World champ Priddy leads Sportsman winners at return to Route 66 Raceway
![Ryan Priddy](/sites/default/files/styles/news_gallery_big_image_920x518/public/2023-05/priddy.jpg?itok=b5FcGlkU)
Seven champions were crowned in NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Peak Performance, led by Ryan Priddy, who scored the first victory of his Comp eliminator world championship defense.
Priddy got onto the 2023 scoreboard in Comp with the MountainView Performance AA/AA Camaro with his third career win, running a (-.53) 6.51 to fend off the (-.44) 8.07 of homestate hero and six-time tour winner David Billingsley. [video]
Irvin Johns provided a lesson in perseverance when he delivered his first national event title in Super Stock after many years of trying. Johns ran right on his 9.42 dial in the final round after opponent Brad Zaskowski fouled by a thousandth of a second. [video]
After winning the Super Street title in Houston in 2017, Chris Vang claimed his second national event title by stopping Andrew Hill in the Stock final. Vang recorded an 8.568 against his 8.55 dial after Hill broke out by .004-second. [video]
2018 Super Gas world champ Devin Isenhower scored his first win in Super Comp by dominating the final quarter-mile against Rock Haas. Isenhower, who was runner-up at this event in Super Gas the last time NHRA ran at Route 66 Raceway in 2019, ran a near-perfect 8.901 after a .013 light to defeat Haas, another past Super Gas winner who was looking for his first Super Comp title. [video]
Steve Hoyt collected his first victory since his breakthrough win in Super Comp in Columbus 13 years ago, taking the Super Gas title with a near-perfect 9.909 after opponent Mitch Withers took too much stripe and broke out with a 9.896 after a brilliant .002 reaction time. [video]
Super Street veteran Steve Domingues, who has been racing in the class for more than three decades, collected his third career win, wheeling his Camaro to a double-breakout victory over Phil Smida, 10.873 to 10.858. Smida launched with a perfect .000 reaction time but ran too quick at the other end. [video]
There was a first-time winner in Right Trailers Top Dragster as Wayne Sleger captured the title after Zack Sackman red-lighted by .001-second. [video]