By Rick Teverbaugh
The Herald Bulletin
INDIANAPOLIS —
There’s a bit of a different mindset this year for the pro competitors at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals beginning Friday at O’Reilly Raceway Park.
Last year, this race was the final one before the cut was made for the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship. This year, the event is the first race of the six-race countdown. It seems to make little difference in terms of the intense desire to win when the titles are decided on Labor Day.
“The U.S. Nationals is like our Super Bowl,” said Mike Edwards at a Wednesday press luncheon. Edwards leads the Pro Stock division. “Anybody in the top 10 can win this. Pro Stock is really, really close. The first race is the most important of the races.”
Doug Kalitta, who is fourth in the Top Fuel standings, has strong feelings about the importance of this race, one he has never won. He has come close, losing in the final twice (2004, 2008) to Tony Schumacher each time.
“My grandmother had a bottle of champagne she was saving to celebrate me winning this race,” Kalitta said. “Finally, she opened it and we drank it. She got tired of waiting.”
Schumacher’s quest this weekend will likely be the big story of the Nationals.
“Sarge” will be looking for his record eighth Top Fuel title at the U.S. Nationals. It would be his ninth overall title, which would tie him with Bob Glidden for most total Nationals victories.
“I can’t ask for a better place (to have that type of record),” said Schumacher, who is third in the Top Fuel standings. “I don’t know why it has happened. I’ve done it with different crew chiefs, different cars and different setups. It’s great. We’re a high pressure team and we’ve been able to perform well in those situations.”
Also performing well in that class this season is Larry Dixon, who lives in Avon but came from Van Nuys, Calif. He is leading the points, mostly because he has made nine finals this season and won every single race.
“I’m just going to go in and fire everything at it and hope it’s enough,” Dixon said. “It’s ingrained in you really early how big a deal this is to win here.”
The defending Nationals champions are Schumacher (Top Fuel); Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car); Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
“It’s always nice to return somewhere that your last experience was the winner’s circle,” said Force Hood, daughter of the Top Fuel leader and NHRA icon John Force. “I have great memories here in and out of the car.”
Force Hood is currently eighth in the points, but her teammates, John Force and Robert Hight are one-two in the class.
The first qualifying session is 5:30 p.m. Friday. There are two sessions Saturday and two more on Sunday. Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Monday.
