NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

TOP FUEL MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

The conditions on Saturday at Route 66 Raceway are far different from Friday. First off, there was a significant amount of rain overnight and the temperature and humidity are both on the rise meaning crew chiefs must make major adjustments. Antron Brown was first up and his Matco Tools dragster went about 200 feet before breaking the tires loose.

Will Smith launched a supercharger as soon as he hit the throttle in his Blue Bird Turf dragster while Shawn Reed went up in smoke at nearly the same instant. Smith wasn’t hurt, but the concussion of the blast was felt throughout the starting line.

It took a couple of pairs, but the fans got a show when Tony Stewart posted a 3.774 while Josh Hart, in the other lane, ran 3.800. Both drivers topped 334-mph and Hart greatly improved his position in the field following yesterday's 3.846 best.

Billy Torrence has been both quick and consistent this week and he continued with a 3.810 at 336.15 mph. Tony Schumacher also provided some consistency with a 3.879.

Leah Pruett backed up yesterday’s 3.756 with a 3.758 in what have been the most impressive run of the session.

The final round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge will feature Shane Langdon and Justin Ashley.

Langdon advanced over Clay Millican in one of the strangest races in a while. Both cars got off the starting line clean but fell silent before half track. Langdon was able to coast to the win with a 5.645.

Ashley will have lane choice after defeating Doug Kalitta with a 3.845. Ashley also got off the starting line first with a .045 light to Kalitta’s competitive .057.
 

FUNNY CAR MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

Bobby Bode did not make a run yesterday after his Arbee team struggled to diagnose and fix an oil pressure issue. Apparently, the fix worked as Bode got into the field solidly with a 4.075  at just 280-mph.

Austin Prock appeared to be making a solid run, but the Motorcraft Ford knocked the tires loose past half track and he swerved to a 4.220 at just 235.56 mph.

Jim Head and driver Spencer Hyde got a handle on the proper combination for Saturday’s conditions and were rewarded with a 3.930. Head’s assessment of the run? “We’ve had the slowest car from 330’ to 660’ and went out there and tried to smoke the tires and we even missed that.”

Cruz Pedregon also maintained a consistent pace with a 3.967 in the Snap-on Dodge. Pedregon didn’t improve on yesterday’s 3.923, but he has had one of the most consistent cars on the property. 
 
The Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge will pit Jordan Vandergriff and JFR teammate Alexis DeJoria in the final round.  

Vandergriff, the Valdosta winner, took care of business against Chad Green with a 3.977. Vandergriff also made a big move in the qualifying order after his Q2 run was disqualified after NHRA officials noticed that one of his parachutes was pinned.

DeJoria moved to the final after stopping J.R. Todd in the semifinals. 

PRO STOCK MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

Cody Anderson started off the third qualifying session with his best run of the weekend, with a 6.632 - a much better pass after yesterday’s 7-second run.

Derrick Reese is out for the weekend for undetermined reasons at the moment. Another note is that the weather started to change, with temperatures dropping and the wind picking up.

Kenny Declo has been making moves in the right direction; however, he had to shove the clutch back in around the 660-foot mark. In the right lane, Joseph Wilczek made an improvement from yesterday and made his career best runs on both ends, a 6.921 at 198.73.

Eric Latino improved on his runs from yesterday and moved up the ladder with his 6.578. Matt Hartford, who has already won two races this season, did not better his e.t. and landed on a 6.590.

Deric Kramer and his brother-in-law, Chris Vang, stayed in their respective qualifying positions.

Greg Anderson’s 60-foot speed is still plaguing him today - a 1.018 - but he still was able to hold onto the provisional No. 4 spot with his quicker e.t. from yesterday.

In the first round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Greg Stanfield left the starting line first with a .009 reaction time and also crossed the finish line first with a 6.600 at 208.01 to advance to the finals. Dallas Glenn trailed Stanfield with a 6.606 at 206.48 mph.

Erica Enders and her Elite team initiated a lane swap so that she ended up in the left lane after starting in the right, where Troy Coughlin Jr. lined up. In a great drag race, Enders’ 6.580 beats Coughlin’s 6.591 by 15 ten-thousandths of a second. Enders will have lane choice over Stanfield in an all-Team Elite final.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1/Q3

Pro Stock Motorcycle rider young gun Brayden Davis’ 6.792 helped him make a big jump from the bottom of the ladder to the top five.

Marc Ingwersen’s motorcycle died at the starting line, and he was not able to make the run. In the right lane, Kelly Clotnz made her best run of the weekend with a 6.836.

After Clayton Howey made contact with the wall yesterday, he showed up to the qualifying round with a new riding boot. He also didn’t let that phase him, as he was able to pick up speed from yesterday and break into the 200 mph range.

John Hall notched his best e.t. of the weekend with a 6.772, which bumped him up to the No. 3 qualifying spot. Following that, Ryan Oehler made another monster pass that propelled him to the second qualifying position - a 6.744 at 201.31.

The first round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge saw the Vance & Hines teammates line up against one another. Gaige Herrera won right at the starting line when Richard Gadson left too soon. Herrera clocked a 6.853 at 198.82.

Then, Matt Smith Racing teammates and husband-and-wife Matt and Angie Smith were next. Angie left the starting line first and never looked back. Her 6.744 at 200.74 mph pass beat Matt’s 6.821 at 200.56, who now sits in seventh. Angie will have lane choice over Herrera in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty final.

TOP FUEL MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

Antron Brown opened the final session with his best run of the weekend, a 3.756 in the Matco Tools entry. T.J. Zizzo also improved his spot in the field thanks to a 3.798.

Josh Hart got a loud cheer from the Route 66 Raceway crowd when he posted the first 340-mph speed in the history of the track with a 341.25 blast, connected to a 3.752 elapsed time. Crew chief David Grubnic remarked that he’d have preferred a 3.72 elapsed time while Hart chimed in and said he was aiming for Shawn Langdon’s 345-mph record noting, “We’ll get there.”

With 15 cars in the field, Doug Kalitta has secured the top spot and a round one bye run on Sunday. 

The final of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge featured Justin Ashley and Shawn Langdon, arguably the two best drivers in the class. Not surprisingly, they were separated by just three thousandths of a second on the starting line, and Langdon pulled ahead to win with a 3.770 after Ashley’s SCAG dragster pulled the tires loose.

FUNNY CAR MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

It didn’t take long for the final Funny Car session to deliver drama as Chris King lit the tires and narrowly avoided an encounter with the Route 66 retaining wall. King missed contact (by inches) but will be a part of Sunday’s final eliminations.

Daniel Wilkerson and his father, Tim, overcame a clutch issue to get down the track with a 3.993 while Matt Hagan also tuned up for eliminaitons with a 3.999.

The field got progressively quicker as the session went on with Chad Green running 3.952 and Blake Alexander turning in a 3.978 as the skies once again turned overcast.

Austin Prock continued his progress towards contender status with a 3.920, 331.48 that surely got the attention of the rest of the field while J.R. Tood also made a full pass at 3.692.

The final round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge was a bit anticlimactic as Jordan Vandergriff, the Valdosta champ, encountered an issue with his clutch and couldn’t make the run, allowing teammate Alexis DeJoria to solo for the win. DeJoria shook the tires and shut off, but nevertheless earned the title.

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PRO STOCK MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

Joe Wilczek struggled to keep his JacquiWilczekHomes.com Pro Stock Mustang lit and had to be pushed back off the starting line. He will start race day from the No. 15 position.

Cody Anderson made a 400-hundredths-of-a-second improvement to his final qualifying pass at 6.590, which was his best of the weekend, but it will only net him one spot up on the qualifying sheet.

Reigning Pro Stock champ Dallas Glenn will have to settle for the No. 11 qualifying spot as he wasn’t able to better his e.t. in the final round of qualifying, which has been a bit uncharacteristic for the RAD Torque Systems team.

Greg Anderson was looking more like himself with his 6.553 - the same e.t. he clocked in Q2 and will settle for the No. 4 spot heading into race day.

Erica Enders sealed the deal in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge by three thousandths of a second over Greg Stanfield. Even though Stanfield left with a .003 reaction time, Enders was able to race around him to a 6.563 to Stanfield’s 6.585. Enders will also collect the No. 1 qualifier award, one she hasn’t secured since 2024 in St. Louis.

“Chicago means an awful lot to me, and when we rolled off the trailer this weekend, something just felt different,” Enders said after her win at the top end.

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE MISSION CHALLENGE FINAL/Q4

Not once, but twice during this session, motorcycle chains were dispatched. Wesley Wells lost the chain off his Ray Skillman Auto Group Pro Stock bike around 660-feet downtrack. Chase Van Sant also lost his chain about half track.

Jianna Evaristo’s qualifying struggles continued to plague her, and this time, she had to immediately abort her final run as her Scrappers Racing bike started to wobble. Her 6.847 from Q2 will have to carry her into race day.

Clayton Howey made his best pass of the weekend with his 6.823, which shuffled the ladder around to land him in the No. 8 spot.

In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge final, Gaige Herrera picked up the win on a holeshot against Angie Smith. However, Angie made the quickest run of the weekend with a 6.726 and will secure the No. 1 qualifier position.