NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series kicked off in spectacular fashion at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com in Pomona. Here are five big takeaways from the event.

The hype was real

It’s one thing for the NHRA to pre-boast about the 2022 season shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory, but quite another for everyone else in the sport’s orbit to agree, but that’s what’s happening. From new team owner Tony Stewart and his Daytona 500 NASCAR broadcast colleagues saying great things about our sport to the message being echoed in dozens of interviews with drivers across all classes and by fans on social media, it certainly seems like the buy-in is there, and a successful opening weekend in Pomona only crystalized that. Full fields, new teams and sponsors, new drivers, new storylines, and new excitement helped put the “new” in “new season.”

The easing of local COVID restrictions just days before the event allowed fans to enjoy the NHRA like they used to — including the first full set of driver introductions in almost two years and the SealMaster Track Walk — and perfect weather all contributed to a home-run event.

Preparation pays off

NHRA’s decision to grind the sometimes-cantankerous Pomona racing surface was met with a little skepticism in some corners, but the hard work that was put into polishing the old gal certainly paid off. Gone were the troublesome bumps and trouble spots that sometimes turned the venerable dragstrip into a one-lane racetrack, and once the rubber built back up by mid-Friday, she was a clean sheet of acceleration heaven that drew rave reviews from the teams.

EE is out for blood

After clutching the special-edition 900th Pro Stock trophy, Erica Enders said it plain and clear, that there’s “No more nice Erica” to be found on Sundays, and after dominating the event from qualifying through race day, it’s clear she meant it. The Elite team could not have had a better weekend, from her and teammate Aaron Stanfield qualifying Nos. 1 and 2 and then finishing that way in the final, it was a huge weekend for her. Add in the fact that she left on Dallas Glenn, the driver who seems determined to usurp her crown as the best starting-line leaver, in round two and beat her nemesis, Greg Anderson, in the semifinals, she checked all of the boxes. 

‘The Little Guy’

With all of the headlines being driven to the big moves made by teams in the nitro classes — new ownerships, new tuners, new sponsors — it was exciting to see great performances by guys like Tony Jurado, Jason Rupert, and Jeff Arend in the Funny Car class. Former Nostalgia Funny Car pilot Jurado scored his first career “Big Show” round-win when he outpedaled veteran Tim Wilkerson and past nostalgia champ Rupert qualified for his hometown Winternationals for the first time. Local favorite Arend, who could probably walk to work at the Pomona track, came right out of the box with the seldom-run Russo family came and went right down the track with a 4.09.

Bad things happen to good people

Thousands of hearts broke across the country when nice-guy independent Funny Car racer Alex Miladinovich lost the handle on his Red Shirt Friday/Hot For Teacher Toyota during Saturday qualifying and piled it into the guardwall, heavily damaging the car. Miladinovich holds a sweet spot in the hearts of Pomona race fans, and this one was painful to see.

Travis Shumake, the son of well-liked Funny Car racer Tripp Shumake, had his driving gear stolen from his rental car in the pits, and worst of all beyond the thousands of dollars in lost equipment, it was all in his late father’s Simpson race bag, which probably means more to him than the gear.

And finally, get-well wishes to Doug Bracey, who crashed his Top Sportsman car on Thursday. Bracey is one of the Southern California Super/Pro Gas godfathers from the early 1980s and a friend to many.