Pomona hosts 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals

On the weekend of Feb. 7-10, the National Hot Rod Association began its POWERade series at the 48th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. Thousands of fans attended the event held at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona where Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight and Greg Anderson started off the season with a bang.

“The Winternationals are the first of 24 races in our NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season. This year's Winternationals was the 48th annual, dating back to1960,” Michael Padian, NHRA spokesman said.

“The NHRA's headquarters are in Glendora and Auto Club Raceway at the Pomona Fairplex is our home track and the site of our first and last races of the season,” Padian said.

Schumacher, who competes in the Top Fuel category in the U.S. Army dragster, claimed his victory with a 4.49-second pass at 331 mph. He now has a total of 42 Top Fuel wins putting him in second place on the all time NHRA Top Fuel wins list.

“It was a great way to start the season," said U.S. Army Racing spokesman, Chris Dirato, after his team's CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals win. "In the past, we've been a little slow coming out of the gate, but to win in Pomona was a refreshing change. Hopefully, this will be a sign of things to come.”

Schumacher is the current Top Fuel point leader with 116 points followed by teammate Cory McClenathan with 93 points.

“We would love to win a fifth straight POWERade world championship for our soldiers. They deserve nothing but the best from us in terms of effort. Also, it would be nice to see Tony (Schumacher) get a sixth career title, which would be a Top Fuel record," Dirato said.

Top fuel dragsters are cars built specifically for racing, known for the loud noise that their engines generate. They are long narrow cars with thin front tires that can accelerate from 0 to 100 mph in 0.8 seconds.

Schumacher dedicated his win to fellow Top Fuel driver Doug Herbert who lost his two sons, Jon and James, in an automobile accident last month.

Robert Hight, who competes in the Funny Car category in the Auto Club Ford Mustang is married to the eldest daughter of NHRA legend John Force. Hight had a 4.861-second final run at 284.39 mph winning him his second straight race. He is the current Funny Car point leader with 112 points followed by Cruz Pedregon.

Funny Cars look very similar to the manufacture models but must conform to rather strict guidelines. The rear wheels are moved forward on the chassis increasing traction on the oversized rear tires leaving the cars looking a little “funny.”

This year’s Winternationals marked the return of Force to competitive racing after he was injured in an accident last season. After successfully qualifying, Force went up against Tony Pedregon in the highlight run of the weekend. Towards the end of the race, Pedregon’s Q Horsepower Chevy Impala SS burst into flames as Force won the first-round matchup and advanced into the semifinals. Pedregon received a few minor burns and an upsetting loss.

The Pro Stock final was full of excitement as Greg Anderson, behind the wheel of the Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP surpassed Jeg Coughlin by a mere .02-second. His 6.616, 209.23 run eliminated Coughlin’s 6.638, 208.42. He is the fifth winningest driver in NHRA history with 52 career race wins.

Pro stock cars must two-door coupe or two-door sedan that is no more than five years old. The cars cannot use artificial induction turbocharging, supercharging or nitrous oxide.

The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series will return to Pomona in November to end the season at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.