MADISON, Ill. — In the history of the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoffs, several teams have washed away the stains from a less-than-spectacular regular season by winning the NHRA world championship title.
In recent seasons, Matt Hagan, Cruz Pedregon and Robert Hight have all got hot in the playoffs from back of the pack starting positions and went on to celebrate a world championship title in November.
Shawn Langdon is looking to add his name to that list in 2012.
The driver of the Al-Anabi Racing dragster opened the post-season by winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway and then took the No. 1 qualifying position at the second playoff race, at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas. In the process he has moved to fourth in the standings with only four races remaining in the Countdown to the Championship.
Langdon will try to keep his momentum going at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, Sept. 28-30 at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis when the NHRA circuit returns to the popular dragstrip for the first time since the 2010 season.
After struggling in the 17-race regular season, Langdon started the Countdown playoffs in seventh position and didn’t have much momentum on his side. All that has changed since the playoffs started as the Al-Anabi Racing driver looks to give team owner Sheikh Khalid Al Thani and team manager Alan Johnson a third consecutive world championship title this season, continuing the streak started by Larry Dixon (2010) and Del Worsham (2011).
“The Al-Anabi car is running better than it has all year, and as a driver, I have more confidence in my race car than I ever have; that’s a good feeling to have,” Langdon said.
In his last three Countdown playoff appearances Langdon finished ninth, fifth and ninth respectively, while driving a second car for Morgan Lucas Racing from 2009-2011.
“This is the best I’ve ever felt in any of my previous Countdown appearances,” Langdon said. “With four races to go, I feel I have the best opportunity I’ve ever had to challenge for a championship, and we have a shot. I want to make sure that I am prepared for every run because I know the car will be, and as a driver, I have to be sure I do my part by being mentally and physically prepared for these last four races.”
Langdon has had some success at Gateway in the past, as he raced to a semifinal finish there in 2009.
“I’m looking forward to racing at St. Louis and I am happy we are racing there in the fall instead of the summer because it will be cooler, and that’s good news for the race cars and the fans,” Langdon said. “We could have some very fast conditions if the weather cooperates, and that would be great for everyone.
“It’s also cool to race so close to downtown St. Louis because you can see the Arch from the track, and it’s kind of a neat atmosphere downtown where a lot of the teams will stay.”
Standing in Langdon’s way is five-time season winner Antron Brown and Spencer Massey, a four-time winner this season. Those two drivers are tied for the points lead and just behind them is seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher. In close pursuit of Langdon is three-time regular season winner Morgan Lucas, Brandon Bernstein, Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence, a three-time season winner in his Capco Contractors dragster.
In Funny Car, Ron Capps has extended his series lead to 96 over second place Mike Neff. The veteran driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger won his first Funny Car race at Gateway back in 1997 and hopes to put the finishing touches on his first world championship title with a strong effort there this season. Others to watch in Funny Car include 15-time world champ John Force, rookie sensation Courtney Force, two-time world champ Pedregon, Auto Club Ford Mustang driver Hight, and local favorite Tim Wilkerson, who is moving up the standings after barely qualifying for the Countdown.
In Pro Stock, top seed Allen Johnson raced to a playoff victory in Dallas and leads defending world champ Jason Line by 93 points in the standings. Johnson has posted two runner-up finishes at St. Louis during his career. Vincent Nobile and three-time season winner Erica Enders are red-hot and moving up in the points standings, while past world champs Greg Anderson, Mike Edwards and Jeg Coughlin can never be counted out.
The Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team of top seed and points leader Eddie Krawiec and three-time world champ Andrew Hines are leading the way, while Hector Arana Jr. and Dallas winner Michael Ray are moving up in the standings on their Buells. Karen Stoffer, Hector Arana Sr. and past champs LE Tonglet and Matt Smith are also ones to watch in the two-wheel category.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3 and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28, and 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30.
* TICKETS: For tickets for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals please call (618) 215-8888 or log on to www.extremetix.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 1 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 30, and will be preceded by a 90-minute show at 2:30 a.m. A three-hour final eliminations show will air at 8 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Sept. 30. A 90-minute re-air of final eliminations will be broadcast Oct. 9 at 2:30 a.m. ET.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals will feature competition 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 8 a.m. on Sept. 28, and eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on Sept. 29 and continue through Sept. 30.
* NHRA PRO MOD SERIES presented by ProCare Rx: NHRA’s popular Pro Mod touring series will make its ninth start of the 10-race 2012 season at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. The series features some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles, in quarter-mile competition. The first qualifying session will be Friday, Sept. 28 at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Qualifying will continue on Saturday, Sept. 29 with the final session at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by the first round of eliminations at 4 p.m. Eliminations will continue Sunday, Sept. 30 at approximately 2:30 p.m.
* 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.
AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS FACT SHEET
WHAT: Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the third of six races in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoffs. 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: Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison, Ill. Gateway International Raceway is located five minutes from downtown St. Louis at the intersection of Interstates 55/70 and Ill. Route 203 (Exit 4).
WHEN: Friday through Sunday, Sept. 28-30.
SCHEDULE:
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 - LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 8 a.m.
NHRA PRO MOD SERIES presented by ProCare Rx qualifying at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, Sept. 29 – LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 8 a.m.
NHRA PRO MOD SERIES presented by ProCare Rx qualifying at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, Sept. 30 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, Sept. 30, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 1 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 30, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 90-minutes of qualifying coverage at 2:30 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 30, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 8 p.m. (ET).
Tuesday, Oct. 9, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will re-air a 90-minute telecast of eliminations coverage starting at 2:30 a.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):
Friday, Sept. 28, 10 – 10:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 12C
Saturday, Sept. 29, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 12C
Sunday, Sept. 30, 7:30 - 8 p.m. (ET), AMC 6 / Transponder 12C
(3940 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.
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 ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.815 sec. by Cory McClenathan, May. ’10; 318.62 mph by Tony Schumacher, May ’10
Funny Car - 4.103 sec. by John Force, May ’10; 307.23 mph by Force, May ’10
Pro Stock - 6.571 sec. by Jason Line, May ’08; 210.37 mph by Greg Stanfield, May ’09
PS Motorcycle - 6.860 sec. by Andrew Hines, May ’09; 194.88 mph by Michael Phillips, May ’10
TICKETS: For tickets call Gateway Motorsports Park at (618) 215-8888, or visit www.extremetix.com.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) following the second of six playoff events in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship -
Top Fuel: 1. (tie) Antron Brown, 2,256; Spencer Massey, 2,256; 3. Tony Schumacher, 2,232; 4. Shawn Langdon, 2,215; 5. Morgan Lucas, 2,173; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 2,166; 7. Doug Kalitta, 2,133; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,126; 9. Bob Vandergriff, 2,085; 10. David Grubnic, 2,075.
Funny Car: 1. Ron Capps, 2,307; 2. Mike Neff, 2,211; 3. Jack Beckman, 2,210; 4. Cruz Pedregon, 2,167; 5. Robert Hight, 2,144; 6. Courtney Force, 2,140; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 2,123; 8. Johnny Gray, 2,113; 9. John Force, 2,104; 10. Jeff Arend, 2,095.
Pro Stock: 1. Allen Johnson, 2,339; 2. Jason Line, 2,246; 3. Vincent Nobile, 2,217; 4. Erica Enders, 2,195; 5. Greg Anderson, 2,161; 6. Mike Edwards, 2,127; 7. Ron Krisher, 2,097; 8. Larry Morgan, 2,093; 9. V. Gaines, 2,085; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 2,083.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: 1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,295; 2. Andrew Hines, 2,284; 3. Hector Arana Jr, 2,216; 4. Michael Ray, 2,187; 5. Hector Arana, 2,185; 6. Karen Stoffer, 2,175; 7. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,124; 8. LE Tonglet, 2,115; 9. Shawn Gann, 2,093; 10. Matt Smith, 2,086.
