NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Racing in her eighth final round, Brittany Force broke through and collected her first Top Fuel Wally in Gainesville. Coming up short in seven finals before winning is tough — ask David Grubnic, because he also went through it — but Force’s seven finals before a win doesn’t even rank among the top-five longest waits for a breakthrough victory. Five other drivers had more final-round appearances before making it to the winner’s circle. Here’s a look at those drivers and the number of finals before the big first win (or, in the case of one on the list, the number so far while waiting for that victory).

1. Bob Vandergriff Jr., 13

After appearing in his first final in Indy in 1995, losing to Larry Dixon, Vandergriff recorded 12 more runner-up finishes, two in 1997, one in 1998, one in 1999, one in 2000, one in 2004, five in 2007, and one in 2011, before finally turning on that last win light at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals in Dallas toward the end of 2011, besting Spencer Massey for the Wally.

2. Clay Millican, 10 (and counting)

The likable Tennessee native has multiple wins and championships in IHRA competition, but he has been snakebitten in NHRA final rounds, having appeared in 10 so far. Millican made his first venture to an NHRA final at the 2004 Houston race, and he advanced to two others that season. Millican’s next final was in 2009, then he recorded four runner-up finishes in the 2013 season. He was also part of the final four at the spring Charlotte race last year and this year, running his final-round appearances without a win up to 10 and counting.

3. John Force, 9 (tie)

He may be the winningest driver in NHRA history now with 143 victories, but Force had to wait a bit to get that first one and open the floodgates. He had nine final-round appearances before he won, beginning with the 1979 event in Baton Rouge, La. He posted another runner-up finish that year in Englishtown, followed by two in 1983, one in 1985, three in 1986, and one in Atlanta in 1987 before he scored Wally No. 1 in Montreal later that season.

3. Scott Geoffrion, 9 (tie)

Like Force, the late Geoffrion waited until his 10th final round to pick up his first win. Geoffrion, part of the potent “The Dodge Boys” group with two-time champ Darrell Alderman, first advanced to a title round in Houston in 1991, coming up short against his teammate. Geoffrion was also the runner-up in Denver that year, then recorded six runner-ups in 1992 and one at the 1993 season opener before besting legend Bob Glidden in the 1993 Memphis, Tenn., final to collect the first of his nine victories.

5. Tony Schumacher, 8

The most prolific driver in Top Fuel history got his career started on a very high note when he advanced to the final round at the first event he entered, the 1996 Indy race, and that was the start of a somewhat long wait for his first win. Schumacher advanced to and lost in seven more finals — two in 1997, one in 1998, and four in 1999 — before outlasting Scott Kalitta in Dallas in the fall of 1999. It was the first of his class-leading 80 wins.