JOHNSON CONTINUES BANDIMERE DOMINATION IN PRO STOCK

Kalitta, Hight and Hines also race to victory at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals

MORRISON, Colo. – Allen Johnson raced to his first Pro Stock victory of the season and his third win in the last four years at Bandimere Speedway to finish off a successful weekend for his team Sunday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event near Denver.

Johnson took his eighth career Pro Stock win from the No. 1 qualifying position when he outran Jeg Coughlin in the final round. Johnson powered his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to a 6.974 second run at 198.26 mph to finish in front of Coughlin, whose JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt slowed at mid-track and posted a 7.858 at 135.09.

“We’ve got an awesome setup for this track,” said Johnson who has advanced to the final at this event the last four seasons. “The engine guys do an unbelievable job on the motors for this place. I’d like to race every race here. To go up against Greg in the second round and Jeg in the final, I knew I had to be on my game. Fortunately I was able to do it today.”

Johnson continued to solidify his claim to second place in the final regular season Pro Stock points order with his effort this weekend and is showing that he will be one of the top challengers for the Pro Stock championship in the playoffs.

“I was tickled with how I did my job today,” said Johnson, who beat Bob Yonke, Anderson,  and Johnny Gray to advance to his fourth final round of the season. “We’ve got to continue this pace and be aggressive and go toward that championship and hopefully pull it off.”

Kalitta scored his first win of the season in Top Fuel and joined uncle Connie Kalitta and late cousin Scott Kalitta as winners at the high-altitude dragstrip. Kalitta posted a 3.963 at 308.35 in his Kalitta Motorsports dragster to beat Brandon Bernstein, who trailed with a 4.003 at 297.35 in his Copart/Lucas Oil dragster.

Kalitta outran Terry McMillen, Steve Torrence and Rod Fuller in earlier rounds to claim his 32nd career victory.

“Seeing that win light come on down there was real special and a great relief,” Kalitta said of his final round match with Bernstein. “This facility gets better and better. I am so glad to finally get a win here. We’ve been close a bunch of times and finally got it done today.”

Hight earned his fourth victory of the season and 18th of his career in Funny Car as he outran team owner John Force in the final round.  Hight’s Auto Club Ford Mustang finished in 4.215 at 296.05, just ahead of Force’s Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang, which ran 4.386 at 284.99.

“It’s a great win for us and we only have one more race to go before the Countdown,” said Hight, who advanced to the final with early round wins over James Day, Ron Capps and top qualifier Matt Hagan. “It is definitely a turnaround from last year when we went into Brainerd and wasn’t even qualified for the Countdown.”

Hight took his second Bandimere win and closed the gap between series leader Force, who is now 28 points ahead.

“This is the best season I’ve ever had,” Hight said. “I’ve never won four races in a season. John and I are only separated by a little over one round and I am sure he’ll be ribbing me about it the next two weeks. You can see how bad John wants to win. He’s definitely on a mission. I am sure he’s happy for us, but you know he wanted to win.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hines claimed his third win of the season and 21st of his career by defeating Karen Stoffer in the final. Hines rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a 7.342 at 178.02 to hold off Stoffer’s GEICO Powersports Suzuki, which clocked a 7.402 at 175.94.

“My riding has really come around in the last three or four races,” said Hines, who defeated rookie LE Tonglet, Jim Underdahl and top qualifier Michael Phillips in the first three rounds. “Every round we had to scratch for it. Karen is a tough competitor and she’s got her motorcycle turned around. The Suzuki’s were dominant all weekend, but our V-Rod was able to beat them today all four rounds.”

Hines, a California native who spent all of his teenage years in Trinidad, Colo., says winning his second race at Bandimere is very special to him.

“I grew up three hours south of here and spent ages 10 to 20 here,” Hines said. “I know this place as my home. To come back here and get a win on the mountain says a lot about my team. We didn’t have the best motorcycle all weekend, but we were able to get the job done.”

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series continues Aug. 12-15 at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway with the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, the final race of the Countdown to 10, NHRA's regular season. The Countdown to 1, NHRA’s six-race championship playoffs, starts Sept. 1-6 with the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

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*** Agate ***

MORRISON, Colo. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.  The race is the 16th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1.  Doug Kalitta; 2.  Brandon Bernstein; 3.  Rod Fuller; 4.  Larry Dixon; 5.  Tony Schumacher; 6. Antron Brown; 7.  Steve Torrence; 8.  David Grubnic; 9.  Bob Vandergriff; 10.  Cory McClenathan; 11.  Shawn Langdon; 12.  Terry McMillen; 13.  Steven Chrisman; 14.  Terry Haddock; 15.  Mike Strasburg; 16.  Morgan Lucas.

FUNNY CAR:

1.  Robert Hight; 2.  John Force; 3.  Matt Hagan; 4.  Cruz Pedregon; 5.  Ron Capps; 6.  Bob Tasca III; 7.  Jack Beckman; 8.  Del Worsham; 9.  Ashley Force Hood; 10.  Paul Lee; 11.  Tony Pedregon; 12.  Jeff Diehl; 13.  Jack Wyatt; 14.  Jeff Arend; 15.  Tim Wilkerson; 16.  James Day.

PRO STOCK:

1.  Allen Johnson; 2.  Jeg Coughlin; 3.  Shane Gray; 4.  Johnny Gray; 5.  Mike Edwards; 6.  Vinnie Deceglie; 7.  Ron Krisher; 8.  Greg Anderson; 9.  V. Gaines; 10.  Jason Line; 11.  Larry Morgan; 12.  Bob Yonke; 13.  Kurt Johnson; 14.  Rodger Brogdon; 15.  Warren Johnson; 16.  Erica Enders.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1.  Andrew Hines; 2.  Karen Stoffer; 3.  Michael Phillips; 4.  Steve Johnson; 5.  Matt Smith; 6. David Hope; 7.  Craig Treble; 8.  Jim Underdahl; 9.  Eddie Krawiec; 10.  Hector Arana; 11.  Shawn Gann; 12.  LE Tonglet; 13.  Mike Berry; 14.  Angie Smith; 15.  Redell Harris; 16.  Katie Sullivan.

MORRISON, Colo. -- Sunday's final results from the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. The race is the 16th of 23 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Doug Kalitta, 3.963 seconds, 308.35 mph  def. Brandon Bernstein, 4.003 seconds, 297.35 mph.

Funny Car -- Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.215, 296.05  def. John Force, Mustang, 4.386, 284.99.

Pro Stock -- Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.974, 198.26  def. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 7.858, 135.09.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.342, 178.02  def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.402, 175.94.

Super Stock -- David Bogner, Dodge Daytona, 10.333, 126.46  def. Henry Sliwinski, Chevy Camaro, 11.156, 119.34.

Stock Eliminator -- Brad Burton, Pontiac Formula, 11.591, 112.87  def. Tim Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, foul.

Super Comp -- Terry Edwards, Dragster, 9.488, 171.60  def. Bill Dennis, Dragster, 9.524, 159.93.

Super Gas -- Mike Wiblishouser, Chevy Corvette, 10.506, 155.38  def. Craig Maddox, Dodge Prowler, 10.521, 151.24.

Super Street -- John Dexter, Chevy Camaro, 11.540, 125.94  def. Roger Mitchell, Camaro, 11.542, 124.16.

MORRISON, Colo. -- Final round-by-round results from the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 16th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Brandon Bernstein, 3.962, 301.54 def. Cory McClenathan, 3.988, 310.55; Steve Torrence, 3.936, 306.19 def. Bob Vandergriff, 3.987, 291.32; Larry Dixon, 3.963, 301.27 def. Morgan Lucas, 6.285, 102.06; Antron Brown, 3.945, 308.07 def. Terry Haddock, 4.337, 241.50; Doug Kalitta, 3.920,

311.63 def. Terry McMillen, 4.066, 289.38; David Grubnic, 3.880, 314.17 def. Steven Chrisman, 4.214, 281.42; Tony Schumacher, 3.950, 313.00 def. Mike Strasburg, 4.410, 214.66; Rod Fuller, 3.981, 304.25 def. Shawn Langdon, 3.995, 305.29;

QUARTERFINALS -- Dixon, 3.966, 301.94 def. Schumacher, 4.005, 292.01; Bernstein, 3.975, 303.03 def. Brown, 4.035, 300.00; Kalitta, 3.936, 310.48 def. Torrence, 4.341, 252.57; Fuller, 4.549, 191.21 def. Grubnic, 4.630, 220.58;

SEMIFINALS -- Bernstein, 4.003, 300.13 def. Dixon, 4.440, 195.14; Kalitta, 3.967, 306.40 def. Fuller, 4.007, 302.82;

FINAL -- Kalitta, 3.963, 308.35 def. Bernstein, 4.003, 297.35.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.238, 295.92 def. Ashley Force Hood, Ford Mustang, 4.203, 299.40; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.319, 286.25 def. James Day, Dodge Stratus, 6.700, 97.18; Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 4.267, 298.67 def. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.451, 277.54; John Force, Mustang, 4.221, 296.24 def. Paul Lee, Chevy Impala SS, 4.293, 290.13; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.231, 294.18 def. Jack Wyatt, Stratus, 4.598, 259.96; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.204, 299.73 def. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.365, 272.83; Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.191, 301.20 def. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.626, 206.51; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.285, 294.37 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 5.241, 145.99;

QUARTERFINALS -- Hagan, 4.276, 289.69 def. Beckman, 4.336, 285.53; Hight, 4.251, 293.54 def. Capps, 4.235, 296.11; C. Pedregon, 4.282, 299.20 def. Worsham, 4.436, 295.53; Force, 4.280, 293.66 def. Tasca III, 4.292, 291.32;

SEMIFINALS -- Force, 4.287, 294.24 def. C. Pedregon, 4.793, 195.85; Hight, 4.218, 296.50 def. Hagan, 4.237, 290.51;

FINAL -- Hight, 4.215, 296.05 def. Force, 4.386, 284.99.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 7.029, 195.82 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Avenger, foul; Vinnie Deceglie, Avenger, 7.022, 197.19 def. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt, 7.040, 196.04; Shane Gray, GXP, 6.993, 196.19 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 7.053, 196.07; Mike Edwards, GXP, 7.005, 196.19 def. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 7.046, 195.87; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.985, 196.93 def. Erica Enders, Ford Mustang, 11.138, 79.42; Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 7.014, 195.68 def. Jason Line, GXP, 7.027, 196.53; Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.973, 197.83 def. Bob Yonke, GXP, 7.035, 195.51; Johnny Gray, GXP, 7.010, 196.47 def. Larry Morgan, Mustang, 7.028, 196.76;

QUARTERFINALS -- J. Gray, 7.024, 196.73 def. Edwards, foul; S. Gray, 7.033, 195.76 def. Krisher, 7.029, 195.79; Coughlin, 7.008, 196.44 def. Deceglie, 7.027, 197.02; A. Johnson, 6.998, 197.59 def. Anderson, 7.056, 194.80;

SEMIFINALS -- Coughlin, 6.999, 196.27 def. S. Gray, foul; A. Johnson, 6.997, 197.45 def. J. Gray, 7.033, 196.70;

FINAL -- A. Johnson, 6.974, 198.26 def. Coughlin, 7.858, 135.09.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Matt Smith, Buell, 7.326, 180.69 def. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.353, 181.25; David Hope, Buell, 7.360, 177.28 def. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.404, 176.12; Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.325, 180.84 def. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.281, 180.96; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.283, 180.77 def. Angie Smith, Buell, foul; Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.367, 165.46 def. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.473, 174.64; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.288, 183.39 def. Katie Sullivan, Suzuki, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.302, 180.14 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 7.407, 168.94; Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.310, 181.96 def. Redell Harris, Buell, 7.536, 175.78;

QUARTERFINALS -- Phillips, 7.289, 181.37 def. M. Smith, 7.344, 179.42; Hines, 7.350, 177.98 def. Underdahl, foul; Johnson, 7.328, 181.28 def. Hope, 7.398, 175.27; Stoffer, 7.320, 179.56 def. Treble, 7.409, 176.60;

SEMIFINALS -- Stoffer, 7.484, 175.34 def. Johnson, 7.847, 135.28; Hines, 7.355, 177.95 def. Phillips, foul;

FINAL -- Hines, 7.342, 178.02 def. Stoffer, 7.402, 175.94.

MORRISON, Colo. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 16th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel

1.  Larry Dixon, 1,520; 2.  Tony Schumacher, 1,291; 3.  Cory McClenathan, 1,259; 4.  Doug Kalitta, 1,160; 5.  Antron Brown, 1,127; 6.  Brandon Bernstein, 1,049; 7.  Shawn Langdon, 761; 8.  Morgan Lucas, 725; 9.  Steve Torrence, 673; 10.  David Grubnic, 609.

Funny Car

1.  John Force, 1,219; 2.  Robert Hight, 1,191; 3.  Matt Hagan, 1,076; 4.  Jack Beckman, 1,060; 5. Ron Capps, 1,014; 6.  Tim Wilkerson, 963; 7.  Bob Tasca III, 959; 8.  Ashley Force Hood, 938; 9. Del Worsham, 897; 10.  Tony Pedregon, 733.

Pro Stock

1.  Mike Edwards, 1,586; 2.  Allen Johnson, 1,242; 3.  Jeg Coughlin, 1,115; 4.  Greg Anderson, 1,023; 5.  Jason Line, 875; 6.  Ron Krisher, 813; 7.  Greg Stanfield, 773; 8.  Shane Gray, 762; 9. Johnny Gray, 711; 10.  Rodger Brogdon, 677.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1.  Hector Arana, 836; 2.  Andrew Hines, 796; 3.  Michael Phillips, 746; 4.  Matt Smith, 716; 5. Steve Johnson, 648; 6.  Eddie Krawiec, 562; 7.  LE Tonglet, 546; 8.  David Hope, 520; 9.  Karen Stoffer, 511; 10.  Craig Treble, 475.

HAGAN, BROWN, JOHNSON AND PHILLIPS ARE NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS

MORRISON, Colo. – Matt Hagan raced to the No. 1 qualifying position in Funny Car Saturday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

Antron Brown, Allen Johnson and Michael Phillips also will lead their respective categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event. The race is the final stop of the three-race Western Swing and the penultimate race in the regular season. NHRA's six-race championship playoffs -- the Countdown to 1 -- begin Labor Day weekend at the Mac  Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Hagan powered his special edition Team Mopar Dodge Charger to a 4.161-second run at 301.33 mph to overtake 14-time world champ and current series points leader John Force for the top qualifying position. It is Hagan’s second No. 1 of the season and fourth of his career.

“We have a really great race car,” said Hagan, a two-time winner this season who currently sits fourth in the point standings. “[Crew chief] Tommy DeLago is doing such a good job, and I can’t say enough about the crew guys. They’ve really come a long way from where they were last year, and I’m really, really proud of them.”

Hagan, who will face Jack Wyatt in the opening round of eliminations, said the car left easy and pulled hard all the way down the high-altitude dragstrip.

“Tommy told me to hold on because he was going to get after it,” Hagan said. “It felt like just another run, but when [the clutch] went one to one it really took off. All I had to do was keep it in the groove and hold on. For us to be No. 1 in Funny Car and Allen Johnson to be No. 1 in Pro Stock, does it get any better than that?"

Brown earned his fifth No. 1 of the season in Top Fuel as his Friday performance of 3.961 at 286.19 in his Matco Tools dragster remained the quickest of the weekend.

Brown will face Terry Haddock in the first round as he tries to defend his victory here and earn his first win of the season.

“Today we were trying a few things, trying to get our car ready for the Countdown, but we thought it would run better,” Brown said. “The car wanted to run a .92 or .93, but the track didn’t want any part of it. We were just too aggressive too far down the racetrack. We need to be a little more aggressive sooner, so tomorrow we’ll make those adjustments and try to go A to B because that’s what it’s going to take. And if the sun is out it’s going to be even more tricky. But never in a million years would I have thought that our .96 would stay No. 1.”

In Pro Stock, Johnson raced to a 6.966 at 198.64 in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to earn his fourth top qualifying position of the season. Johnson, who has won two of the last three finals at this event, will face Bob Yonke in the first round tomorrow as he seeks his first victory of the season.

"I’m hoping that this is our breakthrough weekend,” said Johnson, currently second in the point standings. “This season we’ve figured out every way in the world to lose every final that we’ve been in, so maybe this will be the one that we can win one for the Mopar banner and start to hone in on the championship."

Phillips continued to impress in Pro Stock Motorcycle, lowering the track record in the two-wheel category to 7.238 seconds at 186.41 mph on his Racers Edge Suzuki. It was Phillips’ second career No. 1 qualifying effort.

“I had predicted a best of 7.28 for today, but the weather was about 800 feet better,” Phillips said. “I saw Karen (Stoffer) go out and run a 7.27 and Steve (Johnson) ran a 7.28, so I figured that my run would at least be a 7.24. I managed to hit all my shift points perfectly and got the 7.23.”

Phillips, who won at Infineon Raceway last weekend, hopes to keep the momentum going tomorrow when he faces Redell Harris in the opening round.

“With our win last weekend in Sonoma, I think we’re peaking at the right time,” Phillips said. “I’m trying to stay focused and not let anything distract me. As long as I’m on my game, it’s going to be pretty hard to beat me.”

* * * Agate * * *

MORRISON, Colo. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 16th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.961 seconds, 286.19 mph  vs. 16. Terry Haddock, 4.356, 270.81; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.962, 308.21  vs. 15. Terry McMillen, 4.217, 283.67; 3. David Grubnic, 3.970, 304.67  vs. 14. Steven Chrisman, 4.207, 278.40; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.974, 312.42  vs. 13. Mike Strasburg, 4.162, 288.64; 5. Larry Dixon, 3.974, 297.61  vs. 12. Morgan Lucas, 4.158, 288.58; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.982, 304.94  vs. 11. Rod Fuller, 4.113, 280.66; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.983,299.13  vs. 10. Bob Vandergriff, 4.027, 302.62; 8. Brandon Bernstein, 3.992, 297.61  vs. 9. Cory McClenathan, 4.018, 308.64. Did Not Qualify: 17. Rob Passey, 6.672, 125.75.

Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.161, 301.33  vs. 16. Jack Wyatt, Dodge Stratus, broke; 2. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.191, 297.42  vs. 15. Paul Lee, Chevy Impala SS, 5.710, 118.42; 3. Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 4.191, 294.75  vs. 14. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.349, 148.20; 4. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.218, 295.72  vs. 13. James Day, Stratus, 5.228, 153.63; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.221, 297.29  vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.341, 280.14; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.238, 296.96  vs. 11. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.267, 290.44; 7. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.240, 293.86  vs. 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.263, 289.01; 8. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.247, 298.87  vs. 9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.251, 290.51.

Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.966, 198.64  vs. 16. Bob Yonke, Pontiac GXP, 7.049, 195.68; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.981, 197.54  vs. 15. Erica Enders, Ford Mustang, 7.042, 195.19; 3. Jason Line, GXP, 6.993, 197.10  vs. 14. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 7.039, 196.19; 4. Mike Edwards, GXP, 7.002, 197.45  vs. 13. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 7.018, 196.07; 5. Johnny Gray, GXP, 7.002, 197.16  vs. 12. Larry Morgan, Mustang, 7.016, 196.64; 6. Shane Gray, GXP, 7.004,196.64  vs. 11. Warren Johnson, GXP, 7.013, 196.56; 7. Vinnie Deceglie, Avenger, 7.005, 197.51  vs.10. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 7.012, 196.24; 8. Greg Anderson, GXP, 7.007, 197.28  vs. 9. V. Gaines, Avenger, 7.008, 196.90. Did Not Qualify: 17. Greg Stanfield, 7.052, 195.90; 18. Danny Gruninger, 7.129, 194.18; 19. Steve Kalkowski, 7.175, 191.46; 20. Jim Cunningham, 15.034, 191.10.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.238, 186.41  vs. 16. Redell Harris, Buell, 14.305, 108.15; 2. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.246, 185.21  vs. 15. Katie Sullivan, Suzuki, 7.647, 174.01; 3. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.268, 183.64  vs. 14. Angie Smith, Buell, 7.612, 176.40; 4. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.280, 181.74  vs. 13. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.557, 175.32; 5. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.286, 182.72  vs. 12. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 7.400, 178.45; 6. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.295, 182.11  vs. 11. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.362, 181.94; 7. David Hope, Buell, 7.297, 182.43  vs. 10. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.347, 182.77; 8. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.316, 182.97  vs. 9. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.319, 184.45.

FORCE, BROWN, JOHNSON AND PHILLIPS LEAD MOPAR MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALS QUALIFYING

MORRISON, Colo. – John Force raced to the qualifying lead in Funny Car Friday at the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver.

Season points leader Force powered his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Ford Mustang to a 4.191-second run at 296.76 mph to move into position to claim his fifth No. 1 at this event, fourth of the season and 135th of his career. Qualifying continues Saturday with two sessions that will set the field for Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations.

“We really choked it down on the first run just to make it go A to B to see what would happen,” Force said. “At half-track I’m thinking, ‘This is almost embarrassing.’ But the crew chiefs are making the decisions and it’s very critical to get down there. Coming into this race No. 1 in the points put us at the rear of the pack [in the first session] and allowed us to watch the rest, then that run put us low and put us at the rear of the pack [in the second session] to watch the rest. (Del) Worsham stepped up and ran a great number, then we went out and did it and got it on speed.”

Antron Brown, Allen Johnson, and Michael Phillips also were qualifying leaders in their categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Defending event winner Brown paced the Top Fuel category with a leading effort of 3.961 at 286.19 in his Matco Tools dragster.

“The conditions out here are really good and the track is really good,” said Brown. “Tomorrow is going to be really interesting because it’s going to be cool and I don’t think the .96 is going to hold. You’re going to see some guys out there going for it and I think you’re going to see a low .90 or high .80. We were No. 1 last year on Saturday with a .86, so it’s definitely out there. We’ve just got to get the power level right and get the car hooked up.”

Johnson, the defending winner who has advanced to the last three finals at this race, was quickest in Pro Stock with a 7.020 at 197.19 in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger.

“The conditions got a lot better and the track temperature was 20 degrees better so we just adjusted the gear ratio and got after it,” Johnson said.  “The track is pretty awesome and we’ll adjust to it tomorrow. I really think tomorrow will be the best day because it’s supposed to cool down. We’ll have work tomorrow to hang onto it.”

Phillips, who won last weekend at Sonoma, Calif., led the way in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a track record time of 7.308 at 183.12 on his Racers Edge Suzuki.

“That 30 was a surprise (in the first session), I thought it would be around a 40 or 41,” Phillips said. “It had a decent short time and I revved it up good and got it down there. That 30 was impressive. I thought my second run was going to be better, but evidently it wasn’t. I think it will be real fast tomorrow, so I think you’ll see some 20s out there in the morning.”

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* * *AGATE***

MORRISON, Colo. -- Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 31st annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, 16th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.  Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Antron Brown, 3.961 seconds, 286.19 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.962, 308.21; 3. David Grubnic, 3.970, 304.67; 4. Shawn Langdon, 3.982, 304.94; 5. Larry Dixon, 3.985, 297.61; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 3.992, 296.11; 7. Bob Vandergriff, 4.027, 302.62; 8. Cory McClenathan, 4.103, 272.17; 9. Rod Fuller, 4.113, 280.66; 10. Tony Schumacher, 4.115, 287.90; 11. Steve Torrence, 4.169, 285.95; 12. Morgan Lucas, 4.177, 288.58.  Not Qualified: 13. Terry McMillen, 4.219, 260.66; 14. Steven Chrisman, 4.299, 278.29; 15. Mike Strasburg, 4.313, 262.08; 16. Terry Haddock, 4.611, 251.06; 17. Rob Passey, 5.895, 125.75.

Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.191, 296.76; 2. Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 4.191, 294.75; 3. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.221, 295.72; 4. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.221, 293.73; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.240, 293.86; 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.242, 285.59; 7. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.247, 280.84; 8. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.251, 290.51; 9. Jeff Arend, Toyota Solara, 4.267, 290.44; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.386, 234.49; 11. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.402, 247.61; 12. Jeff Diehl, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.349, 148.20.  Not Qualified: 13. Jack Wyatt, 5.397, 147.12; 14. Cruz Pedregon, 6.975, 99.39.

Pro Stock -- 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 7.020, 197.19; 2. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 7.021, 196.87; 3. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 7.031, 196.56; 4. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 7.039, 196.10; 5. Greg Anderson, GXP, 7.048, 195.96; 6. Vinnie Deceglie, Avenger, 7.049, 196.76; 7. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 7.049, 195.99; 8. Jason Line, GXP, 7.050, 196.24; 9. V. Gaines, Avenger, 7.050, 196.07; 10. Johnny Gray, GXP, 7.056, 195.93; 11. Shane Gray, GXP, 7.066, 195.90; 12. Warren Johnson, GXP, 7.067, 195.59.  Not Qualified: 13. Greg Stanfield, 7.084, 195.42; 14. Rodger Brogdon, 7.089, 194.94; 15. Kurt Johnson, 7.102, 194.91; 16. Erica Enders, 7.114, 194.66; 17. Bob Yonke, 7.142, 193.60; 18. Jim Cunningham, 7.168, 191.10; 19. Danny Gruninger, 7.230, 192.22; 20. Steve Kalkowski, 7.267, 190.40.

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 7.308, 183.12; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.328, 181.72; 3. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.339, 181.57; 4. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.341, 180.67; 5. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.342, 181.47; 6. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.347, 182.77; 7. Hector Arana, Buell, 7.356, 183.72; 8. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.364, 180.77; 9. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.369, 180.60; 10. David Hope, Buell, 7.375, 179.83; 11. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.399, 179.66; 12. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 7.457, 178.38.  Not Qualified: 13. Angie Smith, 7.523, 176.40; 14. Katie Sullivan, 7.884, 158.50; 15. Mike Berry, 7.922, 166.27; 16. Redell Harris, 8.779, 108.15.