TOYOTAS LOOK TO EXTEND HOT STREAK IN POMONA

Heading into this weekend’s Winternationals, Toyota Top Fuel drivers have registered an amazing five straight wins at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and have scored victories in 10 of the 11 last races at the track. In addition, Cruz Pedregon also scored a Funny Car win in his Camry to close out the 2012 season.

A look at Toyota’s Pomona’s Wins:

2009 – Antron Brown (NHRA Finals)
2010 – Larry Dixon (Winternationals); Brown (NHRA Finals)
2011 – Morgan Lucas (Winternationals); Del Worsham (NHRA Finals)
2012 – Brandon Bernstein (NHRA Finals); Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car NHRA Finals)
2013 – Shawn Langdon-2 (Winternationals and NHRA Finals)
2014 – Khalid alBalooshi (Winternationals); Lucas (NHRA Finals)

POMONA HELPED PROPEL DEJORIA TO MEMORABLE ’14 CAMPAIGN – The 2014 season was a break-out campaign for Alexis DeJoria with her emergence first coming at the Winternationals when she became the first (and still only) woman to record a sub-4 second pass with a 3.997. Just one race later, she won her first Nitro Funny Car race at Phoenix. She would go on to win three races total in 2014 – also winning at Las Vegas and at the most prestigious race in drag racing, the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, to qualify for her first Countdown to the Championship playoffs. And for good measure, DeJoria capped off the season by returning to Pomona and logging her third 3.9-second pass of the year on the way to number one qualifier honors at the NHRA Finals.

LANGDON HOPES TO CONTINUE AJR DOMINANCE – Shawn Langdon will be looking for his third victory at Pomona in the last five races and the sixth for Alan Johnson Racing since 2010. Langdon, who grew up in nearby Mira Loma, swept the 2013 Pomona races on the way to the Top Fuel world championship. In addition to Langdon, Larry Dixon, Del Worsham and Khalid alBalooshi have each won races for the team at Pomona. AJR will be aiming for its third straight Winternationals title.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED FOR CRAMPTON – A year ago Richie Crampton arrived at the Winternationals as a relative unknown after serving on the Morgan Lucas Racing crew. This year, Crampton returns to Pomona as the track record-holder after earning number one qualifier honors last November. The Aussie went on to win NHRA Rookie of the Year honors after winning two races, including the prestigious U.S. Nationals. Crampton will be shooting to earn MLR’s fourth win at the track since 2011, including Morgan Lucas’ win to close out the 2014 campaign.