Herbert Completes NHRA Cinderella Run Into Countdown by NHRA 8/22/2007 Under the radar all season long, Doug Herbert’s Snap-On Tools team put the glass slipper on when it rolled into Reading and they’ll still have it on when they roll into Indy next weekend. Herbert entered the week 53 points behind eighth-place Dave Grubnic, a tall enough task in and of itself for a driver who hadn’t won in 65 races (Chicago 2 2004). But consider too that Herbert was in 11th place. So he didn’t just need to pass Grubnic, he also needed to pass Cory McClenathan and Melanie Troxel. “The odds aren’t really in our favor,” said Herbert, stating the rather obvious before Reading. “But,” he continued, “Crazier things have happened.” Herbert needed to go one round more than McClenathan and three rounds more than both Troxel and Grubnic. He accomplished the first two on Monday. First he downed McClenathan in a head-to-head quarterfinal and he passed Troxel — a firstround loser — when he beat Doug Foley in the semis. Now all that stood between Herbert and the Countdown was a finals matchup with points-leader Rod Fuller — and the rain. The rain that delayed the race on Sunday came back on Monday. And again on Tuesday. But after two sleepless nights, Herbert finally lined up for his run at the Countdown and he nailed it, turning in the quickest pass of the race, to pass Grubnic by three points. Incredibly, when Herbert crossed the finish line in 4.562 seconds, it marked the only point throughout the entire regular season that Doug Herbert was IN the Countdown and that Dave Grubnic was OUT of the Countdown. In the other three classes, the final playoff berths also came down to the wire, but in each case the eighth-place racer retained his spot when the driver in ninth place lost in the semifinals. The Staging Lane What’s next: Mac Tools U.S. Nationals When: Aug. 29-Sept. 3 Where: O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis ON TV: ESPN2HD (Qualifying Saturday late night 12:30-1:30 a.m. ET; Sunday 2-5:30 p.m. ET and late night 12-1 a.m. ET; NHRA Race Day Sunday at 11 a.m. ET; Final Eliminations Monday at 12-3 p.m. ET and 7-10 p.m. ET) Notable: This is the first race of the four-race playoff that will halve the field of eligible championship contenders from 8 to 4. 2007 NHRA POWERADE SERIES STANDINGS — FINAL REGULAR SEASON The 17-race regular season (11 races for PSM) is complete and only the top 8 drivers in each category remain eligible to win the 2007 world championship(s). Entering Race 18 (of 23), the top eight drivers’ points will be reset in 10-point increments from 2,070 to 2,000; the field of championship contenders will be reduced to 4 after 21 races (14 for PSM) with points again reset in 10-point increments, from 3,030 to 3,000; and the 1 champion after 23 races (16 for PSM). NOTE: Drivers in bold just moved into the Top 8. Drivers with asterisks (*) have clinched playoff berths. TOP FUEL Driver (Ws) Pts/PB *1. Fuller (2) 1255 *2. Schumacher (4) 1071 *3. Dixon (2) 1070 *4. B. Bernstein (5) 1064 *5. Todd (2) 999 *6. Vandergriff 876 *7. Bazemore 817 *8. Herbert (1) 792 9. Grubnic -3 10. Troxel (1) -26 11. McClenathan -56 12. D. Kalitta -85 FUNNY CAR Driver (Ws) Pts/PB *1. Capps (3) 1117 *2. Hight (2) 1039 *3. Force (3) 952 *4. T. Pedregon (2) 952 *5. Beckman (2) 891 *6. Ashley (2) 884 *7. Scelzi (2) 869 *8. Head 803 9. Worsham -38 10. T. Johnson Jr. (1) -82 11. K. Bernstein -116 12. Arend -117 PRO STOCK Driver (Ws) Pts/PB *1. Anderson (7) 1424 *2. Connolly (4) 1252 *3. Coughlin (3) 1231 *4. A. Johnson (1) 996 *5. Line (1) 966 *6. K. Johnson (1) 899 *7. W. Johnson 793 *8. Morgan 766 9. Gaines -11 10. Stevens Jr. -36 11. Yates -106 12. Stanfield -171 PSM (11/16 races) Rider (Ws) Pts/PB *1. Smith (3) 933 *2. Sampey (1) 801 *3. Hines (3) 772 *4. Stoffer (2) 627 *5. Ellis 613 *6. Krawiec 576 *7. Llewellyn 569 *8. Treble (1) 548 9. Rivas -11 10. S. Johnson -40 11. A. Brown -62 12. Guidera (1) -102