WORSHAM, HAGAN AND KRAWIEC CLAIM NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES AT POMONA
POMONA, Calif. – Del Worsham and Matt Hagan raced to their first NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championship titles and also earned race victories Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.
Veteran driver Worsham captured the Top Fuel season crown while Hagan avenged last season’s runner-up performance by taking the Funny Car title. Eddie Krawiec claimed his second Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. Pro Stock champ Jason Line secured his title two weeks ago in Las Vegas.
Greg Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners of the season-ending race in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Longtime Funny Car racer Worsham, 41, claimed the Top Fuel championship in dramatic fashion by edging series challenger Spencer Massey at the finish line in the winner-take-all semifinal round. He went on to claim his eighth victory of the season and 33rd of his career by outrunning Tony Schumacher in the final round. Worsham powered his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to a 3.796 second run at 318.02 mph to finish just in front of Schumacher’s U.S. Army machine, which posted a 3.799 at 321.50 and went winless for the season for the first time since the 2001 season.
“The semifinal round was the biggest of my 21 year career as far as what was at stake,” Worsham said. “Spencer Massey is a great competitor. It was so close, I didn’t know if I had won. When I saw the ESPN cameras coming over to me it was like, wow, I was speechless after that round.”
The $500,000 Full Throttle championship is the second consecutive and 10th overall in Top Fuel for Worsham’s team manager, Alan Johnson.
“Alan Johnson’s abilities are unmatched, he’s unbelievable and a great motivator,” Worsham said. “(Team owner) Sheikh Khalid put this team together with Alan, and Brian Husen did great in his first season as a crew chief. I was really down after (the race in) Reading (Pa.), and we weren’t very good in Phoenix. Alan called me and Brian into his trailer after Phoenix and said we’re going to roll out a new chassis. This new car has been great for us.”
In Funny Car, Virginia cattle rancher Hagan, 28, avenged his painful loss to John Force last year by powering past teammate Jack Beckman in the quarterfinals and then outrunning two-time champ Cruz Pedregon in the semifinals to score his first world championship. He then claimed his second win of the season and fifth of his career by posting a track record performance of 4.009 at 317.79 in his DieHard Dodge Charger to hold off final round opponent Robert Hight in the quickest side-by-side race in Funny Car history. Hight trailed with a 4.031 at 318.92 in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.
“You come in expecting the worst and hoping for the best,” Hagan said. “It really is truly amazing this weekend to win the championship and win the race. It’s a testimony to all of my guys who have worked so hard on this DieHard team. They were so relaxed today. Being in that situation last year with John Force really helped us. I hate the phrase you’ve gotta lose one to win one, but in this case it’s sort of true. Last year we were trying so hard to make everything happen that we kind of chased it away I think, and this year we just let it all come to us.”
Hagan earned $500,000 for the championship title, which is the first for crew chief Tommy DeLago and the second Funny Car title for team owner Don Schumacher, who also won in 2005 with Gary Scelzi.
“I am really happy for DieHard and all the associates on the car,” Hagan said. “These Funny Car trophies are so hard to come by. When you can win it all, you have truly accomplished something.”
Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Krawiec took his second Pro Stock Motorcycle title by winning the second round, which closed out his lone championship challenger Hector Arana Jr.
“This has been my championship all year long,” Krawiec said. “This championship validates the championship I won in 2008 when I didn’t win any races. For Andrew and I to go to the final two races and be winner and runner-up is amazing. Plus to have the opportunity to race with such great competitors, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Hines earned his second win of the season in Pro Stock Motorcycle, outrunning newly crowned champ Krawiec in the final. Hines took his 25th career victory with a 6.814 at 196.39 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, while Krawiec fouled at the start on his Harley-Davidson.
“Pomona has always been on my list and it’s been a thorn in my side,” Hines said. “I’ve been racing here for ten years and it’s been a long road. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs at this track. Today, our guys did an outstanding job. Communication doesn’t need to happen in our pit area because everyone knows what to do. It’s amazing to see our whole team perform. We put both of our V-Rods in the final at the last two races this year and luckily, I was able to get the last win of the year. It’ doesn’t get any better than that.”
In Pro Stock, Stanfield scored his first win of the season and fifth of his career when he defeated Kurt Johnson in the final round. Stanfield finished in 6.597 at 209.59 in his Nitro Fish Pontiac GXP, while Johnson’s GXP broke on the starting line.
“Any time that you win the last race of the season, it makes the winter time a lot better,” Stanfield said. “We’ve been a bit behind in this game for a while, we’re a little bit off, the car has got a lot of runs, and we’ll be hoping to get a new car for next year. It takes a lot of people to put a program like this together. And I have to thank J.D. Coffman of Coffman Trucking and Kenny Koretsky of NitroFish for their help. We’re a small team so we try to run everything really tight. We use our equipment probably longer than we need to. But for them guys, it’s special to give them a win.”
The 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season begins Feb. 9-12 with the 52nd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
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POMONA, Calif. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL: 1. Del Worsham; 2. Tony Schumacher; 3. Spencer Massey; 4. Larry Dixon; 5. Antron Brown; 6.David Grubnic; 7. Morgan Lucas; 8. Brandon Bernstein; 9. Bob Vandergriff; 10. Doug Kalitta; 11. Mike Ashley; 12. Cory McClenathan; 13. Keith Murt; 14. T.J. Zizzo; 15. Clay Millican; 16. Troy Buff.
FUNNY CAR: 1. Matt Hagan; 2. Robert Hight; 3. Cruz Pedregon; 4. Johnny Gray; 5. Ron Capps; 6. Jack Beckman; 7. Melanie Troxel; 8. Mike Neff; 9. Jeff Arend; 10. Bob Tasca III; 11. Gary Densham; 12. John Force; 13. Alexis DeJoria; 14. Jon Capps; 15. Tony Pedregon; 16. Tim Wilkerson.
PRO STOCK: 1. Greg Stanfield; 2. Kurt Johnson; 3. Allen Johnson; 4. Jason Line; 5. Ronnie Humphrey; 6. Greg Anderson; 7. Rodger Brogdon; 8. Mike Edwards; 9. Erica Enders; 10. Larry Morgan; 11. Steve Kent; 12. Vincent Nobile; 13. Buddy Perkinson; 14. Warren Johnson; 15. Ron Krisher; 16. Shane Gray.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Andrew Hines; 2. Eddie Krawiec; 3. Hector Arana Jr; 4. Hector Arana; 5. LE Tonglet; 6. Angie Smith; 7. Steve Johnson; 8. Matt Smith; 9. Shawn Gann; 10. Chip Ellis; 11. Karen Stoffer; 12. Michael Ray; 13. Michael Phillips; 14. Justin Finley; 15. Jim Underdahl; 16. Jerry Savoie.
POMONA, Calif. -- Sunday's final results from the 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 22 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Del Worsham, 3.796 seconds, 318.02 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 3.799 seconds, 321.50 mph.
Funny Car -- Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.009, 317.79 def. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.031, 318.92.
Pro Stock -- Greg Stanfield, Pontiac GXP, 6.597, 209.59 def. Kurt Johnson, GXP, 19.886, 44.02.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.814, 196.39 def. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, foul.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Jim Whiteley, 5.300, 269.62 def. Ray Martin, 5.422, 265.80.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 5.575, 259.36 def. Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.676, 255.73.
Summit Super Pro -- Mark Horton, Miller, 8.107, 164.19 def. Steven Shearer, Cameron, foul.
Summit Pro -- Brandon Schmall, Dodge Challenger, 9.918, 119.52 def. Paul Comeau, Chevy, 9.521, 140.08.
Summit Sportsman -- Edmond Richardson, Chevy Nova, 12.140, 105.99 def. Mark Faul, Chevy, 12.719, 95.63.
Summit Bike -- Tom Klemme, Kawasaki KZ 9000, 8.841, 141.46 def. David Primrose, Kawasaki, 9.004, 151.27.
POMONA, Calif. -- Final round-by-round results from the 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- David Grubnic, 3.846, 313.22 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.863, 308.14; Antron Brown, 3.833, 313.66 def. Bob Vandergriff, 3.842, 322.58; Morgan Lucas, 4.132, 230.10 def. Troy Buff, 11.497, 44.88; Tony Schumacher, 3.801, 325.53 def. Clay Millican, 9.982, 73.70; Larry Dixon, broke def.
Keith Murt, foul; Del Worsham, 3.865, 316.08 def. Mike Ashley, 3.904, 314.39; Spencer Massey, 3.824, 324.75 def. Cory McClenathan, 3.908, 282.84; Brandon Bernstein, 4.095, 275.96 def. T.J. Zizzo, 4.414, 180.26;
QUARTERFINALS -- Worsham, 3.850, 316.60 def. Grubnic, 3.880, 304.19; Dixon, 3.828, 320.36 def. Brown, 3.837, 316.75; Massey, 3.846, 316.15 def. Lucas, 4.206, 225.07; Schumacher, 3.826, 322.65 def. Bernstein, 6.644, 98.43;
SEMIFINALS -- Schumacher, 3.823, 322.19 def. Dixon, 3.828, 313.22; Worsham, 3.800, 322.27 def. Massey, 3.808, 322.73;
FINAL -- Worsham, 3.796, 318.02 def. Schumacher, 3.799, 321.50.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Johnny Gray, Dodge Charger, 4.090, 313.00 def. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.271, 290.94; Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.141, 313.29 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.199, 308.07; Melanie Troxel, Solara, 4.151, 303.64 def. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala SS, 5.022, 162.65; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.149, 309.13 def. Gary Densham, Charger, 4.269, 266.48; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.092, 309.77 def. Jon Capps, Charger, 4.602, 236.22; Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.150, 311.27 def. Alexis DeJoria, Solara, foul; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.110, 311.13 def. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.140, 299.20; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.522, 280.84 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 7.012, 92.23;
QUARTERFINALS -- Gray, 4.105, 313.07 def. Neff, 4.155, 308.57; Hight, 4.091, 311.77 def. R. Capps, 4.114, 311.13; Hagan, 4.107, 307.44 def. Beckman, 4.142, 310.27; C. Pedregon, 4.079, 312.28 def. Troxel, 4.154, 308.57;
SEMIFINALS -- Hight, 4.079, 315.42 def. Gray, 7.473, 83.20; Hagan, 4.096, 309.34 def. C. Pedregon, 4.113, 311.77;
FINAL -- Hagan, 4.009, 317.79 def. Hight, 4.031, 318.92.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 12.493, 71.35 def. Vincent Nobile, Avenger, foul; Kurt Johnson, Pontiac GXP, 6.611, 209.69 def. Shane Gray, GXP, foul; Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.595, 209.52 def. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.587, 210.34; Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.572, 210.31 def. Ron Krisher, GXP, 7.203, 140.55; Jason Line, GXP, 6.569, 210.83 def. Steve Kent, GXP, 6.612, 209.62; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.546, 210.83 def. Buddy Perkinson, Mustang, foul; Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.565, 211.06 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.955, 158.84; Ronnie Humphrey, GXP, 6.556, 210.34 def. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.572, 210.64;
QUARTERFINALS -- Stanfield, 6.605, 209.39 def. Brogdon, 6.587, 209.82; K. Johnson, 6.595, 209.39 def. Anderson, 6.581, 210.47; Line, 6.552, 210.57 def. Humphrey, 6.580, 209.65; A. Johnson, 6.603, 210.57 def. Edwards, foul;
SEMIFINALS -- Stanfield, 6.609, 209.23 def. A. Johnson, 6.737, 177.46; K. Johnson, 6.606, 208.91 def. Line, 7.485, 135.91;
FINAL -- Stanfield, 6.597, 209.59 def. K. Johnson, 19.886, 44.02.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Angie Smith, Buell, 6.961, 191.54 def. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.997, 191.27; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.944, 191.48 def. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.967, 191.54; LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.942, 191.05 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 7.076, 175.87; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.865, 196.79 def. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 6.999, 192.52; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.836, 195.28 def. Justin Finley, Suzuki, 7.044, 192.93; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.873, 196.22 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.993, 191.54; Hector Arana, Buell, 6.905, 193.38 def. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.060, 189.60; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, broke def. Shawn Gann, Buell, foul;
QUARTERFINALS -- Arana, 6.876, 193.46 def. Johnson, 7.000, 192.41; Hines, 6.854, 196.87 def. A. Smith, 6.955, 191.54; Krawiec, 6.853, 196.67 def. Tonglet, 6.937, 191.27; Arana Jr, 6.847, 196.44 def. M. Smith, 7.357, 142.79;
SEMIFINALS -- Hines, 6.880, 195.99 def. Arana, 6.894, 193.02; Krawiec, 6.831, 195.51 def. Arana Jr, 6.863, 190.43;
FINAL -- Hines, 6.814, 196.39 def. Krawiec, foul.
POMONA, Calif. – Final point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 47th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona-
Top Fuel
1. Del Worsham, 2,627; 2. Spencer Massey, 2,569; 3. Antron Brown, 2,542; 4. Larry Dixon, 2,540; 5. Tony Schumacher, 2,467; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 2,381; 7. David Grubnic, 2,273; 8. Doug Kalitta, 2,239; 9. Shawn Langdon, 2,208; 10. Morgan Lucas, 2,138.
Funny Car
1. Matt Hagan, 2,540; 2. Jack Beckman, 2,468; 3. Cruz Pedregon, 2,465; 4. Robert Hight, 2,447; 5. Mike Neff, 2,440; 6. Ron Capps, 2,397; 7. Bob Tasca III, 2,327; 8. Jeff Arend, 2,303; 9. John Force, 2,232; 10. Tim Wilkerson, 2,212.
Pro Stock
1. Jason Line, 2,675; 2. Mike Edwards, 2,486; 3. Greg Anderson, 2,456; 4. Allen Johnson, 2,411; 5. Vincent Nobile, 2,377; 6. Erica Enders, 2,369; 7. Greg Stanfield, 2,350; 8. Rodger Brogdon, 2,333; 9. Shane Gray, 2,218; 10. Ron Krisher, 2,198.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,691; 2. Hector Arana Jr, 2,601; 3. Andrew Hines, 2,511; 4. Matt Smith, 2,456; 5. Hector Arana, 2,389; 6. Karen Stoffer, 2,360; 7. LE Tonglet, 2,354; 8. Jerry Savoie, 2,337; 9. Michael Phillips, 2,277; 10. Jim Underdahl, 2,232.
