DEFENDING WORLD CHAMP DIXON FOCUSES ON TOP FUEL REPEAT; LOOKING FOR FIFTH KRAGEN O’REILLY WINTERNATIONALS WIN
POMONA, Calif. – As part of its 60th anniversary celebration, NHRA recently released 60 moments that fans will debate throughout the year and ultimately rank in order of their favorite moments by season’s end.
Defending Top Fuel world champion Larry Dixon wastes little time in ranking his favorite moment from the Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, which will kick off the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season Feb. 24-27 at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
“Probably my first Winternationals win in 1998,” Dixon said. “It’s a race my Dad won (Larry Dixon Sr., 1970), and winning that race was definitely on my priority list. We won it that year with my Dad there to see it so that made it even better. I even got a picture from the winner’s circle with my Dad so that’s still one of my top memories.”
The emotional win was the first of four Winternationals victories for the Van Nuys, Calif. native, who enters the race this year as the defending Top Fuel winner. He was joined in the winner’s circle last year by John Force in Funny Car and Mike Edwards in Pro Stock.
Dixon says winning the NHRA’s traditional season-opener at his home track never gets old.
“It ranks as high up as the U.S. Nationals,” said Dixon, who also claimed Winternationals victories in 2002 and 2003. “It’s the season opener, and it brings back a lot of memories for me as a kid growing up going to that race. You get to see all of the new cars, new drivers and new paint schemes, so it’s a fun start to the season.”
Adding even more fun to the start of this season for Dixon is the fact that he will be joined by teammate Del Worsham in the Top Fuel category. The goal for the Al-Anabi Racing team is to gain more runs, which in turn gives the team more valuable data to work from when making their tuning decisions. Worsham, who raced briefly in Top Fuel in the early 1990s, is a veteran of Funny Car competition and drove the Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Camry last season.
“I’m sure the hope and plan is that it makes our team, and when I say our team, I mean the Al-Anabi Team, the strongest and best team,” Dixon said. “That’s the hope and the intent. As much as I’ve looked up to Del racing during the years, now I get to race with him in the same category. I hope Del and I can meet in the finals every week. The edge you hope to have is the increased data. With two Al-Anabi cars racing in the same conditions in the same sessions in qualifying and on race day, you hope you’re able to improve the cars by having more shots at the race track on every session on every day. It should double the amount of information for Alan, (team manager Alan Johnson), Jason (Dixon crew chief Jason McCulloch), and Brian (Worsham crew chief Brian Husen) throughout the season. With the way the testing rules are, this should also help us keep up with some of the other multi-car efforts.”
Those multi-car efforts includes the three-car team from Schumacher Racing that features seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher in the U.S. Army dragster, proven threat Antron Brown in the Matco Tools dragster and the 2009 Auto Club Road to the Future Award winner Spencer Massey, who will pilot the Prestone/FRAM dragster. Dixon says there are plenty of others in the 7,000 horsepower category to be wary of too, including last year’s Winternationals runner-up Doug Kalitta, Copart dragster ace Brandon Bernstein, GEICO Powersports driver Morgan Lucas and Lucas Oil dragster driver Shawn Langdon, among others.
“Every team…you can run down the whole top 10, and every team has worked hard over the winter to make improvements, and we’re no different,” Dixon said. “Every team that finished in the top 10 last year is a threat to win races. If you can win races, you can win championships so the Top Fuel talent pool is a deep one.”
With the NHRA celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011, current drivers will have plenty of time to reflect on the heroes who led them to choose a career in the cockpit. Dixon, who drove initially for Don “The Snake” Prudhomme before moving to the Al-Anabi team after the 2008 season, says he could still be turning wrenches as part of the crew had it not been for some critical mentoring by NHRA legend Roland Leong.
“I’ve been fortunate to get advice from a lot of people who are considered NHRA legends over the year, but it would be tough to single out any one piece of advice,” Dixon said. “I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from as many sources as I can to be the best driver I can be for the Al-Anabi team. But if I had to single out one, it would have to be Roland Leong. When I was crewing, he was the guy who gave me guidance and advice about turning my crewing career into a driving career. If he hadn’t kicked me in the rear end, I may not have moved forward.”
• SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1 p.m. on Feb. 24-25 and at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 26. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline. Call NHRA at (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit nhratix.com.
• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Feb. 26. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• LUCAS OIL SERIES: The 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series gain experience. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 24. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 25.
• ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
AUTO CLUB RACEWAY AT POMONA A SPECIAL PLACE FOR FUNNY CAR RACER CAPPS WHO SEEKS MORE WINTERNATIONALS SUCCESS
POMONA, Calif. – One of the greatest NHRA Funny Car racers in the history of the sport will be honored during the 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Feb. 24-27.
Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, who won four world championship titles and claimed 49 victories during his legendary career, will be honored as NHRA presents the “Snake Pit” car corral during the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season-opening weekend. The “Snake Pit” will contain a collection of Prudhomme’s greatest race cars. Prudhomme will also be highly-visible at the track during the weekend signing autographs for fans and catching up with many in his close-knit racing fraternity.
One current driver who is looking forward to catching up with Prudhomme is Ron Capps. Capps raced to his first of two Winternationals victories while driving for Prudhomme back in 1998. At that race he and Larry Dixon gave Prudhomme a sweep of the nitro categories.
A lifelong California resident, Capps, who now drives the NAPA Dodge Charger for Don Schumacher Racing, still cherishes the special moment he shared with the NHRA legend.
“Pomona is such a special place,” Capps said. “If you want to win a race, I know Indy’s our biggest race, but for me growing up in California, it’s kind of where the season starts and ends, so it’s a family race for me. But more than anything else, I got to win a double-up there for Snake, with Larry Dixon and I winning there I think in '98. That was huge.”
Capps, who also won the tradition-rich season-opener in 2009, says there is simply something magical about the sacred strip of asphalt at the home of hot-rodding. He says the scene from the cockpit looking down the Pomona track is unlike any other.
“The sun is going down, you’re staging the car, there is a plane flying into Bracket Field, and it takes you right back to being a kid sitting in the grandstands watching all your heroes drive there,” Capps said.
With the nostalgic atmosphere surrounding the NHRA’s 60th Anniversary, and countless NHRA legendary drivers cruising around the pits, Capps and his competition will need to be extra-focused on the task at hand. He says a win at the Winternationals can vault a team into title contention. And with the special 60th anniversary pewter Wally trophy on the line, a victory here will be even more special.
“You want to get off on the right foot,” said Capps, who finished seventh in points last year with one victory in three final rounds. “You want to do well. But being the 60th, I’m looking at some of my trophies right now and there are a few that stand out. They’re a little differently made, and I’m sure Pomona will be a trophy that you want to put up in the middle of your mantle. So it’s going to be a race that every driver wants to win for sure.”
Capps’ competition includes a very strong field, starting with 15-time world champ John Force, driver of the Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang, and his teammates Auto Club Mustang driver Robert Hight and Mike Neff, who will pilot the Castrol GTX Mustang. Second-place points finisher Matt Hagan is back in his DieHard Charger, along with Jack Beckman, who drives the Aaron’s/Valvoline Charger. Throw in a bunch of veteran past winners like Cruz Pedregon, Bob Tasca, Tim Wilkerson, Melanie Troxel and Jeff Arend, and the battle for the race title could get very interesting.
The great mix of competitive teams gives the event’s honorary legend reason to smile. Prudhomme, who is widely credited for bringing in the sport’s first mainstream sponsor in Mattel with its Hot Wheels brand, can now look back over the last 59 years and reflect on how far the sport has come.
“Well, for it to last 60 years, it’s pretty good for starters,” said Prudhomme, who won the Winternationals five times during his career. “When a lot of people in the early days didn’t think it would fly, you know. It just wouldn’t happen. There was no money in the sport and we were all running junkyard parts. To see where it’s at today is quite amazing, you know. So I’m just pleased to see it carry on. I’m pleased to see drivers like Ron Capps, and several of the drivers in the sport making real good money and making a living. It’s something that was a hobby with junkyard parts with (“Big Daddy” Don) Garlits and I the way we started out. So it’s quite amazing to me, and I’m thrilled to play a part in the 60th anniversary. It’s an honor to be honored at the track.”
And while NHRA will honor Prudhomme during the Winternationals, a major part of the 60th anniversary campaign is geared to honor the fans. Capps says he always recognizes the crowd when he’s on the track and it makes a huge difference to know the he and his fellow racers have their support.
“There is nothing better than showing up for your first qualifying session whatever town we’re in, whatever race we’re at, and you do the burnout and it could be the afternoon qualifying session on a Friday,” Capps said. “You just burnout and flip the hatch open and put it in reverse and start backing up, and you look out in the crowd and it’s packed or close to packed on a Friday when people should be working or should be in school. That, for me, is kind of when it hits you that it reminds you of how cool our sport is. How loyal our fans are. They plan their vacations around it. They show up on Friday. They ditch work, cut school. Whatever they do, it’s a big deal… In Pomona, it will be a Thursday qualifying session, which is unlike most tracks, and you’ll see the grandstands close to full, which I notice it. I definitely notice it every time.”
• SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1 p.m. on Feb. 24-25 and at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 26. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline. Call NHRA at (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit nhratix.com.
• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Feb. 26. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• LUCAS OIL SERIES: The 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series gain experience. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 24. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 25.
• ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
JOHNSON’S PRE-SEASON TESTING RESULTS CREATE PRO STOCK BUZZ HEADING INTO KRAGEN O’REILLY NHRA WINTERNATIONALS
POMONA, Calif. – With a pocket full of red-hot timeslips from a very successful Florida testing trip, NHRA Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson can’t wait to get the 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series underway.
After having one of his best seasons ever behind the wheel of the J&J Racing/Team Mopar Dodge Avenger in 2010, which included one victory in four final rounds and a career-high eight No. 1 qualifying positions, Johnson has emerged as a pre-season championship favorite for many in the 200 mph category and is among the pre-race favorites at the 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, Feb. 24-27 at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) are the defending race winners of the tradition-rich season-opening NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event that will be televised on ESPN2 HD.
Johnson has said he’s hungry to post a series finish this year that’s better than his career-best effort of fourth from 2007. He wants to keep the momentum going from last year and given the results of his recent test, he feels like all the hard work is starting to materialize. A new race car and a few tweaks here and there are producing positive results, Johnson says.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to get the year going,” Johnson said. “Our pre-season testing numbers have been awesome, posting a 6.498-second run. I think the consistency we had in testing with our Mopar Dodge Avenger is the biggest thing. It was very consistent. It might not be as ultra-fast right now as we want it to be, but the new chassis is more consistent with a bigger window on the set up.”
Johnson says if weather conditions are right at Pomona, fans could see a milestone performance in the Pro Stock category.
“I do think we will have a run in the 6.4-second range this year,” Johnson said. “The air will have to be right to do it. If we get somewhere and there is 500 foot of air or less, corrected, I think you’ll see a 6.4-second run.”
Johnson will be joined by a very tough field of Pro Stock competitors at Pomona, including defending world champ Greg Anderson, No. 2 points earner Greg Stanfield, defending event winner Edwards, NHRA Finals winner Shane Gray, and Erica Enders, who is returning to competition in a Chevy Cobalt fielded by Cagnazzi Racing.
“I think my J&J Racing/Mopar team is up there among the favorites, among the elites,” Johnson said. “I do feel like some other teams have made some gains; Greg Anderson and Jason Line will be fast, I think Larry Morgan is closer to getting locked in, and the Cagnazzi group will be as tough as ever. I believe we will have the Mopar Dodge at the forefront, but there will be about six or eight teams that are right there.”
With the NHRA celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011, current drivers will have plenty of time to reflect on the heroes who led them to choose a career in the cockpit. Johnson says he had plenty of legends in Pro Stock to look up to.
“I always watched Ronnie Sox, Don Carlton and Bob Glidden growing up, you know, the Pro Stock legends,” Johnson said. “Those were some the NHRA stars I really admired. And of course my dad Roy raced Mopars for years when I was young and I watched him and tried to emulate him, so he would be in that group as well.”
And Johnson says kicking off the season in Southern California has always been one of his favorite races. His only final round appearance at the Winternationals came in 2003 when he lost to Warren Johnson, a five-time winner of the season-opener. While his final round encounter with drag racing’s legendary ‘Professor’ is high on his list of moments for this event, he says nothing comes close to his first visit to hot-rodding’s home.
“I think my favorite Winternationals memory is my first one,” Johnson said. “Seeing those snow-capped mountains in the background for the first time, racing there when it’s 70 degrees on your first trip to California — that was pretty special.”
• SCHEDULE: Pro qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1 p.m. on Feb. 24-25 and at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 26. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline. Call NHRA at (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit nhratix.com.
• ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Feb. 26. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• LUCAS OIL SERIES: The 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series gain experience. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 24. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 25.
• ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
KRAGEN O’REILLY AUTO PARTS NHRA WINTERNATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Valvoline, the first of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in three categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock – earn points leading to 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. NHRA is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011 and will pay homage to the evolution of the hot rod and honor its legendary racers as well as the sport’s current stars.
WHERE: Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Pomona, Calif. Track is located off I-10 at Fairplex Drive. Go north on Fairplex drive.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 24-27
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, Feb. 24 – LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying begins at 8:15 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 1 p.m.
FRIDAY, Feb. 25 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying 1 p.m.
SATURDAY, Feb. 26 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 8:15 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, Feb. 27 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, Feb. 26, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Feb. 27, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 7 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):
Friday, Feb. 25, 8 – 8:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 16C
Saturday, Feb. 26, 10 – 10:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 16C
Sunday, Feb. 27, 10:30 – 11 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 16C
(4020 MHz, vertical; Data Rate: 40.461470554 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’ interviews on Sunday.
2010 EVENT WINNERS: Larry Dixon, Top Fuel; John Force, Funny Car; Mike Edwards, Pro Stock.
MOST WINTERNATIONALS VICTORIES: Bob Glidden, 7 (Pro Stock); John Force, 5 (Funny Car); Don Garlits, 5 (Top Fuel); Warren Johnson, 5 (Pro Stock); Don Prudhomme, 5 (4 Funny Car, 1 Top Fuel); Greg Anderson, 4 (Pro Stock); Larry Dixon, 4 (Top Fuel).
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.772 seconds by Tony Schumacher, Nov. ’09; 322.88 mph by Schumacher, Nov. ’10.
Funny Car - 4.037 seconds by Robert Hight, Feb. ’09; and 312.86 mph by Hight, Feb. ‘10.
Pro Stock - 6.528 seconds by Greg Anderson, Feb. ’09; and 211.63 mph by Jason Line, Feb. ’09.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.771 sec. by Tony Schumacher, Oct. ’08, Richmond, Va.; 325.61 mph by Schumacher, Oct. ’10, Las Vegas
Funny Car - 4.011 sec. by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’10, Reading, Pa.; 312.13 mph by Ashley Force Hood, April ’09, Atlanta
Pro Stock - 6.509 sec. by Mike Edwards, Oct. ’09, Richmond, Va.; 212.46 mph by Greg Anderson, March ‘10, Charlotte, N.C.
TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also available online at www.NHRATIX.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: Adult, $28; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Friday: Adult, $33; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Saturday: Adult, $53; Junior (6-12 years), $10. Sunday: Adult, $53; Junior (6-12 years) $10. Children (5 years & under), admitted free in general admission and pit access areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $43; Junior (6-12 years), $15; Child (5 years & under), $10. Saturday: Adult, $65; Junior (6-12 years), $20; Child (5 years & under), $10. Sunday: Adult, $65; Junior (6-12 years), $20; Child (5 years & under), $10.
