NHRA Sonoma: Millican, C. Force, Anderson, Krawiec No. 1 qualifiers; Smith wins Pro Bike Battle

By Jul 28, 2018, 11:50 PM EDT
Matt Smith won the Mickey Thompson Pro Bike Battle Saturday. Photo and videos courtesy NHRA.
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Courtesy NHRA Communications Dept.

SONOMA, Calif. – Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Courtney Force (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories for Sunday’s Toyota NHRA Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the 15th of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

In Top Fuel: Millican scored his seventh No. 1 qualifier of 2018 and first at Sonoma, as his pass of 3.700 at 327.98 in his Great Clips/Parts Plus dragster from Friday held up. It is also the 17th career No. 1 qualifier for Millican, who clinched his spot in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship on Saturday and is also seeking his first career win at Sonoma Raceway.

“I am not ever going to complain about being the No. 1 qualifier and it certainly shows that the team is capable of being the quickest car here,” Millican said. “It’s stacked on our side (of the ladder), but you have to beat them all to get a yellow hat (for a win) and that’s our gameplan. Our goal is to be No. 1 and we achieved that.”

Leah Pritchett, who won last weekend to kick off the Western Swing, will start from second in her Palomar Builders dragster after her 3.727 at 328.38 on Friday. She will meet Bill Litton in the first round. Pritchett and Tony Schumacher both clinched spots in the Countdown to the Championship.

In Funny Car: points leader Courtney Force secured her 10th No. 1 qualifier of the season thanks to her run of 3.910 at 326.16 mph on Friday in her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro. It is the 26th career No. 1 qualifier for Force, who claimed the top spot at Sonoma for a second time and will face Del Worsham in the opening round on raceday.

“It’s been a lot of fun for me to drive,” Force said. “They’ve got that thing dialed in. We had a great number in Q2 yesterday that took us to that top spot. We were looking to improve today or at least have a little bit more consistency, but we struggled a little bit. But we were still able to take that top spot, which feels pretty good, especially to hear it’s our 10th this season. That’s pretty incredible and this is exactly how we would like to go into the second race of the (Western) Swing.”

Jack Beckman’s 3.929 at 324.51 from Friday in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T kept him second, setting up a first-round matchup with defending event winner J.R. Todd.

In Pro Stock: Anderson grabbed his ninth top qualifier in 2018, as the points leader’s 6.515 at 211.16 from Friday in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro remained the category leader. It is the 102nd career No. 1 qualifier for the four-time world champion, tying Anderson, who is seeking a second straight win on the Western Swing, with Bob Glidden for the third-most all-time. Anderson also clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship.

“It’s just a heck of an honor to tie that record,” Anderson said. “We try every day to set records and break records, and win races. It feels great to be tied with (Glidden), and I’m pretty happy with that. The depth in this class is deeper than it has ever been and there’s just zero room for error anymore, but that’s what is great about it. I feel it’s the ultimate challenge in racing.”

Anderson will race Joey Grose in the first round of eliminations, while his longtime teammate, Jason Line, starts second after his run of 6.517 at 211.03 on Friday in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro. He will meet Steve Graham in round one on Sunday.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle: defending PSM world champion Krawiec raced to the No. 1 position for the second straight race with a run of 6.757 at 199.94 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Krawiec, who has five No. 1 qualifiers at the track, will meet Karen Stoffer to kick off eliminations. He also clinched his spot in the Countdown to the Championship, as did teammate and points leader Andrew Hines.

“We’ve been chasing that 200 mph run and it was right there,” Krawiec said. “The weekend is still not over and (Sunday) it could definitely happen. I’m excited about it. I’m happy to have a green hat (as No. 1 qualifier), but I really wanted to hold that Mickey Thompson Pro Bike Battle check at the end of the day here. I had a great motorcycle all day and I’m excited going into raceday.”

Hector Arana Jr. stayed in second on his Lucas Oil Racing TV EBR, improving to a 6.775 at 199.88, setting up a first-round matchup with Angelle Sampey.

Also, Matt Smith raced to his first career NHRA Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle win during Saturday’s action. Smith earned a $25,000 payday in the all-star bonus race featuring eight top riders in the Pro Stock Motorcycle category.

Making his fourth appearance in the Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle, Smith had his best career showing on his Victory Magnum, defeating LE Tonglet and Andrew Hines to meet up with Eddie Krawiec in the finals. Smith was quicker off the starting line, scoring the holeshot victory with a pass of 6.793 at 196.93 mph.

“This is huge for our team,” Smith said. “We’ve got a great bike and we’ve got a bike that can win this championship. I saw my win light come on and, man, I was excited. This is big for me.”

Eliminations at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

 

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SUNDAY’S FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS:

TOP FUEL: 1. Clay Millican, 3.700 seconds, 327.98 mph vs. Bye; 2. Leah Pritchett, 3.727, 328.38 vs. 15. Bill Litton, 4.056, 251.58; 3. Antron Brown, 3.744, 327.43 vs. 14. Jim Maroney, 4.005, 261.47; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.747, 329.99 vs. 13. Shawn Reed, 3.903, 298.14; 5. Brittany Force, 3.752, 328.78 vs. 12. Richie Crampton, 3.828, 321.73; 6. Blake Alexander, 3.775, 326.63 vs. 11. Mike Salinas, 3.823, 322.34; 7. Scott Palmer, 3.778, 323.35 vs. 10. Terry McMillen, 3.811, 325.92; 8. Steve Torrence, 3.785, 330.55 vs. 9. Doug Kalitta, 3.790, 324.05.

FUNNY CAR: 1. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.910, 326.16 vs. 16. Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 4.164, 254.18; 2. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.929, 324.51 vs. 15. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.102, 312.13; 3. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.950, 318.47 vs. 14. Jonnie Lindberg, Mustang, 4.086, 313.07; 4. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.956, 319.98 vs. 13. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.082, 309.91; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.972, 321.42 vs. 12. Richard Townsend, Camry, 4.055, 307.72; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.975, 309.56 vs. 11. Robert Hight, Camaro, 4.051, 318.24; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.988, 322.04 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.032, 306.26; 8. Shawn Langdon, Camry, 4.023, 318.77 vs. 9. John Force, Camaro, 4.026, 315.34. Did Not Qualify: 17. Jeff Diehl, 4.421, 261.72; 18. Terry Haddock, 5.803, 109.54.

PRO STOCK: 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.515, 212.59 vs. 16. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.733, 205.82; 2. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.517, 212.49 vs. 15. Steve Graham, Camaro, 6.643, 207.82; 3. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.524, 211.43 vs. 14. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.639, 209.07; 4. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.526, 211.89 vs. 13. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.603, 209.10; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.530, 212.03 vs. 12. Fernando Cuadra, Camaro, 6.572, 209.79; 6. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.531, 211.66 vs. 11. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.553, 210.60; 7. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.540, 212.33 vs. 10. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.553, 211.06; 8. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.547, 211.33 vs. 9. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.550, 210.70.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: 1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.757, 199.94 vs. 16. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.925, 195.48; 2. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.775, 200.11 vs. 15. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.914, 197.80; 3. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.783, 198.12 vs. 14. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.903, 194.63; 4. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.806, 197.57 vs. 13. Cory Reed, Buell, 6.890, 197.22; 5. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.815, 196.22 vs. 12. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.886, 192.91; 6. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.823, 197.74 vs. 11. Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.885, 195.08; 7. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.845, 196.62 vs. 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.863, 195.62; 8. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.857, 195.96 vs. 9. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.861, 197.91.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Katie Sullivan, 6.946, 195.48; 18. Freddie Camarena, 6.954, 195.99; 19. Kelly Clontz, 6.958, 193.05; 20. Scott Bottorff, 7.184, 184.17.
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Saturday’s final results from the Mickey Thompson Pro Bike Battle at the 31st annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. The race is a special race within a race.

FINAL ROUND: Mickey Thompson Pro Bike Battle — Matt Smith, Victory, 6.793, 196.93 def. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.764, 198.17.

Final round-by-round results from the Mickey Thompson Pro Bike Battle at the 31st annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. The race is a special race within a race.

ROUND ONE — Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.941, 193.60 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.841, 196.44 def. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.889, 200.02; Matt Smith, 6.783, 197.33 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.898, 197.74; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.848, 198.73 def. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.910, 180.36; SEMIFINALS — Krawiec, 6.757, 199.94 def. Pollacheck, 6.885, 195.08; M. Smith, 6.803, 198.12 def. Tonglet, 6.806, 197.57; FINAL — M. Smith, 6.793, 196.93 def. Krawiec, 6.764, 198.17.

Will Power says IndyCar field toughest in world: ‘F1’s a joke as far as competition’

By Jun 4, 2023, 1:46 PM EDT
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DETROIT – With the 2023 Formula One season turning into a Red Bull runaway, Will Power believes the NTT IndyCar Series deserves respect as the world’s most difficult single-seater racing series.

“It’s so tough, an amazing field, the toughest field in the world, and people need to know it, especially compared to Formula One,” the defending IndyCar champion told NBC Sports during a media luncheon a few days ahead of Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix. “Formula One’s a joke as far as competition, but not as far as drivers. They have amazing drivers. And I feel sorry for them that they don’t get to experience the satisfaction we do with our racing because that is the top level of open-wheel motorsport.

I think Formula One would be so much better if they had a formula like IndyCar. I love the technology and the manufacturer side of it. I think that’s awesome. But from a spectator watching, ‘Man, how cool would it be if everyone had a Red Bull?’ ”

INDYCAR IN DETROIT: Entry list, schedule, TV info for this weekend

It probably would look a lot different than the 2023 season, which has been dominated by two-time defending F1 champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman won Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix from the pole position by 24 seconds over Lewis Hamilton. It’s the fifth victory in seven races for Verstappen, whose 40 career wins are one shy of tying late three-time champion Aryton Senna.

Along with tying Senna’s mark for titles this season, Verstappen seems poised to break his own record for single-season victories (15) that he set last year.

“You simply know Max is going to win every race if something doesn’t go wrong,” Power said. “Imagine being a guy coming out as a rookie, and you probably would win a race. It would be really cool to see. But you know that would never happen with the politics over there.”

Verstappen’s F1 dominance has been a stark contrast to IndyCar, where Josef Newgarden just became the first repeat winner through six races this season with his Indy 500 victory. Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport each have visited victory lane in 2023 with Arrow McLaren certain to join them at some point.

Meanwhile, Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez (two wins) have won every F1 race this season with the two Red Bull cars leading more than 95% of the laps.

The primary differences are in the rulesets for each series. While F1 teams have virtually autonomy to build their cars from scratch, IndyCar has what is known as a spec series in which the cars have a large degree of standardization. Teams all use the DW-12 chassis, whose development has been maximized over the past 13-plus seasons.

Alex Palou, who will start from the pole position of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, harbors F1 aspirations as a McLaren test driver, but the Spaniard prefers IndyCar because driver talent can be a bigger determinant in results.

“Racing-wise, that’s the best you can get,” Palou said a few days before winning the pole for the 107th Indy 500 last month. “That’s pure racing, having chances to win each weekend.”

Of course, F1 is the world’s most popular series, and the 2021 IndyCar champion said its appeal doesn’t stem from being competitive.

“I don’t think the beauty of F1 is the race itself,” Palou said. “I’d say the beauty is more the development that they have and everything around the races, and that they go different places. But when we talk about pure spectacle, you cannot get better than (IndyCar).

“You can feel it as a driver here when you first come and jump in a car. When I was in Dale Coyne, we got a podium my rookie year. It wasn’t the best team, but we were able to achieve one of the best cars at Road America (where he finished third in 2020). It’s not that I was driving a slow car. I was driving a really fast car. I think we can see that across all the teams and the drivers.”

Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, who will start second at Detroit, is in his third season of IndyCar after winning three championships in Supercars. The New Zealander said recently that IndyCar has been “the most enjoyment I’ve ever had in my career. I had a lot of fun in Supercars, but there were still things like different uprights, engines, all that stuff. This is spec. Really the only things you can change is dampers and engine differences between Honda and Chevy.

“I have a blast,” McLaughlin said. “Trying to extract pace and winning in this series is better than I’ve ever felt ever. I’m surprised by how satisfied it feels to win an IndyCar race. It’s better than how it ever has felt in my career. I’ve always liked winning, but it’s so satisfying to win here. That’s why it’s so cool. There are no bad drivers. You have to have a perfect day.”

Qualifying might be the best example of how tight the series. The spread for the Fast Six final round of qualifying on Detroit’s new nine-turn, 1.645-mile downtown layout was nearly eight 10ths of a second – which qualifies as an eternity these days.

Last month, the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course produced a spread of 0.2971 seconds from first to sixth – the fourth-closest Fast Six in IndyCar history since the format was adopted in 2008. Three of the seven closest Fast Six fields have happened this season (with that Grand Prix of Long Beach ranking sixth and the Alabama Grand Prix in seventh).

While the technical ingenuity and innovation might be limited when compared to F1, there’s no arguing that more IndyCar drivers and teams have a chance to win.

“The parity’s great, and no one has an advantage, basically,” Power said. “The two engine manufacturers (Honda and Chevrolet) are always flipping back and forth as they develop, but we’re talking like tenths of a second over a lap. There’s not a bad driver in the field, and there’s 20 people all capable of being in the Fast Six every week. Maybe more. It’s incredibly competitive. There isn’t a more competitive series in the world. I’m sure of that.

“If you want the ultimate drivers series, this is it I’m from a big team that would benefit massively from opening the rules up, but I don’t think (IndyCar officials) should. I think this should always be about the team and driver getting the most out of a piece of equipment that everyone has a chance to do so. That’s the ultimate driver series. Who wants to win a championship when you’re just given the best car? It’s just ridiculous.”

Power believes the talented Verstappen still would be the F1 champion if the equipment were spec, but he also thinks there would be more challengers.

“There’s got to be a bunch of those guys that must just be frustrated,” Power said. “Think about Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Lando Norris, (Fernando) Alonso. Those are some great drivers that don’t get a chance to even win. They’re just extracting the most out of the piece of equipment they have.

“All I can say is if everyone had a Red Bull car, there’s no way that Max would win every race. There’s so many guys who would be winning races. It’d just be similar to (IndyCar) and different every week, which it should be that way for the top level of the sport.”