Texas Motorplex – Syndication Server

Tony Stewart Racing blasts to first double at NHRA Texas Nationals

Leah Pruett and Matt Hagan gave Tony Stewart Racing its first-ever nitro sweep in Top Fuel and Funny Car on Sunday at the Texas Motorplex, while Pro Stock’s Erica Enders became the winningest female in NHRA history with her 47th career national …

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera also won at the 19th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Enders, the reigning and five-time world champion, won in her home state for the second straight year to set the new all-time mark for NHRA national event wins by a female, going 6.469s at 211.15mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro to get past Dallas Glenn’s 6.493s at 210.40mph. Enders’ third victory this year also helped extend her lead to an impressive 85 points over Greg Anderson with two races remaining, also picking up her first playoff win of 2023.

After qualifying third as part of the quickest field in Pro Stock history, Enders delivered four straight runs in the 6.40s, knocking off Eric Latino, Cristian Cuadra and Troy Coughlin Jr. to reach the finals. Enders led wire-to-wire against Glenn, surpassing Angelle Sampey for most wins by a female and adding another legacy-defining victory to remarkable career.

“We have a lot of wins that mean an awful lot to us, but as a little girl with big dreams to be a professional driver one day, this one will sit proudly alongside some other ones,” Enders said. “This has been quite the journey and it hasn’t been easy. (Team owner) Richard Freeman gave me this opportunity 10 years ago and I’ll always be grateful. My team has been awesome and we’ve never looked back. This was quite the weekend.

“We came in here on a mission. It’s such a tight field and you see how everyone qualified, and it’s absolutely crazy. It’s cutthroat competition, but I love racing at the (Texas) Motorplex. I’m so thankful for the Meyer family and we’re so blessed to race in Texas. It was a great day and my guys are amazing. I’m really grateful for this group. I’m so thrilled to be here and we’ve got the points lead going to Vegas.”

Glenn took down Bo Butner, Camrie Caruso and Aaron Stanfield to reach the finals for the ninth time in 2023.

In Top Fuel, Pruett finished off the sweep for Tony Stewart Racing, closing out the weekend in style with a holeshot victory, going 3.684s at 330.47mph in her Mobil 1 dragster to defeat Steve Torrence in the championship round. It gave Pruett the points lead in the Countdown to the Championship for the first time in her career as she rolled to her second victory this season and 12th in her career.

She defeated Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta, who entered the weekend with the points lead, and Clay Millican to reach the finals, making a trio of runs in the 3.60s. In the final, Pruett posted a 0.055s reaction time, which proved to be the difference in holding off Torrence’s run of 3.662s at 333.05mph. It led to a memorable celebration for the entire Tony Stewart Racing team, which enjoyed its first nitro sweep as Pruett now leads Kalitta by just four points with two races left in the season.

“We’re going to take this momentum on and keep trying to do the best we can,” Pruett said. “Beating Doug was huge. You can’t win a championship here, but you can lose one and we made sure we are deep in the hunt, and I couldn’t be prouder. I think we showed (today) what we can do in the Countdown.

“Matt and I had some time in the staging lanes (before the final round) and we just talked about what it takes to be there. He said the key is just focus. I just made sure I was focused on what I could do to get the best performance out of my car. (Now) we’re going to try to do what Tony Stewart Racing does best and that’s to keep winning.”

Torrence took down Buddy Hull, Antron Brown and his father, Billy, to pick up his sixth finals appearance this year and 87th in his career. He also remains in the thick of the championship hunt, trailing Pruett by only 13 points.

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Hagan took command of the Funny Car class in impressive fashion over the past two races, winning his second straight event, this time defeating John Force in the final round on Sunday in Dallas with a run of 3.883s at 332.25mph in his American Rebel Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. It’s the sixth win this season and the 49th career victory for Hagan, who jumped from third to first in the points standings this weekend. He leads Bob Tasca III by 36 points and Robert Hight by 69 points after putting together a spectacular string of runs on Sunday at the Texas Motorplex.

While Ron Capps and Hight both lost in the first round, and Tasca fell a round later, Hagan knocked off Paul Lee, Terry Haddock and Tim Wilkerson to reach the finals, staying in the 3.80s throughout the day. Force smoked the tires early in the run as Hagan made another clean pass, sending him into the points lead and setting the stage for Pruett to deliver the nitro sweep for Tony Stewart Racing just a few minutes later.

“It’s a dogfight in Funny Car,” said Hagan, who is seeking his fourth career world championship. “It’s just that tough out there. My team put a great car under me and I’m just super proud of them. It takes tons of support to do what we’re doing and to win six races in a year, it’s incredible. It’s just so hard to do and it says a lot about what our team is doing and how great Tony Stewart is as a team owner.

“This was our opportunity to rise to the occasion and our team did that. The chances for Robert, Ron and Tasca going out early is pretty rare, so it was an unreal day for us. We did what we needed to do to turn on win lights. To double-up with this team at TSR, it’s just incredible. I’m really proud of the organization I drive for and there’s only more great things to come, I’m sure.”

Force advanced to the championship round for the second time this season and the 266th time overall thanks to victories against Jeff Diehl, Cruz Pedregon and J.R. Todd.

After a record-breaking weekend, it was only fitting that Gaige Herrera capped off his special weekend in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a victory, knocking off teammate Eddie Krawiec in the final round with a run of 6.644s at 203.30mph on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It was Herrera’s seventh straight run in the 6.60s this weekend at the Texas Motorplex, a streak that included Saturday’s record-breaking blast of 6.627s at 204.16mph. He followed with his ninth win of his magnificent 2023 season on Sunday, strengthening his points lead in the process.

He knocked off Blaine Hale, Chris Bostick and Hector Arana Jr. to reach the final round and then put together his quickest run of the day in the final round to beat Krawiec for a second straight race, again denying the multi-time world champ his 50th career win. Herrera now holds a 156-point lead over Krawiec and will have a chance to clinch his first career world championship in Las Vegas.

“A year can make a world of difference. I’m just here living the dream,” Herrera said. “This bike has been flying all weekend and this whole weekend has been cool. This is a special one right here and one I’ll never forget. It’s been this incredible what this Vance & Hines team has given me. My bike has been flying and it’s crazy how fast it is and how easy it has been to ride. It’s on a string right now.

“It’s been an incredible experience this weekend in Dallas. Getting the national record (on Saturday) and then the win, and doing it in front of all these great fans all weekend, it’s been amazing.”

Krawiec advanced to his third final round this year and 84th in his career by getting past Cory Reed, Matt Smith and Joey Gladstone.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action Oct. 26-29 with the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Herrera sets new PSM record en route to No. 1 at NHRA Texas Nationals

Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Gaige Herrera made the quickest run in class history on Saturday at the Texas Motorplex, setting the national record and also breaking the category mark for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in front of …

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the 19th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Herrera rocketed to a run of 6.627s at 204.16mph on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, shattering the previous national record. It was also the second-fastest run in Pro Stock Motorcycle history. Herrera, who has eight wins this year, earned his 12th No. 1 spot, setting the class record for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season. He’ll open eliminations against Blaine Hale, looking to close out yet another magical weekend this season.

“We didn’t think it would be possible, but it was a picture-perfect run,” Herrera said. “It was so smooth it felt slow. We’re definitely happy about that and I was actually almost more excited about that than winning a race. It’s just a big accomplishment. I’ve got a fast motorcycle, and I feel if something doesn’t break and I don’t mess up, it’s going to be hard to beat us.

“There has been a lot to take in this season and I really don’t think it’s all set in. I can’t really put into words. A year ago today I would not have thought I’d be in the position I’m in, especially accomplishing so much that we have so far this season.”

Kelly Clontz made the best run of her career, going 6.705s at 201.99mph to make a massive jump to second. Eddie Krawiec took third on the strength of his 6.714s at 203.92mph.

Steve Torrence hung on to the No. 1 position in a loaded Top Fuel field, as his track-record run of 3.636s at 336.62mph in his Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster was good enough to hold off an epic number of qualifying runs on Saturday. It’s the third No. 1 qualifier for the Texan and four-time world champion, and he’ll open eliminations against Buddy Hull on Sunday. He entered the weekend third in points behind Leah Pruett and leader Doug Kalitta and gathered plenty of momentum with three straight runs in the 3.60s over the final three qualifying sessions. He’ll try to finish off a special weekend with a third win at his home track in front of what’s expected to be another huge crowd.

“It’s definitely morale boosting to go out and go low ET. But more importantly, today we went out and ran (3.66s) on the first lap, (3.67s) on the second lap,” Torrence said. “When you have a car that’s consistent, it’s always a confidence booster but especially when it’s consistently quick and you’re picking up points and something that very potentially could be the deciding factor in winning or losing a championship.

“At this point I’m probably more confident in my car than any other time in the season. We’re making really good strides at the right time, and I’m very confident going into tomorrow. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a hometown crowd.”

Torrence kept all the stars at bay, but nearly everyone put up a challenge, as 12 cars dipped into the 3.60s in the second-quickest qualifying field in Top Fuel history. Points leader Kalitta held on to second thanks to his 3.642s at 334.70mph on Friday and Mike Salinas jumped to third Saturday evening with a 3.655s at 333.73mph.

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In Funny Car, Bob Tasca III closed out qualifying with a massive blast of 338.57mph, giving him plenty of confidence heading into eliminations, but it was his track-record pass of 3.822s at 335.55mph on Friday in his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang that handed the points leader his seventh No. 1 spot this season. Tasca will open eliminations against Jack Wyatt and he’s got plenty of momentum, making the quickest run in three of the four sessions, which helped add to his points lead. With ideal conditions expected for eliminations, Tasca is ready for an unbelievable championship Sunday in Dallas.

“We have one of the best cars on the planet right now, so you’ve got a lot of confidence,” Tasca said. “Anyone out there can take out one of these cars easily. But we’ve got a really good car, the guys have a great handle on it. That 338mph speed was pretty remarkable actually. I got No. 1 and the (personal-best) speed record. That was pretty cool. That was the fastest I’ve ever been in a car and I tell you one thing, when those parachutes come out four runs in a row at well over 330mph, I’m a little sore to be honest with you.

“I could really hear the motor rev up in the lights and that’s when you think it’s on a big run. The fans got their money’s worth, and they’ll get their money’s worth tomorrow because you’re going to see a lot of those same conditions. Our side of the ladder is pretty stacked. That’s what we want. If you want to win the championship, you want to beat some of the top cars early and try to get ourselves into a position to win this race.”

John Force made a career-best pass to close out qualifying, taking the second spot with a 3.823s at 328.56mph. Robert Hight, who was second in points entering the weekend, took third with a 3.832s at 327.75mph, with Ron Capps and Matt Hagan right behind with runs of 3.844s and 3.848mph, respectively.

On a historic day in Pro Stock, five-time world champion Greg Anderson jumped to the top on Saturday, claiming the No. 1 qualifier with a standout run of 6.480s at 211.76mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. It gives Anderson his second No. 1 spot this season and the 123rd in his career, doing so in Dallas against the quickest qualifying field in Pro Stock history. A total of nine cars ran in the 6.40s, with Chris McGaha taking the No. 16 spot with a 6.536s. That will be Anderson’s first-round matchup on Sunday, as the veteran looks to win his third straight race in the Countdown to the Championship. Anderson enjoyed every bit of Saturday’s performance, making a pair of runs in the 6.40s and taking the top spot in an unbelievably quick field.

“Momentum is obviously worth a lot. You can’t quantify it, but it’s worth a lot,” Anderson said. “To get the No. 1 spot this weekend, this has probably been the toughest four rounds of qualifying that I can remember in my career. There has never been as many cars capable of driving the pole and being No. 1 through No. 10 in any order. Every thousandth meant everything, and that means to us, not only does that car have to be perfect every time down the racetrack, but you have to shift it perfectly.

“It’s that tough out there right now. The bar has been raised in this class and I’m proud to be one of the guys in the mix fighting for a championship and having a chance to fight for the pole like we did this weekend. It’s a lot of fun when you have conditions like this. This is what we live for. It was a great weekend so far in qualifying and tomorrow will be even better yet, I think you’ll see even faster times and it’s crazy. There are just so many capable of doing it.”

Troy Coughlin Jr. took the second spot with a 6.482s at 212.05mph and points leader Erica Enders is right behind in third after a 6.483s at 211.82mph. Jerry Tucker, Dallas Glenn, Deric Kramer, Matt Hartford, Kyle Koretsky and Aaron Stanfield all ran in the 6.40s as well.

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