Sunday's action at the New Jersey Motorsports Park had a little something for everyone. In AMA Pro SuperSport, James Rispoli took his first AMA Pro Road Racing win after a thrilling battle with Tomas Puerta. In the AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series, Jake Holden was able to post his first victory in the class while in Daytona SportBike, Danny Eslick made a dramatic last lap pass to take his third win of the season and maintain his slim points lead with two races remaining. In the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike series, Josh Hayes remained unbeaten at the 2.2 mile New Jersey Motorsports Park racing complex, beating his championship rival Tommy Hayden to extend his points lead to 22 points with two rounds remaining.

In AMA Pro SuperSport, James Rispoli took his first AMA Pro Road Racing win after an event filled race that saw two of the four riders to lead the race crash out while leading! After yesterday's dominant victory, Joey Pascarella and his DNA Energy Drink Yamaha was the one to beat but at the start, Huntley Nash and his LTD Racing Yamaha teammate Tomas Puerta shot to the front to lead lap one from Joey in third, Eric Stump in fourth and Rispoli on his ANT-Racing.com Suzuki. Puerta shot by Huntley to lead lap two but then Pascarella moved into the lead and it appeared he might repeat his winning performance from Saturday. But on lap eight, everything changed as Joey went down in turn nine, he was quickly back up and continued but his chances of victory were gone. Now it was Huntley Nash that looked set for another win.

Nash has taken two wins in SuperSport this year and he was looking set to add to his total. Behind him, James Rispoli was coming up fast from his eighth starting position. He was fifth on lap one, fourth by lap two, third by lap four and in second by lap five. Amazingly enough, on lap 12, Huntley Nash became the second leader of the race to go down and now James Rispoli was in front. He still had his hands full with Tomas Puerta and the two went back and fourth, Tomas actually led lap 17 of nineteen but it was Rispoli who took his first win, and he was excited and emotional at the same time, "This win means so much, I can't thank everyone enough, my crew, AMA Pro, so many people but I really want to dedicate this win to my Mother who passed away a couple of years ago," said James after the race.

Finishing third was Austin Dehaven on his Dehaven Racing Yamaha. Austin tried to race up to James and Tomas but just couldn't get close enough to join the battle up front and he took his second podium finish of the season after his second place finish at Laguna Seca in July.

Danny Eslick took his third win of the season after another typical epic AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Presented by AMSOIL race. From the start, there was a solid, ten motorcycle group battling tooth and nail for the lead. Lead by Eslick on his GEICO Powersports Suzuki, the pack consisted of Tommy Aquino on his Team Graves Yamaha, Cory West on his Vesrah Suzuki, Dane Westby, Project 1 Atlanta Yamaha; Bobby Fong, DNA Energy Drink Ducati; Steve Rapp, Team Latus Motors Ducati; Martin Cardenas on his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki, Chris Fillmore on his Vesrah Suzuki, Josh Herrin, Team Graves Yamaha and Paul Allison on the Chronic Motorsports Yamaha. The action was hectic as the tension started to mount.

The first to exit the stage was Steve Rapp, he had an unfortunate fall on lap 14 and ended up retiring his Ducati. Dane Westby had a big save the next lap and he was part of the now nine that were covered by less than one second. After his dramatic crash in yesterday's race, Tommy Aquino showed his courage and skill by not only running up front, but he lead a number of laps. On lap seventeen, Cory West, who had been right in the thick of things, running second for a number of laps, had a mechanical problem going into turn one on lap 17 and without impeding anyone else, he calmly drove his Vesrah Suzuki off the track, and parked his bike in the sand, ending his good day.

Championship contender Josh Herrin had worked his way to the front again after starting eleventh. He was ninth after one lap and by lap seventeen, he was right up front fighting for the lead. He then made a big move on lap twenty to take the lead and he looked like he was again going to rebound with another Sunday win. The third rider in the thick of the championship battle, Martin Cardenas also took a shot at the front on lap 21 in turn one but couldn't hold his line and was quickly re-passed after the ambitious move. On the same lap, Chris Fillmore went down in turn three. On the last lap, Bobby Fong and Dane Westby collided and fell but both were quickly back up and continued to finish sixth and seventh.

But it was up front where the real action was and Eslick totally committed himself to a pass on Herrin in turn nine and there was nothing Josh could do to hold Danny back. Eslick took the position with a clean but decisive pass and won by only 0.510 of a second. Cardenas was a fortunate third after the incident between Fong and Westby and the championship battle will now be settled at the final doubleheader race weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, September 24-26.

In the AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike race, Josh Hayes kept his perfect New Jersey Motorsports Park record intact with his second win of the weekend and his fourth at NJMP after his two race sweep in 2009. Hayes, who benefitted from a timely red flag at the very end of Saturday's race, took a more clear cut victory today and in a way, again benefitted from a red flag period, this time on lap five when Ben Bostrom crashed out on his Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha.

Hayes said he was feeling a little rough and when the race was stopped, he regrouped and felt better after the restart. His championship rival, Tommy Hayden had two great starts on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki and led both race segments. After things settled down, it was a two horse show with Hayes taking over the lead on lap nine and he and Tommy rode away from the interesting third place battle between Jake Zemke and his National Guard Jordan Suzuki, Hayden's Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate, Blake Young, M4 Monster Energy Suzuki rider John Hopkins and Brett McCormick on the second Jordan Suzuki.

Watched by owner Michael Jordan, Zemke held off Young and Hopkins and was in second in the early stages of the first segment of the race. By lap sixteen, both Blake Young and Hopkins passed Zemke and had their own private battle to the flag which Hopkins won by 0.015 of a second to take his first podium finish of the season.

Hopkins has had a long road back this year, being sidelined by a wrist injury that he finally corrected after one diagnosis indicated that he should retire form motorcycle racing. Fortunately for his team and the many fans in attendance today, Hopkins had another Doctor virtually rebuild his wrist and he is finally completely fit and showed it with his great race today. At the front, Hayden took the lead back from Hayes on lap 19 and although he was in front, he couldn't shake off Josh. On lap 21, Josh retook the lead but it was the same situation, Hayden was still right there, waiting to pounce.

On the final lap, with Josh still in front, Hayden took a shot at the lead in turn one but couldn't hold the line and Josh stayed in the lead. Twice more on the last lap, Hayden bravely dove into corners to try and wrest the lead from Josh but after the last attempt, Josh was able to take the win by 0.325 of a second for his seventh race victory of the year. Josh pushed his points lead to 22 points but with two races and sixty-three points to play for, the championship is far from over. Behind Hopkins and Young, Brett McCormick took fifth ahead of his teammate Zemke followed by Geoff May on his Erik Buell Racing Buell.

Privateer Taylor Knapp rode his RidersDiscount .com Suzuki to eighth and behind Taylor was Chris Ulrich on his M4 Monster Energy Suzuki. Chris had an accident early in Saturday's race and after a precautionary check up at the local hospital, Chris bravely returned to the track. With the help of his physical therapist, Chris raced in today's race and soldered on to a very worthy and courageous ninth place. Shane Narbonne rounded out the top ten on the Celtic Racing Suzuki.

The season finale at Barber Motorsports Park will be the title decider in both National Guard SuperBike and also Daytona SportBike. Check out the SPEED TV broadcasts of today's SuperBike and Daytona SportBike races tonight at 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

Please visit www.amaproracing.com for the series information. The full AMA Pro Road Racing SPEED schedule can be found at www.speedtv.com/schedule/filter/program/948061.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines.

Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

Raymond Commisso upset top qualifier Mike Janis during the first round of eliminations in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series portion of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

Second round pairings are Commisso vs. Rickie Smith; Joe Baker vs. Danny Rowe; Personett vs. Kenny Lang; and Dave Pierce vs. Hoover.

Eliminations for the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series will continue Monday at approximately 2 p.m.

First-round pairings and first-round results for Get Screened America Pro Modified Series eliminations Sunday for the 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Sunday. DNQs listed below pairings.

First Round Pairings
1. Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 5.887, 244.16 vs. 16. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 6.048, 240.72;
2. Brad Personett, Camaro, 5.896, 254.52 vs. 15. Rick Stivers, Dodge Stratus, 6.027, 241.41;
3. Roger Burgess, Chevy Camaro, 5.926, 246.89 vs. 14. Dave Pierce, Camaro, 6.015, 238.93;
4. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.928, 238.51 vs. 13. Joe Baker, Pontiac Firebird, 6.006, 239.14;
5. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.930, 247.16 vs. 12. Mike Knowles, Corvette, 6.001, 241.54;
6. Von Smith, Camaro, 5.943, 244.96 vs. 11. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 5.994, 240.42;
7. Scott Ray, Corvette, 5.950, 239.87 vs. 10. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 5.987, 239.48;
8. Melanie Troxel, Camaro, 5.951, 247.66 vs. 9. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.958, 237.75.

Did Not Qualify:
17. Dennis Radford, 6.048, 232.47;
18. Pat Musi, 6.059, 235.31;
19. Jay Payne, 6.081, 242.71;
20. Billy Harper, 6.092, 231.48;
21. Chuck Cheeseman, 6.133, 234.45;
22. John Russo, 6.323, 217.32;
23. Ike Maier, 6.343, 220.73.


First-Round Results
Rickie Smith, Chevy Camaro, 5.974, 234.53 def. Melanie Troxel, Camaro, 6.915, 210.08;
Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 5.999, 238.34 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, foul;
Ed Hoover, Camaro, 5.981, 240.98 def. Von Smith, Camaro, 5.993, 242.89;
Danny Rowe, Camaro, 6.001, 245.23 def. Mike Knowles, Corvette, 5.985, 240.77;
Joe Baker, Pontiac Firebird, 6.003, 237.17 def. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 9.921, 90.03;
Dave Pierce, Camaro, 11.225, 75.50 def. Roger Burgess, Camaro, foul;
Brad Personett, Camaro, 6.006, 248.93 def. Rick Stivers, Dodge Stratus, broke;
Raymond Commisso, Camaro, 6.042, 241.84 def. Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 6.118, 219.36;

Defending Pro Stock world champion Mike Edwards raced to the No. 1 qualifying position Sunday at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race.

Edwards powered his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP to a track record time of 6.579 seconds at 209.26 mph to take his 12th top qualifying position of the season, 34th of his career and second at historic O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Edwards, who edged out three drivers including Saturday’s low qualifier Jeg Coughlin for the top spot, will face Justin Humphreys in the opening round.

"There’s a lot of fast cars that are bunched up together [at the top of the qualifying order], and I feel that we were very fortunate that Allen Johnson had to run in the first pair this morning," said Edwards. "If it hadn’t been for that, you probably would have been talking to him instead of me as the No. 1 qualifier. There is more pressure because this is the first race of the Countdown. It’s hard to get there for your first championship [as Edwards did in 2009] and it’s even more difficult to defend it. I’m trying to take some of the pressure off of myself by talking with my wife a lot. You just try to have fun. [10-time Pro Stock champ] Bob Glidden came over this morning and told me to just 'quit thinking and do it.' "

Johnson was second in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger with a 6.580 at a track record speed of 210.28, while Jason Line was third, also posting a 6.580 at 209.95. Coughlin will start fourth in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt with his 6.580 at 209.39.

In Top Fuel, Dixon’s track record time of 3.776 at 324.36 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster from Saturday stood as the quickest of the weekend, giving the three-time Indy winner his sixth No. 1 effort of the season, 46th of his career and third at this event. He will face Bruce Litton in the opening round.

“The championship is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but the champion will be determined in two months; the only thing we can decide tomorrow is who wins Indy,” said Dixon. “A lot has been made of Tony [Schumacher] and myself, and they put us on the cover of Drag Illustrated. I think someone ought to put Cory Mac on there, too. Maybe it gave that team a chip on their shoulder, because they’re running strong. I’m not looking past Bruce Litton in the first round tomorrow, to be honest. He has a good car, and we have to be on our game.”

McClenathan will start second with his 3.784 at 323.66 and eight-time Mac Tools U.S. Nationals winner Tony Schumacher will try to tie Glidden’s nine-win record here when he faces Terry Haddock in the opening round.

Hagan claimed his third top qualifying position of the season and fifth of his career with a track record time of 4.039 at 299.86 in his DieHard Dodge Charger. He will face Tony Pedregon in the first round.

“It feels great to come out here and qualify No. 1,” said Hagan, who qualified No. 16 here in 2008 and No. 15 last year. “I remember back when I was racing the IHRA and we’d come over here and qualify 16 and that would feel like we won the race. To go from that and in two years qualify No. 1 here is a huge step in the right direction for my career and for our whole program out here. I owe it all to [crew chief] Tommy DeLago. This guy, he gets smarter every day. I just don’t know how he puts it all together up there, but he does. The track’s been great. We owe a lot to the track being great and being able to run those kind of numbers out here. The weather just kind of worked out in our favor. It was warmer today, and that plays into tomorrow. It’s supposed to be warmer tomorrow if the weather man’s right, but who knows.”

Ron Capps qualified second in his NAPA Charger with a 4.049 at 309.77 and two-time Indy winner and defending world champ Robert Hight qualified third in his Auto Club Ford Mustang with a 4.055 at 310.98.

Hines led all five Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying sessions on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson and earned his second No. 1 of the season and 28th of his career with his national record run of 6.185 seconds at a track record speed of 196.76 mph. Hines will face Wesley Wells in the first round as the three-time world champ tries to win at Indy for the first time in his career.
"I don’t know if I got 15 points in the whole Countdown last year," said a smiling Hines, who claimed three points for each of the five qualifying sessions he led this weekend. "It's great to take every point on the table because it came down to a couple of 'little points' last year for Eddie [Krawiec, teammate]. I love this track. We live just two miles from the track and our shop is two miles the other direction, so we've tested a lot here in the past. I've probably made more passes here than any other Pro Stock Motorcycle rider. I probably make 60 or 70 runs a year out here so I know how to get down the track. This is definitely the best chance in my career to win the U.S. Nationals."

Auto Club Road to the Future candidate LE Tonglet qualified second in the two-wheel category with a career-best run of 6.847 at 195.05 on a Suzuki, while Hines’ teammate Krawiec was third with a 6.867 at 195.25 on his Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Monday for the 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, the 18th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Sunday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel
1. Larry Dixon, 3.776 seconds, 324.36 mph vs. 16. Bruce Litton, 4.194, 304.25;
2. Cory McClenathan, 3.784, 323.66 vs. 15. Terry McMillen, 4.014, 293.41;
3. Tony Schumacher, 3.790, 324.83 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, 4.011, 285.29;
4. Brandon Bernstein, 3.802, 317.87 vs. 13. Bob Vandergriff, 3.951, 309.42;
5. Antron Brown, 3.808, 319.22 vs. 12. Shawn Langdon, 3.914, 311.85;
6. David Grubnic, 3.823, 315.78 vs. 11. Morgan Lucas, 3.888, 315.19;
7. Doug Kalitta, 3.824, 319.52 vs. 10. T.J. Zizzo, 3.851, 311.56;
8. Steve Torrence, 3.830, 313.22 vs. 9. Rod Fuller, 3.840, 318.17.

Did Not Qualify:
17. Troy Buff, 4.334, 233.08;
18. Chris Karamesines, 4.393, 310.63;
19. Luigi Novelli, 4.527, 201.58;
20. Pat Dakin, 5.034, 284.93.

Funny Car
1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.039, 301.07 vs. 16. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala SS, 4.151, 297.48;
2. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.049, 309.77 vs. 15. Melanie Troxel, Charger, 4.146, 303.64;
3. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.055, 310.98 vs. 14. Paul Lee, Impala SS, 4.120, 300.20;
4. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Solara, 4.057, 311.34 vs. 13. Jeff Arend, Solara, 4.110, 307.02;
5. John Force, Mustang, 4.058, 312.86 vs. 12. Bob Bode, Impala SS, 4.109, 298.21;
6. Ashley Force Hood, Mustang, 4.059, 310.98 vs. 11. Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 4.106, 308.28; 7. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.076, 303.16 vs. 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.104, 299.26;
8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.086, 306.33 vs. 9. Jim Head, Solara, 4.095, 296.96.

Did Not Qualify:
17. Jeff Diehl, 4.249, 294.37;
18. John Smith, 4.297, 299.20;
19. Brian Thiel, 4.328, 289.07;
20. Justin Schriefer, 4.337, 259.66.

Pro Stock
1. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.579, 209.26 vs. 16. Justin Humphreys, GXP, 6.631, 207.34;
2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.580, 210.28 vs. 15. Steve Spiess, Chevy Cobalt, 6.627, 208.14;
3. Jason Line, GXP, 6.580, 209.95 vs. 14. Ronnie Humphrey, GXP, 6.622, 208.75;
4. Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.580, 209.39 vs. 13. Rodger Brogdon, GXP, 6.621, 208.10;
5. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.584, 209.56 vs. 12. Kurt Johnson, GXP, 6.618, 207.88;
6. Greg Stanfield, GXP, 6.584, 209.14 vs. 11. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.608, 209.17;
7. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.586, 209.65 vs. 10. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.606, 208.68;
8. Johnny Gray, GXP, 6.590, 209.01 vs. 9. Greg Anderson, GXP, 6.602, 209.62.

Did Not Qualify:
17. Richie Stevens, 6.632, 208.68;
18. Bob Yonke, 6.632, 208.14;
19. Rickie Jones, 6.632, 207.85;
20. Bob Benza, 6.633, 207.59;
21. Vinnie Deceglie, 6.649, 207.82;
22. Vincent Nobile, 6.668, 206.35;
23. Erica Enders, 6.673, 207.62;
24. Bob Glidden, 6.703, 206.10;
25. Steve Schmidt, 6.704, 206.29;
26. Mark Martino, 6.722, 205.76;
27. Larry Morgan, 6.722, 208.17;
28. Kevin Lawrence, 6.789, 203.06;
29. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.836, 200.62;
30. Mark Hogan, 6.845, 204.32;
31. Dave River, broke.

Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.815, 196.76 vs. 16. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.054, 191.24;
2. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.847, 195.05 vs. 15. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 7.041, 187.91;
3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.867, 195.25 vs. 14. Douglas Horne, Buell, 7.016, 187.76;
4. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.874, 192.91 vs. 13. Redell Harris, Buell, 6.999, 191.67;
5. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 6.919, 196.39 vs. 12. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.996, 191.29;
6. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.938, 192.03 vs. 11. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.976, 190.43;
7. Chip Ellis, Suzuki, 6.939, 193.57 vs. 10. Craig Treble, Suzuki, 6.962, 191.57;
8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.946, 192.44 vs. 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.957, 192.17.

Did Not Qualify:
17. David Hope, 7.054, 186.95;
18. Junior Pippin, 7.059, 188.44;
19. Angie Smith, 7.096, 188.04;
20. Mike Berry, 7.159, 185.92;
21. Katie Sullivan, 7.218, 183.39.

Jack Beckman, driving the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger Funny Car, claimed the No. 7 spot after the completion of five rounds of qualifying for the prestigious 56th annual U.S. Nationals and the first race of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

“It’s so weird at Indy having five qualifying runs, it’s like it never ends," said Beckman, who entered the Countdown No. 3 in the points. "Usually, we’d be finishing a race right now and we’re just done qualifying.

"We weren’t perfect, we 'front-halfed' this chassis and right now it looks like it wants something a little different than it wanted up in Brainerd (the previous race in the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series). The good news is we made two really good qualifying runs, low ET of the fourth session, and in this fifth session maybe we found just the other side of our boundary and maybe it was a little too aggressive. That’s not a bad thing if you’re safe one run and overly aggressive the next. It’s not that tough to split the difference for eliminations.

"We’re going to have a lot hotter race track tomorrow. We’re going to be a top-half car with lane choice. We’re racing another top-10 car and the round wins mean everything now. It’s not that they weren’t important for the first 17 races, but they’re triply important now. We have to win first round every time we go up there for the next six races. I’d like to win four rounds tomorrow and that’ll just start it off the right way.”

Beckman will face Tim Wilkerson in the opening round of Monday's eliminations.

After posting a No. 1 track-record run of 3.784 seconds at 323.66 mph on Friday night at the 56th annual U.S. Nationals, Cory McClenathan had to settle for No. 2 when Larry Dixon bumped him down on Saturday night with a new track record of 3.776/324.36.

“It’s kind of nice coming to a weekend where you have five runs," said McClenathan, who entered this first race of the Countdown to the Championship No. 2 in points. "Obviously, the Countdown and coming to Indy all in one weekend can be overwhelming, but we came out of here with 11 bonus points, which really helps us a lot. We’re all greedy, we’d like to have more but, at the same time, I think we did well here. We’re qualified No. 2. That’s a big deal for us. It puts us on opposite sides of Dixon and that’s big.

"(DSR teammate) Hot Rod Fuller ran good the last session (quickest of the round and No. 9 qualifier), and Tony Schumacher (No. 3) and Antron Brown (No. 5) are going to be right there.

"I see a lot of parity going into this first race of the Countdown."

McClenathan, of Fishers, Ind., faces Terry McMillen in the opening round of Monday's eliminations.

Ron Capps clicked off a stellar pass during the Saturday night Funny Car qualifying session for the 56th annual U.S. Nationals, earning second place behind his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan. Racing the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger, he recorded a 4.049-second run at 309.77 mph, which was the second quickest of that round.

"This is a big race weekend with the U.S. Nationals and the first race of the Countdown to the Championship," said Capps, who entered the playoffs No. 5 in points. "More importantly, these small incremental qualifying points that NHRA is providing have proven to be a real carrot hanging out there for a lot of teams. And we went for it last night, got the No 2 spot, and that kind of thing is a real ego booster for the guys on the NAPA crew.

"We worked to get in that position and be last pair and be able to watch cars go down the track. I knew when I saw Hagan in front of me go 4.03 that we had a shot at either going 4.03 or quicker. So, the 4.04 was nice. We thought it would run quicker than that, but to put Don Schumacher Racing cars one and two is awesome.

"And I tell you, to run that 4.11 in that last run in the fifth qualifying session in the heat shows that we have a good tuneup for race day because we know it's going to be hot and humid tomorrow.

"The NAPA team is pumped."

Capps will face Melanie Troxel in the opening round of Monday's eliminations.

Matt Hagan's Funny Car track-record-setting No. 1 elapsed time of 4.039 seconds at 277.89 mph he set on Saturday held through two more qualifying sessions on Sunday, earning the driver of the DieHard Dodge Charger his second No. 1 of the season, the fourth of his career and the first at the U.S. Nationals.

“It’s huge to come out here and qualify No. 1," said Hagan, who is competing in his first Countdown to the Championship playoffs after a 2009 rookie season in which he finished 11th and out of the Countdown. "I remember back when I was racing in the IHRA (in 2008) and I’d come over here [to race in NHRA] and qualify 16th," he added, referring to his first time at the U.S. Nationals. To be able to go from that and within two years qualify No. 1 here is a huge step in the right direction for my career and the whole program out here.

"I owe it all to (crew chief) Tommy DeLago. He gets smarter every day. I don’t know how he puts it all together up there, but he does. He’s got some really cool ideas and we’ve been working on some stuff. We came out here and tested a couple days before the race and I definitely think it’s paying dividends back to us.

"The track is great. We owe a lot to the track being great and being able to run those kinds of numbers out here. Last year it was a little different race track and the weather just kind of worked out in our favor this weekend. It’s cool to hang on to that caliber of a machine; it’s really an honor.”

Hagan will face off against Tony Pedregon in the opening round of eliminations on Monday. “Tony is never an easy draw," he said, "because he can leave on you. You never know what you’re going to get with that guy. He had our number last year. Every time I lined up against Tony I couldn’t get around him. This year we’ve had a little better luck (3-0), but you never know.

"I’m going to put my game face on tomorrow and go in there and pull my belts down tight because I know Tommy is coming to play. We’re just going to come up there and do what we do and that’s go rounds.

“It’s definitely warmer today and that’s going to play into tomorrow. It’s going to be a little bit warmer tomorrow, if the weatherman is right. But, with Tommy, he’s got a pretty good baseline. When we were testing here it was warmer so he was kind of just playing around a bit today trying some new stuff. He wanted to go up there and try to get a baseline but he kind of already had one so it just really built on his confidence and my confidence to be able to go down the race track and not smoke the tires or do anything crazy."

As for the importance of earning bonus qualifying points, “They’re huge," he said. "I was adding them up. We got four last night and three today so they’re definitely going to add up and I think they’re going to count. I think they’re going to make a big difference when these bonus points come in to play in the last couple of races. We’re trying to get as many as we can and I know Tommy DeLago swings for the fences a lot of times. A lot of times we’re either heroes or zeros and here lately Tommy has been on top of things and he’s been the man. We’ve been racking up those points."

"Hot Rod" Fuller powered his Abu Dhabi/Yas Marina Circuiit dragster to the quickest lap of the final day of qualifying for the 56th annual U.S. Nationals Sunday afternoon at O'Reilly Raceway Park as seven-time Top Fuel winner qualified ninth with a qualifying-best effort of 3.840-seconds.

Q1 4.026 ET, 289.14 MPH No. 13
Q2 5.482 ET, 116.27 MPH No. 15
Q3 3.840 ET, 318.17 MPH No. 9
Q4 3.874 ET, 314.53 MPH No. 9
Q5 3.864 ET, 318.17 MPH No. 9

About Yas Marina Circuit
Yas Marina Circuit is the world's newest and one of the most technologically advanced motor racing facilities ever developed. Located on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, the Circuit debuted on October 30, 2009 with the final race of the FIA Formula 1TM World Championship - the inaugural Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Year round, Yas Marina Circuit hosts an extensive program of leading international and national motorsport racing series. Its facilities include the Yas Drag Racing Centre and the Yas Racing School.

About Don Schumacher Racing
Don Schumacher Racing, headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., consists of six professional NHRA teams: The U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster driven by seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher; the FRAM dragster of Cory McClenathan, and the Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster of Antron Brown. The Funny Car teams are the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge driven by Ron Capps, the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge piloted by Jack Beckman, and the DieHard/shelor.com Dodge driven by Matt Hagan. DSR also manages the Abu Dhabi/Yas Marina Circuit Top Fuel dragster of Rod Fuller. Since 1998, Don Schumacher Racing teams have won 146 national events in 281 final rounds and eight world championships.


www.yasmarinacircuit.com
www.shoeracing.com

Antron Brown drove his Don Schumacher-owned Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster to the No. 5 qualifying position Sunday afternoon at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. The 24-time NHRA winner used a qualifying-best effort of 3.808-seconds to finish fifth in the 16-car order.

Q1 3.808 ET, 319.22 MPH No. 2
Q2 3.858 ET, 316.01 MPH No. 2
Q3 5.357 ET, 128.04 MPH No. 5
Q4 4.655 ET, 160.79 MPH No. 5
Q5 3.907 ET, 313.22 MPH No. 5


www.matcotools.com
www.shoeracing.com
www.antronbrown.com
www.twitter.com/AntronBrownTF

"Notes & Quotes" from Tim Wilkerson, driver of the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang Funny Car, after Sunday's qualifying sessions at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

Tim Wilkerson smoked the tires on his early run Sunday, and then came back with a solid A-to-B pass during the fifth and final qualifying session, although a dropped cylinder near the finish line kept the Levi, Ray & Shoup Shelby from improving and Wilkerson clocked in at 4.175. Wilk will enter the fray from the No. 10 spot on Monday, and will face "Fast Jack" Beckman in the opening round.

"So this is it. First round of the playoffs and a monster match-up with a great driver and a very fast car. You have to be able to beat the best out here, if you think you're a contender, so we'll get our chance to do that in the very first round. We'll just try to make a solid lap, racing the lane like we always do, and we'll see who gets there first."

Team Wilkerson Racing
NHRA Nitro Funny Car
www.timwilkerson.com

“ Allen Johnson moved his Mopar® Dodge Avenger Pro Stock car up to the No. 2 spot in the final day of qualifying today at the 56th Annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The Team Mopar driver also set the track speed record at storied O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis for the third consecutive day.

The Mopar/J&J Racing team had a decent day, said the modest Johnson, who has been a top three qualifier in 10 of the last 11 events and will seek his second NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series victory of the season tomorrow. We didn't want to do that (shut down) in the last session. That right lane gets everybody. Hopefully, we'll stay in the left lane tomorrow.
I'm happy at how the Mopar Dodge Avenger is running. We'll go into tomorrow with a little bit of advantage at the No. 2 spot. If I drive good we've got a shot to start off the Countdown playoffs right.

Johnson, currently second in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship standings, will meet Steve Spiess in the first round of eliminations tomorrow. V. Gaines, the No. 5 qualifier in his Mopar-powered Dodge Avenger Pro Stock car, will go heads-up with Kurt Johnson in the opening stanza.

Mopar-First Features
Mopar has introduced numerous industry-first features including:
• Camper trailers: first to introduce off-road camper trailers
• Vehicle-information apps: first to introduce smartphone vehicle-information applications, a new channel of communication with consumers
• Electronic owner manuals: first to introduce traditional owner manuals in a DVD and brief user-guide format
• FLO TV: first to offer live, mobile television
• WiFi: first to offer customers the ability to make their vehicle a wireless hot spot
• WiTECH: first to support vehicle diagnosis and software updates leveraging off-the-shelf personal computers and a dedicated wireless tool network

About the Mopar Brand
Mopar is Chrysler Group LLC's service, parts and customer-care brand.
Mopar distributes approximately 280,000 parts and accessories in more than 90 countries and is the source for all original-equipment parts for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck vehicles. Mopar parts are unique in that they are engineered with the same teams that create factory-authorized vehicle specifications for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Truck vehicles—a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.

More than 70 Years of Mopar
When Chrysler bought Dodge in 1928, the need for a dedicated parts manufacturer, supplier and distribution system to support the growing enterprise led to the formation of the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation (CMPC) in 1929.

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked for a line of antifreeze products in 1937. It also was widely used as a moniker for the CMPC. The Mopar brand made its mark in the 1960s ”the muscle-car era. The Chrysler Corporation built race-ready Dodge and Plymouth package cars equipped with special high-performance parts. Mopar carried a line of œspecial parts for super-stock drag racers and developed its racing parts division called Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use.

For additional Chrysler and Mopar news. For additional information about Mopar, log on to www.mopar.com or www.moparspeed.com.

“ After being as high as No. 1 in the Pro Stock field, Jeg Coughlin Jr. will start No. 4 during Monday's eliminations at the 56th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.

Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at www.jegs.com

In the first moto I had to fight back after touching with Salvini at the start but I regained positions to arrive to fifth, which was good enough for the title even though Alex was second, he added. Apart from a slip in Spain it has been pretty much a perfect year and for me this is a dream realised. I'd like to give a big thank you to all the team and my sponsors for helping to make it happen.

The new MX3 number one now plans to contest the final round of the MX1-GP championship at Fermo in Italy next week and will represent his country at the 64th Motocross of Nations at Thunder Valley, Lakewood in Denver on September 26th.

www.yamaha-racing.com

KTM Enduro Factory Team riders in the E1 class put on a strong showing in the penultimate race weekend of the 2010 Maxxis World Championships, which saw Johnny Aubert and Eero Remes on the podium on both days and the two riders splitting the coveted top step on Saturday and Sunday.

E1 Saturday
1, Johnny Aubert, France, KTM
2, Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
3, Eero Remes, Finland, KTM
4. Julien Gauthier, France, Honda
5, Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna

E1 Sunday
1, Eero Remes, Finland, KTM
2, Johnny Aubert, France, KTM
3, Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
4, Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna
5, Matti Seistola, Finland, Husqvarna

E1 Championship Standings
1, Antoine Meo, France, Husqvarna, 287
2, Eero Remes, Finland, KTM, 276
3, Johnny Aubert, France, KTM, 267
4, Cristobal Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha, 225
5, Matti Seistola, Finland, Husqvarna, 214

EJ Saturday
1, Lorenzo Santolino, Spain, KTM
2, Victor Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
3, Antti Hellsten, Finland, KTM
4, Bennoit Fortunato, France, Husaberg
5, Mario Roman, Spain, KTM

EJ Sunday
1, Victor Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha
2, Antti Hellsten, Finland, KTM
3, Lorenzo Santolino, Spain, KTM
4, Jeremy Joly, France, Honda
5, Mario Roman, Spain, KTM

EJ Championship standings
1, Jeremy Joly, France, Honda, 292
2, Lorenzo Santolino, Spain, KTM, 284
3, Victor Guerrero, Spain, Yamaha, 244
4, Romain Dumontier, France, Husqvarna, 208
5, Mario Roman, Spain, KTM, 189

Classification Youth Cup
1, Mario Roman, Spain, KTM
2, Berenger Carrier, France, Husqvarna
3. Josep Rallo, Spain, KTM

KTM's David Knight proved to be in a class of his own this weekend in Fethiye, Turkey and picked up a 2-1 result in the Maxxis E3 World Championship penultimate racing weekend to secure the world title. David, from the Isle of Man has already won two world titles but admitted that this one is special in the year where he returned to the Orange racing stable.

E3 Saturday
1, Sebastien Guillaume, France, Husqvarna
2, David Knight, Britain, KTM
3, Oriol Mena, Spain, Husaberg
4, Simone Albergoni, Italy, KTM
5, Bartosz Oblucki, Poland, Yamaha

E3 Sunday
1, David Knight, Britain, KTM (David is world champion in E3 class)
2, Christophe Nambotin, France, Gas-Gas
3, Sebastien Guillaume, France, Husqvarna
4, Simone Albergoni, Italy, KTM
5, Alessandro Botturi, Italy, Husaberg

E3 Championship Standings
1, David Knight, Britain, KTM, 328
2, Simone Albergoni, Italy, KTM, 264
3, Sebastien Guillaume, France, Husqvarna, 263
4, Christophe Nambotin, France, Gas-Gas, 251
5, Marcus Kehr, Germany, KTM, 213