Gaige Herrera – Syndication Server

Ashley, Hagan, Coughlin Jr., Herrera win NHRA Texas FallNationals

Justin Ashley moved into the Top Fuel points lead on Sunday at Texas Motorplex, holding off Clay Millican in the final round and winning in Dallas for the third time in four years at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. Matt Hagan (Funny Car), …

Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Ashley went 3.773s at 327.99mph in his Scag Power Equipment/Toyota dragster in the final round, defeating Millican on a holeshot thanks to a brilliant 0.026s reaction time on the starting line. Millican went a quicker 3.762s at 328.40mph but couldn’t track down Ashley at the finish line. It is the fourth win this season and the 15th overall for Ashley, who defeated Antron Brown, Shawn Langdon and Tony Schumacher to reach the final round.

He qualified 12th, only make Friday’s first qualifying pass while observing Yom Kippur. But the team was prepared on Sunday with several standout runs and Ashley now has a 44-point lead over Antron Brown with two races remaining.

“This just speaks volumes of the kind of team we have,” Ashley said. “When I went up to them and told them my plan, the team rallied around me and we rallied together as a group. We’re one team and one family, and for them to understand my principles and having only one lap down the racetrack – I don’t think we had lane choice once today, our backs were against the wall, but Mike (Green, crew chief) and Tommy (DeLago) did an awesome job.

“It’s not over until it’s over, that much is for sure. You just have to keep swinging, and it’s best for us to not even look at the points. If we don’t take care of our business, it’s not going to matter anyway. It’s important to enjoy it, but once we leave here our focus has to immediately shift to Vegas. No matter what, this is far, far from over. We took a major step today, but it’s going to become more and more difficult. Just like it always does, it’s going to come down to Pomona.”

Millican advanced to the finals for the third time this season and the 25th time in his career by taking down defending world champ Doug Kalitta, Shawn Reed and Texan Steve Torrence.

Texas Motorplex continued to bring out the best in defending Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan, who won for the second consecutive year in Dallas for Tony Stewart Racing, defeating Ron Capps with a run of 3.943s at 327.65mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat. It is the third victory this season for Hagan and the 52nd in his career as he also moved to third in points, 168 back of leader Austin Prock.

After qualifying second, Hagan took down Bobby Bode, Cruz Pedregon and Daniel Wilkerson to reach the final round, utilizing a better 0.064s reaction time to hold off Capps’ run of 3.934s at 328.28mph. The team had struggled since Hagan last won in May in Chicago, but he was thrilled with how everyone performed in the warm conditions on Sunday, giving the team a much-needed late-season jolt.

“I was really on the chip, and I love Capps to death, but I was ready to cut his head off,” Hagan said. “You’re going in like a gladiator. You get to get on this crazy machine, and you never know what it’s going to do, but this is one of the cool things we get to do, drive something so unpredictable.

“But that’s why we love doing it. To get this win for Jason Johnson and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, to pull down the win was huge. Life is about the people and the relationships we build along the way, that’s what really matters. We’ve surrounded ourselves with really smart people and I believe in my guys and my crew. Those core group of guys really mattered and I’ve been lucky to keep my core group together for so long.”

Capps advanced to the finals for the fifth time this season and the 152nd in his career by defeating Dave Richards, Blake Alexander and Prock. Prock will still take a commanding lead into Las Vegas, as he will lead Jack Beckman by 147 points heading into the final two races. Beckman, who has racing for drag racing legend John Force, did not compete on Sunday after waking up with vertigo-like symptoms.

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In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin Jr. got the better of longtime rival Greg Anderson in the championship round, picking up his first win at Texas Motorplex in more than 20 years after slipping past Anderson with a run of 6.592s at 208.10mph in his Scag Power Equipment car. Coughlin’s last win in Dallas came in 2002, but that all changed with a classic performance on Sunday. It gives Coughlin his fifth victory this season and the 69th in his career.

To get there, he knocked off Cory Reed, David Cuadra and Matt Hartford, but the performance was turned up in the final round against Anderson. It was a pair of five-time world champions, but Coughlin slipped past the veteran at the finish line. He’s fifth in points and was also thrilled to enjoy the first double-up victory for Scag Power Equipment.

“This feels fantastic,” Coughlin said. “For us, the cherry on top was for Justin Ashley and me to get our first double together as Scag teammates. I’m really eager to go celebrate with our team. It should be a big one. This Wally is going back to Mark Ingersoll. It’s quite remarkable what he’s gone through He’s on a good path to recovery, and he’s as strong as an ox for sure. We miss having him out here and look forward to him coming back more.

“Greg has always been the pinnacle since he got behind the wheel of a Pro Stock program. Today he had us outpaced, performance-wise, so we jokingly said we needed to pull a rabbit out of the hat before this final round – and fortunately we did. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded with some amazing teams, amazing people. I think this weekend is another testament to that. I saw that win light come on, and I couldn’t have been more excited.”

Anderson, who was the No. 1 qualifier, reached the finals for the fourth time this year and the 180th in his career by taking down Fernando Cuadra Jr. and points leader Dallas Glenn. But Glenn did strengthen his points lead by knocking off Stanfield in the second round, taking a 54-point advantage over Stanfield into Las Vegas. Anderson jumped to third with his final-round appearance.

It was another dominant Dallas weekend for Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Gaige Herrera, who won for the second year at Texas Motorplex after defeating rival Matt Smith in the final round with a run of 6.816s at 200.56mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. With the win, Herrera picked up his 20th career victory, reaching that milestone quicker than any driver in NHRA history.

Herrera, who was also the No. 1 qualifier as part of a spectacular weekend, now has nine victories in 2024, taking a 62-point lead over Smith into the final two races of the season as he seeks a second straight championship. To reach the final round on Sunday, Herrera got past Chase Van Sant and Jianna Evaristo. Smith left the starting line first but ran into trouble as Herrera cruised to his second straight victory in the Countdown to the Championship.

“Today means a lot,” Herrera said. “I had more luck on my side today than performance, for sure. I was sleeping on one of the lights and Chase went red, and in the final there, Matt would have had me. Luck was definitely on my side, and I’d rather be lucky than good any day. My bike ran well all day with the heat, considering. I made a few little mistakes, but all in all, I’m glad to go home with the win and another cowboy hat.

“This Countdown has been pretty tight. We all know there was some trash talk, so for us to not have the performance advantage and get the win, it means a lot to me. This season, it just means a lot more each round win we get. This year has been a lot more pressure for me as a rider. Each round and win means so much more this time. I’m kind of just showing my real side and not holding it in anymore.”

Smith reached his fifth final round in 2024 and the 80th in his career thanks to round wins against Malcolm Phillips Jr., Marc Ingwersen and Hector Arana Jr.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Oct. 31-Nov. 3 with the 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Force, Prock, Anderson, Herrera qualify No. 1 at NHRA Texas FallNationals

Two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force clinched her 50th career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at Texas Motorplex, hanging on to the top position at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) …

Two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force clinched her 50th career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at Texas Motorplex, hanging on to the top position at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Force’s run of 3.667s at 338.19mph from Friday in her HendrickCars.com/Chevrolet dragster wasn’t challenged on Saturday, handing the 16-time event winner her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year. She will open eliminations against Spencer Hyde, looking to pick up her first victory since the 2022 season. Force was thrilled to earn a 50th career No. 1 qualifier, but her focus remains on going four rounds on Sunday.

“Just to hear ‘50,’ that’s such a big achievement,” Force said. “It’s a big achievement by all of John Force Racing. It’s something I’m very proud of. It seems like an impossible number and to have that in my career, to be able to accomplish that is huge and something I’m very proud of. The cool thing is, it was a collective thing. It was done with so many different teams and crew chiefs that I’ll always look up to. They all taught me things along the way that I still use to this day. I’m very thankful to them that they’re part of my career and getting that 50.

“To see three [No. 1s] in the last [five] races, it shows that this team is gaining momentum and that we’re moving in the right direction. We’re starting to move on to something positive. But ultimately, we want to perform well on Sunday.”

Shawn Reed qualified second with a 3.676s at 330.71mph and Texan Steve Torrence took third thanks to his pass of 3.721s at 332.03mph. Points leader Antron Brown qualified fifth and will face off with Justin Ashley, who is 34 points behind in second, in a must-see opening round.

In Funny Car, Prock matched his boss and legendary Funny Car driver John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in class history, earning his 13th No. 1 spot of the 2024 season when Friday’s track-record run of 3.813s at 333.09mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS wasn’t challenged on Saturday, ensuring a John Force Racing sweep in qualifying.

Friday’s run was also the eighth-quickest in Funny Car history for the dominant points leader, who will look to extend his lead on Sunday. He will start raceday against Terry Haddock as he seeks an eighth victory in 2024.

“It’s pretty special. I had no idea that there was a record until a few weeks ago and we’ve knocked off a few more, and we eventually tied them today,” Prock said. “It’s pretty special to be added to that list, and to do it in 18 races is pretty incredible. It speaks volumes about this team, my dad, my brother, Nate Hildahl, everyone that’s on this AAA/Cornwall Tools car. I’m really proud of this team and happy to be driving this race car.

“I did talk to John last night and he was he was so ecstatic to see our race car and his daughter’s race car go No. 1 qualifier. He was watching all evening long, and he was really proud. It was nice to hear his voice and know that he was watching and he’s proud, and hopefully we can make them proud the rest of the season.”

Defending event winner and reigning world champion Matt Hagan took second after Friday’s 3.823s at 335.20mph and Jack Beckman, who is second in points, finished third with a 3.825s at 331.49mph.

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Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson heads into race day with plenty of momentum after his 6.524s at 208.99mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro from Friday was enough to hand the five-time world champion his sixth No. 1 spot of the season and the 130th in his standout career. Anderson, who is currently fourth in points, made a pair of solid runs on Saturday as well. To stay in the title hunt, Anderson knows he will need a big day on Dallas.

Enders qualified second thanks to Friday’s 6.526s at 209.09mph and David Cuadra took third with a 6.532s at 208.60mph. Aaron Stanfield and leader Dallas Glenn – are fourth and fifth, respectively. The top two in points could meet in the second round, with a potential matchup with Anderson looming in the semifinals.

“Three of us are one side. Erica happened to end up on the other side and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for her. We’ll see how it plays out tomorrow,” Anderson said. “There’s only going to be one of the three left in the semifinal on our side of the ladder. Without something like that happening at one of these races I probably wouldn’t have a chance to make up ground because if we all four keep making the semifinals, you’re not going to make up much ground. It’s really the only chance I’ve got.

“We’ll see how the cards fall tomorrow, but it’s an opportunity. I like that. We’re going to be fast. I’m excited to race, and it could be a turning point of the season. It’s time to either get it done or go home.”

Herrera was the only provisional No. 1 qualifier to improve on Saturday, delivering a run of 6.749s at 202.52mph in Pro Stock Motorcycle on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It hands the points leader his eighth No. 1 qualifier in 2024 and the 22nd in his career, and Herrera will look to win in Dallas for a second straight year. Herrera was impressed with his team’s ability to improve on Friday’s run as he looks to extend his points lead on Sunday.

“The only thing that made it possible was tail wind,” Herrera said. “You just had to catch it at the right time. It was a cross tail so I didn’t think being in the right lane would affect us as much as it did, but it did. That was a good pass. Tomorrow we’re going to be racing in this kind of weather. I think it’s going to be a direct, straight tail wind instead of across. Probably see a pretty good mile an hour tomorrow and it’ll be a good day of racing.

“The biggest thing I focus on is the here and now. You can’t predict what’s going to happen. You can’t try to make stuff happen. You just have to go out there and do what you have to do and it’s going to turn out how it’s going to be.”

Matt Smith jumped up to second in the final session after going 6.756s at 201.77mph and Jianna Evaristo took third thanks to Friday’s 6.777s at 201.81mph.

Eliminations for the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals begin at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday at Texas Motorplex.

Prock, Force, Anderson Herrera go No. 1 on Friday at NHRA Texas FallNationals

Funny Car points leader Austin Prock made the quickest Funny Car run in seven years on Friday at Texas Motorplex, setting the track record and taking the provisional No. 1 spot for John Force Racing at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. …

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 18th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

A special “Friday Night Live” meant more than $40,000 in bonus money on the line as well. The low qualifier under the lights on Friday night handed the Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the quickest qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Prock left no doubt who would get the $15,000 bonus money in Funny Car, as he went a blistering 3.813s at 333.09mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS, eclipsing the track record by a huge margin and making the quickest run in Funny Car since 2017. If it holds, Prock would earn his 13th No. 1 spot of the season, which would tie him with John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history.

“I was definitely jacked up for this one,” Prock said. “I knew the conditions were there and this AAA team was going to push. I’m really proud of them. This track is really difficult to drive, especially at night, [but] I stood on the gas and felt like I was pretty centered up. I think I got a little close to the center line, but it was still a pretty great run. I’m looking forward to getting back to the pit and scoping it out and seeing what I can learn from that.

“We’re always on kill, I would say, but we know we have to be at our absolute best these last three races to try to wrap this deal up. We’ve put a lot of hard work in this year, but three races, that’s a long way to go in this Countdown. We have to keep making smart decisions, play off our notebook, and try to do the best we can and see how everything plays out.”

Defending event winner and reigning world champion Matt Hagan is second after a run of 3.823s at 335.20mph and Jack Beckman, who is second in points, was right behind with a pass of 3.825s at 331.49mph.

In Top Fuel, Brittany Force made it a John Force Racing bonus double-up on Friday, delivering a stellar run of 3.667s at 338.19mph in her HendrickCars.com/Chevrolet dragster to earn the $15,000 bonus check. It was the second-fastest run of the year in Top Fuel and puts Force in a great position to collect her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 50th in her standout Top Fuel career. Looking for her first victory since 2022, Force is eager to build on a memorable Friday night at Texas Motorplex.

“That was just an amazing run for our team to come out here. We’ve had a tough year and that 3.66s and 338mph, that’s David Grubnic and this HendrickCars.com team,” Force said. “We’ve been pushing all season long to have a run like that. Getting the check and the cowboy boots really boosts the team morale, and we’re ready to attack the rest of the weekend.

“We won’t give up until it’s done. We’ll keep on pushing. Our game plan is to win this event here. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves, we’re focused on moving up on that ladder and getting back in that winner’s circle. It’s been far too long. When I head back to my pits right now, I know the guys are going to be pumped. We all kept pushing. It gets hard, but we continue to push to be the best that we can. To do that today, it gives us a boost. We want to keep doing that.”

Shawn Reed is currently second after going 3.676s at 330.71mph and Texan Steve Torrence is third thanks to his pass of 3.721s at 332.03mph.

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Anderson closed out Pro Stock qualifying in standout fashion, taking the $7,500 bonus and the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.524s at 208.99mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Erica Enders set the bar early in the session, but Anderson closed it out on top as he seeks his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 130th in his tremendous career. Anderson, who is currently fourth in the Pro Stock points standings, has enjoyed several terrific moments at Texas Motorplex over the years and he added to that on Friday under the lights.

“I love coming here, I absolutely love it,” Anderson said. “It’s all the Meyer family. They make it special, and it matters to us. It makes you rise to the next level. We got it done by 0.002s and how fitting. That’s the battle we’ve been having lately, it’s who makes the sweetest, most perfect run. That was pretty mean. I knew that was the target and it was going to be close, and it certainly was. Fortunately, we were able to keep her in the center of the racetrack and got the check by 0.002s. It all ended up great, it’s a great night in Texas.

“These bonus points mean everything. It’s going to be extremely hard to make up ground on any one of them, let alone three of the four of them. They’re not making mistakes. They’re racing error-free, they’re fast. It’s going to be very hard to make up some ground. I’m not in a great spot, but I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep trying. Mission accomplished today, a perfect Friday.”

Enders took the second position, just missing the top spot after a run of 6.526s at 209.09mph and David Cuadra’s 6.532s at 208.60mph puts him third. The top two drivers in points – Aaron Stanfield and leader Dallas Glenn – are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Herrera shattered records a year ago in Pro Stock Motorcycle at Texas Motorplex and enjoyed another impressive Friday to open the weekend this season, making the quickest run of each session, including a 6.757s at 201.21mph under the lights on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. The run nets Herrera $5,000 and also puts the defending world champion and current points leader in line for his eighth No. 1 spot this season and 22nd in his career.

Herrera moved back into the lead thanks to his win at the most recent race in St. Louis and he looks to strengthen in a major way with a second straight victory in Dallas.

“You come here, you get a different vibe,” Herrera said. “It’s a very welcoming, ‘have fun’ vibe, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re having fun and getting to race at the same time. It’s awesome to get that bonus money on Friday night. I can’t thank the Meyer family enough for all they do for us racers at Texas Motorplex. My bike ran good coming off the trailer, so we were happy to get that and get a little extra change.

“There are a lot of fast motorcycles right now between the whole class. We just have a consistently fast motorcycle at the moment. We’re trying to get every little point that we can. It’s all about consistency right now.”

Jianna Evaristo is second after going 6.777s at 201.81mph and Angie Smith is third thanks to a run of 6.808s at 201.41mph.

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex.

Beckman wins NHRA Midwest Nationals in famed Force machine

Funny Car’s Jack Beckman picked up his first victory since taking over for legendary driver John Force, defeating Ron Capps in the final round of the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, also winning his first race in nearly four years on Sunday at …

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Beckman went 3.856s at 315.86mph in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS, holding off Capps’ 3.882s at 329.42mph to record his 34th career win and first since 2020. Beckman was named the substitute driver for Force following Force’s crash in June, collecting points for the 16-time champ as Beckman attempts to win another title for the iconic Force.

To reach the final round, Beckman defeated J.R. Todd, Daniel Wilkerson, and points leader and teammate Austin Prock, snapping Prock’s streak of 14 straight round wins. Beckman moved into second in points and heads into the final three races trailing Prock by 105 points.

“[Our] guys just kept making the right call,” Beckman said. “You have all the confidence in your crew that whatever they have to do, we can go drag that thing back up there and it’s going to go down the racetrack. We made a monster lap in the final round. That was fantastic to see our guys turn the screws up and get more aggressive with it because that comes from confidence.

“There is potential pressure but it’s a complete honor to drive this car. John Force has done everything and we may not have seen the last of him yet. He is by all metrics the greatest of all time and he’s also a friend of mine. He’s also John Force. He’s his own personality. I am absolutely fine with having an asterisk next to John Force’s 17th title out there, but we have Mount Austin and Jimmy (Prock) to continue to try to close that gap on.”

Capps, now fourth in points, reached the final round for the fourth time this season and the 151st time in his career after defeating Buddy Hull, Bobby Bode and Blake Alexander.

In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher and his team appear to be hitting their stride at an ideal time, as Schumacher won for the second time this season with a run of 3.718s at 329.42mph in his Leatherwood Distillery/Waltrip Brewing Co. dragster to defeat Steve Torrence in the championship round. Remarkably, it is Schumacher’s first victory in the Countdown to the Championship since 2014 (Reading), which was also the year of the most recent of the standout’s eight world championships.

To repeat that, Schumacher, who now has 88 career wins, will have to stay red-hot to track down Antron Brown, but he is 103 points behind in sixth with three races remaining. On Sunday, Schumacher got by Julie Nataas, who was making her Top Fuel debut, and then recorded a massive second-round win against Brown. He defeated Shawn Reed to reach the final round, quickly chasing down Torrence to pick up the memorable victory in St. Louis.

“It was a great day,” Schumacher said. “Running Antron Brown second round, we had to go after it. You look back on moments like that and we made the choice to go after this stuff and run well. I’m proud of the guys.

“I haven’t looked at the points, I don’t know how far back we are. We hurt ourselves early on, but at the end of the day, that’s racing. We won the race, we did a great job, we get points, we’re closer than we were the moment we started this morning. Whether we win a championship or not, we did a heck of a job going out there. Is there time to win a championship? I don’t know. Is there time to win a few more races and be great and do what we’re expected to do by our sponsors? Definitely.”

Torrence reached the final round for the third time in 2024 and 90th time in his career after defeating Ida Zetterstrom, No. 1 qualifier T.J. Zizzo and Justin Ashley, who remained second in points. Ashley is 34 points behind Brown, while Shawn Langdon is 60 points back in third.

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The Pro Stock final featured another thrilling duel between Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield, and Glenn got the better of Stanfield for the second straight race, going 6.577s at 207.82mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to get past Stanfield’s 6.586s at 206.01mph. It strengthens Glenn’s points lead over Stanfield, as he now leads by 31 points as both young standouts attempt to win their first Pro Stock world championships, and also handed the 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year his fifth victory.

It’s his second straight playoff victory as well, as Glenn got the better of Camrie Caruso, Mason McGaha and KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson to reach the championship round. Glenn followed with a sterling 0.010s reaction time and rolled to the wire-to-wire victory against Stanfield, picking up his 13th career victory in the process.

“Wins in the Countdown are harder than wins during the regular season,” Glenn said. “Everybody steps up their game, the points matter more, everybody brings their best stuff. Everything just gets tighter and more difficult. Looking at it, I have two wins and a semi in the Countdown and I barely have a round and a half lead. It’s definitely a lot tighter than I would like right now, but Aaron does a fantastic job. He’s a great driver, and I’m sure he’s going to be real tough for the remainder of the Countdown.

“Coming into this weekend I was thinking, St. Louis is usually where stuff starts happening. The first two races, the who’s who of the Countdown starts to be established. Then the big moves really start being made, kind of like the deciding race as to who is really going to be in the Countdown chase and who’s not really starts in St. Louis. There are only three races left, and there just isn’t a lot of time to gain points, especially when you have the same four drivers in the semis the first three races in a row. It’s really hard to gain points on somebody when they’re right with you the whole way.”

To reach the final round for the ninth time this season and 24th time in his career, Stanfield got past David Cuadra, Matt Hartford and Erica Enders. Enders remained third in points and now trails Glenn by 90 points.

After failing to win in the first two Pro Stock Motorcycle playoff races, defending world champ Gaige Herrera got back on track on Sunday, moving back into the points lead and taking his eighth victory of the season after a run of 6.805s at 198.12mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Chase Van Sant’s 6.868s. It was an impressive bounce back weekend for Herrera, who qualified No. 1 and ran between 6.797s and 6.813s during all four elimination rounds to win for the 19th time in his career and the second straight season in St. Louis.

To get there, Herrera cruised past John Hall and Reading winner Hector Arana Jr., setting up a rematch of the Seattle final round. Van Sant won that, snapping Herrera’s streak of 11 straight victories, but Herrera rode past Van Sant on Sunday. Back in the points lead, Herrera leads Matt Smith, who lost in the second round, by 34 points.

“This means a lot. St. Louis is the halfway point in the Countdown, and to leave here with the points lead and get the win just gives me and the whole team a big boost going into Dallas and the rest of the races,” Herrera said. “If you don’t do well here, it sets you back and puts you in a different mindset.

“We’re leaving with a lot of confidence. I’m glad to say my bike’s back, especially after the last couple of races. I had a red light and in Charlotte had a malfunction and lost a decent amount of points to Matt and he got the points lead. I’m glad to get that back. It brings me a lot of confidence and I’m looking forward to going to Dallas. It’s always a fun race. I’m glad I get to win in St. Louis, I’m not far from here and it’s a beautiful facility. I’m glad the rain was only Friday. It was a good day of racing.”

Van Sant knocked off Chris Bostick, Richard Gadson and Geno Scali to advance to the finals for the third time in 2024. Gadson is third in points, 65 behind his teammate.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Oct. 9-13 with the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex in Dallas.

Zizzo, Prock, Enders, Herrera go No. 1 at NHRA Midwest Nationals

In a Top Fuel field filled with championship contenders, it was part-time racer T.J. Zizzo who impressed the most for the second time this season in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway for the 13th annual NHRA …

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Zizzo raced to the No. 1 spot with a run of 3.714s at 327.66mph in his Rust-Oleum dragster. It’s the second career No. 1 qualifier for the veteran, who earned his first career top spot earlier this year in Chicago. He put together a similar performance on Saturday in St. Louis, holding off an absolutely loaded Top Fuel field.

He’ll open race day against Billy Torrence, looking to pick up his first career Top Fuel victory, and Zizzo had plenty to be excited about after two strong runs on Saturday.

“It’s spectacular. Our all-volunteer team, we do this because we love the sport. We love the sport of NHRA championship drag racing,” Zizzo said. “We come out here and qualify No. 1 twice now. As far as the mindset of a driver, it puts way more pressure on me. That’s what a good race car does. I can’t go up there and lollygag anymore, I have to go up there and get after it.

“The 16 (cars) that are qualified for the show, no joke, any one of us can win. It would be near and dear to my heart to be able to qualify No. 1 and then go four rounds tomorrow, but I know that’s a tough feat.”

Eight-time world champ Tony Schumacher impressed on Saturday as well, qualifying second with a 3.718s at 325.22mph and Brittany Force is third after going 3.722s at 314.39mph. Points leader Antron Brown, who has won the first two races in the Countdown, qualified 10th and will open eliminations Jasmine Salinas.

Funny Car points leader Prock rolled to his 12th No. 1 qualifier of the season for John Force Racing and just missed the track record set by Robert Hight in 2017, going 3.836-sat 330.72mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. His 12th No. 1 qualifier this season also pulls him to within one No. 1 spot of tying John Force for the most top qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history.

Prock has picked up 12 No. 1 qualifiers in the first 17 races and he remains focused on his quest for a first career world championship. The young standout has won the first two playoff races, holding a 129-point lead entering the weekend, and will try to pick up his eighth win of the year on Sunday.

“This whole team, they’re so incredibly smart and dialed in right now,” Prock said. “It sure is fun to drive. We were low both sessions and I’m really proud to be driving this AAA Camaro this weekend.

“We’re definitely not changing our mindset, we’re not laying up at all. We’re going out there and racing like what got us to this point. We want to get as much of a points lead as we can possibly have going into Pomona, and we’ve been doing a good job of that today. We racked up all the qualifying points today. It was another great day – stout runs, and we have a good hot rod for tomorrow.”

Chad Green jumped to the second spot during the final qualifier with a run of 3.876s at 325.77mph and Ron Capps took third on the strength of a 3.878s at 333.33mph.

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Looking to make a late-season run, St. Louis might be the place for defending Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders to do it and she made the most of Saturday’s two sessions, taking the No. 1 qualifier for the seventh time this year after a run of 6.565s at 208.01mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Scag Power Equipment car. Enders thriving at World Wide Technology Raceway should be no surprise, as the six-time world champion has more wins at the facility than any driver in NHRA history.

Entering the weekend third in points, she’ll look to win for the seventh time in St. Louis on Sunday, opening raceday against Chris McGaha. Enders hasn’t won since the season-opening race in Gainesville and Sunday would certainly be an ideal time as she tries to track down points leader Dallas Glenn and Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield.

“The [qualifying] points always add up, I’ve said that from the beginning of our career, and they made a huge difference in both of our ‘14 and ‘15 championship chases,” Enders said. “I imagine it will be the same this year, but to come off the trailer after a long day yesterday and go to the No. 1 spot, you want to run great but be good enough to get down. We made a huge error in the second qualifier but were still second for the session, and we’ll take that into Sunday and see what we can do with it.

“It’s extremely important to get down and go as fast as you can because you want those points, but you have to be conservative enough to not go out there and blow the back window out. It’s a fine line to be fast and a little bit out of control. I’m glad they got the track ready today and it was awesome for us.”

Glenn qualified second with a 6.570s at 207.66mph and his KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson took third after going 6.578s at 207.91mph.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera delivered a stellar run to open qualifying on Saturday, going 6.796s at 197.74mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, earning his seventh No. 1 spot of the season. Herrera, the defending world champ, entered the weekend in an unfamiliar spot, as Matt Smith took over the points lead last weekend with his victory in Charlotte.

Smith has been terrific in St. Louis over the years, but Herrera won the event last year and will attempt to make it two in a row at the pivotal playoff race.

“This is what makes it fun — between Vance & Hines and [Matt Smith Racing], we’re going back and forth, and that’s how it should be going through the Countdown,” Smith said. “The points are very tight, within one round, so I’m glad to get that No. 1 qualifier and see if we can continue this tomorrow and throughout race day. That’s all that counts.

“My mindset is just trying to go round-by-round. I really don’t look back at last year or yesterday, I just try to go out there and go A-to-B as a rider. It’s going to play out how it’s going to play out.”

Smith finished right behind in second thanks to a 6.807s at 198.12mph and Richard Gadson, who has advanced to the finals in each of the first two playoff races, is third after going 6.840s at 195.28mph.

Eliminations for the NHRA Midwest Nationals begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Ashley, Prock, Glenn, Herrera go No. 1 at NHRA Nationals in Reading

Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley clinched his first No. 1 qualifier of the season on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway, taking the top spot in front of a sellout crowd at the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro …

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 15th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. It is the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Ashley’s run of 3.713s at 333.49mph from Friday in his Scag Power Equipment/Toyota dragster stayed atop the field, giving the former NHRA Rookie of the Year his sixth career No. 1 qualifier and second straight at Maple Grove Raceway. Currently second in points, Ashley also made the quickest run to close out qualifying on Saturday and will open eliminations against Smax Smith, looking for his first career win at his home track.

“For the most part, today’s focus was going to be on getting ready for race day and collecting those bonus points. What we saw today was probably similar conditions to what we’ll see tomorrow,” Ashley said. “I think the team learned a lot, they did a great job to be able to collect a total of five bonus points today was critical for us. Tomorrow is a brand new day. It’s really important to qualify No. 1, but at the same time the competition is just so good right now, anything can happen.

“Those bonus points are very important. It’s not everything, but it does add up. You collect a point here and there and together, they could mean a lot.”

Tony Schumacher qualified second with a 3.733s at 328.70mph and points leader Doug Kalitta finished in the third spot after going 3.733s at 328.70mph.

In Funny Car, points leader Austin Prock continued his incredible qualifying run, securing his 11th No. 1 qualifier in 15 races thanks to Friday’s spectacular pass of 3.849s at 338.43mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. He’s now only two No. 1 qualifiers away from tying John Force and Tony Schumacher for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in the nitro categories in NHRA history. He also added a strong run in front of the capacity crowd to close out qualifying and Prock, who won at Maple Grove Raceway in 2022 in Top Fuel, opens eliminations against Mike Smith, looking for his sixth victory of the season.

“These guys are giving me an outstanding car,” Prock said. “All I can do is screw up qualifying and I’ve been doing an okay job of not doing that. My dad, Thomas, Nate, this whole Cornwell Tools team are pretty incredible this season.

“We just have to do what we’ve been doing all year long. We have to execute exactly how we did all season long, change nothing and see how the cards fall. We’re racing lights out right now and I feel like we’re making the best runs we’re capable of making consistently. If we all do our best, that should be good enough to win.”

Alexis DeJoria qualified second with a 3.867s at 336.40mph, while Prock’s JFR teammate, Jack Beckman, took third after his pass of 3.869s at 330.80mph.

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Pro Stock points leader Dallas Glenn impressed the sellout crowd on Saturday in Reading, making a huge run of 6.530s at 209.43mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro, picking up the No. 1 spot for the second time this season and the sixth time in his career. Glenn made the biggest jump of the day, giving him plenty of momentum heading into eliminations, where he’ll open race day against Kenny Delco. After struggling in the Countdown to the Championship last year, Glenn is eager to try and have some early playoff success.

“Yesterday, I didn’t feel like we made that great of runs even though we were near the top and got bonus points. They were decent runs, the engine was running good and everything, but we were struggling in 60-feet. I knew if we figured out that out, we would be good,” Glenn said. “Today, when the track is a little worse and the air is just a touch worse, you go up there and as long as it 60-foots, we should be able to be really close to it. We went up there and made a really nice run.

“I feel like everybody counts all the little points, especially when you reset them with six races to go and you have this mad rush to try to go rounds and get wins. It really matters when you’re in the playoffs. It’s really important here at the end of the season that we do well, so I’m going to try to stay extra focused, try to just kick it up and grab that little bit of extra gear that I feel like we have, focus a little bit harder, and see if we can squeeze a couple wins here in the last six races.”

Defending world champion Erica Enders finished in the second spot with a run of 6.535s at 210.34mph and Greg Anderson took third with a pass of 6.537s at 209.23mph.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera put on an impressive show to open qualifying on Saturday, delivering a stellar run of 6.743s at 200.20mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, racing his way to the No. 1 position. It’s the sixth top qualifier of the season for the defending world champ and points leader and the 20th in his career, and Herrera was thrilled with adjustments his team made heading into Saturday. It paid off in a big way as only one of two riders to dip into the 6.70s, positioning Herrera well for eliminations. He’ll start race day against Kelly Clontz, looking to win at Maple Grove Raceway for the first time. It’s also the only track on the PSM circuit where Herrera hasn’t won.

“We were very pleased with that. We’re happy with that going into tomorrow,” Herrera said. “Conditions will be pretty much the same, maybe a little cooler. I’m glad to get No. 1 qualifying spot. We’re trying to get as many points as we can because now it’s going to be a lot tighter.

“Last night we stayed and looked at data for a good bit and came up with a game plan for today and it paid off. We kind of threw the kitchen sink at it, and it worked. That doesn’t always work, so that gave me confidence in the machine. It’s going to be good for racing tomorrow, and hopefully I have a very fast and consistent motorcycle all day.”

Defending event winner Matt Smith finished second, going 6.795s at 200.50mph to close out qualifying, while Richard Gadson’s 6.806s at 198.35mph puts him third.

Eliminations for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway.

Kalitta DNQs for 70th running of NHRA US Nationals in Indy

Top Fuel points leader and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta did not qualify for the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals, going 3.793s during the final qualifying session. His teammate, Shawn Langdon, bumped him out on the next pass, going 3.784s to go to 16th. He’ll take on Brittany Force in the opening round, while Kalitta won’t qualify for the first time since 2010, an incredible span of 301 races.

Funny Car’s Paul Lee won a specialty race for the first time in his NHRA career on Sunday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, defeating Bob Tasca in the final round of the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout.

In other racing action, Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 at the 14th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Lee, who was seeded eighth in the eight-car field and appeared in a specialty race for the first time, went 4.243s at 328.38mph in his McLeod Racing/FTI Performance Dodge Charger to slip past Tasca’s 4.255s. Both cars drove into smoke near the finish line, but Lee had enough to coast to the victory, which nets the veteran the $80,000 prize. Lee beat Ron Capps and defending world champion Matt Hagan earlier on Sunday to reach the final round of the specialty race.

He left first on Tasca and held on for the win, which is certainly Lee’s biggest moment in the Funny Car ranks. Lee has made impressive strides this year with Jonnie Lindberg as his crew chief and John Medlen offering guidance as well.

“I couldn’t be prouder of my whole team. They really worked their butts off today, changed engines between first and second round and did a flawless job,” Lee said. “This is a team sport. I’m here representing my team, but it’s a true team sport and I just remember growing up watching all the specialty shootouts in the past and then growing up and getting to be in one and win it? I’m over the moon.

“I’m in it, I don’t care who I race. I didn’t really care because you have to beat everybody. Look at the cars you have to race, these are the top cars in the country. I don’t look at this as stress, I look at it as opportunity. This time, it was an opportunity to win $80,000. Tomorrow, I look at it the same way. I have the opportunity to win the U.S. Nationals.”

Top Fuel’s Brittany Force has enjoyed the weekend she has needed so far, securing the No. 1 qualifier when Saturday’s 3.693s at 333.08mph in her Chevrolet Accessories dragster. It’s the 48th top qualifier for the two-time world champ and Force needed every bit of it this weekend, entering the U.S. Nationals 10th in points. She’ll enter raceday with a 58-point advantage over 11th-place Josh Hart and Force will need to stay in the top 10 to earn a spot in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. That means plenty is on the line for Force on Monday as she opens eliminations against Shawn Langdon.

“It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend,” Force said. “We’ve done really well and we’re wearing a No. 1 qualifier hat. We ended up No. 1 and haven’t done that since the very beginning of the season. That’s a huge deal, but we are right now so focused on tomorrow and what it takes to stay in this thing. We’re sitting 10th and we can get bumped out. This team, we want to be in a hunt for a championship. We’ve done great so far and done everything that we can..

“If it wasn’t Langdon, it’d be somebody else and there is no easy team or driver out here. We’ve seen crazier things happen on raceday. We’re going to give it our all, we’re in a really good position, we have to focus on that and just stay in our lane – focus on what our team can do, what our goals are, what we want to accomplish.”

Tony Stewart qualified in the second spot with his 3.707s at 331.04mph and T.J. Zizzo is third with a 3.716s at 332.67mph.

In Funny Car, Austin Prock easily held on to the No. 1 spot, as Saturday’s stellar pass of 3.855s at 328.38mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS handed the points leader a remarkable 10th No. 1 qualifier this season. It’s been nothing short of a spectacular season for Prock in his rookie season in the category and this was another major moment for the young standout who earned his first career U.S. Nationals No. 1 qualifier. Prock will try to turn that into his first U.S. Nationals victory on Monday, where he will open eliminations against Chris King.

“It’s pretty cool, I didn’t even think about it until today and not very many people get to qualify No. 1 here at the U.S. Nationals. It’s our biggest race of the year, and I’m definitely proud of this team,” Prock said. “They all work really hard and deserve results like this. I was proud to be able to get the car down the track in a nice, neat fashion all five runs, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

“Earlier this week I got a new attitude, and I’ve just been having fun. When you get punched in the face like I did (in Brainerd), that’ll change a man. I got a new attitude and it’s been working so far. I’m having fun and can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s going to be a great show for the fans, and that’s how the U.S. Nationals should be.”

Tasca took the second spot with a 3.871s at 336.23mph and Jack Beckman, racing for John Force, qualified third thanks to a run of 3.877s at 329.10mph.

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For a third straight day, Greg Anderson stayed atop the Pro Stock field and for the third straight day, the veteran improved on his performance, going 6.575s at 207.88mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Weather conditions should allow for Anderson to improve again on Monday during eliminations, where the five-time world champion will have a chance to win The Big Go for the eighth time. He’ll open raceday against Camrie Caruso, looking for his third win of 2024. It’s already been a rewarding weekend for the veteran, making the quickest run in all five qualifying sessions, but success on Monday is the biggest thing and Anderson feels confident his team is on track.

“The big day is Monday but it’s been near perfection for three days straight and that’s a helluva confidence builder,” Anderson said. “It certainly makes me feel good, the car feels great, engine is running great, crew is right on point making decisions. Hopefully, we can make that go for four more runs tomorrow and make some magic here at Indy. I feel great, a lot of confidence in the group, the team, and that helps as a driver and makes you get up on the wheel as a driver.

“I need to get it done. That’s not just me, it’s the entire race team. We need to race error free, like we qualified and get the job done, win the race. I’ve got the horse, I need to ride that sucker to the finish line and ride it proud. That’s what I plan on doing tomorrow. I love racing here at Indy. It would be tough to find a more special race than when I won my 100th race here. You never know when you’re going to get another one. The very next one I get, if I can get another one, will be the best one I ever had.”

Defending world champion Erica Enders remained in second with a 6.592s at 207.11mph, while Jeg Coughlin Jr. took third with a 6.598s at 207.50mph.

After two days of strong performances from Matt Smith Racing, Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Gaige Herrera had his day on Sunday, picking up the No. 1 qualifier with a standout run of 6.809s at 197.71mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines. It was a strong weekend turnaround for the defending world champion, who picks up his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season with the impressive run. He’ll open eliminations against Wesley Wells, trying to pick up his first victory at the world’s biggest drag race. It’s one of the few events Herrera didn’t win a year ago and he’ll get a chance for redemption on Monday.

“It’s good to get the No. 1 spot for Vance & Hines. This is big for us,” Herrera said. “I was happy to run 6.80 and I’ve got to credit Mother Nature because the [cool weather] helped us. I just didn’t think it would be good enough to stick. I was surprised that it did. It should be even cooler tomorrow, so I think you’ll see some 6.70s for sure.

“We tested here a couple of weeks ago and it helped quite a bit. The air was close to what we had this morning, so we got good data. We’re in a good spot for Monday. That goes for me and Richard [Gadson], Kelly [Clontz], and Geno [Scali]. I think we’ll also do well tomorrow.”

Matt Smith took the second spot with a 6.816s at 196.90mph and John Hall qualified third after going 6.830s at 198.76mph.

Eliminations for the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Monday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Brown, Tasca, Stanfield, Herrera grab NHRA Summit Nationals wins

Three-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown slipped past points leader Doug Kalitta in the final round of the 18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, racing to his 76th career win on Sunday at Summit Motorsports Park. Bob Tasca III …

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 10th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Brown denied Kalitta, the reigning world champ, his second straight win, going 3.736s at 330.55mph in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster to get past Kalitta’s 3.747s at 334.65mph in a fantastic side-by-side duel. It is Brown’s second win this season – and the 60th Top Fuel win in his spectacular career – and he reached the final round after defeating Dan Mercier, Clay Millican and Justin Ashley. Brown then led wire-to-wire against the No. 1 qualifier, moving to fourth in points with the thrilling victory.

“This is the best one right now, but your best one is always your next one,” Brown said. “We’re going to celebrate like rock stars tonight because this class is unbelievably tough. You can be on the outside looking in really quick. Coming here, we really felt we had a package that compete and run with anybody.

“The fans here live, eat and breath drag racing and you could tell the way the fans showed out. To be part of that and go rounds, come out the victor – my hat is off to my team. I’m in awe of how we got this done. It’s truly a blessing to be part of this team and get this win and John Force, this win is for you.”

Kalitta reached his fourth straight final of the year and the 117th in his career with round wins against Kyle Wurtzel, Billy Torrence and Steve Torrence. His points lead now stands at 134 over Justin Ashley.

In Funny Car, Bob Tasca III made the most of his second straight trip to the final round in his Ford Performance Dark Horse Mustang, taking down Ron Capps with a standout run of 3.908s at 330.47mph. It gives Tasca his second win this season and the 17th in his career and the veteran also obliterated the track speed record, going 336.82mph.

That came in the first round of eliminations against Dave Richards and Tasca then proceeded to knock off Paul Lee and No. 1 qualifier and points leader Austin Prock. That semifinal must-see matchup didn’t disappoint, as Tasca won on a holeshot, going 3.929s at 334.73mph to hold off Prock’s 3.927s thanks to a 0.046s reaction time. Tasca then cruised to the victory in the final round, winning for the second time in Norwalk and also moving to second in points.

“Hats off to Todd Okuhara and Aaron Brooks. Leaving Bristol, we were pretty disappointed,” Tasca said. “They’re about as aggressive of guys as I’ve ever seen, and I’m an aggressive guy. But we have to go down the racetrack. I think we’re like 14 out of 15 runs since Bristol going down the racetrack, and that’s what it takes to win. They just did an incredible job this weekend. Friday, Saturday were some of the most challenging conditions that we’ve ever seen and the car runs .88, .89, like a bracket car. This is a really special group.

“This morning when I woke up and I heard the positive news about John Force, it was like a weight was lifted off our shoulders. This place is special to John and I dedicate this win to John Force. He will be back and he’s the toughest guy I know.”

Capps broke a season-long slump, advancing to his first final of the year and the 148th in his career after taking down Daniel Wilkerson, J.R. Todd and reigning world champion Matt Hagan. Prock’s points lead is now 178 points over Tasca.

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Pro Stock’s Aaron Stanfield stayed red-hot, winning his second straight race by taking down points leader Dallas Glenn in the final round with a run of 6.539s at 208.91mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports car. It was the quickest run of the weekend in the category and also marks the 10th career victory for the young standout, who also won last weekend in Richmond.

Stanfield advanced to the championship round by defeating Chris McGaha, Deric Kramer and Cristian Cuadra. Glenn ran into tire shake almost immediately, and Stanfield cruised to the victory, moving up to fourth in points in the process.

“This place is awesome and it’s been on my bucket list to get it done,” Stanfield said. “My hot rod was flying this weekend and I’m glad I’m the one that’s behind the wheel. It feels great to get back-to-back wins and get this ice cream scoop here.

“Racing Dallas, we both come from the same background. He’s a tough competitor and it feels good to turn the win light on. We’re both hardworking people, and we’ve really grinded to get in the position we are. It’s cool to get to race against him and he’s bad to the bone, so I know I’ve got to be on my best to beat him. It’s just a cool moment.”

Glenn reached the finals for the fifth time this season and the 22nd time in his career, picking up round wins against Jeg Coughlin Jr., Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Mason McGaha. He also extended his points lead to 89 over Greg Anderson, who fell in the first round. Reigning world champ Erica Enders also lost in the opening round.

Gaige Herrera again raised his performance on Sunday in Pro Stock Motorcycle, extending his NHRA record with an 11th straight win, defeating Matt Smith in the final round on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki with an impressive run of 6.704s at 200.77mph. The dominant points leader and defending world champion remained undefeated since last September and for all of 2024, winning his sixth straight race this year and first at Summit Motorsports Park.

Herrera qualified third heading into eliminations, but was incredible on Sunday, going a track-record 6.698s at 200.95mph to open the day. He added round wins against Chase Van Sant and John Hall to reach the final round before the marquee matchup with Smith. But Herrera left the starting line first and rolled to the victory.

“I have an awesome team behind me, and they deserve more of the credit than I do. I get the spotlight but all in all, it’s them. It shows their hard work. It’s just been a lot accomplished in a short time and it’s really hard to take it all in, but I’m enjoying it. It’s unbelievable but it makes me feel like all my hard work is paying off. I’ve always wanted to be here since I was a little kid.

“I actually grew up one city over from John Force. You grow up watching John, hearing about him, to have my name in that same area – it’s still John Force, you can never compare yourself to anyone like that, but to have my name mentioned in the history books like that, it’s incredible. I never would have dreamed anything of it as a kid and I still don’t believe it.”

Smith earned his second trip to the finals this year and the 77th in his career thanks to round wins against Wesley Wells and Richard Gadson.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action July 19-21 with the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Seattle.

Prock grabs emotional win for JFR at NHRA Virginia Nationals

Funny Car points leader Austin Prock won his second straight race on Sunday for John Force Racing, defeating Bob Tasca III in the final round with the quickest run of the weekend at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Aaron …

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the ninth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Prock went 3.921s at 327.90mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS to power past Tasca and pick up his third win of 2024 in his debut season in Funny Car. Prock dedicated the win to his boss, legendary Funny Car driver John Force, who was involved in a crash in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

Force suffered an engine explosion at the finish line and then crossed the centerline, striking both guard walls before coming to a stop. The 16-time world champion was alert and was examined onsite before being transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation.

“This win is definitely dedicated to John Force,” Prock said. “This is one for the books and there were a lot of emotions today and we had to battle a bunch of adversity. This trophy is definitely going back to him. I wanted to get it done for him and this is really special. I’m super proud of this team to get it done with everything that went on and keeping my head together.

“We wanted to get it done for him, but I almost felt like I was feeling the pressure early on in the day. I drove terrible in the second and third round. This team’s busting their tail out in this heat, and I don’t want to be the weak link and I wanted to get it done for John.”

Prock reached the final round with wins against Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps and defending world champ Matt Hagan, while Tasca advanced to the championship round for the second time this season with victories against Dave Richards, Tim Wilkerson and Blake Alexander.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera added yet another record in his amazing two-year run on Sunday, going 6.755s at 199.26mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat teammate Richard Gadson in the final round. With the victory, the defending world champion set the record for the most consecutive wins in NHRA history, winning his 10th straight race on his Suzuki and eclipsing the previous mark set by Bob Glidden.

He also now has 39 straight round wins, setting that record on Sunday as well. Herrera, who stayed undefeated in 2024 and hasn’t lost since early September of last year, defeated Chris Bostick and John Hall to reach the finals, picking up his fifth victory of the year and 16th since the beginning of last year, continuing an absolutely historic and dominant run.

“It’s kind of hard to process all of it,” Herrera said. “The amount of accomplishments that have been achieved in such a short time, I tried to sit back and just think about it, and it’s very hard, because there are so many of them. I have to thank Andrew [Hines, crew chief] and basically picking me out of a haystack to ride for them. I’ve got to give it all up to Andrew and all the guys at the shop. None of this is possible without them.

“It’s very surreal. Getting the 10 consecutive wins, I think that’s the biggest thing that really hasn’t set in. Last year, we were feeling like we were doing very good and making everyone else have to step up, so this year, if we go out there and do like we did last year, I think this year is really going to hit us in the face and make us realize what we’re doing right now.”

Gadson reached his first career final round after defeating Eiji Kawakami, Jianna Evaristo and Hector Arana Jr.

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Doug Kalitta continued to roll in the Top Fuel ranks, defeating teammate Shawn Langdon in the final round with a weekend-best run of 3.752s at 333.41mph in his Mac Tools dragster. Kalitta, the defending world champion, added to his points lead en route to his third win this year – also advancing to his third straight final round – and 55th victory in his career.

It’s the veteran’s first win at Virginia Motorsports Park since 2007 and his day included round wins against Cam Ferre, Josh Hart and Tony Stewart. That set up a marquee matchup with his Kalitta Motorsports teammate in the finals, guaranteeing a fifth team win in 2024 through the first nine events. Kalitta pulled away from Langdon under the lights, making the first Top Fuel run in the 3.70s this weekend.

“It’s been good [this year],” Kalitta said. “We’ve worked to get to this point for a long time and to see it come together, it seems like just getting down the track is just half the battle most of the days you’re out here, and that’s been key with my tune-up and the performance of that thing. Alan (Johnson, crew chief) just seems to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve when it comes to moving through those different conditions. What we’ve had today was a big swing from normal.

“These crew chiefs out here, it’s incredible. I’m really fortunate to have Alan tuning my car. He’s proven time and time again that he can figure out different conditions. We’re just real, it seemed like the first year he was on my car, we changed a lot of stuff around. Right now, with what we picked up on at the middle of last year and carried into this year, everybody is doing their job. The consistency of putting that thing together is really good right now with the guys. It’s just a big team effort.”

Langdon, who moved to second in points, defeated Lex Joon, Steve Torrence and Antron Brown to reach the finals for the fourth time this year.

In Pro Stock, Aaron Stanfield gave Elite Motorsports its third straight victory in the category, as he drove past points leader Dallas Glenn in the final round with a run of 6.614s at 207.15mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Janac Brothers car. It is Stanfield’s first victory of the season and the ninth in his career, as he also won for the first time at Virginia Motorsports Park.

He reached the finals after defeating Val Smeland, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Greg Anderson, posting an outstanding 0.007s reaction time against Glenn to get the win and get some revenge after Glenn won their final-round matchup in Chicago.

“It was definitely a long hot race day for sure,” Stanfield said. “Dallas has got me a couple times here the past couple of races and it was good to get them back right there. I was blessed with the opportunity to represent JHG this year, and it’s good to finally be able to pull off that wind representing their brand.

“It’s just a special day. I have my little girl [Oakley] with me here today, and for her to see me win, now she can understand why dad’s gone so much, so, it’s just a special, special day for me.”

Glenn, who remained in the points lead, knocked off Mason McGaha, Deric Kramer and Bo Butner to reach the finals.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 27-30 with the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Brown powers back to victory at NHRA Route 66 Nationals

Three-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown picked up his 75th career win on Sunday at Route 66 Raceway, powering past Shawn Langdon in the final round of the 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK …

Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the sixth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Brown went 3.838s at 324.75mph in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster in the championship round, winning for the first time in 2024 and the 75th time overall. Brown picked up wins against Jasmine Salinas, points leader Justin Ashley and Steve Torrence to reach the finals, leading wire-to-wire against Langdon, who went 3.869s at 322.04mph in the finals, to claim his sixth overall Chicago victory and fourth in Top Fuel.

“This weekend, this track was medieval,” Brown said. “It was tricky. We didn’t get down in Q1 so we had to be safe in Q2 because that was Friday night where all the good numbers came up. We ran quick enough to get in the show. Now today was hot, and a lot of cars weren’t making it down. We just had to focus on what we were doing.

“In the final, we had to step it up. We figured we needed to go 3.82-83s because that’s how [Landgon] ran in the semifinals. We got down from start to finish and that was the key. I just try to stay humble and stay hungry. That’s my game. The race here has a lot of special meaning and it was a total team effort to get the job done. I always love racing here in Chicago.”

Langdon advanced to the final round for the third time this year and 41st time in his Top Fuel career, picking up wins against Cody Krohn, Shawn Reed and Dan Mercier. Ashley remained in the points lead.

In Funny Car, defending world champion Matt Hagan became the first two-time winner in the category, taking down John Force in a thriller of a final round with a run of 3.998s at 323.31mph in his Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat for Tony Stewart Racing. It’s also the second straight victory for Hagan, who won in Charlotte, and now appears to have found his groove, moving into the points lead in the process. The Charlotte victory was the 50th in his career and he added to that on Sunday, getting to the final round with wins against Ron Capps, Paul Lee and Blake Alexander.

Remarkably enough, the pass in the finals was the first 3s run of the weekend for Hagan, but it came at the perfect time, as the four-time world champion held off Force’s 4.096s at 311.05mph to win in Chicago for the fourth time, taking plenty of momentum into the summer.

“This was a tricky track but I think the thing I’m most proud of is how we got down it every time today,” Hagan said. “We qualified 11th which meant we got stuck in the left lane. Usually one lane is just a bit better than the other and today it was the right lane, but my guys did a great job. They killed it today. At the end of the day, we had a good car and I felt like I was seeing the light great today.

“I’m honored to race John Force. He’s the GOAT. He’s the best there’s ever been. We’ve had our moments but I have nothing but respect for him. Overall, this is the toughest the class has been since I remember.”

John Force made his second final-round appearance of 2024 and the 268th in his legendary career, taking down Buddy Hull, Alexis DeJoria and Daniel Wilkerson.

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Dallas Glenn remained perfect in his Pro Stock career at Route 66 Raceway, claiming his second straight victory at the facility with a run of 6.567s at 208.20mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Aaron Stanfield in the championship round. Glenn also moved into the points lead after his impressive day, driving away with his second win this season and the 10th in his Pro Stock career. He made his first Pro Stock appearance in Chicago last year and made strong improvements on Sunday after qualifying in the seventh spot.

He beat Eric Latino, Troy Coughlin Jr. and KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson to reach the final round, making his quickest run of the weekend against Anderson (6.565s) before leading wire-to-wire against Stanfield in the finals.

“I felt good today. I was nice and relaxed, and I hit the tree when I needed to,” Glenn said. “We had a good car and in Q4 when I scored a bonus point that was good for my confidence. Being the No. 7 qualifier was not representative of how good our car was. Racing Greg, you never know what you’re going to get. He might be low for the weekend and lately he’s been driving extra good.

“As for the rivalry with Elite (Motorsports), it’s good for Pro Stock and I love it. I’m not the guy leading the charge. I prefer to let my car do the talking.”

Stanfield advanced to the finals for the second time this season and 17th time overall, taking down Fernando Cuadra Jr., Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jerry Tucker.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera found another level on Sunday in Chicago, winning his eighth straight race to tie Dave Schultz for the most consecutive wins in class history. In the final round at Route 66 Raceway, Herrera went 6.713s at 200.68mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, holding off Chase Vant Sant to stay perfect in 2024. It’s his third victory this season and eighth straight dating back to the second race in the Countdown to the Championship a year ago, also giving the defending world champion his 14th career victory in just his 24th career start.

Herrera saw his streak of 11 straight No. 1 qualifiers snapped on Saturday to Matt Smith, but he was dominant on Sunday, going 6.694s at 200.47mph in the opening round. He added victories against John Hall and LE Tonglet to reach the championship round, leaving first on Van Sant and cruising to another memorable victory.

“First, congrats to Chase Van Sant. He did a great job today and he’s on his way,” Herrera said. “As far as tying Dave Schultz, I’m honored. I wish I’d had a chance to meet him, but I’ve heard a lot of great stories and I know what he did for this Pro Stock Motorcycle class. It’s still hard to believe I’m mentioned in the same sentence as him.

“We qualified No. 2 behind Matt, but today was a different day. The weather was consistent and that let us really work on our tune-up. I honestly thought I would be me and Matt in the final round. I was consistent and my bike was on rails. We had a very consistent motorcycle this weekend.”

Van Sant, the reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year winner, advanced to his first career final round thanks to victories against Steve Johnson, M. Smith and Angie Smith.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action May 31-June 2 with the 14th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H.