LOS ANGELES — Tony Schumacher, who became the first Top Fuel driver in NHRA history to win four consecutive POWERade Series world championship crowns by racing to victory at the season finale in Pomona, Calif., headlined the four world-championship winning drivers crowned Nov. 5 during the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series awards ceremony at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.
Three other NHRA POWERade Series world champions — Tony Pedregon, Jeg Coughlin and Matt Smith — also were presented checks and trophies for their achievements during the 2007 POWERade Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s first championship playoffs.
The evening featured two very moving tributes. The first to NHRA founder Wally Parks, who died Sept. 28 at age 94, after a lifetime dedicated to growing and nurturing NHRA to position it as a worldwide leader in motorsports; and the other to Funny Car driver Eric Medlen, who died March 23 from injuries received in a testing crash at Gainesville Raceway four days earlier. Medlen, 33, a team driver for John Force Racing, was one of the bright young stars in the NHRA POWERade Series.
Schumacher received a check for $500,000 from NHRA and POWERade, which also included a $100,000 Countdown bonus. It was Schumacher’s fourth-consecutive crown and his fifth overall, tying him with Joe Amato for most in the category.
Pedregon earned his second series crown and first as a team owner by outlasting Robert Hight, Gary Scelzi and Ron Capps in the Countdown to 1. Pedregon raced to a victory in Las Vegas and then held on to win the championship despite losing in the first round at Pomona. Pedregon earned $500,000 from NHRA and POWERade for the title, which included a $100,000 Countdown bonus. 
Coughlin took his third Pro Stock world championship with a come-from-behind effort, driving his Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt to the win at the season finale and posting a runner-up effort at Las Vegas for a 7-1 eliminations record during the two-race Countdown to 1. The Delaware, Ohio driver was presented a $250,000 check from NHRA and POWERade, which included a $50,000 Countdown bonus.
Smith earned his first NHRA POWERade Series world championship in Pro Stock Motorcycle by winning the Auto Club Finals in a winner-take-all final round against Chip Ellis, who finished second in the series standings, six points back. 
Funny Car driver Ashley Force won the $20,000 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, which recognizes NHRA’s rookie of the year. A distinguished panel of auto racing journalists selected Force, who two weeks ago in Las Vegas became the first female driver in NHRA history to advance to a final round in Funny Car. The 24-year-old second generation racer is only the 10th woman to compete in the 7,000 horsepower category. Other nominees were Justin Humphreys, Craig Hankinson and Matt Scranton in Pro Stock and Barry Henson in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Chevrolet won the NHRA Manufacturers Cup for the 16th time, an NHRA record. NHRA Pro Owner’s Cups were presented to Don Schumacher (Top Fuel); Tony Pedregon (Funny Car); and Victor Cagnazzi (Pro Stock).
The future stars of the sport, drivers in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, also were recognized as 2007 world champions: Bill Reichert (Top Alcohol Dragster); Frank Manzo (Top Alcohol Funny Car); Frank Aragona, Jr. (Competition Eliminator); Darren Smith (Super Stock); Michael Iacono (Stock Eliminator); Shawn Langdon (Super Comp) and Sherman Adcock, Jr. (Super Gas).