NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Chris Stephenson, runner-up in his three prior national events, has competed in 15 of the first 23 national events of the season before finally collecting his first national event win. Paired with 45-time national event winner and current championship contender Jeff Taylor in the final, Stephenson got off the starting line first, .017 to .044, and held on for the Stock win with an 11.221 on his 11.20 dial. Taylor ran right on his 9.50 dial with a 9.501 but came up seven-thousandths short at the finish-line stripe. Stephenson’s drive to the final included wins against Dwayne Scheitlin, Larry DeForrest, and Dwight Machael.