Schumacher & Force Win

Force Dedicates Victory to Medlen

By Butch Noble   Photos by the Author

2007 marked the 20^th running of the FRAM Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and the fans who packed the grandstands got their money's worth.

Winning in Top Fuel was defending NHRA POWERade champion Tony Schumacher. Schumacher’s Army sponsor/Don Schumacher Racing ran consistant 4.50s every round.  In the final round he faced off against the UPS car of Bob Vandergriff. It was close, but Schumacher won with a 4.534-second/329.42 mph pass to Vandergriff’s 4.597/305.84 mph run.

“Bob gave us a great race,” Schumacher said. “He was next to us the whole run, just like we knew he would be.”

2006 Funny Car Champion John Force took an emotional run while in Sonoma. Force’s Castrol Mustang beat the Checker Schuck’s Kragen Imapla SS of Del Worsham in the final with a 4.831 blast. Worsham tried hard, but his 4.851 came up just a little short.

Force immediately dedicated his win to Eric Medlen, who lost his life earlier this year in a testing accident. He also gave his winning trophy to John Medlen, Eric’s father. Medlen had won the event in 2006.

“We had a team meeting this morning and I said between me, Ashley (John’s daughter) and Robert (Hight), one of us had to win this race for Eric,“ said Force after the race. “We wanted to win and dedicate it to Eric.”

In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson took the win over teammate and 2006 series champion Jason Line. Anderson left first when the lights went green and pulled away to the win running 6.657/207.72 to Line’s 6.668/204.08.

Anderson is now 7-0 in final rounds in 2007, and the victory was his 50^th Pro Stock win.

Anderson said, “We haven’t been up to par lately, but it appears the slump is over.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith, riding his Torco Fuel Buell, came out with the win over the Screamin’ Eagles Harley-Davidson of  Eddie Krawiec.