Let’s call it the Midwest Swing, as NHRA’s Camping World Drag Racing Series travels from the Menards NHRA Nationals at Kansas this past weekend – winners were Brittany Force in Top Fuel, her dad John Force with Funny Car and rookie Dallas Glenn’s second 2021Pro Stock win – to Brainerd, Minn. this coming weekend for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals and, in two weeks time, it’s the biggest race of the year, the Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway outside Indianapolis.
Some playoff drama was settled at Topeka, KS last weekend, with more seats filling up in the 10-driver Countdown to the Championship that begins after the U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend. But there’s still a lot to look towards in Brainerd, and that’s not just the wild party animals that take over the area each night of the race meeting. Both Pro Stock categories, car and motorcycle, are sitting this one out, giving the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Championship an opportunity to grab more glory and eyeballs.
Where only Steve Torrence was qualified for the Top Fuel playoffs coming into Topeka last week, he’s been joined by that race’s winner, John Force Racing’s Brittany Force (finally) and Don Schumacher Racing’s Antron Brown, who sit second and third, respectively, behind the points leader. Still, Brown has a 354-point lag to the Texan, while fourth-place Leah Pruett stands 479 points back. Kalitta Motorsports’ Shawn Langdon is fifth (-503), followed by Mike Salinas, Justin Ashley, Billy Torrence, Clay Millican and Doug Kalitta, rounding out the top 10 with 471 points, 619 behind Steve Torrence.
Of course, these points evaporate somewhat when the Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals are complete and the field is reset, but it sure looks like the current lineup is the group that’s going to battle for season-long honors. They’re all entered in this week’s Brainerd round, joined by Gainesville winner Josh Hart, Chicago-area part-timer T.J. Zizzo, who will be touting sponsor Rust-Oleum’s 100th business anniversary, and Terry Totten, making it a 13-car field.
When John Force took his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS to the Funny Car Winner’s Circle in Topeka last weekend, extending his national event win number to 154, the 16-time champ assumed the No. 1 position in the points standings – but he still hasn’t qualified for the Countdown. The racer in second place, Ron Capps, is only 29 points behind his career-long rival yet has qualified for the playoffs, driving DSR’s NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Similarly, runner-up in Topeka J.R. Todd is in third place, -38 points to Force in his Kalitta Motorsports DHL Toyota Camry, but still out of the Countdown-qualified, while fourth-placed Bob Tasca III in his Ford Mustang has qualified, 50 points behind Force.
The balance of the Funny Car top 10 looks to remain in place, jockeying for sequential advantages in these last two contests before the Countdown begins. Robert Hight of JFR is fifth in his Camaro, 68 points behind his team owner and tied with reigning champ Matt Hagan of DSR, sixth in his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Alexis DeJoria’s Toyota Camry holds seventh-place points and is 125 points back.
Cruz Pedregon’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is in eight place, followed by Tim Wilkerson’s Shelby Mustang and Blake Alexander in Jim Head’s Mustang, 399 points behind J. Force. There are 15 Funny Car entrants for this weekend’s race, with Paul Lee’s Charger, Dale Creasy Jr.’s Stratus, Bob Bode Jr. in his Mustang, 11th-placed Jim Campbell in Jim Dunn’s Charger and Gary Densham’s Mustang all ready for action in the Minnesota classic.
Pro Mod only has nine entrants listed for the Brainerd race this weekend, but most of the heavy hitters will be along for the ride, including reigning two-time, reigning champ Stevie “Fast” Jackson in his Camaro (currently in 4th place), points leader Jose Gonzalez’ Camaro, Justin Bond P2 with a 58-point lag in a Camaro, Brandon Snider’s Camaro (-71 in 3rd), Doug Winters’ Chevelle (P8), JR Gray Jr. in a Camaro (P7), Mike Castellana’s Camaro (P9), Chad Green, also in a Camaro, and Rick Hord in a Corvette. One of those missing this weekend is the always competitive Khalid alBalooshi. Pro Mod is not subject to a Countdown and completes its season in the Camping World’s penultimate race at Las Vegas.
It’s a good thing NHRA has no racing between the Brainerd and Indy rounds, as weather is always iffy this time of year in the upper midwest. Friday, when the first round of qualifications is scheduled for later in the day, calls for severe thunderstorms (40%) and temps in the high 80s while Saturday will be much, much cooler – currently forecast at 71 degrees with only a slight chance of precipitation, while Sunday should be mostly sunny and high 70s, if the prognosticators are correct.
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