NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

NHRA Funny Car racer Jack Beckman posted a time quicker than the current national record that he owns, and veteran Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher almost bettered the national record in his category Friday during the third day of NHRA Nitro Spring Training at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.

NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car teams are utilizing the four-day preseason test session to prepare for the season-opening Circle K NHRA Winternationals, next weekend (Feb. 11-14) at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. The tradition-rich race near Los Angeles is the season-opening event for the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Beckman powered his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger to a time that would better the current national elapsed time record in Funny Car, a 3.880-second blast with a speed of 325.77 mph. It is the third straight day that Beckman, who owns the national e.t. mark in Funny Car at 3.884 seconds, has had the quickest Funny Car.

“It went 3.88 on a 97-degree track,” said Beckman, the 2012 world champ who finished runner-up in the category after a record-breaking season last year with crew chief Jimmy Prock making the tuning calls.

“Those were the best 330-foot numbers that we’ve ever run,” Beckman continued. “We ran 4.02 earlier with the chute coming out and lifting at 740 [feet]. I could have drug the chute and run 3.98. It was pretty smooth on the last run. It wasn’t doing a lot of squishing around. The front end just started coming up, and all I saw was injector, so I got out of it.”

Courtney Force nearly joined Beckman in the 3.8-second range with her best pass of the week, a speedy 3.904 at 318.54 in the Traxxas Chevy Camaro. Her John Force Racing teammates, John Force and Robert Hight, posted the third- and fourth-quickest runs of the day. The elder Force finished in 3.912 at 324.20 in his Peak Camaro, and the 2009 world champ covered the distance in 3.913 at 326.16 in his Auto Club Camaro. Tommy Johnson Jr. was fifth in the Make-A-Wish Dodge, posting a 3.927 at 323.43.

Several Funny Car drivers made their best efforts of the test on Friday, including Chad Head in his Head Racing Toyota Camry with a 3.938 at 319.52, Ron Capps with a 3.958 at 316.23 in the NAPA Auto Parts Charger, and Alexis DeJoria with a 3.963 at 290.26 in the Tequila Patron Camry.

In Top Fuel, eight-time world champion Schumacher blistered the track in his U.S. Army dragster and produced the weekend’s first 3.6-second run. His 3.683 at 325.37 on his final attempt Friday nearly equaled the current NHRA national record of 3.680 seconds held by Antron Brown.

“We might have run a couple 3.60s yesterday if they weren’t early shutoffs,” Schumacher said. “Sometimes you try new stuff and nothing works, but it’s running fast with new parts and a lot of new people working on it. It’s pretty cool getting to work with some new crew guys that used to be adversaries on other teams. The test is going well. In my opinion, the two full months off I’ve had is the longest break in my career. It takes some laps to catch back up to the car when you’ve had time off and hop right into a car that is extremely fast at the get-go.”
                                      
Dave Connolly, who finished 10th in points last season in the C&J Energy dragster for Bob Vandergriff Racing, made his best run of the weekend with a strong 3.714 at 330.15 for second-best of the day. Doug Kalitta pushed his Mac Tools dragster to a 3.716 at 327.35 for the day’s third-quickest run in Top Fuel. Schumacher also posted a 3.718 at 320.58 earlier in the day.

Steve Torrence and Brittany Force, whose tune-ups are being overseen by nitro consultant Alan Johnson, continued to be among the quickest in Top Fuel. Force posted a Friday best of 3.721 at 318.54 in her Monster Energy dragster, and Torrence followed his stellar Thursday runs with a best of 3.731 at 326.48 in the Capco Contractors dragster.

Two-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan and defending Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals Top Fuel winner Morgan Lucas also made several shutoff and tire-smoking attempts in their machines.

Below are the quickest performances in Top Fuel and Funny Car from day three of NHRA Nitro Spring Training:
              
TOP FUEL
3.683, 325.37 – Tony Schumacher
3.714, 330.15 – Dave Connolly
3.716, 327.35 – Doug Kalitta
3.718, 320.58 – Schumacher
3.721, 318.54 – Brittany Force
3.727, 322.88 – Kalitta
3.731, 326.48 – Steve Torrence
3.744, 326.48 – Connolly
3.746, 298.34 – Antron Brown
3.751, 317.34 – Brown
3.772, 299.13 – Richie Crampton
3.787, 281.01 – Shawn Langdon
3.811, 259.13 – Torrence
3.821, 252.52 – Clay Millican
3.825, 273.39 – J.R. Todd
3.844, 260.21 – Todd
3.901, 299.49 – Force
3.941, 284.15 – Troy Buff
3.955, 246.53 – Leah Pritchett
3.991, 231.60 – Brown
4.008, 217.13 – Kalitta
4.531, 172.43 – Terry McMillen
6.681, 96.35 – Morgan Lucas

FUNNY CAR
3.880, 325.77 – Jack Beckman
3.904, 318.54 – Courtney Force
3.912, 324.20 – John Force
3.913, 326.16 – Robert Hight
3.927, 323.43 – Tommy Johnson Jr.
3.934, 325.06 – Hight
3.938, 319.52 – Chad Head
3.958, 316.23 – Ron Capps
3.963, 290.26 – Alexis DeJoria
3.971, 319.22 – Johnson 
3.974, 319.82 – Capps
3.974, 310.20 – Johnson 
3.982, 316.30 – Del Worsham
3.984, 319.60 – Worsham
3.988, 316.30 – Tim Wilkerson
3.990, 318.32 – Head
4.025, 256.45 – Beckman
4.036, 252.60 – Capps
4.141, 251.30 – Cruz Pedregon
7.977, 84.05 – Matt Hagan

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Friday Notebook

Army’s new recruits: The performance of the U.S. Army dragster is on point, with Tony Schumacher beginning Friday testing with a 3.718, 320.58 after two early-shutoff runs Thursday that were even quicker to the eighth-mile increment. Schumacher capped the day with an outstanding 3.683 at 325.37 mph. Besides the improvements in the engine and clutch areas that crew chief Mike Green made during the winter, the team is working on trying new parts and meshing the crew.

“We have four new crew guys, and two of the three guys we had last year have different jobs,” said Green. “We’re getting everybody in sync, and it’s a work in progress. Everything is going good this weekend. Now we’ll see if we can keep it kind of working through October-November.”

Shaking the rust off: Part of testing is about getting problems out of the way during the preseason rather than enduring them at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals. Just ask Patron Toyota Camry driver Alexis DeJoria, who opted not to test last winter. After several attempts that ended in tire shake, the Tommy DeLago-led outfit sent her down to a 3.963 on her third attempt despite an early shutoff.

“We’re getting all the rust off like we should have done last year,” said DeJoria. “I’m glad the season is here. I had a busy winter with [husband] Jesse [James] and the family. I’m not much for staying at home. Once the laundry is done and you’re situated, it’s like, ‘Where do we go now?’ ”

Taking notes: Though Troy Coughlin Jr.’s time behind the wheel of the Red Fuel/Sandvik Coromant dragster concluded yesterday when he completed the necessary requirements to upgrade his competition license, the 25-year-old Sportsman standout is continuing his nitro education by observing the team for the next two days while Shawn Langdon makes test runs.

“This group works so well together that they make giant tasks seem simple,” said Coughlin. “It’s a major team effort. I’ve been here since Tuesday learning, and I have a long way to go. Nitro racers are a cool group, and I’ve had good teaching from guys like Shawn and Del Worsham.”

Coughlin plans to chase the national championships in Super Comp and Super Gas this season and is evaluating opportunities that might allow him to compete in Top Fuel later this year.

Treading lightly: Steve Torrence is not about to let a strong test session go to his head. The driver of the Richard Hogan-tuned Capco Contractors dragster is encouraged by his consistent low-3.7-second performances, but he tempers his excitement with the acknowledgement that Wallys aren’t being handed out at the NHRA Nitro Spring Training event.

“We’re trying to be the giant killer this year,” said Torrence. “It’s been a good test session for us. I was talking with the guys, and we know that we get no round-wins, no points, or nothing for what we do in testing. It’s still a confidence booster to run strong.

“I love the car. It’s a new chassis that Morgan Lucas Racing built this winter. It drives a little different, and we’re learning a few things about it. Pomona can’t come quick enough. We left Pomona with a good car in November, and we’re coming back with a car that is as good or better.”

Camry vs. Camry: To file under Something You Don’t See Every Day, Del Worsham staged one of his test runs in the DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car in the lane opposite FOX analyst Tony Pedregon, who was driving a stock Toyota Camry rental car and was spotted a four-second head start. Worsham drove around him easily and recorded a 3.982 at 316.30 mph. For the record, Pedregon’s time was 12.215 at 88.69.

Worsham's run was the second consecutive 3.98-second pass that the 2015 Mello Yello champ recorded today.

Eventful day: All three of Jack Beckman’s runs in the Jimmy Prock-tuned Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger Funny Car on Friday had a story. He started the day with a 4.025, 256.45, during which one parachute deployed prematurely. Had he not gotten off the throttle at 740 feet, he may have broken into the three-second range while dragging the parachutes. He stepped up to record a beautiful 3.880 on the next pass with a 2.216-second time to the 330-foot increment and 281 mph to the eighth-mile. On his last run, it hiked the front wheels up at half-track like a turbocharged doorslammer.

“We tried some things when we tested in Gainesville this winter that seem to be working,” said assistant crew chief Chris Cunningham. “We crossed some things off the list that didn’t work and are going with the things that are working. The balance of the car is looking better and better. It’s not upset. It has a nice, even draw to it.”

“When you’re four-hundredths up on the field, it’s a very nice feeling,” said Beckman. “When you’re four-hundredths back, you don’t sleep well."

Making progress: The John Force Racing Funny Cars were having a tough time getting ahold of the racing surface but made progress late in the day. A 3.934 on Robert Hight’s second attempt was the only full pull for any of the three drivers in the first three runs. However, the fourth attempt was key, and Courtney Force (3.904, pictured), John Force (3.912), and Hight (3.913) each made their best runs of the test outing with the sun descending behind the Estrella Mountains.

“Instead of a window, we had a peephole, so we just put it back to stock,” said Traxxas Camaro crew chief Dan Hood. “It’s getting better.”

“It’s been rough,” added Auto Club Camaro crew chief Mike Neff. “We were really struggling with the setup for the track, but it’s starting to get a little closer.”

Whole lotta shakin’: Cattle rancher Matt Hagan could mistake his Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger Funny Car for a bucking bronco. Tire shake and smoke caused the two-time Mello Yello world champion to abort all three of today’s attempts. Crew chief Dickie Venables is working on making big moves to find the tuning window tomorrow.

“It’s been a challenge,” said Venables. “We have new stuff, new people, and a new race car. We’re making three runs per day to take it slow and establish a routine. At this point, I don’t know if the problem is the clutch, the power, or the car being different. The air is good and real dry. I keep pulling more out thinking it's overcenter, and maybe I need to make bigger moves. We’ll keep trying and hope it goes better tomorrow.”

Pit-crew warriors: One area where the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger Funny Car team finished first during most sessions was in the race back to the staging lanes. With zero turnover on the crew from last season, Tommy Johnson Jr. was in the front of the staging lanes for the second and third runs and wasn’t far behind on the last attempt despite an unplanned rear-end change during the service.

The on-track performance was strong, too. Crew chief John Collins maintained consistency with two 3.97s and a 3.927 to cap the day.

“The crew hasn’t missed a beat,” said Johnson. “They work like they just left Pomona. We’re trying a lot of different parts on the car. To be able to try stuff, see results, and still perform consistently is a good sign.”