NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With Covid restrictions relaxed, its now much easier for international competitors to make their way to NHRA events which is great news for Sweden’s Stefan Ernryd, who will be driving Alan Prusiensky’s Dodge Dart in Pro Stock this weekend.

Ernryd operates a successful car dealership near Stockholm, and also races a Mopar in the FIA Drag Racing Series, which has rounds in Sweden, Germany, England, and Finland. Like most European racers, he hasn’t had the opportunity to compete for the last two seasons due to the pandemic, so he’s more than eager to drop the clutch again.

“I have been to many NHRA races in the past, but this is the first time as a competitor,” Ernryd said. “We are preparing for what we hope will be a full season in Europe this year so this is a great opportunity to make some runs and get some seat time before we get started.

Pro Stock in Europe is healthy with a dozen or more cars at most events, and a wide variety of body styles are represented. European Pro Stock cars still have carburetors and hood scoops and do not have the NHRA mandated 10,500 rev limiter. Because of the different rules, Ernryd’s Dodge, which was purchased from former NHRA champ Allen Johnson, is slightly quicker than most current NHRA Pro Stock cars.

Ernryd has finished second in the FIA series the last two years it was contested (2018-19), but it has always been his goal to race in the Camping World NHRA series.

“I could have done a deal with AJ [Allen Johnson] when he quit racing in Pro Stock but the timing wasn’t right,” Ernryd said. “I’ve had my [NHRA license] for six years but haven’t had an opportunity to use it.”

That opportunity came up this winter when Ernryd spoke to Prusiensky, who often leases his second Hemi-powered Dodge. The duo discusses the possibility of doing as many as five or six races, but for now, Ernryd plans to race at the Gatornationals and then evaluate future events. He might return late in the season in Las Vegas or Pomona, after the last FIA event in England.

Ernryd had a chance to make some test runs in Gainesville early in the week, but a faulty two-step switch prevented him from making it to the finish line under power. He says the main difference between a carbureted and fuel injected Pro Stock car comes during the burnout. The fuel injected car has a much crisper throttle response.

He hopes to follow his good friend and rival, Jimmy Alund, who became the first European driver to win an NHRA national event when he won the 2014 Charlotte Four-Wide race. Saturday's lone qualifying run produced a troubled 6.989 at just 188-mph, but that was just enough to sneak into the 16-car field.

“It’s an adjustment for sure, but if you are prepared for it, you can adjust your driving style,” Ernryd said. “I know this is a very tough field. There are 21 cars here, they are all good cars. We were lucky to qualify, but we're in and hoping to make the best of it. Alan has made some nice progress with his program, and the weather here is similar to what we have in Sweden or Germany so we’ll see what happens.”

“My personal best in Europe is 6.54 seconds set at Tierp Arena in Sweden and I’d love to run quicker than that this weekend,” said Ernyrd. "My qualifying run was not at all what we hoped for but we'll see if we can improve in the first round."