“'Biker Down' ministers to injured motorcyclists - Asheville Citizen-Times” plus 4 more

'Biker Down' ministers to injured motorcyclists - Asheville Citizen-Times
Motor Magic a success for MCID - Minot Daily News
Local Sports: Drag Racing — Ashley Force Hood wins Funny Car - Elkhart Truth
Schumacher ties mark for Top Fuel wins at Indy - WHAS 11
Indy ORP: Series final eliminations report - Motorsport.com

'Biker Down' ministers to injured motorcyclists - Asheville Citizen-Times

Posted: 07 Sep 2009 09:29 PM PDT

ASHEVILLE — When Monty Fuchs heard about a fatal motorcycle wreck on Town Mountain Road, he thought it was just another sport bike rider who took the curves a little too fast.

I saw it on the news, and I kind of judged real quickly and thought, They probably got what they deserved racing up that road,' Fuchs said. I felt really bad when I found out who it was.

Fuchs learned that the victims of the July 24 crash were Nathan Jake Bucker and his wife, Felicia.

Fuchs, the technology director for Buncombe County Schools, works with Felicia Buckner.

She was riding on the back of a motorcycle driven by her husband, Nathan Jake Buckner, 26, when he lost control of the bike in a curve and it slid under an oncoming pickup, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.

The crash killed Nathan Buckner and critically injured his wife, who remains hospitalized.

As soon as I found out it was Felicia, it just broke my heart, Fuchs said. So I started Biker Down.

Biker Down WNC is a resource and ministry that supports motorcyclists injured in crashes and their families, through prayer, visits and fundraising, Fuchs said.

The group has a Web site, bikerdownwnc.org, with an accident updates blog that lists news about victims of recent motorcycle accidents in Western North Carolina.

The mountains and windy roads attract motorcyclists from far and wide. When one of them crashes, they might not have any support.

It takes a while for their (out-of-town bikers') family to get here and when their family gets here, they don't know where to eat or where to stay, Fuchs said.

I put together Biker Down so that we could minister to them, support them in one way or another.

Fuchs said there are about 35 people who help Biker Down. Several motorcycle groups, including Freedom Biker Church, Carolina Faith Riders, the Smoky Mountain Harley Owner's Group and Concerned Bikers Association, have all helped support Biker Down.

The group supports all riders, regardless of what kind of motorcycle they ride or group they might belong to, Fuchs said.

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Motor Magic a success for MCID - Minot Daily News

Posted: 07 Sep 2009 08:54 PM PDT

Late Monday afternoon at Magic City International Dragway had an eerie silence.

Cars, bikes, sleds, dragsters, jr. dragsters, all were being loaded as the 2009 Motor Magic wrapped up at MCID. For the Magic City board members the weekend was a success.

"We had a great weekend, for sure one of the best we've had so far," MCID board member Brenden Howe said. "It's easily our best Motor Magic. We had a ton of cars, a lot of great competition and a good turnout of fans.

"I don't think we could have asked for a better weekend."

Howe said the track received plenty of positive feedback from the four-day event.

"It was all positive, and that's a good thing because our goal was to make this event the best it could possibly be," he said. "I feel that we accomplished that and we are looking forward to doing it all over again next year."

While Motor Magic is a wrap, there is still plenty of competition left at Magic City. Two weekends remain with points titles on the line in each of the classes.

"Two more weekends and it should be pretty interesting," Howe said. "We expect plenty of good racing the final two weeks."

There was plenty of racing over the past four days at Motor Magic, which concluded with the final runs on Monday.

Taking home the King of the Track honor was Terry Locke, who also won the Motor Magic Box title on Sunday.

Dustin Jones won the overall Top Comp championship, Dustin Yoder the Mod ET and Mike Senechal took home the Pro Street crown. Yoder also won the Highest Wheelie competition.

Also taking home some hardware were Motorcycle and Sled winners Tim Dornheim, Bruce Phillips and Jim Rick.

Tanner Schiffen and Willie Forrest won titles in the Jr. Drags, while Eric Gietzen won Saturday's bracket racing and Dave Padder won the No-Box title.

Rick Hartleib won for the Longest Wheelie and Jim Isack took honors for the Best Burnout competition.

"We had just a lot of great racing all weekend and we are expecting some great racing coming up also," Howe said.

Magic City International Dragaway will continue its points competition this Friday and into the weekend.

Magic City International Dragway

Motor Magic Results

Saturday

Bracket - 1. Eric Gietzen; 2. Angela Wright.

Bike/Sled - 1. Bruce Phillips; 2. Rick Grimm.

Jr. Drags - 1. Tanner Schiffen; 2. Willie Forrest.

Sunday

Box - Terry Locke; 2. David Schiffner.

No-Box - 1. Dave Padder; 2. Ron Brossart.

Stimilus - 1. Kirby Mutschelknay; 2. Steve Berg.

Bike/Sled 1. Tim Dornheim; 2. Dave Krahn.

Longest Wheelie - Rick Hartleib.

Best Burnout - Jim Isack.

Highest Wheelie - Dustin Yoder.

Monday

Top Comp - 1. Dustin Jones; 2. Keith Horob.

Bike/Sled - 1. Jim Rick; 2. Terry Williams.

Mod ET - 1. Dustin Yoder; 2. Jesse Schoon.

Pro Street - 1. Mike Senechal; 2. Angela Wright.

Jr. Drags - 1. Willie Forrest; 2. Damon Doerr.

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Local Sports: Drag Racing — Ashley Force Hood wins Funny Car - Elkhart Truth

Posted: 07 Sep 2009 08:32 PM PDT

CLERMONT -- Robert Hight's to-do list at the 55th U.S. Nationals:

* Qualify No. 1. Check.

* Make NHRA championship playoffs. Check.

* Win race. Post-race note to self: Take sister-in-law off Christmas card list.

Ashley Force Hood spoiled Hight's big weekend, winning her first Indy. But not before Hight elbowed his way into the Countdown for 1.

"Obviously, Robert wanted to win and I want to win," said Force Hood, John Force's 26-year-old daughter, "but we knew we'd be in that winner's circle either way -- our family would be in that winner circle."

Tony Schumacher won his eighth U.S. Nationals Top Fuel title, tying the record set by Big Daddy Don Garlits, Jeg Coughlin Jr. took Pro Stock for the third time, and Hector Arana rode to victory in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Here's a look back at race day:

FUNNY CAR

Hight started the day as the No. 1 qualifier, but he still needed to crack the top 10 in points if he wanted to race for a season championship. That meant going two more rounds than Cruz Pedregon or Matt Hagan.

Force Hood's Ford Mustang dusted Hagan's Dodge Charger in round one, while Hight's Mustang dumped Grant Downing's Chevy Monte Carlo and Pedregon's Toyota Solara edged Ron Capps' Dodge.

In the quarterfinals, Pedregon lined up against Hight's father in-law, 14-time champ John Force. Pedregon deep-staged, smoked the tires, and could only watch as Force's Mustang sped away.

Hight, whose pony car prevailed over Bob Tasca III's Mustang in the quarters, now needed to beat his team owner to make the playoffs.

Force said that he and Hight agreed to stage cautiously because they wanted to ensure lane choice for the winner and couldn't risk a foul. As a result, they both left late -- Force later than Hight.

Force's Mustang broke loose and tried to buck him about half track, and Hight turned on the win light despite a fuel system failure in the lights.

"Every time I try to change my routine it screws me up," Force said, defending himself against suggestions that he'd thrown the race. "But we did it and it threw us both off. It's that simple. Ain't never going to make the world happy."

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Schumacher ties mark for Top Fuel wins at Indy - WHAS 11

Posted: 07 Sep 2009 05:55 PM PDT

Tony Schumacher raced to his eighth victory at O'Reilly Raceway Park on Monday at the U.S. Nationals, tying Don Garlits for the most Top Fuel wins at the historic track.

He had a time of 3.861 seconds at 314.17 mph in his dragster to hold off rival Larry Dixon, who trailed with a 4.208 at 228.58 in his dragster.

"This win is special not just because we tied Don Garlits, but because we won Indy again," said Schumacher, who earned $100,000 for the win. "To win this race for the eighth time and put the 60th trophy on my shelf is awesome. To have this much dominance at any track is incredible, but to be able to do it here at Indy is unbelievable. I don't know why this is my lucky track."

Schumacher spoke with Garlits before the race .

"He said, 'I'm pulling for you,'" Schumacher said. "Some people don't like to have their records broken, so it's neat to have him come up and tell me that."

Ashley Force Hood, Jeg Coughlin, and Hector Arana also were winners of the final regular season event in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. The Countdown to 1, NHRA's six-race championship playoffs, begins Sept. 18 at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C.

Force Hood, who also earned $100,000 for her victory, became the third female to win the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals and the first ever in Funny Car when she beat teammate Robert Hight in the final round for her second win of the season. Force Hood joined Shirley Muldowney, who won this race in Top Fuel in 1982, and two-time Indy Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Angelle Sampey in the record books when she crossed the finish line in 4.170 at 294.75 in her Ford Mustang.

"We had a good spring, but we struggled in the summer," Force Hood said. "When we came here, we said, 'Let's get back on track.' Where's a better place to start than Indy?"

By reaching the finals, Hight climbed from 12th in the Funny Car points to 10th, taking the last spot in the Countdown.

Defending world champ Coughlin finished the Pro Stock regular season with his seventh victory to take the No. 1 position for the playoffs. Coughlin earned his third U.S. Nationals win and 48th of his career with a time of 6.689 at 206.48 in a Chevy Cobalt to hold off Greg Stanfield, who posted a 6.691 at 206.35 in a Pontiac GXP.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana earned his third victory of the season and first ever at Indy by powering his Buell to a 7.026 at 189.10 to defeat Michael Phillips in the final, who posted a 7.086 at 185.84 on a Suzuki. Karen Stoffer secured the final playoff position when she won her first round match and Steve Johnson lost.

Tony Pedregon also secured the No. 1 playoff spot in Funny Car with his first round win over Del Worsham. Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) had already claimed the top playoff spots in their categories.

Each of the regular season champions receive a 20-point bonus to start the playoffs.

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Indy ORP: Series final eliminations report - Motorsport.com

Posted: 07 Sep 2009 04:36 PM PDT

SCHUMACHER TIES GARLITS FOR MOST TOP FUEL WINS AT PRESTIGIOUS MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS

Force Hood, Coughlin and Arana also race to victory at world's most prestigious drag race

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tony Schumacher continued his domination of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil Monday, racing to his eighth victory at historic O'Reilly Raceway Park and tying legendary "Big Daddy" Don Garlits for the most Top Fuel wins at the world's most prestigious drag race.

Schumacher, who has been to the last eight final rounds at this event and 10 overall since he began his career at this race in 1996, powered to his fourth victory of the season and 60th of his career, with a performance of 3.861 seconds at 314.17 mph in his U.S. Army dragster to hold off rival Larry Dixon, who trailed with a 4.208 at 228.58 in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster.

"This win is special not just because we tied Don Garlits, but because we won Indy again," said Schumacher, who pocketed $100,000 for the win. "To win this race for the eighth time and put the 60th trophy on my shelf is awesome. This is the U.S. Nationals. To have this much dominance at any track is incredible, but to be able to do it here at Indy is unbelievable. I don't know why this is my lucky track, but I'm sure glad it is."

Schumacher said to beat three-time Indy winner Dixon and his old teammates in the final was satisfying. Dixon drives for the new team created by Schumacher's former crew chief, Alan Johnson. Together Schumacher and Johnson were virtually unstoppable, winning consecutive championships during the last five seasons and rewriting most of the Top Fuel record book during a stellar 2008 campaign.

"To hold this trophy at the end of the day with all the pressure and circumstances and beat a great team like they have over there in the final round, I wouldn't want it any other way," Schumacher said. "The reason I race is for days like this."

Force Hood became the third female to win the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in a pro category and the first ever in Funny Car when she earned her second win of the season by outrunning teammate Robert Hight in the final round. Force Hood joined Shirley Muldowney, who won this race in Top Fuel in 1982 and two-time Indy Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Angelle Sampey in the record books when she crossed the finish line in 4.170 at 294.75 in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. She earned $100,000 for her third career victory.

It was actually the second time Force Hood has won this event. Back in her sportsman racing days, she made her maiden trip to the winner's circle here.

"When I won in '04, it was my first national event win, and I happened to win at the 50th annual U.S. Nationals, and you couldn't pick a better time to win your first event," said Force Hood of her Top Alcohol Dragster victory. "I don't think I really realized what was going on that day. Now, I can look back and appreciate it. It's funny because before that final round, I was thinking, 'OK, Robert seems to have magic here. When that team comes here, they do really well.' I've spent a lot of winner's circles here with his team, so I thought maybe this was going to be his day. Then Jerry Darien walked by, and I just had to laugh because I thought, 'Well, it's been our day here before, too, with Darien and Meadows -- we won here, too.' It kind of relaxed me a little. Either way, team Force was going to get in that winner's circle."

Hight, in his fourth consecutive Indy final round appearance, finished in 4.217 at 271.19 in his Auto Club Mustang and with his effort for the day locked in the 10th position in the point standings and secured a berth in the playoffs.

Defending world champ Coughlin finished the Pro Stock regular season in impressive fashion, winning his seventh race and claiming the No. 1 position for the playoffs. Coughlin earned his third U.S. Nationals win and 48th of his career with a run of 6.689 at 206.48 in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt to hold off final round opponent Greg Stanfield, who posted a 6.691 at 206.35 in his Attitude Apparel Pontiac GXP.

"We had a three-time world champion in the first round in Greg Anderson and it doesn't get any tougher than him," said Coughlin, who also beat Roger Brogdon and top qualifier Mike Edwards to advance to the final. "It was a huge win (against Anderson) for a number of reasons. He was trying to protect Jason Line's opportunity to unseed us for the No. 1 spot going into the Countdown to 1. The win over Greg all but sealed the No. 1 spot for us, which means a lot because you get an extra 20 points going into it. That's how we started the day, but then good old Lady Luck put us through the next three rounds, without question. Hopefully we haven't used up all that luck yet as we just got the Countdown started and it's a six-race dash for the Full Throttle championship. Let me tell you, it's going to be one interesting battle in Pro Stock."

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana earned his third victory of the season and first ever at Indy by powering his Lucas Oil Buell to a 7.026 at 189.10 to defeat Michael Phillips in the final, who posted a 7.086 at 185.84 on his Phillips Racing Suzuki. Karen Stoffer secured the final playoff position when she won her first round match and Steve Johnson lost.

"This is the sweetest moment for me," Arana said. "All the years I struggled people always told me, 'There is something better for you,' but I always wondered when my time was going to come. Now, I've won three races this year including the U.S. Nationals and I can't ask for anything more."

In addition to Coughlin, Tony Pedregon also secured the No. 1 playoff spot in Funny Car with his first round win over Del Worsham. Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) had already claimed the top playoff spots in their categories. Each of the regular season champions receive a 20-point bonus to start the playoffs.

-credit: nhra