NHRA Midwest Nationals

2013 Champion Shawn Langdon this season was extremely unstable, alternating good performances with gatherings at the beginning of the races Shootout. However, the pilot demonstrated last weekend, definitely can be called the best event in his performance during the current national championship. Langdon race day came across as opponents of the best racers of the championship, and all without exception, he dealt very confident, if not effortlessly. In the first round, Shawn knocked out of the fight the leader of the standings Brown anthrone, and then take care of the number two in the standings Doug Kalittoy, in the semifinals sent home Richie Kremptona, Squeezer qualified better than anyone, but in the decisive battle destroyed victor Indianapolis, Tony Schumacher, who seemed, again on horseback.
By the way, two-time champion Antron Brown has not lost to St. Louis in 2010, and now here I stumbled on a souped teammate in the first round. At the end of the event Torrence rolled from third place to sixth, Schumacher took his position, and Langdon fluttered on three lines up and placed in fourth place. Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta is still in the lead in the standings, but it is not as confident as it was a week earlier.

Pilots DSR made this event from the beginning to the end, staked the race at the end of the first three places in the standings. John Force Racing team at full strength crumbled in the second round, but before you go to pack things in the paddock, John Force managed to defeat Cases Vorshema than heavily tarnished the current champion of the situation on points, and thus the prospects for the second title in the class. Kalitta Motorsports pilot fell back to fifth place, and he was replaced by Tommy Johnson, the second time in a row to break into the semi-finals. Force senior because of an early exit has presented the third place of the standings Jack Beckman, who, after a series of setbacks has finally returned to the podium, climbing over one weekend immediately on five points. DSR competition on that event could make except that Tim Vilekerson, but this time the only remaining followers of the Blue Oval has suffered from a lack of a hook.
For Ron Capps with each step becomes more difficult to maintain leadership, but, given what is at stake is the first in his career Big Wally, then relax and do contraindicated. In the first round of the pilot, however, he was able, exhale when his opponent John Bodzhek was forced to withdraw from the arrival because of the technical problems that arise suddenly, but his teammates this time proved to be stronger. Beckman and completely flipped all his rivals like nuts, having met on the day of the race only one worthy opponent in the person of John Force, which was the key moment in his triumph.

Alex Laughlin made a genuine sensation in St. Louis. No joke, a smile shone on the runway the pilot, who did not come out in the Countdown To The Championship, and, in fact, his victory is significant only in the context of a personal driver statistics. As he joked Laughlin: «After the gate in the playoff closed for me, I decided to slightly spoil the blood of all the other participants, who will continue to fight for the championship.» By the way, at the last event in Concord Alex for the first time in his career he was marked in the semifinals, and a week later have to be finished in the decisive duel with one of the pilots unconditionally dominant team.
As for KB Racing, the Midwest Nationals after the last triumph was formed for Greg Anderson and Jason Line is not the best way: lots pushed the best riders of the year their heads in the second round, and the winner of the newly released leader of the standings, which thanks to the victory in the semifinals secured its position. Bo Butner remains the only member of the KB Racing, who, despite repeated appearance in the semi-finals, he still had not managed to hold out for the trophy this season. However, against the background of a disastrous performance by Vincent Nobila, he returned in the individual competition which has already become a familiar layout: Line first, followed by Anderson and Butner closes the top three.
Star Elite Motorsports all as irrelevant: the five-time champion Jag Coughlin and last year's victor Erica Enders Stephens steadily continue to merge in the first round and did not get out from the bottom of the standings.

Pilot Event: Alex Laughlin, unfortunately, broke into the big game when the train called Countdown To The Championship is gone. But it is worth noting a curious fact: at the moment the young rider exactly the same number of victories in the races Shootout in the last two stages, as well as at the championship leader Jason Line. Sam Laughlin said that, most likely, no longer appears behind the wheel of the car Pro Stock class this year, but it is very interesting to look at him in the next season: perhaps we are witnessing the birth of a new star drag racing.

Failure Event: Pat Daykin second consecutive home sends the pilots, who, unlike himself have every chance to compete for the title. This time he udelal Steve Torrence in the first round, so one of the brightest participants in a series of rolled immediately on three points. And this in the context of an extremely tight fight, it may turn out to Torrance, if not tragic, serious problems at a minimum.

Check Event: The fate of the three races in the second round decided thousandths of a second, but it was truly amazing confrontation John Force and Jack Beckman. Beckman ahead of veteran only 0.001 seconds, and this fact has largely become a key to Jack's victory in St. Louis. Net shestnadtsatikratny time champion was better, but failed the launch cost John a chance to continue their winning streak started in Denver.

Next stop — Reading. And this time should refrain from predictions, painfully unpredictable results of each stage, and the difference on points in the standings will not allow any party to relax the championship, if not to take into account absolutely frank outsiders.

Photo: NHRA, from open sources