Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007 | 7:44 a.m.
If you spend enough time in the pits at the National Hot Rod Association's national event this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, you're bound to hear more than a few drivers talk about the pressure of the new "Countdown to the Championship" playoff format to determine the world champions in the four professional categories.
After 21 races, only the top four drivers in points in each category are eligible to win championships, which will be determined in the final two races , beginning with this weekend's ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.
The two-race battle for the championship leaves little room for error and no doubt is causing some sleepless nights for many of the 16 Countdown drivers. One driver who figures to sleep pretty well this weekend is four-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, who knows a thing or two about the pressure of a championship chase.
Last year Schumacher posted the biggest comeback in NHRA history as he overcame a 336-point deficit midway through the season and won the championship in the final round. Schumacher earned his fourth victory of the season in Las Vegas and went into the season finale in Pomona, Calif., trailing Doug Kalitta by 45 points. Schumacher advanced to the final round against Melanie Troxel and needed a win and a national elapsed-time record (which is worth 20 bonus points) to win the championship.
Schumacher not only beat Troxel, he posted a run of 4.428 seconds at 327.98 mph, set the elapsed time record and won the world championship by 14 points over Kalitta.
So when it was suggested to Schumacher that the pressure was on now that the season has come down to a two-race playoff, he shrugged.
"No ... last year came down to it," he said. "The last run. Four seconds left for a championship. Crunch time. A suck-it-up moment - all the cliches you can say, that was it."
Schumacher said the moment surpassed any dreams he had as a youngster of hitting a game-winning home run or scoring a game-winning touchdown as time expired.
"We all have the same dreams - coming from behind when it was totally unexpected and pulling it off," he said. "That's what it was."
One thing Schumacher took from last year's championship battle - as well as his three other championship runs - was to stay focused on the moment and avoid the temptation to think too far ahead. He said his crew chief, Alan Johnson, will make sure he keeps that mind-set in these final two races.
"You have to focus on the round ahead of you," Schumacher said. "Alan's the best at that. I'll be saying, 'If we win this round and then we ...' and he'll say, 'Shut up, you idiot. You've got this round right now and nothing else. Four seconds. You don't have the next eight seconds or 12 seconds if you screw this up, so let's focus.' That's what we do best."
Schumacher also has recent history on his side as he seeks his fifth world championship. Each of the past two seasons, he has capped his season by sweeping the final two races in Las Vegas and Pomona.
"We've done great in these last two races and you almost want to say I wish I didn't use up that luck, but we know how to win these races," he said. "If you were going to set the odds in Vegas, what car would you bet on?"
NHRA odds
Speaking of odds, Schumacher's recent record at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was enough to make him the favorite to win the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, according to odds posted by Station Casinos oddsmaker Micah Roberts.
Schumacher is listed as the 2-1 favorite to win the Las Vegas fall event for the third consecutive year. Brandon Bernstein is next at 5-2 and Las Vegas resident Rod Fuller is listed at 6-1. Larry Dixon, who has four victories at The Strip, is on the board at 4-1.
Tony Pedregon is the 3-1 favorite to win Funny Car and Dave Connolly is 8-5 to win Pro Stock. Greg Anderson, who has won in Las Vegas five times, is 2-1 in Pro Stock.
Force back home
John Force, the 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion who was seriously injured in a crash during a race last month in Texas, returned to his Southern California home Saturday after 27 days at the Baylor University Medical Center and the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation.
Force, 58, suffered multiple injuries to his feet, legs and hands when his Funny Car blew a tire and crashed during a 300-mph run Sept. 23 at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis.
Force will continue to undergo physical therapy in Southern California and has expressed a desire to attend at least one day of this weekend's race in Las Vegas. Force owns the Funny Cars driven by his daughter Ashley and his son-in-law Robert Hight.
4
NHRA Top Fuel victories for Larry Dixon at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
335.57
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway track record, set by Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta in April 2004.
"We like the pressure and we do best with the pressure on us. I expect this Cat team to have a good, solid race."
NHRA Top Fuel driver and Las Vegas resident Rod Fuller, who is seeded second in the "Countdown to One," on this weekend's ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals. Fuller drives the Caterpillar-sponsored dragster for David Powers Motorsports.
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