Everything definitely is bigger in Texas, as the second annual Stampede of Speed at Texas Motorplex is confirming. The 10-day celebration of straight-line racing is reaching its climax this weekend with the 37th Texas NHRA FallNationals southeast of Dallas. The race meeting marks the fourth of six races in NHRA’s Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship and comes after a weekend of rest following three consecutive playoff races.
With a number of events occurring at this track and in the surrounding communities before the action begins on Friday afternoon, and with four qualifying sessions setting the field for Sunday’s four rounds of eliminations, this race will definitely be a big one, in true Texas style. Just a glance at the entry list tells us how big this race is: there are 21 Top Fuel dragsters entered, 17 Funny Cars, 20 Pro Stock and 20 Pro Stock Motorcycles all vying to make their way to eliminations. The fields are thick in numbers, and there isn’t a weakling among them. Last year’s Camping World winners were Justin Ashley, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson and Matt Smith.
While Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley had an uncharacteristic quick day in St. Louis, the defending winner of this race is depending on getting back on track this weekend as he vies for his first World Championship in the dragster class. Ashley now has a minimal 14-point lead on four-time champ Steve Torrence, who earned his second 2022 win at St. Louis. Ashley gets it: “The championship isn’t won by looking at the past or focusing on the future. It’s won by concentrating on the present,” he said.
On Friday night, Texas Motorplex is putting up $15,000 for the quickest elapsed time of the second qualifying session, when conditions should be at their best. There’s also a Motorplex bonus of $30,000 for the first car to 300 mph at the 1/8-mile, put together by Ashley’s primary sponsor, Phillips Connect. With the playoffs tighter than Skims bodywear, all 21 dragsters and 17 Funny Cars should be salivating at this idea.
How tight are the Top Fuel standings? Ashley has 14 points on Steve Torrence, who vaulted in second place with his St. Louis victory, while Brittany Force, arguably the fastest human currently racing a dragster is third, 30 back. Mike Salinas needs to make up 35 points, Antron Brown 43, while Josh Hart in sixth place lags Ashley by 64 points. Doug Kalitta is eighth, 88 points in arrears, followed by Clay Millican (-126), Shawn Langdon (-143), Austin Prock (-144), Leah Pruett (-179) and Tony Schumacher in 12th place, 187 points behind Ashley. All 12 are Countdown and Championship-eligible.
All of these 12 racers are planning to run this weekend, along with Alex Laughlin and Scott Palmer, both of whom have been exceptionally active in this year’s Stampede of Speed, Joe Morrison, Buddy Hull – and wait until you see Hull’s fabulous pink dragster wrap! – Keith Murt, Spencer Massey, Mitch King, Krista Baldwin, and Cory McClenathan (unretiring once again to drive a DSR Nordic Boats/RevChem dragster). Note that Tony Schumacher has six victories at this track and considers it his home circuit, as he resides down the road in Austin.
(Citing health concerns, McClenathan has withdrawn as driver of Dexter Tuttle’s dragster. Kebin Kinsley is the likely substitute; Nordic Boats/RevChem remain as sponsors)
When it’s time to go racing Friday afternoon, Ron Capps will be ready with his Ron Capps Motorsports team and his Toyota GR Supra. En route to last year’s Funny Car championship in 2021, Capps earned his second Dallas victory in 2021’s Stampede of Speed and is hoping to close the 46-point gap he holds to current points leader Robert Hight and his John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS. With two victories in September at Indianapolis and Charlotte, Capps and his team are performing at a very high level. Unfortunately, so is Hight, looking for his fourth championship in this class.
While the Funny Car standings aren’t quite as tight as Top Fuel, this a wide open race. Tony Stewart Racing’s Matt Hagan, who is in third place with 103 points to make up to Hight with his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, leads 16-time Flopper champ John “Brute” Force’s Camaro (-114) in the standings, while Bob Tasca III has used consistency with his Ford Mustang to lag by 170 points in fifth place. Behind this group are Alexis DeJoria (-217) and J.R. Todd (-219) in their Toyota GR Supra race cars – theirs could turn out to be an intra-squad Toyota battle – while Tim Wilkerson’s Mustang (-229), Cruz Pedregon in his Charger (-245), Jim Campbell (-319 in Jim Dunn’s Charger) and Blake Alexander (-340), driving Jim Head’s Mustang, will be looking to elevate their standings over the next three races.
Added to these Countdown-eligible racers this weekend are Jack Wyatt’s Dodge Charger, Paul Lee’s similar car, Terry Haddock’s Ford Mustang, Dale Creasy Jr.’s Dodge Stratus and Chad Green in his Mustang. One of the 17 racers on this entry list won’t be in the staging lanes when the festivities begin at noon (central time) on Sunday, but we’re pretty sure it won’t be one of the top championship combatants. After his tough loss to Hight in the St. Louis finals two weeks ago, “We’re headed to the FallNationals where we’re the defending champions, and with three races left and a little over two rounds separating us, we have a chance to make up ground once again,” Capps said. Last year he had a rough Wide World Technology Raceway result but pulled out the win here in Ennis, TX the following race, en route to title No. 2.
There are 19 Pro Stockers chasing Erica Enders this weekend, as the four-time champ motors towards her fifth title in this class. Even before the Countdown began, Enders was on fire in this class – and thankfully not literally – as she built up a large gap before the regular season closed out at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Labor Day weekend. Now her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro holds a 120-point advantage on teammate Aaron Stanfield, following her victory at St Louis nearly two weeks ago.
This consummate pro is “really excited to start the second half of the Countdown,” Enders related. “Especially after securing two wins and a semifinal finish in the first three races.” While she’s got a good lead going against Stanfield, Enders knows that “it’s still not enough of a cushion.” Texas Motorplex is Stanfield’s home track, where he earned his first national event victory. “We are looking for a cowboy hat to add to the collection,” he said. This Elite Motorsports duo will have to watch out for KB Racing’s Kyle Koretsky, whose Camaro is just 33 points behind Stanfield, as well as their Elite teammate Troy Coughlin Jr., having the best year of his young pro Stock career with two wins thus far on the year. Coughlin needs to make up 157 points to Enders from fourth place in the standings.
When NHRA decided all racers who made every contest on the 22-race docket could be eligible for the Countdown, that meant 15 cars carrying forward to attempt a championship title. Reigning titleholder and Dallas 2021 winner Greg Anderson is current fifth (-160 to Enders), while his stablemate Dallas Glenn has a 170-point lag. Matt Hartford (-194), Mason McGaha (-302) and Bo Butner (-310), who is tied with rookie Camrie Caruso for tenth place in the standings. All of the above-named racers are behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Camaro. Caruso picked up added support for this race from OZ Saferooms, the sole above-ground concrete tornado structures available on the market.
Behind these ten are Deric Kramer, Fernando Cuadra Jr., Cristian Cuadra, Chris McGaha and Fernando Cuadra Sr., all eligible for the Countdown and looking to shake up the standings. Larry Morgan, Shane Tucker, Rodger Brogdon, Alan Prusiensky and Kenny Delco are the outliers looking to cause a bit more drama in this already exciting class this weekend.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle crowd only gets five attempts in NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship battles, as the two-wheel crowd were absent in Charlotte this year. The standings in this class keep see-sawing between five-time champ Matt Smith, who is riding his trusty Buell through to the close of the current campaign. With his victory at St. Louis, Smith has 21 points on the Suzuki Hayabusa campaigned by Joey Gladstone, the Reading winner who’s claimed the points lead twice in the last six races. With ten riders Countdown-eligible and Ryan Oehler’s Buell 202 points behind Smith, the two-wheeled set is definitely looking racy this weekend, at Las Vegas and in Pomona.
Points-and-a-half will be on offer in the season finale at Pomona, which could make the current standings – and those after this weekend’s FallNationals contest – a moot point. Angie Smith’s Buell is in third place 90 points behind hubby Matt, while Eddie Krawiec is getting on with his Vance & Hines Suzuki and has 106 points to make up. Steve Johnson had a great regular season but has had nothing but small issues taking him out of being a prime Countdown challenger; he’s 107 points behind Smith on his Suzuki but only one ahead of Jerry Savoie, who won at Dallas in 2020. Angelle Sampey holds seventh-place points on her V&H Suzuki, 116 behind Smith, while Marc Ingwersen and his Buell are having a great season – even without a spare engine – to hold eighth place, 152 points in arrears. Karen Stoffer (-181) and Oehler complete the Countdown-eligible group.
There are 20 entries for Pro Stock Motorcycle, with David Barron’s Buell, Jianna Evanston’s Suzuki, Chris Bostick on a Suzuki, Richard Gadson making his debut on a 2016 Kosman/Suzuki, Chip Ellis riding for Matt Smith Racing on a Buell, along with Hector Arana Jr.’s Buell, Malcolm Phillips Jr on a Suzuki, LE Tonglet IV, who won the title in his rookie, 2010 season on a Suzuki, both Kelly Clontz and rookie Gaige Herrera riding Suzuki motorcycles. The fight to gain one of 16 spots on the elimination ladders should be fierce in this class.
Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown ends its season this weekend in Texas, with David Barton and his Chevrolet COPO Camaro having claimed two straight Wally winner’s trophies and needing only to qualify to take his championship. Barton claimed the title lead with his win on Labor Day weekend at IRP, pushing Bill Skillman and his Ford Cobra Jet to second in the points tally. Aaron Stanfield, who delights in double or triple duty at any given national event, is the reigning titleholder but sits third in points with his COPO Camaro. Using the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty program, Barton has a $2,000 target on his back; he’s hoping not to give that up until next season. “Not to sound greedy,” Barton said, “but I’d like to win another race. There’s definitely less pressure on me now and it’ll be nice to take a deep breath and just enjoy this race, but I wouldn’t mind putting another trophy on the shelf.” With 20 cars in the pits, he shouldn’t get ahead of himself!
There are 12 Pro Mod competitors on-hand for that class’ penultimate race. Kristopher Thorne and his Camaro have the points lead with 717, while Rickie Smith isn’t making it a runaway, holding 652 points. Stevie “Fast” Jackson is third with 615 points, with Justin Bond (494), Lyle Barnett (464), reigning titleholder Jose Gonzalez (463), JR Gray Jr (452), Doug Winters (380), Mike Castellana (342) and Mike Thielen with 339 points in the top 10. Only the top three have true legitimate stabs at the title, but it will be interesting to see how the standings sway in these last two races.
It looks like a hot time in Dallas this weekend. Friday should top out at about 90 and mainly sunny, with a 67-degree low, while Saturday should be partly cloudy with a high of 91. It should cool off to 81 for race day, but there are scattered thunderstorms predicted. Hopefully they skirt Ennis on Sunday.
Qualifying begins Friday afternoon with Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) leading at 1:30, followed by Pro Mod, both Pro Stock classes and then nitro qualifying at 3:30PM CT. Evening qualifying on Friday starts with FSS at 6PM. On Saturday, activities begin and end much earlier, starting at 10:45AM for FSS Q3 and the first round of FSS and Pro Mod eliminations starting at 3:15PM, followed by Camping World final qualifying sessions at 4PM. Eliminations are set to begin at the crack of noon on Sunday (CT), with FS1 providing full coverage and FS2 taking care of the re-airs.
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