Millican vaults to a special No. 1 at NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals

Top Fuel veteran Clay Millican made the quickest pass on Friday at Bristol Dragway, racing to the provisional No. 1 qualifier at the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Austin Prock (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Matt …

Top Fuel veteran Clay Millican made the quickest pass on Friday at Bristol Dragway, racing to the provisional No. 1 qualifier at the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the eighth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Millican went 3.786s at 325.06mph in his Parts Plus/Rick Ware Racing dragster in Thunder Valley, holding off points leader Justin Ashley under the lights to take the top spot. Millican, whose first career NHRA win came at Bristol Dragway in 2017, is seeking his first No. 1 qualifier of 2024 and 26th in his career. Friday also marked another special moment at Millican’s favorite and home track on the NHRA tour.

“It’s always something at this place,” Millican said. “This team has absolutely been incredible. We were struggling a little after testing, and then the next thing you know we start going rounds, go to a final at Charlotte, go to the semis last week. I’m excited to do this for a lot of reasons. When you qualify No. 1 against the monsters that we’re racing against these days you’ve accomplished something. But this is the first time I’ve qualified No. 1 with Mr. Rick Ware present. We are here because this guy loves drag racing. The biggest thing he hasn’t been a part of yet is a win on Sunday, so that’s on my agenda, just in case you’re wondering.

“I would love to be the No. 1 qualifier right here at Bristol. That would be awesome. When it comes to race day, last year I would have told you I wanted it hot on race day, but I think we have a car now that it doesn’t matter.”

Points leader Ashley also dipped into the 3.70s with a 3.795s at 322.42mph, putting him second, and Antron Brown’s 3.809s at 321.27mph slots him third.

Austin Prock continued to roll in qualifying, blasting to the top of the Funny Car field with an impressive run under the lights, going 3.958s at 317.34mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. Should that hold, the Funny Car points leader would gain his sixth No. 1 qualifier in the first eight races, a remarkable feat for the first-year Funny Car driver. He advanced to the final round last weekend in Epping, finishing as runner-up to his boss, John Force, and moving to the points lead in the process.

Prock made two strong runs on Friday and can continue that momentum on Saturday with the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.

“This place is very tough to navigate, for sure. It’s kind of a driver’s racetrack. You have to be on your game all the way to pulling the parachutes,” Prock said. “This is up another level, stressful for the crew chiefs, but if you’re a race car driver you sure do enjoy a place like this.

“When I heard a [3.95s] over the radio, that was the number they were calling and it ended up being good enough. It ended up working out for us, and the entire day was great for this Cornwell Camaro. We have the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge tomorrow, so we’ll be focused. We want to win that medal at the end of the day for sure.”

Alexis DeJoria jumped to the second spot with a 3.973s at 319.90mph and Ron Capps, who has won back-to-back races in Bristol, is third after going 3.976s at 320.74mph.

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In Pro Stock, Erica Enders returned to the site of her 2023 turnaround and put on a show, going low in each session, including a 6.631s at 206.92mph that put her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Scag Power Equipment car in the top spot. Enders, the defending event winner in Bristol, is now on track to put up her second straight top qualifier and fourth this season, and she hopes to break through with her 50th national event victory as well.

Thunder Valley might be the perfect place to do it, as Enders’ turnaround last year came in Bristol. She went on to win her sixth world championship and she’ll look to win for the 50th time this weekend.

“I feel like we’re getting a better handle on our race car,” Enders said. “It was a nice run and was better on the graph. I like the four-qualifying run format better, you can track more things, purse is a little bigger on Sunday. I had a very fast race car and that’s translating to here so far as well.

“I love what I do and the people that I do it with. These moments don’t last forever, so you have to take advantage of them. I realize how blessed I am that I get to do what I love for a living and have done pretty well at it. I feel like we have a lot more left to accomplish.”

Greg Anderson is currently second thanks to his run of 6.636s at 206.45mph and Jeg Coughlin Jr. is right behind with his 6.639s at 206.45mph.

Making the quickest run of both sessions in Pro Stock Motorcycle, six-time world champion Matt Smith made a strong statement on Friday, taking the No. 1 spot with a run of 6.788s at 198.52mph on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell. Smith is attempting to pick up his second No. 1 qualifier this season and the 54th in his career, but Friday’s two stellar runs also give him a strong shot to possibly unseat Gaige Herrera and end his incredible streak.

Herrera has won eight straight races – tied for the most in PSM history – and 31 consecutive rounds, and a win would tie the defending world champion with Bob Glidden for the most consecutive wins (9) and round wins (35) in NHRA history. Smith, though, has other plans.

“I think we showed at Chicago that we’ve been testing a lot and getting our program back better,” Smith said. “It showed here again. I messed up tuning the bike on Sunday in Chicago and came here to redeem myself. My Denso bike is pretty fast, and I’m pretty happy with what we’ve done so far.

“I’m focused, head down. I’m like a hound dog, I’m a hunting dog right now, on the ground trying to find that 60-foot and make it better and better. We are getting better, and we’ll continue to try to work hard and make our bike as fast as possible.”

Chase Van Sant is currently second after going 6.827s at 196.36mph and Herrera is third with a 6.830s at 197.77mph.

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Tasca, Ashley win delayed NHRA New England Nationals at Bristol

Bob Tasca III powered to his first win of the season on Saturday at Bristol Dragway, knocking off legendary Funny Car driver John Force in the final round of the NHRA New England Nationals, which was completed as part of a doubleheader weekend in …

Bob Tasca III powered to his first win of the season on Saturday at Bristol Dragway, knocking off legendary Funny Car driver John Force in the final round of the NHRA New England Nationals, which was completed as part of a doubleheader weekend in Bristol.

Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley also claimed the victory at the seventh of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. The winning runs from Tasca and Ashley also gave each driver a victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge bonus race.

Due to weather, eliminations from the Epping, N.H. race were postponed to this weekend as part of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, with Tasca earning the victory at what is considered his home race. In the championship round against Force, Tasca went 4.032s at 322.96mph in his 11,000-horsepower PPG Ford Mustang. It is Tasca’s first victory of the season and 13th of his career.

Tasca knocked off Ron Capps in the opening round of eliminations, which took place on Friday in Thunder Valley, and then recorded three round wins on Saturday, including victories over Robert Hight and No. 1 qualifier Chad Green to reach the final round. Tasca, who knocked off Force in a final round at Sonoma last year, quickly chased down the 16-time world champion, picking up the win and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory in the process. But to win his home race – even if it came in Bristol – meant a great deal to Tasca

“I would have gone to Alaska to get this trophy. It’s a win that I’ve always dreamed about winning at a racetrack I grew up at,” Tasca said. “It’s the first track I ever went down. But we just felt like this whole season was building for us. I’m just so impressed with Todd Okuhara, Aaron Brooks, and the team.

“I went up to Force before I got in the car and I said, ‘Force, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.’ To race John Force in the finals, at his age to do what he does out here, it’ll never be done by anybody. I have so much respect for John. There’s no one I get up for like that. If I have to win a race in the final round and have John Force alongside me for the New England Nationals trophy, it’s going to be a long time before I forget that win.”

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Force reached the finals for the first time this season and 265th thanks to round wins against Tim Wilkerson, Alex Laughlin and J.R. Todd.

Top Fuel’s Ashley enjoyed a terrific day on Saturday in Bristol, racing to his third victory this season and third win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge as well, knocking off Tony Schumacher on a holeshot in a thrilling final round. Ashley went 3.846s at 324.12mph in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect/Toyota dragster to hold off Schumacher’s 3.835s at 323.65mph on the strength of a 0.041s reaction time.

It’s also Ashley’s eighth career win and gives him another memorable moment in Thunder Valley after he won the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals a year ago. He doubled up on Saturday, going through an impressive array of challengers that included reigning world champion Brittany Force, four-time world champ Steve Torrence and eight-time champion Schumacher. He’s the only multi-time winner in Top Fuel this season and in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, and Ashley will have a chance for a clean sweep of the weekend on Sunday.

“This is so special. Every race is special, when you know you go into the weekend having an opportunity to win, but coming here and knowing we have three opportunities to win and then taking care of two of them already just makes it so significant,” Ashley said. “It’s just a testament to the group we have. We have our work cut out for us tomorrow, but for tonight, we’re going to enjoy this one.

“It comes down to the work we put in during the off-season. We knew the competition was going to step up. The guys did what they needed to do, found ways to improve, ways to get better. That consistency was really the result of the work that was put in the off-season.”

Schumacher advanced to his first final this season and 157th in his career thanks to victories over Shawn Langdon and Mike Salinas.

Eliminations for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday at Bristol Dragway.