THREE OF FOUR PRO QUALIFIERS SCORE FIRST SOUTHERN NATIONALS #1 QUALIFYING POSITION
By: Tim Glover
(Commerce, GA – May 5) Although each number one Pro Qualifier has at least one national championship in their class, three out of four had never qualified number one in their class at Atlanta until today. Any national event racer will quickly tell you that Hotlanta can throw you a curve ball, making every one work hard.
The top qualifying slot in Top Fuel Dragster was earned by seven time champion Tony Schumacher, who, until today, had never qualified number one for the Southern Nationals. Schumacher laid down a track record 4.815 at 322.58mph to secure the number one spot. "We want to win this race. We have a great car and a great team, and just need a little luck," added Schumacher. Local Top Fuel racer Bob Vandergriff from nearby Alpharetta qualified number 10, with a 3.877 at 316.97mph.
Robert Hight has a Top Fuel Funny Car championship to his credit (2009), but until today, the number one spot at Atlanta has eluded him. Hight threw down a 4.104 at 308.35mph, which held up through qualifying and gave Hight the position. Height's performance was great through qualifying, even during the hottest portion of Saturday, which saw the track temperature reach 138 degrees Fahrenheight and his car record a 4.156 at 301.47mph. "I saw Cruz go 4.17 shortly before my last run, so we knew the track could hold it. I was still surprised to see a 4.15 come up on the board," added Hight.
Jason Line has two Pro Stock championships in his resume, and has qualified either number one or two at each other event this season. However, until today, even he had not earned the number one spot. Line's 6.607 at 209.04mph was what he needed. Line mentioned his team is going to debut their new Camaros this year, possibly at Englishtown. On the local front, both Warren Johnson and his son Kurt Johnson qualified for the Southern Nationals
Hector Arana Sr. earned his second Southern Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle number one qualifying spot with a great 6.894 at 193.82mph. Arana works for his victories. If he gets behind, he never complains, but just digs in and works harder. Arana said he was still working on his hot weather tune-up.
