MORRISON — The only clouds around Bandimere Speedway on Sunday were from the smoking tires of hot rods. Smoke, yes, but no fiery accidents and nothing but photo finishes at the 29th Mopar Mile-High Nationals.
An experimental weekend for the National Hot Rod Association — traditional quarter-mile distances were shortened to 1,000 feet in the wake of the death of funny car veteran Scott Kalitta last month — concluded with several thrilling final races. Fans also got to see legendary driver “Big Daddy” Don Garlits burn rubber in an exhibition race against “Miss Mighty Mopar,” Judy Lilly.
What more could drag-racing fans want?
Fans couldn’t have gotten races that were much closer. None was better than the top fuel title match between Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher and Antron Brown.
Brown, one of only two African-Americans to win a top fuel race in NHRA history, had the lead after the “Christmas tree” lights turned green, but a slight wisp of smoke from his tires was all Schumacher needed to take the victory. Schumacher (4.007 seconds, 304.05 mph) edged Brown (4.173, 276.97) for his 47th career top fuel victory — five short of Joe Amato’s all-time mark.
For Schumacher, it was a bittersweet weekend. The son of racing legend Don Schumacher was close to Kalitta, and the shortened distance at Bandimere was a constant reminder of his missed presence. But a racer who doesn’t have tunnel vision at the starting line is asking for trouble, and so, difficult as it was, Schumacher had to put his friend out of his mind.
“We loved Scott. We’ve loved everyone we’ve lost,” said Schumacher, who is bidding for his fifth straight top fuel points championship and sixth of his career, which would set an NHRA record over Amato. “But when it’s race day, that goes to the side and you have to focus. These cars are brutal, they’re fast and the guy sitting next to you has got another great race car and there’s just no time to think of that stuff at that moment.”
Schumacher, with the U.S. Army race car, is a former Army racing teammate of Brown’s. He now leads Brown in the overall point standings, 1,179 to 904.
“When I start out my speeches, I get people to laugh when I say I’m a gifted driver. But I’m not saying I’m a gifted driver like, ‘Look at me.’ I’m saying I’ve had the gift of driving the Army car for years and I’ve had the gift of having the best team that’s ever been assembled,” Schumacher said. “(Brown) is a great driver. He will catch on fast. He listens well, he makes the right calls and if it’s me and him battling it out at the end, I’d be proud to have him as my adversary.”
In the funny car division finals, Tim Wilkerson won by a saint’s whisper against Jack Beckman. Wilkerson drove the thousand feet in 4.398 to Beckman’s 4.661.
Wilkerson, of Springfield, Ill., used to overcomplicate things in the thin Morrison air. He and his team would try different things with the engine, and all it got him was frustration on the track. This time, he said, “I just decided I wasn’t going to overthink this thing.
“Usually when I come up here, I’m like, ‘Well, we’ve got to do this, we’ve got to do that, we’re in Denver, yada yada,’ ” Wilkerson said. “This year, we didn’t do any of that. We went out there, stepped on the gas, and it responded.”
It couldn’t have been much closer in the pro stock race. Greg Anderson beat defending champion Allen Johnson, finishing in 7.024 to Johnson’s time of 7.028.
Matt Smith took his second straight MHN title in pro stock motorcycle, beating veteran Steve Johnson at the finish line.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals At Bandimere Speedway, Morrison
FINAL ORDER
TOP FUEL
1. Tony Schumacher, 2. Antron Brown, 3. Larry Dixon, 4. Cory McClenathan, 5. Bob Vandergriff, 6. Doug Herbert, 7. Doug Kalitta, 8. Morgan Lucas, 9. Rod Fuller, 10. bye, 11. Hillary Will, 12. Steven Chrisman, 13. J.R. Todd, 14. David Grubnic, 15. Brandon Bernstein, 16. Steve Torrence.
FUNNY CAR
1. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala; 2. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger; 3. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara; 5. Gary Densham, Impala; 6. Mike Neff, Mustang; 7. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 8. Ron Capps, Charger; 9. Melanie Troxel, Charger; 10. John Force, Mustang; 11. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger; 12. Bob Tasca III, Mustang; 13. Tony Pedregon, Impala; 14. Jerry Toliver, Charger; 15. Del Worsham, Impala; 16. Ashley Force, Mustang.
PRO STOCK
1. Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP; 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus; 3. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt; 4. Ron Krisher, Cobalt; 5. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt; 7. Johnny Gray, Stratus; 8. Jason Line, GXP; 9. Greg Stanfield, GXP; 10. Justin Humphreys, Stratus; 11. Dave Connolly, Cobalt; 12. Warren Johnson, GXP; 13. V. Gaines, Stratus; 14. Mike Edwards, GXP; 15. Jim Yates, GXP; 16. Rickie Jones, Stratus.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1. Matt Smith, Buell; 2. Steve Johnson, Suzuki; 3. Peggy Llewellyn, Buell; 4. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson; 5. Chris Rivas, Buell; 6. Matt Guidera, Buell; 7. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 8. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 9. Chip Ellis, Suzuki; 10. Angelle Sampey, Buell; 11. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 12. Mike Berry, Buell; 13. David Hope, Buell; 14. Hector Arana, Buell; 15. Junior Pippin, Buell; 16. Ryan Schnitz, Kawasaki.
FINALS
TOP FUEL
Tony Schumacher, 4.007 seconds, 304.05 mph., def. Antron Brown, 4.173, 276.97.
FUNNY CAR
Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala, 4.398, 262.23, def. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.661, 205.41.
PRO STOCK
Greg Anderson, Pontiac GXP, 7.024, 196.39, def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 7.028, 195.79.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
Matt Smith, Buell, 7.326, 180.74, def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.340, 180.81.
COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
Lou Ficco Jr., Chevy Cavalier, 7.722, 173.72, def. Steve Holloway, Pontiac GTO, 7.030, 197.77.
SUPER STOCK
Justin Jenkins, Olds Calais, 10.515, 124.09, def. Neal Rhodes, Ford Mustang, 10.842, 123.24.
STOCK ELIMINATOR
Brad Burton, Pontiac Formula, 11.529, 113.31, def. Jim Hughes, Chevy Nova, 11.596, 113.03.
SUPER COMP
Kyle Lawrence, Dragster, 9.522, 146.26, def. Terry Edwards, Dragster, 9.492, 164.79.
ROUND-BY-ROUND
TOP FUEL
ROUND ONE
Doug Kalitta, 4.455, 259.76, def. David Grubnic, 4.878, 199.79; Morgan Lucas, 4.324, 251.77, def. J.R. Todd, 4.591, 205.57; Antron Brown, 3.995, 298.21, def. Rod Fuller, 4.115, 277.43; Cory McClenathan, 4.283, 209.79 was unopposed; Tony Schumacher, 4.032, 299.53, def. Steven Chrisman, 4.353, 262.23; Larry Dixon, 4.064, 285.65, def. Steve Torrence, 6.506, 99.32; Bob Vandergriff, 4.046, 306.67, def. Hillary Will, 4.182, 291.19; Doug Herbert, 4.035, 295.46, def. Brandon Bernstein, 5.242, 151.04.
QUARTERFINALS
McClenathan, 4.197, 270.59, def. Kalitta, 4.403, 237.38; Dixon, 4.077, 291.89, def. Lucas, 4.778, 178.76; Brown, 4.259, 268.92, def. Vandergriff, 4.282, 261.12; Schumacher, 4.041, 300.46, def. Herbert, 4.290, 231.40.
SEMIFINALS
Brown, 4.245, 257.73, def. McClenathan, 4.236, 246.12; Schumacher, 4.039, 300.46, def. Dixon, 4.146, 288.95.
FINAL
Schumacher, 4.007, 304.05, def. Brown, 4.173, 276.97.
FUNNY CAR
ROUND ONE
Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala, 4.261, 285.35, def. Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 5.082, 155.67; Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.293, 284.62, def. Jerry Toliver, Dodge Charger, 4.648, 209.17; Gary Densham, Impala, 4.301, 286.80, def. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.321, 288.95; Gary Scelzi, Charger, 4.333, 286.62, def. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.600, 197.39; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.525, 241.41, def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.560, 225.71; Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.390, 261.22, def. John Force, Mustang, 4.412, 277.03; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.296, 292.33, def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.487, 254.57; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.235, 293.09, def. Del Worsham, Impala, 4.682, 192.11.
QUARTERFINALS
Wilkerson, 4.322, 285.47, def. Neff, 4.410, 273.00; Beckman, 4.362, 281.77, def. Densham, 4.345, 285.71; C. Pedregon, 4.388, 276.18, def. Capps, 5.330, 143.69; Hight, 4.378, 267.06, def. Scelzi, 4.459, 260.06.
SEMIFINALS
Beckman, 4.334, 290.82, def. C. Pedregon, 4.474, 278.46; Wilkerson, 4.260, 280.84, def. Hight, 4.316, 284.03.
FINAL
Wilkerson, 4.398, 262.23, def. Beckman, 4.661, 205.41.
PRO STOCK
ROUND ONE
Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 7.040, 194.32, def. Justin Humphreys, Dodge Stratus, 7.044, 194.77; Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 7.046, 194.86, def. Jim Yates, Pontiac GXP, 23.793, 29.90; Larry Morgan, Stratus, 7.045, 195.05, def. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 7.053, 195.17; Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 7.050, 195.53, def. Rickie Jones, Stratus, broke; Jason Line, GXP, 7.032, 195.56, def. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 7.036, 195.39; Johnny Gray, Stratus, 7.107, 194.27, def. Mike Edwards, GXP, 7.109, 195.17; Greg Anderson, GXP, 7.020, 195.87, def. V. Gaines, Stratus, foul; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 7.030, 195.45, def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 7.073, 195.90.
QUARTERFINALS
Krisher, 7.071, 194.80, def. Gray, 7.111, 194.10; K. Johnson, 7.048, 195.56, def. Line, 7.135, 178.97; A. Johnson, 7.043, 195.70, def. Morgan, foul; Anderson, 7.046, 195.70, def. Coughlin, 7.065, 194.07.
SEMIFINALS
Anderson, 7.031, 196.10, def. K. Johnson, 7.052, 195.36; A. Johnson, 7.050, 195.17, def. Krisher, 7.069, 194.60.
FINAL
Anderson, 7.024, 196.39, def. A. Johnson, 7.028, 195.79.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
ROUND ONE
Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.429, 178.64, def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 7.440, 179.35; Chris Rivas, Buell, 7.335, 180.60, def. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 7.424, 176.49; Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.369, 179.16, def. Mike Berry, Buell, 7.468, 175.78; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.352, 180.33, def. Ryan Schnitz, Kawasaki, foul; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.352, 180.28, def. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.592, 171.16; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 7.360, 181.42, def. David Hope, Buell, foul; Peggy Llewellyn, Buell, 7.500, 176.35, def. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, foul; Matt Smith, Buell, 7.349, 181.54, def. Hector Arana, Buell, foul.
QUARTERFINALS
Johnson, 7.390, 178.90, def. Hines, 7.423, 178.17; Llewellyn, 15.832, 45.77, def. Rivas, foul; Krawiec, 7.422, 174.66, def. Stoffer, foul; Smith, 7.386, 179.25, def. Guidera, 7.419, 176.14.
SEMIFINALS
Johnson, 7.853, 169.66, def. Krawiec, broke; Smith, 7.370, 181.06, def. Llewellyn, 7.529, 176.19.
FINAL
Smith, 7.326, 180.74, def. Johnson, 7.340, 180.81.
POINT STANDINGS
TOP FUEL
1. Tony Schumacher, 1,179; 2. Antron Brown, 904; 3. Larry Dixon, 867; 4. Cory McClenathan, 788; 5. Rod Fuller, 777; 6. Brandon Bernstein, 737; 7. Hillary Will, 719; 8. Doug Herbert, 666; 9. Doug Kalitta, 566; 10. David Grubnic, 564.
FUNNY CAR
1. Tim Wilkerson, 978; 2. Robert Hight, 763; 3. Tony Pedregon, 750; 4. Ashley Force, 739; 5. Cruz Pedregon, 720; 6. John Force, 695; 7. (tie) Ron Capps, 632, and Gary Densham, 632; 9. Mike Neff, 600; 10. Jack Beckman, 530.
PRO STOCK
1. Greg Anderson, 996; 2. Kurt Johnson, 900; 3. Jason Line, 828; 4. Jeg Coughlin, 819; 5. Allen Johnson, 711; 6. Mike Edwards, 671; 7. Ron Krisher, 662; 8. V. Gaines, 657; 9. Greg Stanfield, 627; 10. Warren Johnson, 565.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1. Andrew Hines, 668; 2. Matt Smith, 630; 3. Chip Ellis, 569; 4. Chris Rivas, 512; 5. Eddie Krawiec, 481; 6. Matt Guidera, 450; 7. Angelle Sampey, 424; 8. Craig Treble, 417; 9. Steve Johnson, 402; 10. Hector Arana, 376.
