NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Sunday has arrived, win lights will flare, and trophies will be handed out to a select few. Who will make the cut at this, the third of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship events? 

Top Fuel R1

This Top Fuel round was quick and fast, with some fairly large championship implications.

History has already been made here at World Wide Technology Raceway as the Top Fuel field included four females for the first time. No. 3 qualifier Brittany Force was very efficient in her defeat of Josh Hart; her 3.702 was low e.t. of the event. 

Matco Tools driver Antron Brown’s victory over Jasmine Salinas came with a 330 mph speed that was the fastest we’d seen to that point , but just two pairs later, No. 1 qualifier T.J. Zizzo went quicker with a 330.88 in his defeat of Billy Torrence.

“My dad has been trying to win a Wally for 44 years, we’ve been trying in Top Fuel for 20 years,” said Zizzo. “We’ll take one round at a team and see where it goes.” 

There was nearly a ginormous upset when both Julie Nataas, in her Top Fuel debut driving the Airmine-backed Scrappers Racing dragster, and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher both smoked the tires and pedaled through. Schumacher got the win light. 

Justin Ashley was characteristically .034 on the starting line to power his Scag Power Equipment Toyota to a .001-second win over Clay Millican on a holeshot. Millican was a solid .056. and clocked low elapsed time of the event at 330.96.

Kalitta Motorsports teammates Shawn Langdon and defending world champion Doug Kalitta certainly wouldn’t have drawn it up this way, but the No. 3 and No. 4 gentlemen in the points had to race one another first round. Langdon got the win when Kalitta spun and smoked next to him.

Steve Torrence moved around Clay Millican up to fifth and could also get around Kalitta if he should win the race.

One single ten-thousandths-of-a-second separate Shawn Reed’s Reed Trucking dragster and Tony Stewart’s Rush Trucking Center at the final stripe, and the nod goes to Reed. 

“I’m 1-0 against Tony Stewart, man. I grew up watching him, and I got a fight in me just like he does,” said Reed. “He’s a great guy, a great ambassador for the sport, but I just got up on the wheel. I had to do something. My team is good, my car is good, and I’m just really proud of my guys.” 

Top Fuel pairings round two (lane choice first): T.J. Zizzo vs. Steve Torrence; Shawn Langdon vs. Justin Ashley; Antron Brown vs. Tony Schumacher; Brittany Force vs. Shawn Reed

Funny Car R1

After No. 1 qualifier Austin Prock makes the best run of the weekend in his AAA Chevrolet – a 3.814 that is the best of the season and a new World Wide Technology Raceway track record – Chad Green also puts on a show in his Bond-Coat Ford. There doesn't seem to be a ferocious explosion, but there's a big ball of fire beneath the Funny Car body as he pulls the parachutes. Green gets the win over a tire-smoking Dale Creasy Jr., but his team will have a lot of work to do to make the next round. Green emerged from the car of his own accord, but we're on hold for clean-up.

“It gave me no warning; it was just trucking on through there, seemed on a pretty decent run, and then everything went ka-plewie,” said Green. “Real sad about that, it’s going to be a lot of work. We’ll probably get our back-up car out and see if we can keep going, but we’ll be good for round two.”

As for Prock and the best run of the year, he had words.

“I knew it was trucking, I was just trying to keep it off the wall,” he said. “This thing was marching left, hard. I was hand-over-fist trying to keep this sucker in the groove. This thing is spicy fast right now, it feel like a spaceship.”

“Fast Jack” Beckman lived up to his name with a swift .054 reaction time and a winning 3.878 over J.R. Todd’s .079 reaction and 3.926.

“We had a long time to thing about it, but J.R. and I put on a good race for the fans. I could not be happier,” said Beckman. “The Prock and Prock car is the class of the field right now, but the Peak Camaro SS, we are right there.” 

With his defeat of Alexis DeJoria, hometown hero Dan Wilkerson scored one for Wilk’s Warriors, the throng of fans that populate the Wilkerson family pits just an hour and a half away from their residence in Springfield, Ill. 

Young Bobby Bode, tuning and driving the family Funny Car, got the nod over Dave Richards, and Blake Alexander put the Pronto Ford ahead of Cruz Pedregon. Ron Capps got the win in the Napa Toyota over Buddy Hull, which means that if he reaches the final, he'll go around Hagan in the points. Wilkerson went around DeJoria up to sixth.

In the marquee matchup, Bob Tasca III kept his championship fires stoked while Matt Hagan took a big blow; Tasca won their match with an .030 to .055 reaction time and 3.913 over a 3.976 for the Motorcraft Quicklane Ford team. 

Co-crew chief Aaron Brooks suggests that they may have to go back to old dragster notes for their next-round battle with Austin Prock. 

Funny Car pairings for round two (lane choice first): Austin Prock vs. Bob Tasca III; Jack Beckman vs. Daniel Wilkerson; Blake Alexander vs. Chad Green; Ron Capps vs. Bobby Bode

Pro Stock R1

Matt Hartford, driving the GETTRX/Total Seal/Rottler Chevrolet, came into today in the No. 9 position. He got the nod over a tire-squaring Cristian Cuadra, and after Cuadra, Jerry Tucker, and Troy Coughlin Jr. all go out in the first round, he has an opportunity to make big strides. If he reaches the semis here, he’ll jump all three in the points. 

No other surprises in this round — the top five in points advanced and No. 1 qualifier Erica Enders went low e.t. of the event with a 6.552, 208.39. 

“My sister and I always say everything changes in St. Louis, and coming from third, we need all the help we can get today,” said Enders. 

Pro Stock pairings for round two (lane choice first): Erica Enders vs. Eric Latino; Aaron Stanfield vs. Matt Hartford; Dallas Glenn vs. Mason McGaha; Greg Anderson vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Pro Stock Motorcycle R1

Hector Arana Jr. got a heck of a break this round to stay alive aboard the GETTRX Buell — he was spinning the tire like crazy leaving the starting line but won on a 7.884 that defeated a more-troubled Steve Johnson’s 12.282. More uh-oh’s as Jianna Evaristo went red by -.007. That sends former world champ Geno Scali ahead for his first win light in his return to the Pro Stock Motorcycle arena.

The top seven drivers in the standings advance here, so no stunning championship implications.

Gaige Herrera and his Vance & Hines RevZilla Mission Foods Suzuki clock low e.t. of the round with a 6.808 that Denso-rider Matt Smith just misses (Smith went 6.815). 

Pro Stock Motorcycle pairings for round two (lane choice first): Gaige Herrera vs. John Hall; Angie Smith vs. Hector Arana Jr.; Matt Smith vs. Geno Scali; Richard Gadson vs. Chase Van Sant

Top Fuel R2

The points leader is ousted here when the Matco Tools Toyota has trouble and slows down track allowing Tony Schumacher the win in his Leatherwood Distillery dragster. 

“I think it started to spin and the safety device kicked in and popped the pin for the throttle shut-off, deployed the ‘chute,” explained Antron Brown. “It was a good race, we made it really close, we just ended up on the wrong end. Our heads are still in it, and that’s racing. They did a great job. It’s a tough loss.”

Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team are also out with a run that was troubled from the start next to Shawn Reed, who is having a very lucky — and good — day in his Reed Trucking rail. 

“The car in front of us went up in smoke right at the hit, so they moved me way up against the wall and it still wasn’t enough,” said Force. “It’s frustrating. We ran really well here, we were killer first round, and then to go out second round and not even have a shot for us, it’s really frustrating. But this team, we stick together, we. keep on digging, and we will.” 

Ashley can go around Brown into the lead if he wins the race.

Top Fuel pairings for semifinals (lane choice first): Justin Ashley vs. Steve Torrence; Shawn Reed vs. Tony Schumacher 

Funny Car R2 

Points leader Austin Prock blows it up big down there but gets the win light over Tasca. He most likely won’t be able to bring the AAA Funny Car body back for the semis, but he’s confident they won’t be too thrown off track. 

“We made a good run but I hate tearing up that AAA body, I love this one, it’s so beautiful, but we’ll have ‘Black Magic’ back on her for the semis. The job’s not finished.” 

Beckman’s win over Daniel Wilkerson moves him around Tasca in the points. Capps gets the job done over Bobby Bode to carry on, and although Chad Green and his team made it back up for the round after that nasty first-round blow-up, a fuel leak shuts them off at the starting line. Blake Alexander advances and misses lane choice over Capps by .005-second.

Funny Car pairings for semifinals (lane choice first): Austin Prock vs. Jack Beckman; Ron Capps vs. Blake Alexander

Pro Stock R2

The heated Pro Stock rivalry continues to burn right through the Countdown. It’s going to be an Elite Motorsports vs. KB Titan Racing final round  as Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield will battle on one side of the ladder and Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson will square off on the other side. 

Enders clocked low e.t. of the round again, 6.555. 

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

Pro Stock Motorcycle R2

This was a round packed with holeshots and upsets. 

Riding for Vance & Hines, former champ Geno Scali does exactly what he needs to do for the team with a .014-second reaction time that knocks Matt Smith out on a holeshot. Smith was .098 on the tree and went 6.986 to Scali’s winning 6.998. 

Chase Van Sant is a cool .006 at the hit aboard his Trick Tools Suzuki to wheel his way to a win over Richard Gadson’s .017 and 6.880. Van Sant won by .004 with a 6.887. 

Hector Arana Jr. will take the GETTRX Buell to the next round with a near-perfect .001 to beat Angie Smith on a .013-second holeshot. 

No holeshot for Gaige Herrera, who leaves second but defeats John Hall with a 6.797 to 6.925.

Pro Stock Motorcycle pairings for semifinals (lane choice first): Gaige Herrera vs. Hector Arana Jr.; Chase Van Sant vs. Geno Scali

Top Fuel R3

Well how about that! Tony Schumacher is taking the Leatherwood Distillery dragster to the 162nd final round of his career. Shawn Reed’s double-bulb, however accidental, didn’t jar the seasoned driver. He was .055 at the hit. 

“This is one of the best racetracks we’ve had in awhile, and that always makes it fun,” said crew chief Mike Neff of their very strong 3.274 

Steve Torrence gets away with one as he is quite tardy leaving the starting line (.184) next to Justin Ashley’s .053, and he’s taking the Capco Contractors rail to the 96th final of his career as Ashley looks to have some sort of issue and slows.

Top Fuel final round (lane choice first): Tony Schumacher vs. Steve Torrence

Funny Car R3

Austin Prock does an odd whomp-whomp on the burnout and then makes a stuttering run (the team reports that the throttle stop was set a bit high after the hustle to get back after the blow-up last round), which sends Jack Beckman to the final round for the 74th time — unlike his most recent final in Reading, this time he won’t be racing Prock. He’s going to square off with Ron Capps and the Napa Toyota, who advances to his 151st final after Blake Alexander gets loose. 

“There’s one guy running away with it, and we’re all just trying to catch him,” said crew chief Dean Antonelli. “We’ll do the best we can.” 

Funny Car final round (lane choice first): Ron Capps vs. Jack Beckman

Pro Stock R3

Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield again! These two are so well-matched in skill and power; Glenn was .017 and 6.604 to beat Greg Anderson, while Stanfield was .015 and 6.602 to beat Erica Enders. The former champs are going home without a St. Louis trophy, and for the fourth time this year, Glenn and Stanfield will race against one another in the final. Whoever wins this race, leaves with the points lead.

“I’d rather he loses in the first round, but he’s driving way too good and his car is way too good,” said Glenn, who is racing in his ninth final of the year. “It’ll be a great, great battle all the way through the end of the season. It’ll be tight and if we can keep trading back and forth like this, it’ll make a really good show in Pomona.” 

Stanfield, also racing in his ninth final of the season, agreed. 

“It’s tight racing right now,” he said. “He’s been doing a great job, he has a great racecar, and has been doing great. I’m going to have to get up on the wheel and get some on the tree. It’s going to be a dogfight to the end, and I think so far we’ve proven that.” 

Cool note: Stanfield (who doubled up in Indy) is also in the final round of Holley EFI Factory X.

Pro Stock final round (lane choice first): Aaron Stanfield vs. Dallas Glenn

Pro Stock Motorcycle R3

Chase Van Sant is .017 at the tree and a tick quicker at the big end to shut down Geno Scali’s resurgent performance, and Gaige Herrera is better from start to finish to halt Hector Arana Jr. He officially has the points lead back in hand (well, unofficially until the event has concluded and the results are locked in). 

Van Sant is heading to the third final of the season and of his career, while it will be final No. 9 of the year for Herrera who has won seven times thus far in 2024. If Van Sant wins, he'll go around Arana Jr. to the No. 4 position. 

Pro Stock Motorcycle final round (lane choice first): Gaige Herrera vs. Chase Van Sant