NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series concludes a busy June in Ohio for the 10th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk. This event is the midway point out of 24 races scheduled for the 2016 season, fifth of 16 for the Pro Stock Motorcycle category, and is a fan-favorite. Competition is getting fierce as teams and drivers strive to claim their position in the points standings as we head into the second half.
 

At last year’s event, Doug Kalitta earned his 37th NHRA national event win at his hometown track in Norwalk. He was joined in the winner’s circle last year by Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
 

Here’s a look at some of this year’s major storylines:
 

As we head to Norwalk for the final of four races in a row, there are a few drivers who excelled in the previous three weekends in June. Ron Capps (pictured) started off his 2016 campaign in Funny Car with a win at the season opener and a runner-up finish in Gainesville. He experienced a bit of a slump as he failed to qualify in Las Vegas but has made a huge rebound that began in Epping. Capps worked his way up the points ladder from No. 6 back to the No. 1 spot in just three races by winning in Epping and Englishtown and being No. 1 qualifier for three consecutive races. Tony Schumacher has experienced great progress after having a slow start to the season. While he is still searching for his first victory of the season, Schumacher collected a total of eight round-wins in the last three races and jumped from the No. 8 spot to the No. 5 position in the Top Fuel points standings. Jason Line and Greg Anderson continue to dominate the Pro Stock field and remain No. 1 and 2 in the points standings, with more than 400 points between them and Bo Butner, who is in the No. 3 spot. 
 

We’re sure they’re as tired of being reminded about it as we are writing about it. There have been many different drivers who have earned Wallys this season (not including the Pro Stock category), and there are a few big-name competitors who have yet to reach a winner’s circle this season. Back-to-back Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports team continue to struggle as they surprisingly have only been able to get past the first round three times. Top Fuel’s most successful driver, Tony Schumacher, started off the season slow, but his U.S. Army team seems to have worked out the kinks, and he is steadily making his way through rounds with two consecutive final-round appearances. Defending Funny Car world champ Del Worsham and his DHL team continue to have a consistent car capable of winning races but hasn’t come up on the winning side of a final round thus far. To say that Victory Motorcycles factory rider Matt Smith (pictured) has gotten off to a slow start this season would be a huge understatement. In one of the most surprising developments of this or any other season, the two-time world champ has failed to qualify twice in four events, and he’s not currently ranked in the top 10. Smith missed the field at the season opener in Gainesville, and his luck went from bad to worse in Englishtown when he suffered just his second DNQ in the last decade. Each of these drivers has been victorious in Norwalk at least once, meaning a winning performance here isn’t at all out of the question.
 

Jason Line just picked up his sixth win of the season in another all-KB Racing final in Bristol. Line and his teammate Greg Anderson have won every race so far this season, in addition to appearing in seven out of the 11 final rounds. The performance gap in the field is getting smaller with every race, and we know that someone will eventually beat the KB Racing team, but the question is when. Norwalk is a big event for the KB team with it being a Summit-sponsored race at a Summit-sponsored track. Line and Anderson have four wins at this race, and with their current track record, obtaining a victory here looks very promising. 
 

Tommy Johnson Jr. snatched the final NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout spot for Funny Car with his most recent win in Bristol, and Shawn Langdon became the sixth driver to claim his position in Top Fuel. There are several big-name drivers who are still looking for their first win of the season and their chance to lock up the last available win-to-get-in spot in Top Fuel, and the rest of the Funny Car drivers who aren’t in yet will have to rely on a fan-vote entry.
 

Funny Car track records continue to be broken at every stop we make on the NHRA circuit this year. Most recently, John Force reset his own previously recorded track record in Bristol with a 3.956 in the first round of qualifying and was reset three more times before Ron Capps pulled out a 3.884 during Friday’s night qualifying session. Just after Capps’ run, Del Worsham reset the track speed clocking at 329.66, making for a very fast and exciting first day of qualifying. The incoming Funny Car e.t. record is 3.973, and the speed mark sits at 322.96. 
 

3.731 seconds by Doug Kalitta, July 2015

332.51 mph by Larry Dixon, July 2015

 

4.000 seconds by Matt Hagan, July 2015

322.96 mph by Hagan, July 2015

 

6.523 seconds by Erica Enders, July 2014

212.63 mph by Enders, July 2014

 

6.844 seconds by Eddie Krawiec, July 2014

196.93 mph by Hector Arana, July 2014

 

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5 and 7:45 p.m. Friday, June 24, and the final two rounds of qualifying Saturday, June 25, at 12:30 and 3:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, June 26.

 

Call Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, 419-668-5555, or log on to www.summitmotorsportspark.com

 

Friday, June 24, FOX Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 8 p.m. (ET).

Saturday, June 25, FOX Sports 1 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at midnight. (ET).

Sunday, June 26, FOX Sports 1 will televise two-and-a-half hours of live finals coverage at 11 a.m. (ET) and three hours of finals coverage at midnight (ET)/9 p.m. (PT).