NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series has headed west for a three-race left-coast stand that begins this weekend with the final NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park outside of Phoenix.

The tour will continue next weekend in Pomona with the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals followed two weeks later by the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas before the teams begin heading back east.

The first race of the trio will be the final one at the desert oasis that first hosted an NHRA national event in 1985 and has been the scene of numerous record-breaking runs and dramatic events. This year’s event will be highlighted by the running of the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, which will take place during qualifying on Saturday. The 12 teams involved — four each in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock — will use today’s lone qualifying session to get a strong baseline before leaping into the fry tomorrow. 

Defending Arizona Nationals Top Fuel champ Mike Salinas is one of those drivers and will begin his title defense with a ton of momentum after wheeling his Rob Flynn-tuned Scrappers Racing dragster to victory at the season opener in Florid two weeks ago.

Doug Kalitta, who will face off with Gatornationals runner-up Steve Torrence in their #2Fast#2Tasty rematch, had low e.t. of the meet last year with a 3.657 in qualifying No. 1 and hopes to go the distance this year as he continues to seek his first world championship. Defending world champ Brittany Force, who had a surprising second-round exit in Gainesville, owns both ends of the track record at 3.643 and 337.92 mph.

In addition to Salinas and Kalitta, Leah Pruett and Torrence make up the #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel field.

Like his John Force Racing Top Fuel teammate Brittany, Robert Hight will also be looking to rebound from a premature exit at the season opener after his throttle linkage broke on the burnout and, as the defending event champ and two-time Phoenix winner, he’s got the experience to do it.

Hight’s stiffest competition, as it has been the last two seasons, will come from Gatornationals champ and points leader Matt Hagan, who set the track record last year, and reigning three-time world champ Ron Capps.

Hight’s boss, John Force, is the winningest driver in event history with eight Arizona accolades but hasn’t won here since 2005 and was last in Phoenix final in 2016.

Hagan, along with Gatornationals runner-up J.R. Todd, Alexis DeJoria, and Chad Green are the four #2Fast2Tasty Funny Car competitors.

Aaron Stanfield, who won the Pro Stock crown last year and also set low e.t. and top speed, also had a rough go at the season opener, suffering a first-round holeshot loss to Phoenix local Matt Hartford, who will no doubt have a large crowd of supporters cheering him on to this race.

Stanfield’s Elite Motorsports teammate, Troy Coughlin Jr., whom he bet in the final last year, will enter the event in fine form after his Gainesville win while their other teammate, defending world champion Erica Enders, will be in “no more nice Erica” mode after a frustrating start to her year when her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro wouldn’t fire for the first round in Gainesville.

Coughlin, Gatornationals runner-up, Mason McGaha, Dallas Glenn, and Greg Anderson make up the four-car #2Fast2Tasty Pro Stock field.

2022 EVENT WINNERS

Mike Salinas, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Aaron Stanfield, Pro Stock

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel
3.643 seconds by Brittany Force Feb. '20; 
337.92 mph by Force, Feb. '20.

Funny Car 
3.823 seconds by Matt Hagan, Feb. '22; 
337.16 mph by Courtney Force, Feb. '18.

Pro Stock
6.498 seconds by Mike Edwards, Feb. '13;
213.77 mph by Edwards, Feb. '13.

EVENT SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, February 24 - Lucas Oil Series qualifying and time trials at 8:00 a.m. Camping World Series Pro Stock qualifying at 4:30 p.m. Camping World Series Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying at 5 p.m. 

SATURDAY, February 25- Lucas Oil Series eliminations at 8:00 a.m. Camping World Series Pro Stock qualifying at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Camping World Series Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. 

SUNDAY, February 26 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m. Camping World Series eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m

TELEVISION SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, Feb. 24, FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 10:30 p.m. (ET) 
SUNDAY, Feb. 26, FS1 will televise two hour of qualifying highlights at 12:00 p.m. (ET) 
SUNDAY, Feb.26, FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage at 7 p.m. (ET)

Or watch all day on NHRA.tv