FYI WIRZ: NHRA's Summer Stretch Drives John Force Racing and More to Countdown

All motorsports sanctions head into the summer stretch with the season underway and the championship on the line. The National Hot Rod Association has completed 10 of 23 races, and professional teams need just seven races to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs consisting of six final events.

Except for Pro Stock Motorcycle where the Harley-Davidson team seems to have a technical advantage and 165 point lead. The point race has tightened up in NHRA pro classes. Also, PSM competes in a partial schedule, 16 of the 23 total NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events.

The primary classes, Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock Car are a mix of tight competition.

Perennial winner and seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher ended his 2012 win drought last race in Bristol and moved into first place over Spencer Massey. Massey has earned three wins in the volatile dragster class. Schumacher’s 40 point lead over teammate Massey is a mere two round advantage.

Schumacher is a proficient with words as he is with a throttle:

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“We had the point lead two times early in the season without winning a race...We keep our chin up, we don’t fire people, we motivate and get through the adversity. We lead. That’s what we do, we lead them. We make them believe in themselves. I said it all along, ‘Have faith. We’re going to go out and win these things.’ I didn’t want to be the second guy to win a championship without winning a race."

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All drivers in pro classes face a 28-round seven-race schedule before the finalists go into Charlotte to start the Countdown championship playoffs.

John Force Racing's Robert Hight blasted off after Pomona with four straight Funny Car wins. He built a commanding point lead that has sputtered lately. He retains the point lead over Ron Capps who has advanced rounds, and he secured two wins to be 73 points back in second place.

Ron Capps is seasoned photogenic contender in the Funny Car class with the Don Schumacher Racing tools to pull off big wins.

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“There was a lot of pressure coming in because of the media and fans kept asking for six finals and, ‘Are you going to get in a sixth final?’...Every race that we’ve gone to, it’s just getting stronger and stronger, the bond that I have with Rahn Tobler and this team. Don Schumacher does everything to give us everything that we need, and it’s impressive that Rahn Tobler is able to do what he does with a car. He’s such a perfectionist."

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NHRA has a more generous point rules than the stingy but effective NASCAR point system where no winner can earn more than 48 points per race. In NHRA, the winner typically accumulates 110 points by winning all four rounds and can add 31 bonus points by setting a new national record and achieving qualifying excellence.

Pro Stock leader Greg Anderson had a commanding lead by virtue of his four 2012 wins, but in the thunderous valley at Bristol, he suffered a loss to four-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the first round. That loss to the JEGS.com Mopar Dodge Avenger allowed others to advance so that Anderson is only 54 points ahead of teammate Jason Line.

Coughlin has struggled since returning to Pro Stock competition this season with uncharacteristic failure to qualify and go rounds. But with the recent addition of a new co-crew chief, Eddie Guarnaccia, the team seems to have renewed spirit. Although Coughlin remains 542 points off the lead, he is only 17 points away from 10th place, the last position for the Countdown playoff.

Coughlin was ecstatic about his win over leader Greg Anderson.

“I couldn't hear the crowd in my car” Coughlin said. “But it sounded like they went nuts, brought the house down.”

Coughlin’s brother Troy and team have awakened the Pro Mod ranks this season with his big yellow and black JEGS.com Camaro.

With 5 of 10 complete races, Coughlin is in sixth spot, 99 points off the point leader. No playoffs exist in this class, so Coughlin has five races to make it to the top. He qualified second in Bristol and has a final round appearance to his credit this year. This screaming Camaro could be a factor in the colorful Pro Mod class where nostalgic cars try to harness monster engines.

Coughlin was candid in his most recent round appearance that didn’t deliver his best reaction time.

“It sucks when you lose – there's no other way of putting it,” Coughlin said. “On a positive note—car's running great. If we could put the package together from driver and ET standpoint, it would be awesome.”

Competition is always fierce in the top side-by-side NHRA Full Throttle series. This season has produced a variety of winners and more of the same can be expected.

The next race is the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Route 66 Nationals, presented by Super Start Batteries at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago, Illinois.

Fans might want to focus on the results in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock Car as top teams Don Schumacher Racing, John Force Racing and Summit Racing bring their best to the colorful tree that goes yellow then green and sometimes red.

Sixteen drivers from each class hit the go throttle during finals but only one driver gets to grasp the trophy. Fans not in the stands can view the elimination action July 1 at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

The top contenders this week:

Top Fuel

1. Tony Schumacher
2. Spencer Massey (-40)

Funny Car

1. Robert Hight
2. Ron Capps (-73)
3. Mike Neff (-238)

Pro Stock Car

1. Greg Anderson
2. Jason Line (-54)
3. Allen Johnson (-84)

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com. Unless otherwise noted, information and all quotes were obtained from personal interviews or official release materials provided by NHRA and team representatives.