NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The completion of the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte marked the fifth event of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, meaning that the Top Fuel class has reached the quarter-pole of the 20-race season. Here’s a look at the frontrunners and highlights of the season so far.

THE POINTS LEADER

Justin Ashley and his Mike Green- and Tommy DeLago-tuned Scag Power Equipment team lead the points by nearly a full event (96 points) over reigning world champ Doug Kalitta thanks to victories at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals and Charlotte four-wide event — where Ashley also won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge — and a runner-up in Phoenix. He’s nee his usual sharp self on the starting line with two holeshot wins already to his credit, including the final round of the delayed Pomona event.

The only area where the team has probably been below expectations is on the scoreboard, where their best run is just a 3.70 (six of their lower-ranked foes have runs in the 3.6-second zone) and, as a result, also on the qualifying grid where they have just one top-three placement — a No. 3 in Charlotte — and two earlier events where they didn’t qualify in the quick half of the field.

PUSHING FOR THE FRONT

At this point of the season last year, Doug Kalitta was mired in 10th place with just three round-wins, but he’s turned on eight win lights already this year and sits in second place after his first career four-wide win at the Las Vegas event.

Kalitta didn’t reach a final last year until Race 10 (Denver) and didn’t win until Reading (Race 16), so he’s well ahead of pace, and back-to-back No. 1 qualifiers and a slew of 3.6-second runs shows that tuner Alan Johnson still has the magic.

LOOKING FOR TRACTION

Kalitta’s teammate, Shawn Langdon, also had enjoyed a resurgent season with new crew chief Brian Husen as he sits third after wins at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals and NHRA Arizona Nationals (a vast improvement over 2023, where he was eighth at this point and didn’t win a race all season), but back-to-back first-round losses at the two four-wide races slowed his roll.

Four-time Top Fuel world champ Steve Torrence, the points leader after five races last year, is in fourth place, 139 points out of the lead, and, incredibly, still looking for his first win since last year’s Seattle event, a drought that has now reached 14 events. 

IN OTHER NEWS …

Billy Torrence, making what will be his first full-season campaign, is looking good sitting in fifth place after a runner-up behind Langdon at the Gatornationals and also has another of the 3.6-second machines.

Class rookie Tony Stewart has impressed in his first season in Top Fuel with a final-round berth at the Las Vegas NHRA 4-Wide Nationals and some strong driving skills. Crew chief Neal Strausbaugh and team are still adapting their combination for Stewart from the tune-up that nearly propelled Leah Pruett to the world championship last year, and once that gets sorted out, he could be an even bigger force.

Fellow rookie Jasmine Salinas also is looking right at home after having to jump in feet first after her father, Mike’s unexpected medical issues. The Rob Flynn-tuned car has been solid, and she racked up her first round-win in Charlotte.

Shawn Reed’s return after a three-year sabbatical has given Top Fuel another strong, full-time contender and has been a top-half qualifier at the last three events.

Privateer Terry Totten took advantage of the dual-advancement format of the 4-Wide Nationals to collect a round-win in Las Vegas for his new sponsor, Alff Construction.

Krista Baldwin’s all-in decision to purchase Pat Dakin’s racing operation paid off in Phoenix with his first career 3.7-second pass and her first top-half qualifying berth.