MADISON, Ill. — Top Fuel driver Alan Bradshaw didn’t advance to the final round Sunday in the Dexter Tuttle-owned Vis Viva “Living Force Energy” Dragster. But in beating former Tuttle driver J.R. Todd on a holeshot in the opening round, he made a splash in celebrating the life of his close friend, Darrell Russell.
Russell was killed at Gateway Int’l Raceway during eliminations of the 2004 O’Reilly Midwest Nationals.
And Bradshaw paid tribute to the extremely popular rodeo-cowboy driver from Hockley, Texas, with his “Tribute to a Champion — Never Forgotten” special edition dragster.
Bradshaw also wore a custom helmet and firesuit commemorating the event. Darrell’s parents, Gwen and Burnell Russell, and his brother, Chris Russell, attended the race.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled that Darrell is being honored in this way,” Chris Russell said. “This was something Darrell would have been very proud of, and the fact Alan will be driving the car is a perfect fit.”
Bradshaw advanced to the quarterfinals with his first round-win of the year. “I’m glad we turned the win light on for the Russell family,” Bradshaw said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time. Obviously, the high of winning that first round and then the disappointment of not fulfilling what I envisioned this weekend made it pretty emotional for me. I wanted nothing more than to hand the Russell family the Top Fuel Wally at the end of the race.”

• Hot Rod Fuller had a laundry list of people to thank after beating Tony Schumacher and earning his first victory this year.
“Any time you beat the (U.S.) Army car, you’re fired up,” Fuller said. “I’ve had a chip on my shoulder with the way things played out last season, so it does feel really great to beat them. How about this David Powers Motorsports team? Four straight finals with three wins is just awesome.
“I have to dedicate this win to two things. This is the fourth anniversary of the death of Darrell Russell. Darrell and his brother, Chris, partnered with David Powers with the idea of starting a Top Fuel team and they hired me. It was an honor to get that call to drive their car. I’m going to dedicate this win to the Russell family. I also had to fight tears at the top end because this was the first race my mom has seen me win in Top Fuel. She hasn’t been in great health and when I got out of the car, she was in tears. If it wasn’t for my mom and dad, I wouldn’t be here. What a great day.”

• Tim Wilkerson’s 4.744-second elapsed time, which earned him his fourth No. 1 qualifier award in this season’s seven races, was the quickest in the Funny Car class all season. Gary Scelzi, the winningest driver at Gateway Int’l Raceway with three Top Fuel victories and one in the Funny Car class, was one of several drivers who set personal season-best e.t.s  in qualifying. His 4.724-second E.T. and 330.23-mph speed remain Gateway Int’l Raceway records.
 “What a field,” Scelzi said of the 16-car lineup that was separated by just eight-hundredths of a second. “It’s almost like racing Pro Stock. Besides Wilkerson’s 4.744, everybody is jammed in there between a .79 and an .81.”

• Layoff? What layoff? Funding trouble kept Dave Connolly on the Pro Stock sidelines for the first five races this season, but he stormed back with a runner-up finish in only his second race back on the tour. Faring well in front of his new sponsor, St. Louis-based Charter Communications, Connolly qualified third and advanced to the final. But a clutch problem at the starting line against Kurt Johnson foiled his chances of winning his 18th race and repeating his 2007 victory at Gateway. He blamed himself.
“I screwed it up,” Connolly said. “I just let the car go through the (starting) beams and as soon as I went to stop it, the tree was on and I was just dead late. We could’ve run with Kurt…it was a win we should’ve had.”
 
• Two-time Top Fuel rookie-winner Antron Brown qualified the Matco Tools Dragster in the top half of the field for the fifth time this season. In his only attempt Saturday afternoon, Brown erased Doug Kalitta’s 2-year-old, track-speed mark of 330.55 mph with his 331.94.
Referring to Kentucky Derby winner, the former Pro Stock Motorcycle rider said, “I felt like Big Brown cruising down the backstretch at Churchill Downs, running that 331 mph.”  
However, Dave Grubnic took the top- qualifying position with a track-record pass of 4.467 seconds that erased the late Darrell Russell’s 2004 mark of 4.511. That field was a quick one, as well, with final qualifier Luigi Novelli as the only driver with an e.t. slower than 4.60.

• Track records fell in both of the Pro Stock classes. Both of Greg Anderson’s marks disappeared in qualifying. Teammate Jason Line reset the elapsed-time record at 6.571 seconds in leading a class in which only seven-hundredths of a second separated Nos. 1 and 16. Kurt Johnson claimed the speed record at 209.39 mph.
In the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, winner Andrew Hines highlighted the first round of eliminations with a 6.875-second pass, the second-quickest in class history. Top qualifier Matt Smith followed to cap the round with a 6.882-second e.t. victory.

• For the first time this season, “Fast” Jack Beckman missed the Funny Car cut in the Valvoline/Mail Terminal Services Dodge Charger, snapping his record as the active driver with the longest qualifying streak (22 races).