Grisel, Gordon lead Sportsman winners at NHRA Northwest Nationals
![Casey Grisel](/sites/default/files/styles/news_gallery_big_image_920x518/public/2024-07/tad.jpg?itok=RYn9XzFn)
In addition to the Mission Food Drag Racing Series action at the NHRA Northwest Nationals, 10 winners were also crowned in Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition at Pacific Raceways.
Casey Grisel scored his long-awaited first national event win in Top Alcohol Dragster in the car tuned by legendary A/Fuel guru Jerry Darien. Grisel defeated two-time defending event champ Jackie Fricke in the final, beating her on a holeshot, 5.25 to 5.23 for the breakthrough win. [video]
Maddi Gordon made NHRA history as the 100th different woman to win an NHRA national event. The rookie driver, daughter of three-time Top Alcohol Funny Car world champ Doug Gordon, defeated Brian Hough for the momentous victory. [video]
Second-generation Northwest Comp racer Ryan Warter collected his third national event win and his second at his home track when he defeated Dustin Lee in the final round. Warter, whose first career win also came in Seattle, in Stock, ran (-.45) 8.54 after Lee fouled in the final round. [video]
Brad Burton greatly improved his odds of winning the Super Stock world title following a win at his home track, Pacific Raceways. Burton defeated fellow world champ Jody Lang in the final with a 8.385 on his 9.36 dial. [video]
Chris Hall claimed a third national event win by beating Joe Sorensen in the Stock final. Hall got the best of the double breakout final with a 10.481 against his 10.50 dial. [video]
Seventeen years after a runner-up in Seattle in his first national event final-round appearance, Dale Green returned to get the job done in Super Comp. After wading through five tough rounds, the final was actually his easiest after multi-time winner Steve Williams was not able to make the final-round call. [video]
Super Gas winner Michael Dalrymple scored his third career national event win, all of which have come at Pacific Raceways, when he ran a near-perfect 9.909 in the final round to beat Josh Mellof. Dalrymple’s two previous wins came in 2009 (in Super Com) and in 2019 in Super Gas. [video]
After winning back-to-back in Seattle in 2007 and 2008, Jeff Jackson returned to the Super Street winner’s circle in his familiar Mustang. His final-round opponent, Francesca Ward, who won the event in 2018, came without a thousandth of a second of another win, but broke out with a 10.899 against Jackson’s 10.919. [video]
Robert Strohm added a national event win to his 2021 JEGS Allstars title in Right Trailers Top Sportsman. In the final, Strohm squeezed by John Ermish in a narrow double-breakout. [video]
Ed Olpin is now an 11-time national event winner after Kacee Bootsma red-lighted in the final of Right Trailers Top Dragster. Olpin previously won in Top Sportsman and Super Gas. [video]