NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Features | Photos | Preview | Results

QUALIFYING ROUND RECAPS

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q1 (4:31 p.m.): Reigning NHRA Mello Yello champion Jerry Savoie leads the field after one session with a 6.849 on his White Alligator Suzuki. Savoie currently enjoys a solid lead over 2009 champ Hector Arana Sr., who posted a 6.886 on his Lucas Oil Buell. Gainesville winner Eddie Krawiec is the No. 4 seed after a 6.901 effort. With three more sessions remaining, there are already 15 bikes in the six second zone and Joe DeSantis is on the bump with a 7.018. Some big names did not make full runs including past world champions Matt Smith and Angelle Sampey.

PRO STOCK Q1 (5:05 p.m.): A week after qualifying No. 1 in Houston, Jeg Coughlin Jr. also has the quickest Pro Stock car in Charlotte. Coughlin drove his JEGS Camaro to a 6.590 to lead a tightly packed field that also includes Chris McGaha (6.591) and Erica Enders (6.592). Houston champ Bo Butner is currently fifth with a 6.606. The top eight cars are within .027-second with Drew Skillman holding down the eighth position with a 6.617. Several drivers did not make full runs including Vincent Nobile, Dodge driver Allen Johnson, and Shane Gray, the winner of the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals last month.

FUNNY CAR Q1 (5:35 p.m.): John Force, who won the inaugural Four-Wide title back in 2010, grabbed the early qualifying lead with his Peak Chevy, blasting to a 3.904 in a quad that also included Ron Capps, who ran 3.905 for the No. 2 spot. The No. 3 spot went to Jack Beckman on speed, as both he and defending event champ Tim Wilkerson ran 3.970, but Beckman was an even six mph faster – 323.12 to 317.12 – to grab the position and the bonus point.

TOP FUEL Q1 (5:55 p.m.): Two-time Four-Wide Nationals champ Antron Brown took the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 3.720, putting his Matco Tools dragster nine-thousandths of a second ahead of rookie Troy Coughlin Jr., who posted a 3.729 in the SealMaster dragster. Shawn Langdon, competing in just his second race this season, hit the No. 3 spot with a 3.760 in the Global Electronic Technology. Despite high-80-degree temperatures, eight of the Top Fuelers who ran Q1 ran in the 3.70s.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE (Q2 6:38 p.m.): Jerry Savoie briefly surrendered the top spot during the second Pro Stock Motorcycle session when Eddie Krawiec rode to a 6.835 but the reigning world champ quickly returned to the top with a 6.824 on his White Alligator Suzuki. Savoie and Krawiec were two of the many riders who made improvements in the late afternoon. Chip Ellis, who failed to qualify in Gainesville, cemented his spot in the top half of the field with a 6.852 and rookie Joey Gladstone made another solid run with a 6.869 on the San Marino Excavating Suzuki.

PRO STOCK (Q2 6:55 p.m.): Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his JEGS.com Camaro showed a slight improvement in Q2 to hold on to the provisional pole position after two runs. After a 6.590 earlier in the day, Coughlin drove to a 6.578 in his Elite-powered entry. The final quad of the round proved to by the most competitive with Coughlin’s 6.578 run joined by Greg Anderson (6.587), Bo Butner(6.594), and Erica Enders (6.583). The most exciting pass of the round came when Deric Kramer had a front tire go flat on his American Ethanol Dodge. Kramer had just finished a 6.704 run when his car began trailing smoke. Kramer kept the car straight and managed to get it stopped without incident.

FUNNY CAR Q2 (5:35 p.m.): Courtney Force, who has qualified her Advance Auto Parts Camaro No. 1 at the two most recent races, is atop the pack again halfway through qualifying after blasting to a track-record 3.851. Her teammate, Robert Hight, ran 3.873 that also eclipsed the incoming track standard of 3.876 (and nabbed the track speed record of 333.91 mph) while her dad, John, ran 3.889 to complete a 1-2-3 sweep by John Force Racing. After just two qualifying sessions, 11 of the 18 cars on hand have already run in the three-second zone.

TOP FUEL Q2 (5:55 p.m.): Clay Millican, like Courtney Force in Funny Car, carried the momentum of qualifying No. 1 at the NHRA SpringNationals in Houston into this event as his special-edition UNOH/Parts Plus car raced to a 3.716, just a few thousandths off of the 3.713 track record. Doug Kalitta was hot on Millican’s heels with a 3.718 for the second-best run of the session while Houston runner-up Steve Torrence clocked a 3.721 to earn the final bonus point.

Friday recap: Millican, C. Force, Coughlin, and Savoie lead Four-Wide Nationals Friday qualifying

PRO MOD RECAP (7:02 p.m.): Two-time series champ Troy Coughlin ended the day as the top qualifier in the J&A Pro Mod Series after wheeling his turbocharged Corvette to a 5.770. Coughlin took the top spot from record holder Mike Castellana who drove his Frank Manzo-tuned AAP Camaro to a 5.787. Californian Michael Bowman, in his first appearance of the season, powered to a 5.821 and also set the new speed record with a 258.67-mph blast in his turbocharged Chevelle. The bump spot is former series champ Khalid alBalooshi with a 5.922 and there are six drivers in the fives who are not qualified. Pro Mod drivers, who are racing in the Four-Wide format for the first time, will have two more qualifying runs tomorrow.

Friday Pro Mod recap: Coughlin races to NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod qualifying lead at NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

FEATURES

The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals is one of those races that drivers either love or hate. With the extra distraction of another set of staging lights, the knowledge that you can finish second and still advance to the next round, and the fact that, with four lanes, each team only gets one crack at each during qualifying, it definitely takes a different mindset to compete here, let alone be successful.

Drag racing’s winningest driver John Force, calls the event “the greatest show on earth” and wishes there were more four-wide competitions, but added, “I don’t know if everybody would agree with me.”

No doubt.

Reigning Top Fuel champ Antron Brown, who won back to back in 2014 and 2015 and was the runner-up a year ago, calls it “a crazy race” and a challenging one for crew chiefs. “It can be a difficult race to tune for, but I think that’s a part of the reason that we do well there,” he said. “[You have to be] focused on the task at hand and to make sure to make good decisions.”

“I love the confusion of the Four-Wides,” said Top Fuel driver Clay Millican, who has been in the final the last two years (two fourth-place finishes). “The confusion of getting everyone started, on the line and staged all at the same time is great. I think the years of bracket racing trained me to look at the competitors' lights and still be able to cut a good reaction time.”

Steve Torrence doesn’t mince many words about his feelings. “We’ll race 16 across if that’s what they want because we love this racetrack, and we love this level of competition," he said. "All I’m saying is that you work all season to get to a certain comfort level and then, when you get to the Four-Wide, you pretty much throw it all out the window. I know I drive my best when I’m comfortable, and I can’t say I’ve ever been really comfortable at the Four-Wide. Because it’s different from what we do at every other race, you’re having to think too much about what you’re doing instead of just doing it.”

Reigning Funny Car world champ Ron Capps says he looks forward all year to the event. "It's an exciting race, and I tell fans they have to see it in person at least once," he said. "I guarantee you that after the first qualifying session every driver will be talking about how they staged because it's so much fun. It's just so different."

“The fact that you only get one shot in each lane during qualifying is a little bit of a challenge for everybody because you have to figure out these lanes quickly,” added Courtney Force. “This is pretty much a crew chief race. These guys have to work hard to figure out these lanes quickly, and I know our team is capable of doing it.”

"Going four-wide totally levels the playing field," said two-time Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders. "Even now after many of us have had multiple races here, there are still a lot of drivers that tend to struggle. Pro Stock already is a really tight and competitive class, so it will definitely be interesting to get there and see what happens this time through. You drag race for years in the regular two-car format and then once a year you have to reprogram your brain and add in the fact there are two other cars running out there. On race day, you have to make darn sure you're one of the two quickest cars each round in order to advance. There are so many things going on you have to pay really close attention. It sounds easy, but it's not."

“I actually like the Four-Wide a lot,” said Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Cory Reed. “The race throws a lot of people off, and it gives Angelle [Sampey, teammate] and I a good chance to capitalize on other people’s mistakes. Angelle and I are really good at not worrying about anything other than our own runs. That should only benefit us this weekend.”

NHRA race fans haven’t seen Dom Lagana behind the wheel of his popular Nitro Ninja Top Fueler since last year’s Reading event, but they’ll see him saddle up this weekend for his third shot at four-wide competition.

Although he hasn’t driven at an NHRA race since last October, he’s not been idle. He’s been a frequent visitor to Europe, where last year he tuned Finnish racer Anita Makela to the FIA Top Fuel championship, and to Australia, where he has driven Santo Rapisarda’s dragster twice already this season. He joined his brother, Bobby, a mainstay on the Steve Torrence crew, for the first three NHRA races this year, then tuned Tripp Tatum into the field at the Las Vegas event with the brothers’ Nitro Ninja dragster. After the Las Vegas event, he helped Alcohol Dragster racer Ashley Sanford begin her Top Fuel licensing process, which she hopes to complete Monday after this event (it’s the main reason he’s competing here). Lagana will drive again at “home events” in Epping and Englishtown bookended by trips to Europe. (Pictured: Lagana, left, with Tatum and Sanford)

Despite making heroes out of other people, Lagana still enjoys the driving part, too.

“I still love the driving; it’s still a rush,” he said. “It was a thrill to get to drive Santo’s car earlier this year. They still run quarter-mile down there, and it’s cool to run that extra 320 feet. The cars don’t run as quick or fast as we do in NHRA, but it’s still fun.”

After more than 40 years behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster, there’s not much that Luigi Novelli hasn’t seen or done. Front-engine dragsters? Check; he built his first slingshot from scratch in 1968. Rear-engine dragsters? He’s been racing them since they came into vogue in 1972, and was part of the qualified field at the last 32-car field, at the 1976 U.S. Nationals? Success? Yep, he’s a two-time UDRA Top Fuel champion (1977-78). Four-wide racing? “The Rodfather” was doing it regularly in the late 1960s, first in a AA/Altered then his Top Fueler, when it was very much in vogue at Midwest dragstrips.

Novelli, who typically runs six to seven events a year with his dragster (he sat out of racing from 1980-94 while he built his business, National Machine Repair) has had his struggles in recent years staying up with the pack. He failed to qualify at 15 straight races spanning the 2012-2014 seasons but last year qualified at six of the seven events he attended, despite not having the latest and best parts available.

Buoyed by that success, the 74-year-old Illini upgraded all of his equipment for the 2017 season with a truckload of Alan Johnson-built parts from Morgan Lucas Racing and the Lagana brothers. 

“I decided it was either time to do it right or go home,” said Novelli. “If it doesn’t run good, I’ve got no one but myself to blame. If it runs as good as it sounds, we'll be OK.”

The Four-Wides is his first race of the season and his first appearance at this event since the inaugural race in 2010. He’s got some extra tuning help at this event from Bob Vandergriff Racing wrench Ron Douglas (Vandergriff is not racing this weekend) and some additional guidance from Bobby Lagana Jr.
 

Before a tire was even turned in anger, one of the biggest stories of the event is Alexis DeJoria’s withdrawal from the event for personal reasons, and her appointing Chad Head as her fill-in behind the wheel of the Tequila Patron Toyota.

Head, who last competed at the 2016 Auto Club NHRA Finals before parting company with his father’s team, has been working with Kalitta Motorsports recently as its head of driver safety. He got the call from team manager Jim Oberhofer Wednesday night, and while he wasted no time in accepting it, he did it reluctantly.

“It's an honor that Alexis, Tequila Patron, and Kalitta Motorsports asked me to drive it," said Head. "It’s a great car and Alexis has been doing such a great job this year, so I’m going to lie to you: I’ve got some butterflies. I’ve only driven for one person, my father, and haven’t drive since last November, but I’ll be OK. I’m just happy to fill in while Alexis handles what she needs to do away because racing will always be here, but she needs to get back here because this is her race car, and it’s not the same without her.”

Head had had some success at this event, reaching the final twice (2013 and 2015).

Before being tapped to fill in for DeJoria, Head had been charged with working the drivers and crew chiefs, getting the crew chiefs as much information as possible and helping the drivers get comfortable in their cars.

“We’ve got some great drivers here, so for me to think I can give any of them advice on driving is not really why I’m here. They’re very capable on their own. I’ve been working a lot with Troy [Coughlin Jr.] to help him get comfortable in his new car. He’s a great driver and is going to be just fine; it just takes a little time.”

Dale Creasy Jr. has raced his Funny Car in every NHRA Four-Wide Nationals but the first one – he crewed for his legendary fellow Chicagoa-area native Chris Karamesines that year – but comes into this year’s event with more enthusiasm than usual. 

Creasy’s Tek-Pak/Beaver Shredding Dodge Stratus will make its 2017 debut with a fresh engine combination – cylinder heads, manifold, blower, and fuel system -- from John Force Racing and tuning guidance from Danny Hood and Ronnie Thompson, who ran this combination on Courtney Force’s car before they switched to a six-disc clutch (Creasy still runs a five-disc). We have all the fuel flow and clutch flow numbers, so on paper we’re set, but you know what they say: sometimes when you reinvent the wheel you run into some flat spots,” he noted wryly, “but everything sure looks good."

Creasy, whose best pass in a 4.076 recorded last year in St. Louis, is hoping for his first three-second pass this weekend. The team, which failed to qualifying here last season, hoped to make a checkout pass on its first run, and if all went well put the screws to it for the night session, but lost their first run due to an air line issue. “

Creasy will run in Topeka, Brainerd, and St. Louis again, but for the first time will compete in Norwalk later this year, but with two match races scheduled on the heels of the Norwalk event, will probably again forego running at his home race in Chicago.

“I love that place, but there are too many distractions and things and people to take care of when you’re racing at home,” he said, echoing the lament of others in the same situation. 

Seeking to shake the gremlins from their Lucas Oil Toyota, Del and Chuck Worsham made an unusual testing stop on their way to zMAX Dragway: NHRA Member Track GALOT Motorsports Park in Dunn, N.C.

The popular facility, which hosts an NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing series event, is just three hours east of zMAX and has received rave reviews from racers, which now includes the Worshams.

“If you made a postcard of the most perfect racetrack in the world, that’s it,” said Chuck. “Great track, smooth, lots of traction, great scoreboards. We were really impressed.”

The team went to GALOT to try to unravel the mysteries holding back their car, uncertain if it’s in the engine, clutch, or elsewhere. They made some changes based on their testing but neither was willing to say they’d found their gremlin until after they make some runs today.”
 

On weekends when he’s not at the dragstrip, you’re more than likely to find J.R. Todd taking in the action at a local dirt track, so when he make comparisons about his new ride – the DHL Toyota Funny Car -- the former Top Fuel driver knows what he’s talking about.

“These cars are so different from the dragsters; they’re almost like sprint cars,” he said. “I guarantee you that when a Funny Car goes straight down the track, that’s only because the guy inside is doing a heckuva job of driving. You’re constantly sawing at the steering wheel.

Don’t expect Todd to give up his current job any time soon to switch to dirt.

“I’d always dreamed of driving a Funny Car, and now thanks to Kalitta Motorsports, I’m living out that dream,” he said. “They’re going to have to kick me out of the seat of thing to get me to stop driving it.”

Todd is excited for the chance that the Four-Wide race gives his team, which has admittedly struggled this season, qualifying no better than seventh and without even a semifinal appearance yet.

“First off, we have to qualify better than we have all season, but the fact that you can finish second twice and still make the final is definitely a plus for us, and where you qualify here doesn’t seem to matter as much at this race. You just have to do better than two of the other three cars.”

It’s been a week since tempers flared between the Gray Motorsports and Elite Performance Pro Stock teams in Houston, and while both sides insist they’ve put the matter behind them, it’s hard not to imagine there isn’t some lingering animosity.

For the few who may have missed it, the dust-up began after rookie Tanner Gray defeated Alex Laughlin in the first round of eliminations. A short time later, tensions boiled over in the pit area with another heated exchange that escalated into a physical altercation. Order was eventually restored and the matter ended with a handshake between team principals Shane Gray and Richard Freeman. 

Tanner Gray, who celebrated his 18th birthday shortly after his win in Las Vegas, considers the matter closed and insists that he’s got much bigger fish to fry this weekend, namely the nature of the Four-Wide Nationals. As a rookie, this is the first time that Gray has had a chance to race in the unique event.

“I know there isn’t much you can do to prepare for this race, but I’ve watched some videos, and I’ve talked to Dave [Connolly, crew chief] so I think we have a plan,” said Gray. “I know that you need to make sure you get [staged] first. You don’t want to get hung out. This is no time to be playing games.”

Gray also admits that he’s intrigued by the Four-Wide race because the top two finishers from each heat advance.

“I’ve been finishing second a lot lately; even in our Wednesday night races at Millbridge Speedway, so maybe that will work in my favor,” Gray joked. 

Shane Tucker is making his first start of the season this weekend with his Auzmet Architectural Camaro. Almost every aspect of Tucker’s operation is new for 2017 and he’s expecting big things despite running a limited schedule. Tucker recently purchased his Camaro from Florida’s Curt Steinbach and the team, which is owned by Tucker’s father, Rob, has elected to build their own engines something they did for years when racing in their native Australia. The major difference is that Australian rules require engines to be no more than 400-cid, a full 100-cid smaller than an NHRA engine.

“This has been about a year in the works,” said Tucker. “If we didn’t have the experience of building our own stuff at home we wouldn’t have tried it here. We bought an existing engine combination and that helped show us that we were on the right track with our R&D program. We think we have competitive power but we’ll see. We tested this week and the car ran okay. It was certainly encouraging. I think that if everything here goes according to plan, we can be 12th or quicker.”

Tucker’s prediction proved to be right on the money after his first run put him in the No. 11 spot. Tucker posted a 6.829 at an early-shut off speed of just 201-mph.

After eight runner-up finishes, Bo Butner was finally able to solve the mystery of winning a Pro Stock drag race last week in Houston but now he’s got another big challenge to face in the side-by-side-by-side-by-side format of the annual Four-Wide Nationals. After his big win, Butner is brimming with confidence so he feels the timing of the schedule is favorable.

“Last week might have been the most comfortable I’ve been inside the car since I started racing in Pro Stock,” said Butner, who became the 65th different winner in the class’ history. I was late in the final round but so was [opponent] Jeg [Coughlin Jr.] and neither one of us can figure out why. My lights were in the thirties and we were both sixty in the final. That doesn’t make any sense.

“As far as the Four-Wide, I don’t feel like I’m at a disadvantage,” Butner said. “I’ve raced on a full Tree, a Pro Tree, and I’ve run in Comp, Super Stock, bracket racing and Pro Stock. I’m used to variables. I also don’t have to answer the question of when I’m finally going to win a race. That’s fine by me. The big thing is that I have a car that can win this race. As long as I have that, I’m good.”

Butner’s first run yielded a fifth-best 6.606 and he later improved to a 6.594, less than two-hundredths from the top spot.

Some racers dread the Four-Wide Nationals, but others are so enthused by the concept that they circle the date on their calendars. Count Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Scotty Pollacheck as a member of the latter group. Pollacheck has raced in the Four-Wide Nationals four times, and he’s appeared in the final quad on three of those occasions.

“This race has been pretty good to me, but I still need to get over the hump and get a win,” Pollacheck said. “I don’t have any problems with the format. In fact, I think it suits my riding style. I think anyone who has done a lot of bracket racing should be able to figure this deal out a bit. You really just need to pay attention and not get distracted by any of your opponents.”

Pollacheck is also happy to be back aboard a Suzuki and to be a member of the Stoffer/Underdahl team, which also includes Karen Stoffer and rookie-of-the-year contender Joey Gladstone.

“This is a really good group of people over here and I think we fit in well,” he said. “I’m also happy to be back on a Suzuki. We had some bugs in Gainesville, like some electrical gremlins, but we’ve addressed those things. I’m expecting a lot bigger and better things this time around.”

If there is one Pro Stock Motorcycle team that needed the five week break between the Gainesville and Charlotte events, it’s the Liberty Racing team with riders Cory Reed and Angelle Sampey. Admittedly short on time, the team considered themselves fortunate just to qualify in Gainesville. Since then, they’ve had a chance to work on their V-twin engine program and to test. They’ve also arrived in Charlotte sporting a new look, a military inspired scheme that pays homage to the Flying Tigers of WWII.

“This big thing for us was being able to test, “said Reed, the reigning Auto Club Road to the Future award winner. “We tested for two days and made some decent runs. I think they were decent but it’s hard to tell because we were the only two bikes there so we didn’t have anyone to compare ourselves with. Still, we needed to get some runs in.”

Although Sampey is a three-time world champion who has made thousands of runs on a Pro Stock Motorcycle, she was admittedly a bit intimidated by the all-new untested Victory Magnum bike.

“In Gainesville, I almost quit,” said Sampey. “I was so worked up about this bike I almost told Cory, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore. I just didn’t feel comfortable and that makes it hard to focus. I’m not even sure how I qualified. The funny thing is that when we went testing, I was really calm and it’s surprising how much my riding got better.”

Sampey aborted her Q1 qualifying attempt while Reed put his bike solidly into the field with a 6.928.

As a rider and a tuner, Greg Underdahl has worked alongside many of the great Pro Stock Motorcycle racers including Hall of Famers Dave Schutlz and Byron Hines so when he takes the time to single out an individual, his words carry some weight. Underdahl and his partner, Gary Stoffer, currently work as part of a three rider team that includes Stoffer’s wife, Karen, Scotty Pollacheck, and rookie Joey Gladstone, who rides a bike owned by Joe Riccardi. In his brief time working with Gladstone, Underdahl has been impressed not only with his talent, but also his demeanor.

“That kid [Gladstone] has as much talent as anyone I’ve ever seen, but the best thing about him is that he listens,” said Underdahl. “You tell him something and he goes out and does it. He asks questions, and he’s always looking for input to make himself a better rider. That’s important and that’s why I think he’s going to be a star out here.”

Gladstone built his reputation riding no wheelie bar bikes which require a completely different riding technique than the wheelie bar-equipped Pro Stock Motorcycles. So far, he’s been quick to adapt. In addition to his semifinal finish in Gainesville, he’s fourth-quickest in the zMax field with a 6.869.

“Right now, Joey has one tiny flaw he needs to correct and once he does, he will really be something to watch. He still has a bit of the ‘no bar’ mentality so he leans forward over the handlebars as if he’s expecting the front end to come up. Once he realizes that it won’t come up and he stays back in the seat, he’ll be even quicker.”

PHOTOS

PREVIEW

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series goes a little topsy-turvy for race No. 6 of the series with the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, the only event on the schedule where it’s not just mano a mano between two drivers, but a four-wide festival of horsepower. Two qualifying runs are scheduled Friday and two more Saturday that will set the field for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Points leader Leah Pritchett will be competing in just her second Four-Wide Nationals but comes into the event hot off of her win one week ago in Houston, where she got back into the winner’s circle for the first time after sweeping the first two races of the season. Her stiffest challenge will probably come from Don Schumacher Racing teammate Antron Brown, who’s been to the final quad in six of the seven previous versions and won twice, and Doug Kalitta, who has been to four of the six finals but is still looking for his first event win.

Houston Funny Car runner-up Robert Hight has a class-high two wins in the Four-Wides. Points leader Matt Hagan, who has a checkered history at zMAX Dragway – several blowups, but also wins and, of course, the first three-second run – has been to three finals here, one less than Tim Wilkerson, the class leader. Hagan’s teammate, defending world champ Ron Capps, is just two points behind Hagan.

The Pro Stock class will have an opportunity to add a sixth different winner in the first six events of the season during this weekend’s unique Four-Wide event. So far, KB racing drivers Jason Line, Greg Anderson, and Bo Butner have won events and so have the father-son duo of Shane and Tanner Gray. Some of the prime candidates to continue that streak include Jeg Coughlin Jr., who was the low qualifier last weekend in Houston, two-time world champ Erica Enders, and fellow Elite driver Vincent Nobile. Of the drivers entered this weekend, only Anderson and Line have previously won the Four-Wide race.

After a five-week break, the Pro Stock Motorcycles return to action, and the overwhelming favorite should be five-time world champion Andrew Hines, who has won the last three Four-Wide events. In each of Hines’ three zMAX victories, he defeated Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson teammate Eddie Krawiec in the final quad. Hines and Krawiec opened the season by reaching the final round in Gainesville, where Krawiec prevailed. The only other Pro Stock Motorcycle riders to win the Four-Wide Nationals are Matt Smith and Hector Arana Jr.

Here's a look at the existing national records: 

Top Fuel 
3.658 sec. by Leah Pritchett, Feb. ‘17, Phoenix; 
332.75 mph by Spencer Massey, Aug. ’15, Brainerd, Minn.

Funny Car
3.822 by Matt Hagan, Aug. ’16, Brainerd, Minn.
335.57 mph by Hagan, May ’16, Topeka, Kan.

Pro Stock
6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.
215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ’14, Englishtown N.J.

Pro Stock Motorcycle
6.728 sec. by Andrew Hines, Oct. ’12, Reading, Pa.;
199.88 mph by Hector Arana Jr., March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.

2016 EVENT WINNERS:   
Brittany Force, Top Fuel; Tim Wilkerson, Funny Car; Jason Line, Pro Stock; Andrew Hines, Pro Stock Motorcycle
.
MOST VICTORIES: 
Antron Brown, 2, TF; Spencer Massey, 2, TF; Jack Beckman, 2, FC; Robert Hight, 2, FC; Greg Anderson, 2, PS; Mike Edwards, 2, PS; Andrew Hines, 3, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS: 

Top Fuel
3.713 sec. by J.R. Todd, March ’15; 
332.18 mph by Spencer Massey, April ’12

Funny Car
3.876 sec. by Tommy Johnson Jr., Sept. ’16; 
331.04 mph by John Force, Sept. ’16

Pro Stock
6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15; 
215.48 mph by Greg Anderson, March ’15.

Pro Stock Motorcycle
6.794 sec. by Hector Arana Jr., March ’15.
199.88 mph by Hector Arana Jr., March ’15.