NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Veteran privateer nitro racer Terry Haddock suffered a significant setback in his efforts after a nasty fire in the first qualifying session Friday did considerable damage to the Mustang-bodied Funny Car he’d been working on all season.

Haddock’s black Ford lit up before the finish line and burned through the shutdown area before ending up in the sand trap, where it continued to burn as the NHRA Safety Safari presented by AAA raced to the scene. Haddock was able to get out fairly quickly and was not injured.

While the team has not been able to access all of their run data due to the fire, Haddock said it appears that the fuel pump seized and shot a spark up the fuel line into the fuel talk, which ballooned and blew its seams and also damaged the adjacent oil reservoir, setting the car ablaze once the oil hit the headers.

“It was running along pretty good, and then I saw a flash in the fire windows,” he said. “I immediately squeezed the [fire extinguisher] handle and got on the brakes, but by that point, the fire was so bad that the brake fluid was boiling. It was all downhill from there. I sucked in some smoke, so by the time I got out of the car, I was out of breath and couldn’t get the body lifted up, so it kept burning.

“It’s pretty heart-breaking. I’m not sure how I’m going to overcome this, but I’m stupid, and I always find a way.”
 

A day later, Bob Bode is still reliving his close call in last night’s second session after his Ar-Bee Bags Mustang hooked a hard right and crossed the centerline – the first time he has crossed the middle boundary in about 10 years, according to his recollection – and nearly collided with his greatest benefactor, Tim Wilkerson, who not only sold him the car that he runs but also tunes it for him.

“It moved over to the centerline a little, and I brought it back a little – I didn’t want to be too quick with it like I used to be with my old car – but I lifted with three-tenths of a second and it just skated,” he recalled. “I was in my lane, and the next thing I knew I was looking at his bumper. We’re not really sure if something happened with the car or we ran over something on the track, but it happened so fast.”

Bode is not beyond taking personal blame, too, questioning whether or not he reacted as swiftly and surely as he thinks he did. To get the answer, he bought a GoPro camera last night and has mounted it in the cockpit to check his behind-the-wheel action for future runs.

The pass he lost last night was going to be a good one as his .869 60-foot time was the fourth best of the session behind only Jack Beckman’s .860 on his 3.90,Tommy Johnson Jr.’s .864 on his 3.88, and – fortunately for both of them – Wilkerson’s .866 on his 3.93 that got in front of Bode and kept him out of harm’s way.
 

It was a long and busy Friday night for the Jim Dunn Racing team after they discovered a cracked frame rail during a routine inspection after Friday night’s second qualifying pass. Team manager Jon Dunn said they think that the crack, just behind the motor plate on the right side, might be the result of some rough braking by driver Jim Campbell after a late parachute two weeks ago in Las Vegas.

Dunn drove to their shop in nearby Ontario to retrieve a car-hauler trailer, then personally drove the chassis to Victory Race Cars in Hesperia, about 50 miles north of the track in low desert. 

“I got there about 11:30 p.m. and pulled out about 4 this morning to come back to the track,” said Dunn. “I told all of the crew guys that I would take care of it and to get some rest for today. My dad thanked me and told me that back in his day he would have been rebuilding the chassis himself in some parking lot. But we got it done and got back in plenty of time. NHRA came over and checked it out and gave it their OK.”

The hard work was rewarded with a 4.000 in Q3, just a thousandth of a second shy of what would have been the team’s first three-second run in two seasons.

“A thousandth of a second; can you believe that?” said Campbell. “I put in there real thin [shallow staging for maximum elapsed time] and that still happened. We’ll get it before long.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr. all but ceded the championship to Tanner Gray at the NHRA Toyota Nationals, but a perfect day of qualifying Friday at least kept things mildly interesting for those hoping for a miracle in Pro Stock. Coughlin earned the maximum bonus points (eight), while Gray only earned one, keeping Coughlin alive in the championship hunt. 

It looked for all the world like Gray would (unofficially) knock Coughlin out of contention by taking over the No. 1 spot during the second qualifying session, but terrific passes from Erica Enders and Jason Line gave Coughlin a chance to stay alive. Then, Coughlin made a phenomenal run with some help from crew chief Rickie Smith. 

"Seeing some of our competitors better our previous No. 1 mark in front of us, like our teammate Erica Enders, she had lowered the boom right there,” said Coughlin. “I was a little nervous, to be honest, because the right lane, which is what we were driving in, had been a bit tricky. But when I let the clutch out, this thing was singing the whole way through. It was a little high from first to second gear, but we really didn’t have any issues, and we were able to get all the way through there."

Conditions are expected to be similar on Saturday, which bodes well for Coughlin in terms of repeating his runs from Friday. With that said, it also means competitors like Gray can step up – if he qualifies sixth or higher, he will clinch his first-ever championship. Coughlin remains in great spirits, which is understandable given how successful his season has been, and still could be with a win at the Finals. 

“My crew chief has been extremely aggressive, and that was our goal coming into the Countdown,” said Coughlin. “We’ve really done well in that respect but have just had trouble with round two on Sundays. It feels good, and we’re building our data going into each session with ourselves and each of our team cars. I think you’ll see our whole pack nip away at it.”

If Tanner Gray is concerned about clinching his first Pro Stock championship, you wouldn’t know by looking at him. He picked up one bonus point during Friday qualifying but saw points fall off his lead over Jeg Coughlin Jr. Still, there’s reason to be encouraged based on the performance of his car – and frankly, based on its performance all season.

“I guess we’ll see what happens, man. I just want to qualify, make a few good runs down the track, and see where we end up on Sunday,” said Gray. “It’s a lot of pressure I guess, but I’m trying not to do anything stupid and just get it done now. There’s not really a whole lot more to it than that.”

He’s technically right. There’s not much more he can do at this point other than point his car down the track and let the clutch out. As long as he takes care of his part of the bargain, most of the pressure lies on crew chief Dave Connolly, who also seemed to be in good spirits. 

“Hopefully we’ll get some of those bonus points. Either way, I think we’re good as long as we qualify well and make a few good hits,” said Gray. “Davey’s chilling, making sure we’ve got a handle on this thing.”

If anyone is nervous, it’s probably Tanner’s parents, Shane and Amber Gray. And even then, if past performance indicates anything, it’s that Tanner will qualify toward the top half of the field and take care of business. That doesn’t mean it’s over, or that it won’t be stressful – that’s just a part of NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing. It wouldn’t be fun if it was easy, right? 

Jason Line made a pair of consistent runs on Friday and set himself up in the No. 4 qualifying position entering action Saturday. The driver of the blue Summit Chevy can secure his 50th Pro Stock victory by winning the Auto Club NHRA Finals, something he has been chasing all year – and in earnest since winning the NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by WIX Filters. 

“We have a great chance to win the race,” said Line. “It could definitely be a little bit faster right now, but I think we’re doing the best we can based on what the racetrack is giving us.”

Nobody has run quicker than Line during the Countdown to the Championship. Including Friday’s runs, Line is averaging a 6.571-second pass. That’s .002-second quicker than the next two cars in line (Erica Enders and Tanner Gray). While that might sound a bit like too little, too late, it’s encouraging as K.B. Racing prepares for next season. 

While Line is primarily focused on getting his car, and teammates Greg Anderson and Bo Butner, ready for the Auto Club NHRA Finals, it doesn’t hurt to think Line could contend in earnest for a title in 2019. The 2016 champ was very much an also-ran in 2017 and again in 2018, but a contending car next season, paired with a little more consistency on the Tree, might change that. 

“We can easily pick up two or three hundredths if the track gets better,” said Line. “We’re putting as much power as we can into it, but this is all the track will hold for now. Hopefully the track will get better – and normally it does. So, we’ll see what happens.”

Matt Smith got a great start toward earning his third Pro Stock Motorcycle title by setting an Auto Club Raceway speed record on Friday with a 200.65 mph hit. That also made him the third member of the Denso Spark Plugs 200-mph Club, joining Hector Arana Jr. and Eddie Krawiec – perhaps not coincidentally other riders he’s battling for a championship.

Smith leads Eddie Krawiec by single digits, and it’s impossible for him to make it 30 points, the number necessary to make it a full round lead. That’s why Smith is so dead focused on winning the race. Gathering as much data as possible (and making great runs) during qualifying can’t hurt, but the points matter less to Smith than getting down the track all four times – especially given the weather, which we discussed Friday.

“I thought my weather station was broken at first,” said Smith, after taking the provisional No. 1 spot. “I went and checked with Elite Performance, and they were getting the same results. I’ve never run in this dry air before, and so I threw some numbers together and it all kind of worked.”

In many respects, this resembles Smith’s chase for his first championship 11 years ago, when he won the Auto Club NHRA Finals to win the whole deal. 

“This would be our third championship, and back in 2007, we needed to win the race in order to win the championship,” said Smith. “So, this is pretty similar to that deal, and that’s kind of our goal. I’ll just let the bike do the work.”

Angelle Sampey endured a tough 2017 season while helping put together a new Pro Stock Motorcycle team with Cory Reed. That hard work began to pay off this season, particularly during the Countdown to the Championship. Sampey’s average e.t. is up to ninth-best in the category during the Countdown, and she’s getting down the track 84.4 percent of the time. 

“The engine program is definitely moving along,” said Sampey. “These engines are still new to us, of course. Last year was a struggle, and we didn’t know much about them. We had issues with parts breakage and stuff blowing up. We didn’t have much of a chance to learn anything, which we have fixed this year.

“Right now, we have stuff working, and we’re climbing that hill. Apparently, Matt Smith is a long way ahead of us, but I think we are headed in the right direction. The best part is that now we’re past the breakage, I think the fun has come back. That’s the reason we’re out here is to have a good time, you know? I just think that means the offseason is going to be great because of that.”

Sampey last won in 2016, defeating Jerry Savoie in Englishtown. That probably feels a lot longer ago than it was given how much has changed since then. Sampey assured us her next win will be extra special because of all the hard work Reed and new teammate Joey Gladstone are putting into the program. 

“It’s just so rewarding to put in this work and know you’re the one doing it,” said Sampey. “It’s a totally different feeling. So, when we get to that next win, and I know it’s coming, it’s going to be the best one yet.”

Sampey is currently qualified No. 12 and is chasing her first win in Pomona since 2004. 

Eddie Krawiec knows he has a great opportunity to capture back-to-back championships. He also knows qualifying points don’t matter at this point. Here’s what does matter: Getting his Harley-Davidson Street Rod set up correctly for race day. The Harley team has struggled with its 60-foot times all season, but Krawiec in particular has taken a step back recently. 

“We’ve been seeing times of 1.080 or worse basically, and honestly, it’s just been how our package has been responding to the new track prep,” said Krawiec. “But before the third qualifying session, we’re going to try something a little bit different. We’re going to throw something totally new at it and see if we can make a move.”

That change seems to have paid dividends. Krawiec ran a 6.789, making him the only non-Matt Smith rider to pull one off this weekend. He’s still a full three hundredths behind Smith, but that’s at least enough to show the Harley-Davidson squad they’re moving in the right direction. 

With Krawiec qualified No. 2 and Smith qualified No. 1, there’s a very good chance the pair won’t be able to meet up until the final – if they both make it that far. The defending 2017 champion is currently 10 points behind Smith and can pick up 30 points with every round-win. All that matters to Krawiec is the same thing that matters for Smith – winning the final race of the season. 

Easy, right?

PHOTOS

Matt Smith made the fastest Pro Stock Motorcycle pass in history, 201.10 in the day's first qualifying session and held onto the No. 1 qualifying position.

Smith's wife, Angie, had to sweat out the final qualifying session in the No. 16 spot, and will race her husband in Sunday's first round.

LE Tonglet will be among the riders who try to stop Matt Smith from claiming his third world championship Sunday.

Local favorite Jeff Arend qualified Peter Russo's entry in the Funny Car field.

Randy Bowers and Travis Salter were involved in an incident during the second round of eliminations in the Super Gas category during the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series portion of the Auto Club NHRA Finals. Bowers was in the left lane and made contact with the retaining wall past the finish line. The car continued and clipped Salter’s car before coming to a stop in the safety net. Salter was uninjured. Bowers was awake, alert and transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

With the conclusion of qualifying, Tanner Gray was crowned the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello world champion. At 19 years, six months. he becomes the youngest Pro champ in NHRA history.

PREVIEW

Leah Pritchett rode a streaking comet to a 3.64 to lead Friday qualifying, a run more than five-hundredths quicker than No. 2 qualifier and national record holder Clay Millican’s 3.702. The top three-quarters of the field is incredibly quick, from Pritchett down to No. 12 Terry McMillen at 3.794. The record bump in NHRA history is 3.808, set last year in Indy, but probably not within reach based on the career bests of the drivers currently sitting 13-17. Conditions should be great again today for quick passes, especially if we get into another twilight situation.

Last year, Robert Hight’s championship run was in severe jeopardy entering Saturday, and it took him until a masterful pedaling job in Q4 to make the field (albeit in the No. 15 spot), but the Auto Club driver made sure Friday that he wouldn’t face the same scenario this year by pounding out a 3.936 in Q2. Now it’s points leader J.R. Todd who might be in a bit of peril after clocking a pair of 4.20s Friday that are in now but might not survive two more sessions. It’s a similar situation to what Todd and the DHL team faced two weeks ago in Las Vegas, but there they bounced back with run of 3.91 and 3.92 Saturday. They’ll need more of the same today to keep their title dream alive.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. earned eight bonus points, cutting Tanner Gray’s Pro Stock lead to seven on Friday. In other words: the driver of the yellow and black Camaro did just about all he could to stay in the title race. He’ll need to do it again Saturday, and he’s going to need help. If Gray qualifies sixth or better, he will lock up his first title. Meanwhile, Coughlin must continue to rack up bonus points at a precipitous rate while hoping Gray does not. There’s no defense in drag racing, but Coughlin can hope his teammates (like Erica Enders) continue to race out of their minds to keep Gray near the middle of the pack.

Matt Smith enjoyed a similarly spectacular day, securing all eight bonus points and extending his lead over Eddie Krawiec to nine and keeping both LE Tonglet and Hector Arana Jr. three rounds behind him. Smith is focused on winning the race Sunday, but those little points could determine who wins the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship if the Elite Performance EBR rider falls short of that admittedly difficult task. For Tonglet and Arana, the goal is simple: Pick up as many qualifying points as possible and get ready for Sunday.