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  • Capps, Pruett, Stanfield and Matt Smith win Pomona Nationals

    Capps, Pruett, Stanfield and Matt Smith win Pomona Nationals

    The famous NHRA WinterNationals held in Pomona, California, took place this past weekend thanks to some rescheduling done by NHRA officials and Los Angeles county. The originally scheduled date this past February was postponed due to COVID-19.

    When NHRA returned to Pomona, victory lane saw some familiar faces and saw some first-time 2021 winners. Both Don Schumacher Racing drivers, Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), grabbed their elusive victories in the finals Sunday afternoon. It was Capps’s 67th win and Pruett’s ninth victory of her career.

    Funny Car

    Ron Capps began his weekend earning his 29th No. 1 qualifier following the three rounds of qualifying Saturday night. The No. 1 qualifier was his third of the season and his second consecutive qualifier following Sonoma last weekend.

    With a run of 3.941 seconds and 321.35 mph, the NAPA Auto Parts driver was squared up with No. 16 qualifier Bobby Bode in the first round. Capps advanced running an ET of 4.020 seconds and 309.77 mph to face Funny Car Championship Points leader Bob Tasca in the second round.

    Capps won again over Tasca posting a time of 4.151 seconds and 296.50 mph that would see him in his 107th semi-final appearance racing against NHRA legend John Force. Both drivers got off the starting line, but the semi-final win went to Capps who would face Kalitta Motorsports driver, JR Todd.

    Todd had victories over Jeff Diehl, Robert Hight and Jim Campbell which set him up for a match-up with Capps.

    Todd got off the staging lane first before Capps in the finals, but Capps rallied ahead of Todd just barely for the victory as the cylinders began to go out on the NAPA Auto Parts/Gearwrench Dodge.

    “I was hoping a win was coming,” Capps said. “This team, time and time again, they’ve given me one of the coolest cars to drive and this (weekend) was one of the most extreme conditions we’ve ever had. To do it at Pomona in the summer, with all my friends and family here, I can’t even tell you how amazing it is. We’re going to have a blast (celebrating).”

    Todd’s runner-up finish was the 19th of his Funny Car career.

    “We didn’t run spectacular, but we ran good enough to get to the final,” said Todd. “We had a problem dropping cylinders today and that’s what cost us in the final. I’m just glad to get there. The Western Swing was a struggle until we got to Pomona and then the track was real tricky this weekend. So hats off to Todd Smith, Jon Oberhofer and all of the DHL Toyota guys who made it happen today. I just wish we could have gotten a win to finish off the Swing, but all in all, it was a good points day.”

    “We did ourselves some good today, so it definitely shows that we’re back in the hunt,” said Todd. “We just need to stay consistent in starts and qualifying, then go to the later rounds on race day. That’s where we’ve been lacking and today we made that up.”

    Funny Car Results

    1. Ron Capps
    2. J.R. Todd
    3. Jim Campbell
    4. John Force
    5. Robert Hight
    6. Bob Tasca III
    7. Cruz Pedregon
    8. Alexis DeJoria
    9. Matt Hagan
    10. Bobby Bode
    11. Blake Alexander
    12. Jeff Diehl
    13. Tim Wilkerosn
    14. Paul Lee
    15. Terry Haddock
    16. Jason Rupert

    Funny Car Championship Points Standings

    1. Ron Capps, 734 points
    2. Bob Tasca III, -5
    3. John Force, -36
    4. Robert Hight, -37
    5. Matt Hagan, -45
    6. J.R. Todd, -57
    7. Alexis DeJoria, -102
    8. Tim Wilkerson, -172
    9. Cruz Pedregon, -197
    10. Blake Alexander, -391

    Top Fuel

    In Top Fuel, the No. 1 qualifier wasn’t Leah Pruett but instead, it went to Brittany Force. Force qualified with a time of 3.714 seconds and 330.72 mph to put her John Force Racing dragster to the top spot. Pruett qualified second after going 3.780 seconds and 321.88 mph.

    Pruett faced Steve Chrisman in Round 1 and was victorious, defeating Chrisman with a time of 3.906 seconds and 311.77 mph. She then had a bye run in Round 2 which easily put her into a semi-final match-up with Mike Salinas. The Don Schumacher Racing driver won in the semi-final over Salinas with a time of 3.927 seconds and 311.05 mph. She was originally scheduled to race against Justin Ashley in the finals.

    Unfortunately for Ashley, he became ill and heat exhaustion took over prior to getting to the staging lane. Ashley made the decision to step out of his dragster and was unable to compete against Pruett in the finals.

    With Ashley out of the car, the finals gave Pruett another bye run and a simple victory that saw Pruett win her first race of the 2021 season.

    “This is about the perseverance of this team,” said Pruett, who moved to fourth in Top Fuel points on Sunday. “We’ve had a lot of dedication and to do this at our home track, it’s phenomenal. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with us and we dug deep. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Wally and today has just been incredible. We’re going to enjoy this.”

    Even though Ashley was unable to compete, he says he will be ready to go for Topeka in a couple of weeks.

    “These race cars are too powerful to drive if you aren’t 100 percent,” said Ashley, from his hauler after the event. “I was drinking water throughout the day but before the final round I just didn’t feel right. I talked with my crew chief Mike Green and my father (Mike Ashley) and they encouraged me to do what was in my personal best interest. There will be more races and I take this as a learning experience. I congratulate Leah and look forward to racing her in a final very soon.”

    “I want to thank the entire racing community and especially my sponsors Smart Sanitizer, Strutmasters.com, Auto Shocker and KATO Fastening Systems for the outpouring of support I received today,” added Ashley. “I especially want to thank Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett for their concern and interest in my health. I have known NHRA as my racing family for a long time but today it really showed how special our sport is and I thank everyone that stopped by, texted or posted well wishes on social media. I will be ready to go for Topeka.”

    Top Fuel Results

    1. Leah Pruett
    2. Justin Ashley
    3. Antron Brown
    4. Mike Salinas
    5. Clay Millican
    6. Brittany Force
    7. Shawn Langdon
    8. Doug Kalitta
    9. Steven Chrisman
    10. Steve Torrence
    11. Jim Maroney
    12. Brandon Welch
    13. Buddy Hull

    Top Fuel Championship Points Standings

    1. Steve Torrence, 1,014 points
    2. Antron Brown, -313
    3. Brittany Force, -389
    4. Leah Pruett, -435
    5. Shawn Langdon, -500
    6. Mike Salinas, -501
    7. Justin Ashley, -548
    8. Doug Kalitta, -560
    9. Billy Torrence, -566
    10. Clay Millican, -611

    Note – Steve Torrence has clinched a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.

    Pro Stock

    In the Pro Stock category, the finals saw a veteran facing a youngster who is making a name for himself.

    The final round match-up featured veteran and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson going up against the young Aaron Stanfield. Anderson had a bye run in the first round with victories over Chris McGaha and Kyle Koretsky. Stanfield won against Kenny Delco, Matt Hartford and four-time champion Erica Enders that put him in the final round.

    The race was a dead heat, but the victory ultimately went to Stanfield who is now victorious three times against the legendary Anderson.

    “I’ve got some great guys working on my hot rod and if I can stay doing my job behind the wheel, I think we’ve got a great shot (to compete for a championship),” Stanfield said. “To win back-to-back races, I couldn’t have dreamed of this. It’s cool to race against Greg and that milestone he’s trying to accomplish, but I’m glad we got him stopped today.”

    Anderson had to settle for his 67th runner-up finish.

    I”t’s everybody that works on this KB Racing team and all the support we get from the folks at Hendrick, Summit and Chevy,” Anderson said about the runner-up finish. “Can’t thank them enough. I’ve got a great car, but I need to win more, no question about that. I’ve got an opportunity to win at every race I go to, and that’s something you don’t get every year. I expect I’ll have that the rest of the year, but I still have to make it pay off, I have to get the job done on Sunday. Even though I’ve had these No. 1 qualifiers, we’re talking about a half a hundredth (of a second) or a few thousandths; it’s not a huge gap. Anyone can win, and it all comes down to that starting line and how good a job the guys do with the car on Sunday. Out of the 16 cars, legitimately 14 to 16 of them can win, and every round is like the final round anymore, and anybody can beat anybody. So that’s great, the class is fantastic. It makes it hard to win. And I feel great that I’ve got a great car, but you have to have everything else perfect, too; the driver’s got to be perfect, the car’s got to be perfect, and the engine’s got to be perfect, too.”

    Pro Stock Results

    1. Aaron Stanfield
    2. Greg Anderson
    3. Erica Enders
    4. Kyle Koretsky
    5. Troy Coughlin Jr
    6. Aaron Strong
    7. Chris McGaha
    8. Matt Hartford
    9. Dallas Glenn
    10. Val Smeland
    11. Kenny Delco
    12. Alan Prusiensky
    13. Deric Kramer
    14. Rob Tucker
    15. Mason McGaha

    Pro Stock Championship Points Standings

    1. Greg Anderson, 832 points
    2. Aaron Stanfield, -147
    3. Erica Enders, -184
    4. Matt Hartford, -266
    5. Dallas Glenn, -308
    6. Kyle Koretsky, -311
    7. Mason McGaha, -314
    8. Troy Coughlin Jr, -344
    9. Deric Kramer, -345
    10. Chris McGaha, -475

    Note – Following today’s race, Greg Anderson clinched a spot in the Countdown to the Championship.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle

    Despite losing out last week in Sonoma in the second round, Matt Smith returned to victory lane for the fourth time this season in just eight races and the 30th of his career.

    Smith qualified No. 1 for the third time in 2021 and the 46th of his career by posting an ET of 6.760 seconds and 201.91 mph. He ended up having a bye run in Round 1 but wound up facing his wife Angie Smith in the second round. He was victorious there as he went 6.838 seconds and 199.82 mph to advance to the semi-finals.

    In the semi-finals, Smith faced Scotty Pollacheck and emerged to the finals after going 6.919 seconds and 197.31 mph to face Angelle Sampey.

    Sampey was set to face James Underdahl in the first round but had a bye run instead that easily put her in the second round. She won over Joey Gladstone in Round 2 and Eddie Krawiec in the semis for her 75th final round appearance.

    The victory went to Smith who posted an ET of 6.828 seconds and 199.52 mph over Sampey’s 6.911 seconds and 173.96 mph run.

    “It was hot out there and that was the biggest thing, just fighting the track with it being this hot,” said Smith, who now has 30 career wins. “But we got it done, qualified No. 1 and were almost low every round. I knew what we had to do in the final and we laid down a great run (in the final). I can’t say enough about the people who help us. We’ve got a great team.”

    Sampey finished second and was given her 32nd runner-up finish of her career.

    Note – Matt Smith is now in the Countdown to the Championship after clinching a spot following today’s event.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Results

    1. Matt Smith
    2. Angelle Sampey
    3. Eddie Krawiec
    4. Scotty Pollacheck
    5. Angie Smith
    6. Jerry Savoie
    7. Joey Gladstone
    8. Freddie Camarena
    9. Karen Stoffer
    10. Ryan Oehler
    11. Steve Johnson
    12. Jianna Salinas
    13. Cory Reed
    14. Andrew Hines
    15. Jim Underdahl

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship Points Standings

    1. Matt Smith, 813 points
    2. Steve Johnson, -262
    3. Scotty Pollacheck, -322
    4. Angelle Sampey, -370
    5. Ryan Oehler, -372
    6. Angie Smith, -384
    7. Karen Stoffer, -385
    8. Eddie Krawiec, -404
    9. Joey Gladstone, -424
    10. Andrew Hines, -432

    Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will take a week off before heading to Topeka, Kansas August 13-15 for the 32nd annual Heartland Menards Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park.

  • John Force, Billy Torrence and Aaron Stanfield win the New England Nationals

    John Force, Billy Torrence and Aaron Stanfield win the New England Nationals

    On a sunny Sunday afternoon in Epping, New Hampshire, the National Hot Rod Association returned to the New England Dragway for the first time in two years after skipping last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    John Force defeated Robert Hight in an all-Force final to take home his 153rd career Funny Car victory, while Billy Torrence secured his first Top Fuel victory of the 2021 season and Aaron Stanfield won over No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson in the Pro Stock finals.

    Funny Car

    The day started out hot for John Force and his PEAK/BluDef Chevrolet Camaro. After qualifying third, Force won over his first round opponent, Cory Lee, by going 4.279 seconds and 211.03 mph. The victory was almost a given for Force as Lee smoked the tires down the strip.

    In the second round, Force had a good race against Kalitta entry, J.R. Todd, to advance to the semi-final. His second run was much better as Force went 3.957 seconds and 329.19 mph to meet Terry Haddock in the semis. Haddock was having great momentum when he upset Ron Capps in the first round after Capps hazed the tires.

    As the semis approached, Force won over Haddock with an ET of 3.975 seconds and 324.83 mph to advance for his 259th career final round appearance. It was in the finals where he met his teammate Robert Hight, who won over Alexis DeJoria, Bob Tasca and Tim Wilkerson to set the seventh finals matchup between him and Force.

    When the Christmas tree went green, the two Funny Cars were nearly even before Force pulled away with the victory going 3.972 seconds and 327.51 mph over Hight’s 3.993 and 323.35 mph. The victory was Force’s second of the 2021 Funny Car season.

    “(The win) represents a team effort. You have to look at both of these cars and all the people that take care of me, that’s what it’s all about,” said Force, who has won two of the last three races this year. “Robert helps me so much trying to help me back in the driver’s seat where I don’t suck so bad and, right now, I’ve got a car and I won today, and I did my job. I want to thank all the people in Epping for coming back and I want to thank Daniel Hood for a great tune-up, and (Tim) Fabrisi for fixing the cockpit in my car.”

    In a unique twist, he won the 900th career Funny Car race as well. He was the winner of the 400th Funny Car event back at Englishtown in 1999.

    Hight scored the 31st runner-up finish of his career and his second of 2021.

    “Really wanted this one for AAA New England,” Hight said. “We all really wanted it. This crew, Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham, they worked hard. We went some rounds and got better, but not the result we wanted. You always want to be the ones winning, but I’m glad it stayed in the John Force Racing family. John’s been working hard, too. All of our teams have been and we’re dominating. That’s ultimately what you want. In Norwalk, it will be us.”

    Funny Car Championship Standings

    1 Bob Tasca III, 495
    2 John Force, 480
    3 J.R. Todd, 450
    4 Robert Hight, 423
    5 Matt Hagan, 375
    6 Ron Capps, 372
    7 Tim Wilkerson, 364
    8 Alexis DeJoria, 325
    9 Cruz Pedregon, 305
    10 Terry Haddock, 226

    Top Fuel

    You could almost say that No. 1 qualifier Billy Torrence had somewhat of an easy weekend, but the victory wasn’t all that easy for the CAPCO driver. On Saturday, he earned his fifth No. 1 qualifier and the second of the season which put him in a first-round match against Joe Morrison. Torrence got off the line first and won easily over Morrison after Morrison lost a cylinder down the track.

    With the first-round victory, Torrence was set to face Don Schumacher Racing’s Antron Brown in the second round after Brown won over Brittany Force. When Torrence and Brown faced each other, it was a straight-up drag race with nearly identical reaction times. Brown had a reaction time of .074 while Torrence’s was .073. Torrence edged Brown with the win by going 3.837 seconds and 326.79 mph to give him an automatic bye in the semi-final.

    It was in the finals where he met Mike Salinas after Salinas eliminated Torrence’s son, Steve Torrence, in the semi’s, after he smoked the tires.

    Like the semi-final, the Top Fuel final proved to be another close drag race as Billy Torrence won by .002 seconds over Salinas to win his first elusive victory of the year.

    “Another great job by the Capco boys,” Torrence said. “It would have been great to race my ‘ol man in an all-Capco final round but hats off to Mike Salinas and that Scrappers team. We just didn’t have anything for them in the semis but, thanks to Billy
    and the boys, we’re taking another one of these little gold men (a reference to the NHRA “Wally” trophy awarded to event winners) back home to Kilgore.”

    With Billy Torrence and John Force taking home victories in the Funny Car and Top Fuel class, Sunday marked the first time in quite some time in either class competition that there was no Don Schumacher Racing driver in victory lane at the New England Dragway. Matt Hagan had won the past three consecutive Funny Car races. However, he was eliminated by Tim Wilkerson in round two, ending his New England Nationals hot streak.

    Top Fuel Standings

    1 Steve Torrence, 606
    2 Antron Brown, 444
    3 Billy Torrence, 391
    4 Shawn Langdon, 354
    5 Brittany Force, 341
    6 Doug Kalitta, 330
    7 Justin Ashley, 283
    8 Josh Hart, 278
    9 Clay Millican, 270
    10 Leah Pruett, 267

    Pro Stock

    No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson was looking to make Sunday a very special day up in the northeast. He set the No. 1 qualifier for the 111th time in his career on Saturday and was eager to not only give a Wally to Mr. Hendrick but also tie legendary Pro Stock driver Warren Johnson on the All-time career win list.

    Anderson was poised to do just that with victories over John Gaydosh in round one, Troy Coughlin Jr. in round two and Matt Hartford in the semi-finals, to give Anderson his 161st final round appearance. But, he had another competitor who was also looking to make a name for himself, Aaron Stanfield.

    Stanfield qualified third on Saturday and faced Alan Prusiensky in the first round. He won with a time of 6.562 seconds and 210.28 mph to help him advance to a round two match up with Richie Stevens. Stanfield secured the second round victory over Stevens going 6.583 seconds and 209.52 mph to see a semi-final appearance for just the third time in his career against competitor, Mason McGaha.

    The semi-final was a close race with Stanfield having a reaction time of .051 and McGaha a .056 reaction time. The action was really close but ultimately Stanfield got the semi-final victory after putting down a pace of 6.595 seconds and 209.59 mph to meet Anderson in the final round.

    As the finals were set, the two got off the starting line with Stanfield having a quicker reaction time of .037 over Anderson’s .066. The times were still close as both drivers were having a good drag race for the victory. Eventually, Stanfield got the best of Anderson with an ET of 6.576 seconds and 209.88 mph over Anderson’s 6.577 seconds. The victory for Stanfield was the second of his career in just his 27th start.

    “It’s been a lot of hard work from all the guys on the team,” said Stanfield, who jumped to second in points. “They’ve been working a lot on this hot rod and I’ve been trying to do my best to do my job behind the wheel. It all gelled together today. Getting to race somebody you grew up watching do well over the years, it’s cool to race him and beat him, so we’re happy.”

    Anderson will have to wait another day after nabbing his 65th career runner-up finish, his first of the season.

    “I’ll be honest, this is not a good feeling, but the only thing we can do is learn from it and do better next time. The good news is that our HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro is the best race horse out here,” said Anderson. “It’s hard to smile right now, but a day like today just drives you to do better. I’m definitely looking forward to redemption.”

    Pro Stock Standings

    1. Greg Anderson, 543

    2. Aaron Stanfield, 438

    3. Mason McGaha, 402

    4. Deric Kramer, 390

    5. Erica Enders, 388

    6. Matt Hartford, 373

    7. Dallas Glenn, 343

    8. Troy Coughlin Jr, 321

    9. Kyle Koretsky, 312

    10. Chris McGaha, 240

    Final Results

    TOP FUEL:

    1. Billy Torrence; 2. Mike Salinas; 3. Steve Torrence; 4. Leah Pruett; 5. Antron Brown; 6. Doug Kalitta; 7. Brittany Force; 8. Justin Ashley; 9. Shawn Langdon; 10. Clay Millican; 11. Joe Morrison; 12. Buddy Hull.

    FUNNY CAR:

    1. John Force; 2. Robert Hight; 3. Terry Haddock; 4. Tim Wilkerson; 5. Matt Hagan; 6. J.R. Todd; 7. Bob Tasca III; 8. Cruz Pedregon; 9. Jim Campbell; 10. Ron Capps; 11. Alexis DeJoria; 12. Cory Lee; 13. Blake Alexander.

    PRO STOCK:

    1. Aaron Stanfield; 2. Greg Anderson; 3. Mason McGaha; 4. Matt Hartford; 5. Erica Enders; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 7. Dallas Glenn; 8. Richie Stevens; 9. Kyle Koretsky; 10. Chris McGaha; 11. Val Smeland; 12. Bob Benza; 13. John Gaydosh Jr; 14. Kenny Delco; 15. Alan Prusiensky; 16. Deric Kramer.

    Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will take next weekend off before heading back on the road for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio on Sunday, June 27.