Month in Review: November 2004, The

National Dragster, Dec 17, 2004

Introspection, retrospection, reflection, and prognostication: Each month, the National DRAGSTER staff will reflect on the happenings from the previous 30 (or 31) days, recapping the month's biggest headlines, tracking hot streaks, cold streaks, trends, and more, and casting a speculative eye to the upcoming month.

Events covered this month

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series: Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pomona Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Div. 7)

NOVEMBER HEADLINES

Nov. 1: Retired six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein returned to the cockpit in Las Vegas for a full pass in son Brandon's Budweiser Top Fuel dragster.

Nov. 1: Jr. Drag Racing League alumna and current Sportsman racer Erica Enders upgraded her competition license in Las Vegas to include Pro Stock.

Nov. 2: Autolite XP Spark Plugs and Prestone Antifreeze announced a major-sponsorship agreement with Bob Gilbertson's Terminator Motorsports Funny Car team beginning in 2005.

Nov. 3: Top Fuel driver Scott Weis announced a one-race sponsorship with Lobster Gram for the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.

Nov. 5: CMKM Diamonds announced it will support three racers in 2005: Funny Car drivers Jeff Arend and Tony Bartone and Pro Stock Bike rider Connie Cohen.

Nov. 10: NHRA announced special online benefits for members in 2005, including extended live audiocasts on NHRA.com.

Nov. 11: Famed drag racer Tony Nancy, whose beautiful cars and upholstery work on machines for street and strip made him a revered name in motorsports, died after a long illness.

Nov. 13: The American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association announced it will honor NHRA legend Kenny Bernstein with its Pioneer In Racing award at its annual All-America Team dinner in January.

Nov. 13: Andrew Hines, 21, became the youngest NHRA POWERade national champion in history by qualifying for the season closer in Pomona.

Nov. 13: Warren Johnson, Pro Stock's winningest driver and a six-time NHRA champion, announced that he will retire from driving at the end of the 2005 season.

Nov. 13: The Darrell Russell Memorial Auction shattered pre-event expectations. Saturday's live and silent auctions netted more than $270,000.

Nov. 14: Tony Schumacher won a record 10th Top Fuel event at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. He was joined in victory by fellow Pro winners John Force, Greg Anderson, and Chip Ellis.

Nov. 15: Schumacher headlined four championship-winning drivers and Jason Line received the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award during the 2004 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Nov. 17: Don Prudhomme Racing accepted the resignation of driver Ron Capps. Sponsor Skoal Racing announced it will remain involved with the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and its Skoal Showdown as well as with the NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series and Snake Racing Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr.

Nov. 18: Pontiac-GMC Division announced that it will return in 2005 as official car and official truck of NHRA.

Nov. 20: Bob Gilbertson named veteran crewmember Tommy DeLago as co-crew chief of his Autolite XP Spark Plugs/Prestone Antifreeze Funny Car to work alongside Nick Boninfante Jr.

Nov. 21: Don Schumacher Racing announced that three-time NHRA champion Jeg Coughlin will join his powerful camp in 2005 with a new Jeg's Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T in Pro Stock.

Nov. 22: The NHRA Competition Committee announced a maximum nitromethane percentage for nitro-injected dragsters of 96 percent in 2005.

Nov. 23: NHRA released the 14-event AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR schedule for 2005. Ten races will be held at NHRA national events.

Nov. 23: Robert "Gus" Leighton, 76, one of the original members of the Dust Devils Auto Club that operates California's Inyokern Dragstrip, died after a short illness.

Nov. 29: NHRA announced the promotions of Gary Darcy to senior vice president-marketing and Glen Cromwell to vice president-national event marketing.

BEST PERFORMANCES

Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher won his 10th event of the season in Pomona, setting a new class season record.

John and Ashley Force became the first father-daughter tandem to score national event victories at the same event, in Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster, respectively, at the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. The victory was the third of the season for Ashley in her rookie campaign in Top Alcohol Dragster.

Angelle Savoie raced from third to second place in the standings, just 38 points from first, with her Pro Stock Bike victory in Pomona.

Mitch Myers secured the Top Alcohol Dragster championship by winning in Las Vegas and Pomona, the latter of which included a class-best run of 5.10 seconds.

Lyndon Rutland and Jonathan Womack each scored fourth-round finishes in Las Vegas, then, in clutch m performances, went the required five rounds in Pomona to pass the points leaders and win respective Super Comp and Super Gas championships.