NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Coming into raceday, here’s the Top Fuel points standings: 

Steve Torrence is the leader ahead of Doug Kalitta (-12), Leah Pruett (-39), Mike Salinas (-76), and Justin Ashley (-88). Round wins today are worth 30 points.

Kalitta, Salinas, and Ashley are all on the same side of the ladder with Torrence and Pruett on the other side.

Juistin Ashley still has a path to this first Top Fuel championship and it all begins with this opening match of round one against outgoing two-time world champ Brittany Force, certainly not an easy draw. For Ashley to succeed, he’ll need to go three rounds further than both Torrence and Kalitta (meaning neither of them can get past the second round) or two rounds further than Pruett, and a round further than Salinas.

Both drivers only made it down the track on two of four qualifying attempts and Force didn't make it down on either of the sunlit runs and that holds true today as Force is up in smoke early and Ashley powers the Phillips Connect dragster to a 3.715 to keep the dream alive.

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Right behind Force, Shawn Langdon also loses traction and gives Billy Torrence a free 3.719 pass to round two where he could face his son. Leah Pruett also keeps her title hopes alive by beating Tony Schumacher with a 3.708, low e.t. of the day so far.

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Low qualifier Austin Prock, who has been to the final round the last three events here, gets lucky with a cylinder-dropping 3.89 against tire-smoking Ron August Jr. He'll give up second-round lane choice to Ashley. Antron Brown betters Pruett's run with a 3.69 in taking down Clay Millican. Brown will have second-round lane choice over his former teammate Pruett.

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Four-time world champ Steve Torrence will face rookie Spencer Hyde, who made it down the track on all three qualifying attempts he made, albeit with a fiery start on Friday. Torrence surprisingly only made it down the track once in four shots, but the one that connected qualified him No. 2. Hyde's car drops a cylinder at the hit and Torrence moves on to face his father in round two. The two paired off in Dallas as well and they raced clean and true with new shenanigans. Billy will have lane choice.

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And then there were four ... Mike Salinas, whose car looked so good Saturday with a pair of 3.6-second passes, smokes the tires at the hit and Josh Hart ends Salinas' championship dreams. Hart will get the chance o play spoiler again in the second round as he will face Doug Kalitta, who powered to a 3.70against cylinder-dropping Dan Mercier.

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Top Fuel second-round pairings (lane choice first): Justin Ashley vs. Austin Prock; Doug Kalitta vs. Josh Hart; Billy Torrence vs. Steve Torrence; Antron Brown vs. Leah Pruett

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Paul Lee was nearly flawless in qualifying with three solid runs in four attempts, but he blazes the tires at the green and falls to Blake Alexander in the opening race of Funny Car and John Force follows him into round two with a victory over Terry Haddock, who was giving him a run until losing traction 300 feet into the run. The next race also goes according to form as Cruz Pedregon takes down Bobby Bode with a 3.95 and puts "the Cruzer" into a possible spoiler role against Bob Tasca III in the second round if BT3 gets there. Pedregon's win moved him into 10th place in the standings, getting around Alexis DeJoria, who was a shocking DNQ Saturday.

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Only .009% of balloteers on Drag Race Bracket Bonanza picked Jeff Diehl to beat Robert Hight and the majority was right as Hight powers to low e.t of the day so far with a 3.87. The win gives Hight the points lead but with Matt Hagan coming up next, it may only last one pair. And, as expected, Hagan beats Alex Laughlin, who smoked the tires, and Hagan is back in the lead.

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Tasca barely escapes to keep his hopes alive as he runs a troubled, cylinder-dropping 4.00 against Steven Densham, who ran a career-best 3.94 in qualifying but can only manage a 4.01 against Tasca.

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Ron Capps' third championship season ends with a disappointing first-round loss to Tim Wilkerson, who flirts with the centerline but manages to tightrope his way to the win light with a 3.97. The round concludes with Chad Green putting away J.R. Todd to earn a second-round date with Hight and moves past Todd in the standings into the No. 6 spot

Hight and Hagan could match up in a titanic semifinal race if both advance through round two.

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Funny Car second-round pairings (lane choice first): Robert Hight vs. Chad Green; Blake Alexander vs. Matt Hagan; John Force vs. Tim Wilkerson; Cruz Pedregon vs. Bob Tasca III

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Bo Butner has admittedly not had the season he would have liked, at least in Pro Stock, but he is determined to finish on a high note. The 30-time national event winner delivered in round one with a .006 light and a 6.549 in his holeshot win against Camrie Caruso, who wasn’t far behind with a 6.541.

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Three years out of the driver’s seat of a Pro Stock car and six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has apparently lost nothing in terms of talent or desire. Coughlin racked up another round win after Rookie of the Year contender Jerry Don Tucker fouled by .005-second. Coughlin would have been extremely tough to beat with a 6.522 in his SCAG Power Equipment Camaro.  

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Troy Coughlin Jr. moved past Dallas Glenn and into fourth place in the Pro Stock standings following his round one win over Fernando Cuadra Jr. Coughlin, who also finished fourth last season, left first and powered to a 6.596 to put his JEGS.com Camaro into the quarterfinals. Yesterday, Coughlin was involved in a staging lane accident where his car made contact with Deric Kramers Camaro, but the Elite team made the necessary repairs and Coughlin did not miss a run.

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Greg Anderson is no longer able to win his sixth Pro Stock championship, but he’s still very much in the running for career win No. 104. Anderson’s HendrickCars.com Camaro was the quickest in all four qualifying rounds, and continued that trend with the quickest run of the opening round of Pro Stock with a 6.501 to set low elapsed time of the round in his win against Mason McGaha.

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The Pro Stock championship battle came to a predictable conclusion in round one when leader Erica Enders delivered a round win over Fernando Cuadra Sr., and his Corral Boots Camaro. Enders officially locked up championship No. 6 when she drove to a 6.502 after Cuadra shook the tires. Enders’ performance completes one of the great comebacks in the history of the sport as she was in 14th place as late as the Joliet event in May.

Second round Ptro Stock parings (lane choice first): Greg Anderson vs. Bo Butner; Aaron Stanfield vs. Troy Coughlin Jr. Kyle Koretsky vs. Matt Hartford; Erica Enders vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr.

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There were three bye ruins in the opening round of Pro Stock Motorcycle for entirely different reasons. Hector Arana Jr., the No. 2 qualifier, got a free pass on his GETTRX Buell after would-be opponent Katie Justice wounded her only engine during Friday’s first qualifying run and was unable to get it repaired. Angie Smith, the No. 13 qualifier also picked up an important round win after Kelly Clontz was unable to return after crashing her Suzuki during Saturday’s final qualifying round. Clontz was not seriously injured, and returned to the track on Sunday, but was not able to ride. Finally, Matt Smith elected to sit out his round one race against teammate Jianna Evaristo. Smith wounded his last transmission in qualifying and noted that his only hope was to borrow one from Evaristo’s bike, which he surmised was a bad idea.

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Marc Ingwersen continues to make impressive runs on his Buell V-twin and he’s also got some of the best lights in the class. Ingwersen gut a .008 light and rode to a 6.851 to holed off John Hall’s quicker 6.848.

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LE Tonglet’s role as a fill-in rider for Freddie Camarena has been a success as the former world champ not only qualified well ,but also delivered a round one win over his former team boss, Jerry Savoie. Tonglet quickly lost nearly 20 pounds in anticipation of his return, put Camarena’s bike into the 6.7s for the first time with a 6.791 at 199.20 mph.

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Blaine Hale left very early in his round one race against Gaige Herrera and drew a red-light and the move seemed to rattle the seemingly unflappable Herrera who coasted to the win with a 10-second elapsed time. Herrera will not have lane choice when he races LE Tonglet in round two.

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Second-round Pro Stock Motorcycle pairings (lane choice first): LE Tonglet vs. Gaige Herrera; Steve Johnson vs. Angie Smith; Jianna Evaristo vs. Hector Arana Jr.; Eddie Krawiec vs. Marc Ingwersen.

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The battle of the Torrences is a straight-up drag race, just like it was in Dallas, until Billy's pipes go wet at half-track and Steve-o continues his pursuit of a fifth world championship. Torrence's win eliminates Justin Ashley from title contention. After having to watch that disappointing turn ahead of him, Ashley powers his way to a 3.73 to 3.77 victory over Austin Prock, ending Prock's streak of final-round appearances in Pomona at three, With the win, Ashley moves past Mike Salinas into fourth place in the standings.

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Doug Kaltta keeps his hat in the championship ring with a workmanlike 3.73 to drive around Josh Hart's slick .027 reaction. Kalitta will take on Ashley in the semifinals with lane choice by just .002-second. Leah Pruett makes it a trio of hopefuls still in the running, expertly pedaling through midtrack traction woes to beat tire-smoking Antron Brown and head into a crucial semifinal battle with Torrence.

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Top Fuel semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Doug Kalitta vs. Justin Ashley; Steve Torrence vs. Leah Pruett

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Bob Tasca III's dreams of a first Funny Car championship end with early tire smoke against Cruz Pedregon, meaning the championship could be decided with a Matt Hagan vs. Robert Hight semifinal match if they both get there.

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Shocking development: Points leader Matt Hagan's green Charger has traction woes early and Blake Alexander does, too, but Alexander takes him out, 4.19 to 4.25. Alexnder's car has a small fire in the shutdown area so the driver bails out and lifts the body himself to avoid damage that would make it tough to make the semi's. The door is wide open for Robert Hight to win his fourth championship if he can beat Chad Green later in the round. If Hight loses, Hagan is the champ. 

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Before that drama unfolds in the final pair of the frame,  Tim Wilkerson takes out John Force with a 3.95 and will have semifinal lane choice over Pedregon.

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Robert Hight is 2-0 against Chad Green this season, including the Reading final round, but the Auto Club Chevy gives up the ghost at halftrack and Green storms by with a 3.97 and Matt Hagan is your 2023 Funny Car champion for Tony Stewart Racing.

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Funny Car semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Chad Green vs. Blake Alexander; Tim Wilkerson vs. Cruz Pedregon

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Kyle Korestky and Matt Hartford, two drivers who desperately want to end the 2023 season with a victory, staged one of the best races of the day with Hartford moving his GETTRX/Total Seal Camaro into the semifinals by just .007-second. Hartford, a championship challenger until late in the season, left first and ran 6.545 to hold off Koretsky’s 6.550.

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For all his success in the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, where he won a third championship this season, Aaron Stanfield has not had the year he hoped to have in Pro Stock. He’s still got a chance to bank a victory with his Janac Bros Camaro after topping Elite teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. Coughlin shook the tires and Stanfield was off to the races with a solid 6.546 for the win.

Pro Stoick semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Erica Enders vs. Matt Hartford; Greg Anderson vs. Aaron Stanfield

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Steve Johnson, who has competed in more Pro Stock Motorcycle events than anyone alive, went to the semifinals when he solidly defeated Angie Smith. Johnson left first and rode to a 6.832 to advance where he’ll face a tough task against newly crowned world champion Gaige Herrera.

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Eddie Krawiec is still in the running for his 50th career win following a win against Marc Ingwersen. Krawiec, who hasn't won since the 2021 U.S. Nationals, slowed to a 6.95 on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki, but needn’t have worried as Ingwersen left a red-light hanging on the starting line.

Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Gaige Herrera vs. Steve Johnson;  Hector Arana Jr. vs. Eddie Krawiec

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Doug Kalitta assured that the Top Fuel championship will not be decided until the final round, beating Justin Ashley with a 3.72, meaning a final-round clash with the other two championship contenders, points leader Steve Torrence and Leah Pruett, who will go next.

And we are guaranteed a new first-time champion as Pruett defeats Torrence, 3.71 to 3.76. Pruett, who has won championships in Factory Stock and NHRA's Hot Rod Heritage Series, will be looking for her first pro championship while Kalitta, a six-time championship runner-up, is hoping to finally, mercifully, get his first. Pruett will have lane choice.

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A round after helping decide the championship, Chad Green will get another shot at his first Funny car event win after beating Balek Alexander in a 3.961 to 3.960 holeshot win that was not all that close after Alexander missed the Tree.

Tim Wilkerson drives away from Cruz Pedregon in the other half of the semifinals which means an -intra-family battle between Tim Wilkerson and his son, Daniel, who is the crew chief for Green. Tim has lane choice.

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Erica Enders accomplished her main objective when she clinched her sixth Pro Stock world championship in round one, but she came up short in her quest to finish the season with a victory. Enders shook the tires in her semifinal round against Matt Hartford, who advanced to the final with a solid 6.549.

Hartford, who already has three wins this season, will take on Aaron Stanfield in the final round. Stanfield, in search of his first Pro Stock victory of the season, got a break when low qualifier Greg Anderson fouled. Anderson ran a 6.506, but came up shot against Stanfield’s 6.560.  Stanfield moved to fourth with the victory and if Hartford wins the final, he’ll pass Anderson for second place by just three points

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The Pro Stock Motorcycle final round will feature Vance & Hines teammates Gaige Herrera and Eddie Krawiec for the fifth time this season. Herrera, who clinched the title yesterday but is chasing history with the potential of an 11th win this season, has a big advantage with a 6.713 elapsed time in his semifinal win against Steve Johnson.

Krawiec is a tenth behind with a 6.819, which was enough to stop Hector Arana Jr., and his GETTRX Buell. Arana Jr. rode to a 6.880.

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LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES RESULTS

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Hunter Green def. Kim Parker

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Sean Bellemeur def. Shane Westerfield

COMP
Ralph Van Paepeghem def. Brandon Huhtala

SUPER STOCK
Wyatt Wagner def. Kyle Rizzoli

STOCK
Leo Glasbrenner def. Clifton Hanson

SUPER COMP
John Labbous Jr. def. Cooper Chun

SUPER GAS
Steve Williams def. Greg Ventura

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP DRAGSTER
Grant Durie def. Al Kenny

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN
Bryan Warr def. Richard Okerman

Full results story here:
https://www.nhra.com/news/2023/finally-kalitta-prevails-winner-take-all-final-green-stanfield-and-herrera-also-claim