UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Top Fuel round one

Heading into Championship Sunday, Justin Ashley led Shawn Langdon by 42 points and Antron Brown by 46. Doug Kalitta is 78 points back, Steve Torrence 79 behind, Clay Millican at -95, and Brittany Force at 108 back. 

After an hour and 50-minute delay from a plane crash at the facility, Brown defeated Ashley in a great race, and one of the most important of the season, 3.69 to 3.70. Ashley still leads the points

"We had to keep digging deep," said Brown. "To race Justin in round one — I was cheering for him to get the championship — I won't lie to you -- but we wanted to qualify better and that was a tough first round,"

Langdon then defeated Josh Hart and with Brown and Langdon now matched in round two, Ashley's championship hopes are over as Langdon is 13 points behind him and Brown 16 points back and 30 points awarded to the round-two winner.

Torrence's dream of a fifth title ended in tire smoke against his former clutch specialist, Gary Pritchett, who gets his first round-win in his class debut in Travis Shumake's entry.

Earlier in the round, Millican kept his slim hopes alive by beating Tony Schumacher with a strong 3.654. It was the 54th all-time meeting of the two veterans and the score now stands at 38-18, favoring Schumacher. Low qualifier Brittany Force also kept her season going with a 3.69 victory over Krista Baldwin.

Jasmine Salinas put a little more polish on her Rookie of the Year resumé with a 3.69 to 3.67 holeshot win over Shawn Reed, taking the stripe by just .003-second but punctuated by yet another blown supercharger for her Scrappers team this weekend.

New father Tony Stewart, who his wife, Leah Pruett, welcomed their first child, 8-pound 3-ounce Dominic James, into the world early this morning, flew back into Pomona a few hours ago to be ready for the final race of his first Pro season.

"Dad" turned on his first win light as a father and locked himself into a Top 10 finish with a 3.74 victory over Billy Torrence.

Second-round Top Fuel pairings (lane choice first): Clay Millican vs. Antron Brown; Shawn Langdon vs. Antron Brown; Gary Pritchett vs. Tony Stewart; Doug Kalitta vs. Jasmine Salinas

Just as Ashley and Brown were preparing for their crucial first-round race, the action was halted due to an apparent plane crash at the facility. Brackett Field is just west of the track.

NHRA released the following statement

Today, a small single-engine airplane crashed at the Pomona Fairplex. The pilot and three occupants of the aircraft all suffered minor to moderate non-life-threatening injuries and are being treated at a nearby hospital. The NHRA has been working closely with the Pomona Police Department and L.A. County Fire Department and has been guided to continue racing.

Funny Car round one

Austin Prock's historic championship-winning season got even bigger emphasis as he powered the Auto Club Camaro to the first 340-mph Funny Car pass on a run of 341.68 on a 3.82 pass to defeat Jason Rupert.

"To run 3.80 last night [in qualifying] and back it up with 341, unbelievable," said Prock."Right when you think we’re done, we keep one-upping everyone."

Ron Capps and Jack Beckman kept pace with Prock with respective 3.84 victories over Jeff Diehl and Terry Haddock, while Matt Hagan cruised to a 3.87 against red-lighting Steven Densham. It's Capps' 13th straight win against no losses against Diehl while Beckman ran his lifetime record against Haddock to 8-0.

J.R. Todd was also quick with a 3.85 to beat Cruz Pedregon and Blake Alexander also ran in the 3.80s with a 3.87 win against Alexis DeJoria while Daniel Wilkerson ran "just" 3.91 in trailering Bob Tasca III. Defending event champ Chad Green clocked a 3.99 to upset better-qualified Paul Lee to lock in a Top 10 finish.

Second-round Funny Car pairings (lane choice first): Austin Prock vs. J.R. Todd; Matt Hagan vs. Daniel Wilkerson; Ron Capps vs. Chad Green; Jack Beckman vs. Blake Alexander

Pro Stock round one

The battle for the 2024 Mission Foods Pro Stock title will carry on to at least the second round as contenders Aaron Stanfield, Dallas Glenn, and Greg Anderson each advanced. As noted in our preview, each of the three controls their own destiny and can win the title by winning the event.

Anderson scored a statement win over Kenny Delco with a 6.492 that is the quickest run of the event this far. Anderson will easily have lane choice when he races Cory Reed in round two.

Glenn got the win over Derrick Reese, but was likely not thrilled to run 6.544. Regardless, Glenn will retain lane choice in his round two race against Cristian Cuadra. Stanfield remained the points leader thanks to his 6.500 win against Elite teammate Troy Coughlin Jr.

The rest of the round also provided plenty of drama as Cristian Cuadra pulled off an improbable holeshot win against Jeg Coughlin Jr., 6.555 to 6.532 while Cory “Caveman” Reed put down a solid 6.555 in his win against Jerry Tucker.

Six-time champ Erica Enders gave up a slight lead against Eric Latino, but had more than enough performance to make up the difference with a solid 6.523.

The KB Titan team put another car in the quarterfinals after Camrie Caruso, the third-quickest qualifier, topped Chris McGaha with a 6.523 to set up a round two race against Enders.

Second round Pro Stock pairings (lane choice first): Greg Anderson vs. Cory Reed; Aaron Stanfield vs. Matt Hartford; Dallas Glenn vs. Cristian Cuadra; Camrie Caruso vs. Erica Enders

Pro Stock Motorcycle round one

The championship that has long been a nearly forgone conclusion became reality when Gaige Herrera rode to a 6.779 in his win against Aaron Pine, who made it interesting with a .009 reaction time. Herrera came into the round with a 119 point lead and with just three rounds remaining, Matt Smith cannot catch him.

Smith admitted on Saturday that he was almost certain to finish No. 2, and he sealed that spot thanks to his victory over Aaron Pine in round one. Smith isn’t going quietly as he set low elapsed time of the round with a 6.764.

Marc Ingerwersen continued his recent string of impressive performance with a 6.821 in his win over Hall. Even so, Ingwersen needed a holeshot to take the win and got it with a .014 to .035 reaction time advantage.

Geno Scali scored a win after Hector Arana Jr’s GETTRX Buell fell silent at half track while Angie Smith has been quick all weekend and continued that trend with a 6.787 on her Denso Buell to defeat Lance Bonham.

Steve Johnson left well ahead of Jianna Evaristo and made that stand up for a 6.803 victory. Johnson is wrapping up his 37th season as a Pro Stock Motorcycle racer. Johnson will race Richard Gadson, who advanced after a foul start by Ryan Oehler.

Second round Pro Stock Motorcycle pairings (lane choice first): Angie Smith vs. Geno Scali; Steve Johnson vs. Richard Gadson; Matt Smith vs. Marc Ingwersen; Chase Van Sant vs. Gaige Herrera.

Top Fuel round two

In a race that could have decided the championship in his favor, third-place Antron Brown won a pedalfest with second-place Shawn Langdon. Brown recovered quickly but Langdon backfired the blower, ending his dream of a second championship and also ending Brittany Force's bid for a third before she even ran. While Brown is competing for his first championship crown in eight years, it's his first for his third-year AB Motorsports team, which made its on-track NHRA debut in 2022.

The championship, however, moved to the semifinals with Doug Kalitta's stout 3.64 victory over tire-smoking Jasmine Salinas. Right behind Salinas' aborted run in the right lane, Millican, with lane choice and needing a win to stay in the title hunt, swapped to the left lane, but it didn't help as Force beat Millican oin a 3.69 to 3.68 holeshot.

So it comes down to this: If Brown can beat Force in the semifinals, he will be the champ regardless of what Kalitta does. If Brown loses, Kalitta can win his second straight championship by winning the event, starting with beating Tony Stewart in the semifinals.

Away from the championship drama, Stewart and Gary Pritchett, who have dueled throughout the season in the Top Alcohol Dragster class in the North Central Region, where Stewart won three of four meets, went at it and Stewart won this one, too, 3.71 to 3.76 to reach the semifinals for this sixth time this season.

Semifinal Top Fuel pairings (lane choice first): Brittany Force vs.Antron Brown; Doug Kalitta vs. Tony Stewart

Funny Car Round 2

Jack Beckman may not win the championship this year, but he may well win the finals. he had low e.t of the second round with a 3.83 to defeat tire-smoking Blake Alexander. Beckman will pick his lane in the semifinals over Ron Capps, who is lucky to be in the final four after smoking the tires. Fortunately for him, his opponent, Chad Green, lost the handle downtrack and crossed the centerline.

Beckman not only won his last start at Pomona, in reality he won his last two. He won the 2019 Finals over Robert Hight and then won the 2020 Winternationals, beating the man for whom he now is driving, John Force, in the final round during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. 

Beckman has won at Pomona in four different decades in two different classes.  He also won in Super Comp at the 1998 and 2003 Winternationals before losing to Force in the money round at the 2006 Finals after earlier qualifying No. 1 and setting NHRA national records for both time and speed.

Newly crowned world champ Austin Prock also advanced with a 3.850 over J.R. Todd to earn lane choice over outgoing world champ Matt Hagan, who got around Daniel Wilkerson with a 3.856.

The final four of the season are the top four in points. Very fitting.

Semifinal Funny Car pairings (lane choice first): Austin Prock vs. Matt Hagan; Jack Beckman vs. Ron Capps

Pro Stock round two

The race for the Pro Stock title rolls on to the semifinals as leading contenders Aaron Stanfield, Dallas Glenn, and ? continued to advance. The tree contenders managed to ignore the pressure that goes with a late-season championship battle.

Stanfield was quick in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro with a 6.531 after Matt Hartford rattled the tires at the start.

Glenn, who reportedly changed engines before the second round, left first against Cristian Cuadra and never looked back with a 6.533 to 6.548 victory.

Finally, Anderson remained in the hunt, and once again had the quickest car in the field with a 6.492 in his win over Cory Reed, matching his round one performance. Anderson’s next challenge will be a semifinal race against Stanfield while Glenn has his hands full against reigning champ Erica Enders.

Camrie Caruso had a performance advantage against reigning champ Erica Enders, but that went away when Caruso dumped the clutch .025-second too soon and red-lighted. Enders, looking for her first win since Gainesville, advanced with a 6.543.

Semifinal Pro Stock pairings (lane choice first): Greg Anderson vs. Aaron Stanfield; Dallas Glenn vs. Erica Enders

Pro Stock Motorcycle round two

Steve Johnson hasn’t had much success this year, but his hopes for a victory remain intact after he posted a 6.831 to 6.871 win against rookie of the year contender Richard Gadson.

Angie Smith has been among the quickest bikes in the field all weekend and that trend continued when she posted a 6.768 to beat Geno Scali. Smith’s three national event wins include the 2022 Pomona Finals.

For the second-straight round, Gaige Herrera found himself on the short end of a nearly perfect reaction time in the other lane but he managed to survive a second time with a 6.779 to 6.815 win against Chase Van Sant.

Matt Smith appears to have the upper hand in performance after a 6.738 to beat Marc Ingwersen.

Semifinal Pro Stock Motorcycle pairings (lane choice first): Matt Smith vs. Steve Johnson; Angie Smith vs. Gaige Herrera

Winternationals Top Alcohol Dragster final

Nine months after it began, the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals is finally in the books as Joey Severance defeated Ron Anderson to win the Top Alcohol Dragster final. The event was initially interrupted by rain and cold weather, and Severance was able to celebrate his 27th national event win with a 5.27 after Anderson shook the tires and had to pedal his injected nitro dragster.

Top Fuel semifinals

Antron Brown clinched his fourth Top Fuel championship and his first in eight years by defeating Brittany Force in the semifinals, Brown powered easily to the win with a 3.69 as Force rattled the tires early. It's Brown's first as a team owner after three titles with Don Schumacher Racing and a great swan song for co-crew chief Mark Oswald, who is retiring after the season.

Had Brown lost to Force, Doug Kalitta would have had the chance to win his second straight championship in a second straight dramatic fashion had he been able to beat Tony Stewart and then win the event, as he did last year to clinch his first championship in a winner-take-all race with Leah Pruett.

It didn't come to that but Kalitta will have a chance to win the Finals again after beating Stewart with a 3.67 that will give him final-round lane choice over Brown,

Funny Car semifinals

Austin Prock will face for the ninth Wally of his championship season after beating Matt Hagan, the outgoing champ, on a convincing 3.81 to 3.86 decision.

Prock will face his John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman for the race win after his Peak Chevy raced to a 3.84 victory over Ron Capps that will also give him final-round lane choice.

Pro Stock semifinals

There will be a winner-take-all final round in Pro Stock as the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals champion will also be crowned the Mission Foods NHRA world champ.

The high drama of the day continued in the semifinals when Dallas Glenn took out reigning world champ Erica Enders. That assured the winner-take-all final because the other half of the semifinals included fellow title contender Greg Anderson and Aaron Stanfield.

Anderson, who has had the best car in the class for most of the season, continued that trend with a 6.488 to beat Stanfield’s 6.510

“The plate is set and that’s great news because we know the championship is going to KB Titan,” said Anderson. “It’s been an awesome year and this final is going to be fun. I’m going to smile [in the final] when we both stage because the trophy going to Mooresville [N.C., KB Titan home] and it’s not going to Oklahoma [Elite hometown].”

Glenn, racing for his first title, echoed Anderson’s sentiments.

“The good news is the trophy is going to NC regardless,” said Glenn. “I’ve got one more win light left in me. Now let’s go get it.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals

Arch rivals Gaige Herrera and Matt Smith are going to end the season with a battle for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals title. Herrera, who locked up the championship earlier in the day, reached the final with a 6.765 to 6.762 holeshot win over Smith’s wife, Angie.

Matt Smith had his hands full with Steve Johnson, who cut a .001 light, but that wasn’t enough as Smith won by a similar margin, 6.747 to 6.780.

Herrera is looking to equal his historic 2023 season by winning his 11th event while Smith is seeking career win No. 41.

MISSION FOODS DRAG RACING SERIES FINAL RESULTS

Brown, Anderson win championships, season finale; Beckman, Smith also score

LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES RESULTS

In a thrilling final round, Val Torres Sr. claimed his first NHRA Lucas Oil Series title when he defeated Kris Whitfield in the final round of Super Gas. Torres, who defeated fellow contender Keith Mayers in the semifinals, 9.919 to a 9.887 breakout. After the conclusion of the season, Torres and Mayers are tied for the lead, but Torres wins the title based on the first tie-breaker, which is head-to-head results. The only time Torres and Mayers raced was in the semi’s.

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Julie Nataas def. Shawn Cowie

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Shane Westerfield def. Ray Martin

COMP
Travis Gusso def. Jason Grima

SUPER STOCK
Justin Jerome def. Shelby Williams

STOCK
John McLaughlin def. Michael Wann

SUPER COMP
Bob VanPopering def. Nick Alejandre

SUPER GAS
Val Torres def. Kris Whitfield

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP DRAGSTER
Ed Olpin def. Kevin Wright

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN
Joe Mellof def. Robert Strohm