The first thing I did when I got into work this morning was check the results from the first round of NHRA Pro class qualifying. That is right, the NHRA kicked off the 2008-racing season in Pomona and qualifying started yesterday.
Perhaps the most newsworthy item is the return of John Force in Funny Car action. He was severely injured last year in a wild accident at the Dallas stop on the NHRA tour. It forced him to miss the rest of the ’07 season. A few weeks ago, I watched a video on the team’s website of Force working hard in rehab and preparing for the Pomona opener. It was great to see NHRA’s biggest star healing and getting excited about a return to the driver’s seat. Two weeks ago, he lit up the boards in testing with fast times during the Phoenix Test Sessions.
As I poured through the qualifying sheets I was happy to see a friend of mine make the transition from Pro Stock Bike to Top Fuel rather easily. Antron Brown stepped into the driver’s seat of the David Powers Motorsports’ Top Fuel entry, with primary sponsorship from Matco Tools. After round one of qualifying he is in the field with a 4.56 at 326 mph and qualified tenth. A position they are hoping to improve upon in the next few rounds. It is a big jump from the Pro Stock Bike category to Fuel, but he seems to be adjusting easily and he credits his team and crew chief Lee Beard with making the transition smooth.
The Pro Stock category has a familiar Mustang racer named listed as an entry—Billy Glidden. The multi-time NMRA, NMCA, and FFW champion took a big step last year to the Pro Stock class with backing from Mickey Thompson Tires. Billy was brought onboard to help develop Pro Stock-spec shoes and the team purchased a Pontiac GTO. Over the winter, Billy teamed up with his dad, Bob, and Dart Machinery to develop a Pro Stock engine program for both Billy’s ride and the main team car, driven by Justin Humphreys. Billy had problems and shook the tires while Humphreys clicked off a 6.66 at 207.94 mph pass, which was good for sixth in the field.
I love Nitro racing and will be spending my weekend checking the internet for updates.