NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

We wrap up our three-part look at memorable moments from the 60years of the nHRA Winternationals with the two most recent decades, the 2000s and the recently completed 2010s. Great legends of the past give way to new legends in the making as the Winternationals history roars on. [Part 1: 1960s and '70s | Part 2: 1980s and '90s]

2000

Ron Krisher walked away unharmed from a harrowing crash in the first round of Pro Stock in which Kurt Johnson’s Chevy suffered damage after crashing into the guardwall while trying to avoid Krisher’s tumbling Pontiac.

2001

Former Top Alcohol Dragster racer Darrell Russell joined Gary Scelzi and K.C. Spurlock as the only drivers to score in their Professional debuts by winning aboard Joe Amato’s Top Fuel dragster with rookie crew chief Jimmy Walsh.

2002

John Force defeated Del Worsham in a wild, tire-smoking final round to collect the 99th win of his career and his first Winternationals title in five years. He would become the first to reach the 100-win milestone a few months later in Houston.

2002

Versatile Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Fuel driver Pat Austin scored the 75th and final victory of his decorated career. Austin took the crown when his uncle, Bucky Austin, suffered a disintegrated clutch disc in the final.

2004 

Greg Anderson launched the single greatest Pro Stock season in history with his victory at the 2004 opener. Anderson completely demoralized the field by qualifying No. 1, setting low e.t. and top speed and consistently running four hundredths or more ahead of the entire field. In 2004, Anderson set still-standing season records for most wins (15), final rounds (19), and No.1 qualifying positions (16).

2006

After a body-destroying engine fire in the second round, Robert Hight and the Auto Club Funny Car team borrowed a spare body off of their show car and then continued to win rounds, culminating in a final-round conquest of Ron Capps.

2007

Ashley Force Hood became the first of John Force’s three daughters to follow him into the nitro ranks when she made her debut. The rookie qualified for the record field and would become the class’ first female winner the following year in Atlanta.

2008

John Force returned to action just months after suffering what could have been career-ending injuries in a crash in Dallas and was one of three Force cars to make it to the semifinals, joining daughter Ashley Force Hood and eventual winner Robert Hight.

2008

Former Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Antron Brown showed that he would be as adept on four wheels as on two when he qualified No. 1 in his Top Fuel debut.

2008

Tony Pedregon suffered an enormous engine explosion in the opening round of Funny Car that sent him on a wild and fiery ride that made highlight reels on newscasts across the country and landed the 2007 champ on NBC’s Today show.

2009

Forty years after a Cobra Jet Mustang won at the event in its debut, the feat was repeated when John Calvert drove his new 40th-anniversary Cobra Jet to victory in Stock.

2010 

At the 50th annual Winternationals, John Force, coming off his first winless season since 1986, scored his fifth Winternationals title on a holeshot final-round victory against Ron Capps. 

2012

Courtney Force followed sister Ashley into the Funny Car ranks and not only qualified her Traxxas Mustang in its debut but beating Bob Tasca III in round one.

2013

Antron Brown crashed heavily in the second round of Top Fuel. Although Brown walked away sore but pretty much uninjured from a terrifying tumble Sunday after his engine grenaded as he tripped the win light against David Grubnic, no repair was possible for Brown’s wrecked ride, so Tony Schumacher rode a semifinal bye run into his second straight Pomona final but lost there to Shawn Langdon.

2014

John Force reset both ends of the Funny Car record en route to his 139th career win. After setting the speed mark to 324.12 mph earlier in eliminations, he made the second-quickest pass in class history, a 3.965, to defeat Matt Hagan in the final. Alexis DeJoria became the first woman to make a three-second Funny Car pass. 

2016

For the first time since 1982, the Pro Stock class had a sweeping new rules package with electronic fuel injection replacing the carburetors that had been a mainstay since the category’s introduction at the 1970 Winternationals. Greg Anderson defeated teammate Jason line for the first win of the electronic fuel injection (EFI) era.

2016

NHRA and FOX Sports kicked off their new partnership at the Circle K NHRA Winternationals, highlighted by live semifinal and final rounds Sunday, the first of 17 events that received that treatment that year. 

2017

Sportsman veteran Ed Olpin became the 21st driver in NHRA history to double up at a national event, scoring wins in Super Gas and Top Sportsman. It was only the second Winternationals double (Jimmy DeFrank, 2013).

2018

Defending Top Fuel champion Brittany Force lost control of her car in round one and crashed into both guardwalls but escaped the crash relatively unharmed. Force was transported to a local hospital, where she was kept overnight for observation. Father John Force also made a hospital visit after suffering a massive explosion during Friday Funny Car qualifying.

2019

Doug Kalitta ended world champ Steve Torrence’s record-threatening 27 round-win streak in the final round and became just the second Top Fuel racer to win back-to-back Winternationals titles.