Championship Drag Racing

Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals
Chandler, AZ
(February 24-26)

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Checker Schucks Kragen NHRA Nationals
Sunday
W.J. pulls off upset for 96th victory; Fuller, Johnson Jr. also score wins

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com

Warren Johnson, the most prolific Pro Stock racer in NHRA history, pushed his victory total to 96 Sunday by winning the 22nd annual Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by Castrol at Firebird Int'l Raceway. The 62-year-old Johnson stopped class dominator Greg Anderson in a final that included two of the top three Pro Stock racers of all time. Top Fuel sophomore "Hot Rod" Fuller and Funny Car standout Tommy Johnson Jr. also scored at the $1.5 million race, the second of 23 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.

Johnson did some serious driving, using a huge five-hundredths holeshot over V. Gaines to survive the first round. He was sharp on the Christmas Tree again in beating Anderson, closing to within 48 points of the three-time champion. Fuller denied Melanie Troxel back-to-back wins in Top Fuel, and Johnson Jr. won a pedaling contest against 13-time champ John Force.

 
Warren Johnson

Johnson drilled Anderson at the starting line, .015 to .048, then drove away for his third Phoenix victory with a steady 6.770 at 206.13 mph to Anderson's resigned 13.881 at 61.48 mph. Anderson, a 40-time winner who captured the title at the season-opening race two weeks ago, only went about 200 feet before pushing in the clutch and surrendering the race.

"It's awful hard to make up rounds, so the closer you can stay to the top guy, the quicker you can catch him and pass him," said Johnson, who once employed Anderson as his crew chief. "We have the team to hang with them. They all worked for me at one time or another. I know what they can do.

"I never looked over in the final, but when I didn't see him at half-track, I felt pretty good. I beat him on the back half. If he isn't ahead of me by the eighth-mile, then he's toast."

W.J.'s last win in his GM Performance Parts Pontiac GTO was 12 races ago in mid-July in Denver. Things were going his way all day. He left on Gaines, .022 to .070, to win by four-thousandths, then got a red-light gift from Jason Line in round two.

 
Rod Fuller

Former Sportsman star Fuller has the rest of the Top Fuel class nervous after winning his second race at the top level of the sport in just 27 starts. His Valvoline/David Powers Homes team has committed to run the entire 2006 campaign and already finds itself just 14 points out of the top position held by Troxel.

The Top Fuel final was the best one of the day, with both cars marching down the strip side by side. At the finish line, Fuller's machine was slightly ahead, crossing in 4.563 seconds at 321.42 mph to Troxel's 4.89 at 318.92 mph.

"A few people said that maybe we'd run for a top-five spot," said Fuller, who won the Super Gas title here in 2004. "But mostly what we heard was that we're an unproven team. Well, I think people are starting to see what we're capable of. This team has everything it needs to win. [Crew chief] Lee Beard is the best, [team owner] David Powers gives us everything we need, and Valvoline is behind us. I feel like I'm the weakest link.

"We had that weird burnout in round one because when I hit the gas I could tell the throttle stop wasn't in there. But instead of blowing up the motor, I caught it and we ended up winning the round. It was a big confidence booster for me because I realized I really could drive these things.

"I've had a tough month and a half on a personal level and it's easy to get down and get distracted, but my team has been right there for me. I'm glad I could give this to them."

Troxel lost 25 points after two oildown penalties. Her Skull Gear/Torco Fuels dragster has carried her to three finals in a row dating back to November.

Reigning champ Tony Schumacher, who lost to Fuller in the semifinals when his throttle cable broke at the starting line, moved up to third place in the standings.

 
Tommy Johnson Jr.

Both Johnson Jr. and Force lost traction during their final-round Funny Car race. The difference was that Johnson made it a few hundred feet farther down the track before his tires broke free for the first time. The additional momentum gained and a quick pedal job were enough to earn him a win with a time of 5.225 seconds at 249.76 mph to Force's hard-charging 5.705 at 294.69 mph.

"The car felt great taking off," Johnson Jr. said. "We'd run 4.80s all day, and it felt just like another one was on the way, and then, zip, it blew off the tires. I pedaled it once, then twice, and I still didn't see him, so I just buried the throttle pedal to the floor.

"Beating Force is awesome. He's the best of all time, and he's sure handled me in the finals. He's beaten me six times in a row. Now I feel like we have a team that's good enough to win it all. The continuity we have with this group is making a big difference. Everyone has been here at least four years except one guy. It sure makes a difference.

"It would have been great if [my wife] Melanie had won in Top Fuel. I told 'Hot Rod' he ruined my day. But really, I'm proud of her for getting to two finals in a row to start the year, and her loss didn't take anything away from our win."

This was Johnson Jr.'s seventh win in 19 final-round appearances. It was the first time the Skoal Chevrolet Monte Carlo driver beat Force with a trophy on the line in seven attempts. Force's Castrol GTX Ford Mustang carried him to his record 188th final-round appearance.

Defending series Funny Car champion Gary Scelzi is a distant ninth in the points after a first-round loss here. He is 77 points out of the lead held by teammate Ron Capps.

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