JOLIET, Ill. — When the 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season started, rookie Alexis DeJoria had high hopes for her Tequila Patron Funny Car team, but she would never have guessed that at just the 10th race of the season, in Bristol, Tenn., she would make her first final-round appearance of her young career.
“The feeling is unreal,” DeJoria said. “We were very appreciative to go past first round considering how we have been plagued with first-round losses all year. We may not have won the race, but I’m really happy with the final round. I have the utmost confidence in my team and crew chief, and I knew we were capable, but it was still a shocker to happen in my young nitro car career.”
As the NHRA heads to Route 66 Raceway for the 15th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, the rookie looks forward to returning to a track where she raced during her sportsman days and building on her team’s momentum coming off their success at the most recent event.
“Having raced at Chicago before, I’m comfortable there, which means I can concentrate on driving and giving the fans exciting racing under the lights at Route 66,” DeJoria said. “I'm just really looking forward to getting back out there and seeing what the car is capable of doing and hopefully go more rounds.”
Not only is DeJoria heading to a track where she is comfortable, but she’s also heading to a track where her crew chief, Del Worsham, won last season in Top Fuel and earned three victories during his 20-year Funny Car career. Needless to say, the young Tequila Patron team is confident heading into Chicago.
“That final round was a huge confidence builder for all of us involved,” DeJoria said. “It was something that we definitely needed. Plus, to be heading straight to a track where Del has won so many times, it really makes me look forward to racing even more.”
Mike Neff (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also 2011 winners of the event that will be televised on ESPN2.
DeJoria’s recent performance not only gave her team the confidence boost it needed, but it also gave her a boost in the highly touted rookie of the year battle between her and fellow Funny Car competitor Courtney Force. These two are leading the rookie battle, and with DeJoria’s recent performance, it makes the race for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award closer than it has been all season.
“Of course, I would appreciate winning the Road to the Future Award greatly,” DeJoria said. “We all want to win rookie of the year, but I hope it comes down to who has the best car/driver/team and who performs the best. So we’ll just have to wait and see; there is a lot of racing left this season.”
DeJoria is outside of the top 10, but Force is sitting in ninth place with seven races to go before the Countdown to the Championship cutoff after the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Auto-Plus in Indianapolis. Force’s teammate and brother-in-law, Robert Hight, leads the Funny Car standings, and her other John Force Racing teammates, Neff and dad John Force, are third and eighth, respectively. Ron Capps has been riding a hot streak and is coming off his sixth final-round appearance in a row, which has moved him to second place; his Don Schumacher Racing teammates Johnny Gray and Jack Beckman sit fourth and fifth, respectively. Bob Tasca III is sixth, Cruz Pedregon is seventh and Jeff Arend is 10th, but no drivers should feel secure in the top 10 just yet because reigning Funny Car champ Matt Hagan is slowly climbing near the top 10, as are Tim Wilkerson, DeJoria, Bob Bode and Tony Pedregon.
Competition in Top Fuel this season is closer than it has been in years. Six different drivers have won in 10 races: Tony Schumacher, who broke a 32-race winless streak at the most recent event, and his DSR teammates FRAM pilot Spencer Massey and Matco Tools driver Antron Brown as well as Kalitta driver David Grubnic, GEICO pilot Morgan Lucas, and Capco Contractors driver Steve Torrence, who claimed the first victory of his Top Fuel career and followed with another win two races later. The top 10 points battle is in constant motion, and although Doug Kalitta, Brandon Bernstein and Clay Millican haven’t earned wins this season, that doesn’t mean that they won’t be fighting to be in the winner’s circle Sunday afternoon at Route 66 Raceway.
Mike Edwards won the Pro Stock final in Bristol by beating Allen Johnson by mere inches, proving that the close competition in the factory hot rod category is as exciting as advertised. Anderson leads the points standings, and his Summit Racing teammate Jason Line is right behind him in second, but Edwards and Johnson are creeping up to compete with the dominant duo. Erica Enders will return to Chicago, where she earned a runner-up finish last season, still in hot pursuit of her history-making first victory. Vincent Nobile, Ronnie Humphrey, Rodger Brogdon, Shane Gray and Ron Krisher will aim to move up in the top 10 points standings.
Pro Stock Motorcycle returns to action at Route 66 Raceway, and the class is looking for its first non-Harley winner of the season. Points leader Eddie Krawiec and his teammate, Andrew Hines, have been dominant on their Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson V-Rods and had luck on their side in a few final rounds, leaving the other teams eager to take out the duo.
* SCHEDULE: NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4 and 7 p.m. on Friday, June 29, and 4 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 30. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 1.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, please call Route 66 Raceway at (888) 629-RACE (7223) or visit www.route66raceway.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 90 minutes of qualifying coverage at 6 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 30, and three hours of eliminations coverage at 6 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, July 1.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries also will feature competition in eight categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9 a.m. on June 29. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 9 a.m. on June 30 and continue through July 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.
O’REILLY AUTO PARTS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS PRESENTED BY SUPER START BATTERIES FACT SHEET
WHAT: 15th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries, the 11th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle - earn points leading to 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Ill. The track is located 30 miles southwest of Chicago on Route 53 (historic Route 66), approximately three miles south of the I-80 in Joliet. Take I-80 to exit #132A (Route 53 south) to the track.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, June 28-July 1.
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, June 28 - LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 9 a.m.
FRIDAY, June 29 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 9 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
SATURDAY, June 30 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations continue at 9 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
JEGS ALLSTARS ELIMINATION ROUNDS at 1 p.m., 3:15 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, July 1 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10:30 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Saturday, June 30, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 90 minutes of qualifying coverage at 6 p.m. (ET)
Sunday, July 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 3 a.m. (ET)
Sunday, July 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will re-air at 11 a.m. (ET)
Sunday, July 1, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 6 p.m. (ET)
SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):
Friday, June 29, 11 -11:30 p.m. (ET), SES 2 / Transponder 1C
Saturday, June 30, 11:30 p.m. -12 a.m. (ET), SES 2 / Transponder 1C
Sunday, July 1, 7-7:30 p.m. (ET), SES 2 / Transponder 1C
(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: Del Worsham, Top Fuel; Mike Neff, Funny Car; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock; LE Tonglet, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
MOST VICTORIES: Kenny Bernstein, 4, TF; Tony Pedregon, 4, FC; Jeg Coughlin, 4, PS; LE Tonglet, 2, PSM.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel – 3.773 seconds by Larry Dixon, June ’10; 323.12 mph by Tony Schumacher, June ’10.
Funny Car – 4.022 seconds by Matt Hagan, June ’10; 314.61 mph by Jack Beckman, June ’10.
Pro Stock – 6.586 seconds by Greg Anderson, July ’11; 210.08 mph by Edwards, June ’10.
PS Motorcycle – 6.894 seconds by Hector Arana, June ’10; 195.68 mph by Michael Phillips, June ’10.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.735 sec. by Del Worsham, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.
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.; 213.91 mph by Jason Line, April ’12, Charlotte, N.C.
PS Motorcycle - 6.750 sec. by Eddie Krawiec, March ’12, Gainesville, Fla.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’12, Gainesville, Fla.
TICKETS: For tickets, call (815) 727-RACE (7223). Tickets also available at www.route66raceway.com.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) following the 10th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel: 1. Tony Schumacher, 846; 2. Spencer Massey, 806; 3. Antron Brown, 756; 4. Steve Torrence, 679; 5. Morgan Lucas, 667; 6. Doug Kalitta, 604; 7. Shawn Langdon, 534; 8. Brandon Bernstein, 503; 9. David Grubnic, 469; 10. Clay Millican, 455.
Funny Car: 1. Robert Hight, 892; 2. Ron Capps, 819; 3. Mike Neff, 654; 4. Johnny Gray, 633; 5. Jack Beckman, 621; 6. Bob Tasca III, 514; 7. Cruz Pedregon, 512; 8. John Force, 472; 9. Courtney Force, 462; 10. Jeff Arend, 441.
Pro Stock: 1. Greg Anderson, 902; 2. Jason Line, 848; 3. Allen Johnson, 818; 4. Mike Edwards, 707; 5. Vincent Nobile, 640; 6. Erica Enders, 578; 7. Ronnie Humphrey, 487; 8. Rodger Brogdon, 406; 9. Shane Gray, 395; 10. Ron Krisher, 367.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 466; 2. Andrew Hines, 325; 3. Hector Arana Jr, 301; 4. Hector Arana, 293; 5. Michael Ray, 235; 6. Karen Stoffer, 214; 7. Matt Smith, 211; 8. LE Tonglet, 198; 9. Scotty Pollacheck, 194; 10. Shawn Gann, 170.
