NHRA Countdown to the Championship at Auto Club Finals
Some NHRA teams were seen leaving Las Vegas in hopes of scoring enough Countdown to the Championship points at the Auto Club Finals at Pomona, while other drivers were simply focused on winning the last race of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Traditions have played a major role at Los Angeles County Fairgrounds ever since chariots were first raced at the Pomona Fairgrounds back in 1922. Over the weekend, the tradition of rolling a Moon-sponsored Funny Car off the trailer continued as Jim Dunn Racing and driver Jim Campbell hope to make up a one-point deficit to finish the NHRA season in the Top 10. Despite rumors earlier in the year of it closing, the track nicknamed the Fairplex will continue host NHRA championship events at Auto Club Raceway. Which is great news for...
Enders and Mr Smith Win NHRA Stock Championships
The Los Angeles County Fair was first held in a Pomona beet field in October 1922 and featured chariot races. Since then, over 89 million visitors have attended the annual LA County Fair. Today, the fairgrounds in Pomona include The Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum grounds and the NHRA-sanctioned Auto Club Raceway. The drag racing facility located in Pomona CA has a rich history that dates back to 1952, when a local police officer named Bud Coons convinced the city government that building a drag strip would give young people a place to test their car’s top speed without endangering other drivers on the streets. The Melling/Elite Performance race team was seen leaving Las Vegas with the 2022 NHRA Pro Stock world championship title but does it really matter. No one believed...
Hagan and B. Force Top Field at Las Vegas
At the team’s third NHRA event back in March of 2022, three-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan (pictured to the left at Gainesville Raceway) handed Tony Stewart Racing its first NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Wally at the 53rd annual Gatornationals. It was Hagan’s second final round of the season and the 40th Wally of his NHRA Funny Car career. The Virginia driver left Don Schumacher Racing at the end of last season to join forces with NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner Tony Stewart. Hagan splits his time in the off season wrangling steers on his 3200-acre ranch outside Christiansburg. This is his first season driving the Dodge Power Brokers Charger for Tony Stewart’s first year TSR team. This past weekend Hagan and all the NHRA nitro division and...
Enders and Arana Jr Win Stock Classes at The Strip
There’s likely no better place to host the NHRA’s penultimate round of the Countdown to the Championship than The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The famous quarter-mile strip of pavement is located about fifteen miles northeast of the historic “Vegas Strip” across Las Vegas Blvd from Nellis Air Force Base. The rather desolate stretch of desert came to life over the weekend when NHRA race teams fired up their engines for Friday’s first rounds of qualifying in the world’s fastest stock doorslammer and motorcycle classes. Erica Enders moved one step closer to her fifth world title in Pro Stock with a pass on Saturday at 6.579 ET at 208.75 mph to claim her sixth Number One qualifier of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Matt Smith...
Ashley and Capps Top Nitro Classes at Texas Again…
Justin Ashley and Ron Capps arrived at Texas Motorplex as potential favorites with Ashley leading the Countdown points in Top Fuel and Capps only ten points down to Robert Hight in Funny Car. Moreover, both drivers won their respective nitro class at the 2021 NHRA FallNationals. Each year, the Stampede of Speed is the fastest ten days in Texas. Hosted by the historic Texas Motorplex, the Stampede of Speed is a hoedown that is filled with amazing fan experiences including lots of music and the world’s fastest cars and drivers. Located thirty minutes south of Dallas in Ennis TX, each day at the Stampede is packed full of fun for racing fans of all ages. The multi-use racing facility features some of the fastest and most nostalgic race cars of the past four decades. In true Texas...
Enders and Arana Jr Win Stock Classes at Texas Motorplex
The Stampede of Speed at Texas Motorplex begins with cowboys driving a dozen cattle through the city streets with dignitaries circling the historic courthouse in nearby Waxahachie, TX. Ten fun-filled days later there are some tired racing fans. Race team and racing fans look forward to the festival of music, lots of drag racing, and other fun-filled events that have traditionally led up to qualifying and eliminations for the 37th annual NHRA Texas Fall Nationals. Known as the Fastest Ten Days In Texas, the Stampede of Speed is hosted at the historic Texas Motorplex, a multi-use facility located about 35 minutes southeast of Dallas and Fort Worth. Fan favorite 200 mph jet engine powered dragsters had everyone on their feet with an exhibition race on Friday evening. The Funny Car Chaos...
Kris Thorne’s Great Weekend at Texas NHRA FallNationals
Thorne Crowned FuelTech Pro Mod Champion As part of the 37th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, Kris Thorne clinched the world championship in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon with a victory in the first round of eliminations on Saturday. The event was the final round of the ten race 2022 season and was powered by JBS Equipment. Driving his shiny black ProCharger-powered Camaro, Thorne has been one of the drivers to beat for the majority of the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series events. Thorne claimed his first career Pro Mod Wally at the 53rd annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway and the veteran doorslammer driver added his second win of the season at zMAX Dragway. With all of his wins have coming this year, Thorne...
Torrence and Hight Claim Nitro Wins at Midwest Nationals
The world’s quickest and fastest race cars traveled west to the World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis for the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Midwest Nationals. On tap were the premier Nitro classes for Top Fuel and Funny Car. Powered by 11,000-horsepower engines both classes go from zero to more than 330 mph over 1,000 feet in less than four seconds. Drag racing legend and 16-time Funny Car champion John Force is one of the most popular and well-known drivers on the NHRA circuit. In 2008 at the NHRA Midwest Nationals event (at then Gateway Motorsports Park) Force secured his 1,000th competitive round win by defeating Ron Capps in the first round. Force accomplished the milestone while celebrating his 59th birthday. After a runner-up finish last weekend in...
Enders and Smith Top Pro Stock Classes in St. Louis
Driving his Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS on Saturday, Kyle Koretsky posted a 6.510 ET at 211.00 mph to earn his second Number One qualifier by edging out his KB teammate and the defending Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson, who also ran a 6.510 elapsed time but was a tick slower. Koretsky is in fifth place in Countdown points but is yet to win in the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Aaron Stanfield (last week's winner) ran a 6.511 ET at 210.97 mph with Enders also running a slower pass with a 6.511 elapsed time for fourth. Matt Smith unloaded his DENSO/Stockseth Auto Parts Buell and ran a 6.709 ET at 202.82 mph to set a track record in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Smith took a hit in the Countdown to the Championship points last weekend in Charlotte at zMAX Raceway and was...
Fill-In Driver Claims 1st Wally at NHRA Midwest Nationals
The Pro Mod event held over the weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway as part of the 11th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals outside St. Louis in Madison, Illinois, was presented by Jerry Bickel Race Cars as the ninth of ten races for the 2022 FuelTech NHRA Drag Racing Series . Competing in just his third NHRA Pro Mod event, Dainel Pharris, who was filling in for defending Pro Mod World Champion Jose Gonzalez, posted the quickest run in qualifying with a 5.673 ET at 251.34 mph. Driving the ProCharger-powered Q80 Camaro, Pharris claimed his first Number One qualifier over Justin Bond with a 5.678 elapsed time at a faster 252.38 mph. Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals winner Steve Jackson was third in qualifying but posted the fastest time of the weekend at 257.04 mph. Daniel Pharris Wins...