DSR Houston Post Race Recap NHRA SpringNationals
Jack Beckman retains the Funny Car points lead
Tony Schumacher tied for the Top Fuel points lead (with Steve Torrence)
Leah Pritchett leaves with the Royal Purple Raceway Top Fuel E.T. record (3.680-seconds)
Top Fuel:
ANTRON BROWN
Driver of the Matco Tools/U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified: No. 5 (3.740 E.T. at 324.98 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 4.771 E.T. at 163.79 MPH defeated by Terry McMillen 3.777 E.T. at 317.79 MPH
Race Recap:
Antron Brown’s first Top Fuel victory was at the Baytown, Texas track in 2008. 10 years and 48 wins later, the 49-time Top Fuel event champion entered the race on the verge of his 50th.
After qualifying fifth for the NHRA SpringNationals, Brown faced Terry McMillen in the opening session. Brown had a slight starting line advantage but his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools/U.S. Army machine began to shake the tires. He pedaled it but clicked it off when it started dropping cylinders. McMillen was able to take the win with a clean 3.777-second pass.
Quotable:
“It was just one of those mishaps where we went out there and it dropped a hole early. That made the engine weak and we had tire shake. We were on a good run and would have ended with a good pass. We were pressing and weren’t taking Terry McMillen lightly. Just something that happened at the wrong time. With that being said, we just need to remain poised and keep working hard. It’s still early in the season. Fortunately, championships are won in the last six races and not the first six.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Points Standing:
324 points, ranked No. 3
Leads fourth ranked Clay Millican by 15 points
Trails Tony Schumacher/Steve Torrence (tied for first) by 61 points
LEAH PRITCHETT
Driver of the Mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified: No. 1 (3.680 E.T. at 326.00 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.697 E.T. at 327.43 MPH defeated Terry Brian 4.233 E.T. at 258.37 MPH
E2: 3.740 E.T. at 320.36 MPH defeated Steve Torrence 3.778 E.T. at 312.64
E3: 10.490 E.T. at 73.72 MPH defeated by Terry McMillen 5.124 E.T. at 213.64 MPH
Race Recap:
Last year’s SpringNationals winner turned heads on Saturday afternoon when the Mopar Dodge dragster rocketed to the top with an impressive 3.680-second pass. The team earned their first No. 1 qualifier of the season and was set up for success on race day. Led by crew chief duo Todd Okuhara and Joe Barlam, the team dismissed of Top Fuel newbie Terry Brian in the opening round on Sunday with another sub 3.7-sec pass, the lowest elapsed time of the opening round.In the second round, Pritchett defeated rival Steve Torrence in one of the best side-by-side races of the day. Pritchett got the edge on the starting line and posted a 3.740, 320-mph lap over Torrence’s 3.778-sec effort.
For the first time all weekend at the track near Houston, teams faced sunny skies and Prichett’s dragster hazed the tires in the semifinal race against Terry McMillen. McMillen also struggled down the tricky 1,000-ft course but was able to take the win light.
The No. 1 qualifier effort, which was a track elapsed time record, and two round wins provide momentum for the Pritchett and the Mopar team heading into next weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte.
Quotable:
“It was definitely a Six Flags rollercoaster adventure of a weekend. I can say going to the semis has done a lot for our team. We qualified No. 1, which was definitely no fluke, and we found two ways to win in the first two rounds, and that’s one small leap for the Mopar/U.S. Army team.
“We’ll take this and we’ll not really lick our wounds too much because we found a lot of progress. Yes, we wanted to defend our race win here from last year and it stings that we didn’t but, within minutes of coming back and debriefing after the semifinals, we found the cohesiveness of this team is very strong and will carry us a long way the rest of this season. Particularly this race, we pulled a lot of strength from the crew chiefs and the entire team together, and that’s a mental strength that’s being conditioned and we feel stronger after this weekend than we have all year.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Points Standing:
284 points, ranked sixth
Leads seventh ranked Brittany Force by 14 points
Trails fifth ranked Doug Kalitta by 20 points
TONY SCHUMACHER
Driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified: No. 3 (3.703 E.T. at 319.75 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.703 E.T. at 325.85 MPH defeated Bill Litton 4.228 E.T. at 216.31 MPH
E2: 3.737 E.T. at 317.64 MPH defeated Clay Millican 6.473 E.T. at 89.64 MPH
E3: 5.074 E.T. at 148.97 MPH defeated by Brittany Force 3.766 E.T. at 299.80 MPH
Race Recap:
Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army Top Fuel Dragster team advanced to the semifinals on Sunday in Baytown, Texas as the NHRA began its three-race swing. Schumacher defeated Bill Litton in the opening session with his 3.703-second pass on a tricky race track. In round two, he had the starting line advantage over Clay Millican and powered the Army dragster to a 3.737-sec winning pass.
In the semifinals, Schumacher went into tire smoke for the first time during the weekend and coasted to a 5.074 as Brittany Force got the round win with her 3.766-sec run.
The Army team will leave Baytown tied for the Top Fuel points lead with Steve Torrence.
Quotable:
“It almost made it, it was just fast – aggressively fast. We missed it by just a little bit. Had the other car smoked the tires, too, I had enough momentum to where I could have won it. But when the other car runs a 76, pack it up – we’re done. I was in ready-to-go mode, ultra-prepared for a pedalfest. In my mind, I was pedaling it before I hit the gas.
“Big picture, we’re tied for the points lead and that’s a good thing. Most importantly, we have a really good U.S. Army car. This morning, when the conditions were cool, I thought nobody was going to beat us here. It got quite a bit hotter than we thought and, still, we were ultra close. The good thing is we go right from here to another one. It wasn’t like we got beat in the first round. We held our own, we got good points this weekend, separated from a lot of people in the standings. It’s all good.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Points Standing:
385 points, tied for No. 1 (with Steve Torrence)
Leads third ranked Antron Brown by 61 points
Funny Car:
JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 4 (3.918 E.T. at 314.31 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 4.125 E.T. at 317.12 MPH defeated Richard Townsend 4.186 E.T. at 298.93 MPH
E2: 5.286 E.T. at 233.72 MPH defeated Del Worsham 5.563 E.T. at 215.62 MPH
E3: 4.113 E.T. at 293.35 MPH defeated by Robert Hight 3.959 E.T. at 312.50 MPH
Race Recap:
The Funny Car points leader’s race day started with a pedalfest against opponent Richard Townsend. Jack Beckman was able to get Terry and Doug Chandler’s Infinite Hero Foundation Funny Car to recover quickly and earned the round win.
In the quarterfinals, Beckman once again masterfully pedaled his way to victory, setting off the win lights before Del Worsham, who also encountered tire smoke.
The semifinal matchup found the 2012 Funny Car world champion facing Robert Hight, the reigning world champ. Beckman was first off of the starting line, but his 4.113-second pass was no match for Hight’s 3.959.
Quotable:
“Interestingly enough, it’s the first time since deep into last year where we probably didn’t have one of the best cars on the property, yet we still left with the third most points of anyone this weekend. These are the kinds of outings that will win the championship; when you can overachieve relative to your performance, because trust me, these guys will have this thing figured out and we’ll be thundering again in Charlotte where we’re right back to a four-wide format. It’s a good time of year to be a Funny Car driver and we leave with the points lead.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Points Standing:
415 points, ranked No. 1
Leads second ranked Matt Hagan by 52 points
RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 14 (4.077 E.T. at 305.77 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 4.152 E.T. at 245.81 MPH defeated by Matt Hagan 3.951 E.T. at 311.49 MPH
Race Recap:
As the 2017 SpringNationals event champion, Ron Capps returned to Baytown, Texas ready to defend his title. He had hoped the 2018 race would be the start of an upswing for the NAPA AUTO PARTS Funny Car team which went on to win three consecutive events after winning the 2017 meet.
The team struggled during qualifying and found themselves in unfamiliar territory on Sunday, starting race day from the No. 14 spot. Without the advantage of lane choice, Capps and the Rahn Tobler-led crew faced teammate Matt Hagan in round one of eliminations.
Despite the tough competition, Capps felt confident in the NAPA AUTO PARTS team’s ability to claim the round win and make it a long race day.
The DSR Dodges lined up, and Capps pulled away first. The Pennzoil-powered machines were neck-and-neck until about 650-feet when Capps’ car quit, and Hagan was able to take the win.
Quotable:
“We really put ourselves in a hole during qualifying, but you’ve heard me brag about Tobler and our team time and time again. No matter where we qualify, I think we have a fighting chance, and I wouldn’t want to be the guy or gal in the other lane racing our NAPA car on Sunday morning. Having Hagan first round was not the plan, especially as good as they’ve been running this weekend, but we went up there and were out in front of them initially. Then the car quit at about 650-feet, and we’re working to figure out why.
“We’ll go onto zMAX (Dragway) and get back to four-wide racing, but after winning here last year and starting that streak, we felt like we had a good shot at getting back in the Winner’s Circle today.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Points Standing:
289 points, ranked seventh
Leads eighth ranked Shawn Langdon by 52 points
Trails sixth ranked Tommy Johnson Jr. by nine points
MATT HAGAN
Driver of the Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 3 (3.913 E.T. at 308.78 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.951 E.T. at 311.49 MPH defeated Ron Capps 4.152 E.T. at 245.81 MPH
E2: 4.190 E.T. at 240.08 MPH defeated by Tim Wilkerson 3.972 E.T. at 308.71 MPH
Race Recap:
Matt Hagan’s first trip to the Winner’s Circle came during the 2010 Houston race. His attempt to add a 2018 NHRA SpringNationals Wally to his trophy collection started with a tough draw, his DSR teammate, Ron Capps.
Hagan and Capps charged hard out of the gate, and in a battle of DSR Dodge’s, Hagan was able to take the win when Capps’ car went silent near halftrack.
In the quarterfinals, Hagan squared off against Tim Wilkerson. Both drivers had nearly identical reaction times and the Mopar Express Lane Dodge was even with Wilkerson’s machine until about 330-feet when dropped cylinders caused Hagan to slow and his opponent was able to pull away for the win.
The two round wins enabled Hagan to move from third up to second in points.
Quotable:
“It was a little tricky track with new asphalt out there, just a lot of variables to deal with. We had six great runs up to that point and it just wore too much clutch and pulled the tires lose out there. A lot of times it just loops the tires and I can drive through it, but it just blew them off pretty hard and there was no real recovery. When you’ve got a guy like Wilkerson running 97 beside you and you have identical lights basically, it’s kind of tough to make it up.
“That’s Houston for us. I got my first win here so it’s kind of a special place for me, but we’re moving on. We have four-wide (Charlotte) coming up and trying to get focused on that because it’s a whole different ballgame again, like Vegas was. I don’t have the greatest record at four-wides so I need to focus and do well. We need to start winning soon.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Points Standing:
363 points, ranked second
Leads third ranked J.R. Todd by 16 points
Trails first ranked Jack Beckman by 52 points
TOMMY JOHNSON JR.
Driver of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger R/T
Qualified: No. 7 (3.926 E.T. at 313.00 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.989 E.T. at 309.49 MPH defeated by J.R. Todd 3.955 E.T. at 321.73 MPH
Race Recap:
Tommy Johnson Jr.’s first round loss against opponent J.R. Todd was the ultimate example of ‘wrong place at the wrong time.’ Johnson, who was previously 3-0 against Todd, charged out of the gate with all candles lit. Both Johnson and Todd were straight down the groove in an exciting side-by-side race. Unfortunately for Johnson, Todd edged past and was able to take the win with his 3.955-second pass vs. Johnson’s 3.989.
Johnson’s 3.989 was the fifth quickest E.T. of the session and would have beat half of the drivers who were able to advance to round two.
Quotable:
“The conditions out here are so tricky and today was a perfect example of ‘wrong place at the wrong time.’ We made a nice run, fifth quickest of the round, but came up short. That’s part of the luck in racing sometimes. We have a really good race car, we went down the track when a lot of them didn’t so we’re not going to change anything. We’ll just go on to the next one, keep doing what we’re doing and it’ll come to us.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Points Standing:
298 points, ranked sixth
Leads seventh ranked Ron Capps by nine points
Trails fifth ranked Robert Hight by 28 points
