BILL STEPHENS “IN THE GROOVE” 5/17/10

It’s been a long time since things have looked so sweet at JFR.

After Robert’s convincing win in Atlanta this past Sunday, the Full Throttle standings tell the entire story: John, Ashley, and Robert are sweeping the first three places with the regular season eight races old with all three drivers feeling more confident and inspired with each passing event.

Are you beginning to have flashbacks like I am to a time when every other team in the Funny Car class dreaded the thought of facing John or Tony Pedregon or Gary Densham? Do you remember just about the time the new millennium began that there wasn’t another outfit in the category that could bring as much swagger and attitude to the starting line than JFR? That mood had been quite diminished over the past few years as other operations stepped up and could compete on a head to head basis with John and Company.

The pendulum has now begun to swing back the other way with JFR dominating the class just as it did at the beginning of this decade. The Countdown to the Championship format definitely has changed the dynamic of leading the points heading into the U.S. Nationals and it’s what happens in the later stages of the season which has a much more critical influence on what decides the champion in each pro class. But you can’t help but feel that the current consistency and self-assurance which John, Ashley, and Robert are exhibiting on race day since this past February will carry through into the home stretch of the 2010 campaign.

The biggest threat to the championship coming back to JFR after Robert’s title last season? No surprises there. Don Schumacher’s exceptional team will play the foreground role in challenging JFR to the crown in 2010. Yes, there are other very capable drivers and teams which have to be considered as championship contenders, but overall; the Capps/Beckman/Hagan triumvirate lacks nothing when it comes to having all the necessary elements to win—and win a lot. It’s not just some silly coincidence that those three drivers are now sitting in the 4, 5, and 6 spots in the Full Throttle standings and will be hard on the trail of the JFR gang all the way through the long, hot summer and into the decisive events which comprise the Countdown to One.

This weekend, we race again at Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, KS, a track where John has amassed a staggering nine national event wins since 1993, including his win there in 2008, and you can bet Ashley and Robert will be dialed into picking up there first career victories at HPT.

It’s off to the Jayhawk State!