NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With Maryland International Raceway being new to the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, a lot of folks are asking questions like "Didn't that used to be called Budds Creek? But now you say the race is in Mechanicsville?" and "How far is the track from the Atlantic Ocean?"

You've got questions, I've got answers.

The community of Mechanicsville is the official postal place name and census-designated community. However, Budds Creek is a longstanding local place name within the Mechanicsville area, centered around Budds Creek Road and the stream of the same name. Budds Creek is generally classified as an unincorporated community/locality in St. Mary's County, and the raceway itself was originally known as St. Mary's Drag-O-Way when founded in 1966 before becoming Budds Creek Dragway in the mid-1970s, then Maryland International Raceway in 1989. But if you tell a local racer you're going to Budds Creek, they'll know exactly where you mean. If you mail a letter to thank track owner Royce Miller, the mailing address is in Mechanicsville, MD.

MIR is approximately 75–85 miles from the Atlantic Ocean (by road, it's closer to 110–130 miles, depending on your destination along the coast), but Chesapeake Bay (the nearest tidal water) is only about a dozen or so miles away, so the track gets that "ocean air" feeling and quickness.

SOLD OUT: Big news just announced that today is sold out at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals!

And there you have it ... on to racing.

TOP FUEL MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

Leah Pruett, looking for her first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge win of the season, avenged her semifinal loss to Antron Brown in Chicago with a 3.81 to 3.84 decision over the four-time world champ, driving around his small holeshot to advance to the final.

Shawn Langdon, who swept the Chicago event with wins in Saturday's Mission Challenge and Sunday's big show, set low e.t. of the session with a 3.760 to defeat Josh Hart's 3.890 as the Gainesville winner's engine went sour downtrack. Langdon's run was just .002-second off his Friday-leading 3.758 blast.

Langdon's teammate, Doug Kalitta, and tuner Alan Johnson slapped down a 3.792, just a few ticks off their Friday best of 3.77, while rookie Maddi Gordon and crew chief Rob Flynn made their third great run, a 3.808 to go with earlier passes of 3.805 and 3.840. Her pass was the third-best of the round behind Langdon and Kalitta.

Eight-time world champ Tony Schumaher and crew continued to struggle, netting a run of just 6.715 after a 5.38 best on two passes Friday.

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FUNNY CAR MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

Austin Prock, whose Tasca Racing "Prock Rocket" Ford is finally back on a winning pace after a semifinal finish two weeks ago in Chicago, advanced to the Mission Challenge final with a 4.15 to 4.39 victory over Chad Green, who appeared to have a slight lead on the two-time champ before breaking traction.

Alexis DeJoria, who won her first Mission Challenge in Chicago, then reached the Route 66 Nationals final the next day, appeared to have Matt Hagan beaten until her Bandero Cafe entry made a move, forcing her to step off, allowing similarly-squirrelly Hagan to advance to the final with a 4.34.

Friday's prediction by Cruz Pedregon that his Friday-leading 3.95 would not hold through today was correct as "Fast Jack" Beckman blistered the Peak Chevy to a 3.935, which was the only three-second pass of the session. The air is better, and perhaps some of the crew chiefs overcooked the combo, trying to take advantage.

South Georgia winner Jordan Vandergriff was next-closest with a 4.00, with Blake Alexander behind him with a  4.01.

"Nitro Joe" Morrison made his first pass of the meet and smoked the tires, but nonetheless is now part of the 16-car field.

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PRO STOCK MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

Aaron Stanfield, coming in hot off of his breakthrough season win two weeks ago in Chicago, advanced to the Mission Challenge final after his father, Greg Stanfield, threw away what was new low e.t of the meet, a 6.482, on a -.003 red-light against Aaron's 6.512.

Erica Enders, who didn't make it down the track on either pass Friday, made it this time with a 6.519, but her mini holeshot could not hold off the 6.502 effort of her rival, six-time champ Greg Anderson.

Dallas Glenn also passed Anderson for second place in the field with a 6.488 ahead of GA's Friday's 6.494. Eric Latino's solid 6.501 has him fourth, three-thousandths ahead of his son Matt's 6.504.

Veteran Kenny Delco wasn't low of the round, but the popular racer's eye-popping 6.52 elicited a lot of cheers from the fans.

Troy Coughlin Jr., who, like Enders, entered the day with a double-digit best after a frustrating Friday, righted the ship for the JEGS team with a 6.586.

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

With team leader and tuner Matt Smith still in a local hospital recovering from a gallstone flare-up, he had two bikes in the Mission Challenge, including Chip Ellis, who is subbing for him this weekend, allowing Ellis to compete for points and prestige for him under the Driver Replacement Policy. Smith is watching the event on NHRA.tv and consulting with the team by FaceTime.

Wife Angie no doubt helped the healing process by taking down world champ Richard Gadson with a 6.71 after Gadson had to pull the clutch in as his Suzuki began to drift in its lane.

Mr. Smith had enough in the tune-up to make it an all-Matt Smith Racing final, but Ellis' 6.753 was beaten to the stripe by Brayden Davis' holeshot-aided 6.789. After the round, Angie made a point to share that the entire Pro Stock Motorcycle fraternity has offered its help, including the rival Vance & Hines team.

John Hall, astride the third MSR bike, had the round's second-quickest time behind Angie with a 6.739 while Gaige Herrera put down his second straight 6.77 pass alongside semi-teammate Clayton Howey's 6.779.

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TOP FUEL MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

Crew chief Brian Husen was still tinkering with his tune-up even as the team prepared to fire the Kalitta Air dragster and as fans picked Leah Pruett to beat his driver Shawn Langdon by a 54-46% margin on the live fan poll for the Mission Challenge final, but the fans were wrong as Langdon stormed to a 3.744 to 3.771 victory. The run improved on Langdon's previous best of 3.758 and earned him his milestone 25th career No. 1 spot and a bye in round one. Langdon earned bonus points in all four sessions, collecting 10 of a possible 12.

Doug Kalitta improved by .003-second to a 3.771 but stayed No. 2 behind teammate Langdon. Kalitta also earned bonus points in every session that totalled nine valuable markers. Although Pruett matched Kalitta's e.t., he won the speed tiebreaker, 333.00 to 331.12, to keep No. 2.

Pruett finished third just ahead of husband Tony Stewart (3.790), followed by Billy Torrence (3.798), Maddi Gordon (3.805), and Josh Hart (3.811). Justin Ashley's 3.815 from Q3 seals the top half of the field.

A number of lower-qualified teams really went for it this session, but ended up losing traction downtrack and coasting across the line, but there were some notable exceptions.

Will Smith made a tenth of a second imporvement in the Bluebird Turf entry, jumping to a 3.844 for the No. 11 position.

After a trio of frustrating efforts, Tony Schumacher and crew made a full pull with a strong 3.85 to move up the field, but not enough to earn first-round lane choice. He'll finish No. 12. Schumacher's American Communications Construction car is also bannering the National Multiple Sclerosis Society on its flanks this weekend.

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FUNNY CAR MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

Everyone knew the time was coming, and it's "only" a Mission Challenge win, but Austin Prock and team will celebrate nonetheless after beating Matt Hagan in the final, 4.07 to 4.15, to end a long win drought for the two-time world champion team, even though the live fan vote picked Hagan by a 2-1 ratio. Interestingly, the duo will also face off in Round 1 tomorrow as the No. 6 (Hagan) vs. No. 11 (Prock) qualifiers, and maybe those thoughts might change.

Alexis DeJoria, the Mission Challenge winner two weeks ago, had the best run of the session (and the only three) with a 3.997, but it was Q3 pacesetter Jack Beckman who remained  No. 1 with a 3.935 for his second straight and 35th overall No. 1 spot. Beckman ran just 4.065 but admitted that the team sacrificed the possible bonus points for a chance to test something that may help them later in the year. "Fast Jack" will take on "Nitro Joe: Mirrison in a battle of nicknames in round one,

J.R. Todd's 4.00 was the second-best pass of the session, and Jordan Vandergriff's 4.002 was third. Daniel and Tim Wilkerson got it all together on their final pass with a 4.066 after three frustrating earlier passes.

Despite it being their first time at the facility, the Funny Car crowd put on a great show with 14 cars qualified at 4.066 or better with only Del Worsham and one-shot Morrison bringing up the rear.

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PRO STOCK MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

It's a Super Stanfield Saturday at MIR as Greg Stanfield finished as the low qualifier and son, Aaron, won the Mission Challenge. Aaron beat his red-lighting father in the semifinals of the Mission Challenge, then slapped a holeshot on Greg Anderson in the final to win on a holeshot, 6.513 to 6.494. It's Aaron's first Mission Challenge win of the year after a runner-up earlier this season in Pomona.

Papa Greg earned the No. 1 spot on that losing 6.482 run in Q3 for his sixth career No. 1.

Behind the senior Stanfield, it's a tight top half with world champ Dallas Glenn (6.486), Eric Latino (6.493), Anderson (6.494), Matt Latino and Matt Hartford  (both at 6.504), Cody Anderson (6.505), and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (6.508).

Two Dodges, driven by Brandon Miller and Alan Prusiensky, are part of the otherwise-Chevy field, giving the fans some rooting options in round one.

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

The nightware weekend for the Matt Smith Racing family is turning slowly toward a bit of a dream weekend, even with patriarch Matt still in the hospital tuning by phone from his hospital bed as his wife, Angie, won the Mission Challenge, convincingly defeating Brayden Davis, 6.71 to 6.77 ,and holding onto the No. 1 spot she earned Friday with her career-best 6.690 pass.

Smith's fifth career No. 1 will earn her a first-round bye for the 15-bike field.

Her MSR teammates, John Hall and Chip Eliis (the latter riding Matt's bike) are not far behind, in third and fourth spot, with only world champ Richard Gadson breaking up their monopoly in the No. 2 spot.

Angie's run was far and away the best of the session, with Clayton Howey's stellar 6.764 and Gadson's 6.765 well behind. Jianna Evaristo, on yet another MSR bike, had the session's fourth-best pass with a 6.766, her best run of the weekend.

Media note: Charles Poskey’s motorcycle made contact with the guardwall before coming to a stop. Poskey exited the motorcycle and was alert before being examined onsite by NHRA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Surface. He was then transported to a local medical facility for further evaluation.