Baytown: Post race notes

TOP FUEL

* J.R. Todd, of Avon, Ind., claimed his fifth career victory in 23 career starts by powering his Skull Gear dragster to the win over Joe Hartley's Hartley Racing dragster. Todd posted a winning performance of 4.603 seconds at 313.80 mph to Hartley's 4.645 at 307.79.

* With the victory, Todd moved into second place in the POWERade standings, behind leader Rod Fuller.

* Todd dedicated his victory to the memory of friend Eric Medlen and to John Force Racing. Funny Car driver Medlen died March 23rd from injuries suffered in a testing crash on March 19 at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.

* Whit Bazemore earned the No. 1 qualifying position with his 4.514-second pass at 326.87 mph. It was Bazemore's first career Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier in his fourth career Top Fuel race. It is his 30th career No. 1 qualifying award (29 No. 1s in FC).

* Bazemore became the 15th driver in NHRA history to earn No. 1 qualifiers in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.

* Fuller's Caterpiller dragster team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.

FUNNY CAR

* Ron Capps, of Carlsbad, Calif., earned his second victory of the season and 24th of his career by powering his Brut Dodge Charger to the win with a 4.868-second pass at 307.93 mph over Cruz Pedregon's 5.025 at 270.97 in his Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo.

* It was Capps' 24th career victory and his second straight at Houston Raceway Park and his second straight this season.

* Capps moved into first place in the POWERade Series standings.

* Cruz Pedregon moved solidly inside the top eight in the Countdown standings. He's currently in sixth place, 15 points ahead of ninth place Bob Gilbertson.

* Cruz Pedregon earned the No. 1 qualifying position with his 4.796-second pass at 300.20 mph. It was the 33rd career No. 1 qualifier for the 1992 POWERade Series champion.

* John Force Racing's three cars did not compete at the event while the team continued to grieve the death of teammate Eric Medlen; It is the first time since Brainerd 1985 that 14-time world champ John Force missed an NHRA event.

* Tony Pedregon's Q Racing Chevy Monte Carlo team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.

PRO STOCK

* Jason Line, from Terrell, N.C., moved into second place in the POWERade standings with his narrow .0063-second win over Allen Johnson. Line powered his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO to a 6.661 at 207.75 against Johnson's 6.712 at 206.26.

* This was Line's 13th career win in 26 career final rounds and his first at HRP.

* Jeg Coughlin earned his ninth career No. 1 qualifier with his 6.649-second pass at 208.17 mph.

* Coughlin's low elapsed time of 6.649 seconds is a track record. Greg Anderson posted a track speed record of 208.59 mph.

* Line's .0063-second win over Allen Johnson in the semifinals of final eliminations was good enough for the $1,000 Motel 6 Who Got the Light Award.

* Greg Anderson retained a 45-point lead over teammate Jason Line at the top of the POWERade Series standings.

* Jeg Coughlin's Slammer's/Jegs.com Chevy Cobalt team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

* Angelle Sampey, from Mathews, La., won her second straight race at Houston Raceway and third race in five years here. She defeated Craig Treble in the final with a 7.046 at 188.91 against Treble's 7.516 at 145.59. It was her 41st career victory, most for a female in NHRA history.

* This was the fifth straight year that a female has won in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the O'Reilly Spring Nationals and the sixth time in the last seven years.

* This is the second win by a female in two races in Pro Stock Motorcycle to begin the 2007 season (Karen Stoffer won the Gatornationals).

* Matt Smith's 6.968-second pass at 191.76 on Friday night was good enough to earn him his fourth career No. 1 qualifying position.

* Sampey set the track E.T. record at 6.947 seconds.

* Angelle Sampey's U.S. Army Suzuki team won the Full Throttle Pit Crew challenge award.

-credit: nhra