Thursday, May 27, 2010

Jesse Hockett: 1983-2010

(Jesse "The Rocket" Hockett raced for Brad Loyet Motorsports in January at the 2010 Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

The racing world is in mourning today as news surfaced late Thursday of the tragic death of Jesse "The Rocket" Hockett, a 26-year-old sprint car/midget racer out of Warsaw, Mo. Details are still emerging, but apparently Hockett was preparing for this weekend's races, including a stop in Terre Haute, Ind., on Friday, and was electrocuted while working on his race hauler.

While I didn't know Jesse personally, I had chatted with him on a couple of occasions and found him to be a racer's racer and the kind of driver and person that race fans want to root for. The true measure of a racer, though, is respect amongst one's peers, and some of the best in the sport were Twittering and Facebooking their condolences yesterday, including Bryan Clauson, Jason Leffler, Josh Wise, Sammy Swindell, Kevin Swindell, Carl Edwards, and Kasey Kahne among them. To a driver, they all commented on his daring style of racing and his ability to put a car where very few others could.

He earned 130 feature wins over his 11+ year career, including five in 2010. He is survived by his wife, Tina Marie, and his parents. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Godspeed, Jesse...

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Inside Motorsports Preview: Memorial Day Weekend Edition

Memorial Day Weekend is one of the biggest in motorsports and Inside Motorsports has you covered. This week's column focuses on Don Miller, a former St. Louis resident who discovered Rusty Wallace and was the right-hand man for Roger Penske for decades. He has also written a new book called Miller's Time and I would highly recommend you get it.

I will also be traveling this weekend to as diverse a selection of races as possible. Friday I start off at Gateway International Raceway for the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags and then head over to Tri-City Speedway for their regular Friday night show. On Saturday, I journey to O'Reilly Raceway Park for the USAC Night Before the 500 midget series race. Sunday, I plant myself firmly in front of the tube for 1,100 miles of great racing and finally, on Monday, I head to Macon (Ill.) Speedway for their NASCAR Day featuring area favorites Kenny Wallace, Ken Schrader, and Justin Allgaier.

Be sure to check here frequently for updates, photos, and whatnot. Enjoy the racing this weekend and be safe!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

TRANSCRIPT: Kevin Harvick Signs Deal to Remain at Richard Childress Racing

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

It was announced today at Charlotte Motor Speedway that two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champ and two-time Gateway International Raceway winner (2000-2001) Kevin Harvick has signed a deal to remain at Richard Childress Racing. Previously, it was believed that Harvick would leave RCR, where he has driven his entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career (334 starts), but since his win at Talladega, sources began saying the 2007 Daytona 500 champ would remain with Childress.

RICHARD CHILDRESS, OWNER OF RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (RCR), AND KEVIN HARVICK, DRIVER OF THE NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET, held a press conference to announce a multi-year contract extension between RCR and Harvick, and discussed various elements of their agreement. Full Transcript:

MODERATOR: "Thank you all for coming today, I am the Director of Communications for Richard Childress Racing and we have a very important announcement for the present and future of RCR. As some of you may have seen on a Twitter post or somewhere else, RCR and Kevin Harvick have agreed to a multi-year contract extension for Kevin to continue in the RCR No. 29 Chevrolet Sprint Cup Series car. As I said, multi-year agreement, no we aren't going to tell you the exact years and all of that good stuff. At this time I would like to turn it over to Richard Childress. Richard, if you would, tell the folks where things stand right now and your thoughts on Kevin continuing on now well past a decade at RCR."

CHILDRESS: "We're very excited to have Kevin back. He has written a lot of history for RCR. He stepped in the car when we lost Dale in 2001 and I don't know of any driver that could have stepped in there under the pressure and handled it the way he did. We'll always be grateful. To have him come back and re-sign again, we're excited about it. I know there will be questions about sponsors. We have three or four companies that we are dealing with right now and hopefully in the very near future, we'll have something to announce there. But the key thing is to have Kevin back. He is a top driver in this Series and to have him in our group of drivers is just unbelievable and we are glad to have him back."

MODERATOR: "Kevin, as I mentioned, it is hard to believe that your first race started at RCR at 1999, well into your second decade now. Leading in points. Obviously run very well here. Talk about what it means for you to make this announcement now moving forward looking at the championship for this year."

HARVICK: "I think for us it is great to put everything, all the questions to bed. I know I have been pretty quiet about the way we have gone about everything. I felt pretty good about the way everything has gone between Richard and myself and all the internal things that have been going on. I know it is not the way you guys would like it but the last time I didn't do things very well. I feel like we did things the right way. We've been through a lot of ups and downs and I feel like as an organization and a team.  We're positioned as well as we have ever been to race for a championship this year with Scott Miller taking over the competition role. Kent Day, ECR Engines and the chassis shop and everybody that is a part of everything that really has had a tremendous amount of restructuring since probably late summer of last year.

"It has been an incredible turn around. The attitude and the morale and the people that I have been around for a long time, those are the things that you want to work out when you have so much time and effort invested in for years and years and years. To be able to race for a championship this year was our goal and we have been able to accomplish that so far. Our goal is to race for championships every year and obviously last year we didn't do that. We felt like we've made all the right changes and hopefully we can continue going forward with the performance and things that we've done and feel really comfortable with all of that."

MODERATOR: "We will now open it up for questions."

ARE YOU AT THE POINT NOW YOU ANTICIPATE FINISHING YOUR DRIVING CAREER WITH RCR?

HARVICK: "Well, you never know how things are going to shake out but obviously I don't think the sport has created, with the time and commitment and things that it takes to be competitive, I don't see myself racing until I am 50 years old. Whether it is one more contract or two more contracts, nobody knows. But right now there are a lot of years in front of us with this one. The way that we started and hopefully we can end that way and continue that going forward."

CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE GROWN AND HOW MUCH YOU HAVE CHANGED AND RCR HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST DECADE?

HARVICK: "It has been a lot of life experiences I guess you could say. I think when I came in I was what, 23-years old. Came in not a worry in the world. We raced a couple of ARCA races and went into the Nationwide Series and really just trying to learn what the sport was all about and got our feet on the ground the first year. Then everything happened and that was obviously something you really can't plan for. We went in and did well. Then the second year reality hit so we had to go through some changes there and really figure out what the sport was all about in 2002.

"There have been a lot of good times. We've won the Daytona 500. We've won the Brickyard. We've won the All Star Race, the Shootouts and we've won a couple of championships on the Nationwide side together. It has been a lot of things that have been great moments in my life. Unfortunately, the ones that get the most publicity are the ones that aren't so great but when you go back and you really start putting it all on paper and you really start thinking about everything that has happened and the accomplishments we've been able to achieve together, it wouldn't have been probably the way it needed to end based on everything we have been able to accomplish."

WAS THERE A SPECIFIC TIME OR EVENT THAT LED YOU AFTER A TOUGH YEAR LAST YEAR THAT LED YOU TO SAY HEY, WE PROBABLY SHOULD STAY TOGETHER? 

CHILDRESS: "We've been talking for quite awhile and just putting a lot of details together. We both knew what we wanted to do. It was a matter of just finalizing a few details. Like I say, having Kevin back in the car, we want to contend for a championship. You don't put a team together and contend for a championship overnight. It takes some time to build and build your people and personalities together and that is what Kevin is doing with his race team right now."

HARVICK: "I think for me there are a lot of things that went in to it. As we went through time, everybody knows we struggled through the middle of last year. But as we got to the end of the year last year, things had turned around. You have the whole winter to think about things to. As we went into the year, everybody came in with a great attitude, and I hope, including myself. We had talked about a lot of things that we wanted to do and the pieces started to fall into place before we even got started in Daytona. Just a lot of those moments made us strong through the winter too."

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT THE DAY HAS COME THAT YOU HAVE RESIGNED WITH RCR? WAS THERE EVER A TIME WHERE YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT ALL THE PIECES WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FALL IN TO PLACE?

HARVICK: "I think as you look through the middle of that (last) year, obviously, we were both frustrated. We both want the same things and sometimes we just butt heads a little bit. We talked through those situations and both realized we want to race for championships and want to win races and be competitive. That is really what it is all about is being competitive week in and week out. Sometimes similar people get frustrated and Richard and I are the same type of people. We get frustrated and want to do things the right way and I think as we went through those moments as I said a second ago, it made us stronger as we went forward and realized we both want to achieve the same goals."

WERE THERE ANY TOUGH NEGOTIATIONS OR HARD PITCHES EITHER OF YOU HAD TO MAKE TO THE OTHER OR WAS IT MUTUALLY AGREEABLE THROUGHOUT?

HARVICK: "I didn't think it was that hard. We've been through this so many times with Fred and Richard and I really got to concentrate on what I had to do on the race track. Maybe it was. Maybe those guys just did a good job of keeping me shielded from it.

CHILDRESS: "It wasn't. Once we both knew this is this the direction we're going, it just took a little time. Attorneys have to earn their money so they may change and 'I' to an 'A' or whatever they do. But that was the biggest holdup. Kevin said it the best a while ago. Both of us want the same thing. And I think with the way we're structured now, we've got a lot of good things coming the rest of the year and hopefully we'll just get better as the year goes and we want to run for that championship. I want to walk on the stage in Vegas."

YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU HANDLED IT DIFFERENTLY THIS TIME THAN THE LAST. DOES THAT MEAN TALKING LESS ABOUT IT PUBLICLY?

HARVICK:  "Well, yeah. I think 2003 was a mess. I kind of let myself get caught up in the middle of this world and the media and it's best to handle your family matters within your family and not let the outside world dictate what you want to do. It felt like it went very well as we went through it this time, and felt like we handled it professionally and how it should have been done last time."

ON THE SPONSORSHIP, THE ECONOMY LOOKS LIKE IT'S TRYING TO TURN AROUND SOME. HAVE YOU NOTICED MORE COMPANIES WILLING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT MAJOR SPONSORSHIP DEALS?  IS IT A LITTLE BIT BRIGHTER NOW?

CHILDRESS: "Yes, for sure. Our marketing department has been talking to some new companies that's not in the sport right now that have a lot of interest. Our sport, with the Hall of Fame opening, a lot of things with racing has been really great this year and the country is still in an economy downturn a little bit, but it looks like its leveling and moving in the right direction. And I think our sport is strong enough with all the people and the companies we have in it. And the companies that are looking to get into the sport today gives us bright hope."

HARVICK: "I don't think either of us would have been as willing to do everything that we're doing today without having the confidence in that side of it. I think we both feel like that there are things will move along pretty fast on that side of it."

YOU MENTIONED THAT THE PIECES SORT OF FELL INTO PLACE EVEN BEFORE YOU GOT TO DAYTONA. WITH SHELL LEAVING, DID THAT HAPPEN SO LATE IN THE GAME THAT IT WASN'T A FACTOR IN RE-SIGNING OR WERE THERE SOME HESITATIONS?

HARVICK: "To be quite honest with you, they were kind of the ones that got the whole ball rolling. So, that was just kind of the ones to really help get the ball rolling in the right direction. I don't really know what else to say past that."

CHILDRESS: "You said it. We were talking and here we are today, signing."

WHAT IMPACT, IF ANY, DOES THIS HAVE ON YOUR NATIONWIDE PROGRAM AT KHI?

HARVICK: "Well, I think that's one of the great pieces of the whole thing. I think as we go forward, my Nationwide car will have all of the ECR engines in it as it has this year. Our trucks have ECR engines in them. We'll continue forward with RCR chassis under our Nationwide car to make sure that as we move forward with the new car on the Nationwide side, it will be tremendously closer to what we currently race on Sunday. So we've made a huge effort between the two companies to make sure that those cars are prepared similarly to my Cup car to make sure that as much transfers from Saturday to Sunday. Chassis, engines, communication from the technical standpoint will be a huge piece of this; and really, as two companies working together hand-in-hand like we will going forward, makes us a lot stronger as one than it does as two separate companies."

CHILDRESS: "Yeah, and hopefully we can pretty much in the near future we've got some plans that Kevin and I are working on with both the companies and hopefully we'll be able to announce that pretty soon in the near future."

YOU'VE BEEN A STRONG TEAM OWNER YOURSELF. ARE THERE THINGS YOU LEARNED THAT WERE MISSING OVER AT RCR? DID YOU PLAY A ROLE IN HELPING THROUGH THE RESTRUCTURING?

HARVICK: "Well, I think Richard played the biggest role. Just knowing what he wanted to do with the company and what he envisioned the company to look like going forward; I would say Scott (Miller) is probably the biggest role that's going to help not only bridge that gap between myself and the crew chiefs and Richard, but Richard and the crew chiefs from a competition standpoint to a spending standpoint. There's a line that you have to draw and it's just a matter of where that line is and how you achieve that. And when you can't get to those points from a financial standpoint, where you want to achieve on the competition side, where you go get it from within your company, and what will least affect the company. Those are things that Scott is going to help the most with in knowing what we need and when we need it and kind of deciphering through each crew chief and as a team owner you know that the crew chiefs and the drivers always want what's best for them. So, in the end it's got to be what's best for the company and what makes the cars go the fastest as a whole."

HOW CRITICAL IS IT TO GO TO A SPONSOR AND BE ABLE TO SAY YOU HAVE KEVIN HARVICK SIGNED TO A MULTI-YEAR DEAL VERSUS BEING IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS?

CHILDRESS: "It's always kind of like the chicken and the egg or however that goes. I think that Kevin and I both have enough confidence in each other that we know that we can go out and we're going to put a really good package together and we've put really good packages together for companies in the past and we're going to put a great package moving forward. It's a huge plus when you can go to a company and say we have the driver, the driver has us, and we're ready to go. We're going to give you a package that will get more than your monies worth."

IN YOUR DECISION-MAKING, DID YOU EVER CONTEMPLATE BEING A DRIVER/OWNER FOR KHI?

HARVICK: "No. We've talked about this a lot before. It's not something that I have the desire to sit and make those decisions over $15 or $20 million or whatever decisions are; you've got to have too much money in this day and age to start a company. The RCR's of the world have that backbone and have already made those investments on the parts and pieces and the tools necessary to be competitive in the sport. It's not something I was really looking for as a challenge."

WHAT WAS IT YOU SAW IN KEVIN HARVICK WHEN YOU HIRED HIM ALL THOSE YEARS AGO THAT MADE YOU THINK HE WAS GOING TO BE PRETTY SPECIAL?

CHILDRESS: "I remember watching him race at IRP in that No. 75 truck. I watched him race (Ron) Hornaday at Bakersfield or wherever we were at and he was beating on him. Back then he was a young man I guess you'd say; he still is, but he was beating on one of his friends to win the race and I said yeah, I kind of like that. He's the kind of driver I like. So, I watched him a couple of more races and we went after him and once we got him, I knew he was the real deal. At Daytona we knew it when we rolled out."

Friday, May 21, 2010

Almirola Finally Gets an Up to Match All the Downs

(Aric Almirola relaxes prior to the start of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Milwaukee Mile. He currently leads the series' points standings after his win last week in Dover. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Aric Almirola has had a lot of ups and downs in his NASCAR career. Mostly downs.

In 2007, he was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing's NASCAR Nationwide Series program. One of his jobs was to practice and qualify the NNS car for Denny Hamlin on weekends where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series were not at the same venue. Hamlin was obligated to drive the No. 20 car at Milwaukee for their Nationwide Series, but the Cup Series was in Sonoma that weekend, so Almirola practice the car and qualified it on the pole.

Business picked up when Hamlin got to the track late. The situation became very interesting when the helicopter carrying Hamlin got to the track to find cars parked on the helipad. He wasn't able to get to the track in time, so Almirola started the race.

Hamlin stuck around and there was word he may replace Steve Wallace, who was feeling under the weather. Almirola was leading laps and racing strong and looked like he had a great opportunity to win the race for the sponsor, who was based in the area.

The sponsor, however, wasn't happy with possibly winning the race with Almirola; they wanted their Cup star in the car. So the call was made and Almirola, who had been in the top five all evening, was taken out of the car and a confused Hamlin was put in the driver seat. Hamlin would go on to take the checkered flag in first that night, but since Almirola started the race, he was credited with the win. But it was Hamlin in Victory Lane, Hamlin hoisting the trophy, and Hamlin sitting through an awkward post-race press conference.

The sponsor, who won't be named here, celebrated in Victory Lane and the PR staff who should have been working damage control were too busy on stage, beers in hand, enjoying the festivities. Almirola, the driver good enough to win the pole, the driver good enough to keep the car up front, had quietly left the track early with only his girlfriend, Janice Goss, at his side.

He said in a phone conversation earlier this week he still has some resentment when he thinks about that night, describing feeling bitter and discontent about how everything went down. All that is in the past now as he has found a home at Billy Ballew Motorsports in the Truck Series where he leads the points after winning at the Monster Mile a week ago.

"It was truly a dream come true," he said. "To finally get to Victory Lane in NASCAR to be able to do it with Billy Ballew Motorsports and Graceway Pharmaceuticals on the truck it really meant the world to me. To be able to get to that done, and especially like I said, for Graceway Pharmaceuticals for believing in me and supporting me, because last year in the summer time I didn’t have a job.

"Roughly a year later to have a sponsor and a race team like Billy Ballew Motorsports that believed in me and to give me an opportunity it really meant a lot to get them to Victory Lane."

Through everything he's been through in the last few years, Goss, now his fiance, has been one of the only constants. She was the only one there at his side during one of his lowest moments in Milwaukee and she was one of the first to greet him in Victory Lane during one of his highest.

"You want to have someone there with you that helps in which ever way needs to be helped," the Florida native said. "It means a lot to come home and have someone that understands the sport. It makes it fun, I was really happy that when I drove into victory lane that she was standing there. She was the first person I saw. We’ve been through a lot together. It was cool to be able to go into victory lane knowing she’s been through a lot of that with me."

He is racing for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title, meaning he returns to Gateway International Raceway July 16 for the CampingWorld.com 200. He has two starts at the 1.25-mile track and brought home a fourth-place finish last year. With its characteristics to Milwaukee, a track he's obviously good at, and the information he gained from Kyle Busch, his BBM teammate last year and the winner of the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at GIR in 2009, Almirola has to be one of the favorites coming to St. Louis this summer.

"Gateway is just a really fun race track," he said. "(Turns) 1 and 2 is just so much different than 3 and 4. You really have to find a compromise between your truck because its not going to handle perfect in both corners, it just doesn’t happen. To be able to work on your truck and to get it driving good in one corner and compromise do it’s just okay in the other is really tough.

"Because, as a race car driver, you’re some what of a perfectionist and you’re trying to make it perfect, and at Gateway, it just never is perfect. You really have to be on your game and you have to know what you want out of your truck or car there to be able to go fast for 200 laps."

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

PRESS RELEASE: GIR offers Track Pack holders chance to win trip to the Monster Mile

Gateway International Raceway announced today the launching of a contest that will allow one lucky winner the opportunity of a lifetime: an all expense paid trip to Dover International Speedway in September for the AAA 400, the second race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship.

MADISON, Ill. – Gateway International Raceway NASCAR Track Pack holders are used to getting more bang for their buck. In addition to access to exclusive driver autograph sessions prior to the races, they also receive great souvenirs, Fan Walk privileges, upgraded parking, and, oh by the way, some of the best racing in the country.

This year, though, race fans who purchase tickets to at least two of Gateway’s three NASCAR events in 2010 (CampingWorld.com 200 on July 16, Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 on July 17, or the facility’s first-ever second NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Oct. 23) have the opportunity to be a part of one of the biggest contests in the track’s history: The Gateway to the Chase!

One lucky Gateway Track Pack holder will win an all expense paid trip to Dover International Speedway for the AAA 400 Sept. 26, the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship! The prize package includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, rental car, and two tickets to the Cup Series race at the Monster Mile. The contest also includes an impressive second prize of a pair of tickets to the AAA 400 at Dover that will be awarded to 250 runners up.

To be entered, fans must purchase their Gateway NASCAR Track Packs prior to Midnight June 15. For more details on the Gateway to the Chase contest, visit GatewayRaceway.com/Chase.html. For more information on Gateway International Raceway’s NASCAR Track Packs, visit GatewayRaceway.com or call 866-35-SPEED.

Good luck to all entrants and we look forward to seeing you at Gateway International Raceway and Dover International Speedway!

Race fans can follow all the action throughout the season at Gateway International Raceway on its official Twitter site at Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway and its official page on Facebook, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

PRESS RELEASE: CampingWorld.com Sponsoring GIR Truck Race July 16


Here is the press release from Gateway International Raceway announcing CampingWorld.com as the title sponsor of their July 16 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race:

MADISON, Ill. – The July 16 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Gateway International Raceway will be called the CampingWorld.com 200, the track announced today. Camping World was the title sponsor for this event in 2008 and has been a facility sponsor since that time.

"We're really excited to have CampingWorld.com sponsor the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the Gateway International Raceway," said Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of Camping World, Inc. "CampingWorld.com is the ultimate convenience for camping and RVing families, allowing them to easily shop thousands of RV and outdoor products and accessories anytime, whether they are near one of our 75 nationwide SuperCenters or not. We have designed CampingWorld.com as a one-click online source for everything RV, from cleaners and chemicals to expert technical advice.”

The CampingWorld.com 200 will run the same weekend as the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Gateway, the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. The NNS race is scheduled for Saturday night, July 17.

Mike Skinner of Randy Moss Motorsports is the defending winner of this event, earning the victory after an exciting finish that saw top NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers and former Gateway winners Ron Hornaday Jr., and Todd Bodine taken out and Matt Crafton penalized for rough driving. The Truck Series at Gateway always provides great racing and the CampingWorld.com 200 should be no exception!

To get your tickets to the July 16 CampingWorld.com 200 at Gateway International Raceway, visit us on the Web at GatewayRaceway.com or call 866-35-SPEED.

Race fans can follow all the action throughout the season at Gateway International Raceway on its official Twitter site at Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway and its official page on Facebook, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

AUDIO: Jeff Burk of DragRacingOnline.com

(Jeff Burk (left) chats up "The Greek" Chris Karamesines at Gateway International Raceway prior to the 2009 NHRA Midwest Nationals there. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Jeff Burk of DragRacingOnline.com has been around the world of drag racing for nearly 50 years and was kind enough to chat with me about the state of drag racing, the O'Fallon, Mo.-based ADRL, and foreign interest in the sport. The Inside Motorsports column goes live at Globe-Democrat.com tomorrow, but you can hear the full audio now by clicking HERE.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Inside Motorsports on Vacation This Week

Globe-Democrat.com' Inside Motorsports is on vacation this week, but will return next Friday. Jeff Burk from DragRacingOnline.com will talk about the state of drag racing today, how he got started in the business, and preview the Nostalgia Drags and Muscle Car Reunion at Gateway International Raceway in a couple weeks.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Hight, Schumacher, Johnson, Phillips Win at GIR

(Photo by Miranda Hoffman)

Defending NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car champion Robert Hight took the win over Jack Beckman at the AAA Insurance NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway Sunday.

In one of the most improbable wins in the sport, Warren Johnson earned his 97th career Pro Stock win after his semi-finals opponent, Mike Edwards, broke prior to the burnout and his finals competitor, Jeg Coughlin Jr., lost his engine at the starting line.

Seven-time and defending Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher earned his 63rd career win while Michael Phillips took the victory in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

The full wrap up story will be up at Globe-Democrat.com shortly.

Finals Are Set at GIR

(Gateway International Raceway Photo)

The NHRA Full Throttle Series finals for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway are set. Racing for the Wally are:

Funny Car: Robert Hight v. Jack Beckman

Top Fuel: Doug Kalitta v. Tony Schumacher

Pro Stock: Warren Johnson v. Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Pro Stock Motorcycle: L.E. Tonglet v. Michael Phillips

Rd. 2 Results from GIR

(Photo by Sam Martin)

NHRA Full Throttle Series' Pro Class eliminations for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals has started and Rd. 2 is in the books. Advancing to Rd. 3 are:

Funny Car: Robert Hight v. Ron Capps, Bob Tasca III v. Jack Beckman

Top Fuel: Doug Kalitta v. Brandon Bernstein, Tony Schumacher v. Larry Dixon

Pro Stock: Mike Edwards v. Warren Johnson, Greg Stanfield v. Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Pro Stock Motorcycle: Hector Arana v. L.E. Tonglet, Eddie Krawiec v. Michael Phillips

Rd. 1 Results From GIR

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

NHRA Full Throttle Series' Pro Class eliminations for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals has started and Rd. 1 is in the books. Advancing to Rd. 2 are:

Funny Car: John Force v. Robert Hight, Ron Capps v. Del Worsham, Ashley Force Hood v. Bob Tasca III, Jack Beckman v. Tim Wilkerson

Top Fuel: Antron Brown v. Doug Kalitta, Terry Haddock v. Brandon Bernstein, Tony Schumacher v. P. Dakin, Larry Dixon v. Morgan Lucas

Pro Stock: Mike Edwards v. Johnny Gray, Allen Johnson v. Warren Johnson, J. Humphreys v. Greg Stanfield, Jeg Coughlin Jr. v. Greg Anderson

Pro Stock Motorcycle: Hector Arana v. Shawn Gann, L.T. Tonglet v. Douglas Horne, Craig Treble v. Eddie Krawiec, Matt Smith v. Michael Phillips.

There was a scary moment in Pro Stocks when No. 2 qualifier Roger Brogdon flipped during his run. The NHRA Safety Safari did an excellent job of getting to Brogdon and he was treated and released from the track medical center.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

John Force Top Qualifier Press Conference

(Gateway International Raceway Photo)

After earning NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car top qualifier honors for the 134th time in his storied career, John Force talked to the media at Gateway International Raceway there covering the 14th Annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. To hear Force at his best, click HERE.

Force Maintains Top Qualifier for Eliminations at GIR

(Gateway International Raceway photo)

Under overcast skies Friday, 14-time NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car champion John Force took advantage of ideal track conditions, earning top qualifier honors for the 134th time in his career for this weekend's AAA Insurance NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway. His pass of 4.103 seconds was good enough to break the NHRA Funny Car track record, as was his speed of 307.23 mph.

No one threatened Force's numbers during the three qualifying sessions this weekend (Q2 was rained out), but his daughter, Ashley Force Hood, was able to put together a run of 4.123 seconds during Saturday's first session. She will start second Sunday.

In Top Fuel, Cory McClenathan also set a GIR ET record with his pole-sitting time of 3.815 seconds, topping Tony Schumacher's run Friday night of 3.829. Schumacher maintains the track-record Top Fuel speed of 318.62 mph.

Mike Edwards briefly lost the pole in the Pro Stock class to Roger Brogdon, but was able to return to the top spot in the final session of the day with a run of 6.640 seconds. Brogdon is seeded second for tomorrow's eliminations. The surprise of the day was provided by former Pro Stock champ Jason Line who failed to make the 16-car field after 150 straight events without a DNQ. The PS class was the strongest of the event with 27 cars entered.

Hector Arana, the defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, took the top spot from Craig Treble with a pass of 6.905 seconds. Treble's speed of 194.63 mph retains the track record for that class. Missouri native David Hope made the field seeded 11th with a seven-second flat.

Pre-race ceremonies for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals start Sunday at 10 a.m. with eliminations beginning at 11. Weather is expected to cooperate and tickets can be purchased at the track upon arrival.

For the full weekend schedule, click HERE.

For weather information, click HERE.


For up-to-the-minute updates of the action, visit GatewayRaceway.com, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway, and Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway.

Q3 Finished at GIR

(Photo by Sam Martin)

After a foggy start at Gateway International Raceway with overcast skies much of the morning, it's all blue skies and sunshine as the track prepares for the final round of NHRA Full Throttle Series' Pro Class qualifying for tomorrow's AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

John Force is the only driver from yesterday to maintain his No. 1 qualifying position from yesterday with his ET of 4.103 seconds. Cory McClenathan took over the top spot from Tony Schumacher with a 3.815 second ET that broke the NHRA track record in Top Fuel. In Pro Stock, Roger Brogdon came out of nowhere to earn the provisional pole with a 6.644 second run. While he ran the same ET as Mike Edwards, his speed of 208.01 mph was faster than Edwards'.

Finally, in Pro Stock Motorcycles, defending class champion Hector Arana went to the top of the leaderboard with a run of 6.905 seconds. Treble's motor grenaded as he went down the track for his run.

The final qualifying run is starting now. Tomorrow's pre-race ceremonies start at 10 a.m. with eliminations beginning at 11.

New NHRA Track Records Set at GIR

 
 (Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Gateway International Raceway was blanketed by a thick layer of fog Saturday morning, but the forecast predicts dry weather for the day's NHRA Full Throttle Series qualifying for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

In the middle of the second round of Pro Stock qualifying Friday night, the NHRA and track officials canceled the round and all track activities due to heavy rains and lightning in the area. Despite the early finish to the day, track records for Top Fuel speed/ET, Funny Car speed/ET, and Pro Stock Motorcycle speed were broken.

Two rain delays halted Pro Stock qualifying in Q1 for a total of approximately 40 minutes, but the overcast conditions allowed some fast times for the four classes: Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Stock, Funny Car, and Top Fuel. Leading their respective classes after Q1 are: Craig Treble (PSM, 6.920 ET), Mike Edwards (PS, 6.644 ET), John Force (FC, 4.103 ET), and Tony Schumacher (TF, 3.829 ET). In the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series, Danny Rowe earned the top spot for now with a run of 5.955 seconds.

While there are expected to be periods of rain over the course of the weekend, it should have only a minimal effect on the racing. Great seats are still available and can be purchased at the gates upon arrival at Gateway.

For the full weekend schedule, click HERE.

For weather information, click HERE.

For up-to-the-minute updates of the action, visit GatewayRaceway.com, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway, and Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway.