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NHRA: Goodyear-Equipped Drivers Win Seven NHRA Championships
Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight and Mike Edwards locked up their NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series championships in a dramatic weekend at Auto Club Speedway at Pomona. It was the final race of the 2009 season.
Hight clinched his title Saturday, as did Edwards. But Schumacher had work to do on Sunday.
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Drivers racing on Goodyear tires won four categories at Pomona and drivers racing on Goodyear tires won an industry-leading seven NHRA national championships in 2009. Champions Schumacher, Hight and Edwards were joined by NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman champs Bill Reichert (Top Alcohol Dragster), Bruno Massel (Competition Eliminator), Edmond Richardson (Stock) and Jim Perry Jr. (Super Comp).
Antron Brown won the Top Fuel race at Pomona, Mike Neff won in Funny Car and Greg Anderson won in Pro Stock. Jim Whitely, of Grand Junction, Colo., won the Top Alcohol Dragster final in Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition. It was his third consecutive national event victory at Pomona.
Schumacher started the weekend with a one-point lead over Dixon and Dixon briefly went ahead during qualifying before Schumacher recaptured the lead during the final round of qualifying. The racing was so close in qualifying that both Schumacher and Dixon set track records, Schumacher for elapsed time (3.772 seconds) and Dixon for speed (321.58 mph). The pair, who have combined to win the last eight Top Fuel championships, finally decided this year’s championship question when both drivers lost in the semi-final round. That gave Schumacher the title by two points.
Hight set a track record in qualifying when he was clocked at 310.55 mph. His championship was the 16th for John Force Racing. But it was his teammate, Neff, who beat Ashley Force in the final round to get the Pomona victory.
Anderson beat Edwards in the semi-finals and then beat Kurt Johnson in the finals.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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