What A Year 2011 Gave To NHRA Fans

by Motor Sports Unplugged | December 19, 2011 at 04:54 am

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The 2011 NHRA Full Throttle season was not only its 60th, but also one of its best.

Let’s start this off by saying it was ultra competitive and we didn’t know how the Countdown was going to play out until it actually happened, keeping fans right on the edge of their seats.

The Top Fuel and Funny Car categories were magnificent. There were many different winners and the FTS points lead swapped numerous times throughout the playoffs. What more could you ask for?

Del Worsham dominated the year in Top Fuel and won the championship with eight wins, including the last two races, where he cemented his hold on the title. During that stretch of six races, the Chino Hills, Calif., resident lowered the National ET Top Fuel record to 3.735 seconds at Reading to highlight an incredible year.

Matt Hagan came through emerging as champion of the Fuel Flopper ranks when it counted the most. Starting the Countdown in a tie for fifth with teammate Ron Capps, Hagan and his Tommy DeLago-led team went straight for the gold, first setting a new National elapsed time and then going on to win two of the last six races.

KB Racing governed Pro Stock and all its hard work was dedicated to the car owners, Ken and Judy Black. The inspiration motivated Greg Anderson and Jason Line to perform up to a level that was almost Glidden-esque, referring to Bob Glidden’s rule of 10 Pro Stock championships. Line won six races in eight final round appearances. It was his second championship to match his 2006 crown, and is KB Racing’s sixth championship out of its 10-year existence.

The Harley-Davidson group of Vance and Hines again premiered strong and didn’t disappoint, winning six of the 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events in 2011. Champion Eddie Krawiec matched his 2008 championship. A shining star came out of the class in Hector Arana, Jr., who, in his rookie season, became a quick talent in the two-wheel set.

In review of 2011, there are many superlatives for the season and we thought a few awards should be given out to those individuals or teams that fit.

Comeback of the Year Award: That goes to the Don Schumacher-owned DieHard Racing team of Matt Hagan for being exactly in the same place at Pomona a year later. But this time, he comes away from the race with a win and his first Funny Car championship after last year’s disappointment.

Crew Chief of the Year: Mike Neff. He had the best communication between the driver/crew chief of anyone out there. As his own crew chief and confidant, who would know more than he would what the driver needed and where he needed to pick up the pace. He won five races out of nine final round appearances and led in the Funny Car Full Throttle points 15 of the 22 events.

Rookie (s)-of-the Year: It’s a tie between Vincent Nobile and Arana, Jr. In a very close race for first-year stardom, this pair epitomized a terrific rookie race. Nobile had three wins in five final rounds and Arana, Jr. had three wins in five final rounds. See a pattern forming? The only difference I can find is that Arana, Jr. won his first race at the most prestigious venue – The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. He had seven No.1 qualifiers and was second in the final Full Throttle standings for the class while Nobile highest qualifying effort was No. 4 three times and finished fifth in the Pro Stock FTS points standings.

Best Spirit of the Year: Spencer Massey for always being so positive and enthusiastic. He reached the finals of four of the six NHRA Countdown races. Despite a rare DNQ in Phoenix, he maintained a great outlook and never stopped trying until the season was officially over.

Best Party on Tour: It’s always Brainerd Raceway’s “The Zoo”. Year after year NHRA fans come in droves to the one place in Minnesota that’s a three-day nonstop party. A tour of “The Zoo” on Saturday night is worth the trip to see - friendliest folks on the planet. Come early and stay late.

Feel Good Moment of 2011: Bob Vandergriff winning the Top Fuel edition of the Dallas race, his first in 14 final round tries, and then to run back up the track to celebrate with his father and crew was such a sight. Vandergriff, in full gear, gets out of his dragster after his win and jogs towards the starting line. Despite the 90-degree temperatures, he made it back, just to show you even more these guys are true athletes. For Bob, it took 246 races and 17 years to finally reach the winner’s circle.

Best Technology: ESPN3. What a great idea for the true NHRA fan. The in-depth coverage on Friday and Sunday was fantastic to watch on the computer and brought all the action right into your living room. The only thing missing was the smell of nitro in the air.

Pass of the Year: In the mile-high air in Denver, Cruz Pedregon electrified the standing room only Bandimere Speedway crowd running a miraculous 4.095-second Friday night pass stretching his time in the highly competitive category over No. 2 qualifier Robert Hight’s time of 4.172 by a wide margin of eight-hundredths of a second, or car length over the field. In a 300-mph sport where those digits equal feet in the thin oxygen-deprived air, this feat earned its merit at 307.51 mph.

Upset of the Year: The Top Fuel final of the NHRA Auto-Plus Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. Massey won the round, the race, holding off the quickest pass in the history of the NHRA. Worsham had a .101 reaction time to Massey’s .056 and after the finish line clocks flashed, it read, Worsham 3.735 seconds to Massey’s 3.770 seconds, or a margin of victory of .0107 of a second or five feet, going in Massey’s favor.

Best Track of the Year: Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Saluting Bill Bader, Jr. and Sr. for giving fans a “County Fair with an Nitro Flair” feel to their track. Offering fans a pound of ice cream for a dollar on a hot summer day says, these folks are true fans themselves and giving their ticket buyers what they would want. Kudos to PR Director Jon Hedges for having a first-class press facility.

Race of the year: With all the hype for this one race, that honor goes to the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Pomona. Not only were the points battles tremendous, when you look back, you’ll discover some of the best side-by-side racing of the year. With all the consequences that were at stake in the championship, everyone stepped up and put on one whale of a show.

Person of the Year: Don Schumacher. He encouraged his teams to work together and at the starting line, his teams always put on the best race you could ask for. He favored all his teams. No team orders and everything was heads up. I commend him for allowing the outcome to be determined on the track and never in the pits. Keep up the spirit of the sport.

Hard Luck Driver of the Year: Tony Schumacher. He had seven runnerup finishes and not a single win in 2011 from the guy who has the most, 67 wins and seven Top Fuel Full Throttle titles.

Didn’t See That One Coming Award: Kenny Bernstein’s abrupt announcement that he was retiring from the sport of drag racing. After winning six NHRA championships (four in Funny Car and two in Top Fuel), the word came out on Monday after the NHRA Finals leaving fans, like me, in total shock and kind of sad. Not having the “King of Speed” around is going to seem different in 2012. Time marches on.

Say it Ain’t So Award: Warren Johnson, who for the first time in his illustrious career that’s earned him 97 Pro Stock wins, didn’t have a single round win in 2011.

Highlight of the Year: That distinction goes to Line, who at Maple Grove Raceway performed on a cool Sunday and Monday in October, flawlessly running in order a series of times that have never been seen before. His runs of 6.483 212.23; 6.477 212.49; 6.482 212.19; 6.484 212.79, were phenomenal especially the Monday morning blast of 6.477 seconds that set the new National ET Pro Stock record. It was impressive that he did it once, but four times. Now that’s getting it done.

Racer of the Year: This was a hard one to decide, but it’s a true racer that did more with less than anyone did and finished third in the NHRA Funny Car points standings – Congratulations to Cruz Pedregon. He just re-signed his sponsor Snap-On Tools for another three years and in the upcoming season, Pedregon has landed veteran tuner Lee Beard, so expect the Pedregon to be in the hunt for next year’s championship even stronger.

That wraps up a great NHRA season and we’ll see you in the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

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