10/30/06

Trick or treat…………….

John couldn’t pull off the ultimate trick and eliminations were no treat in Las Vegas last weekend. All three JFR machines qualified 1, 2, and 3 but by the end of the semi-finals, every one of them had been toppled. But, of course, the real kicker was yet another instance of Ron Capps losing in the first round—which makes seven times in the last eleven races—and John getting no further into the program than Round 2.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr……….

The bright side of that oft-repeated scenario in 2006 was that John did increase his points lead over Ron and will go into the AAA Finals in Pomona in two weeks with a 71-point lead. Robert is now only two points behind Ron in third while Eric can still mathematically overhaul Ron and give JFR a shot at a 1-2-3 points finish.

But let’s not get crazy just yet because Capps is still a very real threat to win the championship. Should John run into some trouble in Pomona and Capps pulls together a winning performance, the pendulum could still swing in the opposite direction. But there’s no question that going to the final race of the year in John’s position is a much better proposition than rolling into Pomona in Ron’s predicament.

Robert’s unfortunate first round loss due to a broken blower pulley was one of those extremely rare mechanical failures that couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time. Robert had qualified No. 1 and could have moved past Capps for second place in the points had he been able to advance to Round 2, and in all honesty, could have rumbled to the winner’s circle by day’s end. Jimmy Prock had that Mustang totally dialed in and, at least on paper, Robert’s racecar was the one to beat on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Doug Kalitta tore through the Budweiser Shootout field to win the $100,000 check on Saturday while in Pro Stock, Jason Line clinched his first championship as a pro after winning the NHRA’s Stock Eliminator title in 1993. Line and teammate Greg Anderson were essentially untouchable this year and appear to be creating a championship dynasty in the Pro Stock class—a category in which no protracted title strings have existed since 1981-1984 when the late Lee Shepherd won four consecutive Pro Stock crowns. Of course, Bob Glidden won ten Pro Stock championships between 1975 and 1989—the most in class history—but that distinction could ultimately be in jeopardy with Anderson and Line poised to dominate Pro Stock for the foreseeable future.

So, the final race of the year looms dead ahead and John’s 14th championship is within reach—which is truly a drag racing dynasty with no equal. It’s nothing short of remarkable that John continues to be the rock-steady definition of a champion’s champion as he edges ever closer to the age at which many men start talking about retirement. At 57 years-old, John continues to keep a business and racing calendar that would leave most of us completely worn out. I have spent long hours with him during a race weekend at numerous national events and I’m still amazed by the amount of energy he expels just keeping on top of his numerous commitments—and that’s not counting the demands of strictly driving his Castrol Mustang.

Whether it’s attending sponsor functions, NHRA meetings, autograph sessions, charity events, interview commitments, or a long list of other obligations he attends to with wit and enthusiasm, John has justly earned his enormous success and the fact that he is easily the most popular drag racer in the sport today—if not in NHRA history—is no accident. I consider it a real privilege to be his friend and he’s not only a champion on the dragstrip, but a champion in so many other meaningful ways. In case you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of the 13 –time champion.

The AAA Finals at Pomona Raceway in two weeks will be off the hook with the POWERade championships in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock Motorcycle all to be decided where the season began back in February. I’m expecting more than one surprise to shake up how those four championships will be determined and there’s positively no way to predict who the 2006 champions will be.  But there will surely be lots to write about following the race and I hope you’ll shoot back to the JFR website then to catch my take on who does what and how this wild season wraps up.

Pomona should be a major blowout!