SCHUMACHER
HIGHT AND LINE EARN NO 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT CHECKER SCHUCKS KRAGEN
NHRA NATIONALS
Story by NHRA
Photos by Jim Kelso, Les Welch & Joel Gelfand
CHANDLER,
Ariz. -- Four-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher raced to his 37th
career No. 1 qualifying position Saturday after covering Firebird
International Raceway's quarter-mile dragstrip in a track record time of
4.430 seconds -- the fourth quickest run in NHRA history.
Robert Hight and Jason Line also earned No. 1 qualifying honors at the
Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by Castrol, the second
of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Countdown to the
Championship. Sunday's eliminations start at 11 a.m. (MT), with
television coverage on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. (ET)
Saturday's drama came in the form of last-ditch qualifying efforts by
John Force and Doug Kalitta. With their class-leading qualifying streaks
hanging in the balance, both drivers managed to make the starting
lineups in their respective categories during the final session. Force
powered his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang to a 4.818 and Kalitta
posted a 4.547 in his Mac Tools dragster. Force has now qualified for
394 consecutive events, while Kalitta has reached 162 straight race
days.
Force's son-in-law Hight has yet to back up his 4.636 at 327.74 mph from
Friday evening to make it an official NHRA national record for his Auto
Club Ford Mustang, but it's still the quickest run ever recorded in the
Funny Car class and earned him his 16th career top qualifier award.
Force's daughter Ashley will start sixth after clocking a career-best
4.730-second run in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.
"John [Force] was really pumped up before that round," Hight said. "He
needs to quit waiting until the final session to qualify. We're all
running a new clutch combo that Jimmy (Prock, crew chief) and I tested
extensively in the off-season. John just started using it this weekend
and he was complaining it was hard to hold the clutch pedal in. I told
him Ashley didn't have any trouble with it. He'll be fine. It just takes
getting used to."
Tony Pedregon, who also has a shot at the national record if he can back
up his 4.659-second run, is second overall in his Q Racing Chevrolet
Monte Carlo.
Schumacher didn't improve on his track-record 4.430 at 328.22 mph from
Friday, but his 4.457 in Saturday's final session, the hottest round of
the weekend, proved his U.S. Army dragster is ready for the anticipated
race-day conditions.
