CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals

alBALOOSHI BRINGS POINT LEAD TO PHOENIX – Khalid alBalooshi will bring the NHRA Top Fuel point lead to Phoenix after earning an impressive victory at Pomona. The third-year Top Fuel driver registered runs in the 3.7s on three of his four race-day passes in defeating a Murderer’s Row line-up including Tony Schumacher, teammate Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence and number one qualifier Doug Kalitta. alBalooshi has now won in each of his three seasons in the series.

DEJORIA MAKES HISTORY IN OPENER – Alexis DeJoria became the first woman in NHRA Funny Car history to run a sub four-second pass when she registered a 3.997-second run in her Patron XO Café Toyota Camry on her way to qualifying third at the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif. DeJoria is one of just nine drivers ever to make a Funny Car in less than four seconds.

Alexis DeJoria: “It’s an absolutely amazing feeling to be included in that exclusive 3.9 club I knew my guys had it in them, but to come out and do it at the first race shows how good they really are.”

WORSHAM SET TO CONTEND – The 2013 season was a re-adjustment period for Del Worsham after he returned to the seat of a Funny Car after a two-year absence, but now the veteran is ready to contend for a title after a strong semi-final showing at Pomona. That performance followed an impressive off-season that saw him place second and fourth on the two days of testing at West Palm.

Worsham made headlines in 2011 when he switched from Funny Cars to Top Fuel and went out and won the world championship in his first full season racing dragsters. Shortly thereafter, he suddenly retired as a driver, moving over to serve as crew chief for now teammate Alexis DeJoria at Kalitta Motorsports. After a year away from the seat, he returned last season to drive a Funny Car for the team. As the unit started to gel toward season’s end, Worsham rallied from 11th-place to qualify for the Countdown Playoffs in dramatic fashion, then climbed to an eventual eighth-place finish overall.