Friday finds NHRA points shuffled

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One point separates Top Fuel rivals on final weekend

NHRA Top Fuel driver Tony Schumacher and crew chief Alan Johnson have been invincible.

The two combined to win five straight Top Fuel championships over the last five seasons, several coming in dominating fashion.

But during last offseason, Johnson and Schumacher parted ways.

Haas, Price in lead

Jay Haas and Nick Price shared the lead at the Greater Hickory Classic on Saturday, but 31 players were within six strokes of the leaders going into the final round at the Champions Tour event in Conover.

Haas, the 2005 winner, and Price are at 11-under 133 after two rounds at Rock Barn Golf and Spa's Robert Trent Jones course.

Haas, a former standout at Wake Forest, shot a 1-under 71, while Price -- a three-time majors winner on the PGA Tour -- vaulted into contention with a 5-under 67.

Jeff Arend, team owner Connie Kalitta get win

MEMPHIS, Tenn. Jeff Arend and Funny Car team owner and NHRA icon Connie Kalitta celebrated an emotional, tearful victory Monday at the rain-delayed O'Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Joining Arend in the winner's circle at the 21st of 24 races in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series were Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Michael Phillips (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Arend, who replaced Connie's late son Scott Kalitta in the DHL Solara, turned in a blistering 4.091 at 310.41 in the final round to easily outrun Tony Pedregon's trailing 16.659 at 37.81. The speed was the fifth fastest 1000-foot Funny Car speed recorded.

Schumacher says trophy going to Fort Hood

POMONA, Calif. Tony Schumacher won his sixth straight and seventh overall Top Fuel championship on Sunday, beating Larry Dixon by two points in the closest season title race in NHRA history.

Schumacher was on deck, sitting on a two-point lead over Dixon, when Dixon was upset in the semifinals by Spencer Massey, clinching the title for the U.S. Army team.

"This trophy will go to Fort Hood. I don't think there's any question in the world where it belongs," Schumacher said. "We'll present it to the family, the friends, everyone at that base."

Edwards nears his first NHRA title

Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards went wire-to-wire at the NHRA Virginia Nationals on Sunday, earning the maximum 150 points to all but clinch his first career NHRA Full Throttle Series world championship.

Del Worsham (Funny Car) and Brandon Bernstein (Top Fuel) also won at Virginia Motorsports Park in the fourth of six races in the NHRA playoffs, the Countdown to 1.

Edwards qualified No. 1, earned the maximum 12 per-session qualifying bonus points and the 20-point bonus for setting a national record (6.509 seconds) to become the first driver to record the maximum 150 points at a single race.