Countdown picture looms heavy for many at Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals
Late-season drama is nothing new for NHRA Funny Car drivers Robert Hight and Cruz Pedregon, both of whom have had their share of tussles for world-championship superiority throughout the years. Pedregon has won two world championships, including last season, and finished second in 1994 and third four times, and Hight finished second in 2006 and 2007. However, the veteran drivers, along with bright-eyed rookie Matt Hagan and last year’s top rookie, Mike Neff, are facing late-season drama this year just to keep their championship hopes alive.
The four drivers are battling for the final two spots in the top 10 standings in Funny Car and are separated by 70 points. Neff and Pedregon are holding on to the ninth and 10th spots, respectively, entering the final two races of the regular season, and Hagan and Hight are on the outside looking in.
NHRA will set playoff fields in all four Pro categories following completion of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Labor Day weekend. Any driver outside the top 10 after that race will not be in championship contention. Those who make the cut will have their points totals reset in increments of 10 from 10th to first, and the first-place driver will receive a 20-point bonus. A six-race playoff – the Countdown to 1 – will then take place, starting in Charlotte in September and finishing in Pomona in November.
But first things first. These four Funny Car drivers know they need a great showing at the 25th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Aug. 20-23 at Maple Grove Raceway, to secure their position in the Countdown to 1. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at the scenic Pennsylvania dragstrip, which will be televised by ESPN2HD.
The four drivers are battling for the final two spots in the top 10 standings in Funny Car and are separated by 70 points. Neff and Pedregon are holding on to the ninth and 10th spots, respectively, entering the final two races of the regular season, and Hagan and Hight are on the outside looking in.
NHRA will set playoff fields in all four Pro categories following completion of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Labor Day weekend. Any driver outside the top 10 after that race will not be in championship contention. Those who make the cut will have their points totals reset in increments of 10 from 10th to first, and the first-place driver will receive a 20-point bonus. A six-race playoff – the Countdown to 1 – will then take place, starting in Charlotte in September and finishing in Pomona in November.
But first things first. These four Funny Car drivers know they need a great showing at the 25th annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals, Aug. 20-23 at Maple Grove Raceway, to secure their position in the Countdown to 1. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at the scenic Pennsylvania dragstrip, which will be televised by ESPN2HD.
