Ron Capps – Syndication Server

Capps creeps into Funny Car points lead with NHRA Brainerd win

Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps moved into the points lead and picked up his 75th career win on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway, powering past Robert Hight in the final round of the 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Antron …

Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Capps delivered a run of 3.887s at 332.75 mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, holding off Hight’s 3.900s at 324.90mph, getting his second win of the 2023 season. The back-to-back world champion also got his seventh career win at Brainerd International Raceway, which is the second-most in NHRA history at the facility to John Force’s 11 victories.

To reach the final round for the sixth time this year, Capps, the No. 1 qualifier, knocked off Jim Campbell, Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tasca III. In a matchup that featured a pair of three-time world champions, Capps led wire-to-wire against Hight to pick up a special milestone victory. His points lead stands at 21 points heading to Indy.

“I’ve won with different crew chiefs here, there’s just something about this place,” Capps said. “We make a point of going out and celebrating with everybody in the Zoo, and we did that again last night. We’re taking the Wally out to the Zoo tonight. Everybody there helped us win, and they should get a picture.

“We have all kinds of Funny Cars that have won multiple races this year and here we are with the points lead. We had one win coming in here. That tells you the consistency. It grows my confidence, we grow each other’s confidence, and it’s just fun right now. We had a goal to get to Indy and win the regular season points. To have the points lead going into Indy, it’s just so cool.”

Hight reached his 99th career final round on Sunday by defeating Bobby Bode, Dave Richards and teammate John Force.

In Top Fuel, Antron Brown capped off a dominant weekend at Brainerd International Raceway, following up his Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory on Saturday with a Sunday triumph, going 3.715s at 326.08mph in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster against Leah Pruett. It gives Brown an impressive double-up weekend at a key point in the season as the three-time world champion also moved to third in points.

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He knocked off Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence and Mike Salinas to reach the finals, posting another strong run in the championship round against Pruett. It’s also Brown’s 73rd career victory and his sixth at Brainerd (two in Top Fuel and four in Pro Stock Motorcycle). Brown was stellar on the starting line all weekend as he prepares for a run at a fourth world title.

“Every lap we made, we were very competitive. We got in eliminations and knew it was going to be a very different day,” Brown said. “The conditions were going to be better, but that’s where Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald [co-crew chiefs] shine. The conditions change, they make an adjustment, and they know right where to put it. We started with a good lap, we were the quickest and fastest of the first session, and that set the tone for the day.

“Then you go in race mode where, you have to race smart. They stayed in that zone, and the consistency paid off. That’s what it takes to wins races and championships. I’ve always loved racing at this track. This race is the turning point that can really get you ready for the championship.”

Pruett reached the finals for the third time in 2023 and 22nd time overall by defeating Tony Schumacher, defending world champ Brittany Force and points leader Justin Ashley. In the points standings, Ashley’s lead now stands at 101 points over Torrence.

A dominant season continued for Dallas Glenn in Pro Stock, as the points leader won for the fourth time in 2023 with a run of 6.566s at 207.56mph in his RAD Torque Systems Camaro to defeat KB Titan Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky in the final round. Glenn drove to his eighth career win in the process, building a points lead that now stands at an impressive 284 points over Matt Hartford.

On Sunday, Glenn made a series of standout runs, knocking off Jerry Tucker, defending world champ Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield to reach the final round for the seventh time this year. In a matchup that featured two drivers making their first-ever Pro Stock appearance at Brainerd, Glenn got the job done, winning in Pro Stock’s first race at the fan-favorite facility since 2019.

“I feel like the car did most of the work today. It’s running so well,” Glenn said. “I was a little worried, it seems to be that the car works really good when it’s hot and humid out. It showed on Saturday when I picked up four bonus points in qualifying. But we went out there with the first run today, and I didn’t think it was that great of a run, but we were second of the session. We just went out there and made four really solid laps. It shook a little bit in the final. I think the track was just a little too good and we needed to get after it a little more, but it made it through it.

“I know Kyle really, really wanted to win that one especially here for Lucas Oil but that’s one thing I love about KB Titan Racing, there are never any team orders. We put the absolute best tune-up in the car and we let the drivers figure it out. When I won the semis and it was an all-KBT final, that’s when the real emotion of winning comes out because no matter what, the trophy is coming home with us.”

Koretsky reached the finals for first time in 2023 and seventh time in his career, getting past Camrie Caruso, No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson and Deric Kramer.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action Aug. 30-Sept. 3 with the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Brown wins 2Fast2Tasty as Ashley goes No. 1 at NHRA Brainerd Nationals

Top Fuel standout Antron Brown picked up his first win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, defeating defending world champion Brittany Force in the finals of the bonus event on Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway as part of this …

In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also won in Brainerd, as the bonus race featured three first-time winners. Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) qualified No. 1 at the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Brown drove to the victory against Force with a run of 3.840s at 292.01mph in his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster in the championship round. He defeated points leader Justin Ashley earlier in the day before driving past Force. Brown, a three-time world champion, will try to double-up on Sunday in Brainerd and also earn his second event win this season.

“We’ve been wanting to win this for a long, long time,” Brown said. “We made it a couple times, and it felt good to get past that first round today. All these cars are just tough, tough competitors. To go into that final round against Brittany and the way their car’s been running, to go against Justin first round. They’re the two heavy-hitters in the class, so to pull off that is very, very special for us.

“That championship is right around the corner, so we have to keep going and doing what we do. It feels good to get that first #2Fast2Tasty win, and for Mission to put this on and give us something to race for on Saturday, it just feels like this is Sunday but we’re racing on Saturday. It’s really cool to get to do that and watch the fans go crazy.”

Ashley made a big move on Saturday in the heat at Brainerd, powering to the No. 1 position during the final session with a stout run of 3.746s at 328.14mph in his Phillips Connect/Toyota dragster. Conditions will be significantly cooler on Sunday during race day, but Ashley and his team made a big statement to close out qualifying as the Top Fuel points leader looks for his seventh win of the 2023 season. Doug Kalitta’s 3.757s at 330.31mph gave him second and Steve Torrence’s 3.758s at 328.54mph puts him third.

“That’s a stout run with the conditions what they were,” Ashley said. “Nothing surprises me with the team that we have, but nonetheless, it was going to be tough to go out there and run as well as we did. It really just speaks volumes of our team. It’s kind of a unique situation, because I’m not sure how much you can actually take of that and apply it tomorrow. It’s going to be cooler, much different out there tomorrow. But we positioned ourselves the best we can heading into race day.

“I’m looking forward to what will hopefully be a long and exciting race day. It’s going to be cool out tomorrow, so I think you’re going to see a lot of really close racing and a lot of really fast racing.”

In Funny Car, it was a matchup of standouts in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, as Robert Hight prevailed over points leader Matt Hagan with a run of 3.988s at 315.05mph in his Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. It was a first-time win in the bonus race for Hight, who appears to be turning the corner at the perfect time after a handful of struggles earlier this summer. He knocked off Bob Tasca III on a holeshot earlier in the day and held off Hagan in the finals as Hight looks for his third victory – and first double-up – of the season.

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“We’ve been chasing this all year and just haven’t been able to seal the deal and get the job done,” Hight said. “I do feel this Cornwell Tools Camaro has turned the corner and we’re getting to where we need to be. Really want to thank Mission Foods for putting up the money and this challenge. It makes things exciting on Saturday and gives us some practice out there racing. You better be on your game.

“Throughout the year, people who win this thing seem to go out there and double up so that’s our goal tomorrow. We need to go out there and get a win.”

Capps’ 3.894s at 330.23mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra held up from Friday, giving the back-to-back Funny Car world champ his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 38th in his career. He’ll look for his seventh win at Brainerd on Sunday, opening eliminations against Jim Campbell. J.R. Todd took second with a 3.907s at 327.98mph and Hagan’s 3.910s at 328.06mph put him third.

“You never take anything for granted, the equalizer will be those cool conditions,” Capps said. “Tomorrow is going to be epic, some pretty incredible times and speeds. But the yellow hat is just such a tribute to how good our guys are. As a driver, you stage the car, keep it in the groove. But I look back at that first run we had to shut the car off and I thought, man, that’s really unfortunate. We really don’t get very many races we get two qualifying runs on Friday but the fact they caught that, we didn’t get anything hurt, then we went back up and got the No. 1 spot, it sure felt a lot better.”

Erica Enders continued to stay hot at an ideal time in Pro Stock, defeating Deric Kramer in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on a holeshot with a time of 6.700s at 203.95mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Camaro. It’s the first win in the bonus race for the defending world champion, who used a 0.026s reaction time to hold of Kramer’s 6.696s. She also continues to roll after winning last weekend in Topeka as Enders, who beat points leader Dallas Glenn in the opening round of the bonus event, continues to look in championship form at the perfect time of the 2023 season.

“This is very exciting,” Enders said. “We went to the finals last weekend and weren’t able to get it done, so to get it done here is pretty exciting. I’m really excited to put that car in the winner’s circle and put our name on that trophy. Coming into the year, we thought, we’re going to do some good – and then we haven’t, so it’s very meaningful.

“I’ve always loved racing at Brainerd, it’s been a track that’s been really good for me, but aside from that, it’s just really fun coming up here. The last time we were here in 2019, my homie Jason Line put it on me in the finals and took home the win in his home track, but we’ve had a lot of success here and we’re looking to go one round further.”

Greg Anderson continued his hold on the top spot in qualifying, claiming his first No. 1 of the season thanks to his run of 6.597s at 205.79mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro from Friday. The five-time world champ and Duluth native made the quickest run during three of the four qualifying sessions, giving the veteran plenty of momentum as he seeks his first victory of the season. Matt Hartford qualified second with a 6.598s at 205.54mph, and Enders’ 6.603s at 207.27mph puts her third.

“It’s very gratifying to know that you can run in heat, you can run in cool, you can run in any conditions. I’m proud of the KB Titan Racing guys and the job they’ve done this weekend,” Anderson said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it’ll be a more fun day for racers. The cars will be fast and hooked up. It’ll be a throw everything you’ve got at the racetrack and it should hold it. Those are exciting days for us, that’s how we love to race.”

Eliminations for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway.

Capps quickest in Friday NHRA qualifying at Brainerd

Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps powered to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday at Brainerd International Raceway as he looks to win the 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals for a seventh time. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson …

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Capps went 3.894s at 330.23mph in his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, putting the back-to-back Funny Car champ in the No. 1 position after two qualifying sessions. If it holds, it would give Capps his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 38th in his career. Only John Force has won at Brainerd more than Capps, who will look add to his success this weekend at a track that means a great deal to him.

“It’s hard to explain, but I love this place — a lot of great memories,” Capps said. “That was just another version of it. We had to shut the car off in the first run, and I sat there at the starting line and watched (Matt) Hagan go low E.T.

“(Crew chief) Guido (Dean Antonelli) and I had a talk [before the later session] and he said, ‘It’s going to be hot tomorrow, and I don’t want to not be in the top half – but we can’t improve. I don’t want to throw down and miss it and smoke the tires. There are 17 cars.’ But I just looked at him and said, ‘Dude, go for it. Throw down.’ He just smiled. He didn’t throw down as much, but it was enough.”

J.R. Todd is currently second with his run of 3.907s at 327.98mph and points leader Matt Hagan is third after going 3.910s at 328.06mph.

In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta made the quickest run in the opening session, going 3.757s at 330.31mph in his Mac Tools dragster. The second session was cancelled due to a lack of daylight, but Kalitta made the most of the first run, putting together a strong run that he hopes sets him up for a strong weekend. He’s in line for his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 52nd in his career, but what would really make the veteran happy is a 50th career victory. The team has been trending in the right direction and a third career win at Brainerd International Raceway could be in store this weekend.

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“That was good. You never can tell really, but this track is usually really good, so I was hopeful we could get down,” Kalitta said. “I’m real proud of my guys and I can’t wait to see how it holds up for tomorrow. I’m happy for today, for sure. They do an awesome job on the track and I’m pretty confident we’ll have two good lanes for tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to it.

“We’re definitely hungry for a win but just making it to the final – if you can get to the final at every race, you can keep your points going. Hopefully, we’ll fall into that win category again, and this would be a great place to do it. I love coming to Brainerd. It’s always great coming back and seeing what we can do.”

Steve Torrence’s 3.758s at 328.54mph has him second, while reigning world champion Brittany Force went 3.762s at 331.45mph. That has her third and points leader Justin Ashley is sixth.

In Pro Stock’s first appearance at Brainerd since 2019, it was the hometown guy who stole the show on Friday, as Duluth native Greg Anderson grabbed the provisional No. 1 position with a run of 6.597s at 205.79mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Coming off a strong showing last weekend in Topeka when Anderson raced to his first final round of the 2023 campaign, the five-time world champ kept rolling on Friday, making the quickest run in both sessions. If that holds, Anderson would pick up his first No. 1 of the season and the 122nd in his standout career. Hoping to make a big run with the Countdown to the Championship approaching, a good weekend in Brainerd would be huge for Anderson.

“Being back home is cool,” Anderson said. “This is where I grew up, where it all started for me. It’s pretty darn cool to come back after a long four years. The facility is wonderful, the race track is great, the weather is great – it’s just like I remember it. It’s been a really good Friday, and we got all the points that they had to give today with two pretty much flawless runs.

“They were absolutely right on par, and I couldn’t be prouder of the guys that work on these KB Titan Chevys back here. They’re impressive. It’s time to win a race before we get into the Countdown. You have to peak at the right time, and it’s the right time going into Indy and the playoffs, and here at my home track.”

Matt Hartford jumped to second with a stout run of 6.598s at 205.54mph, while defending world champ Erica Enders, who won last weekend in Topeka, is currently third thanks to her 6.603s at 207.27mph.

Qualifying continues at 12:45 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Capps, Ashley, Kramer, A. Smith go No. 1 at NHRA Summit Nationals in Norwalk

Back-to-back Funny Car world champion Ron Capps raced past Robert Hight in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, winning the specialty race for the second time this season on Saturday as part of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA …

In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Deric Kramer (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the bonus event in Norwalk. Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 at the ninth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Capps powered to a run of 3.887s at 327.74mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, defeating Hight to claim the victory. The points leader continues to enjoy a strong June, winning in Bristol two weeks ago and now the specialty race on Saturday in Norwalk, beating Chad Green in the earlier round. He also qualified No. 2 for Sunday’s race.

“You’re racing for what’s very important – those (bonus) points,” Capps said. “Winning a championship by two (points) last year tells you how important these points are. It’s not cliché. Your life is upside or awesome depending on one or two points in the landscape of Funny Car in NHRA, so we’ll take this.

“Mission Foods has changed the way we approach the weekend. You’re bummed if you don’t make it to the semifinals of a race because you know you’re not in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. If you go to the semis on Sunday and don’t win the race, you’re bummed, but you know you get to be in the challenge at the very next race. It’s a really big deal, and it’s fun. It really brought Saturdays to life.”

Tasca drove to his third No. 1 spot this season with a spectacular run on Saturday, going 3.884s at 329.26mph in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft Ford Mustang. It’s the 12th career top qualifier for the veteran, who will open raceday against Bobby Bode. Matt Hagan qualified third with a run of 3.892s at 327.82mph.

“I think you’ve seen this car perform at a really high level this year,” Tasca said. “We have multiple No. 1 qualifiers when the tracks are really good. We’ve struggled a little bit with consistency, and what I like this weekend even more than the No. 1 qualifier is that we ran 3.90s, 3.88s, and 3.90s. The car was absolutely dialed in. That was the last little missing link for this team to go on a real run. You’re starting to see the consistency of the car.

“This is a special track, and I love racing here. These facilities – they’re a different level. You come here and see that it’s an awesome place to race. Hopefully we can win another one here.”

Ashley notched another standout moment during his incredible 2023 season in Top Fuel, collecting his fourth win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday. He went 4.063s at 228.61mph in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect/Toyota dragster to beat Doug Kalitta in the final round, staying undefeated in the specialty race in the process. Ashley has collected 12 bonus points in a memorable year that also includes four races wins. Ashley went 3.743s to beat Austin Prock in the opening round and now has a chance to sweep the weekend for the third time this year.

“This is very exciting, and I think for myself and all the other drivers, it really does a great job of setting us up for Sunday and for race day so we can get in the right mindset,” Ashley said. “It’s so important to be able to collect those championship points now, early on in the year. It’s a blast to race. I’m really happy to collect those points and get another win.

“These are the moments you dream about. I remember being at many, many tracks as a kid. I have so much gratitude just to be here but then to be able to turn on as many win lights as we can, really is a dream come true for myself and a lot of the guys on the team. Mike Green, Tommy DeLago, they do a really good job of bringing the championship experience, and it resonates through the team.”

Pruett’s run of 3.684s at 333.08mph from Friday in her 11,000-horsepower Dodge Direct Connection dragster held up, handing the standout her second straight No. 1 qualifier and the 15th in her career. Now, she’ll try to pick up her first win of the season, opening eliminations against Kyle Wurtzel. Torrence qualified second with a 3.688s at 332.10mph and defending world champ Brittany Force moved up to third with a 3.694s at 332.10mph. Joining Leah as the No. 1 qualifier was her husband, Tony Stewart, who took the top spot in Top Alcohol Dragster.

“I think with all the different variables that we’ve been given with weather and conditions, everyone has made the most that they’ve had,” Pruett said. “It feels absolutely great. Being No. 1 is what Tony Stewart Racing is all about and I’m glad that our Top Fuel team has been able to up our cadence and our performance to keep up with what Tony and Matt Hagan’s team has been able to do.

“The beauty is that we do have really great runs, and that’s putting us in the position to gain these qualifying points and qualifying positions for a better spot to start on race day. We would have loved to have made runs today that were spectacular, but we know we have a race car that can the mileage on Sunday.”

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Continuing his recent run of success, Pro Stock’s Kramer won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge for the first time in his Get Biofuel Camaro, defeating Greg Anderson in the final round with a 6.622s at 207.02mph. Kramer is on a stretch of four straight final round appearances and continued to impress on Saturday in Norwalk, defeating Cristian Cuadra in the opening round on a holeshot before getting past Anderson in the final round of the specialty race. Currently second in points, Kramer also picked up three bonus points in the Countdown to the Championship with the win.

“This is super exciting,” Kramer said. “We come out here every weekend with the expectation to win, and when you go for a long stretch and don’t get the success that you’re looking for, it’s easy to get bogged down. But after doing really well in Vegas and staying and testing, you just keep that momentum rolling. We’re extremely happy. I have to give a big shout-out to Mission Foods for putting this on. I’ve had a lot of fun.

“Every round win is hard to get in this class. You are crossing that finish line and hoping and praying that that light comes on in your lane, and it’s extremely satisfying when it happens.”

Hartford claimed his third No. 1 qualifier this season with a 6.595s at 208.36mph in his Rottler/Total Seal Camaro. It was a welcome sign after Hartford struggled mightily in Bristol two weeks ago. He resolved those issues quickly in Norwalk and will open race day against Fernando Cuadra Sr., looking for his first win of the season. Erica Enders’ 6.595s at 208.36mph puts her second heading into race day, while Troy Coughlin is third with a 6.595s at 207.56mph.

“We’re counting every point we can. We’re looking at bonus points, qualifying No. 1 you get extra points,” Hartford said. “It’s going to mean something when you get to the Countdown as to where you end up. Name me one person in Pro Stock right now that you think can’t win the championship right now. I can’t. We need to go into that with as many points as we can. Those points right now are huge. We have a chance to win the championship, and it’s the best chance we’ve ever had.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Angie Smith enjoyed the biggest moment of her season thus far, defeating Hector Arana Jr. in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge with a pass of 6.967s at 196.96mph on her Denso Auto Parts Buell. After the victory, Smith talked about the importance of momentum, knowing she gained plenty with her successful day on Saturday in Norwalk. She knocked off Herrera, who went red, in the opening round before holding off Arana Jr. in the final round of the specialty race.

“It was really exciting to get the win,” Smith said. “I just want to say thank you to Mission Foods for doing this. It puts a little extra emphasis on Saturday, and it’s like two races in one. When you can put your name on that trophy, it means a lot.

“It does give us more confidence. Anytime you can turn on win lights, it makes you more confident. I think the people that win these things – it gives you confidence, it gives you momentum.”

Herrera bounced back from his red light in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, rolling to his fifth straight No. 1 qualifier with a pass of 6.785s at 198.76mph on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. The points leader just missed on a new track record, but takes plenty of momentum into Sunday, where he’ll attempt to get his fourth win this year. Matt Smith qualified second with a 6.806s at 199.17mph, with Arana Jr.’s 6.814s at 199.14mph putting him third.

“After going red in Bristol and then going red today in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge definitely took the wind out of my sails a little bit,” Herrera said. “To bounce back and get a No. 1 qualifier – we’re still holding that streak so I’m happy for that, overall, for the whole team.

“I started off with an incredible season, you can’t ask for anything better. I knew there would be bumps in the road. In Bristol, I was telling everyone I wasn’t feeling it, something was going to happen, and it did. I think you just come back from it and grow from it.”

Eliminations for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday at Summit Motorsports Park.

Pruett, Capps No. 1 at NHRA Summit Nationals with PS and PSM rain delayed

Leah Pruett powered to the provisional No. 1 spot in Top Fuel on Friday, as the Tony Stewart Racing standout looks to pick up her second straight No. 1 qualifier of the 2023 season at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports …

Ron Capps (Funny Car) also was a provisional No. 1 qualifier at the ninth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Due to weather, only Top Fuel and Funny Car made qualifying runs on Friday. Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle are scheduled for two passes on Saturday.

After a series of lengthy weather delays on Friday, Pruett drove her 11,000-horsepower Dodge Direct Connection dragster to a pass of 3.684s at 333.08mph, putting her in contention for her 15th career No. 1 qualifier. She picked up her first No. 1 spot two weeks ago in Bristol and followed it up with a standout performance to kick off the race weekend in Norwalk. It continues a strong trend of qualifying performances for Pruett, who hopes to finish it off with her first win of the 2023 season this weekend.

“That was definitely the most exciting part of our whole day, and I would say, our last two weeks” Pruett said. “(Crew chief) Neal Strasbaugh is pretty good about giving a target of what we’re going to run, especially when we’re later in the pack like that, but this time we really didn’t know. The track was so good, and NHRA Safety Safari and Summit Motorsports Park did an incredible job throughout the whole day making sure that the track didn’t go away. I was ready to go fast, and like I said last time we were No. 1, it’s one of my favorite things to do.

“There’s no feeling like it when you get that text that says Funny Car at 9 p.m. At that moment, everyone that’s been wiping down the car and checking their notes for hours, at that moment you kick into high gear and turn it on. The fans got a good show tonight.”

Steve Torrence made the other run in the 3.60s on Friday, going to the second spot with his pass of 3.688s at 332.10mph. Doug Kalitta is right behind, going 3.700s at 330.23mph, one of three drivers to make a 3.70s run during the lone session.

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Capps continued his strong month, as the back-to-back Funny Car world champion followed up his Bristol win with a stellar run under the lights, going 3.898s at 331.28mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra. If it holds, it would give the Funny Car points leader his second No. 1 spot this season and 38th in his career. Capps and his standout team waited through the lengthy weather delays and then put on an impressive show at night to close out Funny Car qualifying.

“Back in the staging lanes, I was getting in the car and watching the scoreboards light up and get better and better,” Capps said. “Funny Car is so talented right now, it’s incredible. I saw Guido (crew chief Dean Antonelli) come back in the box a couple times, and working on these cars when I was younger, I kind of know what he’s thinking. It’s kind of a cool thing, sometimes, and I knew he was going to get after it as soon as we saw a couple more 3.90s flats go up on the board.

“There’s something to be said about turning this corner and seeing how many fans stuck around after the rain. So part of you is like, I’m not lifting. I’m going to go low E.T. for Guido and the guys. That was huge.”

Alexis DeJoria continued her solid season, making the second-best run of the session with a 3.901s at 331.20mph. Hagan, who ran side-by-side with Capps, is a spot behind with a 3.905s at 328.70mph with a handful of drivers right behind.

Qualifying continues at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

Ashley, Capps, Enders, Johnson take wins at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

Justin Ashley completed a doubleheader sweep at Bristol Dragway, powering to the Top Fuel win at the 22nd annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Sunday with a track speed record run in the final round, a day after winning the NHRA New England …

Ron Capps (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won at the eighth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Ashley defended his Bristol event win on Sunday with a thrilling performance in the final round, going 3.718s at a track record speed of 336.49mph in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect/Toyota dragster to defeat Antron Brown. It handed Ashley his second event win in two days – as well as the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory – his fourth victory of the year and the ninth in his career, as well the points lead.

Ashley reached the final round with wins against Doug Foley, Josh Hart and Austin Prock before delivering another standout performance against Brown in the final round, capping off an unbelievable weekend.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend, certainly, the best weekend of my racing career,” Ashley said. “The key word for this weekend is team. It was a team effort to be able to throw out eight win lights in a row like that, and to leave one weekend with three victories is amazing, it’s something I didn’t know was possible.

“Just Mike Green, Tommy DeLago and the guys – all weekend they worked hard to make something happen. We came in with that objective, to leave with all the wins, and it’s not an easy thing to accomplish. But we got it done today.”

Brown reached the final round for the second time this season and the 132nd time in his career with round wins against defending world champion Brittany Force, Tony Schumacher and Doug Kalitta.

It was a monumental day for Capps in the Funny Car ranks as well, as the defending back-to-back world champion became the all-time wins leader at Bristol, picking up his seventh win at the track after going 3.998s at 325.45mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra in the final round against Alexis DeJoria. After three visits to the final round this season, it’s the first victory of the season for Capps, who also moved into the points lead with the win.

To reach the final round, Capps knocked off Dave Richards, John Force and Chad Green before coming up with his 74th career victory in impressive fashion.

“We kept at, we’ve been close – three final rounds – should have been a win already but this is probably the most demanding racetrack there is to drive a Funny Car and I think anybody will tell you that that drives one,” Capps said. “I probably cost us a couple qualifying runs, I just couldn’t hold onto it and keep it in the middle and thankfully I got my act together on Sunday. It’s such a relief to see that Wally again. I honestly can tell people, you never know if you’re going to see it again. That’s how tough it is.

“I think any driver who has success somewhere will tell you, you just feel the mojo. It’s hard to explain it, but I’ve won here with different crew chiefs, different sponsors, different owners. I can’t really pinpoint it, I just know the very first year we ever came here, from the get-go it’s been a love affair with this area. This feels like a second home.”

It’s the second final round this year for DeJoria and the 14th in her career after she knocked off Cruz Pedregon, Bobby Bode and No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight.

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Enders put to rest her early-season struggles in Pro Stock in a major way this weekend in Bristol, capping off a stellar weekend with her first win of the season, which was clinched with a run of 6.680s at 204.08mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro. Poised for a big turnaround, Enders and her team made a massive move in Thunder Valley, qualifying No. 1 and then earning her 44th career win and third at Bristol Dragway.

She advanced to the final round with victories against Mason McGaha, Kyle Koretsky and Greg Anderson. With the win, Enders moved up six places to eighth in points, signaling she may be back to her winning ways of 2022, when she picked up 10 victories and cruised to her fifth championship.

“This is super gratifying, and I don’t know if people truly understand what it means,” Enders said. “Yes, we’ve won a lot of races, but to finish the year we had last year in the fashion that we did and then to start the year as horribly as we did is a real gut-check. It’s one of those things you have to battle through. Even though we go through these valleys, you just have to put your head down and go to work.

“We’ve struggled with our racecar, but I’ve struggled mentally as a driver as well. It definitely takes a toll on you, and you question a lot of things, and you lose your confidence and maybe a little of your swagger. But my dad told me to just put my head down and remember who I am, a five-time champion. It’s refreshing to know that so many people believe in me, I just have to remember to believe in myself.”

Kramer, who won in Charlotte, reached the final round for the fourth straight race and 11th time overall, beating Troy Coughlin Jr., No. 1 qualifier Aaron Stanfield, who won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday, and Cristian Cuadra. Dallas Glenn maintained the points lead in the class, with Kramer moving up to second.

In a major upset in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, Johnson won in the final when points leader Gaige Herrera went red and suffered his first loss of the season. Johnson went 7.174s at 158.63mph on his to earn his 12th career win, denying Herrera his fourth straight victory to open the season. Herrera entered the championship round 14-0 in 2023, but he left too soon by 0.011s, handing Johnson his first victory of the season and his first win at Bristol Dragway.

Johnson reached his first final round this season with victories against Joey Gladstone, Eddie Krawiec and Hector Arana Jr., setting up the win against a rider who had dominated in the class up until that point.

“The Suzuki Hayabusa Gen 3 body is the newest coolest thing in Pro Stock Motorcycle racing,” Johnson said. “We got it, it’s the 25th anniversary of Suzuki next year and we’re really into trying to promote it. It’s totally different. It looks the same, but the feel and how the motorcycle rides down the track it’s totally different.

“In the finals racing Gaige, he’s got a really, really fast Suzuki and I was like, okay, what do you want to do? We talked about timing, jetting, all these things, but it was like, we just have to throw the kitchen sink at it. But we didn’t have one. So, we said we’ll just do what we can. We did some stuff that probably wasn’t right, but I looked up and saw our win light, and I let off to save the parts. I was pretty happy with it, but it’s pretty shocking.”

Herrera, who was the No. 1 qualifier, easily maintained the points lead, advancing to his fourth straight final round with wins against Ron Tornow, rookie Chase Van Sant and Angie Smith.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action June 22-25 with the 17th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Ron Capps joins SRX field for Eldora

Three-time NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps will run the SRX race at Eldora Speedway in August. Capps will be the first NHRA driver to compete in the series. “Watching the best drivers in the world battle in identical racecars is a dream for …

Three-time NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps will run the SRX race at Eldora Speedway in August.

Capps will be the first NHRA driver to compete in the series.

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“Watching the best drivers in the world battle in identical racecars is a dream for every race fan,” said Capps, “and now for me to get a chance to race with them at Eldora Speedway, which is one of the coolest dirt tracks in the world, live on a Thursday night is a dream come true.

“The coolest part is for our NHRA fans to know they can tune in and watch one of their own battle with the best on the high banks of Eldora Speedway. I’ll be a little out of my comfort zone, but I’m going try to make our fans proud.”

Eldora, owned by Tony Stewart, who will also compete in SRX, is the fifth race of the SRX season and the first of two dirt races on the six-event schedule. It is Thursday, August 10.

Although dirt is not in Capps’s background, he does have experience at Eldora. Capps ran the Prelude to the Dream, a dirt late model event, from 2005 through 2007.

“I’m really excited to announce Ron Capps will be racing in SRX at Eldora Speedway on August 10, 2023,” said SRX CEO Don Hawk. “He’s also the first NHRA driver in the history of SRX to join the ranks of the very best circle track drivers in the USA.

“With the addition of Ron Capps to the SRX starting lineup, it’s another historic moment for SRX, now in its third year as a start-up racing series. Putting world-class talent of all disciplines in equal cars was objective since day one. He’s another check off of the objective block at team SRX.

“I’ve seen Ron drive straight line in NHRA so many times I’ve lost count, he’s also a three-time world champion who’s not a total stranger to dirt racing. Ron is a great guy, he’s good for racing, good to and for his sponsors, and will be very good for SRX. When I called to ask him to join us officially, it was like, ‘Heck yes,’ and when do we start.”

Capps earned his third NHRA Funny Car championship and second straight in dramatic fashion last season. On the final weekend of the year, Capps trailed Robert Hight by more than 60 points but advanced to the final round to win the championship, while Hight was eliminated earlier in the day. He also won the 2016 NHRA Funny Car championship.

The third season of SRX will run on six consecutive Thursday nights beginning in July. ESPN will broadcast all six events at 9 p.m. ET.

Force, Capps, Coughlin, Herrera No. 1 qualifiers for NHRA Gatornationals

Top Fuel’s Josh Hart picked up the victory in the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout on Saturday at this weekend’s 54th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, beating Mike Salinas in the final round to win the bonus event in front of a sellout …

Brittany Force (Top Fuel) Ron Capps (Funny Car), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 at the first of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Hart, a local Ocala native, put together a run of 3.748s at 331.53mph in his 11,000-horsepower R&L Carriers dragster, knocking off Salinas who went up in smoke on the starting line in the specialty race. Hart beat Austin Prock and defending world champ Force to reach the final round. Two years ago, Hart won in Gainesville in his Top Fuel debut, following it up with Saturday’s impressive showing.

“First of all, I guess I’ll just say that nice guys don’t finish last,” Hart said. “The team gets all the credit. That consistency to get it done every time makes me so very, very proud of the team. It’s a huge, huge accomplishment for our team. To go out and win a specialty race right off the trailer is pretty awesome. But I’m just the jockey that gets to hit the gas.

“I don’t think I knew I was supposed to be nervous or knew that I was supposed to have butterflies two years ago but when you taste it, and then it gets taken away from you and your sophomore season you want to get back to that place. I think we found a little bit of magic and Gainesville has always been good to us. We’ll do our best to get this thing in the winner’s circle more often.”

Force’s 3.699s at 336.99mph from Friday in her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster handed the defending world champion her 43rd top spot. She’ll open eliminations against Keith Murt, while Steve Torrence jumped to second with a 3.723s at 331.36mph. Doug Kalitta is third with a 3.723s at 327.82mph.

“It was a bummer to lose out on the All-Star Callout, but we got the No. 1 qualifier,” Force said. “We felt good going into (the Callout) and got to the semifinals, but we got beat, so our bigger focus now is race day tomorrow. We’ll put today behind us, and got in that last qualifying session, which was good, solid run for us.

“It’s outstanding, to be in different conditions run in and still be able to run that. We missed it the one time in the Callout, but we all feel pretty good.”

In Funny Car, Capps opened his title defense with an outstanding run to close out qualifying, going 3.874s at 333.25mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra. It gives Capps 36 No. 1 qualifiers in his standout career, and he’ll open race day against Terry Haddock. Capps lost in the final round of the season-opener last year and ended with his second straight world title, which has him hoping for a big showing this weekend in Gainesville.

“We all talked about how tough it was going to and you saw it in the last session,” Capps said. “Last year I end up winning Indy for the first time in my career, then we win the Callout in the same weekend and then we go on to win the championship and it’s just a dream year. So, it’s almost like how do you top that? But we show up here and we come from behind and we lay down low E.T. My gosh, what a way to start the year.”

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John Force is qualified second with a 3.878s at 332.59mph and Robert Hight was a spot behind after his 3.879s at 333.99mph.

Coughlin made a big move on Saturday in Pro Stock, jumping to the top spot and moving past his teammate, Erica Enders, with a run of 6.515s at 212.29mph in his JEGS.com/White Castle/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. After a breakout season a year ago, which included his first two professional wins, Coughlin is off to a quick start in 2023, taking his third career No. 1 qualifier. He’ll open eliminations against Larry Morgan.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve done so far. Kudos to Elite Motorsports and everyone on our team,” Coughlin said. “They all work hard and we are a complete family. The guys in the engine shop never stop working. I wish everyone could come to our shop and experience it firsthand. It’s just such an honor to be a part of.”

Enders, the reigning world champ, qualified second after going 6.515s at 211.73mph, just missing out on the top qualifier position. Mason McGaha took third thanks to his run of 6.519s at 211.59mph.

Making his debut for Vance and Hines, rising Pro Stock Motorcycle star Gaige Herrera enjoyed a tremendous day on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki, delivering a 6.685s at 203.49mph, breaking the track speed record. Herrera made his PSM debut last year and joined the Vance and Hines team in the off-season. He’s made a strong impression already and will go for his first win on Sunday, opening eliminations against Ron Tornow.

“I honestly don’t have words for this,” Herrera said. “Just being here with the best team in Pro Stock Motorcycle is a dream and then to run 6.68s on back-to-back runs and then go 203mph. It’s been an awesome journey so far. It’s still not real to me. When I got that phone call from (Vance & Hines crew chief) Andrew Hines in November it took a while to sink in. Then I got my new leathers and realized I’d be riding the best bike in the class.”

Steve Johnson’s 6.746s at 198.90mph kept him second and rookie Chase Van Sant took third in his first PSM race with a 6.747s at 200.80mph.

Eliminations for the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday at Gainesville Raceway.