PHOENIX – Johnny Gray missed the Countdown to the Championship in 2011, but there have been few Funny Car drivers who have been better since late last year.
Gray won once, reached three other finals and made two semifinals in the final eight races of 2011. Saturday, he wrapped up the No. 1 qualifier for the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway, the second of his Funny Car career. Gray went 4.074 seconds at 298.93 mph in the second qualifying session on Friday, and it held up through two more rounds Saturday.
"The car really ran good at the end of the year last year," Gray said. "We runnered-up here last year. We just missed it a hair in the final. Hopefully, we can end up back there and learn from the mistake we made here last year and go ahead and win this thing."
Gray lost in the finals at Phoenix last October to Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman.
Saturday, he smoked the tires on his Service Central/Big O Tires Dodge in Q3 before making a solid 4.127-second pass in the final session.
"I don't think the track was there today," Gray said. "By the time we got up in the first round, it was nearly 2 (p.m.) before we got a shot at the track. We were trying to run a little better, and it didn't work out too good. (Crew chief) Rob (Wendland) backed the thing down and got it ready for tomorrow to kind of see what it could do. He said we ought to run about a .12, and that's what we ran.
"We're real confident going into tomorrow that this car is a good car to go out and compete with."
Gray knows it won't be easy to score his second Funny Car victory, even as he faces relative unknown Grant Downing in the first round of eliminations Sunday.
"There's no ducks in this field anymore," Gray said. "Every one of them can send you home in a heartbeat, yes, sir. You've got to go out and run hard. Tim Wilkerson, he's a really good racer, but didn't make the field.
"You've got to understand, you've got to go out there and go for the throat every run because these cars are so competitive anymore. If you don't make a good run, you're not going to be in the show. It's going to be that way all year. There are going to be times when some really good cars don't get in the show."
Besides the veteran Wilkerson, rookie Alexis De Joria also failed to qualify, as did Gary Densham and Jeff Diehl. In a marquee first-round matchup, 15-time Funny Car champ John Force faces his daughter, rookie Courtney Force.
Mike Neff was the No. 2 qualifier after a Q4 run of 4.096 seconds at 307.51 seconds, with Jim Head (4.107 at 297.29 mph) qualifying third.
Shawn Langdon hung on to the Top Fuel pole after posting the fifth-best run in class history on Friday of 3.754 seconds at 323.12 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster. Langdon will be gunning for his first career victory Sunday, facing No. 16 qualifier Troy Buff (7.720 seconds at 67.09 mph) in the first round of eliminations.
"On the last run, we smoked the tires, and that's OK," Langdon said of Q4. "They were trying to push it, trying to see what it could hold. We made great runs. The 3.75 was a stellar run. Second race of the year, and we're only two-hundredths off the record from last year in mine-shaft conditions.
"Race day is definitely different from qualifying. There's a lot more on the line, a lot of pressure. It's nothing these guys can't handle. They've shown it in the past that they're a great team, they know how to win. As a driver, I'm going to do the best job I can to keep the thing straight, keep it in the groove and do the best job I can on the starting line."
Tony Schumacher (3.783 at 324.44 mph) was second, with Steve Torrence (3.788 at 321.19 mph) third.
Mike Edwards continued his Phoenix Pro Stock qualifying dominance by winning his fourth consecutive No. 1 qualifier at Firebird.
"I like it," Edwards said. "Something about this desert: My stuff runs pretty good. My guys did an exceptional job this week. Four nice runs, really, and we made a really nice run this morning. This place, I don't really put my finger on it, but we've run good here."
Edwards earned the 40th pole of his career with a top pass of 6.536 seconds at 210.80 mph to knock defending Pro Stock champion Jason Line down to No. 2. Line went 6.539 at 211.10 mph, with Ronnie Humphrey third at 6.543 at 211.06 mph.
Edwards races No. 16 qualifier Warren Johnson in the first round Sunday.
