NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Race No. 4 of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series brought the teams back west to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and into the first of two four-wide races. Two first-time season winners were crowned and two new points leaders emerged. Here’s a look at our five big takeaways from the weekend.

TOP FUEL PARITY IS OFF THE CHARTS

We all suspected this would be the case after the onslaught of great news in the Top Fuel classes with returning drivers, new tuning alliances, and new oner groups, but what we’ve gotten so far through four has been amazing.

As hard as it may be to believe, when Brittany Force, Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher, and Antron Brown saddled up for the four-wild finale, none of them had reached a final in the previous three events this year.

Force became the fourth different winner in as many events, and those four races have featured 10 different final-round opponents: Justin Ashley and Austin Prock in Pomona, Mike Salinas and Clay Millican in Phoenix, Tripp Tatum and Doug Foley in Gainesville, and now these four.

The top three drivers – Torrence, Force, and Salinas – are separated by just seven points in the standings.

FOUR-WIDE RACING IS HEALTHY

It wasn’t all that long ago that the spring Las Vegas event was the weak sister to its monster, championship-atmosphere fall sibling, but no longer. The crowd that descended on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were impressive as the local fans have embraced the thrill of four-wide racing.

This year’s edition gave them plenty to like, with an all-three-second Funny Car final, an all-3.7-second Top Fuel semifinal, and lots of rounds being decided by milliseconds on holeshot starts.

The drivers and crews raised their games as there were very few starting-line foul-ups that plagued early editions as drivers try to figure out who’s staged – or even if they’re staged – for the four-wide fury. Having the Top Alcohol classes also running four-wide only adds to the spectacle.

RON CAPPS IS ENJOYING LIFE AS A TEAM OWNER

Capps spent the winter fretting over his decision to go out on his own as a team owner and all of the mental and financial overload that might be bring, but you’d never know it by his results. He was the No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at the Winternationals, went to the semifinals in Gainesville, then qualified No. 1 and scored his first win as a team owner here.

Having his championship team – led by Dean Antonelli and John Medlen – come back as a whole unit and making the decision to lease his 2021 championship-winning operation from Don Schumacher has paid off in spades, and now he’s the toast of the town. And instead of guzzling Maalox, it’s champagne, baby.

ERICA ENDERS WANTS CHAMPIONSHIP NO. 5

That’s hardly breaking news for those who have followed the Pro Stock phenom’s well-decorated career, but her bounce back after a devastating first-round holeshot loss in Gainesville was impressive.

She has won two of the first four races and has arguably the best car in the class and, as she said in Pomona, it’s no more “nice Erica.”

CRISTIAN CUADRA IS A STAR ON THE RISE

Now that he’s got a competitive car, we’re seeing what he can do. He notched three nearly perfect lights. He nailed a .001 in the first round to score a rare triple-holeshot win – his 6.694 finishing ahead of Aaron Stanfield’s 6.667, Matt Hartford’s 6.685, and Camrie Caruso’s 6.693 – then was .006 in the semifinals to lead his three opponents off the line en route to finishing second behind Erica Enders.

In the final round, he was .005 and appeared that he was going to beat Enders if his engine didn’t break in high gear. The kid is good.