NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

CLASS ELIMINATIONS

For NHRA Racers in Super Stock and Stock, today is arguably the most important day of the season as today is the day that Class winners will be crowned at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. An Indy class win is always worth celebrating, but this year there is a heightened sense of importance as each of the class champions will receive a special edition 75th annual diamond NHRA Wally trophy.

There are roughly 300 class racers registered for Indy this year and there will be more than 100 class winners crowned between the two eliminators. In addition to the Wally trophy, class winners get to visit the top end winner’s circle, which is hallowed ground, and has been a staple of the event since its earliest days in the 1960s.

Some class winners will also get an invite to the Teardown Barn, where NHRA Tech Officials will painstakingly verify the legality of each entry. Today’s runs will also finalize qualifying for the 128-car fields meaning that for some racers, their Indy experience will end today.

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In addition to Class racing, Thursday’s packed schedule also features the first round of eliminations in Super Comp and Super Gas, along with the first two qualifying runs in Comp, Right Trailers Top Dragster and Right Trailers Top Sportsman, as well as the second qualifying run for racers in the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge, one of the most highly anticipated events each year at Indy.

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The Right Trailers Top Dragster class has been a source of considerable pre-race debate as the entry list featured nearly 40 cars, who will be vying for just 32 available spots. The U.S. Nationals attracts the quickest cars in the country and the widely held opinion is that the field will stretch from the class ceiling of 6.10-seconds into perhaps the low 6.30s or event high 6.20s. At one point, there were 45 cars entered, but several dropped out once they realize that their chances of qualifying were almost nil.

During Thursday's opening qualifying run, the record high temperatures almost certainly hampered performances, but that didn't stop most racers from making representative runs. Jim Prevo leads the way after one run with a 6.156, followed by Al Peavler and Anthony Bertozzi at 6.175 and 6.201. Daria Vang, wife of current Pro Stock racer Chris Vang, ran 6.098, but that was too quick as the class has a 6.10-second cap. 

The current bump spot is 6.528 by Roger Chaney, but that will almost certainly change as racers in Top Dragster are scheduled to get two additional qualifying runs before the first round of eliminations.

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Those who choose to race in Super Comp and Super Gas know what they’re in for when it comes to winning or losing races by thousandths of a second. Of all the NHRA classes, the two index eliminators reinforce the notion that one can do everything right, and still not get the desired result. Exhibit A is the opening round Super Comp race between Pro Stock world champ Bo Butner and defending Indy winner Landon Exner. Both drivers were on the money at the start with matching .003-second reaction times. At the finish line stripe, Butner was nearly perfect with an 8.904, for a .007-second package but imagine his surprise when the win light did not shine in his lane as Exner was perfect with an 8.900 for a hard-fought win.

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COMP Q1

The Comp class got one run on Friday with 43 entries recording official qualifying runs. The normal field size is 32 cars for Comp, but the U.S. Nationals expands to 64, meaning that this year’s race is essentially “all run”.

Todd Datweiler is the provisional low qualifier with a quick 6.400 run that is .580-second under the AA/AM index. Datweiler is driving the supercharged ’23-T Ford roadster that was previously owned by Harry Schwartz, and famously driven to a U.S. Nationals win by Brad Plourd, one of NHRA’s Top 50 Sportsman drivers.

Second is Pro Stock drive Mason McGaha, who is racing the Harlow Sammons team’s second entry in the B/Altered class. McGaha believed he was coming to Indy with a quick car, and a chance to win and so far that has proven to be the case with a (-.561) 7.079.

The rest of the Top 8 includes four-time world champ Bruno Massel, Doug Engels, Dave Dupps Jr., Mike Farrell, Royce Freeman, and Tom Ratliff. Freeman is in the Elite Motorsports B/AA entry, a car that also features a lot of Pro Stock technology. In order to make the Top 8, a driver needs to run quicker than .481-seconds under the index.

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RIGHT TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN Q1

After one run in Right Trailers Top Sportsman, the 32 car field is led by Glenn Butcher with a 6.264 in his Camaro. Butcher has nearly a tenth on the second-quickest qualifier, Jim Thorp, at 6.339.

There are currently 21 cars in the six-second range, and the 32-car bump is a very respectable 7.466. The field includes world champions Darian Boesch, Allen Firestone, and Jimmy Lewis.

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RIGHT TRAILERS TOP DRAGSTER Q2

The second round of Right Trailers Top Dragster qualifying did not disappoint as the already quick field got even quicker, and the spread between No. 1 and No. 32 got even tighter. The top spot changed hands a couple of times until it went to Al Peavler with a 6.126.

The bump spot plummeted to a 6.358 and it has the potential to get significantly quicker with 29 cars in the 6.2s. In order to make the top half of the field, a racer would have to run quicker than Tom Martino’s 6.208.

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Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge final qualifying
 

The 16-car field for the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge is set after three qualifying rounds and by all accounts, there are several drivers who should be considered favorites to win the title. The top qualifier is multi-time winner Stephen Comella with an 8.415. Comella is the low qualifier, but his advantage over the rest of the field is slim as the top five drivers, Jason Line, Anthony Rhodes, Charlie Westcott Jr., and James Daniels, are all in the 8.4s.

Eliminations for the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge will be held on Friday with the winner crowned during the first qualifying run for Mission Foods NHRA pros.

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COMP Q2

The top spot in Comp changed hands in Q2 as Division 5 veteran Pat Nahan drove his E/DA entry to a (-.605) 7.375 to top the charts. Pro Stock driver Mason McGaha improved to a (-.585) 7.55 in his B/Altered for the No. 2 spot.

The rest of the Top 8 includes Todd Datweiler, Craig Bourgeois, Andrew Holt, Bruno Massel, Doug Engels, and John Clegg. There are currently 44 cars in the field and qualifying will conclude on Friday with final eliminations to begin Friday afternoon.

One Comp Eliminator entry that figures to attract a lot of attention this week is the B/AA Camaro of Royce Freeman. The car reportedly uses the 2027 Pro Stock rules package, including a new fuel injection system and a hood scoop, albeit with an automatic transmission. 

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QUICK HITS

There are nearly 900 entries on the property this weekend, and every racer entered in the event has a unique story to tell. Here are a few quick hits from the first two days of the race.

Top Sportsman world champ Darian Boesch is coming off a win at the Indy divisional and a runner-up last week in Bowling Green, but he encountered issues with his low six-second Top Dragster. The solution? Boesch and his parent, Mario and Karen, loaded up their trailer and headed to U.S. 41 Dragway in Morrocco, Ind., for a Wednesday test session. The result was a couple of 6.2-second runs that seem to have fixed the issue.

Proving that drag racing is indeed a sport for people of all ages, the oldest competitor at this year’s event is Super Stock veteran Dean Mink, who is competing in the Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge. Mink won the 1982 Southern Nationals in Atlanta, and was a staple of Hemi Challenge events for decades. He recently re-activated his NHRA license and has returned this weekend.

One Comp Eliminator entry that figures to attract a lot of attention this week is the B/Altered of Royce Freeman. The car reportedly uses the 2027 Pro Stock rules package, including a new fuel injection system and a hood scoop, albeit with an automatic transmission.