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| Norco's ‘Fast' Jack Beckman leaves the starting line in his Funny Car during the NHRA Winternationals Drag Racing event at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, on Friday. DAVID BAUMAN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER |
Tony Schumacher, who qualified atop the Top Fuel category Friday with a 3.722-second ET, wasn’t ready to declare that to be the fastest time this weekend.
“I think we’ll go faster,” said the eight-time world champion, who cranked his U.S. Army Dragster to 323.66 mph. “I’d be willing to bet a lot of teams will go faster this weekend.”
“This time last year,” said Yorba Linda’s Robert Hight, who had the fastest Funny Car on Friday, “a 3.942 (his elapsed time) would’ve been a national record.”
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing opener was back at the same 1,000-foot strip that has seen plenty of historic runs in recent years.
As the 2016 season commences, Antron Brown holds the Top Fuel elapsed time mark (3.680 seconds) with Spencer Massey recording a 332.75-mph – both in Brainerd, Minn., last August.
At the October NHRA finals, Funny Car marks were set by Norco’s “Fast” Jack Beckman (3.884, ET) and Matt Hagan’s 331.45 mph.
Between Jason Line’s 6.455 ET, set in Charlotte, N.C. last March, and two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders’ 215.55-mph in Englishtown, N.J. in May 2015, those speed marks seem up for a challenge.
On Friday, drivers seemed to be setting their sights on all those times.
Heading into Saturday’s qualifying rounds, there are some early-season numbers to get excited about, ranging from Hight’s Funny Car elapsed time, 3.942, to Schumacher, whose career best ET is 3.719.
“We were really slow early (in the first 60 feet),” said Schumacher. “If we can get that car (going) early, we’ll go in the 60s (the 3.600-range).”
All of which means Brown’s record ET could be in jeopardy.
Form prevailed on Friday, Hight nailing identical 3.942-second ET in both rounds. In round two, Hight squared off against Courtney Force, who fired off a 3.945, still second best on the day.
“We’ve got to do (these kinds of runs) to keep up the Beckmans and the (Del) Worshams,” said Hight, adding that aggressive racing might be the answer to more success. “You’re playing behind the eight ball … you’ve got to be aggressive.”
On Friday, Line had the second-best run behind teammate Bo Butner’s 6.606 ET (209.43-mph). Line, last year’s Winternationals champion, sped to a 6.618 (209.43-mph).
“No,” said Butner, asked if his ET would hold up as the best time throughout the weekend, “I do not. Our goal is to be 1-2-3 for KB Racing.”
Hight, Force and Worsham, of Villa Park, went 1-2-3 in both the first and second rounds in Funny Car qualifying.
Hight talked about hitting hard in the first 100 feet, his crew chief Mike Neff trying to work his 2015 Camaro into a solid start. “He didn’t change his game plan without sacrificing the first 60 feet.”
Pomona’s a tricky track, he said. “There’s not as much traction down the track.”
There were no major surprises in Friday’s opening two rounds of qualifying. Beckman backed up a 5.169 first round with a fourth-best 3.959 in his next surge.
Jurupa Valley’s Shawn Langdon, who won the 2013 Top Fuel championship, rests eighth after posting a 3.798 clocking – 76-100ths of a second behind Schumacher.
Everyone’s a threat, said Schumacher.
“We don’t show up thinking we’re the only fast guys,” he said. “We show up thinking there are some bad guys out here.”
NOTES
The first 500 fans that show up for the Q&A and autograph session at Hot Rod Junction will get a Funny Car 50th anniversary autograph card. In what will be a season-long celebration, the Pomona portion will take place between 11 a.m.-noon. That’s when a lineup of legendary Funny Car drivers – Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Ed McCulloch, Al Segrini, plus the first-ever Winternationals winner, Clare Sanders, and Tom Prock, considered a Funny Car innovator – will be on hand.
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