NHRA Drag Racing: 2009 Rookie News

The 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season has barely reached the quarter mark, and it already appears that the battle for the coveted Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award, which recognizes the top rookie racer in the series, will be one of the most interesting waged this season.

Prior to the season-opening Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, most attention was focused on Spencer Massey, whom Hall of Famer Don “the Snake” Prudhomme selected to fill the vacant seat of the U.S. Smokeless Top Fuel dragster, and former Pro Mod racer Matt Hagan, who committed to a full season of Funny Car racing as a member of Don Schumacher’s team. A couple of weeks before the season began, a new candidate entered the fray as two-time Lucas Oil Super Comp national champ Shawn Langdon landed a ride in Top Fuel as a teammate to longtime friend Morgan Lucas.

Those who may have thought that the battle for the Road to the Future Award would be a three-way contest among Hagan, Langdon, and Massey were thrown a curveball a few weeks later when freshman Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Doug Horne made it to the final in Houston. Just to make sure he was included in any further discussions, Horne made the final again three weeks later in Atlanta. Now, there are four established contenders for the Road to the Future Award, which is presented annually at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series awards banquet and includes a $20,000 bonus from the Automobile Club of Southern California. Following is a race-by-race look at the ongoing battle.

At the season opener in Pomona, Langdon, Massey, and Hagan all qualified, no easy feat considering that Pros were limited to a single qualifying run due to rain and that more experienced racers, including two-time Top Fuel world champ Larry Dixon, did not make the 16-car fields. Langdon, Massey, and Hagan all lost in the opening round in Pomona, so it would have been difficult to establish an early favorite after just a single race.

Not much changed following the Lucas Oil Slick Mist NHRA Nationals two weeks later in Phoenix, where the three leading nitro contenders each scored his first round-win of the season. Massey, after qualifying fourth, collected his first win when Mike Strasburg red-lighted, and Langdon, the seventh seed, stopped Clay Millican with a 3.87. Hagan qualified eighth in his Dodge Charger-bodied entry and won a close 4.09 to 4.10 decision against Jim Head before losing to his teammate Ron Capps in the quarterfinals.

 
At the next three races, it could be argued that Hagan established himself as an early favorite after posting a semifinal finish in Gainesville and a quarterfinal showing in Houston and driving to the final in Las Vegas before again losing to Capps. Despite an early-season sponsorship change, Hagan scored key wins against Jack Beckman and reigning NHRA Funny Car world champ Cruz Pedregon. After six races, Hagan is ranked fifth, ahead of Del Worsham, Gainesville winner Bob Tasca III, and the team Force cars of John Force, Robert Hight, and Mike Neff.

Langdon’s performance behind the wheel of the Lucas Oil/Dixie Chopper dragster also has made several people take notice: He qualified No. 1 and reached the semifinals in Las Vegas and has carded at least one round-win at four of the first six races. Langdon’s reaction times have been among the best in the class, between .049 and .086 in each of his 11 eliminations rounds.

After gaining his first round-win in Phoenix, Massey suffered through three straight round-one losses before reaching the final at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta. Massey qualified No. 1 with a 3.82 and cruised to the final with three consecutive 3.8-second runs before shaking the tires in the final against first-time winner Morgan Lucas. The Atlanta showing provided a huge boost for Massey in the Full Throttle standings; he is tied with Pomona champ Doug Kalitta for eighth place and trails seventh-place Langdon by just 13 points.

Because Pro Stock Motorcycle teams do not begin their season until the Gainesville race, few people knew about Horne, who spent a couple of seasons aboard a nitro-burning Harley-Davidson in the AHDRA series before joining the Full Throttle tour this season. Riding an S&S-powered Buell that was prepared by Junior Pippin’s crew chief, Rick Maney, the 21-year-old Horne qualified 13th in Gainesville and lost his opening-round race against Angie McBride in spite of a competitive .024 reaction time.

Horne made a lasting impression by reaching the final at the next two motorcycle events, in Houston and Atlanta. In the Houston final, Horne banked three-hundredths against Craig Treble but had to settle for a runner-up after his Horne Concrete entry spun the tire and slowed. In Atlanta, Horne beat Michael Phillips and Karen Stoffer, then used a holeshot to take out former world champ Andrew Hines in the semifinals before being outrun by Hines’ Harley teammate, Eddie Krawiec. In nine eliminations rounds this year, Horne boasts a 6-3 record. He has also not had a single red-light start, and his worst reaction time is a .041.

So, if one were handicapping the rookie of the year battle, who would be the current leader? With two final rounds in three races, Horne certainly has done nothing to hurt his chances. However, if the voting were held today, Massey and Hagan would almost certainly garner votes especially because each has appeared in a final. Langdon also remains a worthy candidate largely due to his consistent driving.

In the next 18 races (14 for Pro Stock Motorcycles), it is likely that one or two candidates will separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Given the level of talent, it seems almost certain that at least one of the four will win a race this year, and it wouldn’t be a total surprise to see all four in the winner’s circle in what may ultimately be the most competitive rookie field in NHRA history.