Norwalk Hosts NHRA Nationals; Bill Bader Sr. Passed On

Current owner of Summit Motorsports Park dragstrip, Bill Bader Jr. announced late Sunday that his father and longtime owner of Norwalk Dragway had passed away following an accident near his home in northern Idaho. Just hours after Final Round eliminations, the news hit the pits at the track that Bill Sr. had invested four decades building for the New England drag racing community.

Having purchased the track in 1974, he turned the quarter-mile facility into “America’s Race Track” a place where drag racers, teams and race fans were greeted like family, where you could get a signature pound of ice cream for just one dollar, where a fireworks display ended each day of competition at major events, and where championship drag racing of the highest caliber was routinely contested.

Known for his marketing abilities, Bill Sr. created the famed "Night Under Fire” event. Long the crown jewel of the International Hot Rod Association’s IHRA World Nationals, Norwalk dragway began hosting the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in 2007. Bill Bader Sr. was known to have a very unique personality among drag racing track owners and event promoters. Competition Plus Magazine has published an article titled, “Bill Bader Sr: The Man Who Made It Cool to Be Kind”.


Robert Hight Back on Top at Norwalk

On Saturday, Bristol winner Ron Capps claimed the Number One qualifier in Nitro Funny Car at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals from Norwalk, CT. Driving a Toyota GR Supra for his new team, Capps posted a 3.901 ET at 328.38 mph that held up from Friday’s opening round of qualifying. Capps was breezing through the elimination rounds but lost in a semi-final run to Bob Tasca III. Capps had an event low reaction time of .033-seconds but Tasca was too fast to outrun.

Tasca had eliminated Mike McIntire Jr and Matt Hagan before running a 3.933 elapsed time against Capps. Robert Hight in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS had beat Jim Campbell, Alexis Dejoria, and JR Todd to advance to the final round. After a holeshot start, Hight ran a 3.944 ET at 327.51 mph to claim the Wally and take over the points lead in Nitro Funny Car. The win gives Hight a 21 point advantage over Tony Stewart Racing’s Matt Hagan.


Mike Salinas Still Red Hot in NHRA Top Fuel

To say Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster driver Mike Salinas is on a roll is an understatement. Salinas reached Sunday’s final round by knocking off Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta and Leah Pruett. Josh Hart had .004 RT win in round one as Spencer Massey left early. Hart continued to dominate the tree with a .038 reaction time and a 3.813 ET to beat Austin Prock’s .063 RT and quicker 3.808 ET. With a semi-final victory over Brittany Force, Hart reached his first Top Fuel final round of 2022 NHRA Camping World season.

This would be the first time that Hart and Salinas faced off in a final round. Salinas left first and posted a 3.706 ET in his 11,000 horsepower Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster. Hart put in a great pass but couldn’t make up for the slower RT. In the process of beating Hart, Salinas also set a track speed record of 333.58 mph in the championship round. Heading into the infamous West Coast Swing, Brittany Force trails Salinas by just 12 points.

Photo courtesy Closer ToInfinity by Getty Images


UP COMING:

Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action July 15-17 with the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. The famed three-race NHRA West Coast Swing begins in Denver.

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