THE CHAMPS

For the second year in a row, Tony Schumacher stole the Top Fuel championship on the final round of the year. This year, it was Rod Fuller’s heart he broke, as he grabbed his fourth- straight championship and fifth overall.
Schumacher won six NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events and was fast qualifier 11 times in 23 races. It was the first season for the Countdown to the Championship, and had the previous points format been used, Fuller would have won the title.

Tony Pedregon captured the 2007 Funny Car title, his second and first as a team owner. (Ted Rossino Photo)

Entering the Countdown to the Championship, Tony Pedregon was basically overlooked, but consistent performances down the stretch, including a victory at Las Vegas in the penultimate event, led Pedregon to his second POWERade championship.

Jeg Coughlin took his third Pro Stock title in 2007. (AutoImagery.com Photo)

Pedregon previously won the championship in 2003 while driving for John Force Racing. This season, Pedregon drove his Q Chevrolet to four triumphs and flew under the radar for much of the season, while Ron Capps and the Force Racing camp received most of the headlines.

The Countdown to the Championship was clearly Jeg Coughlin’s best friend. Coughlin came out of nowhere to claim his third NHRA Pro Stock championship, using consistency during the Countdown to hold off teammate Dave Connolly and Greg Anderson.
Anderson and Connolly each won eight races during the season to Coughlin’s four, but a strong finish to the campaign, including a victory at Pomona (Calif.) in the finale, pushed Coughlin’s Cagnazzi Racing team over the top.

MOMENTOUS OCCASIONS:

WALLY: NHRA Founder Wally Parks died from complications of pneumonia Sept. 28 at age 94. Parks, the former editor of Hot Rod magazine, built NHRA into what it is today. He served as NHRA President until 1983 and as Chairman of the Board until 1999.
DOWN AND OUT: In the midst of a drive for his 15th Funny Car championship, John Force was critically injured in a violent crash at the Texas Motorplex on Sept. 23. Force suffered a broken ankle, dislocated wrists and multiple fractures to the fingers on his right hand. He was out for the rest of the season and spent four weeks at the Baylor University Medical Center.
WILL POWER: Hillary Will’s season got off to an awful start when she suffered a violent flipping crash during testing at The Strip @ Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She was uninjured and back on track for the season opener at Pomona the following weekend.
MISSING OUT: No driver qualified for all 23 Funny Car events.
NARROWING THE FIELD: For 2007, NHRA altered its points system into the Countdown To The Championship. The 23-event season was divided into three sections: a 17-race Countdown to 8, a four-race Countdown to 4, and a two-race Countdown to 1. After the 17th event, only the top eight drivers in each class advanced to the first round of the playoffs, and each driver’s points were adjusted in 10-point increments. Following the season’s 21st event, the field was narrowed to the top four drivers and their points were readjusted in 10-point increments. The drivers with the most points at the end of the season’s final two races were crowned champions of their classes.
CHANGE OF HEART: Gary Scelzi announced in April that he would take a hiatus from full-time drag racing following the 2007 season. However, Scelzi announced later in the season that he would return to the series in 2008.
BUSINESS DEAL: HED Partners, a group headed by businessman Eddy Hartenstein, announced its purchase of  NHRA in early June. The $121 million transaction will see the formation of NHRA Pro Racing to operate the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, while the NHRA will remain a non-profit corporation. NHRA Founder Wally Parks called the sale “a monumental milestone.”
MISSING MEDLEN: Funny Car driver Eric Medlen was seriously injured in a crash while testing his John Force Racing Funny Car at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway March 19. He died four days later. Medlen’s death led to extensive safety advancements in the Funny Car division.
UNDER THE KNIFE: With a spot guaranteed in the Countdown, Brandon Bernstein skipped the event at Reading, Pa., in late August to have surgery for kidney stones.
STREAK BREAKER: John Force’s streak of qualifying for 395-consecutive NHRA national events came to an end at Las Vegas in April. He had last failed to qualify in 1988. Force again failed to qualify for the sport’s biggest event, the U.S. Nationals, on Labor Day weekend.
PROMISING FUTURE: Funny Car driver Ashley Force was named the winner of the Auto Club Road to the Future Award given annually to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series rookie of the year.
INAUGURATION DAY: NHRA held a successful first-time event at Norwalk (Ohio) Raceway Park in July.
CHANGING GEARS: Veteran mechanic Mike Neff left the Don Schumacher team in late summer and joined John Force Racing where he is making the conversion to Funny Car driver. Neff qualified for the final two events of the season in one of Force’s Mustangs.

ON THE RECORD

“It was scary there for a while. I put my car up for sale. I put my house up for sale. It’s a tricky game. We have a great car and a great team, but the car needs sponsorship.” — Top Fuel driver Rod Fuller

“There’s more to life than winning a race. I would trade it for anything if we had Eric (Medlen) back.”— Robert Hight

“Today I’m a proud father. It takes the pain away from losing. I’ve dreamed of this day for a long time, and it makes me emotional to think it finally came true. She’s a great young driver, and she’s probably going to whip me a bunch, but I’m OK with it, because she’s my baby.” — John Force on his daughter Ashley

“I don’t deserve anything. If you go out there and you put your time in, and if you have a good car and you’re driving good, victories will come to you.” — Larry Dixon

“When he walked into a room, even the guys I considered legends in the sport would show him true respect. You could see their posture change and it was like their father walking in. He commanded respect, and it was like everyone instantly changed their behavior. He had          charisma.” — Ron Capps on Wally Parks

LOOKING AHEAD

NHRA added a 24th event to its 2008 schedule with a location to be announced, but word on the street was the race would be held at a new strip at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. As December hit, construction had yet to begin.

STAT PACK

19      Points separating Top Fuel Champion Tony Schumacher and second-place Rod Fuller

21      Consecutive round wins for Pro Stock driver Dave Connolly before a second-round loss to teammate Jeg Coughlin at Las Vegas in October

3     Champions who were not in first place entering the season’s NHRA Finals in Pomona

11      Races that saw 14-time Funny Car champ John Force go winless. Force earned his first Wally of the season at Bristol in July

121M     Dollars HED Partners paid for NHRA’s assets

51     Career victories for Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin, who are tied at sixth for all-time wins

1      Female driver (Ashley Force at Las Vegas in October) who has advanced to the final round of Funny Car eliminations

30      Consecutive seasons with a victory for John Force, who earned his 125th in August

TOP 10

Top Fuel
    Driver    Points    Wins    R-U    RW    1Q
    1. Tony Schumacher    3,186    6    0    32    11
    2. Rod Fuller    3,167    3    3    40    4
    3. Brandon Bernstein    3,149    5    2    37    0
    4. Larry Dixon    3,135    3    3    35    1
    5. Bob Vandergriff    2,358    0    5    25    0
    6. Doug Herbert    2,292    1    3    21    1
    7. J.R. Todd    2,273    2    1    25    2
    8. Whit Bazemore    2,182    0    1    17    1
    9. Melanie Troxel    1,173    2    2    20    1
    10. Doug Kalitta    1,045    1    1    17    0

Funny Car
    Driver    Points    Wins    R-U    RW    1Q
    1. Tony Pedregon    3,178    4    1    30    0
    2. Robert Hight    3,159    3    3    34    8
    3. Gary Scelzi    3,092    4    0    24    2
    4. Ron Capps    3,067    3    4    32    0
    5. Jack Beckman    2,358    2    1    24    0
    6. Mike Ashley    2,337    3    1    26    5
    7. John Force    2,191    3    2    25    0
    8. Jim Head    2,163    0    1    16    0
    9. Del Worsham    1,050    0    2    18    1
    10. Ashley Force    960    0    1    16    0

Pro Stock
    Driver    Points    Wins    R-U    RW    1Q
    1. Jeg Coughlin    3,217    4    4    42    4
    2. Greg Anderson    3,173    8    4    52    11
    3. Dave Connolly    3,126    8    1    50    3
    4. Allen Johnson    3,086    1    2    25    1
    5. Jason Line    2,292    1    3    22    2
    6. Kurt Johnson    2,278    1    1    21    0
    7. Larry Morgan    2,233    0    2    15    0
    8. Warren Johnson    2,180    0    1    13    0
    9. Richie Stevens    1,056    0    0    16    1
    10. Vieri Gaines    1,025    0    1    16    0

WHO, WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE

    Date    Strip        Winner        Car    Pass
    Feb. 11    Auto Club Raceway (Calif.)        (TF) J.R. Todd        Hadman    4.482
                                                                (FC) Gary Scelzi        Dodge    4.716
                                                                (PS) Greg Anderson        Pontiac GTO    6.651
Feb. 25    Firebird Int’l Raceway (Ariz.)        (TF) Rod Fuller        Hadman    4.490
                                                                (FC) Tony Pedregon        Chevrolet    4.803
                                                                (PS) Kurt Johnson        Chevrolet Cobalt    6.694
March 18    Gainesville Raceway (Fla.)        (TF) Tony Schumacher        Hadman    4.542                       
                                                                (FC) Ron Capps        Dodge    4.773
                                                                (PS) Greg Anderson        Pontiac GTO    6.577
April 1    Houston Raceway Park (Texas)        (TF) J.R. Todd        Hadman    4.603
                                                                (FC) Ron Capps        Dodge    4.868
                                                                  (PS) Jason Line        Pontiac GTO    6.661
April 15    The Strip @ Las Vegas (Nev.)        (TF) Brandon Bernstein        McKinney    4.521
                                                                   (FC) Robert Hight        Ford    5.126
                                                                    (PS) Greg Anderson        Pontiac GTO    6.724
April 29    Atlanta Dragway (Ga.)        (TF) Brandon Bernstein        McKinney    4.662
                                                        (FC) Robert Hight        Ford    4.882
                                                    (PS) Greg Anderson        Pontiac GTO    6.671
May 6    Gateway Int’l Raceway (Ill.)        (TF) Melanie Troxel        Hadman    4.741
                                                        (FC) Ron Capps        Dodge    4.882
                                                            (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    6.663
June 3    Heartland Park Topeka (Kan.)        (TF) Brandon Bernstein        McKinney    4.582
                                                                (FC) Mike Ashley        Dodge    4.882
                                                                (PS) Greg Anderson        Pontiac GTO    6.704
June 10    Route 66 Raceway (Ill.)        (TF) Larry Dixon        McKinney    4.579
                                                        (FC) Gary Scelzi        Dodge    4.838
                                                        (PS) Jeg Coughlin        Chevrolet    6.658
June 24    Old Bridge Township Raceway (N.J.)    (TF) Larry Dixon        McKinney    4.625
                                                                (FC) Tommy Johnson, Jr.        Chevrolet    4.994
                                                            (PS) Greg Anderson        Chevrolet    6.617
July 1    Norwalk Raceway Park (Ohio)        (TF) Tony Schumacher        Hadman    4.537
                                                        (FC) Mike Ashley        Dodge    4.823
                                                    (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    6.660
July 8    Bristol Dragway (Tenn.)        (TF) Brandon Bernstein        McKinney    4.648
                                                    (FC) John Force        Ford    4.993
                                                    (PS) Jeg Coughlin        Chevrolet    6.809
July 15    Bandimere Speedway (Colo.)        (TF) Rod Fuller        Hadman    4.683
                                                            (FC) Jack Beckman        Dodge    4.932
                                                            (PS) Allen Johnson        Dodge    7.132
July 22    Pacific Raceways (Wash.)        (TF) Tony Schumacher        Hadman    4.607
                                                            (FC) Jack Beckman        Dodge    4.829
                                                           (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    6.649
July 29    Infineon Raceway (Calif.)        (TF) Tony Schumacher        Hadman    4.534
                                                           (FC) John Force        Ford    4.831
                                                            (PS) Greg Anderson        Pontiac GTO    6.657
Aug. 12    Brainerd Int’l Raceway (Minn.)        (TF) Brandon Bernstein        McKinney    4.525                      
                                                                (FC) John Force        Ford    4.794
                                                                    (PS) Jeg Coughlin        Chevrolet    6.667
Aug. 22    Maple Grove Raceway (Pa.)        (TF) Doug Herbert        McKinney    4.562
                                                            (FC) Tony Pedregon        Chevrolet    6.061
                                                                (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    6.643
Sept. 3    O’Reilly Raceway Park (Ind.)        (TF) Tony Schumacher        Hadman    4.575
                                                                (FC) Mike Ashley        Dodge    4.894
                                                                (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    6.710
Sept. 16    Memphis Motorsports Park (Tenn.)    (TF) Melanie Troxel        Hadman    4.728
                                                                      (FC) Gary Scelzi        Dodge    4.886
                                                                        (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    6.648
Sept. 23    Texas Motorplex        (TF) Larry Dixon        McKinney    4.629
                                                 (FC) Tony Pedregon        Chevrolet    5.010
                                                  (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    8.533
Oct. 7    Virginia Motorsports Park        (TF) Doug Kalitta        Attac    4.647
                                                          (FC) Gary Scelzi        Dodge    4.956
                                                           (PS) Dave Connolly        Chevrolet    6.671
Oct. 28    The Strip @ Las Vegas (Nev.)        (TF) Rod Fuller        Hadman    4.531
                                                                  (FC) Tony Pedregon        Chevrolet    4.871
                                                                    (PS) Greg Anderson        Pontiac GTO    4.731
Nov. 4    Auto Club Raceway (Calif.)        (TF) Tony Schumacher        Hadman    4.486
                                                            (FC) Robert Hight        Ford    4.731
                                                                (PS) Jeg Coughlin        Chevrolet    6.638
                                                          TF — Top Fuel, FC — Funny Car, PS — Pro Stock                                                                        
                                                                                    Note: Pass is listed in seconds.