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ELIMINATIONS ROUND RECAPS

TOP FUEL ROUND 1 (12:15 p.m.): Dom Lagana (second from top) pulled off the upset of round one, joining quad winner Steve Torrence in the second round after finishing second behind the Capco driver. Points leader Leah Pritchett continued her hot streak, winning her quad just ahead of low qualifier Clay Millican. Antron Brown and a tire-smoking Tony Schumacher also moved into round two, as did Doug Kalitta and Terry McMillen, who also overcame traction woes to advance. Pritchett's Papa John's dragster made the quickest run of the round, 3.737.

Second-round matchups (lane choice, in order): 
Leah Pritchett vs. Clay Millican vs. Steve Torrence vs. Dom Lagana
Doug Kalitta vs. Antron Brown vs. Terry McMillen vs. Tony Schumacher

FUNNY CAR ROUND 1 (12:35 p.m.): The incredible rookie season of Jonnie Lindberg (far lane) rolled on, as he won his quad ahead of Courtney Force, but Force’s Advance Auto Parts Chevy smacked the wall before the finish line, disqualifying her and advancing J.R. Todd, who had out-pedaled Bob Tasca III. Robert Hight raced to a 3.884 to win his quad ahead of Jack Beckman while his boss, John Force, edged Ron Capps for first on a 3.93 to 3.92 holeshot to advance from their quad. Matt Hagan won his quad with a 3.93 and will be joined in round two by defending event champ Tim Wilkerson.

Second-round matchups (lane choice, in order): 
Matt Hagan vs. Jonnie Lindberg vs. Tim Wilkerson vs. J.R. Todd
Robert Hight vs. Ron Capps vs. John Force vs. Jack Beckman

PRO STOCK ROUND 1 (12:45 p.m.): Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders, the top two qualifiers, were ousted in a very confusing opening round of Pro Stock eliminations. Coughlin was late and lost after getting distracted when John Gaydosh rolled the beams while Enders got timed out on the starting line. Houston winner Bo Butner also bowed out early. The survivors included KB Racing teammates Jason Line and Greg Anderson, the father-son duo of Shane and Tanner Gray, as well as Drew Skillman, Chris McGaha, Alex Laughlin, and Vincent Nobile. 

Second-round matchups (lane choice, in order):
Line vs. McGaha vs. Skillman vs. Nobile 
T. Gray vs. Anderson vs. S. Gray vs. Laughlin 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE ROUND 1 (1:05 p.m.): Harley-Davidson teammates  Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines not only survived the opening round of Pro Stock Motorcycle eliminations but they were also head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the field in terms of performance with runs of 6.792 and 6.838, respectively. Hines and Krawiec will be part of an epic semifinal quad that will also include Matt Smith and Angelle Sampey. All four riders have combined to win 13 championships. The other quad includes LE Tonglet, Scotty Pollacheck, Joey Gladston, and Karen Stoffer.  

Second-round matchups (lane choice, in order)
Krawiec vs. Hines vs. Smith vs. Sampey
Tonglet vs. Stoffer vs. Pollacheck vs. Gladstone

TOP FUEL ROUND 2 (3:10 p.m.): Terry McMillen will have another shot at his first career win after finishing second behind Tony Schumacher in their quad as both edged out heavily favored Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta. In the other quad, Leah Pritchett (second from near) and Steve Torrence (near lane) had a rematch of their Houston final with the same result, but both will advance to the final. None of the four finalists have ever won this event; Schumacher has two runner-ups and Torrence one.

Final-round matchup (lane choice, in order):
Leah Pritchett vs. Steve Torrence vs Tony Schumacher vs. Terry McMillen

FUNNY CAR ROUND 2 (3:15 p.m.): Continuing its seasonlong romp, Don Schumacher Racing will have three of the four Funny Cars in the final with Ron Capps (second from top) and Jack Beckman (near lane) emerging from their quad and teammate Matt Hagan, joined by centerline-tight-roping J.R. Todd from Kalitta Motorsports, comprising the final shootout. Capps, a three-time third-place finisher at this event, and Todd will be looking for their first wins here while Hagan (2013) and Beckman (2015) are looking for their second wins at this event.

Final-round matchup (lane choice, in order):
Ron Capps vs. Matt Hagan vs. Jack Beckman vs. J.R. Todd

PRO STOCK ROUND 2 (3:22 p.m.): Greg Anderson (far lane) will have a chance to win his third Four-Wide Nationals title after winning his quad. Anderson advanced with a 6.601 and was joined by Gainesville winner Shane Gray (near lane). Alex Laughlin finished third and Tanner Gray finished fourth after a red-light start. Chris McGaha made the quickest run of the round with a 6.586 to move to the final quad along with Drew Skillman, who advanced with a 6.612 against Jason Line and Vincent Nobile. Of the four survivors, only Anderson and Gray have won a race this year allowing for the possibility that the Pro Stock class could feature a six different winner in six events. 

Final-round matchup (lane choice, in order):
Chris McGaha vs. Greg Anderson vs. Drew Skillman vs. Shane Gray

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE ROUND 2 (3:34 p.m.): Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec continued their dominant performance with both riders reaching the final round of the Four-Wide Nationals. Hines won the round two battle with a 6.868, holding off Krawiec’s 6.867. They Harley riders will be joined by Scotty Pollacheck (second from top), who is making his fifth final round appearance in the specialty event, and 2010 world champion LE Tonglet (second from near). Tonglet won his match with a 6.889, getting to the finish line ahead of Pollacheck’s 6.886. 

Final-round matchup (lane choice, in order):
Eddie Krawiec vs. Andrew Hines vs. Scotty Pollacheck vs. LE Tonglet 

LUCAS OIL SPORTSMAN RESULTS
John Labbous Jr. became just the 22nd driver to double-up at an NHRA national event when he won both the Super Comp and Super Gas titles at the Four-Wide Nationals. Labbous, who was already ranked among the points leaders in both classes, defeated Franklin DiBartolomeo in the Super Comp final and then returned a short time later to win the Super Gas title by stopping Matt Tankersley. Labbous Jr. is the son of Division 2 Hall of Famer John Labbous, one of early pioneers of E.T. bracket racing. Here is a list of Lucas Oil Series champions from the Four-Wide Nationals.

Top Alcohol Dragster: Shawn Cowie def. Justin Ashley
Top Alcohol Funny Car: Johan Lindberg def. Steve Gasparrellli
Comp: Bruno Massel def. Pat Ross
Super Stock: Peter Biondo def. Joe Lisa
Stock: Kyle Kohr def. Jeff Hairrington
Super Comp: John Labbous JR. def. Franklin DiBartolomeo
Super Gas: John Labbous Jr. def. Matt Tankersley
Top Dragster: Ivey Hutto def. Alan Kenny
SAM Tech Factory Stock Showdown: Peter Gasko Jr. def. David Barton

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE FINAL (4:23 p.m.): In a bizarre final, LE Tonglet, far lane, claimed the 11th win of his career and first as a member of Jerry Savoie’s team when he rode to a 6.864. Eddie Krawiec was the runner-up for the fourth straight year. Krawiec was quickest with a 6.821, but he was distracted on the starting line after opponent Scotty Pollacheck left before the Tree was activated. Pollacheck’s foul also distracted defending Four-Wide winner Andrew Hines, who finished third with a 6.902. 

PRO STOCK FINAL (4:29 p.m.): The first six events of the season have yielded six different winners after Chris McGaha, second from top, turned on the win light in the final round of the Four-Wide Nationals. McGaha drove his Harlow Sammons Camaro to a 6.591 for the win to hold off Greg Anderson, who finished second after a 6.614 effort. Drew Skillman made the second-best run of the round with a 6.597, but he red-lighted at the start and finished fourth. Shane Gray was third-best after a 6.648 run. For McGaha, the win was the fifth of his career, and his first since last year’s Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. 

FUNNY CAR FINAL (4:35 p.m.): Ron Capps, near lane, collected his first career victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and his second straight outrunning teammate Jack Beckman, 3.93 to 3.95 for the win. J.R. Todd, gunning to become the first former Jr. Drag Racing League member to win in Funny Car, finished third and tire-smoking Matt Hagan coasted across in fourth.

TOP FUEL FINAL (4:40 p.m.): Steve Torrence, near lane, runner-up here in 2015, broke the seasonlong dominance of Don Schumacher Racing by winning in Top Fuel, driving his Capco Contractors machine to a 3,783 for the win, finishing ahead of Tony Schumacher’s 3.874. Points leader Leah Pritchett missed the Tree, and her 3.796 finished third ahead of Terry McMillen. The win also earns Torrence a spot in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout later this season.

FRIDAY MELLO YELLO RECAP: Torrence, Capps, McGaha, Tonglet collect NHRA Four-Wide Nationals wins

PRO MOD FINAL (5:01 p.m.): Mike Castellana, second from top, won the first-ever Four-Wide Pro Mod final when he drove the Frank Manzo-tuned AAP Camaro to a 5.807 in the final quad. Castellana narrowly edged Johnathan Gray, who was driving Rickie Smith’s Vallem Camaro. Gray finished second with a 5.826 in his nitrous oxide-equipped entry. The two semifinal finishers were the turbocharged entries of Troy Coughlin and Michael Biehle II, who fouled by three-thousandths. 

FEATURES

Coming into this year's final eliminations, Antron Brown is the banner carrier for nitro-fueled consistency in the history of the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, reaching the final quad in four of the first seven editions. The driver of the Matco Tools dragster has two wins, a runner-up, and a third-place finish.

Doug Kalitta also has been to four four-wide Top Fuel finals, but is still looking for his first win as he owns a runner-up, a third- and a fourth-place finish.

On the Funny Car side, Tim Wilkerson also has reached four finals, with a win two third-place and one fourth-place finish.

A number of nitro drivers have reached three Four-Wide finals, but reigning Funny Car champ Ron Capps might be the most frustrated of the bunch as he’s finished in third place all three times. Shawn Langdon’s not so far behind in the shoulda-woulda-could with a second-, third-, and fourth-place finish.

Strategy and preparedness are the keys to success at the Four-Wide Nationals, and knowing how everything works is key to that.

According to defending Top Fuel event champ Brittany Force, lane choice is one of the most important elements. The outside lanes are the easiest, Force said, and the middle lanes require extra focus, with cars on each side and multiple Christmas Trees. Drivers in Lane 2 after to look to the far-left set of bulbs on their Tree; Drivers in Lane 3 have to look to the far right. It’s easy to get confused.

“When you’re in Lanes 2 and 3, you’re looking all over the place,” she said. “It’s all about keeping your focus. You have to look at the right Christmas Tree, stay in the game, not get caught off-guard. It’s hard not to get lost – a lot of drivers do it because we only do one race like this a year. Friday and Saturday, I’ll go up there before qualifying and look at the tree, and that’s the best way for me to get comfortable before I go out and race.” 

They’re calling it “The Year of the Shoe,” and there’s plenty of reason for the hype from the Don Schumacher Racing camp. DSR Top Fuel and Funny Car teams have won nine of the possible 10 nitro titles this year (five for five in Top Fuel, four of five in Funny Car). Combined, the seven cars have a 74-23 win record (69 percent), and nine of those 23 losses were to DSR teammates. Additionally, Six of seven DSR teams have qualified for the $100,000 Traxxas Nitro Shootouts. Only Jack Beckman has yet to qualify for the Funny Car Shootout. 

Top Fuel points leader Leah Pritchett is racing in just her second Four-Wide Nationals, and would love to add a win here to her building résumé.

Earlier this year she became the first Top Fuel driver to ever win the first two races from the No. 1 qualifying position. In winning in Houston two weeks ago, she became only the 10th driver in Top Fuel history to begin the year by winning three of the first five Mello Yello events, and six of the first nine who did that went on to win the world championship and the other three finished in second place.

"Wow, that's amazing," said Pritchett when she learned of that stat. "We are a very long way from winning a championship, but it's very nice to be able look at the standings and think about it.”

Pritchett has had previous success at zMAX Dragway, having scored two of her three career Pro Mod wins here, in 2011 and 2012.

Tony Schumacher has been to two Four-Wide finals – back to back in 2012 and 2013 – and has scored runner-ups both times, but he’s a veteran of all seven previous versions and well versed in the science of winning at this unique event,

“We’ve all learned how to race in the Four-Wide Nationals, and it’s not as easy to race three other cars,” he said. “If you show up at a boxing match with three other guys, it is distracting. Who’s going to hit me first? What’s the next move? There are a lot of other variables and, for a driver who is trained and is used to going one on one, it certainly takes some getting used to. It starts with staging. You can’t make a little mistake because there are three other drivers who can capitalize on it. Normally, you might be able to make a mistake and there’s a chance the other driver will make one, too. But when there are three of them, you’ve got a couple guys who are going to be ice cold. You have to be a machine to win the Four-Wide. You have to be as ice cold as you can ever be to get the job done. I want that Four-Wide trophy. It’s a race I haven’t won and our mission is to be the last one standing.”

Despite missing the first four events of the season, it certainly hasn’t taken Shawn Langdon to get back into the swing of things. In his return to the class in Houston, the 2013 world champion notched the quickest reaction time in the Top Fuel field on race day with a .044 – one of three lights he had in the .04s over the weekend, and he continued that trend this weekend even in qualifying, where the concentration is not always on reaction times. Langdon was not only quick again but deadly consistent with two lights of .052 and two of .053. Only two drivers – Dom Lagana (.037) and Pat Dakin (.048) -- had better lights in qualifying, making Langdon’s lights the third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-quickest of the first two days.

"That's four months of frustration," joked Langdon, who, unlike some drivers, concentrates on his lights just as hard in qualifying as he does in eliminations. "For me it's all about repetition and having a rhythm.

"We have been progressively making better runs, just trying to get ahold of the track. We have made good runs in each lane, so we have confidence. I feel good driving right now; I have a lot of confidence in the Global Electronic Technology team. It could be our day."

With eight career NHRA runner-ups – three Sunday round wins followed by a final-round loss – it hasn’t escaped Clay Millican’s attention that, because of its unique four-wide element that encompasses just three rounds to claim a winner, a three-round win string at zMAX could earn him his first career NHRA victory.

“I absolutely have considered that,” said Millican, who also has more than 50 event wins in IHRA competition, which was contested with eight-car fields also over just three rounds. “I’ve never won four rounds of competition, so I have to think the odds say that this this event works in my favor. I’ve been in the ‘final’ – the last quad – the last two years here, so we’ve also had some good success. I hope this is the event. I’m creeping up on that record for most runner-ups without a win, and surely don’t want that.”

John Force Racing owns the only Funny Car win not claimed by rival Don Schumacher Racing this season – patriarch John Force scored at the Gatornationals – but the JFR team clearly is in a position to add another win this weekend.

The JFR trio – Courtney Force, Robert Hight, and John Force – qualified 1-2-3, the first time they’ve pulled off that feat since the 2014 event in Topeka, where Courtney went on to win the race. JFR also has won Funny Car three of the seven times the Four-Wides have been contested, with Hight winning twice (2012 and 2014) and John Force the inaugural event in 2010. Cournteny comes into eliminations as the No. 1 qualifier for the third straight time.

“There’s no doubt that we have some pretty fast hot rods, and so [does DSR], and they’ve shown it on raceday,” she said, when asked about the rivalry. “Sure, I had a couple of No. 1 qualifiers, but that wasn’t setting me up for raceday, so it’s more about having a consistent racecar than the fastest racecar, so that’s what we’ve learned from Las Vegas testing and in Houston -- how important it is to create a consistent car in the heat. Our car has a lot of power so it’s been about learning how to slow it down.”

Last fall at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, Tommy Johnson Jr. and the Make-A-Wish team entered race day as the No. 1 qualifying team and advanced to the final round before losing to John Force. 

At this event, crew chief John Collins and assistant Rip Reynolds tuned Johnson to four three-second qualifying passes (3.991, 3.922, 3.994, and 3.952) put will have a tough quad in round one against No. 2 qualifier Robert Hight, teammate Jack Beckman, and Jim Campbell. 

"It's going to be a tough race day," Johnson said. "We had a really consistent car in qualifying but we need to pick up about four- or five-hundredths of a second. We're consistent but we're just not quick enough. We're very close so we know we can do that. If were off in left field, I'd be nervous but as solid and consistent as we've been and all the data we have from going down the track all four runs, I'm confident the guys will pick it up when it counts."

Defending event champ Tim Wilkerson had a good-running car in qualifying with three four-second passes and a best of 3.903 while working in a new clutch disc, but the driver of the Levi, Ray, and Shoup machine was never better than fourth quickest in any qualifying session

“That's not going to win me the race," said Wilkerson. "I'm not happy with that. Believe me, I'm on the tire on that deal. I've already been up there beating my head against my computer trying to see how I can be first or second of the session. We're working hard on it, and the boys are working hard and doing a good job.

"The way we've been running first round lately, I'm a little aggravated because I don't want to make a mistake, but I don't want to be slow either. The clutch disc change has shown a lot of promise, and hopefully that will make the thing propel itself down through there. The weather has just been miserable, but [Sunday] looks like it will be a different day. Cloudy and cooler. It looks like it's going to be 'Katie, bar the door' tomorrow, and it's going to be crazy. I think you'll see a lot of 3.80s. Hopefully, we're one of 'em."

There is a lot at stake for Jeg Coughlin Jr. this weekend. As the low qualifier, Coughlin feels that he should at the very least make it to the final quad and realistically, there is no reason why he can’t pick up his first win since the 2014 season. 

Should he reach the final four, Coughlin will also make history by tying Bob Glidden for round wins.  Glidden won 597 rounds during his Hall of Fame career while Coughlin currently sits at 595. Glidden’s career record of 597-221 was accrued in just 319 starts while Coughlin’s record currently stands at 595-312 and the Four-Wide is his 387th Pro Stock event.  

Jason Line isn’t afraid to laugh at himself so he doesn’t mind recalling some of his previous Four-Wide events, particularly the one where he got timed out on the starting line. 

“This race is interesting and yes, there is that one time I didn’t stage,” Line said. “The whole time I was looking at the Tree and there were three [stage bulbs] lit. I was thinking to myself, ‘When is this idiot in lane two going to stage?’ Yep, that was me in lane two. I was looking at the wrong bulb which isn’t uncommon here. There is a lot that can happen in this deal and none of us are immune.”

Fortunately for Line, he’s also experienced the thrill of victory at the Four-Wide. In fact, he’s the defending event winner. This year, Line is in an opening quad with Chris McGaha, Alan Pruisinsky, and Allen Johnson. 

“There could be a lot worse draws I guess,” said Line. “The biggest thing is that [teammates] Greg and Bo aren’t in there with me so I don’t have to worry about racing one of them right off the bat. In fact, I think they’re both on the other side of the ladder so it’s possible for all three of us to make the final quad. I’d like that.”

After four second-place finishes in the Four-Wide Nationals, Eddie Krawiec figures he’s overdue to win the once-a-year event but he knows it won’t be easy. With some much activity going on across four lanes, there is always a chance for a rider to get distracted, particularly if one of his or her opponents gets timed out or leaves before the Tree is activated. Krawiec knows that first-hand. He had a great chance to win the first Four-Wide Nationals in 2010, but lost when opponent Shawn Gann left before the Tree flashed. Krawiec didn’t have time to get his throttle open and had one of the worst reaction times of his career. He had low E.T. of his quad by nearly a tenth but did not advance. 

“There is always a chance you’re going to get caught up in one of those deals but you just do all you can to avoid it,” Krawiec said. “You really need to pay attention to your lane first and then try to figure out what everyone else is doing. It’s tricky sometimes. 

One thing that Krawiec should not have to worry about is his Harley V-Rod. He was second-quickest in qualifying with a 6.835 and was also very consistent. 

“My last three runs during qualifying were good and clean,” said Krawiec. “I ran 6.83, 6.84, and 6.84. That’s about as good as it gets. The best thing for us is that we beat the weather. We usually struggle when it’s hot and humid like this but today, we had it figured out. Of course, I want to win the Four-Wide because I haven’t done it before. My real goal is to win at least one race at every track on the tour where the bikes run. I’ve already won a race here in Charlotte in the Fall. Adding this one would be cool.”

The happiest person to come through the door for driver introductions on Sunday morning was not one of the low qualifiers, but rather Angelle Sampey. In addition to winning three championships, Sampey has managed to go her entire career; more than 200 events, without incurring a performance-related DNQ. Sampey did miss the 2015 Las Vegas event, but that was because she withdrew from the event due to injury, not because she didn’t run quick enough to make the field.

“That one doesn’t count,” Sampey snapped. “If I hadn’t torn up my ankle, I would have made it so as far as I’m concerned, I haven’t had a DNQ yet.” 

Sampey didn’t make the field until the final session at the season-opener in Gainesville and she basically repeated that feat yesterday with a 6.948 in Q4 that was good enough to make the show in the No. 14 spot. 

“We had so many problems with my motorcycle,” she said. “My teammate [Cory Reed] is so unselfish. He stayed up until 3 a.m. working on my bike. I had a broken transmission and a broken throttle position sensor and Cory and the rest of the guys worked their butts off to make it right.”

Of the 16 riders who qualified for the Four-Wide Nationals, just one of them; rookie Joey Gladstone, has never raced four abreast. Despite his perceived lack of experience, Gladstone does not feel at all like an underdog. 

“I didn’t have any problems in qualifying so hopefully that is a good sign,” said Gladstone, who made his 2017 debut with an impressive semifinal finish in Gainesville. “From what I’ve seen and from what everyone has told me, you just have to take care of business in your own lane and not worry so much about what everyone else is doing. I had a pair of .030 lights on Friday so I think I’ve got a decent handle on it. I’ve ridden a lot of different bikes in a lot of different series, but this is definitely different from what I’m used to.”

Like a World Cup Soccer draw that features world powers Argentina, Columbia, Spain and Portugal, the second round of Pro Stock Motorcycle eliminations will feature the “Quad of Doom” with four riders; Andrew Hines, Eddie Krawiec, Matt Smith, and Angelle Sampey, who have combined for 13 NHRA Mello Yello series championships. 

On the surface, Hines and Krawiec would appear to have the upper hand based on their round one performance. Krawiec set low E.T. with a 6.792 and Hines was not far behind at 6.838. The Harley duo probably didn’t expect to have Smith and Sampey blocking their way to the final. 

Ironically, only Smith and Hines have won the Four-Wide event although Krawiec has four runner-up finishes. In Sampey’s defense, this is just her second shot at the unique event. For the record, the four riders have combined to win 144 national events.   

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