LAS VEGAS – When the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series rolls into Sin City for the 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 30-April 1, the Summit Racing Pro Stock duo of Greg Anderson and Jason Line will be more than ready to continue the hot streak they’ve been on so far this season.
With only three races down in the 2012 season, both Anderson and Line have already collected one victory each, a feat that would be a great accomplishment during any season for many drivers. But not these two.
The Summit Racing teammates already have the 2012 Full Throttle world championship on their minds. These two are anything but amateurs; Anderson has won four Pro Stock world championships and earned 71 career victories while his teammate Line has earned two Pro Stock championships and 28 wins.
“Obviously we’ve left a few scraps on the table, with this Summit Racing team winning two of the three, so it’s a good, but it’s not a perfect start and we strive for perfection,” Anderson said. “On top of that, we have always believed that we can build through the course of the season, continuing to move our program forward, so to start that strong gives us a really good boost of confidence, knowing that we should get even better from where we are now.”
Three of Anderson’s wins and one of Line’s have come at the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, not only their sponsor’s race, but also the home track of team owner Ken Black.
“It’s a big deal every year when we go to Vegas because of it being Ken and Judy’s (Black) hometown and combined with the fact that this is a Summit-sponsored race,” Anderson said. “With all of the brass coming out to cheer us on it means there is a lot of added pressure and emphasis on doing well. The good thing about this year’s race is that we’re coming in on a high, so we’re hoping to continue that roll and put two Summit Pontiacs in the final round so we can put that big smile on everyone’s face again. It feels good to be going in with a little positive momentum.”
Although Anderson and Line have started off hot this season, Mike Edwards has also earned one victory and has his eyes on a second-career world championship. Plus there are many other tough competitors in the factory hot rod class including Jeg Coughlin, Erica Enders, Roger Brogdon, Ronnie Humphrey, Allen Johnson, Greg Stanfield, Larry Morgan and Shane Gray.
“You always hope that the season will start out the way we have,” Line said. “However, it is still just a start. There is a lot of racing left in the season with a lot left to accomplish and lots of work left to be done.”
In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher leads the series standings with two runner-up finishes in his U.S. Army dragster, but Morgan Lucas has the momentum entering the race in his GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster after winning in commanding fashion at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NAPAFilters.com. Defending winner Brown, Spencer Massey, Shawn Langdon, Brandon Bernstein and Doug Kalitta are all among the pre-race favorites in the 7,000-horsepower category.
In Funny Car, Mike Neff hasn’t won a race yet, but is leading the points based on a couple of runner-up finishes. Robert Hight is riding a two-race winning streak in his Auto Club Ford Mustang and hopes to defend his title at this event. High-profile rookie drivers Courtney Force and Alexis DeJoria have been receiving much of the attention early in the season, but veterans Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, Jack Beckman, Johnny Gray, Jeff Arend and defending world champ Matt Hagan are all among the top challengers in the class.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 30, and 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 1.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals. For tickets, please call The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444 or visit www.LVMS.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, March 31. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three-hours of eliminations coverage at 7 p.m. (ET), also on Sunday, April 1.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on March 30. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on March 31 and continue through April 1.
* 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.
SUMMITRACING.COM NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: 13th annual SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals, the fourth of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in three categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock – earn points leading to 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas. Track is located approximately 15 miles north of downtown Las Vegas off Interstate 15.
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, March 30 – April 1
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, March 30 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, March 31 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, April 1 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, March 31, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, April 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 7 p.m. (ET).
Friday, March 30, 10:30 – 11 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C
Saturday, March 31, 10 – 10:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C
Sunday, April 1, 10:30 – 11 p.m. (ET), AMC 1 / Transponder 01C
(3720 MHz, horizontal; 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.
2011 EVENT WINNERS: Antron Brown, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Mike Edwards, Pro Stock
MOST VICTORIES: Larry Dixon, 4, TF; Greg Anderson, 3, PS; Jeg Coughlin, 3, PS; Kenny Bernstein, 2, TF; Mike Edwards, 2, PS; Robert Hight, 2, FC; Tony Schumacher, 2, TF.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.781 seconds by Tony Schumacher, Oct. ’08; 325.85 mph by Rod Fuller, Oct. ’11.
Funny Car - 4.030 seconds by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’09; 315.49 mph by Ron Capps, Oct. ’11.
Pro Stock - 6.594 seconds by Mike Edwards, Oct. ’11; 208.84 mph by Edwards, Oct. ’11.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.735 sec. by Del Worsham, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 328.62 mph by Spencer Massey, Feb. ’12, Pomona, Calif.
Funny Car - 3.995 sec. by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.; 318.99 mph by Jack Beckman, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.
Pro Stock - 6.477 sec. by Jason Line, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
TICKETS: For tickets call Las Vegas Motor Speedway at (800) 644-4444, or visit www.LVMS.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $32; Junior (6-12 years), $11. Saturday: Adult, $51; Junior (6-12 years), $11. Sunday: Adult, $55; Junior (6-12 years) $16. Children five years and under admitted free to general admission and pit areas each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $42; Junior (6-12 years), $21; Child (Five and under), $10. Saturday: Adult, $61; Junior (6-12 years), $21; Child (Five and under), $10. Sunday: Adult, $65; Junior (6-12 years) $26; Child (Five and under), $10.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the third of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel: 1. Tony Schumacher, 283; 2. Morgan Lucas, 269; 3. Antron Brown, 265; 4. Spencer Massey, 229; 5. Shawn Langdon, 223; 6. Clay Millican, 168; 7. Doug Kalitta, 156; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 141; 9. Steve Torrence, 125; 10. Brandon Bernstein, 120.
Funny Car: 1. Mike Neff, 280; 2. Robert Hight, 273; 3. Jack Beckman, 217; 4. Johnny Gray, 192; 5. John Force, 185; 6. Ron Capps, 180; 7. Courtney Force, 156; 8. Jeff Arend, 115; 9. Todd Lesenko, 112; 10. (tie) Matt Hagan, 108; Bob Tasca III, 108.
Pro Stock: 1. Greg Anderson, 308; 2. Mike Edwards, 264; 3. Jason Line, 254; 4. Rodger Brogdon, 157; 5. Ronnie Humphrey, 155; 6. Vincent Nobile, 145; 7. Allen Johnson, 137; 8. Larry Morgan, 135; 9. Greg Stanfield, 134; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 132.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 150; 2. Andrew Hines, 101; 3. Hector Arana Jr, 80; 4. Matt Smith, 74; 5. (tie) Hector Arana, 56; LE Tonglet, 56; 7. Karen Stoffer, 53; 8. Scotty Pollacheck, 52; 9. Steve Johnson, 34; 10. (tie) Shawn Gann, 32; Joey Gladstone, 32: Jerry Savoie, 32; John Hall, 32.
