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  • DeJoria, Salinas, Sampey collect wins at Bristol Thunder Valley Nationals

    DeJoria, Salinas, Sampey collect wins at Bristol Thunder Valley Nationals

    On a cool, but sunny afternoon at Bristol Motor Dragway, the Thunder Valley Nationals were held and we saw veterans return to the winner circle.

    Alexis DeJoria in Funny Car, Mike Salinas in Top Fuel and Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle all won in their respective categories.

    Funny Car

    It’s been four years since Alexis DeJoria has been in victory lane and she was looking to change that this weekend at Bristol. She began on Saturday afternoon by locking in the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2016. Thanks to her No. 1 spot and a short field of 14 drivers, DeJoria lined up in a Round 1 matchup against No. 14 qualifier, Paul Lee.

    DeJoria was victorious in her first-round victory after going 4.030 seconds and 269.83 mph as Lee’s Funny Car’s cylinders went out early following the launch. By winning the first round, DeJoria had an easy quarterfinal victory as she had a solo run. Her Funny Car powered to a time of 3.931 seconds and a 321.04 mph pass.

    In the semi-finals, she met John Force Racing’s Robert Hight after Hight had victories over Cory Lee in Round 1 and Bob Tasca III in Round 2. However, Hight lost to DeJoria as DeJoria went 3.904 seconds and 327.74 mph over Hight’s 3.934 seconds and 329.10 mph. As a result, DeJoria would make her second final round appearance of 2021 and she was set to face J.R. Todd.

    J.R. Todd in his DHL Toyota Camry had an interesting day. He had a first-round match with then Funny Car points leader, Matt Hagan. Todd eliminated Hagan early with a time of 3.924 seconds at 324.90 mph compared to Hagan’s 3.958 seconds and 326.16 mph run. Hagan lost the championship points lead due to his first-round loss.

    Afterward, Todd faced John Force, the all-time leader on the wins list, in the quarterfinals. He won again with a time of 3.916 seconds at 328.78 mph. Then, in the semis, Todd squared up against Ron Capps (current Funny Car Points leader). Todd won over Capps when Capps’ win was disallowed after Capps’ machine hit the cylinder block and was disqualified.

    For the finals, the temperature was 62 degrees and Todd had a slight advantage over DeJoria being 5-2. However, DeJoria had a picture-perfect final-round win and was clearly ahead of Todd all the way to the finish line. She scored her first career victory since 2017 at Brainerd and had a reaction time of .002.

    “I was hungry and I know that feeling,” DeJoria said. “I was just happy to be there and I believed I was going to win. It’s one of the biggest wins of my career. Coming back after two years off, getting to work with my mentor and friend (Del Worsham), being able to do this, it’s huge. It’s just been a roller-coaster and it takes a toll on you.

    “It’s very humbling, but I was just ready to win. I was calm and just excited, and when I’m in that headspace I do my best. This is definitely one of my favorite tracks and it’s just beautiful here. I just love it.”

    Todd’s second-place finish was the fourth runner-up finish of the season and the 21st of his career.

    “There is nothing I would have done differently in that final,” said Todd. “You are not going to beat a .002 light and a 3.92 on the race track. That is unbelievable. All in all, a great day for the Yella Fellas. It just shows what kind of team I have behind me with everything that has gone on the last three races. It was a good points day, but I just wanted that one bad. The kind of day we had today is the day you dream about as a driver, and I just want to finish it off. There is nothing we could have done differently in the final.”

    Funny Car Results

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

    Funny Car Championship Points Standings

    1. Ron Capps, 2,490 points
    2. Matt Hagan, -1
    3. J.R. Todd, -83
    4. Cruz Pedregon, -101
    5. John Force, -101
    6. Bob Tasca III, -147
    7. Robert Hight, -153
    8. Alexis DeJoria, -171
    9. Tim Wilkerson, -241
    10. Blake Alexander, -306

    Top Fuel

    With the exception of 2020 when the race was canceled due to COVID, Mike Salinas claimed back-to-back victories at the Thunder Valley Nationals. The victory, though, wasn’t easy as he faced last week’s runner-up, Steve Torrence.

    Salinas qualified in the second position and faced Antron Brown in the first round. The Scrappers Racing machine had the advantage over Brown, as Salinas went 3.672 seconds and 334.32 mph for the first-round victory. During their race, Brown’s cylinder went out and Salinas got the win.

    In the quarterfinals, Salinas was set to face No. 8 qualifier Clay Millican after Millican won over Josh Hart. Millican was eliminated by Salinas who had a time of 3.707 seconds at 326.63 mph, to set up a semi-final matchup with Brittany Force.

    Force managed her way into the semis with victories over Lex Joon in Round 1 and Spencer Massey in the quarterfinal. Woefully, Force’s day ended early as Salinas won with an ET of 3.698 seconds and 330.55 mph to advance to the finals as Force’s car went up in smoke in the right lane.

    Torrence, on the other hand, was looking to bounce back from a runner-up finish at Dallas.

    The Kilgore, Texas native in his CAPCO machine was the No. 1 qualifier heading into Sunday for a first-round race with Cameron Ferre. Torrence won with a time of 3.729 seconds at 328.38 mph over Ferre. The first-round victory was an important one for Torrence as the victory set him up for a solo run in the second round.

    With an easy victory in the second round, Torrence had a Dallas final rematch in the semis against Justin Ashley. This time around, Torrence returned the favor and won over Ashley with a run of 3.677 seconds and 331.69 mph to face Salinas in the finals.

    While it looked as though Torrence might claim the victory over Salinas, the Texas native smoked the tires and saw Salinas take the win for the third time in his career to snap a two-year winless streak.

    “It’s a great facility and I’m glad they welcome us here,” Salinas said. “This track loves me. I met so many nice people over the years here. We’ve got a great team, and all the parts and pieces, and I think I threw away 3-4 races at the beginning of the year trying to get my routine down. It’s hard when you’re running with all these guys, but I got a lot of help and I’ve made some big improvements. These guys in this class, they’re awesome. They cut good lights I found something that works perfectly for me and I think we’re getting there. I just try to race my lane and that’s it.”

    Torrence’s runner-up finish was his third of the season and the 25th of his career.

    “Mike has really stepped up his game this year,” Torrence said about the man who ruined his otherwise perfect weekend. “I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him and for Alexis (DeJoria, whose Sunday Funny Car win was her first since 2017). They’re both great people and those are both independent teams.

    “Fortunately, we won rounds again today,” he said. “Richard Hogan and Bobby
    Lagana, they worked their magic and got us to another final round, so we’ll just move on to Vegas and get ready for another street fight. This thing’s going right to the end (at the season-ending Auto Club Finals at Pomona, Calif.).”

    Top Fuel Results

    1. Mike Salinas
    2. Steve Torrence
    3. Justin Ashley
    4. Brittany Force
    5. Billy Torrence
    6. Clay Millican
    7. Spencer Massey
    8. Shawn Langdon
    9. Antron Brown
    10. Cameron Ferre
    11. Doug Kalitta
    12. Leah Pruett
    13. Josh Hart
    14. Lex Joon

    Top Fuel Championship Standings

    1. Steve Torrence, 2,575 points
    2. Brittany Force, -73
    3. Justin Ashley, -147
    4. Mike Salinas, -150
    5. Billy Torrence, -218
    6. Leah Pruett, -284
    7. Clay Millican, -310
    8. Antron Brown, -323
    9. Shawn Langdon, -347
    10. Doug Kalitta, -395

    Pro Stock Motorcycle

    The Pro Stock Motorcycle class featured Angelle Sampey facing Karen Stoffer in the final round.

    Sampey qualified 13th following Saturday’s session and faced No. 4 qualifier Andrew Hines in Round 1. The Louisiana native was successful and claimed the victory when Sampey went 6.821 seconds and 195.62 mph and set the low ET of the round. She would then meet Chris Bostick in the second round and won due to Bostick’s red-light foul, and would go to the semi-finals for the third time this season.

    In the semis, Sampey met Eddie Krawiec and was 10-7 facing Krawiec. When the lights went down, Krawiec was ahead slightly over Sampey, but his bike started to move toward the wall and he began to ease off the throttle. As a result, Sampey would pull away with the victory going 6.814 seconds and 194.18 mph to face Stoffer in the final round.

    Stoffer had wins over Lance Bonham, Ron Tornow, and last week’s winner, Matt Smith, in the semis.

    Stoffer and Sampey have met before, facing each other 21 times in their careers. But Sampey had the upper hand with nine more victories over Stoffer entering into the final round.

    During the final, Sampey easily got out ahead first in front of Stoffer. Stoffer tried making up ground toward Sampey but she went on to win for the second time this season on a holeshot with a .010 reaction time compared to Stoffer’s .029.

    “I’ve been out here for so long, I’ve really learned to appreciate everything I get now,” Sampey said. “When I win a race, the emotions are 100 percent genuine because it’s a task to get it done. To get four round wins is really tough and it means so much to me. I love this sport so much and this team just works so hard. This mission was to catch back up in the points race and we made it happen. It was a fantastic day and it would be great to get the No. 1 back on the motorcycle.”

    Stoffer earned her first runner-up of the year and the 15th of his career.

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Results

    1. Angelle Sampey
    2. Karen Stoffer
    3. Matt Smith
    4. Eddie Krawiec
    5. Scotty Pollacheck
    6. Kelly Clontz
    7. Ron Tornow
    8. Chris Bostick
    9. Andrew Hines
    10. Joey Gladstone
    11. Charles Poskey
    12. Lance Bonham
    13. Ryan Oehler
    14. Steve Johnson
    15. Angie Smith

    Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship Standings

    1. Matt Smith, 2,451 points
    2. Angelle Sampey, -25
    3. Steve Johnson, -56
    4. Eddie Krawiec, -111
    5. Scotty Pollacheck, -160
    6. Karen Stoffer, -201
    7. Joey Gladstone, -216
    8. Angie Smith, -226
    9. Andrew Hines, -274
    10. Ryan Oehler, -301

    Up Next: The NHRA Camping World Drag Series will take a week off before returning on October 29th-31st for the Las Vegas Nationals.

  • Tasca and Salinas set current No. 1 provisional at Brainerd

    Tasca and Salinas set current No. 1 provisional at Brainerd

    For the first time in two years, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) returned to Brainerd International Raceway located in Brainerd, Minnesota after last year’s cancellation due to COVID-19. In this year’s event, there are only two professional classes of racing that include Funny Car and Top Fuel. There are no Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycles.

    Funny Car

    After holding the top of the points standings for eight straight weeks, Bob Tasca III has dipped to fourth in the championship points standings following a quarterfinal loss to Ron Capps in Pomona and a first-round loss to John Force Racing’s Robert Hight. Looking to bounce back from a few weeks of disappointment, Tasca III returned on Friday hoping to set the pace in qualifying.

    The Motorcraft/Quicken Lane Ford did just that in the first round of qualifying when Tasca III posted a time of 3.941 seconds and 326.63 mph to set the provisional No. 1 qualifier. In addition, Tasca III gained three additional bonus points for his effort. Should he hang on to the No. 1 qualifier spot, it will be Tasca’s seventh No. 1 qualifier of his career and the second of the season.

    “We came in here trying to run low 3.90s and the speed is good, and we knew we had to really step on it to make the power you need to go out here and run these numbers,” Tasca said. “Tomorrow is a whole different ballgame. The temperatures are going to drop and this Motorcraft car is going to have to go out there and run even harder tomorrow. But this is a good way to start the weekend.”

    However, he’ll have his work cut out for him as a cold front will sweep across the area tonight and bring cooler temperatures for the rest of the qualifying rounds.

    Last week’s winner and current Funny Car Championship Points leader John Force laid down a time of 3.968 seconds and 322.42 mph. This weekend’s race will mark Force’s 801st career start in Funny Car. If Force goes all four rounds, the final round will be the 2,000th round elimination of his illustrious career.

    “Good day today,” Force, the Topeka, Kansas winner, said. “Avoided the rain, got the car down clean. It’s a great car. Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi have this PEAK Chevy under control. Now I just have to do my job. Loved seeing all the fans in the sands. It was a good session, pretty much everyone made it down, so we put on a show. We’ve got two more runs tomorrow to set us up for race day, so we’ll see how it goes.”

    Funny Car Qualifying Rd. 1 Results

    1. Bob Tasca III, 3.941 and 326.63 mph
    2. Alexis DeJoria, 3.963 and 297.22 mph
    3. John Force, 3.968 and 322.42 mph
    4. J.R. Todd, 3.970 and 321.73 mph
    5. Robert Hight, 3.971 and 307.22 mph
    6. Cruz Pedregon, 3.995 and 318.47 mph
    7. Blake Alexander, 3.995 and 315.78 mph
    8. Paul Lee, 4.004 and 320.43 mph
    9. Tim Wilkerson, 4.031 and 318.24 mph
    10. Matt Hagan, 4.173 and 237.63 mph
    11. Jim Campbell, 4.230 and 238.38 mph
    12. Dale Creasy Jr, 4.241 seconds and 251.2 mph
    13. Ron Capps, 4.385 seconds and 202.15 mph
    14. Gary Densham, 10.234 seconds and 89.22 mph

    Top Fuel

    Top Fuel qualifying certainly had some interesting results following their initial qualifying run Friday afternoon, which featured the return of T.J. Zizzo.

    Zizzo was making his first Top Fuel start in 10 months and had a solo run in qualifying. Zizzo put a time of 3.861 seconds and 317.87 mph.

    “It feels great,” Zizzo said about making his Top Fuel return at Brainerd. “You gotta remember, I haven’t done this (driven a Top Fuel car) for 10 months. We have a crosswind here and we’re trying new things, so they just made it easy for me. We went straight down the groove, no issues once so ever. The car went a little right when I went past the grandstands, but I think that worked out well as I went down the racetrack. It feels great to stand on the gas in one of these things (Top Fuel dragster).”

    With Zizzo having a good solid run in his first race back, the current No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel is Team Scrappers Mike Salinas. Salinas and the Scrappers Racing team set a time of 3.752 seconds and 326.08 mph that put the San Jose, California native at the top of the board.

    “It was windy but our guys know what they’re doing,” said Salinas, who has two career victories. “It was a nice, smooth, clean (run) and a good start to the weekend. I think we’ll be just fine. I think it has a lot more left in it, too. I think there’s a 3.72, 3.73 out there.”

    Should Salinas’ time stand following two more rounds of qualifying Saturday, the No. 1 qualifier will be his seventh of his Top Fuel career and the first of the season.

    Topeka winner Brittany Force had her eyes set for the top spot, but unfortunately, her Monster Energy dragster slowed right before the finish line and set a time of 3.813 and 286.98 mph that put the California native fourth on the leaderboard. Fortunately for Force, she’ll have two more rounds to improve on her time.

    “First qualifying pass here in Brainerd and our Monster Energy Flav-R-Pac team ran a 3.81. We had holes out and I lifted before the 1,000-foot but it secured us the No. 4 spot for the evening,” Force said. “The track conditions should be good tomorrow with temps cooling down. Looking forward to improving and stepping it up tomorrow.”

    Top Fuel Qualifying Rd. 1 Results

    1. Mike Salinas, 3.752 and 326.08 mph
    2. Leah Pruett, 3.789 and 319.9 mph
    3. Justin Ashley, 3.807 and 323.74 mph
    4. Brittany Force, 3.813 and 286.98 mph
    5. Shawn Langdon, 3.851 and 298.01 mph
    6. T.J. Zizzo, 3.861 and 317.87 mph
    7. Antron Brown, 3.912 and 283.61 mph
    8. Doug Kalitta, 4.258 and 199.14 mph
    9. Steve Torrence, 4.751 and 149.91 mph

    Qualifying continues Saturday afternoon with two more rounds before setting the field for Sunday’s eliminations. The second round takes place at 2 p.m. and the final round at 5:15 p.m. Central Time and can be seen live on NHRA.TV with a subscription.