The door is still slightly open for a miraculous comeback for five Top Fuel standouts in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
But if Top Fuel points leader Tony Schumacher has his way that door will be slammed shut as quickly as possible at this weekend’s 50th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Spencer Massey, J.R. Todd, reigning world champion Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence are all still mathematically alive heading into the final event of the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Schumacher, though, knows any and all equations are eliminated with a first round win in his 10,000-horsepower U.S. Army dragster. He currently leads Massey by 109 points, meaning Schumacher’s seventh world championship – and first since 2009 – is at his fingertips.
“I feel great,” Schumacher said. “It’s a good place to be. When you come in with a big lead, you’ve done a great job and your car has done what it has had to do to get this lead. I hope I step up and the car goes as fast as it can, and we win this race and show why we’re the champs. We have to live up to what the Army car is supposed to do.”
Langdon (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Rickie Jones (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the season-ending race that will once again be televised nationally on ESPN2.
The 50th anniversary of the Auto Club NHRA Finals could be even more memorable for Schumacher if he caps off his spectacular Countdown to the Championship run with a victory in Pomona.
The longtime Top Fuel star could have clinched the title in Las Vegas but suffered a surprising first-round upset to Billy Torrence. That has been Schumacher’s only hiccup in a dominant Countdown that has included three of his five 2014 victories. It won’t take a win to claim the championship, but one last resounding performance would leave a sizeable impression on the rest of the class heading into the off-season.
“The car is fantastic,” Schumacher said. “The Army car has won a lot of race and championships, and it makes people step up their game. I’m a firm believer in earning it all the way. We obviously have a great lead, so it’s comfortable, but we would like to win the last one.”
Massey took the most advantage of Schumacher’s first-round exit in Las Vegas, winning his third event of the season and jumping from seventh all the way to second in the standings. Trailing by more than 100 points doesn’t make for great odds, but Massey simply wants to continue his strong momentum from Las Vegas. But should there be an opening, Massey plans to take advantage.
“Obviously anything is possible and we all remember watching Tony do it back in 2006,” Massey said, referencing Schumacher’s memorable final round victory where he also set the national E.T. record to claim the world championship. Drag Racing historians still refer to the improbable feat as “The Run.”
“It would be very tough, but it’s still possible,” Massey continued. “Realistically, we want to stay No. 2 and if something happens to Tony and it opens the door for us, we want that championship. We just have to go out and try to win. That’s all you can do.”
It might take the seemingly unthinkable, which would be Schumacher not qualifying, for Massey or the other four drivers in contention to have a shot, but if Schumacher loses in the first round, Massey and Todd would still have an opportunity depending on how the qualifying points shake out. That scenario would include each driver winning the race and also setting a national E.T. record, just like Schumacher did in ’06.
It’s something that might be possible after Massey’s strong performance in Las Vegas at the controls of his Red Fuel by Schumacher dragster. Perhaps more than anything, though, Massey feels strongly about what his dragster is capable of to finish this season and on into 2015 as well.
“We ran a 3.75 in Vegas so anything is possible,” Massey said. “The new car is running extremely well and if the door is open we’ll try to take advantage. I am extremely happy with how the car is running and I feel like we have a car that can win in Pomona and compete for a championship in 2015.”
Schumacher will be as prepared as he has been all season to finish the job in Pomona, even if it means going against an ultra-talented Top Fuel field that also includes two-time Finals winner Antron Brown, four-time season runner-up Brittany Force, Indy winner Richie Crampton and Winternationals winner Khalid alBalooshi.
“Everyone who has anything to do with our performance on the racetrack is going to go all out and work to finish the job we have ahead of us at Pomona,” Schumacher said.
In Funny Car, Hagan took home the Auto Club NHRA Finals victory last season, but lost out on a championship to 16-time and reigning champ John Force. Hagan enters the final stretch with a 21-point lead over Force and is primed to make a run for a second world championship crown. Force’s daughter Courtney is also a longshot contender for the championship, but the list of potential event winners in Funny Car is deep, and includes three-time season winner Alexis DeJoria, Tommy Johnson Jr., five-time season winner Robert Hight, Ron Capps, Tim Wilkerson, Del Worsham, who won in Las Vegas, and Cruz Pedregon.
In Pro Stock, one of the most intense playoff battles could be settled at Pomona. History-chaser Erica Enders-Stevens leads the pack in her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro. A five-time winner this season, she is trying to become the first female to win an NHRA world championship title in Pro Stock. Hot on her heels is two-time world champ Jason Line, driver of the Summit Racing Camaro, who trails by 17 points. Dave Connolly is 84 points back in third place and still in contention for the title.
The 2014 world championship in Pro Stock Motorcycle is coming down to Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Krawiec, the winner of this event last season. Hines currently holds the points lead over Krawiec, but the pair have gone back and forth during the season. Hines pulled ahead by 92 points following his recent victory in Las Vegas and seems poised to add a fourth championship title to his resume.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, NHRA will feature many of the sport’s greatest legends and those drivers will share some of their favorite memories from 50 years of the Auto Club NHRA Finals. “The King of Speed” Kenny Bernstein, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, “TV” Tommy Ivo, Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen, Ed “The Ace” McCulloch, Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney and Don “The Snake” Prudhomme will be featured during the event and participate in a series of special NHRA Legends Chats and a special autograph session on Saturday afternoon in the popular Hot Rod Junction.
The NHRA Legends Chats will run from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday and the special legends autograph session will take place between Saturday’s pro qualifying sessions. Fans can attend the Legends Chats and autograph session by obtaining a special commemorative 50th Anniversary NHRA Legends Card, which will be available on a first come, first served basis at the Hot Rod Junction.
NHRA fans also will play an important role in the 50th anniversary celebration as they will help decide the most iconic moments in the history of the Auto Club NHRA Finals. Fans will vote for their favorite moments from the event via interactive pages set up on NHRA.com and NHRA’s Facebook page.
Special celebrations throughout the weekend are scheduled to highlight this significant milestone event. In addition to the NHRA Legends Chats and special autograph session featuring the legends, there will be several NHRA-exclusive Cacklefests showcasing the vintage dragsters of the sport’s early days, a special car corral in the Hot Rod Junction featuring a wide variety of vintage dragsters and classic race cars and The SealMaster Track Walk, where fans can walk on the famed Auto Club Raceway at Pomona track prior to Sunday’s final eliminations. The SealMaster Track Walk also will feature several of the sports legends.
As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they’re granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and enjoy some cherished face time and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.
Fans also will want to visit NHRA’s popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.
The event also will feature thrilling competition and world championship finishes in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series.
Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Nov. 14, with sessions at 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Nov. 15, at 11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16.
To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit www.NHRAtix.com.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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