NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Less than a week after the annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will return to a much more traditional two-lane format at the NHRA SpringNationals, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the annual Houston stop will be any less thrilling or unpredictable.

Last year, Doug Kalitta claimed the first of his three wins on the season when he defeated Tony Schumacher in the Top Fuel final. Schumacher, who finished the season with three wins and four runner-up finishes, had dominated in qualifying by setting the Royal Purple Raceway track record with a 3.726, but the U.S. Army driver smoked the tires in the final round.

In the Funny Car final, Ron Capps beat Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman in a tire-smoking pedalfest. It was the last time Capps and his NAPA team would visit the winner’s circle before their most recent win at the 2016 Pomona season opener.

Erica Enders won nine races last year en route to her second straight Pro Stock championship, but as a Houston native, few were more meaningful than her SpringNationals victory, which came against fellow Texan Chris McGaha.

Here’s a look at some of the storylines heading into this year’s NHRA SpringNationals:

Is this Brittany’s year?
John Force’s decision to hire Alan Johnson as a tuning consultant on daughter Brittany’s Monster Energy dragster is already proving to be one of the smartest decisions made by any team during the offseason. Through the first five events of the season, Brittany (pictured) has two wins, and she has sprinted to a sizable 63-point lead in the Mello Yello standings. So far this year, Brittany has an 11-3 record in eliminations rounds, and she’s on pace to crush last season’s 25-24 mark. It’s still early, but at this point, the notion of the Force Funny Car dynasty adding a Top Fuel title to their collection doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

Musical chairs
The game of musical chairs that has become Leah Pritchett’s 2016 season took another unexpected turn this week when it was announced that she’d return to her Bob Vandergriff Racing dragster for a final outing in Houston. Pritchett won her first Top Fuel title in Phoenix in the BVR dragster, but that car was parked when Bob Vandergriff Jr. abruptly announced his retirement less than a month later. Pritchett ran the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in the Lagana Bros. dragster before moving back to the BVR dragster in Houston. This week, Pritchett will be backed by Quaker State and will be reunited with most of the crewmembers who helped her win in Phoenix, including crew chiefs Mike Guger and Joe Barlam. 

Where’s DSR?
After combining for 27 wins last season, it’s hard to imagine anyone could have predicted the slow start that the seven-car Don Schumacher Racing team has encountered so far this season. Ron Capps (pictured) won the Funny Car title in Pomona, and two-time world champ Antron Brown followed with a Top Fuel victory in Las Vegas, but otherwise, it has been tough sledding for the most successful team in NHRA history. Eight-time champion Tony Schumacher and his U.S. Army team are just 3-5 so far in eliminations rounds, and Shawn Langdon and his Red Fuel/Sandvik team are 0-5. Other than Capps, who has a strong 11-3 mark in round-wins, the DSR Funny Cars have struggled. Teammates Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan, and Tommy Johnson Jr. have a combined record of 10-15, and all three have yet to appear in a final. It would be wise to expect a breakout shortly.

The KB Factor
Greg Anderson insists that the rest of the Pro Stock field is catching up to him and KB Racing teammates Jason Line and Bo Butner, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Last week in Charlotte, the KB cars qualified Nos. 1, 3, and 4 with only No. 2 seed Drew Skillman preventing a clean sweep. On race day, Anderson went out in the semifinals when he shook the tires, but Line and Butner advanced to the final quad, and Line, who has appeared in every round this season, won his third race while Butner was credited with his second runner-up. There is so much talent in the Pro Stock class that at some point the KB domination will come to an end and someone else will win a race, but that moment does not appear to be imminent.

You always remember your first
So far this season, Brittany Force and Leah Pritchett have broken through for their first wins as Professionals, and it is almost a given that they will have company before the season is over. In Top Fuel, seven of the 16 drivers who are entered in Houston do not have a win, including Clay Millican (pictured), who is a nine-time finalists, and Terry McMillen and Troy Buff, who have each appeared in a final round this season. Chad Head and John Hale are the prime candidates in Funny Car who are poised for a first-time victory. In Pro Stock, Bo Butner has been to three final rounds in the last seven races dating back to last October’s Las Vegas event, and Texan Alex Laughlin has also made impressive strides in his Gas Monkey Camaro.

Wall-to-wall Pro Mods
The NHRA SpringNationals entry list includes a robust field of 30 drivers in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, and with just 16 spots available on race day, anyone who qualifies will have accomplished an impressive feat. Included in the mix is Gainesville winner Rickie Smith in his nitrous-equipped IDG Camaro and defending series champ Troy Coughlin’s turbocharged JEGS.com Corvette. Last year at Royal Purple Raceway, Don Walsh defeated Billy Glidden in the final round. Glidden will return in his Mustang, and Walsh has been replaced by Jonathan Gray as the driver of Harry Hruska’s Precision Turbo entry. Gray, who spent the last two years competing in Pro Stock, was very impressive in his Pro Mod debut with a record-setting 5.75 run. As a side note, Daniel Stevenson, who escaped serious injury when his Camaro was destroyed by fire in Gainesville, will make his return to the series in a turbocharged entry that he recently purchased from Smith.

Track records
Top Fuel
3.726 seconds, Tony Schumacher, April 2015
330.07 mph, Spencer Massey, April 2015

Funny Car
3.988, Jack Beckman, April 2015
320.81, Matt Hagan, April 2015

Pro Stock
6.519, Jason Line, April 2015
212.66, Mike Edwards, April 2013

Schedule
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, April 30, at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, May 1.

Tickets
For tickets call (281) 383-RACE (7223). Tickets also available online at www.royalpurpleraceway.com.