Motor Sports Weekly News

By: Drew Hierwarter

They call it the “Belagio” of drag strips. The brand new “Z-Max Dragway” built by Bruton Smith’s Speedway Motorsports corporation near Charlotte, North Carolina is the newest and most elegant venue on the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing circuit. It’s just across the street from one of Smith’s other famous properties, Lowes Motor Speedway. And in typical Bruton Smith fashion, the opening event was nothing short of spectacular. A sold out crowd of more than 35,000 watched as Tony Schumacher continued his assault on the Top Fuel record books.

Schumacher has now gone a record 28 consecutive rounds without a loss. He has not lost a drag race since late June! He has been in 84 final rounds in his career and 14 this season, tying Larry Dixon’s single season record. His win this Sunday was his seventh straight of 2008 and the 53^rd of his career, breaking the previous record held by Hall-of-Fame driver and five time series champion, Joe Amato.

“It will hit me later.” Schumacher said about breaking the record, “I am very aware of it. I know how difficult it is, and I know how great Joe Amato is, but I also thought that I need to keep winning races so we can get another championship.”

Jack Beckman had one his best days as a Funny Car driver, beating former champ Cruz Pedregon in his fourth straight final round appearance. And Justin Humphreys was victorious in Pro Stock when opponent Kurt Johnson’s car would not start.

                                                           -   -   - 

NASCAR’s first race in the “Chase for the Championship” took a nasty turn for Kyle Busch as the top seeded driver had mechanical trouble early that led to a crash that resulted in the team losing all of the points advantage they had gained by winning eight races during the regular season. He finished 34^th, 12 laps down and dropped from first to eighth in points, 74 behind leader Carl Edwards.

Greg Biffle, by winning Sunday’s race in Loudon, New Hampshire jumped six spots in the points to third, just 30 points behind Jimmie Johnson. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jeff Burton round out the top five as the chase moves on to Dover’s “Monster Mile” next weekend.

                                                                      -   -   -

In short track action on Saturday night, Richard Bosworth II won the 150 lap UARA late model race at Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Virginia, driving a car out of the JR Motorsports shops of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Kyle Grissom, son of two time NASCAR Busch Grand National Champion Steve Grissom, took advantage of his outside front row starting position and jumped to an early lead over pole sitter Matt McCall.  Grissom led for the first 75 laps after which McCall, Jake Crum, and Boswell all took turns at the front. In the end it was Boswell holding off the late race charge of Crum to take the checkers. Jamie Yelton, Grissom, and Wade Day filled out the rest of the top five while Jamey Caudill in another car out of the JR Motorsports stable was sixth.