TOP FUEL DRAGSTER

Defending NHRA Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher and tuner Alan Johnson clocked a run of 4.487 seconds at 321.04 mph to lead the Top Fuel field in the U.S. Army-backed dragster.

"It's a long season and that's just one run, but it was a great run,"Schumacher said. "Now we just have to stay focused for the next 200 runs. The surface here is great; it's going to be fast. We even dropped a cylinder on that run, so we'll take what we learned here and run even faster on our next runs. It wouldn't surprise me to see mid- to low-40s over the next couple of days."

Doug Herbert opened the season with a 4.581-second pass at just 264.18 mph in the Snap-on Dragster to put his team solidly in the top half of the qualifying ladder after the first session. "We got down the track and when you're at the first race of the season, making the first pass of the season, that's important," Herbert said.

Two-time NHRA champion Larry Dixon, tuner Dick LaHaie and their Miller Lite Top Fuel team opened the 2005 NHRA season Thursday at Pomona Raceway, where Dixon has collected three of his 35 career NHRA victories. Dixon's Miller Lite/Ameriquest rail overpowered the race track causing the veteran driver to shut off and coast to a pass of 10.035 seconds at 82.45 mph to place Dixon in the No. 16 qualifying position following the first of four scheduled qualifying attempts.

"We were too aggressive with the tune-up and it caused the car to shake the tires," assistant crew chief Don Bender said.

PRO STOCK

Four-time Pomona race winner Jeg Coughlin drove his new Jeg's Mail Order Dodge Stratus R/T to a 6.751 at 203.58 mph which put him fifth on the qualifying sheet and surprised himself in the process.

"When Bob (Glidden, crew chief) got on the radio and said I ran a 6.75 I couldn't believe it," said Coughlin, who won this race in 1999 and 2000. "It actually fired me up and got me really excited because the run just didn't feel that quick. I wasn't 15 feet into the run when the tires started shaking," Coughlin continued. "I grabbed second gear and it started shaking again. I thought I might have to lift (off the accelerator) but then it cleared up at the top of the gear and was smooth from there on out. Our incremental numbers down low weren't great but we were third quickest on the back half of the track so we've got room to improve and that's exciting fix."