Enders Seeks Drag Racing History

Pro Stock racer Erica Enders is certain to make drag racing history if the 22-year-old can hold on to the No. 1 qualifying position she earned Friday night during the opening day of the 22nd annual Checker Schuck’s Kragen NHRA Nationals.


Enders covered Firebird International Raceway's quarter-mile in 6.679 seconds at 206.48 mph in her Slammers Ultimate Milk Chevrolet Cobalt, becoming the first female in class history to earn provisional low qualifier honors. Saturday's final two qualifying sessions will set the field for Sunday's 11 a.m. eliminations.

Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher and Funny Car racer Eric Medlen also led their respective fields at the $1.5 million race, the second of 23 on the POWERade Drag Racing Series. Schumacher ran a 4.459 at 330.97 mph in the heat of the day in his U.S. Army dragster. Medlen got the job done in Round 2 when he roared to a 4.707 at 321.96 mph in his Castrol Syntec Ford Mustang.

Only six female racers have earned the No. 1 qualifier position before and none have done so in Pro Stock. Overall, Enders is just the sixth female to compete in the class since its inception in 1970.

"This is big because we had 10 DNQs early on last year and we were so disappointed," Enders said. "Then we got it together and started doing lots of things in the second half where I was the first female to do this or that. I think it's cool. We still want to be thought of as racers first but I don't mind being the first girl to do something."

After a slow start where she failed to complete her first run, Enders overcame the fact she ran early in the second session to post her big run.

"We just missed the set-up in Round 1," Enders said. "It made us all a little nervous going into Friday night because we were the third pair out. You know it's going to be the best session of the weekend and you have to trust the set-up you have because you don't have many cars ahead of you.

"My car was really loose in third and fourth gear. Thoughts of shoving in the clutch did pop into my head. But I stayed with it and we got the 6.679 so I'm glad I kept my foot in it."

Eric Medlen

Medlen also had a lot on his mind as he moved into the top spot in Funny Car.

"We're making executive decisions as we go down the track because we only have one of the new bodies so you sure don't want to blow it up or catch it on fire," Medlen said. "Everybody in this class is so close right now and we're looking for inches. I know the new car is quicker. I don't want to go back to the old body."

After running such a great number in the first Top Fuel session, anticipation was high that Schumacher would set the national record after it cooled off. But it wasn't meant to be as he slowed slightly to a 4.47. Even so, his two passes were the only ones in the 4.4-second range.

"We were going for the record, no doubt," Schumacher said. "We wanted to get those 20 (bonus) points right there. We just missed it, that's it.

"We tend to run better in the heat of the day. The facts are we put more effort into day runs because we race in the day. We don't race at night and we don't make many runs at night so it's not something we spend a lot of time on."

Qualifying continues Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m.

Credits to NHRA.com

Charles Gordon suffers nasty injury

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Charles Gordon was carried off the field in the second quarter against Green Bay after an unpleasant ankle injury that occurred on a punt return.

Gordon fielded the punt inside the Vikings 10, headed upfield and was immediately met by two Packers. As he planted his left leg to change direction, one of the Packers rolled up on the leg, and the ankle gave way. He lay motionless on the turf while athletic trainer Eric Sugarman rushed out to see him.
Several teammates took a knee to say a quick prayer, and even coach Brad Childress went out to check on him.

Gordon had to lifted by several Vikings staff members on to the cart, and a host of Packers rushed over to greet him just before he was driven back to the locker room.
Gordon is in his third season out of Kansas and is the Vikings' top punt returner in addition to being their nickel cornerback.

Credit to Associated Press

Calzaghe adds his 46th victory

If there were any doubt before the big fight in Madison Square Garden, Joe Calzaghe made an effort to remove any trace of doubt when he defeated Roy Jones Jr. by points - great match only to add another convincing victory to Calzaghe's long list (46-0, 32 KOs).

Joe Calzaghe systematically broke down and put away a legend on Saturday, effectively ending Roy Jones Jr.’s career with a lopsided victory Saturday in their light heavyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden.

All three judges had it 118-109 in favor of Calzaghe.

Jones suffered the same fate that befell so many of the game’s greats before him. Just like men such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Leonard, the one-time pound-for-pound king was pummeled and beaten badly by a younger and fresher opponent.

Jones knocked Calzaghe down with a glimpse of his once-great hand speed, dropping the unbeaten Welsh star with a jab and a straight right in the first round. But after that, Calzaghe (46-0, 32 KOs) dominated the fight to such an extent that there were cringes from many in the media who had covered Jones for years as he had taken clean blows and fans began to stream to the exits by the 10th round.

Calzaghe, who has spoken of retiring, was typically brilliant in raising his record to 46-0 while retaining the Ring Magazine belt, emblematic as the world’s finest 175-pound boxer. He fired flurries that to the body and head that Jones, despite his pre-fight talk, could not answer.

The Wales native was so confident, he began to clown by the fourth round, dropping his hands and shaking his backside. Jones (52-5, 38 KOs) would occasionally crack him with a straight right, but Calzaghe neutralized Jones’ offense while landing a consistent series of blows round after round.

Calzaghe’s punches began to cause swelling around Jones’ left eye in the fifth round and by the eighth, it was all but closed. In the seventh, a cut opened over the eye that had blood streaming down Jones’ cheek in the second half of the fight.

He frequently retreated to the ropes, where he laid with his back and took punches from Calzaghe while offering little in return, the classic sign of a once-great fighter who no longer had the skills that had carried him to so many memorable wins.

“He won the fight, he definitely won the fight,” Jones said. “Those pitty pats were a little harder than I thought. I couldn’t see out of my left eye. I don’t know what is next for me. I worked so hard for me. I just don’t know. I couldn’t figure him out.”

credit to Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports