“It Ain’t Cheating Until You Get Caught”

Competing in three races on consecutive weekends is no simple task. There’s always the stress of being “on” three weeks in a row, having to meet expectations of a team, driver, sanctioning body. There’s always the physical labor of the set-ups for pit areas to be constructed, utilized and then swept on to the next space. There’s always the distance traveled from home base to the first, the second and third straight contests, keeping the truckies – who always have other team-intensive work to do on-site – tired when they need to be fresh. 

But this week the emphasis isn’t on competition in the NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series or on its Countdown to the Championship. No, this week the emphasis is on cheating and NHRA’s relatively meek response to suggestions of topnotch racers going outside the rules. First and foremost, once dragged into controversy, the sanctioning organization goes out of its way to clarify what’s allowed and what’s not. Perhaps they could have made those clarifications when the rules are posted?

Some history: as we all know, traction control devices are not permitted in NHRA’s straight-line racing. Over the years there have been a number of suggestions that some competitors have been using electrical components or devices that mimic traction control; in the past, there’s always been plenty of discussion but it’s also gotten muted because NHRA’s tech department didn’t need or want these kinds of distractions. 

At Reading, the first of six Countdown to the Championship races, Tony Stewart’s dragster was found “to have a non-approved component. The violation resulted in a disqualification of his Q4 run” at Maple Grove Raceway that Saturday afternoon. For some reason, the cause of this DQ was never delineated during or after the September 13 infraction. Stewart ended up as the 11th seed in a 15-car entry and was out in the second round to eventual runner-up Doug Kalitta, after facing and beating eight-time champ Tony Schumacher in a Round 1 battle of the Tonys. 

The amount of silence over this incident was pretty telling. NHRA’s technical department didn’t produce its clarification to what appears to have been a culprit – electrical components – until six days later, on Friday, September 19th, when teams were racing at zMAX Dragway, calling out both Top Fuel and Funny Car classes with their notice, posted to NHRARacercom. Reigning Top Fuel champion Antron Brown’s comments to top-end FOX reporter Amanda Busick brought the subject in focus; Brown expressed his concern for devices he could see on a competitor’s car and wanted to know precisely what they were and what they did.

There have always been assertions of cheating in racing and yes, there have been cheats. We remember Gary Ormsby and his “terrible towel” as well as Don “The Snake” Prudhomme’s NOS bottle. Stewart is an easy mark for this and, as we all know, “It ain’t cheating until you get caught.” In the mid-1990s, 16-time Funny Car champ John Force was accused of having a device that sensed impending tire smoke and counteracted to avoid it. 

Here is what NHRA decided to do once it was confronted by participant knowledge and accusations – please note that the below statement is actually the second such clarification:

“2025 NHRA Rulebook, Sections 18 & 19, ELECTRICAL: 8, Electrical Components ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Electrical and electronic components are restricted to ignition systems, data recorders, electrical gauges or indicators, automated fire extinguisher, fuel control system, clutch control system, and engine-shutoff/safety system components only. The use of electrical/electronic timers to control pneumatic fuel-system valves, and/or electric fuel control solenoid valves, and/or clutch control valves are permitted. Functions of fuel timers, clutch timers, and ignition system must be initiated by wide-open throttle switch only. A computer-controlled Clutch and fuel controller is acceptable, Electrimotion Top Fuel Command Module 3.0 or 5.0 permitted. Teams must utilize the latest software and firmware provided by Electrimotion. Teams may also utilize a standalone self-contained controller made by Electrimotion to control clutch and fuel systems. Those self-contained controllers must only control clutch or fuel pressure over a predetermined time. Output functions of the Electrimotion Command Module clutch control systems may only utilize clutch pressure as a feedback source. Air control systems (for BDK or All Valve) may only utilize their respective fuel or system pressure as a feedback source. The only accepted control strategy for clutch or fuel systems is pressure (y-axis) over time (x-axis). Clutch pressure can also be controlled by a Hi/Lo clutch pressure strategy only through the accepted Command Module systems. Safety systems may utilize inputs to monitor engine health (i.e. boost pressure, crankcase pressure, engine speed, etc.) or vehicle speed (i.e. wheel trigger) to trigger the output functions of the Electrimotion Shutoff Device. All other inputs may be used for data logging purposes only (check NHRA accepted input list) and may not be used for feedback control.”

In essence, the NHRARacer.com posting reminds both Top Fuel and Funny Car racers that any system sensing tire slip and making adjustments on its own is prohibited. In targeting electronics, ignition systems and sensors, NHRA confirmed its insistence that wheel-speed and driveshaft sensors are solely for use in data logging post-run and cannot be manipulated in any way during a lap down the 1,000-foot racetrack. 

At this weekend’s race on the World Wide Technology Raceway dragstrip there will be plenty of discussion about this possible infraction. Tony Stewart Racing Nitro, as we all know, represents the motorsport activities of Stellantis, parents to Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Alfa-Romeo, Fiat and other worldwide properties. It’s in his team’s best interest to keep Stellantis pleased with the team’s progress in both Top Fuel (this year with Stewart at the wheel) and Funny Car, the latter helmed by four-time class champion Matt Hagan, who went to the final quad last weekend at zMAX Dragway.

So, here’s how the landscape looks in Top Fuel, whether or not these cars are fully legal: Doug Kalitta leads after two final round appearances, followed by last week’s winner, Justin Ashley. Behind that duo are Kalitta’s teammate Shawn Langdon, Tony Stewart, Rick Ware Racing’s Clay Millican, Brittany Force from John Force Racing, bionic man Shawn Reed, four-time champ Steve Torrence, Antron Brown and Josh Hart. There’s a 202-point lag from first to tenth and the top five dragster drivers are within 100 points of one another

While this controversy hasn’t spilled out to Funny Car in effect, it could, as – hopefully – NHRA will conduct far more stringent technical inspections before anyone competes. With victory in all three 4-Wide races this season, Austin Prock is your leader with his John Force Racing Chevrolet SS, shadowed by Tony Stewart Racing’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driven by Matt Hogan, Ron Capps’ Toyota GR Supra in third place, Prock’s teammate Jack Beckman, the Chargers of Paul Lee and Reading winner Cruz Pedregon, Daniel Wilkerson and rookie Spencer Hyde in Ford Mustangs, Kalitta Motorsports’ Toyota GR Supra for J.R. Todd and JCM Racing’s Alexis DeJoria, driving a Dodge. Here, the gap from first to tenth is a bit slimmer, 191 points.

The Pro Stock picture is a bit more serene, with Dallas Glenn the definitive leader for KB Titan Racing, followed by his teammate, six-time champion Greg Anderson, Elite Motorsports’ Aaron Stanfield, KB Titan’s Matt Hartford, Cory Reed and Cody Coughlin, Elite’s Erica Enders in seventh, KB Titan’s Eric Latino, Elite’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Deric Kramer in tenth for KB Titan Racing. Here the gap widens, thanks to Glenn’s pair of victories to start his Countdown. Glenn has 285 points on Kramer in tenth and nearly 100 points in hand over his teammate, Anderson.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle standings changed a lot at zMAX Dragway on Sunday, when reigning, two-time consecutive champion Gaige Herrera’s mechanical issues in the first of three quads sent the points askew. When the Vance and Hines Motorsports Suzuki Hayabusa3 rider was out of power early and had the slowest reaction time in his quad, he opened the door for his teammate, Richard Gadson who went on to win his third race of the season and first in NHRA’s six-race Countdown playoffs. 

Gadson’s win against three Matt Smith Racing competitors pretty much tells the story of this season. While there have been some new riders, like Brayden Davis, who rents V&H Suzuki equipment and, despite not running every Pro Stock Motorcycle race leading up to the Countdown, still qualified for the playoffs, it’s inconceivable this title race could be waged by any other teams than Vance and Hines and Matt Smith Racing 

Gadson’s Charlotte win and Herrera’s DNF changed the standings a bunch: Gadson leads Matt Smith and John Hall of Matt Smith Racing (MSR), followed by Herrera, MSR’s Angie Smith and Jianna Evaristo – all MSR riders race Buell motorcycles – WAR Racing’s Chase Van Sant on a Suzuki, Brayden Davis, Chris Bostick and Steve Johnson, all three riding Suzuki motorcycles. Gadson has 230 points in hand against the veteran Steve Johnson.

This weekend, with the teams back on two-wide competition, the schedule looks plenty normal, too. Qualifying sessions on Friday begin late afternoon and into the evening, while Saturday’s activities start at noon and continue at 3PM – all times are Central – with Sunday’s eliminations starting at 11am. There are 16 dragsters on the entry list with the same number of nitro Funny Cars expected to compete. Buddy Hull returns to Jim Dunn’s Dodge Flopper at this race after sitting out competition from his Sonoma qualifying accident. There are 21 Pro Stock cars and 15 Pro Stock Motorcycles.

The Congruity Pro Mod Drag Racing Series is in action this weekend, together with a slew of Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competitors in Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, Mountain Motor Pro Stock, Factory Stock Showdown and Factory X. The NHRA racers can expect superb weather conditions this weekend, with daytime highs around 80 and lows near 60; sunny, cloudless skies are expected for this NAPA Midwest NHRA Nationals race, the third of six Countdown to the Championship contests. All activities will be shown on FS1 with replays on FS2.