NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

This week, the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series heads to the biggest race of the season, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, and several drivers will be seeking their first win at the Big Go, including these five very accomplished racers who have yet to cross winning Indy off the to-do list.

Ron Capps

Capps just scored his 50th NHRA Wally when he defeated Del Worsham to claim the rain-delayed Seattle title, but of those 50, not a single one has come from Indy. Capps has won a bonus event held in conjunction with the U.S. Nationals, but the Big Go Wally has eluded him. In fact, Capps has never even been in a final on Monday in Indy. Will this be the year for Capps? He has five wins this year and has already locked up the No. 1 seed for the Countdown to the Championship, so chances are good the driver who sits second on Funny Car’s all-time wins list could break through and finally win the coveted trophy.

Doug Kalitta

Much like Capps, there are two blaring omissions on the long and impressive resume of Top Fuel racer Kalitta: a season championship and a win at the U.S. Nationals. Unlike Capps, however, Kalitta has come close to winning the season’s biggest race, finishing as the runner-up in 2004 and 2008, both to Tony Schumacher. Though overshadowed a bit by some of his other competitors, Kalitta has had a pretty solid season to date that includes three wins, a runner-up finish, and three No. 1 starts.

Jason Line

Of the 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule, Line has won all but five. The biggest omission from the list is the U.S. Nationals, an event that Line’s teammate, Greg Anderson, has won six times. Anderson’s most recent victory at the prestigious event, in 2011, came at the expense of Line, the only final-round showing for the two-time Pro Stock world champion. Anderson could again be Line’s biggest roadblock to winning Indy this year because the KB Racing duo has had an incredible 2016 season, winning 14 of the first 17 events. Line has seven of those wins, as well as five runner-up finishes and six No. 1 starts.

Matt Hagan

Hagan has had some strong runs at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, including qualifying No. 1 in 2010, 2013, and 2014, but none has carried him to the winner’s circle on Monday. In fact, much like fellow Funny Car pilot Capps, Hagan has never been to the final at the Big Go — his best finish is the semifinals, a result achieved in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Entering Indy, one thing that bodes well for Hagan, who has recorded two wins this season, is that he has been on a major upswing as of late. After a semifinal run in Seattle, Hagan blasted to a national record 3.822 in Brainerd and was the runner-up at that event.

Allen Johnson

The likable driver from Tennessee has a Pro Stock world championship and 27 wins under his belt, but Indy still remains on his to-do list. Johnson has never been in a U.S. Nationals final but has gone rounds throughout the years, advancing as far as the semifinals. This season, Johnson busted up the KB Racing stranglehold on the winner’s circle when he powered to victory in Denver. Johnson also has a runner-up finish and has consistently won rounds every race out, losing in the first round only two times in the first 17 events.