NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The back-to-back-to-back grind of the Western Swing is over, and with just two races left in the regular season it’s time to take stock of how racers performed over one of the campaign’s most famous stretches. Since Pro Stock Motorcycle only competes in two-thirds of the Western Swing, I’ll stick to the three professional classes that run all the way from Denver to Sonoma. Don’t worry, the bikes are back in session in Brainerd next weekend.

Let’s get into it. Here are the winners and losers of the Western Swing, starting with Top Fuel Dragster.

Top Fuel 

WINNERS

Antron Brown

The defending champion won two races, accumulated 333 points, and came just one round short of sweeping the Swing for the second time in his career while taking over the points lead. And you thought you had a decent three-week stretch. Brown is rounding into championship form yet again, and the rest of the Top Fuel field should be nervous.

Terry McMillen

Okay, so he came up short to Brown in his third final round (including the Four-Wide earlier this year), but this was a huge stretch for McMillen’s Countdown chances. He earned five round wins, grabbed 181 points, and now sits 154 points ahead of Shawn Langdon. The Amalie team isn’t safe yet, but boy do they have to feel good about their odds of making the dance for the first time.

Leah Pritchett

Nobody in Top Fuel, other than Antron Brown, won more rounds during the Swing than Pritchett, who banked six while accumulating 242 points. Yep, she’d like to get back into the winner’s circle, but the team remains dangerous on Sundays. That’s unlikely to change as temperatures cool when the Countdown begins.

LOSERS

Scott Palmer

The good news: Palmer put 30 more points between him and Troy Coughlin Jr. The bad news: He only got a single round win in three races, and remains in a precarious position with so many points still on the table. Palmer would like a bigger cushion between himself and 11th place Shawn Langdon heading into Indianapolis in a few weeks: Right now, it’s 70 points; and remember, a round-win is worth 30 points at the Big Go.

Troy Coughlin Jr.

The rookie’s grip on 10^th place has loosened over the past three races, though it may be some consolation that it could have been worse. A 69-point lead is now 24 points, as Coughlin Jr. earned only 80 points during the Swing; that’s the lowest of any racer who attended all three events. If he’s going to make the Countdown, the performance of the SealMaster Dragster must improve.

Shawn Langdon

A devastating mixture of inconsistency and bad luck have Langdon on the outside of the Countdown picture looking in with two races to go. The former champion is only 24 points out of a playoff spot, but getting just one round win during the Swing isn’t what Langdon had in mind. Falling to part-time racers Terry Haddock and Mike Salinas in Denver and Seattle doesn’t make the bitter pill any easier to swallow, but this team has the ability to rebound in the next two events.

Funny Car

WINNERS

Robert Hight

Other than that hiccup in Sonoma (you know, where Hight and Jimmy Prock set the national speed record), this was a picture-perfect Swing. Hight capped it off in spectacular fashion by absolutely steamrolling the competition in Seattle. He won nine rounds during the Swing, earned 311 points, and is at least a threat to chase down Ron Capps.

Tommy Johnson Jr.

Losing to Hight twice stings, but Johnson Jr. claimed 248 points over three races and knocked off the defending champ at every stop on the Swing. That’s success, even if it’s not taking home the big prize the driver of the Make-A-Wish car craves. He didn’t move up from fifth place in the standings, but is now only 23 points behind teammate Jack Beckman as we move to Brainerd.

J.R. Todd

Some spectacular driving helped J.R. Todd get into the winner’s circle for the first time in a Funny Car. That also solidified his spot in the Countdown, as he now holds a 155-point lead over 10^th-place driver Cruz Pedregon. Five round wins (four of which came in Sonoma), 190 points, and a sense the DHL Funny Car is back. This was a big Swing for the Yella Fellas.

LOSERS

Ron Capps

Maybe they’re in test mode, but one round win in three races is the exact opposite of getting it done. Capps earned a paltry 122 points during the Swing, while losing to teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. at all three stops. Fun fact: Capps now has as many first and second-round losses combined as he does Wallys in 2017 (6). The NAPA team will be fine. 

Jim Campbell/Del Worsham/Jonnie Lindberg/Alexis DeJoria

Cruz Pedregon only earned 138 points during the Swing. That tightened his grip on 10^th place, as the four drivers chasing him in the Funny Car Countdown race failed to better him. Campbell came closest, dropping only five points in the standings, but DeJoria lost 23 points during the Swing. All four are still in it, but someone needs to step up if they’re going to catch Cruz.

Matt Hagan

The Swing ended a lot better than it started for Hagan, but the two-time champ must be kicking himself for not taking advantage of Capps’ struggles. Hagan picked up three round wins during the Swing, two of which came in Seattle, but rough showings in Denver and Sonoma resulted in 150 points over three races. That means he only picked up 28 points on Capps, and still trails the defending champ by 158 points as we head to Brainerd.

Pro Stock

WINNERS

Drew Skillman

Nobody earned more points during the Swing than Drew Skillman. His 339 points, banked on 10 round wins and outrageously good qualifying, helped him move from eighth all the way to fifth. Don’t be surprised if he keeps climbing the ladder: He’s only 10 points behind defending champ Jason Line. That team has a bracket car right now, and Skillman is doing his job behind the wheel.

Bo Butner

The points leader keeps doing his thing. He didn’t win a race during the Swing, but he banked 275 points thanks to winning eight rounds. Butner has the best car in Pro Stock (still), and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon. He’ll almost certainly be the No. 1 seed when points reset after Indy, so the real question is… can he do this during the Countdown?

Erica Enders

A rough weekend in Sonoma aside, the leading lady of Pro Stock showed her teeth during the Swing. Elite Performance seems to have a handle on her Camaro, and that’s bad news for everyone in the class. We know she’s one of the best drivers in Pro Stock, and if she’s got a good car, she’s a championship contender.

LOSERS

Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Things are not well with the yellow and black Camaro right now. Coughlin Jr. only earned one round win during the Swing, and he hasn’t gotten past the second round since Englishtown. That’s a six-race stretch of early exits on Sunday for a driver that’s not used to losing. He earned just 118 points during the Swing, and slipped from fifth to seventh in the process.

Greg Anderson

A first-round loss to Allen Johnson in Seattle capped a disappointing Swing for a racer who isn’t used to exiting competition that early. Anderson has lost in the first round four times in 2017 after losing in the first round just once a season ago. Three round wins during the Swing while losing ground to Butner isn’t how Anderson drew up his trip out West, but now he gets to go home to set things right.

Vincent Nobile

Nobile got out of the first round on the first two stops of the Swing, but the Mountain View Tires team hasn’t been able to build on its runner up finish in Englishtown earlier this season. A pair of round wins and 144 points to show for three races of work is disappointing, and the car needs to be more consistent to get into the winner’s circle in a very competitive class.