Medlen’s Run Is Memorable

Eric Medlen’s main concern before making his drag racing debut in one of John Force’s Castrol Ford funny cars Thursday was to make sure he didn’t disappoint the sponsors who’d OK’d him as Force’s choice to replace champion Tony Pedregon.

He said he hoped to be in the top half of the qualifying field for the season-opening 44th annual K&N; Filters Winternationals at Pomona Raceway.

No need for him to worry now.

Medlen shocked himself, his crew chief father, John, and team owner Force with a run of 4.84 seconds at 319.07 mph to take the provisional No. 1 berth. His run, a solo down Pomona’s famed quarter-mile strip, was the first of the 23 funny car entries.

One by one, the big names of drag racing -- Force, the Pedregon brothers Tony and Cruz, Gary Densham, Gary Scelzi, Ron Capps and Whit Bazemore -- took their best shots at the former rodeo roper, and all fell short.

“I don’t know what to think, I kept thinking John or someone would knock me off,” the excitable 30-year-old said. “But I’m smart enough to know that I’m in the car that won the championship last year. It’s the car that does it, and it sure makes it easier, being in a car like that.”

Medlen, who has worked as a crewman on Force’s cars for the last eight years, was a surprise choice of the 12-time national champion when it came time to replace Tony Pedregon, who’d decided to form his own team after winning the Powerade title last year.

“It’s cool, having my dad as my crew chief,” Medlen said. “I looked over at him when I finished my run and I could see him go, ‘Whew.’ Being a father, I knew he was as concerned that I made it safely as he was that I made a good run.”

Force had a bad day, his Mustang shaking so hard off the line that he shut it down and saved it for today’s second round. Densham, in the third Force entry, is third at 4.847, behind Cory Lee’s 4.844 in a 2-year-old Firebird.

Tony Pedregon, in the new Quaker State Camaro, is eighth at 5.097. Cruz, his older brother and new teammate, is seventh at 5.058 in a Firebird.

Medlen wasn’t the only bright moment in Force’s day. His daughter, Ashley, 21, qualified sixth in her first competition in a top-alcohol dragster. She clocked 243.02 mph in 5.510 seconds.

Tony Schumacher, driving his family-owned U.S. Army-sponsored top-fuel dragster prepared by Alan Johnson, was quickest (4.514 seconds) and fastest (326.32 mph) in his class.

Brandon Bernstein, returning to the cockpit after having broken his back in a crash last year at Englishtown, N.J., qualified easily in the middle of the 17-car top-fuel field. Defending champion Larry Dixon ran a 4.662, good for seventh.

Powerade pro stock champion Greg Anderson qualified No. 1 in his new Grand Am with a 6.743-second run at 205.19 mph.