NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Tony Schumacher and Austin Prock kicks things off, and things get dodgy real quick for Schumacher and his SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster. He falls into tire smoke, and Austin Prock and the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster move ahead on a 3.70 at 319. 

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Brittany Force was ready for this one in every way. She leaves the starting line with a super-quick .021-second reaction time and races ahead of tire-smoking Shawn Langdon. The Monster Energy rail clocks a triumphant and rather large 3.71 at 332 mph. 

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No. 1 qualifier Leah Pruett shuts off as she nears the finish line, but her 4.05 in the Dodge Direct Connection dragster is plenty after Kyle Wurtzel double-steps and is -.188 red. 

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Steve Torrence and the CAPCO Contractors get the nod here as Doug Foley is up in smoke. Torrence goes 3.73, 330. 

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Here's an upset! Quebec's Dan Mercier earns the first round win of his career as Doug Kalitta goes up in smoke. Mercier makes a decent 3.89 pass that crew chief Rob Wendland says is definitely not what they were aiming for. 

"This is the best day of my life," said Mercier. "I'm very happy and proud of all my team, and Rob Wendland is the perfect teacher and crew chief. This is the first one, but not the last one." 

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 Clay Millican's tire-rattling affair sends incoming points leader Justin Ashley to an easy victory on a sharp 3.71 in the Phillips Connect dragster. That's the ninth consecutive win light for Ashley, who has won each of the last two national events. 

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After a first-round loss at the last race, Mike Salinas and his Valley Services dragster are rebounding quickly. He picks up a win over Antron Brown, who falls into tire smoke. 

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Top Fuel second-round pairings: Leah Pruett vs. Mike Salinas; Dan Mercier vs. Austin Prock; Steve Torrence vs. Justin Ashley; Brittany Force vs. Josh Hart

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The first pair of Funny Cars take to the track, and it's a rematch from Bristol. There, Bobby Bode got the win over Bob Tasca III; this time around, it's all Tasca once they're past the tree. The drivers leave in tandem with .091 reaction times, but Bode smokes 'em down track and Tasca goes 3.95 for the win. 

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Paul Lee shakes and smokes as soon as he leaves the starting line, and Alexis DeJoria takes the Bandero Tequila Toyota to a 3.92 win. 

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Matt Hagan launches first and then smoothly travels past a tire-smoking Dale Creasy Jr. Hagan's Dodge Direct Connection Funny Car goes 3.96, 323 for the win. 

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Alex Laughlin is giving him a good run in his Jim Dunn-tuned DiPinto Funny Car, but 2016 Norwalk winner Ron Capps, who just won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, comes charging past with a 3.93, 320 in his NAPA Toyota. 

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The last few races have been challenging for Blake Alexander and his Pronto-branded Funny Car, with early losses and a missed event. He gets a gift here as Tim Wilkerson uncharacteristically fouls out by -.015 and Alexander makes his quickest pass of the weekend by .004, a 3.995. To do well would mean much to the team as this is a home race for the Jim Head Racing team and for their sponsors. 

"I like racing here, I really do," said Alexander, who claimed the Top Fuel win here in 2018. "There's a lot of pressure on me here, and I want to do well, but we're off to a good start." 

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Mike McIntire Jr. double-steps way early and Robert Hight follows suit in the AAA/Cornwell Tools Chevy, but McIntire's error came up -.305 red. Hight advances despite smoking the tires down track.

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This is a rematch of the first round in Bristol, but this time, the tables are turned. John Force and his PEAK Chevy are off the starting line first with a bold .033 reaction, but J.R. Todd and his DHL Toyota truck right on down to a 3.97 for the win over their challenger's 4.00.  

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A six-time finalist already this year, Chad Green also has the nifty stat as the nitro Funny Car driver with the highest percentage of leaving first this year. He does it again against Cruz Pedregon, clocking a .052 to a .076, but for a moment, it looks as though Pedregon might be taking over. He falls back, though, just after the 300-foot mark, and Green sails ahead with a 4.00 to a 4.64. 

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"This year, I've been able to focus on my job because my guys have been giving me a really good car," said Green. "I've been getting more laps, and I'm feeling real comfortable in the car. It looks like it's going to be a hot weather race today, and we're a hot weather car. We'll see how it goes." 

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Funny Car second-round pairings: Bob Tasca III vs. Chad Green; Alexis DeJoria vs. Blake Alexander; Ron Capps vs. J.R. Todd; Matt Hagan vs. Robert Hight

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In the first pair of Pro Stockers, an -.084 red-light for Camrie Caruso and GetBioFuel.com Chevy pilot Kramer rattles the tires in his victory lap. 

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A cloud cover is suddenly shading the track as Bo Butner and his Johnson's Horsepowered Garage entry and Dallas Glenn, in the RAD Torque Chevy, begin their burnouts. Glenn is off the starting line a mere .002 ahead of Butner and keeps the advantage for a 6.61 to 6.64 win. 

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Jerry Tucker and his Elite Motorsports Chevy defeats Cristian Cuadra on a holeshot. Cuadra, typically quite quick on the tree, is a surprising .090 to Tucker's .045. To Cuadra engine builder Frank Iaconio's likely chagrin, Tucker's 6.65 beats a quicker 6.63. 

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Three-time Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals winner Greg Anderson gets the win light over KB Titan Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky here. Koretsky was .004 quicker off the starting line, .021 to .025, but Anderson's HendrickCars.com Chevrolet makes it up quickly and goes 6.64 to beat a 6.61. 

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No. 1 qualifier Matt Hartford shows his skill as a wheelman with a crisp .017 reaction time and pairs it with a 6.61 to easily keep ahead of tire chattering Fernando Cuadra. 

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Chris McGaha, the 2019 Norwalk winner, rattles the tires hard and fast, and Aaron Stanfield advances on a 6.62 in his Elite-powered Janac Brothers Chevrolet. Stanfield has won at least one round of racing at all but the first event this season, but he's not yet advanced past the semifinals. 

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After watching his dad shake the tires in the same lane, Mason McGaha knows he'll have to do work if he wants to win this round over Troy Coughlin Jr. and the JEGS.com machine. Young McGaha does all he can to battle through the tire shake that mirrors what his dad experienced, but he has to give it up. Coughlin advances with a 6.60. 

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In his Pro Stock debut, Eric Latino and his GESI-branded Chevrolet have to line up next to reigning and five-time champion Erica Enders. He records an .016 reaction time, five-hundredths better than his opponent, but tire shake halts his charge. Bristol winner Enders takes the Johnson's Horsepowered Garage to a 6.64 to move ahead. 

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Pro Stock second-round pairings: Matt Hartford vs. Deric Kramer; Aaron Stanfield vs. Greg Anderson; Erica Enders vs. Dallas Glenn; Troy Coughlin Jr. vs. Jerry Tucker

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The first pair of Pro Stock Motorcycles includes Jianna Evaristo and Ryan Oehler, and it's a tense but good one. Evaristo is a quick .017 at the hit to Oehler's .042 but then she gets out of the groove and is battling the Scrappers Racing bike. Ultimately, she clocks her best numbers of the weekend, a 6.90, to beat Oehler's 6.92. 

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Angie Smith's .015 reaction time, paired with a 6.88 aboard her DENSO Buell, gets the job done over Ron Tornow, who was .085 and 6.99. Smith, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge winner, is hoping for the double.

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Marc Ingwersen is leaving nothing to chance and blasts off the starting line with a .004 reaction time on his Buckey Harley-Davidson Buell. Kelly Clontz can't catch him, and he goes  6.95 to 7.05 to move ahead. 

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A quick .013 light isn't enough for Chase Van Sant to get it done. Steve Johnson overcomes his .083 and wins it on a 6.80 to Van Sant's 6.96. 

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The Vance & Hines Mission Foods Suzuki is flying on a bye run, and Gaige Herrera trips the final timers with a 6.777 at 199.88 That's a track record for elapsed time. 

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Wesley Wells makes his best run of the weekend and leaves the starting line well ahead of Hector Arana Jr., but the GETTRX motorcycle is much quicker to the stripe. Arana advances, 6.82 to 7.26. 

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Three-time Norwalk winner Matt Smith gets a single when Chris Bostick is a no-show. Smith makes the first 200.17 mph run of the weekend, a 6.83 at 200.17, aboard his DENSO/Mark Stockseth Suzuki. 

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Another 200-mph run! Eddie Krawiec goes 6.79 at 200.98 on his Mission Foods Suzuki for top speed of the meet and in defeat of John Hall's 7.03. 

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Pro Stock Motorcycle second-round pairings: Gaige Herrera vs. Jianna Evaristo; Eddie Krawiec vs. Steve Johnson; Matt Smith vs. Marc Ingwersen; Hector Arana Jr. vs. Angie Smith

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This is a great race to open the second round of eliminations. Leah Pruett and the Dodge Direct Connection dragster are off the starting line first, .094 to .119, and she keeps ahead of Mike Salinas for a 3.741 to 3.742 win. Pruett advances to the semifinals for the first time since Charlotte.

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Austin Prock, driving the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, ends Dan Mercier's self-proclaimed "best day ever" with a 3.74 to beat a 3.84. Prock is heading to the semis for the fourth time this season and second consecutive event. 

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Josh Hart nabs a tiny bit at the starting line with a .068 to his challenger's .071 reaction, but Brittany Force and the Monster Energy dragster come thundering past with a 3.72 at 333.58 to beat a 3.77, 328. After early exits at the most recent two events, Force is back to her earlier four-race streak of claiming at least two win lights on raceday. 

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Phillips Connect Toyota pilot Justin Ashley is singing the same tune he's been singing all year. The consistently quick leaver is .039 on the tree and wins his match over Steve Torrence on a holeshot for a 10th consecutive round win. Torrence clocks low e.t. of the day in an unsuccessful effort. 

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Top Fuel semifinal pairings: Leah Pruett vs. Austin Prock; Justin Ashley vs. Brittany Force

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After not really having much luck this year, Blake Alexander's good fortune is Alexis DeJoria's painful -.003 red light. Alexander slows to a 5.144 but is taking the Pronto Auto Service Center Mustang to the semifinals for the first time this season.

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This is a fun one as Chad Green and Epping winner Bob Tasca III, the No. 1 qualifier here, launch nearly together and stay side-by-side as they power down the dragstrip. Tasca's Motorcraft Quicklane Ford gets the nod, 3.93 to 4.02. After a first-round loss at Bristol, Tasca hopes to grab a trophy to match the one he earned in Epping.

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The reigning champ, hot off his Mission #2Fast2Tasty win the day before, has the quicker car here. Ron Capps' 3.91 in the NAPA Auto Parts Toyota is powerful, but J.R. Todd is driving like it's nobody's business. He slaps down a .036 reaction time to keep ahead of the champ and win it on a holeshot, 3.95 to 3.91. 

"Funny Car reaction times are always a little suspect. You get it in there and let it land where it lands," said Todd, whose most recent semifinals appearance was at the New England Nationals, which took place at Bristol Dragway. "But I have a lot of respect for Capps and Guido [crew chief Dean Antonelli] and those guys. They're probably one of, if not the best, cars in the category right now, and so far, it looks like we're out here goat hunting. But it feels good to be going rounds. It would be nice to win one, man." 

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It's champ vs. champ here, and it shows. Matt Hagan and Robert Hight leave together and race door-to-door towards the final stripe. A 3.91 beats a 3.93, and Hagan and his Dodge Direct Connect Funny Car get the nod. 

"I love this green car, anytime we run green, we always run well. We're gonna put on a hell of a show here in a little bit," said Hagan, who is returning to the semifinals for the first time since Las Vegas.

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Funny Car semifinal pairings: Bob Tasca III vs. Blake Alexander; J.R. Todd vs. Matt Hagan

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Greg Anderson has a respectable .029 reaction time, but Aaron Stanfield's .018 is going to give him a challenge. He's even more challenged as the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet tries to get out of shape. Anderson expertly drives through it but he can't make up enough ground. Stanfield is taking his Janac Brothers Chevrolet to the semifinals on a 6.63 to a 6.70. 

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Deric Kramer has been to four consecutive final rounds and won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty title here, but he has to race No. 1 qualifier Matt Hartford. Kramer leaves first, but Hartford's 6.60 in the Rottler/Total Seal Camaro gets it done. Kramer is 6.64 at the stripe. 

"Deric and Mikey [crew chief Michael Hiner] have had the run of things lately, so this is big for us," said Hartford's crew chief, Eddie Guarnaccia.

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The RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet, with points leader Dallas Glenn at the helm, leaves ahead of world champ Erica Enders and her JHG Chevy, but the real story is what's happening downtrack. It appears that Enders has lost momentum, and when the scoreboard flashes a 7.04, that is confirmed. Enders reveals at the top end that the transmission broke going from fourth to fifth gear. Glenn wins it on a 6.63. 

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Jerry Tucker takes a chunk out of the tree with an .018 light to Troy Coughlin Jr.'s .032, but it's for naught as they approach the scoreboards. Coughlin gets this one with a 6.61 to a 6.66. 

"Nothing beats drag racing here in the great state of Ohio," said Ohio-native Coughlin, who will race in the semifinals for the first time since Las Vegas.

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Pro Stock semifinal pairings: Matt Hartford vs. Aaron Stanfield; Dallas Glenn vs. Troy Coughlin Jr.

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A -.026 reaction for Marc Ingwersen ends this one quick. Matt Smith goes 6.85 in his victory lap on the DENSO Suzuki. He is heading to the semifinals for the first time since he was runner-up in Charlotte. 

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Hector Arana Jr. gets a little revenge as he sends Mission #2Fast2Tasty winner Angie Smith home without a Wally – she defeated him yesterday in the final of the specialty race. He's .037 at the tree here to her .059 and 6.80 to her 6.92 at the finish line. 

"We got our bike back. We missed it in the #2Fast2Tasty final, but we're dialing it in tweaking on it, and this GETTRX Buell is going to the next round," said Hector Arana Jr., who will race in the semis for the third time this season. 

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Bristol Winner Steve Johnson's .020 is the decider here. Eddie Krawiec is .082 and a quicker 6.79, but Johnson's 6.83 aboard his Suzuki gets the nod by .007. Johnson, who entered the event third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle points, has one semifinals finish and a win on the season. 

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Scrappers Racing Suzuki rider Jianna Evaristo gets a slight advantage off the starting line, but the Vance & Hines Mission Suzuki commanded by Gaige Herrera bogs bad. Evaristo moves ahead on a 6.89 to a 6.98. She was most recently a semifinalist at the season opener. 

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Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinal pairings: Jianna Evaristo vs. Steve Johnson; Matt Smith vs. Hector Arana Jr.

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Leah Pruett is quick off the starting line, and her .046 paired with a 3.77 is bad news for Austin Prock. His .086 and 4.19 comes up short, and Pruett – who has competed in multiple NHRA classes –  is going to the 32nd final round of her career. 

"We're scrambling; the car is going down the track now, but it hasn't for a few runs this weekend, so I gotta than my guys," said crew chief Neal Strasbaugh. "They're back there kicking butt." 

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This is another great race, particularly for Justin Ashley. He is .038 at the hit to the .059 thrown down respectably by Brittany Force, and his 3.711 gets the edge over her 3.713. Ashley is heading to the final round for the fifth time this season and 16th time in his young career.Ashley has won each of the most recent two events on the tour, as well as the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. His father, Mike Ashley, won this race in a nitro Funny Car in 2007.

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Top Fuel final round: Leah Pruett vs. Justin Ashley

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Bob Tasca III obliterates the tires as he leaves the starting line and Blake Alexander makes his best run of the weekend, a 3.92 at 322. Alexander is going to the final round for the sixth time in his career and first time since Gainesville in 2022. 

"We're just comfy out here. We like being Ohio," said Alexander, who is representing Pronto and Ohio-based Parts Authority this weekend. "I don't want to get ahead of ourselves; we've got one more round to win." 

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Matt Hagan sets up the opportunity for a double-up win for Tony Stewart Racing as he leaves ahead of J.R. Todd by .010 and closes the deal with a 3.959 to a 3.954. The margin of victory is a slim .005. Hagan has already regained the points lead, now it's just by how much. 

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Funny Car final round: Blake Alexander vs. Matt Hagan

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Troy Coughlin Jr. is off the starting line with a .027 to his opponent's .035, but he rattles the heck out of the tires almost immediately, and points leader Dallas Glenn is sent ahead to his fifth final of the season on a 6.63. 

"I've got some of the best crew chiefs in the business right here, to get down a tricky racetrack in tricky conditions. I really want to win this Summit race," said Glenn, who is in the hunt for the eighth Pro Stock win of his career and fourth in the 2023 season.

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The No. 1 qualifier and Aaron Stanfield are well-matched in starting-line skill, as evidenced by the mere .004 that separates them. Stanfield gets the jump, but it's Hartford with the win light, 6.62 to 6.66. He's heading to his second final round of the season and 14th of his Pro Stock career. He's currently No. 3 in the Pro Stock standings, and if he should win the event, he will move up one spot to second. 

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Pro Stock final round: Matt Hartford vs. Dallas Glenn

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Steve Johnson is headed to a second consecutive final round as Jianna Evaristo turns it red by -.014. The final will be the 32nd of Johnson's Pro Stock Motorcycle career and his second of the season. Johnson has already moved around Eddie Krawiec in the standings and will leave the event No. 3 in the points. 

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Hector Arana Jr. is better at both ends of the track to defeat Matt Smith, and he'll be advancing to his first final of the season on a 6.82 to a 6.83. Arana's most recent final round came in Las Vegas last fall, where he won his second consecutive event aboard the GETTRX Buell. 

The final round in Pro Stock Motorcycle will be a rematch of the semifinals in Bristol, where Johnson got the nod. 

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Pro Stock Motorcycle final round: Steve Johnson vs. Hector Arana Jr.