Culture|Garage

Norwalk, OH- Doug Herbert took out the top guys in Top Fuel this past weekend-wait, what’s that you say? Who is Doug Herbert? Herbert, who drives for Snap-On racing, is only the latest driver to plow through the always-exciting ranks of Top Fuel. Herbert dedicated the race to his sons, who were killed in an automobile accident in January.Herbert laid Brandon Bernstein to waste in the final round, with a 4.61ET to Bernstein’s 4.63. Speed through the traps was higher, too, as Herbert careened through the lights at 313.58 MPH, to a losing 311.70 MPH.

“It’s such an emotional day, and I’m just happy to get the job done. Going up there, I knew I was going to dig down and give it everything I had. I just wanted to do everything I could do to beat [Bernstein] because I didn’t want to have a mistake that I made cost us the race. Luckily, I have my little lucky charm [Jessie] with me, and we did a lot of thinking about her brothers today, and I’m sure they were riding with me on that final-round win,” said Herbert after the win.

Tony Pedregon can put another notch in his belt-as well as take a position in the top standings, as he knocked Robert Hight out in the final round. Hight, who qualified with the lowest ET out of the Funny Car ranks, lost with a 4.90ET to Pedregon’s 4.88. Pedregon dedicated the race to the memory of Scot Kalitta, and offered kind words about him and his family in post-race interviews. With this win, Pedregon is set to overtake Ashley Force for second place in the Funny Car standings.

Greg Anderson took another Wally home for Pontiac this weekend, beating Larry Morgan in the final, and taking out top qualifier Jason Line in the process. It was a relatively easy win for Anderson, who won due to Morgan’s redlight. The Pro Stock veteran did not win the K+N horsepower challenge- losing in the final, but was ecstatic to take the win in the POWERAde series.

Finally, Hector Arana, a Buell rider, beat out Craig Treble in the Pro Stock Bike final round- leaving on an astounding .007 light and winning with a 7.07ET. Treble, riding a Harley-Davidson, checked in with a 7.061ET. “I never gave up, and my crew guys never gave up, and I’ve met a lot of wonderful people who have given me a hand over the years and never stopped trusting in me, and I’m glad I was able to do it. It’s an awesome, awesome feeling, and it hasn’t sunk in yet, but it feels great to accomplish what I’ve been working for all these years,” said Arana.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Laudon, NH- “Blame it on the rain,” was the reasoning behind the results of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 this past weekend. The winner, Kurt Busch, even conceded that he “didn’t deserve to win,” but still took the trophy home anyway. The winner’s Dodge actually was having problems with his car, and as the racers idled behind the pace car when the field was halted due to the weather, a brake duct hung below Busch’s car- something that a winning ride typically doesn’t exhibit. Pat Tryson, Busch’s crewchief, begged to differ, saying, “We had a pretty good car all day. We topped off the fuel and were pretty close to making it to the end. We were hoping for some cautions, we got them, and I told Kurt that we were going to stay on the racetrack and take a gamble. It worked, and it got us a win.”

The real action in Sunday’s race actually took place towards the middle of the field, as a spicy Juan Pablo Montoya and Kyle Busch mixed it up, taking turns spinning each other out in mutual “frustration” with the other. Perhaps the day was best summed up by Tony Stewart who, after finishing 13th, said, “There’s a percentage of this industry that’s called luck, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.”

Behind Busch was Michael Waltrip’s Toyota, followed by J.J. Yeley in his To-Mo-Co machine.

via: NHRA, NASCAR, Diamond Racing, autoracingsport.com

ShareThis