Tonglet, in his first outing aboard his new-look Nitro Fish Suzuki GSXR, was impressive all weekend. He was the No. 1 qualifier and the Suzuki was judged the event’s best appearing vehicle.

“This feels awesome,” he said soon after he defeated Andrew Hines in the title round – 6.921 seconds at 192.82 mph to 6.972 at 189.63.  “It’s unbelievable. I never thought we would win two races in a row.  That’s just crazy. Our bike performed flawlessly all weekend.”
 
Both wins were over Hines, the Countdown to 1 championship points leader. Not only that, but Tonglet pulled within 66 points of Hines.

The Tonglet team reacts to the win light. (Ron Lewis photo)

Tonglet began the march to his third win of his rookie season by beating Mike Berry (6.879 at 193.24 to 7.287 at 177.49), and he reached the finals by dispatching Matt Smith (6.944 at 190.38 to 6.948 at 189.39) and Michael Phillips (6.980 at 192.60 to 7.119 at 184.72).
 
Gary Tonglet, LE’s father and tuner, was smiling, too. “I can’t believe it,” he said. 
 
“He said he was going to lean on the motor in the final round,” LE pointed out. “He revved it up and said you only have one chance and we wanted to take advantage of it.”
 
After this win, LE, 20, is looking forward to the next four races with high expectations.  He is the leading contender for rookie of the year honors and now is in the title hunt.

The Tonglets were contemplating their future when Nitro Fish owner apparel owner Kenny Koretsky stepped in with his sponsorship two weeks ago. (Ron Lewis photo)

“We’re not thinking about just winning rookie of the year anymore,” he said.   “We have bigger things on our minds . . . and that’s winning the championship,” he said.  “With Nitro Fish behind us, I think we have a real good shot at doing it.”

POINTS
There was considerable shuffling in the points standings, with four more races in the 2010 season.

Top Fuel
1. Larry Dixon, 2,355; 2. Cory McClenathan, 2,270; 3. Tony Schumacher, 2,207; 4. Doug Kalitta, 2,190; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 2,172; 6. Antron Brown, 2,146; 7. Shawn Langdon, 2,134; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,115; 9. Morgan Lucas, 2,104; 10. David Grubnic, 2,066.
 
Funny Car
1. John Force, 2,245; 2. Jack Beckman, 2,241; 3. Matt Hagan, 2,203; 4. Ashley Force Hood, 2,192; 5. Bob Tasca III, 2,160; 6. Robert Hight, 2,157; 7. Ron Capps, 2,123; 8. Tony Pedregon, 2,085; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 2,082; 10. Del Worsham, 2,077.
 
Pro Stock
1. Mike Edwards, 2,260; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,233; 3. Greg Stanfield, 2,226; 4. Jeg Coughlin, 2,180; 5. Allen Johnson, 2,164; 6. Jason Line, 2,159; 7. Ron Krisher, 2,121; 8. Shane Gray, 2,105; 9. Rodger Brogdon, 2,085; 10. Johnny Gray, 2,075.
 
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Andrew Hines, 2,347; 2. LE Tonglet, 2,281; 3. Eddie Krawiec, 2,180; 4. Michael Phillips, 2,176; 5. Hector Arana, 2,171; 6. Matt Smith, 2,167; 7. Steve Johnson, 2,160; 8. Craig Treble, 2,085; 9. Karen Stoffer, 2,078; 10. David Hope, 2,061.