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Western Swing Funny Car recap: Who topped the flops and who just flopped

Robert Hight was far and away the star of the 2022 Western Swing, going 10-1 in head-to-head battles to accumulate 321 valuable points, more than any driver in any class, as he solidified his points lead, second in a series.
04 Aug 2022
Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
Feature
Robert Hight

The three-race Western Swing is the gateway to the home stretch of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series regular season that sets the contenders for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs and a pivotal time for teams trying to establish dominance or just to get back into the fight.

This week we’ll share a class-by-class look at those who prospered and those who floundered during the annual trek through Denver, Sonoma, and Seattle, continuing with Funny Car. [Top Fuel recap]

  • With bookending wins in Denver and Seattle and a semifinal finish in Sonoma, Robert Hight was far and away the star of the 2022 Western Swing, going 10-1 in head-to-head battles to accumulate 321 valuable points, 41 more than fellow Funny Car pilot Bob Tasca III.
  • Hight’s fortunes crisscrossed with those of second-place Matt Hagan, who didn’t win a round in the Western Swing. Hight went from a 21-point lead over Hagan to a 228-point edge.
  • Third-place Ron Capps, who won just one round (in Denver) closed slightly on No. 2 Hagan, from 79 points behind to 66 back but both lost ground to Hight.
  • Sonoma runner-up John Force remained fourth in points but gained ground on both Hagan and Hight.
  • With his Sonoma win and Denver runner-up, Bob Tasca III picked up one spot, from sixth to fifth. Seattle runner-up J.R. Todd also picked up one position, from seventh to sixth, and Cruz Pedregon, who won just one round over the three races, dropped two spots, from fifth to seventh.
  • Alexis DeJoria (No. 8) and Tim Wilkerson (No. 9) held onto their spots withthree and two round-wins, respectively, while Jim Campbell clambered up two spots, from 12th to 10th, thanks to a Sonoma win and the Sonoma absence of Blake Alexander and the absence of Chad Green in Sonoma and Seattle.
  • Chad Green and Blake Alexander each lost one spot, to 11th and 12th, respectively. Neither of the drivers has run the minimum number of required qualifying sessions that allow a team to make the Countdown regardless of points position, so both will have to battle their way in at the next three events. Green is just seven points behind Campbell while Alexander is just 25 points in back of the 10th-placed driver.

POINTS EARNED

Robert Hight

321

Bob Tasca III

280

John Force

249

J.R. Todd

199

Alexis DeJoria

169

Tim Wilkerson

131

Ron Capps

127

Cruz Pedregon

125

Jim Campbell

119

Matt Hagan

114

Blake Alexander

89

Chad Green

32

 

POSITION CHANGES OVER WESTERN SWING

POS.

DRIVER

+/-

1

Robert Hight

Even

2

Matt Hagan

Even

3

Ron Capps

Even

4

John Force

Even

5

Bob Tasca III

+1

6

JR Todd

+1

7

Cruz Pedregon

-2

8

Alexis DeJoria

Even

9

Tim Wilkerson

Even

10

James Campbell

+2

11

Chad Green

-1

12

Blake Alexander

-1