At the age of 19, Tanner Gray is starting his second season in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle division and became the youngest rider to have double-digit race wins after Monday's final round. Gray had lane choice through the elimination runs as the U.S. National's number one seed. In the final, Gray posted a near perfect .003 RT for a well-deserved holeshot win with 6.641 ET at 208.42 mph over Jeg Coughlin Jr. with .023 RT 6.639 ET and 206.80 mph. Tanner's dad won the Pro Stock race at Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in 2014. The win gives Gray the points lead and number one seed leading to the Countdown to the Championship.
Defending Funny Car event champion J.R. Todd secured his first number one qualifying position at 325.45 mph with a 3.910-second pass to get his holiday weekend off to a great start. Sunday's final was his second NHRA Funny Car win in a row at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. In his DHL Toyota Camry Funny Car, Todd posted a .059 RT with 4.062 ET at 311.70 mph to defeat Matt Hagan in his MOPAR Express Lane Dodge Hellcat SRT with a .052 RT and 4.141 ET at 300.60 mph. He was the first back-to-back winner in Funny Car in six years at the world's biggest drag race.
In Top Fuel, Terry McMillen claimed the Wally at Indianapolis for the 64th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals with a 4.037 pass at 300.66 mph driving the Amalie Motor Oil Xtermingator dragster over Doug Kalitta'a 4.067 ET at 303.57 mph in his MAC Tools ride. A photo finish showed McMillen's win was less than two-feet at the line. It was McMillen's second Wally of the 2018 Top Fuel season. McMillen scored wins against Scott Palmer, points leader Steve Torrence and Blake Alexander in elimination rounds, before facing off against Kalitta. Kalitta had eliminated three-time world champion Antron Brown, Billy Torrence and Leah Pritchett for his third final round appearance at the Big Go.
With his pregant wife waiting at home, LE Tonglet put an end to Eddie Krawiec's winning streak at the 64th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. Tonglet claimed the Pro Stock Motorcycle Wally with a 6.864 pass at 197.10 mph to defeat the four-time world champion Eddie Krawiec and his "red hot" Vance & Hines Harley Davidson. Krawiec posted a 6.884-second pass at a near identical 197.02 mph. This was Tonglet’s second career victory at Lucas Oil Raceway, his third win on the season, and 19th win of his NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle career.
The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues Sept. 13-16 at Maple Grove Raceway in Berks County near Mohnton PA with the 34th annual Dodge NHRA Nationals as the kickoff to the Countdown to the Championship.
