The 2012 NHRA season is barely 48 hours old and some intriguing storylines have developed and Firebird International Raceway will be the next chapter in the 2012 book.
In Pomona on Sunday, 62 year old John Force won his 134th career Funny Car victory. This was his 6th Winternationals win. In 1997, Force won the Winternationals then went to Phoenix and won the Arizona Nationals. This was the only time he has been able to win back-to-back at the first two races of the season. He also went on to win the championship in 1997. Can the 15th anniversary of that feat repeat itself here in 2012?
It is said, that “you never forget how to ride a bike”. Last weekend former champion Pro-Stock driver, Jeg Coughlin proved the old adage correct. Coughlin took the entire 2011 NHRA Season off. He’s returned in 2012, but not with the same team nor with the same make of car. No, Jeg built his own team from the ground up. “We started J & R Racing Engines back in April, down in Mooresville, North Carolina” said Coughlin. Jeg continued, “We partnered with the Chrysler Corporation, Dodge and Mopar branding in particular, started assembling a team… we went with a new transporter, a new car, a new engine, new parts. Everything was brand-new. It was probably the first time in my career that's ever taken place”. So with all that change one would think Jeg would have a little “ring-rust” correct? Not Coughlin, even after qualifying 14th he made a stunning run to the final round. But in the finals, Coughlin’s quicker reaction time of .017 with a 6.586/209.62 pass wasn’t enough to defeat Greg Anderson (.027, 6.459/210.87). Coughlin told media, “All in all, we’re very, very stoked. I don’t get too excited very often, but to see this program go from a great conversation and a lot of heart and soul and passion, to making it to the runner-up at Pomona, that’s job well done. But there’s a lot of work to do. We’re not going to skim through some of the runs in the future like we did today. We have to bear down and work hard and get this Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge a bit faster. “We’re going to fly this engine back to Mooresville at JNR Racing engines, and Roy (Simmons) and Nick (Ferri) are going to see if they can fine-tune it through the week. We’ve got a couple of days where we might learn some things about this Mopar HEMI powerplant that is still very new to us. If we can make any gains, that’s going to be huge for us. In the meantime we’ve got to keep our focus on Phoenix.”
Coming into Phoenix, Massey must feel like the racetrack owes him. Last year in October, Spencer failed to qualify which put a dagger into his championship hopes. “After the DNQ in Phoenix last year in the Countdown, it kind of killed us for the championship,” Massey said. “But now, coming off this win, we have momentum. We have a racecar that can win Phoenix. It would be awesome to go back to back, but now we have a big target on our back. We're No. 1 in points and everyone is gunning for us but that's what we want. I'd like to have that bull's-eye on my back all year long,” Massey told media members.
Finally after failing to qualify for the Winternationals, can the Snap-On Tools pilot Cruz Pedregon bounce back and possibly winning his first ever Arizona Nationals. Also, Pro Stock driver Erica Enders will again lead the charge with her quest to become the first female winner in the factory hot rod class. "I love Phoenix, my family is from there, and we always seem to do well there," Enders said. "We went to the semifinals last October, so I feel like we definitely have some unfinished business at Firebird, and I can't wait to handle it when we get there."
All these stories and many more will be written this weekend in Phoenix.
Pro qualifying begins on Friday, Feb. 17, with sessions scheduled for 1:30 and 4 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Feb. 18, at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19.
To purchase general-admission or reserved-seat tickets, log on to www.FirebirdRaceway.com or call the Firebird Int'l Raceway Ticket Sales Center, 602-268-0800. Tickets for children 12 and younger are free with any paid adult ticket.
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