Weather won the 10th annual NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series New England NHRA Nationals that were intended to be run this weekend in Epping, NH. Racers were fortunate to get two rounds of qualifying in between Friday and Saturday, but that’s when all plans imploded. Forecasts had been calling for wet weather throughout the weekend and into this week, and with Bristol on the docket for the upcoming weekend, New England’s race was washed out on Monday.
Rather than wait around, hope and pray for the skies to clear, NHRA took the wiser route to postpone activities in both Top Fuel and Funny Car until this upcoming weekend’s Bristol race. Even the Mission #2Tasty2Fast Challenge for both nitro classes had to be curtailed after the first rounds were complete. The finalists, both Mission Foods and NHRA decreed, will split the money since they won’t have the chance to compete for honors.
In Top Fuel, it was Clay Millican who won his #2Fast2Tasty Challenge race against Brittany Force, both of them up in smoke at the start; Millican kept his dragster off the center line and made it to 1,000 feet first. The second pair was much like the first, Leah Pruett didn’t shake as much as Josh Hart and made it to the finals.
For Funny Car, it was reigning titleholder Ron Capps’ Toyota GR Supra against Chad Green’s Ford Mustang. Both of them, too, went up in smoke but Capps made it to the finish line first. In the second pair, it was John Force, the category’s 16-time champion in his Chevrolet Camaro SS against Joliet winner Tim Wilkerson’s Mustang. Another up-in-smoke race saw Force cross the center line and give up the win to Wilkerson.
While bonus points are given to winners in this specialty race, due to the rainout none were awarded. Millican and Capps each receive $5,000 for their efforts in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively; Pruett and Wilkerson receive a $1,500 payout while the remaining drivers each get $500 cash prize.
Semifinalists at the New England Nationals, which is going to be played out later this week in Bristol, will meet for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at Bristol Dragway, one of the most scenic of all NHRA tracks.
Details of how and when the New England Nationals will conclude in Tennessee during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals have just been determined: Bristol features a full, four qualifying attempts. The first will be conventional qualifying, while the second qualifying session on Friday, for Top Fuel and Funny Car, becomes the first round of Epping eliminations. This occurs at 8PM ET on Friday.
The second round of New Hampshire eliminations take place Saturday in the third qualifying session (2PM), while the semifinals are set between the third and final qualifying sessions. Finals will conclude with the fourth and last qualifying session, slated for 4:30PM on Saturday.
In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, both Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle contestants were set in Joliet, while semifinalists from Epping in the two nitro classes will compete during their Saturday rescheduled races. There is the possibility nitro drivers can win twice in one day, an unusual occurrence in any form of motor sport.
Weather won the 10th annual NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series New England NHRA Nationals that were intended to be run this weekend in Epping, NH.
Wow, that’s quite a schedule shake up.
A huge disappointment for the New England Fans. Going from basically melting into the tarmac on Friday, to three layers Saturday and Sunday. I even went up Monday on a wish and a prayer, but Mother Nature was dealing the cards and they were all black as the clouds over Epping last weekend.