Wet NHRA Winternationals finals postponed to Phoenix

Inclement weather forced the postponement of the final round of the 64th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. The final rounds in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock will now be completed at the upcoming …

Inclement weather forced the postponement of the final round of the 64th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

The final rounds in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock will now be completed at the upcoming NHRA Arizona Nationals, which is the next event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series circuit and takes place April 5-7 at Firebird Motorsports Park in Phoenix.

In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher and defending event winner Justin Ashley both advanced to the final round on Sunday. Schumacher reached his first final round this season after defeating Terry Totten, Gainesville winner Shawn Langdon and Billy Torrence. Ashley, meanwhile, is after his third straight win at the Winternationals and reached the finals thanks to victories against Shawn Reed, Steve Torrence and No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force. Ashley has reached the final round at the Winternationals for four straight years.

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Funny Car’s John Force and reigning world champion Matt Hagan powered to the championship round at the second of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Force will try to pick up his first victory in two years in Phoenix, taking down Jim Campbell, Bobby Bode and Ron Capps. Hagan is after back-to-back Winternationals victories and his 50th career Funny Car win, reaching the finals on Sunday in Pomona with round victories against Buddy Hull, Jeff Diehl and Gainesville winner J.R. Todd.

Defending world champion Erica Enders and No. 1 qualifier Dallas Glenn will meet up in the finals in Pro Stock in Phoenix. Enders, who won the season-opener in Gainesville, took down Fernando Cuadra Jr., Brandon Foster and Greg Anderson to reach the championship round. She will attempt to pick up her 50th career national event win in two weeks at Firebird Motorsports Park. Glenn, the defending Winternationals winner, got by Sienna Wildgust, David Cuadra and Mason McGaha to reach his first final round of the season.

John Force powers to Mission 2Fast2Tasty win at NHRA US Nationals

Funny Car legend John Force claimed his first win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, defeating back-to-back world champ Ron Capps in the final round on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as part of this weekend’s 69th annual …

Funny Car legend John Force claimed his first win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, defeating back-to-back world champ Ron Capps in the final round on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as part of this weekend’s 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the world’s biggest drag race in Indy.

Force went 3.989s at 328.78mph in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS to defeat Capps, picking up the victory in the bonus race for the first time in 2023. Force knocked off teammate Robert Hight earlier in the day before getting past his longtime rival in the finals, adding another chapter to his rich Indy legacy.

“I want to win the Mission deal, but it was an opportunity that I got away with it,” Force said. “You just do what you do and attack it. I’m not saying what I do is right, it’s just what I do. Some days, the good Lord lets me get away with it, and I did today. It was good to come in here to Indy and be able to do your job at my age. I ain’t great, but I’m good enough to be here, and I’m going to get better. I have a lot of work to do, but I’m no spring chicken. I’ve won Indy five times, but it was a good feeling to do this.”

Capps was the season winner in the Funny Car Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, accumulating 14 playoff points in the process.

In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley finished off his season-long success in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge with his unprecedented sixth victory in the bonus race thanks to a stellar run of 3.714s at 334.73mph in his Phillips Connect/Toyota Dragster. That gave him the win over Antron Brown in the final round, as well as the season-long title in the specialty race. Ashley was incredible in the Saturday event from start to finish and his reward – along with a number of bonus payouts – is 21 playoff points when the Countdown to the Championship begins.

“These Mission #2Fast2Tasty points really add up, especially because of when they come into play which is after the points reset,” Ashley said. “It was critical for our team to take advantage of every opportunity we had during this challenge. I feel like we did a great job with that, and it’s just a testament to the great team that we have.

“Overall, when you look at the challenge, it’s really unique, something we’ve never done as a sport. I think it’s good for the fans, good for the teams, and good for the drivers. It’s really a win-win all around. It’s just been so much fun. It’s been an absolute blast.”

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Stanfield turned in an impressive performance in the final round of the specialty race in Pro Stock, knocking off Kyle Koretsky with a run of 6.630s at 207.56mph in his Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro. Not only does it give Stanfield his second win this season in the bonus race, but the rising star was also overall Pro Stock season winner in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge over Dallas Glenn.

It was a thrilling moment for Stanfield, who looks to have a huge impact in the Countdown to the Championship. Saturday’s win provided plenty of momentum and Stanfield, who earned eight playoff points for the Countdown, hopes to carry it over to the rest of the weekend.

“It’s pretty cool and to be honest with you I didn’t even know I had a shot to win this,” Stanfield said. “Sometimes that’s the best way to go into something like that. I have to thank Mr. Gonzalez and Mission Foods for putting on a program for us to add a little bit of more competitive juices throughout qualifying and the race. My guys gave me a really good hot rod today, and I drove good enough to get it done. It’s always good to do it at Indy.”

Gaige Herrera cemented his dominance in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, winning for the fourth time in six Pro Stock Motorcycle races by defeating Eddie Krawiec in the finals on Saturday with a run of 6.759s at 199.11mph on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Much like he has been all year, Herrera was incredible on Saturday in the bonus event, posting a pair of strong runs.

It gave him 13 additional playoff points in the Countdown to the Championship, another tremendous achievement in his standout 2023 campaign.

“It’s been very exciting,” Herrera said. “Mission is a very big sponsor for us, so to be able to represent for them is big. Not only that, but to have both bikes in the final, it was awesome for the whole team and for Mission and our Vance & Hines Suzukis. I’m very ecstatic to get this overall win, I got four out of six of them, and this whole season has been incredible. It’s hard to put into words because I feel like it’s still not real.”

Qualifying continues on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. ET at the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Force runs to 166th No. 1 at NHRA Northwest Nationals

Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps rolled to his third win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge bonus race on Saturday, defeating J.R. Todd in the final round at Pacific Raceways as part of the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest …

Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps rolled to his third win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge bonus race on Saturday, defeating J.R. Todd in the final round at Pacific Raceways as part of the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals.

In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the bonus event in Seattle. Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) each qualified No. 1 at the 11th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Capps went 3.951s at 322.65mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra to slip past Todd’s run of 3.967s at 323.81mph, giving the back-to-back world champ his third specialty event win in the past four races. He will attempt to pick up his first double-up weekend of the year on Sunday in Seattle, where Capps has two career event wins.

“This deal has really changed the way you wake up Saturday morning,” Capps said. “There’s a lot going on inside your head up there. You’re trying to win this and you’re still trying to improve your qualifying spot, too, but this deal is really cool. We’re very excited to get another win in this and it also gives us a lot of good data for tomorrow.

“I want to just say it over and over: Thank you to Mission Foods for putting this on. They really created something cool. We all saw the points is the thing that stood out for most; it’s great money, we appreciate that, too. But as you know, we won the world championship last year by less than a handful of points.”

Funny Car legend John Force put on an impressive show to close out qualifying, jumping to the No. 1 spot for the first time this season with a run of 3.915s at 327.35mph in his PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS. It’s also the 166th career No. 1 qualifier for the 16-time world champ as he looks to win at Pacific Raceways for an incredible 10th time. Bob Tasca III took second with a 3.949s at 322.81mph and Capps qualified third.

“When you’re out here, and you got four teams and so many people represent, it’s hard to make everybody happy,” Force said. “We have a race to win tomorrow, our cars are good, some are a little bit off, some are hot. I didn’t think we’d be that fast. But like Danny (Hood, crew chief) said: ‘Hang on.’ So when he does that, I know he’s pushing it. So I’m excited and I love Seattle.

“It’s funny, the days beat you up and you feel like everything’s going wrong, and then all of a sudden you run like that, you get young again.”

Four-time Top Fuel world champ Torrence made the most of his Saturday, picking up his first victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge by knocking off Shawn Langdon in the final round with a run of 3.788s at 325.61mph in his Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster. It’s the first win of any kind this season for Torrence, who was second in points entering the weekend. That shows the team’s consistency this season, but Torrence has been eager to get back in the winner’s circle. He did that on Saturday, knocking off Doug Kalitta and then Langdon to win the bonus race and enjoy plenty of momentum heading into Sunday’s eliminations.

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“We had a really good race car in Denver and we should have won (in the semifinals against Kalitta),” Torrence said. “It definitely gives me a boost of confidence in my race car. I went to the Western Swing with a completely different mindset. To win that gives us a lot of confidence going into race day tomorrow. It’s the first win we’ve had in a while and I think that’s finally coming around the way that we want to. The win light came on in our side and we won the race. I trusted my guys and my race. We didn’t win four world championships by not trusting in them.”

Salinas enjoyed an impressive Saturday in the class, too, picking up his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 13th in his career with a run of 3.743s at 329.02mph in his Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster. He followed it up with another strong run of 3.77s to close out the day, putting him in prime position to pick up his first win at Pacific Raceways and second victory this season. Doug Kalitta qualified second with a 3.753s at 327.66mph, and points leader Justin Ashley jumped to third in the final session after going 3.760s at 325.45mph.

“We tested a lot. We just didn’t share it with anybody,” Salinas said. “We just fell on our face and tried all kinds of different things. All the stuff we did learn, we’re just applying it now, and the car seems to be responding exactly the way we want it to. Our 60-foots were amazing for the heat. I think we’re in a good place.

“We tried to run a little bit better in Q3, but I think it mowed through the clutch a little bit. We were trying to actually run the same run a little bit hotter, because that’s what it’s going to be tomorrow.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, the day belonged to Herrera, as the current points leader won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge and qualified No. 1 in the category’s first appearance at Pacific Raceways. He knocked off Angie Smith in the finals of the bonus race on Saturday, going 6.794s at 197.42mph on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki. It’s the third victory in the challenge for Herrera, who knocked off Chase Van Sant earlier in the day. He was eager to put on a strong performance in his debut in Seattle and Herrera certainly did that, giving him a chance to double up for the second time this season.

“I feel like we’re kind of back in the groove we had before Bristol, so to be able to come out here and get a third Mission win, it’s awesome,” Herrera said. “And to be No. 1 qualifier, it’s just an awesome start to the weekend. All the credit goes to the whole team. They really know their stuff. They’ve been doing this for many years and that gives me all the confidence in the world as a rider. The big thing for me on Sunday is to be consistent on the bike, but I feel very confident we can have a good day.”

Herrera’s 6.767s at 198.09mph from Friday gave the points leader his sixth No. 1 qualifier of 2023. His teammate, Eddie Krawiec, is second with a 6.776s at 198.82mph and Smith took third, going 6.787s at 200.29mph. It was the first 200-mph pass at Seattle for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category.

Eliminations for the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals begin at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday at Pacific Raceways.