CLERMONT, Ind — The lights come on and the speeds go up. They each go hand-in-hand. More so in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. These 11,000 horsepower machines glide through the night time air easier than they do under day time conditions.
It’s natural.
But when it’s at the “Big Go” for the 68th annual Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals, it just means more than anywhere else too. This is their Super Bowl. It’s also the final race of the regular season as well.
Most years, Friday night’s action sets the top end of the ladders for the four professional ranks. That’s why the pressure is packed and the action intense. You have 1 pass and no do overs.
For the ones leading the charge out of the gates, there’s really not a surprise among them. The hottest drivers in Funny Car are 1-2 while the defending Pro Stock winners of this great event finished Friday where they ended here in 2021 – on top.
In Top Fuel action, Justin Ashley set the tone running the low ET at 3.716 (330.23 mph). Ashley sits 4th in points entering the weekend. The 27-year old New York native has 4 career wins, was 4th in last year’s final points and competing in his 4th full-time season.
Is it lucky No. 4 for Ashley?
Speaking of No. 4, the four-time defending Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence went P2 on Friday night at 3.725 ET (327.51 mph). Torrence, like his season, was a little slow off the start line but made up for it in a blazing hot pass in his CAPCO dragster. He’s looking for his 2nd straight US Nationals victory and 2nd consecutive win on the season too after being winless on the year prior.
Josh Hart went 3.726 ET (319.37 mph) to end up 3rd while Mike Salinas (3.727 ET, 325.85 mph) and Billy Torrence (3.734 ET, 328.38 mph) rounded out the top 5.
3 of the top 4 times are in Saturday’s Top Fuel Callout. Ashley will face off against Torrence because points leader Brittany Force called out Salinas. Force is currently on the outside looking in as her Monster Energy dragster had an issue near the midway mark of her pass. She went 4.739 ET (152.06 mph) which was only good enough for 19th out of 24 drivers. She’ll need to beat 3.866 ET to move her way into the final ladders for Monday’s eliminations. She has plenty of time to do so with two qualifying rounds each day on Saturday and Sunday.
Force was the No. 1 qualifier last year and used that to march all the way to the finals to where she’d eventually lose to Steve Torrence. Her teammate Austin Prock is also on the outside looking in as he was only 21st overall (5.363 ET, 125.2 mph).
The all-time winningest Top Fuel driver as well as the one with the most US Nationals Wally’s, Tony Schumacher, was 22nd (7.117 ET, 84.44 mph).
That’s shocking that those 3 are currently not in the field yet.
Friday’s Times
- Justin Ashley 3.716
- Steve Torrence 3.725
- Josh Hart 3.726
- Mike Salinas 3.727
- Billy Torrence 3.834
- Doug Kalitta 3.753
- Shawn Langdon 3.754
- Clay Millican 3.761
- Antron Brown 3.764
- Leah Pruett 3.765
- Tripp Tatum 3.781
- Doug Foley 3.792
- Dan Mercier 3.793
- Alex Laughlin 3.813
- Will Smith 3.844
- Krista Baldwin 3.866
- Kyle Wurtzel 3.904
- Scott Palmer 3.972
- Brittany Force 4.739
- Spencer Massey 4.809
- Austin Prock 5.363
- Tony Schumacher 7.117
- Lex Joon No Time (DQ)
- Scott Farley No Time (DQ)
Funny Car
They got going at 8:26 p.m. locally which also saw 2 DQ’s in this round. The biggest storyline of all has to be Ron Capps getting into the wall and being 1 of those 2 DQ’s and having to likely to go a backup car as a result. He was dejected after doing so knowing that his chances of taking a Big Go crown are clicking off by the year.
He’ll have to still qualify his way into the show this weekend now.
Capps is eventually going to win here on Labor Day weekend at some point so a rebound this year would be fitting. He has too. He’s won everything else there is to win in NHRA. Capps is a 70 time victor (2nd most ever) in his NHRA Drag Racing career but has just 1 victory on these IRP grounds. However, that win didn’t occur in the US Nationals but rather the other race weekend thrown together here in 2020. For the US Nationals, he’s 0-for-25. Is this finally going to be his year?
He lost in the final round last year to Tim Wilkerson.
He does have 2 wins this year and the 2-time Funny Car champion, including last year’s title, would likely trade most of it all away from a Wally on Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis.
He’ll have his work cut out for him though with the top 2 being familiar 2022 foes. Robert Hight was P1 at 3.870 ET (331.94 mph) over Bob Tasca III (3.878 ET, 331.53 mph).
Hight is the current Funny Car points leader. He’s there because he’s won 6 of the 15 race weekends this season. Can he score his first Big Go triumph since 2013? Tasca III who’s as hot as anyone in the sport right now is his biggest threat.
“Bring it on,” Hight said of Tasca.
Tasca III fits the parity narrative for this event as he’s never won here on Labor Day weekend before, but the Ford driver also does have 3 wins in the last 4 races on the season including 2 straight.
In total, Hight and Tasca III have also combined to have won each of the last 6 races on the season as the last time someone not named Hight or Tasca III won a Funny Car race was back on June 19 by Capps.
They’re 1-2 at the moment.
They’re joined up front by fan favorite John Force who went 3.881 ET, 333.25 mph. Blake Alexander (3.905 ET, 323.19 mph) and Cruz Pedregon (3.906 ET, 324.83 mph) rounded out the top five.
For Funny Car, we’ve had JR Todd win in 2017 and 2018, but Mike Neff (2012), Robert Hight (2013), Alexis DeJoria (2014), Jack Beckman (2015, 2020), Matt Hagan (2016), John Force (2019) and Tim Wilkerson (2021) to give us 8 different winners in the last 10 years.
Also, entering the weekend, Chad Green leads Jim Campbell by a mere 4 points for that 10th and final spot. Blake Alexander is only 26 points out himself.
Friday’s Times
- Robert Hight 3.870
- Bob Tasca III 3.878
- John Force 3.881
- Blake Alexander 3.905
- Cruz Pedregon 3.906
- JR Todd 3.927
- Tim Wilkerson 3.935
- Matt Hagan 3.938
- Alexis DeJoria 3.953
- Paul Lee 3.963
- Bobby Bode 3.974
- Chad Green 4.047
- Justin Schriefer 4.132
- Dale Creasey Jr. 4.375
- John Smith 4.440
- Terry Haddock 5.063
- Ron Capps No Time (DQ)
- Jim Campbell No Time (DQ)
Pro Stock
Erica Enders is hoping to score her 7th win of the season 3rd straight here. She’s off to a great start in being P1 on Friday night. Enders went 6.598 ET (208.49 mph) in besting Dallas Glenn down to the slimmest of margins. Glenn had the exact same time but narrowly the slower mph at 208.01 mph for him and 208.49 mph for Enders.
Greg Anderson (6.599 ET, 207.78 mph) was 3rd while Deric Kramer (6.600 ET, 207.88 mph) and Cristian Cuadra (6.606 ET, 208.1 mph) rounded out the top 5.
Friday’s Times
- Erica Enders 6.598
- Dallas Glenn 6.598
- Greg Anderson 6.599
- Deric Kramer 6.600
- Cristian Cuadra 6.606
- Kyle Koretsky 6.612
- Aaron Stanfield 6.613
- Bo Butner III 6.615
- Troy Coughlin Jr. 6.618
- Matt Hartford 6.624
- Fernando Cuadra Jr. 6.629
- Camrie Caruso 6.633
- Mason McGaha 6.640
- Chris McGaha 6.644
- Fernando Cuadra 6.678
- Larry Morgan 6.736
- Kenny Delco 7.594
- Alan Prusiensky 10.307
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Defending US Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle winner, Eddier Krawiec went to the top of the ladder on Friday night with an ET of 6.826 (198.79 mph). He enters the weekend 3rd in points and a 3-time Big Go champion (2014, 2017, 2021). Can he pick up No 4 on Monday?
Angie Smith (6.859 ET, 199.85 mph) was second quick on Friday. Jerry Savoie was third at 6.882 ET (192.91 mph). Between Krawiec and Savoie, they’ve combined to have won 5 of the last 8 US Nationals in this category including 2 of the last 3 at that. They had 2 of the top 3 times on Day 1.
Hector Arana Jr. (6.884 ET, 198.76 mph) was 4th while Angelle Sampey (6.886 ET, 197.59 mph) rounded out the top 5. Factoring in Karen Stoffer’s 6th best time, that’s 3 females in the top 6 of the ladder so far.
Points leader Joey Gladstone was only 13th quickest.
Friday’s Times
- Eddie Krawiec 6.826
- Angie Smith 6.859
- Jerry Savoie 6.882
- Hector Arana Jr. 6.884
- Angelle Sampey 6.886
- Karen Stoffer 6.890
- Marc Ingwersen 6.898
- Steve Johnson 6.929
- Jianna Evaristo 6.937
- Malcom Phillips Jr. 6.946
- Scott Pollachek 6.958
- Kelloy Clontz 6.981
- Joey Gladstone 7.017
- Chris Bostick 7.079
- Matt Smith 7.079
- Gaige Herrera 7.172
- Ryan Oehler 7.396
- Chip Ellis 7.891
- Ron Tornow 10.209
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