N H R A. Race 5 of 24 SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals April 10-13, 2008

Transcription

1 08 N H R A ountdown to the OWERade Series hampionship Race 5 of 24 SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals April 10-13, 2008 POWERade Series Schedule COUNTDOWN TO 10 (Regular Season) CARQUEST AUTO PAS WINTERNATIONALS Winners: Schumacher, Hight, Anderson CHECKER SCHUCK S KRAGEN NHRA NATIONALS Winners: Dixon, Beckman, Gaines ACDELCO NHRA GATORNATIONALS Winners: Schumacher, T. Pedregon, Coughlin, Guidera O REILLY NHRA SPRING NATIONALS Winners: Brown, Worsham, Anderson, Smith SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS April at Las Vegas SUMMIT RACING NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS April at Atlanta (PSM) O REILLY NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS May 2-4 at St. Louis (PSM) O REILLY NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS May at Bristol, Tenn. O REILLY NHRA SUMMER NATIONALS May 30-June 1 at Topeka, Kan. TORCO RACING FUELS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS June 5-8 at Chicago (PSM) NHRA SUPERNATIONALS June at Englishtown, N.J. (PSM) SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS June at Norwalk, Ohio (PSM) MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS July at Denver (PSM) SCHUCK S AUTO SUPPLY NHRA NATIONALS July at Seattle FRAM-AUTOLITE NHRA NATIONALS July at Sonoma, Calif. (PSM) LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS Aug at Brainerd, Minn. (PSM) TOYO TIRES NHRA NATIONALS Aug at Reading, Pa. (PSM) MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS Aug. 27-Sept. 1 at Indianapolis (PSM) COUNTDOWN TO 1 (Playoffs) NHRA CAROLINAS NATIONALS Sept at Charlotte, N.C. (PSM) O REILLY NHRA FALL NATIONALS Sept at Dallas (PSM) O REILLY NHRA MID-SOUTH NATIONALS Sept at Memphis, Tenn. (PSM) TORCO RACING FUELS NHRA NATIONALS Oct at Richmond, Va. ACDELCO LAS VEGAS NHRA NATIONALS Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at Las Vegas (PSM) AUTO CLUB NHRA FINALS Nov at Pomona (PSM) 2008 NHRA POWERADE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4 OF 24 RACES COMPLE: The Top 10 drivers after 18 races will advance to the Countdown to 1, the six-race playoff for the championship. will be reset for the playoffs in 10-point increments with the first-place driver(s) receiving a 20-point bonus. First place will have 2,090 points, second 2,060 and on down to 1,980 for 10th place. TOP FUEL Driver (Ws) Pts 1. T. Schumacher (2) Larry Dixon (1) Antron Brown (1) B. Bernstein C. McClenathan Rod Fuller Dave Grubnic Hillary Will Doug Herbert Morgan Lucas Doug Kalitta Vandergriff Jr Bradshaw J.R. Todd Bruce Litton -45 Just the Facts FUNNY CAR Driver (Ws) Pts 1. Cruz Pedregon J. Beckman (1) T. Pedregon (1) Robert Hight (1) Ashley Force John Force Gary Densham Tim Wilkerson Del Worsham (1) Jim Head T. Johnson Jr Gary Scelzi Mike Neff Bartone Capps, Toliver -26 Series: NHRA POWERade Series Format: Countdown to the Championship Race 4 of 24: SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals Track: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Defending SummitRacing.com Nat ls Winners TF: Bernstein; FC: Capps; PS: Anderson Track E.T. Records... TF: Schumacher (4.445 in Oct. 2006); FC: Hight (4.677 in Oct. 2006); PS: Line (6.705 in Oct. 2006); PSM: Ellis (7.023 in Oct. 2007). Track Speed Records... TF: D. Kalitta ( in April 2004); FC: M. Ashley ( in April 2007); PS: Connolly ( in Oct. 2007); PSM: Matt Hines ( in Oct. 2002). NHRA Communications ONSITE STAFF... Primary Contact: Brian Hacker, Secondary Contact: Lachelle Seymour, ALTERNATE CONTACTS Media Relations Dir: Anthony Vestal, Media Relations Mgr: Zak Elcock, Public Relations Mgr: Michael Padian, PRO STOCK Driver (Ws) Pts 1. G. Anderson (2) Jeg Coughlin (1) Jason Line Kurt Johnson Allen Johnson V Gaines (1) Warren Johnson Mike Edwards J. Humphreys Greg Stanfield Matt Hartford Johnny Gray Ron Krisher Jim Yates Kenny Koretsky -48 PSM Rider (Ws) Pts 1. Guidera (1) Matt Smith (1) A. Hines Chip Ellis Eddie Krawiec A. Sampey A. McBride 85 8t. Hector Arana 84 8t. Chris Rivas Karen Stoffer Shawn Gann -2 12t. Steve Johnson -5 12t. Ed. Murphy -5 12t. Junior Pippin Craig Treble -25 Countdown Quickies The Countdown to the Championship has undergone a couple of minor revisions in 2008: the regular season has increased from 17 to 18 races (11 to 12 for PSM); 10 drivers (vs. eight in 2007) will advance into the playoffs; the playoffs will consist of only one six-race round (five for PSM) vs. a 4- and 2-race round in 2007; and regular-season champions will receive a 20-point bonus heading into the playoffs so first-place will start the playoffs with 2,090, second with 2,060 on down to 1,980 for 10th place The last time NHRA was in Las Vegas, Ashley Force became the first female driver to reach a final round in Funny Car. She s still the only female driver to reach a final round in FC.

2 NHRA News & Notes Rose, Jabbar Force Great Milestones in Sport Below is a look at some of the all-time great milestones in sports, combining both excellence and longevity: Major League Baseball Pete Rose, 4,256 hits Cy Young, 511 wins NBA Kareem Abdul Jabbar, 38,387 pts NHL Wayne Gretzky, 2857 points NFL Dan Marino, 61,361 passing yds Emmitt Smith, 18,355 rushing yds Golf Jack Nicklaus, 18 majors In the annals of sports history, there are a handful of milestones that combine longevity and excellence, like Pete Rose reaching 4,000 base hits en route to the 4,256 he ended his career with, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar s 38,387 points. In the next month or so, you ll be able to add one more name to that select fraternity of all-time greats in sport who ve set the bar higher than any of the peers in their sport ever have or in most cases ever will. NHRA POWERade Series legend John Force, winner of an NHRArecord 125 races, has closed to within four round wins of 1,000 for his career. A driver can collect a maximum of four roundwins at a single race first round, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals and 50 round wins in a POWERade Series season is very comparable to 200 hits or 20 wins in baseball. So his feat is the rough equivalent of hit or 20-win seasons. With 996 round wins currently, the legendary driver of the Castrol GTX high Mileage Ford Mustang would need to win at the April SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals to accomplish the feat in Las Vegas. Anything short of a win in Las Vegas would prolong the historic milestone until at least the next event on the schedule, the April Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta. After that the Series heads for St. Louis and Bristol, Tenn. And once he gets to 1,000, then the march will continue on to his eventual retirement as he stacks more and more round wins on to his NHRA POWERade Series record. Where he ends his career is anyone s guess, but once he calls it quits, the question will become: Is this one of the so-called unbreakable records in sports? For now, let s look at the possibility of another driver reaching the 1,000- round win mark. The next closest driver to 1,000 is Warren Johnson, who has 846 round wins. Over the last five years, Warren has averaged just a tick under 20 round wins a season; at that pace the 64-year old driver of the GM Performance Pontiac GXP would have to race for eight more years to reach the 1,000-round-win mark. The next most likely driver to threaten the 1,000-round-win milestone is Greg Anderson, who has 367 rounds wins. But even if he is able to continue his remarkable five-year pace of a 57.6 round wins a season, he d not reach the 1,000-roundwin mark until the 2019 season. THE DRIVE FOR 500 Force is also closing in on another milestone and if he doesn t win in Las Vegas he could double up in Atlanta. Assuming he attends every race going forward, he will compete in his 500th career race at the 28th annual Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, April By the Numbers Career round wins for John Force. No driver has 996 ever won 1,000 rounds. 498 That s the race-winless 54 streak Del Worsham snapped with his win at the O Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals Career POWERade Series wins for Greg Anderson, whose win at the 2t annual O Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals moved him past Joe Amato and into solo fifth-place on the all-time wins list (Kenny Bernstein is fourth all-time with 69 wins). That s the number of female 1 drivers Ashley Force who have advanced to a final round in the ultra-competitive Funny Car class. 0.8 Career races for John Force (125 wins, 361 losses, 12 DNQs). That s the number of races in the POWERade Series regular season that precedes the 6-race playoff. That s the time it takes eight-tenths of a second for a Top Fuel dragster/ Funny Car to accelerate from mph. How points are earned Friday-Saturday Qualifying Racers earn 10 points for attempting to qualify PLUS 1-8 additional points if they successfully qualify into the 16-car field. for qualifying position are awarded as follows: Nos Nos Nos Nos Sunday Raceday Racers earn a minimum of 20 points PLUS 20 points for each round win: First-round loser 20 Advance to Quarters 40 Advance to Semis.60 Advance to Final Rd.80 Winner Point Bonus Racers can additionally earn 20 points by setting a national elapsed time record. The current national records are (TF), (FC), (PS) and (PSM).

3 The Quest for 1,000 The Countdown to 1,000 has begun for John Force, who needs just four more round wins to achieve the never-before-reached milestone of 1,000 career POWERade Series round wins. He can accomplish the feat by winning the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals April 13 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This special page takes a closer look at the path that John Force took to get to this point in his storied career, some interesting notebook items along the way, and where he has piled up his wins. The Milestone March WIN # ,000 DAILS Beat Tom Mongoose McEwen, first round, Cajun Nationals, Baton Rouge, La, June 1, 1979 (Wednesday night) Beat Brad Tuttle, first round, NorthStar Nationals, Brainerd, Minn., Aug. 21, 1988, race winner, Oldsmobile Firenza Beat Mike Dunn, semifinals, Summernationals, Englishtown, N.J., July 7, 1991, semifinalist, Oldsmobile Cutlass Beat Del Worsham, semifinals, 1992 Mopar Mile-High Nationals, Denver, Colo. (Runner-up) July 26, 1992, Oldsmobile Cutlass Beat Gordie Bonin, semifinals, Mid-South Nationals, Memphis, Tenn., May 16, 1993, race winner, Oldsmobile Cutlass Beat Dale Pulde, second round, Northwest Nationals, Seattle, Wash., August 6, 1995, race winner, Pontiac Formula Firebird Beat Ray Higley, second round, Castrol Nationals, Dallas, Texas, May 4, 1997, runner-up, Ford Mustang Beat Whit Bazemore, second round, Virginia is for Lovers Nationals, Richmond, Va., May 2, 1999, race winner, Ford Mustang Beat Tim Wilkerson, first round, 1999 Auto Club Finals, Pomona, Calif., Nov. 14, 1999, runner-up, Ford Mustang Beat Bob Gilbertson, first round, 2001 Toyo Tires Nationals, Reading, Pa., Oct. 7, 2001, race winner, Ford Mustang Beat Tim Wilkerson, semifinals, ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals, Las Vegas, Nev., Oct. 27, 2002, race winner, Ford Mustang Beat Whit Bazemore, first round, Summit Southern Nationals, Atlanta, Ga., May 15, 2005, race winner, Ford Mustang TBD Milestone Notes John has beaten 112 different drivers to achieve 996 round wins John has won 179 rounds versus NHRA world champions John has won 59 rounds against JFR teammates: Tony Pedregon, Eric Medlen, Ashley Force, Gary Densham and Robert Hight John has won rounds at 24 different racetracks John has won rounds in 18 different states John has won 21 rounds outside the U.S., all at Sanair Raceway, St. Pie, Quebec, Canada John has won 385 first-round races, 274 second round races, 200 semifinal races and 125 final-round races The most rounds won in a single season was 65 in 1996 The most consecutive rounds won by John Force was 21 beginning June 26, 1994 at Topeka, Kan., and concluding with a second-round loss to K.C. Spurlock at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis on Sept. 5, 1994 John has won 100 rounds at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., the most at any single track John has won 62 rounds in the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn., the most in any single event John won 33 consecutive first-round races beginning at Brainerd, Minn., on Aug. 20, 1995 and concluding with a loss to Cruz Pedregon at Columbus, Ohio, on June 15, 1997 Of his 996 round wins, 506 have come in a Ford Mustang John Force, World Tour NHRA icon John Force has collected 996 round-wins in 18 states (and Canada), led by the 149 has won in his home state of California: C A WA 44 NV 14 AZ 51 CO 47 KS 63 TX 113 MN 62 LA 11 IL 54 CANADA 21 IN 39 TN 54 OH 41 GA 56 PA 50 VA 22 FL 52 NJ 51

4 Follow the Leader position after each race; Bold = won race. TOP FUEL Tony Schumacher Larry Dixon Antron Brown 5 6 5t 3 Brandon Bernstein C. McClenathan Rod Fuller 7t Dave Grubnic t 7 Hillary Will Doug Herbert 7t 10t 10 9 Morgan Lucas FUNNY CAR Cruz Pedregon Jack Beckman 5t T. Pedregon 15t Robert Hight Ashley Force 3t 8t 9 5 John Force 3t Gary Densham 5t 8t 5 7 Tim Wilkerson Del Worsham 17t 20t 18 9 Jim Head 17t PRO STOCK Greg Anderson Jeg Coughlin Jason Line Kurt Johnson Allen Johnson V Gaines 9t Warren Johnson Mike Edwards 13t Justin Humphreys 7t Greg Stanfield 7t P.S. BIKE Matt Guidera 1 1 Matt Smith 3 2 Andrew Hines 2 3 Chip Ellis 4 4 E. Krawiec 5 5 Angelle Sampey 7 6 Angie McBride 6 7 Hector Arana 13t 8 Chris Rivas 8 9 Karen Stoffer 9 10 National Records Top Fuel sec. by Tony Schumacher, Nov. 06, Pomona, Calif.; mph by Schumacher, May 05, Columbus, Ohio Funny Car sec. by Tony Pedregon, Feb. 07, Chandler, Ariz.; mph by Jack Beckman, Nov. 06, Pomona, Calif. Pro Stock sec. by Greg Anderson, March 07, Gainesville, Fla.; mph by Jason Line, March 07, Gainesville, Fla. PS Motorcycle sec. by Angelle Sampey, June 07, Englishtown, N.J.; mph by Andrew Hines, March 05, Gainesville, Fla.

5 SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NAT LS RACE FACTS Brandon Bernstein (TF) picked up the first of his careerhigh five wins here last season. Greg Anderson (PS) has won a track-best six races here at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, including both races in Jeg Coughlin (PS) won the inaugural race here in 2000 en route to his first POWERade Series world championship. Larry Dixon (TF) has won this race three of the eight years its been run ( ), but not since In 2006, Melanie Troxel (then competing in Top Fuel) advanced to her NHRArecord fifth straight final round to start a season and she won the race. Not one of the 1 qualifiers from 2007 won the race. NHRA Satellite Feed Did you know SUMMITRACING.COM NATIONALS That the NHRA POWERade Series expanded from 23 to 24 races in 2008 with the addition of the Sept NHRA Carolinas Nationals at a brand new drag strip at Lowe s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. That NHRA drivers continue to show up in major mainstream media outlets. The most recent was Tony Pedregon, who walked away from a spectacular explosion at Auto Club Raceway Feb. 10 and talked about the experience with Matt Lauer on The Today Show on Tuesday, Feb. 12. That 2007 Rookie of the Year Ashley Force was listed as 10 in Yahoo! s Top Trends in Search for 2007 (sports news category). That John Force will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in Detroit on Aug. 13, Force will be inducted along with open-wheel great Michael Andretti and NASCAR legend Buddy Baker. That Tony Pedregon will be competing against the likes of John Salley and Eric Dickerson in the Pro/Celebrity race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sat. April 19. That Caterpillar, a Fortune 100 company, has begun a full-time presence in the POWERade Series in 2008 as both an NHRA Official Sponsor and title sponsor on Hot Rod Fuller s David Powers Motorsports-owned dragster. That NHRA-owned Gainesville Raceway unveiled a brand new state-of-the-art tower for the just-completed 39th annual ACDelco NHRA Nationals. Renovations projects are also underway at Reading and St. Louis. That Gary Scelzi has won a race at every race track on the NHRA POWERade Series tour except for Englishtown, Gainesville, Norwalk and the new track in Charlotte. Please NOTE: All times Contact: If you cannot find feed, call On-Site Contact on Cover. Fri., April 11: 10-10:30 p.m. (H2/12K, horizontal/analog) Sat., April 12: 11-11:30 p.m. (H2/12K, horizontal/analog) Sun., March 30: 11:30 - midnight (H2/12K, horizontal/analog) Quotable I dreamed about (winning a Top Fuel race) as a kid I keep asking myself, Am I really here? Antron Brown (Matco Tools dragster) The former Pro Stock Motorcycle driver, after his first career Top Fuel win at the O Reilly Spring Nat ls. * * * * * It used to be not that many years ago that you had one or two dominant cars. Now you have a world-class field of cars with all of the resources and talent. It s going to be a dogfight. Tony Pedregon (Q Racing Impala) On the ultra-competitive Funny Car class * * * * * It s every man for himself. Tommy Johnson Jr. (Monster Energy Dodge) On having to compete in the same class as his wife, Melanie Troxel, who made the jump from Top Fuel to Funny Car to team with Mike Ashley in * * * * * I know Vegas is going to bring back a lot of memories. I ve already gotten a message from (Eric Medlen s mom) Mimi that she s planning to be in Vegas and I know it would mean a lot to her if we could repeat our win there. Brandon Bernstein (Bud/Lucas Oil dragster) Bernstein earned his first win of 2007 at the Summit- Racing.com NHRA Nationals and he gave the trophy to the mother of his close friend, the late Eric Medlen. * * * * * We got away from that (take-no-prisoners attitude) when it became apparent we were gonna make the Countdown cutoff the problem is, you can t just snap your fingers and turn it back on. I learned a valuable lesson there and I ve got no one to blame but myself. Greg Anderson (Summit Racing Pontiac) On winning eight races in 2007, but finishing runner-up to Jeg Coughlin after a costly first-round loss at the Auto Club NHRA Finals. * * * * * It finally happened. Everything came together. I won t say it wasn t without a problem, but my dad (crew chief Chuck Worsham) made some great calls on the starting line. Del Worsham (CSK Chevy Impala) On his win at the 2008 O Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, which ended a 54-race winless streak dating back to the 2005 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.

6 Streaks, lists, etc. WINNINGEST DRIVERS, NO CHAMPIONSHIP 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 5): Career Best Driver Finish(es) 1. K. Johnson, PS 36 2 (93, 00, 03, 05) 2. D. Kalitta, TF 30 2 (03, 04, 06) 3. McClenathan, TF 29 2 (92, 95, 97, 98) 4. Capps, FC/TF 25 2 (98, 00, 05) 5t. Del Worsham, FC 22 2 (2004) 5t. McCulloch FC/TF 22 2 (1990) 5t. M. Dunn FC/TF 22 3 (1991) 8t. B. Bernstein, TF 17 3 (2004, 06, 07) 8t. A. Brown, PSM/TF 17 2 (2001, 06) 10. R. Hight, FC 9 2 (2006, 07) CONSECUTIVE SEASONS, AT LEAST ONE WIN Two of the six longest active streaks of winning at least one race per season ended in 2007 (Whit Bazemore 10 and Antron Brown 8). The list below identifies the longest active winning streaks: Streak Years with at Driver Start least 1 win 1. John Force, FC (thru 07) 2. Kurt Johnson, PS (thru 07) 3. A.Sampey, PSM (thru 07) 4. D. Kalitta, TF (thru 07) 5. G. Anderson, PS (thru 08) 6. Schumacher, TF (thru 08) 7t. Gary Scelzi, FC (thru 07) 7t. B. Bernstein, TF (thru 07) CAREER WINNING PCT. (active, min. 50) Driver ( 07 rank) Round Rec. 1. Greg Anderson (2t) John Force (2t) Angelle Sampey (1) Jeg Coughlin (6) Warren Johnson (4) Andrew Hines (13) Tony Schumacher (8) Gary Scelzi (7) Brandon Bernstein (11) Larry Dixon (9) MOST CAREER FINAL ROUNDS BEFORE FIRST WIN Driver Final Rounds (t 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) 9t. Morgan Lucas 5 9t. Mark Pawuk 5 (Houston 1992), Jim Yates 5 (Brainerd 1994) and Jim Bernard 5 (Indy 1991) Career (Sorted by Class) TOP FUEL DRIVER WINS 1. Joe Amato (*) Tony Schumacher Larry Dixon Kenny Bernstein (*) Don Garlits (*) Doug Kalitta Cory McClenathan Gary Scelzi (**) Gary Beck (*) 19 10t. Muldowney, Gwynn (*) 18 * retired ** currently competing in FC PRO STOCK DRIVER WINS 1. Warren Johnson Bob Glidden (*) Greg Anderson Jeg Coughlin Kurt Johnson Darrell Alderman (*) Lee Shepherd (*) Jim Yates Dave Connolly Bruce Allen (**) 16 * retired ** inactive Career, (All Classes) WINS DRIVER WINS 1. John Force Warren Johnson Bob Glidden (*) Kenny Bernstein (*) Greg Anderson Joe Amato (*) Don Prudhomme (*) Dave Schultz (*) Tony Schumacher Larry Dixon 42 * retired FUNNY CAR DRIVER WINS 1. John Force Tony Pedregon Don Prudhomme (*) Kenny Bernstein (*) Ron Capps Cruz Pedregon Del Worsham Whit Bazemore (**) 20 9t. Ed Ace McCulloch (*) 18 9t. Mark Oswald (*) 18 * retired ** inactive PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE DRIVER WINS 1. Dave Schultz (*) Angelle Sampey John Myers (*) Matt Hines (*) Terry Vance (*) Antron Brown (**) Andrew Hines Craig Treble Matt Smith Chip Ellis 5 * retired ** currently competing in TF 1 QUALIFIERS DRIVER 1. Warren Johnson John Force Bob Glidden (*) Kenny Bernstein (*) Greg Anderson Joe Amato (*) Don Prudhomme (*) Tony Schumacher Gary Scelzi Angelle Sampey 43 * retired

7 FOLLOW THE COUNTDOWN ON ESPN2HD The NHRA POWERade Series and ESPN2HD will once again partner to present all of the drama and excitement of the Countdown to the Championship, the NHRA championship deciding points format that made its debut in 2007 to rave reviews from fans, media, drivers and sponsors. ESPN2HD will be there every step of the way in 2008 with a crew that rivals any network crew in auto racing. Legendary auto racing play-by-play anchor Paul Page is joined by 22-time winner Mike Dunn in the booth, renowned racing reporter Gary Gerould handles interviews at the top end, and trackside ESPN2 added the experience of John Kernan to complement POWERade Series regular Dave Rieff, also the host of NHRA Race Day. Follow all of the excitement of the NHRA POWERade Series Countdown to the Championship on ESPN2HD. RACE QUALIFYING COVERAGE RACEDAY COVERAGE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP (ALL TIMES EASTERN) CARQUEST Winternationals Feb. 9 at 8-10 p.m. Feb. 10 at 7:30-11 p.m. CSK Nationals Feb. 24 at 2-3:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at 7-10 p.m. ACDelco Gatornationals March 15 (late night) at 1-3 a.m. March 16 at 6-9 p.m. O Reilly Spring Nationals March 29 at 4:30-5 & p.m. March 30 at 4:30-7 p.m. Summitracing.com Nationals April 12 at 8-10 p.m. April 13 at 8-11 p.m. Summit Racing Southern Nat ls April 26 at 6-8 p.m. April 27 at 7-10 p.m. O Reilly Midwest Nationals May 3 at 9-11 p.m. May 4 at 7-10 p.m. O Reilly Thunder Valley Nat ls May 17 at 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 18 at 6:30-10 p.m. O Reilly Summer Nationals May 31 at 5:30-8 p.m. June 1 at 4-7 p.m. Torco Route 66 Nationals June 7 at 5-7 p.m. June 8 at 5-7 p.m. NHRA SuperNationals June 21 at 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. June 22 at 7-10 p.m. Summit Racing Nationals June 28 at 10 p.m.-midnight June 29 at 7-10 p.m. Mopar Mile-High Nationals July 12 at 10 p.m.-midnight July 13 at 8-11 p.m. Schuck s Auto Supply Nationals July 19 at 8-9 p.m. July 20 at 9 p.m.-midnight FRAM-Autolite Nationals July 26 at 6-7:30 p.m. July 27 at 7-10 p.m. Lucas Oil Nationals Aug. 9 at 8:30-10:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at 7-10 p.m. Toyo Tires Nationals Aug. 16 at 6-8 p.m. Aug. 17 at 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Aug. 31 at 12:30-1:30 a.m., 12-2, 5-7 p.m. Sept. 1 at 12-2 & 7-10 p.m. Carolinas Nationals Sept. 13 at 5-7 p.m. Sept. 14 at 7-10 p.m. O Reilly Fall Nationals Sept. 20 at 10 p.m.-midnight Sept. 21 at 7-10 p.m. O Reilly Mid-South Nationals Sept. 27 at 10 p.m.-midnight Sept. 28 at 7-10 p.m. Torco Racing Fuels Nationals Oct. 11 at midnight-1 a.m. Oct. 12 at 7-10 p.m. ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals Nov. 1 at 10 p.m.-midnight Nov. 2 at 7-10 p.m. Auto Club of SC Finals Nov. 15 at 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Nov. 16 at 8-11 p.m.

8 Countdown to the Championship UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Frequently Asked Questions Q: The points races in the last two years before the Countdown were as close and dramatic and exciting as you could ask for so why change your points system? A: History indicates clearly that the tight points races occurred in spite of the old system, not because of it. In the top three classes that run full schedules (Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock), only five times (out of 21) in this decade (pre- Countdown) has the final championship margin been less than 100 points. And the average margin of victory is even more telling: The average margin of victory from in each class follows: Top Fuel: Funny Car: Pro Stock: Viewing the enormous fan interest sparked by the Funny Car race of 2005 and the Top Fuel race in 2006 against the backdrop of the historical unlikelihood of it occurring, the last two years actually make an argument for a change to the points system, not against a change in the points system. * * * * * Q: What incentive will racers eliminated from the Countdown have to enter the final six races? A: It s important to begin by noting that being eliminated from championship contention, while more formalized in the Countdown format, is not a new phenomenon no team outside the Top 8 heading into Indy has ever won a championship. As to the incentive, there is no historical evidence of a decline in entries (in past years when teams have been eliminated from championship contention) as racers are still competing to win the race, to prepare for the next season, to represent their sponsor and of course to play spoiler. As it relates to the latter two, they will actually have more incentive under the Countdown format than ever before because there will be a significantly increased chance to play spoiler, to line up against a racer in contention for the championship, than ever before. And that will translate into a significantly increased opportunity for exposure for cars/sponsors that are out of contention for a championship than ever before. Whereas there were two or three teams still in championship contention after Labor Day under the old format, with the Countdown there will be 10 racers in contention from races and still four in contention over the final three races. So it follows that there is a two- to three-fold greater likelihood, under the Countdown format, to be involved in one of the most critical and/or most spotlighted races. So the opportunity for cars out of championship contention to generate return on sponsorship dollars and the incentive to enter the final seven races is actually heightened under the Countdown format. * * * * * Q: After Indianapolis, you have drivers who are out of contention racing against drivers who are still alive for the championship. This seems unfair. A: If you really examine the Countdown format, this is a problem that is actually addressed and in part solved by the Countdown. There will actually be more drivers in contention at least 10 in every class and therefore fewer races between contenders and noncontenders than there have been in past years when there were fewer teams in championship contention this late in the year. Funny Car veteran Ron Capps, who was in contention each of the two years preceding the format change, and had to race against drivers not in contention, pointed to the Countdown s format as a significant means to the end of actually solving this problem. What You Need to Know The Countdown to the Championship will allow more drivers than ever before to legitimately compete for an NHRA POWERade Series world championship, providing significantly more exposure for more race teams. The final 6 races will include full fields in a traditional elimination format. How it Works The Countdown to the Championship is composed of two distinct tiers called the Countdown to 10, an 18-race regular season, and the Countdown to 1, a six-race playoff. The Countdown to 10 is an 18-race regular season in which the full-field of drivers in each pro category is reduced to 10 who advance to the playoffs and remain eligible for the 2008 POWERade Series world championship. These top 10 drivers in each class will have their points adjusted in 10- point increments with the first-place driver receiving a 20-point or one-round bonus for winning the regular season. The first-place driver will begin the playoffs with 2,090 points followed by 2,060 for second on down to 1,980 for 10th place. The regular season began at the CAR- QUEST Auto Parts Winternationals Feb in Pomona and will end at the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. The Countdown to 1 is a six-race championship round in which the field of 10 remaining drivers eligible for the championship is reduced to 1, the POWERade Series world champion. The six races to crown the champion will begin with the NHRA Carolinas Nationals Sept and be followed in order by: the O Reilly Fall Nationals Sept at Dallas, the O Reilly Mid-South Nationals Sept at Memphis, the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals Oct at Richmond, Va., the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals Oct Nov. 2 at Las Vegas and the Auto Club Finals Nov at Pomona. No driver outside the Top 10 heading to Indy has ever won a championship. The average margin of victory from 2000 through 2006 in the NHRA POWERade Series top three classes (excluding PSM) was points.

9 Top Fuel 2008 Countdown to the Championship Raceday Stats 1. TONY SCHUMACHER U.S. Army dragster LARRY DIXON U.S. Smokeless dragster ANTRON BROWN Matco Tools dragster BRANDON BERNSTEIN Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster CORY MCCLENATHAN FRAM Dragster ROD FULLER Caterpillar dragster DAVE GRUBNIC Kalitta Motorsports dragster HILLARY WILL KB Racing dragster DOUG HERBE SnaponFranchise.com dragster MORGAN LUCAS Lucas Oil dragster (1) BEST OF THE REST 11. DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools dragster 144 (-4) (1) BOB VANDERGRIFF, UPS dragster 125 (-23) (1) NOTE: qualifying number does not include DNQ s (DNQ s in parentheses); Avg includes all winning runs and runs under power.

10 Funny Car 2008 Countdown to the Championship Raceday Stats 1. CRUZ PEDREGON Advance Auto Parts Chevy Imp JACK BECKMAN Valvoline/MTS Dodge Charger TONY PEDREGON Q Horsepower Chevy Impala ROBE HIGHT Auto Club Ford Mustang (1) ASHLEY FORCE Castrol GTX Ford Mustang (1) JOHN FORCE Castrol GTX Ford Mustang GARY DENSHAM Racebricks Chevy Impala TIM WILKERSON LRS Chevy Impala DEL WORSHAM CSK Chevy Impala SS (2) JIM HEAD (1 DNS) Head Racing Toyota Solara (1) BEST OF THE REST 11. TOMMY JOHNSON JR., Monster Dodge 147 (-9) (2) GARY SCELZI, Mopar/Oakley Dodge 145 (-11) (1) NOTE: qualifying number does not include DNQ s (DNQ s in parentheses); Avg includes all winning runs and runs under power.

11 Pro Stock 2008 Countdown to the Championship Raceday Stats 1. GREG ANDERSON Summit Racing Pontiac GXP JEG COUGHLIN JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt JASON LINE Summit Racing Pontiac GXP KU JOHNSON ACDelco Chevy Cobalt ALLEN JOHNSON J&J Racing Mopar Dodge Stratus V GAINES Kendall Oil Dodge Stratus WARREN JOHNSON GM Performance Pontiac GXP MIKE EDWARDS Young Life Pontiac GTO JUSTIN HUMPHREYS RaceRedi Pontiac GTO GREG STANFIELD Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP BEST OF THE REST 11. MATT HAFORD, Nickens Bros. Racing 145 (-6) JOHNNY GRAY, Stratus 143 (-8) (1) NOTE: qualifying number does not include DNQ s (DNQ s in parentheses); Avg includes all winning runs and runs under power.

12 Pro Stock Bike 2008 Countdown to the Championship Raceday Stats 1. MATT GUIDERA Mohegan Sun Buell MATT SMITH Nitro Fish Wear Buell ANDREW HINES Screamin Eagle Harley-Davidson CHIP ELLIS Schumacher Electric Suzuki EDDIE KRAWIEC Screamin Eagle Harley-Davidson ANGELLE SAMPEY Klement/Rush Racing Buell ANGIE MCBRIDE Buell t. HECTOR ARANA Lucas Oil Buell t. CHRIS RIVAS Drag Specialties S&S Buell KAREN STOFFER Geico Suzuki n/a n/a BEST OF THE REST 11. SHAWN GANN, Race Girl Suzuki 65 (-2) 0 0 n/a n/a n/a t. Three Riders tied 62 (-5).000 NOTE: qualifying number does not include DNQ s (DNQ s in parentheses); Avg includes all winning runs and runs under power.

13 Performance Rankings (Nitro) This page provides a one-stop shop for grading a driver s overall performance with the far right column representing an average of each driver s ranking among his peers in five categories: reaction time (), elapsed time (), qualifying (QUAL) winning percentage (WIN%) and quality passes (RUP%). The holeshot/redlight/dnq columns provides a bonus/penalty for holeshot wins/losses and wins/losses by redlight (the lower your average score the better so one point is subtracted for every win and one point is added for every loss and/or DNQ). Only the drivers currently in the Top 10 in points are included in these rankings. K E Y PP: Current POWERade Series points position (This column solely for reference; not used to calculate the driver performance) : Reaction time (based on average of all Sunday raceday runs) : Elapsed time (based on average of all winning and under power runs on Sunday raceday) QUAL: Average qualifying position (does not account for DNQs) Win%: Winning percentage in Sunday Final Eliminations. RUP%: Percentage of Sunday raceday runs completed under power (half-point awarded for pedal or second-effort win) Top Fuel DRIVER (Last Week) PP QUAL WIN% RUP% HS RED DNQ TOTAL 1. Larry Dixon (1) Tony Schumacher (2) Cory McClenathan (3) Antron Brown (5) Doug Herbert (8) Rod Fuller (4) Brandon Bernstein (6t) Dave Grubnic (9) Morgan Lucas (6t) Hillary Will (10) Funny Car DRIVER (Last Week) PP QUAL WIN% RUP% HS RED DNQ TOTAL 1. Cruz Pedregon (1) t. Robert Hight (4) t. Del Worsham (nr) John Force (5) t. Jack Beckman (2t) t. Tim Wilkerson (6) t. Ashley Force (7) Tony Pedregon (2t) Jim Head (8) Gary Densham (10)

14 Performance Rankings (Stock) This page provides a one-stop shop for grading a driver s overall performance with the far right column representing an average of each driver s ranking among his peers in four categories: reaction time (), elapsed time (), qualifying (QUAL) and winning percentage (WIN%). The holeshot/redlight/dnq column provides a bonus/penalty for holeshot wins/losses and wins/losses by redlight (the lower your average score the better so one point is subtracted for every win and one point is added for every loss and/or DNQ). Only the drivers currently in the Top 10 in points are included in these rankings. K E Y PP: Current POWERade Series points position (This column solely for reference; not used to calculate the driver performance) : Reaction time (based on average of all Sunday raceday runs) : Elapsed time (based on average of all winning and under power runs on Sunday raceday) QUAL: Average qualifying position (does not account for DNQs) Win%: Winning percentage in Sunday Final Eliminations. Pro Stock DRIVER (Last Week) PP QUAL WIN% HS RED DNQ TOTAL 1. Greg Anderson (1) Jeg Coughlin (2) Allen Johnson (3) Kurt Johnson (7t) V Gaines (5) Jason Line (4) Mike Edwards (7t) Warren Johnson (7t) Greg Stanfield (nr) Justin Humphreys (9) Pro Stock Motorcycle DRIVER (Last Week) PP QUAL WIN% HS RED DNQ TOTAL 1. Matt Smith (1) Eddie Krawiec (5) Chip Ellis (3) Matt Guidera (2) Andrew Hines (4) Angelle Sampey (6t) Hector Arana (nr) 8t Chris Rivas (6t) 8t Karen Stoffer (9) Angie McBride (8)

15 Performance Rankings (All Classes) This page provides a one-stop shop for grading a driver s overall performance with the far right column representing an average of each driver s ranking among his peers in four categories: reaction time (), elapsed time (), qualifying (QUAL) and winning percentage (WIN%). The holeshot/redlight/dnq column provides a bonus/penalty for holeshot wins/losses and wins/losses by redlight (the lower your average score the better so one point is subtracted for every win and one point is added for every loss and/or DNQ). Only the drivers currently in the Top 10 in points are included in these rankings. K E Y PP: Current POWERade Series points position (This column solely for reference; not used to calculate the driver performance) : Reaction time (based on average of all Sunday raceday runs) : Elapsed time (based on average of all winning and under power runs on Sunday raceday) QUAL: Average qualifying position (does not account for DNQs) Win%: Winning percentage in Sunday Final Eliminations. RUP%: Percentage of Sunday raceday runs completed under power (half-point awarded for pedal or second-effort win) All Classes DRIVER (Class Ranking) CL QUAL WIN% (RUP) HS RED DNQ TOTAL 1. Matt Smith (1) PSM Cruz Pedregon (1) FC Larry Dixon (1) TF Greg Anderson (1) PS t. Eddie Krawiec (2) PSM t. Jeg Coughlin (2) PS t. Allen Johnson (3) PS t. Chip Ellis (3) PSM Tony Schumacher (2) TF Matt Guidera (4) PSM Cory McClenathan (3) TF Antron Brown (4) TF t. Andrew Hines (5) PSM t. Kurt Johnson (4) PS t. Robert Hight (2t) FC t. Del Worsham (2t) FC t. John Force (4) FC t. V Gaines (5) PS t. Doug Herbert (5) TF t. Jack Beckman (5t) FC t. Tim Wilkerson (5t) FC t. Ashley Force (5t) FC

16 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. ATLANTA, GA Bob Vandergriff Jr., Alpharetta (CR, S) Kurt Johnson, Lawrenceville (CR, S) Warren Johnson, Buford (CR, S) Chip Ellis, Americus (CR) Tom Hammonds, Atlanta (Ga. Tech) BIRMINGHAM, AL Steve Johnson, Birmingham (CR, S) CHARLOTTE, NC TEAM: KB RACING (Mooresville) TEAM: CAGNAZZI RACING (Mooresville) Greg Anderson, Mooresville (CR, S) Jason Line, Troutman (CR, S) Doug Herbert, Lincolnton (CR, S) *Cagnazzi Racing = Three-time Pro Stock world champ Jeg Coughlin and Dave Connolly *KB Racing = Three time Pro Stock world champ Greg Anderson and 2006 Pro Stock world champ Jason Line CHICAGO, IL Tony Schumacher, Long Grove (CR) FLORIDA Tom Hammonds, Crestview (CR, S) OHIO Jeg Coughlin, Delaware (HT, CR, S) Dave Connolly, Elyria (HT, CR) Jim Head, Columbus (HT, CR) Larry Morgan, Newark (CR) Ron Krisher, Warren (HT, CR) DENVER Melanie Troxel, Denver (HT) DROIT TEAM: KALITTA MOTORSPOS Doug Kalitta, Mt. Clemens (HT, CR) Scott Kalitta, Mt. Clemens (HT) Hillary Will, Ypsilanti (CR) Tony Pedregon, Detroit (CR) FRESNO Chris Rivas, Fresno (HT, CR) Gary Scelzi, Fresno (HT, CR) INDIANAPOLIS TEAM: JOHN FORCE RACING TEAM: DON SCHUMACHER RACING TEAM: LUCAS OIL RACING TEAM: DAVID POWERS MOTORSPOS TEAM: SNAKE RACING Melanie Troxel, Avon (CR) Tommy Johnson Jr., Avon (CR) J.R. Todd, Avon (CR) Larry Dixon, Avon (CR) Andrew Hines, Brownsburg (CR) Morgan Lucas, Brownsburg (CR) Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg (CR) Mike Neff, Fishers (CR) LAS VEGAS Rod Fuller, Las Vegas (CR) LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTY TEAM: JOHN FORCE RACING (Yorba Linda) TEAM: BUDWEISER RACING (Lake Forest) TEAM: WORSHAM RACING (Chino Hills) Ashley Force, Yorba Linda (HT, CR, S) John Force, Yorba Linda (HT, CR, S) Robert Hight, Yorba Linda (CR, S) Del Worsham, Chino Hills (HT, CR, S) Brandon Bernstein, Lake Forest (CR, S) Jack Beckman, North Hills (HT, CR) Tony Pedregon, Torrance (HT) Cruz Pedregon, Torrance (HT) Larry Dixon, Van Nuys (HT) Doug Herbert, Orange (HT) Morgan Lucas, Riverside (HT) Bob Vandergriff, La Habra (HT) Tony Schumacher, Conoga Park (HT) Andrew Hines, Whittier (HT) Steve Johnson, Chatsworth (HT) MINNESOTA Kurt Johnson, Virginia (HT) Warren Johnson, Virginia (HT) Greg Anderson, Duluth (HT) Jason Line, Wright (HT) NEW ORLEANS Michael Phillips, Baton Rouge (HT, CR) Angelle Sampey, Luling/Mathews (HT/CR) Richie Stevens Jr., New Orleans (HT, CR) NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY Mike Ashley, Melville (HT, CR) Tony Bartone, Manhasset (HT, CR) Antron Brown, Chesterfield, NJ (HT) POLAND/EUGENE, OR Whit Bazemore, Eugene (CR) SAN DIEGO Ron Capps, Carlsbad (HT, CR) TRI-CITIES/MEMPHIS, TN Allen Johnson, Greeneville, TN (CR, HT) Clay Millican, Drummonds, TN KEY... HT: Hometown CR: Current Residence S: Home of Racing Operation.

17 PR Contacts for select POWERade Series Drivers (alpha by driver) ANDERSON, GREG Jennifer Sandlin O: C: E: GRUBNIC, DAVE Todd Myers O: C: E: KALITTA, DOUG Todd Myers O: C: E: TODD, J.R. Jay Wells O: C: E: BECKMAN, JACK Judy Stropus O: C: E: BERNSTEIN, BRANDON Susie Arnold O: C: E: BROWN, ANTRON Ted Yerzyk O: C: E: com CAPPS, RON Judy Stropus O: C: E: COUGHLIN, JEG Scott Woody Woodruff O: x3412 C: E: DIXON, LARRY Skip Allum O: C: E: FORCE, ASHLEY Dave Densmore O: C: E: FORCE, JOHN Dave Densmore O: C: E: FULLER, ROD Ted Yerzyk O: C: E: com HAMMONDS, TOM Tonita Perry O: E: HERBE, DOUG Lisa Powers O: x117 C: E: HIGHT, ROBE Elon Werner O: C: E: HINES, ANDREW Anne Paluso O: C: E: HUMPHREYS, JUSTIN Joe Sherk O: C: E: JOHNSON, ALLEN Darren Jacobs O: C: E: JOHNSON, KU Jon & Joanne Knapp O: C: E: JOHNSON JR., TOMMY Susie Arnold O: C: E: JOHNSON, WARREN Jon & Joanne Knapp O: C: E: LINE, JASON Jennifer Sandlin O: C: E: LUCAS, MORGAN Jay Wells O: C: E: MCCLENATHAN, CORY Judy Stropus O: C: E: NEFF, MIKE Elon Werner O: C: E: PEDREGON, CRUZ Jim Sullivan O: C: E: PEDREGON, TONY Sophia Kokonas O: x201 C: E: SCELZI, GARY Judy Stropus O: C: E: SCHUMACHER, TONY Chris Dirato O: C: E: TASCA, BOB Alexis Kinch O: C: E: TOLIVER, JERRY Judy Stropus O: C: E: TROXEL, MELANIE Joe Sherk O: C: E: WILKERSON, TIM Joanne Dawson O: C: E: WILL, HILLARY Todd Myers O: C: E: WORSHAM, DEL Bob Wilber O: C: E: YATES, JIM Melissa Yates O: C: E: NOTE: If you do not find the driver you re looking for, contact an NHRA official. Use phone list on Cover.