Month in Review: February 2005, The

National Dragster, Mar 18, 2005

Introspection, retrospection, reflection, and prognostication: Each month, the National DRAGSTER staff will reflect on the happenings from the previous 30 or 31 days (28 this month), 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: CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals, Pomona; Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals presented by Castrol, Phoenix

Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series: Bradenton Motorsports Park and Gainesville Raceway (Div. 2)

FEBRUARY HEADLINES

Feb. 2: NHRA.com unveiled a sneak peek at its new NHRA members-only website so that fans could preregister and kick the tires on the new section before its official launch.

Feb. 2: Entrepreneur and driver Kenny Koretsky purchased Nitro Fish Wear, the company that sponsors his NHRA Pro Stock Dodge Stratus R/T.

Feb. 5: Recognizing the hard work of select nitro-category crews, NHRA dispersed more than $50,000 in 2004 oildown fines to the 10 teams with the best record of runs versus oildowns.

Feb. 5: Dave Connolly won the 13th annual Pontiac Pro Stock SuperBowl at Houston Raceway Park, beating fellow young Pro Richie Stevens.

Feb. 7: Former Star Racing rider Angie McBride announced her return to the Pro Stock Motorcycle class in 2005 with her own McBride Racing Suzuki GSX-R.

Feb. 8: To help celebrate its 30th anniversary, VP Racing Fuels announced a special 30/30 Award program for Sportsman racers, rewarding a drum of fuel to the 30th qualifier in rotating classes at national events.

Feb. 9: NHRA and Coca-Cola North America named Full Throttle the official energy drink of NHRA and introduced an awards program to reward and recognize NHRA pit crews in each of the four POWERade classes.

Feb. 10: Jeg's Mail Order signed a multiyear agreement with NHRA to become the title sponsor of both NHRA SPORTSnationals events, the second annual Jeg's.com NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals, to be held April 22-24 at Louisiana's No Problem Raceway Park, and the inaugural Jeg's NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals, to be held July 28-31 at Ohio's National Trail Raceway.

Feb. 10: Funny Car ace John Force announced that he has signed a contract extension with BP Lubricants that wiU keep him in the cockpit of the Castrol GTX Start Up Ford Mustang through the 2010 NHRA Drag Racing season.

Feb. 10: Ameriquest Mortgage inked a one-year deal as a marketing partner of NHRA. In addition, the mortgage-lending institution will be the title-rights sponsor of the Ameriquest Mortgage NHRA Nationals in Chicago Sept. 29-Oct. 2.

Feb. 10: Following its deal with Don Schumacher Racing to sponsor a Ron Capps-driven nitro Funny Car, Brut signed on as an NHRA official sponsor.

Feb. 13: Scott Kalitta, Tommy Johnson Jr., and Dave Connolly scored big wins at the season-opening 45th annual CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals.

Feb. 14: Two-time NHRA POWERade Top Fuel world champion Larry Dixon toured the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz at its home port in Coronado, Calif.

Feb. 15: NHRA announced that The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada will televise the entire 23-event NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series in 2005, dedicating 60 hours.

Feb. 17: NHRA announced the continuation of its relationship with The American Forces Network to provide men and women in uniform stationed overseas with race coverage for the 2005 season.

Feb. 24: Top Fuel team owner Bill Miller announced that he and driver Brady Kalivoda have amicably parted ways. Miller will replace Kalivoda with second-generation racer Bobby Lagana Jr. on an interim basis.

Feb. 27: Reigning NHRA POWERade Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher scored a convincing win at the 21st Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals, where he was joined in victory by John Force and Alien Johnson.

WHO WAS HOT

Phil Burkart Jr. followed a runner-up at the Winternationals with a semifinal finish at his sponsor's event, the Checker Schuck's Kragen NHRA Nationals, to grab the first points lead of his career.

Though his driver Tony Schumacher was only 50-50 at the wheel, U.S. Army crew chief Alan Johnson had a hot hand, tuning Schumacher to the No. 1 qualifying spot and low e.t. at both of the season's first two events and a win in Phoenix.

With a semifinal finish in Pomona and a runner-up in Phoenix, Ron Krisher has one of the more consistent cars in Pro Stock.

Dave Connolly was undefeated through mid-February after scoring a win at the Pontiac Pro Stock SuperBowl and a huge victory at the Winternationals.

Richie Stevens runner-upped to Connolly at the SuperBowl and wowed the Pro Stock troops with a surprising No. 1 qualifying berth in Phoenix.

Proving that late 2004 was no fluke, Morgan Lucas scored a runner-up and semifinal finish in Top Fuel at the season's first two events and recorded a career-best pass in Pomona.

Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Frank Manzo may have lost his long-held national championship last season but not his desire to have the number 1, as evidenced by a long tow west that was rewarded with a Winternationals victory.