2022 NHRA U.S. Nationals Race Was One for the Ages

Despite rain delays, the 2022 U.S. Nationals still pulled off an epic week of challenges, Callouts and a victory for Ron Capps, plus so much more.

NHRA’s U.S. Nationals are the biggest and most eventful race on the calendar. Something unexpected always happens and this year’s 69th Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals delivered on all fronts. As is customary, there was a weather delay of game due to rain at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP), but this year, it was at the close of five sessions of qualifying, denying only some racers the ability to change their positions prior to Monday eliminations.

This really is a week-long affair as teams usually arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday and set up to race, with Lucas Oil competitors on it from Wednesday through Monday. There are always special events that make this race even more special. The Dodge HEMI Challenge took place for the 21st time this year and Steven Comella earned his second straight victory. The Pep Boys Callout for Top Fuel was completed after being rained out in Gainesville last March and Steve Torrence took home the winner’s $80,000 on Saturday.

Pep Boys smartly decided to conduct a Callout for Funny Car – and that Sunday race landed in Ron Capps’ corner. Capps has been trying to win at Indy since he started in Funny Car with Don “Snake” Prudhomme’s team back in 1997. His wife, Shelley, has a birthday around the time of the Nationals and that means the whole family comes out. For 24 years they’ve been disappointed, close but never taking home the coveted Wally trophy from this race.

That changed. Ron Capps won the Funny Car Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout, in addition to taking the No. 1 qualifying spot, and then surviving four rounds of eliminations to earn his way to this long-desired victory. Had someone thought about it, they would have brought a broom to the Winner’s Circle. This result from a team that didn’t exist a year ago – actually they did, but under the auspices of Don Schumacher Racing, not Ron Capps Motorsport, and was built in a few short months, lost their manufacturer support from Stellantis and gained manufacturer support from Toyota – giving that brand their first three victories for the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car.

Nothing is easy for a new team, even one as experienced as Ron Capps Motorsports, led by Dean “Guido” Antonelli and mad scientist, John Medlen. After Capps’ Friday run resulted in disqualification after a wall smack, they had to pull out the spare car and fit it for Saturday’s two sessions, Sunday’s two sessions and four rounds of eliminations on Sunday. It was the same body Capps used for his first two wins this year. There were engine swaps involved, but since there is no “i” in the word “team,” they got it together and kept it together. Capps drove one round at a time and gave Shelley the birthday gift she’d been hoping and waiting for.

One of Capps’ goals this past weekend was to move ahead of Matt Hagan in the standings, knowing six-race winner Robert Hight was untouchable for the No. 1 after the regular season was completed. With points-and-a-half on offer, he was able to do that, and deny the Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham-led Chevrolet Camaro SS from John Force Racing Hight’s 60th national event win. The satisfaction was palpable.

Toyota, too, needed a broom for the weekend in the race itself and in the Pep Boys Top Fuel and Funny Car Callout races within the U.S. Nationals. Steve Torrence won Saturday’s Top Fuel Callout over top qualifier and track record holder Brittany Force. The following day, Capps beat Hagan, his former teammate at Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) who is now driving a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for Tony Stewart Racing. And on Sunday, another new team owner, who had planned to start his eponymous squad before the pandemic messed up those plans, Antron Brown and his AB Motorsports earned victory over Brittany Force, who lost two big races this weekend, despite her great overall speed and low E.T.s.

Brown’s victory, his second this season, came after he vanquished Gatornationals winner Tripp Tatum III, four-time and reigning champion Steve Torrence, always-threatening Justin Ashley and Force. This was Brown’s second U.S. Nationals victory in Top Fuel – he’s also notched two victories in Pro Stock Motorcycle – and the third time he’s put Force on the trailer in their three meetings this year. “That was a tough round against Brittany,” Brown admitted, “but it was really tough winning the semifinals against Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect team.”

Brown and his Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald-led team, most of whom came with him from DSR made a big step up for the semifinals and Brown made his quickest run of the long weekend and second-quickest o the season, a 3.698 at 329.99, while Ashley turned a 3.714. As he joined Capps in the Winners Circle, Brown noted, “We’ve always talked about it, if we can get in that winner’s circle together, that’s going to be a special moment. To do it at the U.S. Nationals, you can’t ask for a bigger present.” To follow this victory, Brown heads for Washington, D.C. to convince congress to pass the RPM Act that will allow racers to continue building race cars from street-going vehicles.

Pro Stock went to Greg Anderson, the five-time champ who’s been waiting since last November to take his 100th victory after notching No. 99 in Pomona at the season finale. The No. 1 qualifier, his relief was palpable. Anderson was joined in the Winners Circle by five-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith. Smith raced his trusty Buell to the win over Karen Stoffer and will continue with it during the Countdown while he tries to figure out the clutch on his new Suzuki. This is not the time of year to be testing the logistics of a clutch, when a sixth title is on the line.

As expected, the standings changed with this race. Top Fuel’s top-10 playoff contestants are Brittany Force, Mike Salinas, Justin Ashley, Steve Torrence, Josh Hart, Antron Brown, Leah Pruett, Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta and Tony Schumacher, who was out in the first round. Funny Car has Robert Hight, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, John Force, J.R. Todd, Alexis DeJoria, Cruz Pedregon, Tim Wilkerson and Jim Head Racing’s Blake Alexander, who pipped Chad Green for the final spot.

Erica Enders leads Pro Stock, followed by teammate Aaron Stanfield, Greg Anderson, Kyle Koretsky, Dallas Glenn (who red-lit in the final against Anderson), Troy Coughlin Jr., Mason McGaha, rookie Camrie Caruso, Matt Hartford and Fernando Cuadra Jr. Matt Smith is No. 1 in Pro Stock Motorcycle, followed by Joey Gladstone (who had a tough race meeting), Steve Johnson (ditto), Angelle Sampey, who was the fastest qualifier but didn’t make it out of the first round, Eddie Krawiec, who’s still looking for win No. 50, Indy finalist Karen Stoffer, Angie Smith, Jerry Savoie, Marc Ingwersen and Ryan Oehler, who’s been battling inconsistency.

Everyone has a week and a half before the Countdown to the Championship begins on the very fast Reading drag strip and most will be preparing for the six big playoff races about to take place. Still, it’s sweet to think of what the wins meant – and the losses – from this 68th Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. To say it was a great race meeting is only a start. The stories were tremendous, the action exceptional and the crowd support energizing. That’s what Indy should be. And is.