NHRA NEWS: PRO MOD SERIES PRESENTED BY PROCARE RX RESULTS SUNDAY FROM ST. LOUIS

COUGHLIN RACES TO FIRST NHRA PRO MOD SERIES VICTORY IN ST. LOUIS

MADISON, Ill. – Troy Coughlin raced to the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx victory Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Coughlin outran Danny Rowe in the final round to score his first career victory in the high-horsepower doorslammer category and move to third in the points standings with only one race remaining in the NHRA Pro Mod season.

Coughlin powered his turbocharged JEGS.com ’68 Camaro to a final round performance of 5.873 seconds at 257.58 mph to take the victory over Rowe, who had problems getting his supercharged Sterling Bridge ’68 Camaro to start for the final. Once Rowe got his machine fired, the car had issues going down the track and finished in 6.732 at 179.42.

“When I let the button go at the starting line in the final, I knew it was over when I didn’t see him, because those blower cars accelerate fast,” Coughlin said. “From then on, I just focused on making a clean run. It was just our time to win.”

Coughlin defeated Rickie Smith, Charlotte winner Leah Pruett and Pete Farber to advance to the final round. Coughlin is a three-time winner in NHRA Pro Stock competition and he claimed a 2005 Pro Mod exhibition victory in Englishtown, N.J., but this is his first Wally in official NHRA Pro Mod competition.

“My guys Steve Petty, Bryan Metzenheim, Mike Rees, Nick Gaylord, all the folks at JEGS.com deserve all the credit in the world,” Coughlin said. “Pro Line, our engine shop, has given us a fantastic race car all year. We beat a five-star team today.”

Coughlin moves to third in the points standings, 42 back of leader Mike Castellana and one point back of second-place Smith.

“Going into the last race out in Vegas with this kind of momentum is important,” Coughlin said. “There are still some spots up for grabs and everything is still pretty tight. Any time you can go to the end of an NHRA season and be in the running for a top three for four spot in your class, that's saying something.”

The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx world champion will be crowned at the season-finale, Oct. 25-28, during the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

MADISON, Ill. -- Final finish order (1-16) at the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.  The race is the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx.

PRO MODIFIED:

1.  Troy Coughlin; 2.  Danny Rowe; 3.  Pete Farber; 4.  Don Walsh; 5.  Donald Martin; 6.  Leah Pruett; 7.  Mike Castellana; 8.  Mike Janis; 9.  Raymond Commisso; 10.  Rickie Smith; 11.  Clint Satterfield; 12.  Kenny Lang; 13.  Harold Martin; 14.  Steve Matusek; 15.  Mike Knowles; 16.  Scott Ray.

MADISON, Ill. -- Final round-by-round results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx:

PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE -- Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 5.883, 245.00 def. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.964, 248.11; Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.910, 257.97 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.966, 243.55; Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.353, 218.19 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 11.229, 77.20; Donald Martin, Camaro, 5.875, 247.16 def. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 6.006, 241.20; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.293, 229.31 def. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 6.358, 183.00; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.921, 245.49 def. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 6.039, 243.11; Leah Pruett, Mustang, 5.894, 251.95 def. Harold Martin, Chevy Corvette, 6.147, 211.76; Don Walsh, Mustang, 5.856, 252.57 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, broke;

QUARTERFINALS -- Farber, 10.830, 79.15 def. D. Martin, foul; Rowe, 5.932, 236.75 def. Castellana, 5.955, 242.76; Coughlin, 5.922, 255.97 def. Pruett, 5.912, 251.58; Walsh, 5.860, 253.28 def. Janis, 6.069, 196.96;

SEMIFINALS -- Coughlin, 5.930, 252.99 def. Farber, 6.041, 243.68; Rowe, 5.866, 247.20 def. Walsh, foul;

FINAL -- Coughlin, 5.873, 257.58 def. Rowe, 6.732, 179.42.

MADISON, Ill. -- Point standings (top 10) following the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx –

1. Mike Castellana, 616; 2.  Rickie Smith, 575; 3.  Troy Coughlin, 574; 4.  Don Walsh, 559; 5. Danny Rowe, 556; 6.  Leah Pruett, 534; 7.  Donald Martin, 468; 8.  Pete Farber, 442; 9.  Mike Knowles, 368; 10.  Steve Matusek, 362.

NHRA NEWS: FULL THROTTLE SERIES RESULTS SUNDAY FROM ST. LOUIS

BROWN, BECKMAN, ENDERS AND KRAWIEC WIN AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS AT GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK

MADISON, Ill. – Antron Brown raced to his sixth Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park and in the process increased his championship points lead.

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners of the event, the first race for NHRA in the St. Louis area in more than two years.

Brown defeated championship rival Spencer Massey in the final round and moved 21 points ahead of the Texas driver as only three races remain in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Brown, who battled side-by-side with Massey all weekend, took the victory with a final round performance of 3.766 seconds at 325.22 mph in his Matco Tools/Aaron’s dragster, while Massey trailed with a 3.812 at 324.05 in his FRAM/Prestone dragster.

“Our team hit a grand slam here this weekend,” Brown said. “We qualified No. 1 and took it one round at a time. It was a great weekend, but it’s always a struggle. This class is very competitive, and these guys aren’t playing anymore. You have your struggles here and there, and you have to keep on overcoming them. I’m just so happy for our Aaron’s/Matco guys.”

Brown beat Bruce Litton, Steve Torrence and Brandon Bernstein in early rounds before unleashing his quickest run of the day in the final against Massey. 

“It was a stressful day where we matched up against some great competition,” Brown said. “Matching up against my teammate [Massey] in the final was big – we’ve been back and forth in the points.  It’s great to have six wins, but right now they’re all in the past.  We need to go back to the shop and get focused on these last three races. It’s just so competitive out here and this points race is going to go down to the last race.”

Beckman moved to within 30 points of Funny Car points leader Ron Capps by racing to his third victory of the season. He took the final round win in his Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger over Matt Hagan, who fouled at the start in his DieHard Dodge Charger.

“It’s nice to know that we have a car that can challenge for the championship,” said Beckman, who beat Alexis DeJoria, Jeff Arend and Tony Pedregon to advance to the final round. “This wasn’t do-or-die, but it’s getting pretty close. I’m not saying we counted points, but we had a tablet going with a lot of cross marks and updated math. Losing to Capps by four-thousandths in Dallas hurt a lot, but today went a long way towards healing that. It’s awesome to know that we have three races to go and are only 30 points back. All we want is a fighting chance going into Pomona."

Points leader Capps lost in the second round to Hagan, a non-Countdown performer and the defending world champ who has now advanced to back-to-back final rounds in the playoffs. Beckman was surprised when he saw Hagan blast away from the line so early in the final.

“From my perspective, you’re ready to go up there and squeeze the trigger if anything happens,” Beckman said. “I heard noise, saw the red light come on, and saw the big DieHard logo from Matt’s car. We have a big respect for that car. Over the last four races, it might be the best-running car on average.”

In Pro Stock, Enders earned her fourth victory of the season and first ever in the playoffs by using a reaction time advantage to defeat series points leader Allen Johnson in the final round. She powered her GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt to a 6.540 at 211.79 to finish just inches in front of Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, who posted a quicker, but losing run of 6.538 at 212.13.

“This is the win I wanted to get in Texas last week, but I’ll take it,” Enders said. “We were definitely consistent this weekend and that’s why we got to the final so I could race my bud [Allen Johnson] and get to the winner’s circle.”

Enders outran Shane Gray, teammate Dave Connolly and event top qualifier Jason Line to advance to her second straight Countdown final round appearance.

“It is a total team effort every week,” she said. “My team is the reason why I get to do this. They’re great. They helped me get down a tricky track when other guys were getting in pedal-fests. We were a little behind performance-wise in the final, but we made a good run and I did my job.”

With the runner-up finish and third straight final round appearance in the Countdown playoffs, Johnson increased his series lead to 109 over Line, while Enders moved to third in the standings, 126 back of Johnson.

Krawiec claimed his seventh Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of the season and increased his points lead to 33 over his final round opponent and teammate, Andrew Hines. Krawiec took his 18th career victory when Hines fouled on his identically-prepared Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.

Krawiec took three of his round wins via red-light starts by his opponents, including his first round win over Steve Johnson and second round win over Chip Ellis. Krawiec used a strong performance on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson to outrun Hector Arana Sr.’s Lucas Oil Buell in the semifinals.

“Andrew and I were lucky to take out the Hectors in the semis and that really helped us in the points,” Krawiec said. “I lost in Dallas due to rider error. I had a .066 light which is unacceptable. This week I was good on the tree and had a good bike which is what it takes to win some rounds. Yes, I had three red-lights against me here but I did well and all my runs were good. I pushed it a little in the final but I know the potential of what he [Andrew] has. He crushed me in Charlotte.”

The NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs continues with round four of six, Oct. 4-7 with the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pa.

MADISON, Ill. -- Final finish order (1-16) at the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.  The race is the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1.  Antron Brown; 2.  Spencer Massey; 3.  Brandon Bernstein; 4.  David Grubnic; 5.  Tony Schumacher; 6.  Khalid alBalooshi; 7.  Steve Torrence; 8.  Shawn Langdon; 9.  Doug Kalitta; 10. Bob Vandergriff; 11.  Larry Dixon; 12.  Clay Millican; 13.  Morgan Lucas; 14.  T.J. Zizzo; 15. Terry McMillen; 16.  Bruce Litton.

FUNNY CAR:

1.  Jack Beckman; 2.  Matt Hagan; 3.  Tim Wilkerson; 4.  Tony Pedregon; 5.  Ron Capps; 6.  Dale Creasy Jr.; 7.  Mike Neff; 8.  Jeff Arend; 9.  Johnny Gray; 10.  Jim Head; 11.  Alexis DeJoria; 12. Robert Hight; 13.  Cruz Pedregon; 14.  John Force; 15.  Bob Tasca III; 16.  Courtney Force.

PRO STOCK:

1.  Erica Enders; 2.  Allen Johnson; 3.  Vincent Nobile; 4.  Jason Line; 5.  Greg Anderson; 6. Buddy Perkinson; 7.  Dave Connolly; 8.  Mike Edwards; 9.  V. Gaines; 10.  Larry Morgan; 11.  Chris McGaha; 12.  Jeg Coughlin; 13.  Shane Gray; 14.  Greg Stanfield; 15.  Ron Krisher; 16.  Warren Johnson.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1.  Eddie Krawiec; 2.  Andrew Hines; 3.  Hector Arana; 4.  Hector Arana Jr; 5.  Karen Stoffer; 6. Chip Ellis; 7.  Scotty Pollacheck; 8.  Shawn Gann; 9.  Matt Smith; 10.  Michael Ray; 11.  John Hall; 12.  Jim Underdahl; 13.  Jerry Savoie; 14.  Mike Berry; 15.  LE Tonglet; 16.  Steve Johnson.

MADISON, Ill. -- Sunday's final results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. The race is the 20th of 23 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Antron Brown, 3.766 seconds, 325.22 mph  def. Spencer Massey, 3.812 seconds, 324.05 mph.

Funny Car -- Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.132, 306.53  def. Matt Hagan, Charger, foul.

Pro Stock -- Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.540, 211.79  def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.538, 212.13.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.851, 193.88  def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, foul.

Competition Eliminator -- Clint Neff, '23-T Ford, 9.148, 99.07  def. Larry Pritchett, Pontiac Sunfire, foul.

Super Stock -- Fred Bartoli Sr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.798, 134.46  def. Justin Jenkins, Chevy Cobalt, 9.534, 138.47.

Stock Eliminator -- Daryl Bureski, Olds 442, 11.416, 103.20  def. Bobby Bishop, Ford Mustang, 12.655, 96.32.

Super Comp -- Michael Eggleston, Dragster, 8.889, 175.87  def. Pat Fitzpatrick, Dragster, foul.

Super Gas -- Jarod Bowman, Chevy Corvette, 9.909, 161.19  def. Dan Huellewig, '32 Ford, 9.910, 144.74.

MADISON, Ill. -- Final round-by-round results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Khalid alBalooshi, 3.830, 322.50 def. Larry Dixon, 3.917, 310.41; Brandon Bernstein, 3.798, 321.50 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.907, 256.36; David Grubnic, 5.136, 276.41 def. Terry McMillen, 6.133, 154.30; Tony Schumacher, 3.784, 320.51 def. Clay Millican, 3.925, 279.04; Antron Brown, 3.839, 320.28 def. Bruce Litton, 10.440, 71.61; Spencer Massey, 3.803, 310.77 def. T.J. Zizzo, 5.015, 144.16; Shawn Langdon, 3.771, 325.69 def. Morgan Lucas, 4.069, 230.33; Steve Torrence, 3.793, 321.27 def. Bob Vandergriff, 3.908, 309.63;

QUARTERFINALS -- Massey, 3.782, 311.92 def. alBalooshi, 3.831, 298.40; Brown, 3.787, 321.19 def. Torrence, 3.904, 306.74; Bernstein, 3.795, 318.84 def. Schumacher, 3.795, 324.12; Grubnic, 3.797, 319.22 def. Langdon, 3.920, 286.07;

SEMIFINALS -- Brown, 3.812, 317.94 def. Bernstein, 5.149, 137.48; Massey, 3.795, 317.64 def. Grubnic, 10.350, 50.37;

FINAL -- Brown, 3.766, 325.22 def. Massey, 3.812, 324.05.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Tony Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 4.111, 308.14 def. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 10.515, 77.92; Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.397, 239.65 def. Courtney Force, Mustang, DQ; Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.127, 306.12 def. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 4.233, 294.37; Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Impala, 4.606, 189.34 def. John Force, Mustang, 6.921, 103.19; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.086, 304.32 def. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, foul; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.072, 309.20 def. Johnny Gray, Charger, 4.162, 307.09; Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.125, 305.63 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.272, 258.96; Jeff Arend, Camry, 4.142, 309.13 def. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.657, 204.73;

QUARTERFINALS -- T. Pedregon, 4.109, 305.36 def. Neff, 10.472, 75.58; Beckman, 4.093, 306.95 def. Arend, broke; Wilkerson, 4.084, 308.50 def. Creasy Jr., 6.047, 128.74; Hagan, 4.116, 297.35 def. Capps, 4.345, 295.27;

SEMIFINALS -- Beckman, 4.093, 302.35 def. T. Pedregon, 5.957, 134.52; Hagan, 4.137, 299.46 def. Wilkerson, 4.197, 291.19;

FINAL -- Beckman, 4.132, 306.53 def. Hagan, foul.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Buddy Perkinson, Pontiac GXP, 6.564, 210.80 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Avenger, 6.551, 210.87; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.537, 211.63 def. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.575, 209.62; Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.563, 209.65 def. Ron Krisher, GXP, 6.601, 210.21; Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.538, 211.46 def. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.588, 210.05; Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.526, 211.96 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.645, 207.43; Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.535, 211.49 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.590, 209.43; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.514, 212.13 def. Jeg Coughlin, Avenger, 6.587, 210.70; Vincent Nobile, Avenger, 6.546, 211.03 def. Chris McGaha, Avenger, 6.579, 210.28;

QUARTERFINALS -- Enders, 6.532, 211.73 def. Connolly, 6.566, 210.83; A. Johnson, 6.517, 212.03 def. Edwards, 16.178, 44.22; Nobile, 6.544, 211.36 def. Anderson, 6.535, 211.93; Line, 6.506, 212.66 def. Perkinson, 6.546, 211.39;

SEMIFINALS -- A. Johnson, 8.564, 184.60 def. Nobile, 9.392, 145.50; Enders, 6.531, 212.33 def. Line, 11.297, 79.17;

FINAL -- Enders, 6.540, 211.79 def. A. Johnson, 6.538, 212.13.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 6.895, 191.19 def. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.903, 190.38; Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.090, 159.16 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.899, 194.04 def. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.942, 193.27; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.222, 156.44 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, foul; Hector Arana, Buell, 6.845, 195.73 def. Mike Berry, Buell, 6.959, 191.32; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.881, 193.49 def. John Hall, Buell, foul; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.907, 193.38 def. Matt Smith, Buell, foul; Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.923, 192.93 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, foul;

QUARTERFINALS -- Krawiec, 6.810, 197.10 def. Ellis, foul; Hines, 6.850, 194.94 def. Stoffer, foul; Arana Jr, 6.882, 195.34 def. Pollacheck, 6.946, 189.31; Arana, 7.758, 179.73 def. Gann, 8.056, 169.08;

SEMIFINALS -- Hines, 6.874, 193.27 def. Arana Jr, 7.013, 192.93; Krawiec, 6.852, 193.96 def. Arana, 6.892, 194.38;

FINAL -- Krawiec, 6.851, 193.88 def. Hines, foul.

MADISON, Ill. -- Point standings (top 10) following the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Antron Brown, 2,378; 2.  Spencer Massey, 2,357; 3.  Tony Schumacher, 2,295; 4.  Shawn Langdon, 2,274; 5.  Brandon Bernstein, 2,238; 6.  Morgan Lucas, 2,205; 7.  Steve Torrence, 2,180; 8.  Doug Kalitta, 2,168; 9.  David Grubnic, 2,152; 10.  Bob Vandergriff, 2,117.

Funny Car

1.  Ron Capps, 2,361; 2.  Jack Beckman, 2,331; 3.  Mike Neff, 2,262; 4.  Cruz Pedregon, 2,202; 5. Tim Wilkerson, 2,197; 6.  Courtney Force, 2,180; 7.  Robert Hight, 2,179; 8.  Johnny Gray, 2,149; 9.  Jeff Arend, 2,148; 10.  John Force, 2,143.

Pro Stock

1.  Allen Johnson, 2,442; 2.  Jason Line, 2,333; 3.  Erica Enders, 2,316; 4.  Vincent Nobile, 2,292; 5.  Greg Anderson, 2,218; 6.  Mike Edwards, 2,181; 7.  Ron Krisher, 2,129; 8.  Larry Morgan, 2,125; 9.  V. Gaines, 2,117; 10.  Jeg Coughlin, 2,114.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1.  Eddie Krawiec, 2,415; 2.  Andrew Hines, 2,382; 3.  Hector Arana Jr, 2,306; 4.  Hector Arana, 2,267; 5.  Karen Stoffer, 2,229; 6.  Michael Ray, 2,219; 7.  Scotty Pollacheck, 2,177; 8.  LE Tonglet, 2,147; 9.  Shawn Gann, 2,146; 10.  Matt Smith, 2,118.

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Rahaim Leads Winners List, McKinney Clinches ADRL World Title At Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI Presented By Mickey Thompson

NORWALK, OHIO (Sept. 29, 2012) - With another tremendous performance on Saturday, Bob Rahaim moved closer to his first American Drag Racing League (ADRL) championship.

The Pro Nitrous standout had a brilliant day during the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI presented by Mickey Thompson at Summit Motorsports Park, going 3.883 at 195.28 mph to beat Stan Allen in the finals and win his second straight race.

It also puts Rahaim on the cusp of clinching his first ADRL world championship in Pro Nitrous, which could come in three weeks at the ADRL World Finals VIII presented by CarSafe at Texas Motorplex.

"I just feel lucky and thankful to have things come together like this," Rahaim said. "It's a monumental undertaking to put this together and this is a really special moment. It truly is amazing and I just feel very fortunate."

Other winners included Alex Hossler (Pro Extreme), Eric McKinney (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), Billy Glidden (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Elijah Morton (Extreme Pro Stock), Dave Roemer (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified), Ronnie Davis (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman) and Chris Holbrook (SuperCar Showdown).

Rahaim went as quick as 3.83 in eliminations, but his main focus in picking up his third win in five finals appearances in 2012 was staying consistent in his '69 Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro powered by Reher-Morrison and Switzer Dynamics.

Staying in the left lane throughout eliminations also proved to be beneficial.

"In 1991, I won a race here in the left lane and I just stayed there. I guess it's just my lucky lane at this track," Rahaim said. "I tried to be consistent and just get down the track. The team has really jelled and they're just doing a fabulous job."

Eric McKinney's first race in the Pro Extreme Motorcycle class was in 2008 at Summit Motorsports Park, and on Saturday he wrapped up his first ADRL world championship by winning his fourth straight race and sixth overall in 2012 with a 4.112 at 172.96 mph in the finals against Terry Schweigert.

Making a memorable moment even sweeter was that he was able to celebrate the win and world championship with more than 20 family members and friends at his home ADRL track.

"To wrap up the championship, and to do it here, I just don't know how to explain it," McKinney said. "This was the best race of the year. I could do back flips right now. There's so many people behind me, this is just a great feeling."

McKinney, who qualified No. 2, went as quick at 4.079 in advancing to his eighth final in nine races. In a season filled with accomplishments, McKinney has done nearly everything, becoming a dominant rider in the process.

"When we went 4.02 in Memphis, I never thought we could go that fast. Everybody here just helps make my job easier," McKinney said. "This has just been a great year with a great team."

Alex Hossler continued to have incredibly good fortune at Summit Motorsports Park in Pro Extreme, advancing to the finals for the third straight year and winning for the second straight year by going 3.74 at 199.40 mph to knock off Tim Tindle.

"Somehow I've just been able to keep getting lucky here," Hossler said. "I love the facility and it's a wonderful track. You know it's always going to be great here and we've just been lucky to have this kind of success here."

Hossler, who now has two wins in 2012, knocked off points leader Mick Snyder in the second round with a 3.719 in his Al-Anabi Racing Tim McAmis Race Cars Camaro. He also got a fortunate break in the semifinals when Neal Wantye went red.

"We're making wholesale changes and trying a lot of new things," Hossler said. "With the guys I have and with (crew chief) Frank (Manzo), I know he's going to get us running as well as anybody in this class."

Jason Scruggs advanced to the semifinals to get to within less than 10 points in the championship chase against Snyder before falling to Tindle.

Ronnie Davis stayed in title contention in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, edging out Marco Abruzzi in a fantastic side-by-side final after Abruzzi broke out.

Davis finished with an impressive 4.176 at 172.76 mph, picking up his second win of 2012 in the process.

"This was an awesome win. This was a very meaningful race for me because this is one of my favorite race tracks," Davis said. "I love the area and the track, and it's a very meaningful win, especially against a guy like Marco. That's elite company there."

Davis chopped down the top two drivers in points in eliminations, beating William Brown III in the semifinals before slipping past Abruzzi in the finals.

The Summit Racing-sponsored Abruzzi did well at his home track to take the points lead into the final event of the season, but Davis also managed to make up some ground at a key time.

"I have a shot at the championship and that's very exciting," Davis said. "I'm pretty thrilled and pumped up about it."

Elijah Morton finally found a bright spot in his frustration-filled 2012 season, picking up his second career ADRL win in Extreme Pro Stock by going 4.075 at 178.31 mph to defeat Doug Kirk. Both were making their first finals appearances of 2012, but it was Morton who chased down Kirk under the lights.

"We've struggled all year, and this is just an awesome feeling," Morton said. "We haven't won many rounds and to do this is just incredible. My team works as hard as any team out there, and to have my family here, it was just great. We figured we would be the giant killer today and now we've got our mojo back."

Morton and his 2012 Jerry Haas Race Cars Mustang was the ultimate beneficiary of a wild first-round in XPS when the top eight qualifiers, including the top three drivers in the points standings (Cary Goforth, Richie Stevens and Todd Hoerner) all lost.

"We changed everything before eliminations. We went a completely different direction and the car liked it," Morton said. "Jerry Haas has given us a great race car and I think we figured out what the car likes."

Goforth will keep a significant lead over Stevens and others heading into the World Finals, making him a heavy favorite to clinch his second straight world championship in Extreme Pro Stock.

Dave Roemer picked up one of the biggest wins of his career, and doing it at his home track made it even more significant, as he beat Pat Musi with a 4.07 at 182.38 mph in the Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified final.

It was a brilliant Saturday for Roemer, who didn't even get into the field until going 3.978 in the final qualifying session. He added another 3.974 in a first-round win before topping it off by beating Musi, who shook immediately, in the finals for his first ADRL win.

"This means everything to us. To be able to get this first win at our home track, it's just amazing," Roemer said. "A lot of people talk about the pressure of running at your home track, but I just tried to feed off of it.

"Friday was all bad and (Saturday) was all good. It was just a matter of getting the right set-up."

Billy Glidden became the first competitor in ADRL history to get to 14 wins, going 3.939 at 187.11 mph to beat Alan Pittman and his 3.894 on a holeshot in the Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 finals.

"It's been a very good weekend. The last time I was in the final against Alan, I red-lighted, but this time I was a little later than I wanted to be," Glidden said. "It was pretty tough for us, but we're excited to get this win."

Pittman will retain a significant lead in the Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 heading into the World Finals.

In the SuperCar Showdown final, Chris Holbrook went 5.674 at 121.88 mph to beat Jimmy Ronzello and wrap up a record-setting weekend. In addition to the win, Holbrook also set the E.T. (5.667) and speed (121.88 mph) world record in the class.

In Pro Junior Dragster, Nick Isenhower got the victory, running 7.91 at 83.25 mph.

The 10th and final stop on the 2012 ADRL Tour takes place on Oct. 19-20 with the ADRL World Finals VIII presented by CarSafe at Texas Motorplex in Dallas. World champions will be crowned in every ADRL class at the season-ending event.

ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI presented by Mickey Thompson Results

NORWALK, Ohio -- Saturday's final results from the ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI presented by Mickey Thompson at Summit Motorsports Park. The race is the Ninth of 10 in the American Drag Racing League:

Pro Extreme -- Alex Hossler, Chevy Camaro, 3.740, 199.40 def. Tim Tindle, Chevy Corvette, 3.783, 182.11.

Pro Nitrous -- Bob Rahaim, Chevy Camaro, 3.883, 195.28 def. Stan Allen, Camaro, 4.887, 103.99.

SuperCar Showdown -- Chris Holbrook, Ford Mustang, 5.674, 121.88 def. Jimmy Ronzello, Mustang, 5.877, 119.44.

Extreme 10.5 -- Billy Glidden, Ford Mustang, 3.939, 187.11 def. Alan Pittman, Mustang, 3.894, 197.48.

Pro Extreme Motorcycle -- Eric McKinney, Suzuki, 4.112, 172.96 def. Terry Schweigert, Suzuki, foul.

Extreme Pro Stock -- Elijah Morton, Ford Mustang, 4.075, 178.31 def. Doug Kirk, Mustang, 4.114, 177.39.

Pro Mod -- Dave Roemer, Chevy Cavalier, 4.070, 182.30 def. Pat Musi, Dodge Stratus, 10.369, 50.65.

Top Sportsman -- Ronnie Davis, Chevy Corvette, 4.176, 172.76 def. Marco Abruzzi, Chevy Camaro, 4.163, 169.15.

Pro Junior Dragster -- Nick Isenhower, Halfscale, 7.910, 83.25 def. Robert Vogler, Halfscale, foul.

NORWALK, Ohio -- Final round-by-round results from the ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI presented by Mickey Thompson at Summit Motorsports Park, the Ninth of 10 events in the American Drag Racing League:

PRO EXTREME:

ROUND ONE -- Alex Hossler, Chevy Camaro, 3.707, 205.72 def. Tommy D'Aprile, Chevy Corvette, DQ; Tim Tindle, Corvette, 3.670, 207.78 def. Todd Martin, Ford Mustang, 3.703, 205.47; Dan Millen, Mustang, 3.692, 205.47 def. Terry Leggett, Mustang, 3.786, 201.04; Neal Wantye, Camaro, 3.669, 207.78 def. Bubba Stanton, Camaro, 3.639, 209.10; Frankie Taylor, Corvette, 3.625, 209.36 def. Von Smith, Camaro, DQ; Jason Scruggs, Corvette, 3.623, 209.23 def. Quain Stott, Corvette, 3.743, 197.68; Clint Thompson, Camaro, 3.738, 203.95 def. Brandon Pesz, Corvette, broke; Mick Snyder, Corvette, 3.626, 209.26 def. Duane Rister, Camaro, broke;

QUARTERFINALS -- Scruggs, 3.613, 209.75 def. Millen, 3.676, 204.79; Tindle, 3.655, 209.49 def. Thompson, 3.728, 203.74; Hossler, 3.719, 206.64 def. Snyder, 6.550, 67.81; Wantye, 4.004, 158.30 def. Taylor, broke;

SEMIFINALS -- Hossler, 7.010, 100.38 def. Wantye, foul; Tindle, 3.636, 209.46 def. Scruggs, 3.634, 209.79;

FINAL -- Hossler, 3.740, 199.40 def. Tindle, 3.783, 182.11.

PRO NITROUS:

ROUND ONE -- Randy Weatherford, Chevy Camaro, 3.918, 193.54 def. Jason Harris, Pontiac Firebird, 4.134, 179.76; Stan Allen, Camaro, 3.919, 192.49 def. John Hall, Camaro, 3.972, 192.91; Rickie Jones, Camaro, 5.302, 92.74 def. Tommy Franklin, Camaro, broke; Jim Laurita, Camaro, 3.860, 193.68 def. Burton Auxier, Camaro, 5.770, 82.02; Bob Rahaim, Camaro, 3.867, 195.59 def. Ray Schuler, Camaro, 4.070, 186.23; Robert Mathis, Camaro, 3.832, 194.30 def. Steve Vick, Camaro, 4.126, 181.25; Pat Stoken, Camaro, 3.853, 196.67 def. John Camp, Camaro, 3.977, 184.70; Doug Riesterer, Camaro, 4.218, 168.01 def. John Vergotz, Camaro, 4.428, 160.79;

QUARTERFINALS -- Weatherford, 3.923, 194.18 def. Riesterer, broke; Rahaim, 3.847, 195.73 def. Laurita, 3.811, 196.90; Allen, 3.923, 192.41 def. Stoken, 3.923, 166.58; Mathis, 3.818, 196.42 def. Jones, 3.847, 194.63;

SEMIFINALS -- Rahaim, 3.830, 196.70 def. Weatherford, 9.144, 47.79; Allen, 5.873, 81.37 def. Mathis, foul;

FINAL -- Rahaim, 3.883, 195.28 def. Allen, 4.887, 103.99.

EXTREME 10.5:

ROUND ONE -- Billy Glidden, Ford Mustang, 3.886, 190.16 def. Dan Myers, Chevy Cameo, 4.599, 135.47; Alan Pittman, Mustang, 4.243, 195.28 def. Nick Jackson, Willys, 7.244, 95.93;

FINAL -- Glidden, 3.939, 187.11 def. Pittman, 3.894, 197.48.

PRO EXTREME MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Terry Schweigert, Suzuki, 4.107, 170.73 def. Dave Norris, Suzuki, 4.153, 167.84; Paul Gast, Suzuki, 4.078, 174.64 def. Carlos Wilkerson, Suzuki, 7.084, 63.60; Eric McKinney, Suzuki, 4.079, 173.43 def. TT Jones, Suzuki, 4.272, 164.95; Dave Vantine, Suzuki, 4.103, 173.01 def. Jack Young, Suzuki, broke;

SEMIFINALS -- Schweigert, 4.158, 163.57 def. Vantine, 4.648, 113.22; McKinney, 4.083, 172.85 def. Gast, 4.103, 173.81;

FINAL -- McKinney, 4.112, 172.96 def. Schweigert, foul.

EXTREME PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Brian Gahm, Ford Mustang, 4.096, 177.39 def. Pete Berner, Chevy Camaro, foul; John Pluchino, Ford Escort, 4.098, 176.42 def. Larry O'Brien, Dodge Avenger, 5.703, 87.02; Dean Goforth, Pontiac GXP, 4.120, 176.40 def. John Montecalvo, Camaro, 4.108, 183.00; Doug Kirk, Mustang, 4.081, 177.42 def. Cary Goforth, GXP, 4.081, 177.11; David Schorr, Escort, 4.224, 171.73 def. Richie Stevens Jr, Mustang, 4.442, 178.47; Elijah Morton, Mustang, 4.095, 177.91 def. Richard Penland, Mustang, 5.048, 99.35; Kevin Bealko, GXP, 4.171, 172.47 def. Todd Hoerner, Camaro, 5.303, 95.77; Scott Hintz, Mustang, 4.099, 175.96 def. John Deflorian Jr., Camaro, 4.097, 176.84;

QUARTERFINALS -- Pluchino, 4.090, 176.81 def. Bealko, 4.117, 174.05; Gahm, 4.076, 177.46 def. Hintz, 4.091, 176.74; Morton, 4.106, 177.98 def. D. Goforth, 4.091, 177.58; Kirk, 16.676, 22.46 def. Schorr, foul;

SEMIFINALS -- Morton, 4.086, 178.82 def. Pluchino, 4.118, 175.87; Kirk, 4.080, 177.77 def. Gahm, 4.071, 177.42;

FINAL -- Morton, 4.075, 178.31 def. Kirk, 4.114, 177.39.

TOP SPORTSMAN:

ROUND ONE -- Marco Abruzzi, Chevy Camaro, 4.203, 171.75 def. Don Klooster, Chevy Corvette, 4.201, 176.51; Glenn Teets Jr., Pontiac GTO, 4.261, 164.19 def. Earl Folse, Camaro, foul; Randy Primozic, Chevy Cavalier, 4.280, 166.89 def. Aaron Glaser, Camaro, 4.215, 169.57; Lizzy Musi, Camaro, 4.116, 175.39 def. Don Wilk, Camaro, 4.199, 168.49; Bruce Thrift, GTO, 4.205, 170.75 def. Chuck Mohn, Camaro, 4.186, 170.19; Ronnie Davis, Corvette, 4.191, 165.97 def. Travis Harvey, Camaro, 4.164, 174.87; William Brown III, Pontiac Grand Am, 4.262, 159.25 def. Mark Malcuit, Camaro, foul; Joshua Vettel, Camaro, 4.009, 176.30 def. Glenn Butcher, Camaro, 4.263, 162.53;

QUARTERFINALS -- Brown III, 4.212, 169.13 def. Teets Jr., broke; Davis, 4.190, 172.61 def. Primozic, foul; Musi, 4.102, 174.84 def. Thrift, 4.190, 166.95; Abruzzi, 4.199, 170.15 def. Vettel, 4.013, 182.11;

SEMIFINALS -- Davis, 4.172, 173.01 def. Brown III, 4.238, 169.23; Abruzzi, 4.189, 172.25 def. Musi, foul;

FINAL -- Davis, 4.176, 172.76 def. Abruzzi, 4.163, 169.15.

PRO MOD:

ROUND ONE -- Dave Roemer, Chevy Cavalier, 3.974, 190.48 def. Jeffrey Cummins Jr, Chevy Camaro, 3.974, 188.86; Pat Musi, Dodge Stratus, 3.922, 192.99 def. Jeff Naiser, Camaro, 4.001, 187.34; Adam Flamholc, Camaro, 3.920, 190.62 def. Todd Tutterow, Plymouth Duster, 4.186, 163.65; Monroe Guest, Camaro, 4.068, 181.98 def. Raymond Matos, Plymouth Barracuda, 5.413, 139.34;

SEMIFINALS -- Roemer, 4.087, 179.88 def. Guest, 4.168, 173.23; Musi, 3.905, 193.60 def. Flamholc, 3.954, 189.92;

FINAL -- Roemer, 4.070, 182.30 def. Musi, 10.369, 50.65.

SUPERCAR SHOWDOWN:

ROUND ONE -- Jimmy Ronzello, Ford Mustang, 5.917, 121.25 def. Michael Harris, Mustang, foul; Ron Matchon, Mustang, 5.893, 119.35 def. Johnny Wiker, Mustang, 6.157, 118.36; Chris Holbrook, Mustang, 5.694, 121.38 def. Rick Rodgers, Mustang, 5.902, 119.81;

SEMIFINALS -- Ronzello, 5.902, 119.22 def. Matchon, foul; Holbrook, 5.670, 121.79 def. B. Ramey, 6.076, 116.38;

FINAL -- Holbrook, 5.674, 121.88 def. Ronzello, 5.877, 119.44.

PRO JUNIOR DRAGSTER:

ROUND TWO -- Ke. Simpson, 7.887, 82.83 was unopposed; T. Weatherford, 7.905, 80.39 def. Dvorak, 7.910, 79.39; Carson Jr, 7.898, 81.80 def. Bond, 7.896, 81.41; Cole, 7.937, 80.78 def. Oppen, 7.925, 81.47; N. Isenhower, 7.914, 77.47 def. Tutterow, 7.912, 80.61; R. Vogler, 7.900, 79.85 def. D. Isenhower, 7.905, 80.57; Benfield, 7.895, 81.90 def. Roles, 7.894, 81.49;

QUARTERFINALS -- N. Isenhower, 7.937, 76.57 def. Benfield, 7.965, 82.15; Ky. Kohr, 7.928, 81.45 def. Carson Jr, 7.875, 82.18; Cole, 7.913, 83.17 def. T. Weatherford, 7.900, 80.81; R. Vogler, 7.933, 79.11 def. Ke. Simpson, 7.890, 82.46;

SEMIFINALS -- R. Vogler, 7.927, 79.74 def. Ky. Kohr, 7.887, 82.61; N. Isenhower, 7.879, 83.24 def. Cole, 7.877, 83.38;

FINAL -- N. Isenhower, 7.910, 83.25 def. R. Vogler, foul.

NHRA NEWS: PRO MOD SERIES PRESENTED BY PROCARE RX RESULTS SATURDAY FROM ST. LOUIS

WALSH CLAIMS THIRD STRAIGHT NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITION, EARNS FIRST ROUND WIN IN NHRA PRO MOD SERIES COMPETITON IN ST. LOUIS

MADISON, Ill. – Don Walsh raced to his third consecutive No. 1 qualifying position and then claimed an opening round victory in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx portion of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals when Scott Ray was unable to make the call in his ’53 Corvette following his top end crash yesterday.

Walsh took the No. 1 qualifying position with a track record performance of 5.816 seconds at 255.43 mph and then sped to the opening round win by powering his late-model Ford Mustang to an effort of 5.856 at 252.57.

Other first round winners included track speed record holder Troy Coughlin, series points leader Mike Castellana and Charlotte winner Leah Pruett.

Second round pairings include Walsh vs. Mike Janis, Danny Rowe vs. Castellana, Donald Martin vs. Pete Farber and Pruett vs. Coughlin. Eliminations for the NHRA Pro Mod Series continue Sunday at approximately 2:30 p.m.

MADISON, Ill. – First-round Pro Mod results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx :

ROUND ONE -- Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 5.883, 245.00 def. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.964, 248.11; Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.910, 257.97 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.966, 243.55; Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.353, 218.19 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 11.229, 77.20; Donald Martin, Camaro, 5.875, 247.16 def. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 6.006, 241.20; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.293, 229.31 def. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 6.358, 183.00; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.921, 245.49 def. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 6.039, 243.11; Leah Pruett, Mustang, 5.894, 251.95 def. Harold Martin, Chevy Corvette, 6.147, 211.76; Don Walsh, Mustang, 5.856, 252.57 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, broke;

MADISON, Ill. - Final qualifying order for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis:

Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd

  1 3382 Don Walsh, Wixom MI, t'11 Mustang               5.816  255.43  255.43

  2  770 Donald Martin, Lake Forest CA, *'68 Camaro      5.861  247.84  247.84

  3  777 Leah Pruett, Lawrenceville GA, t'12 Mustang     5.880  251.06  251.06

  4    2 Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills CA, *'68 Camaro        5.886  247.25  247.38

  5 1794 Mike Castellana, Muttontown NY, n'12 Camaro     5.911  241.20  241.20

  6   24 Troy Coughlin, Delaware OH, t'68 Camaro         5.924  248.43  255.43

  7 5011 Mike Knowles, Grand Junction CO, *'68 Camaro    5.954  246.75  246.75

  8 1090 Raymond Commisso, Toronto ON, *'68 Camaro       5.968  243.63  245.32

  9 1456 Mike Janis, Lancaster NY, *'10 Mustang          5.969  244.07  244.07

10 1518 Pete Farber, Baldwinville MA, *'69 Daytona      5.988  246.03  246.03

11   43 Rickie Smith, King NC, n'12 Camaro              6.009  212.23  212.23

12 5450 Steve Matusek, Olathe KS, t'12 Mustang          6.069  249.67  249.67

13    4 Kenny Lang, Grande Pointe MB, *'69 Camaro       6.091  242.45  242.45

14  377 Harold Martin, New Hudson MI, n'11 Corvette     6.125  215.62  215.62

15 4720 Clint Satterfield, Albuquerque NM, t'68 Camaro  6.130  236.84  236.84

16  321 Scott Ray, Greenville OH, *'53 Corvette        12.965   62.84   62.84

NHRA NEWS: FULL THROTTLE SERIES RESULTS SATURDAY FROM ST. LOUIS

BROWN, BECKMAN, LINE AND ARANA JR. EARN NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS

MADISON, Ill. -- Antron Brown raced to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel capping a record-setting two days of qualifying at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their categories into Sunday's 11 a.m. eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers.

Brown will go for his second consecutive playoff victory and his sixth win of the season from the top spot as he holds a one point lead in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship over playoff rival Spencer Massey, who was second in qualifying. Brown will race part-time driver Bruce Litton in the opening round.

"Tomorrow is going to be where all the marbles are counted," Brown said. "We have a tough first round matchup. We struggled a little bit today getting our car slowed down when it got a little hotter, so we have our work cut out for us. The track has been really good, so tomorrow is going to be a good race day."

Brown took his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season and 32nd of his career with his Friday track record performance of 3.737 seconds at 326.79 mph in his Matco Tools/Aaron's dragster.

"Those qualifying points pay big dividends," Brown said. "We came in here tied with Spencer, went back and forth, and came out of qualifying one point ahead. Spencer's been trying to take my lunch money. We want every point we can get because they all add up when we come into Pomona [for the Countdown finale]. We were trying hard today to go low in each round. It didn't go in our favor, but the .73 from last night put us No. 1."

Massey was second with a 3.752 at 326.16 in the FRAM/Prestone dragster, while David Grubnic was third overall in his Optima Batteries dragster with a 3.773 at 317.94.

Beckman secured his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season in Funny Car with a track record time of 4.049 at 308.85 in his Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger.

"The awesome thing about getting qualified on Friday is getting the chance to come up with your race day tune-up," Beckman said. "Qualifying No. 1 never hurts your chances, and making two good runs today and getting to try a new supercharger should help us out. I like that we've been able to qualify like this on a consistent basis, but we have to convert. We have to turn this into round-wins."

Beckman, who will race rookie Alexis DeJoria in the opening round, hopes to take advantage of his top qualifying effort during eliminations so he can improve on his third place points position in the Countdown playoffs.

"We have four races left and that's 16 rounds, assuming that you get to the final round each time," Beckman said. "We're five rounds out of the lead right now, and we're not racing for second place. The pressure is squarely on us."

John Force qualified second in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang with a 4.060 at 308.35, while defending world champ Matt Hagan was third with a 4.061 at 305.42 in his DieHard/Aaron's Charger. Funny Car points leader Ron Capps will start sixth and meet teammate Johnny Gray in the opening round.

Line earned his sixth No. 1 of the season and 30th of his career in Pro Stock, powering to a track record performance of 6.496 at 213.47 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro. He will meet Jeg Coughlin in the opening round.

"That [6.49] was the best corrected run we've ever made," Line said. "It was about as close to perfect as you can get. Our Camaro finally come around. It's a great car at least for this weekend. Today, is the first time that I feel like the Camaro is as good as our old Pontiac. Greg's car still needs a little work, but mine was as good as it gets. This car has come a long way."

Line says with Series leader Allen Johnson's extended lead in the standings, he's trying to grab every available point on the table.

"Obviously, we're working on trying to get the three little [qualifying bonus] points," Line said. "All little points matter, but you really have to get the big points tomorrow in order to have a shot at the championship. I just have to do a good job driving and make it happen."

Johnson was second overall with a 6.516 at 212.76 in the Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, while Line's teammate, Greg Anderson, moved into third with a 6.517 at 212.36 in his Summit Racing Camaro. Erica Enders will start fourth in her GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana Jr. took his third No. 1 of the season and second in a row with a track record time of 6.809 at 196.50 on his Lucas Oil Buell. He will face John Hall in the first round.

"The conditions were great and we were able to tune from last night's run and we were able to make adjustments so as you've seen we ran better today," said Arana Jr. of his ninth career to qualifying position. "You always hope you'll run quicker but I was a bit surprise that we ran that fast. I did not think we'd go a 6.80."

Arana Jr. feels confident as he goes for his first win of the season and tries to move up in the points standings. He hasn't made it past the semis in each of his other two races this season when he was the top qualifier.

"I've been riding well and the bike is running well," Arana Jr. said. "We just need to be consistent. I am not thinking about what happened before. I'm looking forward and living in the present."

Hector Arana Sr. was second with a 6.827 at a track record speed of 196.56 on his Lucas Oil Buell and is followed by the Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson tandem of points leader Eddie Krawiec in third and Andrew Hines in fourth.

MADISON, Ill. -- Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and third of six races in the Flull Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.737 seconds, 326.79 mph  vs. 16. Bruce Litton, 3.902, 306.33; 2. Spencer Massey, 3.752, 326.16  vs. 15. T.J. Zizzo, 3.889, 298.67; 3. David Grubnic, 3.773, 317.94  vs. 14. Terry McMillen, 3.887, 318.47; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.775, 325.69  vs. 13. Clay Millican, 3.868, 316.60; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.795, 325.53  vs. 12. Brandon Bernstein, 3.867, 316.01; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.799, 318.92  vs. 11. Morgan Lucas, 3.856, 309.56; 7. Khalid alBalooshi, 3.837, 320.51  vs. 10. Larry Dixon, 3.840, 314.90; 8. Steve Torrence, 3.840, 318.92  vs. 9. Bob Vandergriff, 3.840, 318.77. Did Not Qualify: 17. Keith Murt, 3.938, 303.84; 18. Tim Cullinan, 3.948, 305.98; 19. Luigi Novelli, 3.983, 286.13; 20. Chris Karamesines, 4.086, 305.98; 21. Pat Dakin, 4.098, 249.58; 22. Troy Buff, 4.193, 270.59.

Funny Car -- 1. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.049, 308.85  vs. 16. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 4.187, 291.13; 2. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.060, 308.35  vs. 15. Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Impala, 4.183, 289.07; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.061, 305.42  vs. 14. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.182, 304.46; 4. Courtney Force, Mustang, 4.073, 309.70  vs. 13. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.152, 305.84; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.077, 309.63  vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Camry, 4.136, 301.20; 6. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.083, 309.34  vs. 11. Johnny Gray, Charger, 4.126, 305.15; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.090, 312.06  vs. 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.115, 302.75; 8. Jeff Arend, Camry, 4.095, 312.93  vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.100, 305.29. Did Not Qualify: 17. Todd Lesenko, 4.474, 248.84; 18. Terry Haddock, 4.512, 254.23; 19. Peter Russo, broke.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.496, 213.47  vs. 16. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Avenger, 6.581, 210.54; 2. Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.516, 212.76  vs. 15. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.576, 210.11; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.517, 212.36  vs. 14. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GXP, 6.576, 211.00; 4. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.519, 212.23  vs. 13. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.564, 210.67; 5. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.527, 211.99  vs. 12. Ron Krisher, GXP, 6.558, 211.43; 6. Vincent Nobile, Avenger, 6.530, 212.33  vs. 11. Chris McGaha, Avenger, 6.553, 210.31; 7. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.532, 212.26  vs. 10. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.553, 210.93; 8. Buddy Perkinson, GXP, 6.536, 212.09 vs. 9. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.548, 211.66. Did Not Qualify: 17. Kurt Johnson, 6.590, 210.18; 18. Steve Schmidt, 6.653, 207.21; 19. Lewis Worden, 6.674, 207.82; 20. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.790, 203.55; 21. Mark Hogan, 6.860, 207.78; 22. Dave River, 25.240, 203.06.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.809, 196.50  vs. 16. John Hall, Buell, 6.987, 189.52; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.827, 196.56  vs. 15. Mike Berry, Buell, 6.984, 190.22; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.839, 195.56  vs. 14. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.929, 193.43; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.862, 195.00  vs. 13. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.912, 194.07; 5. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.877, 193.40  vs. 12. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.910, 191.02; 6. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.882, 194.32  vs. 11. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.906, 192.38; 7. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.886, 194.88  vs. 10. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.888, 193.18; 8. Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 6.886, 190.16  vs. 9. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.887, 191.95. Did Not Qualify: 17. Matt Guidera, 7.052, 189.36; 18. Michael Phillips, 7.065, 190.94; 19. Wesley Wells, 7.087, 189.07.

Racin & Rockin: Fuel tuner Barbara Hogan on October 1!

 

Racin' and Rockin': Racin & Rockin: Fuel tuner Barbara Hogan on October 1! by Bill Pratt. Join us Monday night, October 1, as we welcome female fuel funny car tuner Barbara Hogan! Barbara helped to make Tim Grose one of the quickest and fastest funny cars on the planet in the 1980s. Plus John Bockelman's weekly take on the best of rock music and drag racing. 

Today's Drag Racing News

News

Candies family herds 'em up at Texas Motorplex Drag Racing Online Magazine The Agent found some photos stuck into an old cowboy boot on the Phlegm Building second-story penthouse porch this morning. The Paul Candies family brought their four Mustangs to a test session last week at the Motorplex. Now that is a handsome herd ... See all stories on this topic » Drag Racing Online Magazine

Local Auto Racing Notebook: Watt's team wins Hot Rod Trophy again Ventura County Star Dutweiller is known as the Turbo God for his reputation as the finest tuner in drag racing. Watt has been involved in racing for more than 30 years, building championship Sprint Cars and Midget racing machines. Poteet had runs of 449 and 429 mph at the ... See all stories on this topic »

Velde, Vero Beach car dealership owner and drag racer, dies TCPalm Velde became a member of the National Hot Rod Association in 1969 and began his drag racing career in stock classes before moving up to super stock competition and into the professional stock ranks in drag racing. He amassed numerous victories and ... See all stories on this topic »

Drags return to Gateway and records fall STLtoday.com This track was a fixture on the top drag racing circuit from 1997 to 2010. With the facility ownership in limbo, there was no NHRA event here last year. But the drivers roared back Friday, setting track bests in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and ... See all stories on this topic »

Snyder Leads Qualifying List At ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI Presented By Mickey Thompson

NORWALK, OHIO (Sept. 28, 2012) - Mick Snyder added one more notch to his terrific 2012 American Drag Racing League (ADRL) season in Pro Extreme on Friday at Summit Motorsports Park.

With fantastic conditions leading to remarkable times across the board in every ADRL class, Snyder had one of the best performances of the day, running a career-best 3.598 at 209.95 mph to take the No. 1 qualifying spot after three sessions of the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI presented by Mickey Thompson.

Snyder, the PX points leader, became just the fourth ADRL driver to run in the 3.50s, setting a track record in the process on what turned into a picturesque Friday in Norwalk.

"It's pretty cool. The 3.50s club is a neat group and to be one of four is an awesome deal," Snyder said. "We knew the conditions would be good enough, but to actually make the pass is very cool. The air was so good, we got the right tune-up and it all worked out really well."

Other No. 1 qualifiers through three sessions on Friday included Pat Stoken (Pro Nitrous), Alan Pittman (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Dave Vantine (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), Todd Hoerner (Extreme Pro Stock), Raymond Matos (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified) and Joshua Vettel (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman).

Vettel ran a 3.975 in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, becoming the first driver in the history of the class to make a 3-second run.

Saturday's final qualifying session starts at 11 a.m., with eliminations for the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags VI presented by Mickey Thompson to follow.

Snyder's 3.598 was a welcome sign after a three-race slump that saw his points lead over teammate Jason Scruggs get slashed. But Snyder and his Powersource Transportation Corvette seemed to have righted the ship on Friday at Summit Motorsports Park.

"That was a great pick-me-up. The last three races, we've struggled. When you get in a little bit of a slump, it's always nice to do something to get back out of it," Snyder said.

"These cars are so finicky, but we're back to being consistent and that's pretty exciting."

Brandon Pesz is No. 2 with a 3.603, while Scruggs, who trails Snyder by just more than 100 points, is third with a 3.614.

After struggling through the first two rounds in his RJ Race Cars '69 Camaro, Pat Stoken returned with a vengeance under the lights, going 3.836 at 197.62 mph. It puts him in line for his third career No. 1 qualifier at the Ohio Drags.

"We were struggling through the first two qualifying runs, but we changed some things and that seemed to be the way to go. I knew we needed to do something," Stoken said. "I didn't think it would be that quick, but hopefully things will continue to go well."

Doug Riesterer is currently second with a 3.843 and points leader Bob Rahaim is right behind at 3.844.

Stoken, who also thanked Reher-Morrison and Switzer Dynamics, also enjoyed the company of his twin brother, Mike, on Friday, who was watching him race for the first time in 15 years.

"Maybe he's bringing me good luck, but we've got some good people helping us," Stoken said. "This is a great facility and we always seem to do well here."

Joshua Vettel put together a historic run in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, becoming the first driver in the history of the Top Sportsman class to make a 3-second run, going an incredible 3.975 at 177.53 mph.

It puts Vettel in the No. 1 spot in Summit Racing Top Sportsman for the first time in his career, doing it with an incredible run in the process.

"That was just amazing. It was definitely a lot of fun and definitely the fastest we've ever been," Vettel said. "It's a huge honor to be the first to go in the 3s."

Mark Malcuit and his superb 4.027 at 180.94 mph is currently No. 2, while Travis Harvey's 4.04 is third. Vettel's 3.975 also leads the quickest field in the history of the Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman class in the ADRL, as the current bump (No. 16 Glenn Butcher) is a remarkable 4.21.

"We were shooting for No. 1 and tried to see how fast it would go. We knew a 3-second run was possible. The track was really good and the car took off on a rope," Vettel said.

After watching Richard Penland slip momentarily past him into the No. 1 spot in Extreme Pro Stock with a 4.055, Todd Hoerner and his 2012 Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro ended Friday back on top with a 4.04 at 178.95 mph.

Powered by an EFI set-up from Sonny's Racing Engines, Hoerner continued to stay consistent at Norwalk, giving major credit to co-crew chief Jeff Dobbins Jr.

"That was great to run that and take back the No. 1 spot for (Friday)," Hoerner said. "Jeff Dobbins Jr. just does a phenomenal job calling the shots. He's really methodical, just taking baby steps, and more and more data really pays dividends.

"He said he thought it would run a 4.04 and he was right on. He's the man and the power Sonny's (Racing Engines) gives me is just phenomenal as well."

Richie Stevens Jr. is third with a 4.057 while points leader Cary Goforth is fourth with a 4.058 in a super-tight field that is already the second-quickest in XPS history.

A career-best from Dave Vantine gave him the No.1 qualifying spot through three rounds in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, as the New York native ran a career-best 4.071 at 175.07 mph.

Points leader Eric McKinney is right behind with a 4.083, but Vantine was brilliant during the second qualifying session. He also hopes to build on the late-season success he had in 2011 that led to his first ADRL win at the final event of the year.

"The surface was great, our 60-foot time was good and there's still some on the table," Vantine said. "I'm pretty happy with it and it kind of came out of nowhere. We weren't able to test and that was kind of a big jump for us.

"It was a little bit unexpected, but we always seem to finish the season well."

In his first ADRL race of the 2012 season and just the second in his career, Raymond Matos jumped to the top spot in Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified, going a career-best 3.91 at 187.52 mph.

Driving a 1970 'Cuda powered by Sonny's Racing Engines and Pat Musi Racing Engines EFI, the Puerto Rico native was consistent from the start, running in the 3.90s in all three sessions to make it a welcome return for the Dragstock V winner.

"It's very exciting to come out and make this happen. It's great to come out and start everything again," Matos said. "We decided Monday to come out here without testing.

"We had some worries, but this is a very good car. The Sonny Leonard engine and the Musi Racing Engines EFI made a big difference and gave us a big advantage."

Closing in on his first world championship in Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5, Alan Pittman is the current No. 1 qualifier, running a 3.911 at 197.31 mph.

Billy Glidden is right behind, going 3.923 at 188.95 mph.

In the SuperCar Showdown class, Chris Holbrook set the world E.T. and speed record in the class, running a 5.667 at 121.34 mph.

His first pass included a run of 121.43 mph, good enough to make it the fastest run in the history of the class.

In Pro Junior Dragster, Camrie Caroso is the current No. 1 qualifier with a 7.90.

NHRA NEWS: PRO MOD SERIES PRESENTED BY PROCARE RX RESULTS FRIDAY FROM ST. LOUIS

MADISON, Ill. – Don Walsh raced to the qualifying lead Friday in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx portion of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Walsh powered his turbocharged late-model Ford Mustang to a Gateway Motorsports Park track record time of 5.816 seconds at 255.43 mph to move to the top of the 16-car field. If his time holds through tomorrow’s final qualifying session he will earn his third consecutive No. 1 qualifying position.

Donald Martin was second in his supercharged ’68 Camaro with a 5.861 at 247.84, while Charlotte winner Leah Pruett was third in her turbocharged 2012 Mustang with a 5.880 at 251.06.

Troy Coughlin qualified sixth in his JEGS turbocharged ’68 Camaro with a 5.924 at a track record speed of 255.43 mph. Series points leader Mike Castellana was fifth in his Al-Anabi Racing late-model Chevy Camaro with a 5.911 at 241.20.

Qualifying continues for the NHRA Pro Mod Series on Saturday with the final round at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by the first round of eliminations at 4 p.m. Pro Mod eliminations will continue on Sunday at approximately 2:30 p.m.

MADISON, Ill. -- Friday's qualifying results for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx portion of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.  Qualifying will continue Saturday for Saturday's final eliminations.

Pro Modified -- 1. Don Walsh, Ford Mustang, 5.816, 255.43; 2. Donald Martin, Chevy Camaro, 5.861, 247.84; 3. Leah Pruett, Mustang, 5.880, 251.06; 4. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.886, 247.38; 5. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.911, 241.20; 6. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.924, 255.43; 7. Raymond Commisso, Camaro, 5.968, 243.63; 8. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 5.971, 244.69; 9. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 5.991, 245.09; 10. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 6.009, 212.23; 11. Mike Janis, Mustang, 6.021, 214.18; 12. Harold Martin, Chevy Corvette, 6.125, 215.62; 13. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 6.471, 233.20; 14. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 8.663, 152.07; 15. Scott Ray, Corvette, 12.965, 62.84; 16. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 18.190, 43.25.