stein (69), Nos. 5 and 4 on NHRA’s all-time wins list.

66

Gotcha!

Here is a list of the best “leavers” among the Top 10 drivers in NHRA’s Countdown to the Cham-pionship. The record represents the number of times they left first or their opponent red-lighted vs. number of times they left second or red-lighted.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLEPRO STOCK MOTORCYCLEPRO STOCK MOTORCYCLEPRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Driver Rec. Pct.

1t. Shawn Gann 3-1 .750

1t. Gerald Savoie 3-1 .750

3. Steve Johnson 2-1 .667

4t. LE Tonglet 2-2 .500

4t. Hector Arana 2-2 .500

4t. Andrew Hines 3-3 .500

7t. Karen Stoffer 3-4 .429

7t. Eddie Krawiec 3-4 .429

9. Matt Smith 1-2 .333

10. Phillips 1-3 .250

FUNNY CARFUNNY CARFUNNY CARFUNNY CAR Driver Rec. Pct.

1. Jack Beckman 14-4 .778

2. Ron Capps 8-3 .727

3. Jeff Arend 9-4 .692

4. Robert Hight 11-6 .647

5. Bob Tasca 9-5 .643

6t. Cruz Pedregon 8-5 .615

6t. Matt Hagan 8-5 .615

8. John Force 7-5 .583

9. Mike Neff 7-11 .389

10. Johnny Gray 0-9 .000

Milestones

John Force made plenty of headlines in

2008 when he collected his 1,000th round

win on his 59th birthday (May 4, 2008) in St.

Louis, in the first round of the O’Reilly Mid-

west Nationals against Ron Capps.

He remains the only driver in NHRA his-

tory with 1,000 round wins and with Cory

McClenathan joining the club in August he’s

now one of nine with at least 500.

It is likely that this select fraternity will add

two more members in 2011 as Tony Pedre-

gon (496) and Greg Anderson (491) are clos-

ing in on 500.

One rung up, Larry Dixon collected his

600th round-win and Tony Schumacher may

reach that milestone in 2011 as well.

DRIVER RD. WINS 1. John Force 1,086

2. Warren Johnson 869

3. Kenny Bernstein (*) 681

4. Larry Dixon 607

5. Bob Glidden (*) 597

6. Tony Schumacher 558

7. Kurt Johnson 531

8. Joe Amato (*) 527

9. Cory McClenathan (**) 512

10. Tony Pedregon 496

11. Greg Anderson 491

12. Jeg Coughlin (**) 473

13. Jim Yates (**) 420

14. Cruz Pedregon 420

15. Doug Kalitta 406

16. Del Worsham 400

17. Ron Capps 399

18. Gary Scelzi (**) 376

19. Angelle Sampey (**) 364

Larry Dixon became just the fourth driver in NHRA his-tory to amass 600 round-wins when he defeated Terry McMillen in R1 at the Gatornationals. With a big sea-son, Tony Schumacher (558) could become the fifth to reach 600 later this year.

5 0 0 R O U N D W I N S

4 0 0 R O U N D W I N S

The Race for 500 (round wins)

475.476.477.478.479.480.481.482.483.484.485.486.487.488.489.490.491.492.493.494.495.496.497.498.499

475.476.477.478.479.480.481.482.483.484.485.486.487.488.489.490.491.492.493.496.495.496.497.498.499

Tony Pedregon was eliminated in the first round of the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals to delay his quest for round-win No. 500 until at least Atlanta.

Greg Anderson was eliminated in the first round of the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals to stall his run to 500.

5

0

0

PRO STOCKPRO STOCKPRO STOCKPRO STOCK Driver Rec. Pct.

1. Erica Enders 9-3-1 .731

2. Greg Stanfield 14-6-1 .690

3. Vincent Nobile 13-6-1 .675

4. Allen Johnson 7-4 .636

5. Rodger Brogdon 6-6 .500

6. Greg Anderson 7-11 .389

7. Mike Edwards 5-9 .357

8. Jason Line 4-9-1 .321

9. Ron Krisher 2-9 .182

10. Ronnie Humphrey 1-7 .125

TOP FUELTOP FUELTOP FUELTOP FUEL Driver Rec. Pct.

1. Spencer Massey 15-2-1 .861

2. Antron Brown 13-3-1 .794

3. Larry Dixon 14-5 .737

4. Morgan Lucas 8-3 .727

5. Tony Schumacher 12-5 .706

6. Shawn Langdon 7-8-1 .469

7. Del Worsham 10-12-1 .457

8. Brandon Bernstein 4-6 .400

9. Steve Torrence 4-7 .364

10. Doug Kalitta 5-10 .333

Qualifying Bonus Points

TOP FUELTOP FUELTOP FUELTOP FUEL Driver Pts

1. Dixon 28

2. Schumacher 19

3t. Worsham 11

3t. Massey 11

3t. Bernstein 11

6. Brown 9

7. McMillen 7

8t. Vandergriff 6

8t. Kalitta 6

10. Lucas 3

FUNNY CARFUNNY CARFUNNY CARFUNNY CAR Driver Pts

1. Neff 22

2. C. Pedregon 21

3. Force 20

4. Beckman 14

5. Hight 9

6. J. Gray 8

7. Hagan 6

8. Jim Head 4

9t. Wilkerson 3

9t. Tasca 3

PRO STOCKPRO STOCKPRO STOCKPRO STOCK Driver Pts

1. Edwards 25

2. Brogdon 22

3. Anderson 15

4. Line 13

5. Enders 10

6. Humphrey 7

7. A. Johnson 5

8. Krisher 4

9t. Stanfield 3

9t. Nobile 3

PSMPSMPSMPSM Driver Pts

1t. Krawiec 12

1t. Hines 12

3. Arana 8

4. Stoffer 7

5. Tonglet 4

6. Phillips 3

7. Matt Smith 2

“We’ll have an all-new car for Atlanta and a

new crew chief, Tim Richards, calling the

shots. I’m super excited about working with

Tim and (his wife) Kim. I remember as a kid,

watching on TV as Joe Amato won all those

races with Tim, dreaming about driving for a

guy like him, so this is a dream come true.” — Ron Capps (NAPA Dodge Charger)

On the transition to the new crew chiefs Tim and Kim

Richards beginning with the Summit Racing NHRA

Southern Nationals May 13-15 at Atlanta Dragway

“Anyone who drove a nitro car before they

moved the engines behind the dragster

drivers and before the funny car guys

got real fire suits.” — Jack Beckman (Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger) On who he considers a Legend of NHRA drag racing

“(Don) Garlits’ on-track record speaks for

itself, but the fact that he built the cars, he

owned, he drove, he tuned, he drove them to

the track, he designed them. The cars that we

run today are modeled after a design he

perfected. When he raced, the times I saw him

in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, he flat walked on

water. Anytime he went to the track,

he was the guy.” — Larry Dixon (Al-Anabi dragster)

On who he considers a Legend of NHRA drag racing

“What’s amazing is (the difference in the race

is) just three-hundredths of a second; in this

game of drag racing, that puts you back on

the trailer … This is a tough sport, I have

much more respect after showing up here in

Gainesville and doing all of the test runs. I

wish I had more time to do NHRA racing,

this is a lot of fun.”

— Kurt Busch (Shell Dodge Avenger) On making his NHRA pro debut March 11-13 at the

Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals

“Del (Worsham) talked about peaking too

early. I’m not worried about that, I just want

to peak.” — Jack Beckman (Aaron’s Dodge Charger)

After his first win in more than a year to move up to

third place in the Funny Car point standings

* * * * *

* * * * *

* * * * *

Summit NHRA Southern Nationals

NHRA Satellite Feed

“ ” Quotable

* Please NOTE I: All times ET

* Please NOTE II: Feed is Digital HD

NHRA Media Coverage

NHRA’s 60th season has intrigue

John Oreovicz, ESPN.com http://espn.go.com/racing/blog/_/name/blount_terry/id/5504215/nhra-does-playoffs-right?campaign=rss&source=RPMHeadlines

NHRA from the NYSE (video)

Alexis Glick, Fox Business

http://www.foxbusiness.com/video/index.html?

Legends make their way back for NHRA’s 60th anniversary

Nate Ryan, USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nhra/2011-02-23-nhra-legends-return_N.htm

2010 NHRA Season was One for the Ages

John Sturbin, RacinToday.com

http://www.racintoday.com/archives/22869

Kurt Busch: “This was a weekend I will never forget.”

Mark Long, Associated Press

http://www.ajc.com/sports/busch-knocked-out-in-871208.html

NOTE: For a complete review of recent coverage of the NHRA Full Throttle Se-ries, go to http://media.nhra.com/clips

Garlits fueled an explosion in drag racing design

Jim Peltz, Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nhra-don-garlits-20110224%2C0%

NHRA celebrating 60 years of drag racing

Mike Spellman, Chicago Daily Herald http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110218/sports/702189906/

* * * * *

Fri., May 13, 9:30-10 pm; Sat., May 14, 7-7:30 pm; Sun., May 15, 7-7:30

pm. DETAILS: (AMC 3/18C, 4060 MHz, vertical, Transmission: MPEG-

2/HD 720p; Data Rate: 40.461470554 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms;

FEC: 3/4; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)

Fans Pack Gainesville Raceway for Final Day of Gatornationals

Kimberly Moore Wilmoth, Gainesville Sun

http://tinyurl.com/4c6z3t4

Respect Mutual between Racing Fraternities

Jeff Wolf, Las Vegas Review-Journal http://www.lvrj.com/sports/respect-mutual-between-racing-fraternities-118226914.html?ref=914

(Cy Young Winner) Randy Johnson goes from fast pitch to fast click

Dan Loumena, Los Angeles Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/02/randy-johnson-goes-from-fast-pitch-to-fast-click.html

‘Big Daddy’ And ‘The Snake’ Talk Drag Racing

John Sturbin, RacinToday.com

http://www.racintoday.com/archives/25000

Who’s Covering the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series?

NOTE: For a complete review of recent coverage of the NHRA Full Throttle Series, go to http://media.nhra.com/clips

* * NHRA Enjoys 12-month High in ‘Fan Avidity’ * *

* * Interest in NHRA is up 51% among ‘Avid’ Sports Fans * *

* * NHRA Growth among ‘Avid’ Sports Fans is No. 1 Overall (among 31 leagues) * *

— Source: ESPN Sports Poll conducted Sept. 2010 (service of TNS Sport)

NHRA AT THE NYSE | JUNE 10, 2009

“Ringing The Opening Bell

delivers major credibility for

the Series.” — Jeff Wolf

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Follow NHRA on Facebook / Twitter

http://twitter.com/NHRA

http://www.facebook.com/NHRA/

60 Greatest Moments NHRA’s 227,000-plus Facebook fans will narrow list from 60 to 20 to 10 to 5 to 1

GLENDORA, Calif. – From a simple signature on

March 13, 1951 by NHRA founder Wally Parks to a far

more complicated, championship-clinching comeback by

John Force on Nov. 14, 2010, NHRA has seen its share of

Great Moments in its first 59 years.

And as the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning

body prepares to celebrate its 60th anniver-

sary in 2011, NHRA officials have nar-

rowed the many hundreds of memorable

moments to a list of “60 Greatest Mo-

ments.” The complete list, which is listed

in its entirety on the next page, was offi-

cially being unveiled for the first time on

Jan. 27, 2011.

The list includes such seminal moments in NHRA his-

tory as Don Garlits’ debut of the rear-engine dragster in

1971, Shirley Muldowney’s groundbreaking first win by a

female in Top Fuel in 1976, Kenny Bernstein breaking the

300-mph barrier in 1992 and Tony Schumacher’s “The

Run” in 2006, to name a few.

Moving forward, NHRA fans will have the chance to

relive each of the “60 Greatest Moments” via a soon-to-

be-released DVD, and they’ll also be given the opportu-

nity to participate in a year-long program to determine the

the 20, 10 and five Greatest Moments before ultimately

identifying the moment they believe is the Greatest in

NHRA history.

Beginning on Monday, March 7, which opened race-

week for the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals that

will serve as “Official Kick-Off Party for NHRA’s 60th

Anniversary Celebration,” NHRA began

posting each of the 60 Greatest Moments

(2-to-3 per week) on its Facebook page

and fan ‘likes’ will be tallied to determine

the 20 fan favorites.

After the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals

in Brainerd, the top 20 moments will be

identified and, just as the Top 10 drivers will be deter-

mined at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the fans’ Top 10

Moments will be as well. Fans will have from the Monday

after Brainerd to the end of the U.S. Nationals to vote and

the 10 Moments with the most fan votes will be identified.

The Greatest Moments voting will then have its own

playoffs, as one moment will be eliminated at each playoff

race, leaving five moments still in play entering the sea-

son-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals. Fan voting will close

prior to the start of the Auto Club NHRA Finals and the

fans’ Top 5 will be unveiled during the Finals weekend.

Here is a snapshot look at some of the Greatest Moments: Left two photos are Tony Schumacher’s “The Run” in 2006; Center photo is Big Daddy Don Garlits’ winner’s circle shot after he debuted the rear-engine dragster at the 1971 Winternationals; top right is Shirley Muldowney’s first win by a female in a TF dragster in 1976; and bottom right is Kenny Bernstein breaking the 300-mph barrier at the 1992 Gatornationals.

Attn. Media: All 60 Moments have accompany-

ing art. Contact NHRA to access photo gallery.

60 Greatest Moments Wally Parks founds NHRA (1951)

First NHRA sanctioned event (1953)

Founding of NHRA Safety Safari (1954)

Calvin Rice wins the first U.S. Nat’ls at Indy (1955)

National DRAGSTER founded (1960)

Mac Tools U.S. Nationals moves to permanent home at

Lucas Oil Raceway in Indy (1961)

Christmas tree introduced (1963)

End of nitro ban returns fuel to sport (1964)

“Big Daddy” Don Garlits cracks 200 mph barrier (1964)

Shirley Shahan first woman to win NHRA event (1966)

Big Daddy shaves after Top Fuel win in Indy (1967)

Wally trophy introduced (1969)

Funny Car class introduced (1969)

Mattel sponsorship opens door to corporate involvement

(1970)

“The Crash” in the Indy TF Final (1970)

Garlits wins in debut of rear-engine dragster (1971)

“The Burndown” in the Indy TF Final (1971)

Jim Dunn wins in rear-engine Funny Car (1972)

M. Snively makes first five-second Top Fuel pass (1972)

Winston partnership (1975)

Garlits’ 5.63 at 250.69 at World Finals considered by many

greatest run ever (1975)

Prudhomme records first FC five-second run (1975)

S. Muldowney first women to win in TF (1976, Columbus)

Prudhomme wins seven of eight national events (1976)

Muldowney first female world champ (1977)

Bob Glidden unbeaten for calendar year (1978-79)

Mongoose bites Snake in Indy FC Final (1978)

Allen wins dramatic 1981 Top Fuel crown by two mph

The first all-female TF final (1982, Springnationals)

Prudhomme first 250-mph Funny Car pass (1982)

Kalitta vs. Muldowney (1982, U.S. Nationals)

Prudhomme makes arguably greatest Funny Car run of all-

time (1982, Indy)

Big Daddy makes his return to Indy (1984, Indy)

Building of Texas Motorplex, first stadium dragstrip (1986)

Glidden first to reach 50 career wins (1986)

Don Garlits’ big blowover (1986, Englishtown)

Entire national event schedule on TV for first time (1986)

Gene Snow records first NHRA four-second run (1988)

J. Amato edges G. Ormsby in closest TF finish (1990)

Pat Austin first double winner (1991 Topeka)

K. Bernstein breaks 300-mph barrier (1992, Gatornat’ls)

First Hot Rod Reunion organized (1992)

Jr. Drag Racing League founded (1992)

The four-second and 300-mph FC barriers broken on

same weekend (1993)

Kurt Johnson (6.988) records first PS 6-second run (1994)

K. Bernstein first to win championships in TF & FC(1996)

J. Force first NHRA driver named Driver of the Year (‘96)

W. Johnson (200.13 mph) records first PS 200-mph run

(1997)

NHRA Museum opened (1998)

Coke partnership (2001)

Bernsteins first father-son share winner's circle (LV, 2001)

Lucas Oil becomes NHRA Sportsman Series sponsor (’02)

John Force’s 100th victory (2002 Houston-2)

A. Hines (6.991) records first PSM six-second run (2005)

Tony Schumacher wins title with “The Run” (2006, Finals)

Ashley Force Hood wins first career race in Atlanta (2008)

Schumacher breaks all Top Fuel season records (2008)

Countdown introduced (2007)

Four-Wide national event at zMAX Dragway (2010)

John Force comeback, wins 15th championship (2010)

* Note: Moments listed in chronological order.

*

2011 Driver Statistics

[Top 10 Drivers]

288 0 0.085 5-10 (.333) 1-0 0-0 0 8.00 6-5 .545

0

Pts W’s R/Us Avg. RT

Starting Line W-L (pct.)

Redlite W-L

Holeshot W-L

No. 1s

Avg. qual.

W-L Pct.

363 1 0.056 13-3-1 (.794) 1-0 0-0 0 4.60 9-4 .692

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

ANTRON

BROWN

353 0 0.059 12-5 (.406) 1-0 0-0 2 2.20 8-5 .615

1

Totals

Playoffs

TONY

SCHUMACHER

410 0 0.063 14-5 (.737) 0-0 0-0 2 2.60 8-5(y) .615

2

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

LARRY

DIXON

249 0 0.062 7-8-1 (.469) 0-0 0-0 0 7.25 (1) 6-4 .600

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

SHAWN

LANGDON

324 0 0.052 15-2-1 (.861) 0-0 0-1 0 5.60 7-5 .583

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

SPENCER

MASSEY

264 1 0.056 8-3 (.727) 0-0 1-0 0 11.60 5-4 .556

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

MORGAN

LUCAS

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

505 3 0.071 10-12-1 (.457) 0-0 1-0 1 5.00 15-2(x) .82

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs DEL

WORSHAM

Top Fuel

244 0 0.086 4-6 (.400) 0-0 0-0 0 5.00 3-5 .375

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

BRANDON

BERNSTEIN

Qualifying average does not include DNQs (identified in parentheses); x-won Four-Wide Nationals; y-runner-up at Four-Wide Nationals

DOUG

KALITTA

Regular Season

202 0 0.071 4-7 (.364) 0-0 0-0 0 10.6 2-5 .286

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

STEVE

TORRENCE

247 0 0.075 9-5 (.643) 0-0 0-0 0 8.20 3-5 (y) .375

1

244 0 0.076 8-3 (.727) 1-0 0-0 0 9.80 4-5 .444

0



Redlite W-L

Holeshot W-L

No. 1s

Avg. qual.

W-L Pct.

399 1 0.085 7-11 (.389) 0-0 1-1 0 3.60 10-4 .714

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

MIKE

NEFF

381 2 0.074 11-6 (.647) 0-0 2-0 0 6.20 10-3 .769

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

ROBERT

HIGHT

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs RON

CAPPS

322 0 0.065 8-5 (.615) 0-0 0-1 1 2.80 6-5 .545

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

CRUZ

PEDREGON

299 1 0.084 9-4 (.692) 0-0 0-0 0 11.60 7-4 .636

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs JEFF

AREND

281 0 0.084 7-5 (.583) 0-0 0-2 3 3.00 4-5 .4244

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

JOHN

FORCE

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs BOB

TASCA

234 0 0.108 0-9 (.000) 0-0 0-0 0 6.50 (1) 4-4 .500

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

JOHNNY

GRAY

296 0 0.074 8-5 (.615) 0-0 1-1 1 6.40 6-5 .545

1

Regular Season

MATT

HAGAN

Funny Car

Totals

Playoffs

Qualifying average does not include DNQs (identified in parentheses); x-won Four-Wide Nationals; y-runner-up at Four-Wide Nationals

363 1 0.072 14-4 (.778) 0-0 1-0 0 6.20 8-4 (x) .667

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

JACK

BECKMAN



Redlite W-L

Holeshot W-L

No. 1s

Avg. qual.

W-L Pct.

342 1 0.050 5-9 (.357) 0-0 0-0 1 2.25 (1) 8-3 .727

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

MIKE

EDWARDS

389 0 0.026 14-6-1 (.690) 0-1 1-0 0 7.00 10-5(y) .667

2

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

GREG

STANFIELD

213 0 0.062 1-7 (.125) 1-0 0-1 1 6.25(1) 3-4 .429

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

RONNIE

HUMPHREY

371 1 0.036 7-11 (.389) 0-1 0-2 0 4.60 8-4(x) .667

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

GREG

ANDERSON

253 0 0.134 2-9 (.182) 0-0 0-1 0 6.20 4-5 .444

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs RON

KRISHER

367 1 0.022 13-6-1 (.675) 4-0 2-0 0 8.60 10-4 .714

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

VNICENT

NOBILE

278 0 0.035 9-3-1 (.731) 2-0 1-0 1 7.40 5-5 .500

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

ERICA

ENDERS

DNQs in parentheses after qualifying avg.; x-won Four-Wide Nationals; y-runner-up at Four-Wide Nationals

Pro Stock

390 2 0.035 4-9-1 (.321) 0-1 1-0 1 4.40 10-3 .769

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

JASON

LINE

316 0 0.031 6-6 (.500) 0-2 0-2 1 5.60 5-5 .500

1

Regular Season

RODGER

BROGDON

Totals

Playoffs

215 0 0.029 7-4 (.636) 0-0 0-1 0 4.60 2-5 .286

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

ALLEN

JOHNSON



Redlite W-L

Holeshot W-L

No. 1s

Avg. qual.

W-L Pct.

202 1 0.059 3-4 (.429) 2-0 0-0 0 5.00 6-1 .857

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

EDDIE

KRAWIEC

184 1 0.019 3-3 (.500) 0-0 0-0 0 3.00 5-1 .833

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

ANDREW

HINES

179 0 0.029 3-4 (.429) 0-1 0-0 0 3.00 5-2 .714

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

KAREN

STOFFER

88 0 0.041 1-3 (.333) 0-1 0-0 0 8.00 1-2 .333

0

Totals

Regular Season

MATT

SMITH

116 0 0.019 2-2 (.500) 0-1 0-0 1 3.50 2-2 .500

0

Regular Season

LE

TONGLET

107 0 0.014 3-1 (.750) 2-1 0-0 0 6.50 2-2 .500

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

GERALD

SAVOIE

105 0 0.023 3-1 (.750) 0-0 0-0 0 9.00 2-2 5.00

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

SHAWN

GANN

141 0 0.080 2-2 (.500) 1-0 0-0 1 2.50 2-2 .500

0

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

HECTO

R

ARANA

P.S. Bike

Playoffs

Totals

Playoffs

* = Four riders t-9

82 0 0.034 2-1 (.667) 1-0 0-0 0 15.00 1-2 .333

0

Totals

Regular Season

STEVE

JOHNSON

Playoffs

107 0 0.041 1-3 (.250) 0-0 0-0 0 5.00(1) 3-1 .750

1

Totals

Regular Season

Playoffs

MICHAEL

PHILLIPS

Career Wins (Sorted by Class)

DRIVER WINS 1. Tony Schumacher 67

2. Larry Dixon 60

3. Joe Amato (*) 52


5. Don Garlits (*) 35

6. Cory McClenathan (**) 34

7. Doug Kalitta 32

8. Gary Scelzi (**) 25

9. Gary Beck (*) 19

10t. B. Bernstein, Muldowney (*),

Gwynn (*) 18

* retired; ** inactive

TOP FUEL

DRIVER WINS 1. John Force 132

2. Tony Pedregon 43

3. Don Prudhomme (*) 35

4t. Kenny Bernstein (*) 30

4t. Ron Capps 30

6. Cruz Pedregon 28

7. Del Worsham (***) 25

8t. Whit Bazemore (**) 20

8t. Robert Hight 20

10t. McCulloch (*), Oswald (*) 18

* retired ** inactive

*** currently competing in TF

FUNNY CAR

DRIVER WINS 1. Warren Johnson 97


3. Greg Anderson 66

4. Jeg Coughlin (**) 52

5. Kurt Johnson 39

6. Mike Edwards 29

7. Darrell Alderman (*) 28

8. Lee Shepherd (*) 26

9. Jim Yates (**) 25

10. Jason Line 23

* retired

** inactive

PRO STOCK

DRIVER WINS 1. Dave Schultz (*) 45

2. Angelle Sampey (*) 41

3. John Myers (*) 33

4. Matt Hines (*) 30

5t. Terry Vance (*) 24

5t. Andrew Hines 24

7. Antron Brown (***) 16

8. Craig Treble 14

9. Matt Smith 12

10. Eddie Krawiec 8


*** currently competing in TF

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Career Wins, No. 1s (All Classes)

DRIVER WINS 1. John Force 132

2. Warren Johnson 97




6. Greg Anderson 66

7. Larry Dixon 60

8t. Joe Amato (*) 52

8t. Jeg Coughlin (**) 52



ALL-TIME WINS, ALL CLASSES

DRIVER No. 1s 1. Warren Johnson 138

2. John Force 137


4. Greg Anderson 73



7. Joe Amato (*) 56


9. Larry Dixon 49

10. Angelle Sampey (*) 45

* retired

ALL-TIME No. 1s, ALL CLASSES

Streak Years with at Driver Start least 1 win 1. G. Anderson, PS 2001 11 2. Schumacher, TF 2002 9* 3. Jason Line, PS 2004 8 4. A. Hines, PSM 2004 8

* Still needs win in 2011 to continue streak.

� This is the ultimate good news-bad news fraternity: you have to win a lot of races to gain entry but just the same it’s a list you will celebrate getting off of (Only active drivers after Top 7):

Streaks, lists, etc. …

CONSECUTIVE SEASONS, AT LEAST ONE WIN

WINNINGEST DRIVERS, NO CHAMPIONSHIP

CAREER WINNING PCT. (active, min. 100)

Driver Final Rounds (1st win) 1. Bob Vandergriff Jr. 12 2t. John Force 9 (Montreal 1997) 2t. Scott Geoffrion 9 (Memphis 1993) 4. Tony Schumacher 8 (Dallas 1999) 5. Dave Grubnic 7 (Topeka 2005) 6t. Gary Densham 6 (Memphis 2001) 6t. Steve Johnson 6 (St. Louis 2004) 6t. Rickie Smith 6 (Sonoma 1993) 6t. Eddie Krawiec 6 (Atlanta, 2009) 9t. Morgan Lucas 5 (Atlanta, 2009) 9t. Mark Pawuk 5 (Houston 1992), 9t. Jim Yates 5 (Brainerd 1994) 9t. Jim Bernard 5 (Indy 1991)

MOST CAREER FINAL ROUNDS BEFORE FIRST WIN

Driver (Final ’10 rank) Round Rec. Pct. 1. Greg Anderson (1) 491-184 .727 2. John Force (2) 1086-422 .720 3. Tony Schumacher (3) 558-245 .695 4. Andrew Hines (5) 240-110 .686 5. Larry Dixon (6) 607-298 .671 6. Eddie Krawiec (8) 116-60 .659 7. Warren Johnson (7) 869-470 .649 8. Jason Line (10) 268-147 .646 9. Antron Brown (9) 352-194 .645 10. Robert Hight (12) 196-117 .626

Career Best Driver Wins Finish(es) 1. K. Johnson, PS 39 2nd (93, 00, 03, 05) 2. McClenathan, TF 34 2nd (92, 95, 97, 98) 3. D. Kalitta, TF 32 2nd (03, 04, 06) 4. R. Capps, FC/TF 31 2nd (98, 00, 05) 5. D.Worsham, FC/TF 28 2nd (2004) 6. A. Brown, PSM/TF 26 2nd (2001, 06) 7t. McCulloch FC/TF 22 2nd (1990) 7t. M. Dunn FC/TF 22 3rd (1991) 7t. D. Connolly PS 22 3rd (2004, 06, 07) 9. B. Bernstein, TF 18 3rd (2004, 06, 07)

* *

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End of R

egular S

eason *

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End of R

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eason *

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National

Records

Top Fuel — 3.770 sec. by Larry Dixon, February, 2011, Pomona, Calif.; 327.03 mph by Schumacher, February, 2011, Pomona, Calif.

Funny Car — 4.011 sec. by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’10, Reading, Pa.; 316.38 mph by Ashley Force Hood, March ’10, Concord, N.C.

Pro Stock — 6.495 sec. by Rodger Brogdon, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

PS Motorcycle — 6.777 sec. by Hector Arana, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

TOP FUEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Del Worsham 4 1 1 1 1

Larry Dixon 5 4t 4 2 2

Antron Brown 3 6 2 3 3

Tony Schumacher 6 2 3 4 4

Spencer Massey 7 7 5 5 5

Doug Kalitta 8 9 9 7 6

Morgan Lucas 1 4t 6 8 7

Shawn Langdon 2 3 7 6 8

Brandon Bernstein 10t 11 8 9 9

Steve Torrence 10t 8 10 10 10

FUNNY CAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Mike Neff 3 1 3 2 1

Robert Hight 1 3 1 1 2

Jack Beckman 10t 5 6 3 3

Cruz Pedregon 5 4 2 4 4

Jeff Arend 8 7 8 10 5

Matt Hagan 2 2 4 5 6

John Force 6t 9 9 7 7

Bob Tasca 14t 10 11 8 8

Ron Capps 4 6 7 9 9

Johnny Gray 9 8 5 6 10

PRO STOCK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Jason Line 1 1 1 2 1

Greg Stanfield 2 3 2 3 2

Greg Anderson 3 2 3 1 3

Vincent Nobile 8 10 5 5 4

Mike Edwards 17t 11t 4 4 5

Rodger Brogdon 14t 4 6 8 6

Erica Enders 5 6 7 6 7

Ron Krisher 6 5 8 7 8

Allen Johnson 9 11t 10 9 9

Ronnie Humphrey 4 9t 11 11 10

P.S. BIKE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Eddie Krawiec 1 1

Andrew Hines 5 2

Karen Stoffer 3 3

Hector Arana 2 4

LE Tonglet 4 5

Phillips 17t 6

Gerald Savoie 7t 7

Shawn Gann 7t 8

Matt Smith 6 9

St. Johnson 13t 10

Follow the Leader Points position after each race; Bold = won race.

Q. Kurt, good reaction time, ran well in Gainesville. Do you have any thoughts on what you might like to see one day, some of the things you liked about the NHRA experience from the fan perspec-tive maybe somehow be inte-grated into the NASCAR experi-ence? KURT BUSCH: Well, it was such

a great time that I had there with the

fans. The sponsors, the way they get

their solid advertising in the NHRA

world is with the open paddock. A lot of

times you see the way that fans can inter-

act with the midway gains, the grand-

stands are right there. You file out of the

grandstands, then you have the perfect

pit-area-type atmosphere. It's easy that

way because all the cars are towed

through the pits. Nobody really drives

through like we do with our garage area

where there's the hot pit area. That's the

biggest difference that I see.

But one thing that's awesome about

what NASCAR is moving forward with,

with the new garage areas, such as what

we have out in Las Vegas with the neon

garage, is an interactive atmosphere to

get the fans more connected with the

action. That's what NHRA does, and

that's what Vegas has done with the neon

garage, as well as Daytona with their

new garage area.

It's just a matter of putting the ac-

tion right in front of the fans. I think

that's the most important key element

between the two different series.

Q. With the good reaction times you had out there on the drag strip, do you think that might help you when you get the green flag? KURT BUSCH: Well, that's one

thing I've been joking around with. Hon-

estly, I feel like it has helped me. I've

been going through the different training

processes through the NHRA Drag Rac-

ing school with Roy Hill. And that has

helped me I think on the Cup Series, just

feeling the 800 horsepower that we have

with the Cup cars, versus the 1400 with a

Pro Stocker.

But it's been great just to feel the

rear tires, try not to slip them on restarts,

hopefully that will help me on the short

tracks, Bristol, Martinsville, Richmond,

even our road courses where we're trying

to put down that good forward bite.

Q. Usually the NASCAR race, you're in the car for several hours. What was it like at the Gatorna-tionals to work all day and then have your day completely end in six or seven seconds? KURT BUSCH: Well, that's the

big difference in drag racing versus

NASCAR. The way that things are set

up, you're a hero or you're a zero in drag

racing. When you have luck on your

side, you hope that you continue to ad-

vance through the rounds. But you know

ultimately it can come to an end right

away.

For us to go into Sunday, it was an

accomplishment to qualify. At the same

time, the expectations were to advance,

but knowing we could get beat right

away.

The satisfaction of the whole event

to me was after the first round, yes, we

were eliminated. I think it was an honor-

able defeat. It was a respectable defeat,

a loss we can hold our heads up about.

When you look at the first round of the

eight matches, we would have been beat

half the field after our first round with

reaction time and elapsed time.

It was something that the left lane

was handicapped a little bit with the grip.

Not many guys ran very well in the left

lane. That's the thing. You want to be in

the top half of the ladder so you have

lane choice.

There's so many little things that go

into drag racing, it's very easy to chair

quarterback it, look at what we did

wrong. All in all, I thought it was a great

weekend with our Shell Dodge in the Pro

Stocker.

Q. Was it strange to walk away after only six seconds? KURT BUSCH: That's the part of

drag racing that is difficult to explain,

but it's just part of the sport. You have

the opportunity to get beat at any given

moment. Your day can start and end just

as quickly.

Q. Can you tell us what it's like to take a run, hitting the throttle, staging all that stuff? KURT BUSCH: It's an amazing

feeling. You're sitting in the staging

lanes trying to go through your head on

what you have to do to do the burnout, to

stage the car, shift it properly going

down the racetrack.

When they pull you up there, you

fire the engine up. If you don't have lane

choice, you wait to see what lane you're

going to get. There's little differences in

between each side on what you have to

look at when you look at the Christmas

tree.

Doing the burnout, you have to set

the line lock at 1200 pounds on the brake

pressure. You actually start the burnout

in third gear, hit fourth gear, hit fifth

gear. You're actually wide open in fifth

gear during the burnout, which is pretty

intense.

You have to slow the car down after

the burnout properly, put your tire right

back in the same marks where you did

your burnout. Just a very small margin

of error that you're dealing with. You

have to get everything just exactly right.

I feel like in drag racing you have

the perfect run to start with. It's just how

you execute is how many hundredths or

thousandths of a second that you lose

during your run. Whether you're steering

the car too much, whether you're off a

little bit on your line, (cont’d next page)

Excerpts from Kurt Busch NASCAR Teleconference

March 16, 2011

Excerpts from Kurt Busch NASCAR Teleconference

March 16, 2011

whether you hit your shift marks exactly

perfect, it's a tough game.

Reaction time of course is one of

the most important elements. You have

to go right when you have to hit that

mark just right on the Christmas tree.

Q. Wanted to find out what the reaction was from the other drivers in the NHRA? Did they like to see you there, have any ques-tions? What was that like? KURT BUSCH: It was an incredi-

ble experience. Everybody was welcom-

ing us into their group. The fraternity of

drivers was encouraging us, offering

advice, trying to help us. It was really a

unique feeling to be the new guy but also

to be the one with the notoriety from the

Sprint Cup Series, and the excitement

level for the energy of everybody there.

I mean, even Jason Line, the guy

that's won so far this year, came up to me

and said, Thank you for being part of our

division and shedding light on the Pro

Stock division.

I said, Wow, I'm just little ol' me.

He said, You come with a lot more

weight than you know, and anything you

need, I'm here for advice.

It was great to see everything come

full circle.

Q. On the flipside, what was the feeling like for you being a rookie again? KURT BUSCH: It was that exact

feeling. It reminded me of when I was in

the Truck Series, switching over into

Cup, not being familiar with any of the

surroundings, just learning each day

what the schedule meant, how to interact

with the time that we had with the crew.

Of course with the fans, it was great.

Just an overall positive experience

and something I'm very proud of with

putting the team together myself, full

group of volunteers, and teaming up with

Alan Johnson and those Mopar guys. It

was a unique experience all the way

around.

Q. You spent some time with some NHRA legends in Gainesville like 'Big Daddy' and John Force. What was that like? What do champions like you talk about to other champions? KURT BUSCH: Well, I was just

humbled to have the opportunity to share

the stage with those legends, what

they've done in the drag racing world

will never be equaled. It might be, but

those were definitely the top of the top.

To be mixed in with them, to have that

notoriety, it was an unbelievable experi-

ence.

I'm just the new guy racing Pro

Stock, but look at the cars you guys have

driven. Look at the crazy things you

drag racers have done over the years.

Primarily 'Big Daddy', with no safety

hardly in mind back in the day. It was

just go as fast as you can go. The side

effects they would deal with later. With

John Force, being 61 years old, still win-

ning championships, having his near-

fatal crash three years ago. The safety

things he's implemented into their sport

the past few years.

It's amazing to sit there and listen to

their stories and be compared to them, to

share the stage. I'm just beside myself.

It was just an overall grand experience

that I will never forget.

The opportunity I had to go out

there and be competitive, I just have to

thank Dodge and Shell for giving me that

chance to go and play.

Q. Tony Stewart and Tony Schumacher with the Top Fuel Army Dragster, Tony puts that on his bucket list of things to do. Would you ever jump into one of those things? KURT BUSCH: Anytime you get

a chance to drive one of these cars in the

Pro division, it's an experience. It's defi-

nitely in the bucket list of mine to jump

into a Fuel car or Nitro car and do what

they call take a squirt, which is basically

you launch off the line, go about maybe

330 feet, let off. Just to feel that five Gs

of adrenaline off a launch.

I encourage them to go out and do

it. Schumacher is a great guy. I'm

friends with Larry Dixon, the old snake

Don Prudhomme, and guys like Don

Schumacher have definitely reached out

for me. Really neat to have an experi-

ence to talk with these guys.

Q. We know how introductions go at Cup races. There's a lot of cheering, a lot of booing. Were you a little surprised, did you hear any booing when any of the NHRA pros were introduced? KURT BUSCH: No, not at all. It

was all cheers for everybody. Talking

with some of the big executives at

NHRA, back in the day they used to do

an NHRA versus NASCAR softball

game. I believe it was for charity. There

was quite a bit of excitement around it.

You'd hear the NASCAR guys come up.

There would be the yeas and the nays.

Then you would hear the NHRA guys

and there would be an applause. It

wouldn't be as loud, but everybody

would applaud.

That's the difference in the NHRA

world, to hear everybody get congratu-

lated on their effort. The fans were

abuzz on how we were doing. We strug-

gled on Friday, showed good results on

Saturday.

In the end it seemed like the general

consensus was, ‘Hey, he really put a full

effort into this, they did a great job, we're

happy for them.’ I think that happens for

everybody that puts a great effort in the

NHRA world because it's very difficult

just to make a race and then you're a hero

or a zero at that level because you can be

eliminated quick. Great fan reaction

down in Gainesville.

ATLANTA, GA

Junior Pippin (Conyers)

Kurt Johnson, Lawrenceville (CR, S)

Warren Johnson, Buford (CR)

BIRMINGHAM, AL

Steve Johnson, Birmingham (CR, S)

CHARLOTTE, NC

TEAM: KB RACING (Mooresville)

TEAM: CAGNAZZI RACING (Mooresville)

TEAM: MIKE EDWARDS MOTORSPORTS (Mooresville)

TEAM: GRAY RACING (Mooresville)

TEAM: MOTORCRAFT/TASCA RACING (Concord)

Greg Anderson, Mooresville (CR, S)

Jason Line, Troutman (CR, S)

Matt Smith, King (CR, S)

Angie Smith, King (CR, S)

DENVER

Melanie Troxel, Denver (HT)

DETROIT

TEAM: KALITTA MOTORSPORTS

Doug Kalitta, Mt. Clemens (HT, CR)

FLORIDA

Hector Arana, Miami (HT)

Hector Arana Jr., Miami (HT)

ILLINOIS

Tony Schumacher, Long Grove/Chicago (CR)

Tim Wilkerson, Springfield (HT, CR, S)

TJ Zizzo, Lincolnshire (HT, CR, S)

INDIANAPOLIS

TEAM: DON SCHUMACHER RACING

TEAM: JOHN FORCE RACING

TEAM: KENNY BERNSTEIN RACING

TEAM: LUCAS OIL RACING

TEAM: PEDREGON RACING

TEAM: VANCE & HINES RACING

TEAM: AL-ANABI RACING

Larry Dixon, Avon (CR)

Andrew Hines, Brownsburg (CR)

Morgan Lucas, Brownsburg (CR)

Cory McClenathan, Brownsburg (CR)

Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg (CR)

Tony Pedregon, Brownsburg (CR)

Brandon Bernstein, Brownsburg (CR)

Eddie Krawiec, Avon (CR)

Antron Brown, Brownsburg (CR)

Shawn Langdon, Brownsburg (CR)

Melanie Troxel, Avon (CR)

Hector Arana, Milltown (CR)

Craig Treble, Brownsburg (CR)

LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTY, CA

TEAM: JOHN FORCE RACING (Yorba Linda)

TEAM: COPART RACING (Lake Forest)

John Force, Yorba Linda (HT, CR, S)

Robert Hight, Yorba Linda (CR, S)

Del Worsham, Chino Hills (HT, CR, S)

Jeff Arend, San Dimas (HT, CR)

Jack Beckman, San Fernando Valley (HT, CR)

Tony Pedregon, Torrance (HT)

Cruz Pedregon, Torrance (HT)

Larry Dixon, Van Nuys (HT)

Morgan Lucas, Riverside (HT)

Tony Schumacher, Conoga Park (HT)

Andrew Hines, Whittier (HT)

LOUISIANA

Erica Enders, New Orleans (CR)

Michael Phillips, Baton Rouge (HT/CR)

LE Tonglet, Metairie (HT/CR)

Craig Treble, New Orleans (CR)

MINNESOTA

Kurt Johnson, Virginia (HT)

Warren Johnson, Virginia (HT)

Greg Anderson, Duluth (HT)

Jason Line, Wright (HT)

NEW ENGLAND

Bob Tasca, Providence, R.I. (HT, CR)

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY

Antron Brown, Chesterfield (HT)

Eddie Krawiec, Englishtown (HT)

OHIO

Jim Head, Columbus (HT, CR)

Larry Morgan, Newark (CR)

Ron Krisher, Warren (HT, CR)

SAN DIEGO

Ron Capps, Carlsbad (HT, CR)

TENNESSEE/ARKANSAS

Allen Johnson, Greeneville, Tenn. (HT, CR)

Clay Millican, Memphis (HT, CR, S)

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA

Brandon Bernstein, Dallas (HT/Texas A&M)

Mike Edwards, Tulsa/Broken Arrow, Okla. (HT/CR)

Erica Enders, Houston (HT, S/Texas A&M)

Rodger Brogdon Tomball, Texas (HT/CR)

VIRGINIA

Matt Hagan, Christiansburg, Va. (HT, CR)

Drivers with “LOCAL” ties to Media Market(s) (alpha by market)

NOTE: Once you’ve found a driver or drivers of interest, flip to the next page. Find the Driver and you’ll find his/her contact person.

KEY ... HT: Hometown; CR: Current Residence; S: Home of Rac-ing Operation.

ANDERSON, GREG

Jon & Joanne Knapp

O: 704-662-3121

C: 704-906-4119

C: 704-907-8659

E: [email protected]

AREND, JEFF

Todd Myers

O: 734-544-7000

C: 901-301-4078


BECKMAN, JACK

Mike Geylin

O: 201-750-3533

C: 201-341-1099


BERNSTEIN, BRANDON

Susie Arnold

O: 951-303-2008

C: 949-637-2216


BROGDON, RODGER

Bob Unkefer

C: 816-803-1297


BROWN, ANTRON

Mike Geylin

O: 201-750-3533

C: 201-341-1099


CAPPS, RON

Mike Geylin

O: 201-750-3533

C: 201-341-1099


DIXON, LARRY

Rob Goodman

O: 336-299-4321

C: 336-209-9590


EDWARDS, MIKE

Lisa Edwards

O: 910-633-9223

C: 918-486-6453


ENDERS, ERICA

Lee Montgomery

C: 704-258-0903


FORCE, JOHN

Dave Densmore

O: 817-636-2060

C: 214-244-0008


GRAY, JOHNNY

Mike Geylin

O: 201-750-3533

C: 201-341-1099


GRAY, SHANE

Joanne Dawson

O: 815-678-3036

C: 815-341-2069


HAGAN, MATT

Mike Geylin

O: 201-750-3533

C: 201-341-1099


HIGHT, ROBERT

Elon Werner

O: 317-858-8900

C: 214-244-1184


HINES, ANDREW

Matt King

O: 414-343-7634

C: 414-236-9776 E: [email protected]

JOHNSON, ALLEN

Darren Jacobs

O: 248-553-4566

C: 313-530-9910


KALITTA, DOUG

Todd Myers

O: 734-544-7000

C: 901-301-4078


KRAWIEC, EDDIE

Matt King

O: 414-343-7634

C: 414-236-9776 E: [email protected]

LANGDON, SHAWN

Rob Geiger

O: 281-354-5769

C: 832-971-9345


LINE, JASON

Jon & Joanne Knapp

O: 704-662-3121

C: 704-906-4119

C: 704-907-8659


LUCAS, MORGAN

Rob Geiger

O: 281-354-5769

C: 832-971-9345


MASSEY, SPENCER

Mike Geylin

O: 201-750-3533

C: 201-341-1099


MILLICAN, CLAY

Terry Bassett

O: 704-293-7612

C: 704-895-7171


PEDREGON, CRUZ

Stacy Cooper

C: 317-903-2471


PEDREGON, TONY

Amy Okuhara

O: 303-858-9300


SCHUMACHER, TONY

Chris Dirato

O: 201-750-3533

C: 917-921-9070


STANFIELD, GREG

Joe Sherk

C: 360-981-4806


STOFFER, KAREN

Rob Geiger

O: 281-354-5769

C: 832-971-9345


TASCA, BOB

Lachelle Seymour

C: 630-780-7006


TONGLET, LE

Joe Sherk

C: 360-981-4806


TROXEL, MELANIE

Rob Geiger

O: 281-354-5769

C: 832-971-9345


WILKERSON, TIM

Bob Wilber

O: 651-739-0141

C: 651-295-9838


WORSHAM, DEL

Rob Goodman

O: 336-299-4321

C: 336-209-9590


ZIZZO, TJ

Brandon Mudd

C: 636-219-9676


PR Contacts for Full Throttle Series Drivers (alpha by driver)

NOTE: If you do not find the driver you’re looking for, contact an NHRA official. Use phone list on Cover.

NHRA AT THE NYSE | JUNE 10, 2009

Executives: Tom Compton, NHRA; Bea Perez, Coca-Cola; Ben Reiling, Coca-Cola; George Pyne, IMG; Marci Brand, BP/Castrol; Eric Vaden, Geico; Darryl Hazel, Ford; Timothy J. Gilmore, Matco. Drivers: Antron Brown, Ashley Force Hood, Bob Tasca, Eddie Krawiec, Karen Stoffer, Morgan Lucas, Tony Pedregon.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag

Racing Series, with more than 20

partners/sponsors listed on the New

York Stock Exchange, was invited

to perform the prestigious task of

ringing The Opening Bell on

Wednesday, June 10, 2009.

NHRA President Tom Compton

stood center stage on the podium

and was flanked by a host of drivers

and executives from among the

NYSE-listed companies.

In conjunction with The Opening

Bell, an NHRA Full Throttle Series

banner was hung on the façade of

the NYSE and several cars were

displayed during a driver fan fest.

NHRA Rings The Opening Bell

’11 C FULL N H R A THROTTLE SERIES - NHRA Mediamedia.nhra.com/countdown/gamenotes/medianotes.pdf · July 7-10 at Chicago 32nd MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS July 22-24 at Denver

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