Arizona’s Valley of the Sun will be hotter than normal this week, with afternoon temperatures stretching well past the three-digit mark. NHRA has made a wise move to start each day of its Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ second race of this 20-contest Diamond season earlier than originally intended. The FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs will present challenges to the crew chiefs, racers, team members and stoic fans in the Phoenix area who feel the need for speed.
While Gainesville offered all four Mission Foods classes, the two-wheel set will lie dormant until the sole four-wide contest of this year takes place in Charlotte after this two-race Western Swing. Making up for that loss are both nitro classes , Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock, along with the JBS Pro Mod Series as well as sportsman racers in Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
There were 19 dragsters in Florida but only 15 are on the grounds at Phoenix this week. Attaining that No.1 in the four allocated qualifying sessions can be vital to success, even though we saw some No.1 qualifiers bow out early at Gainesville. That included Shawn Langdon who, together with J.R. Todd in Funny Car, gave Kalitta Motorsports’ owner and his tuner Connie Kalitta his first-ever double-up in Gainesville two years ago. Langdon lost to true rookie Maddi Gordon in her first race for Ron Capps Motorsports.
Gordon was The Story at Gainesville, beating Langdon and eight-time dragster champion Tony Schumacher in the quarterfinals. She ended her magical day against reigning two-time titleholder Doug Kalitta, but will get at least one opportunity for revenge on Saturday, during the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season. This race-within-the-race, now in its fourth incarnation has become an event both competitors and fans are looking forward to seeing. The second pairing in Top Fuel will see two-time Gainesville victor Josh Hart, making his second start with John Force Racing, go against Antron Brown, the four-time titleholder who won Gatornationals’ special event, Right Trailers Top Fuel All-Star Callout.
Among those looking to avenge a slower than anticipated dragster start in Florida include Justin Ashley and his new teammate Will Smith, Shawn Reed, Schumacher’s teammate Clay Millican, Tony Stewart in his second Elite Motorsports start and wife Leah Pruett, Billy Torrence, Gators non-qualifier Cameron Ferre and Jaren Mott from Utah, making a fresh start.
One Funny Car driver won’t race this Sunday: Buddy Hull, who stepped away from his ride with Jim Dunn Racing to be owner/driver for his own team, had issues in Florida and is foregoing this weekend’s race to gain a bit more knowledge about his equipment and his new team. Hull didn’t make the cut at Gainesville but then, neither did his replacement, Todd Lesenko, or reigning two-time champion Austin Prock, now racing with Tasca Racing after spending his entire straight-line career with John Force Racing (JFR).
Anyone that’s been around this sport knows it’s filled with peaks and valleys. Prock, his brother Thomas and dad Jimmy experienced the latter at the 57th Gatornationals. This trio will be exceptionally dangerous in Phoenix as they show what they’ve learned in the interim. But they, too , will have to deal with the remade JFR and its trio of Flopper racers: Jack Beckman, Jordan Vandergriff and Alexis DeJoria. Vandergriff joins Maddi Gordon as a true rookie in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge this week, as both made it to the semifinals in Gainesville. Vandergriff fell to two-time consecutive Gatornationals winner Chad Green (Mustang) and will get an opportunity to turn the tables on that veteran, in his Chevrolet SS while the second pair is J.R. Todd (Supra) against DeJoria’s Chevy. This was a great season start for DeJoria and Vandegriff with new teams. Can DeJoria earn another Phoenix Mission Challenge? She won the first one ever held at this track in 2023.
Two drivers in Funny Car have ties to the region, as Jim Dunn Racing’s Todd Lesenko lives in Scottsdale while occasional competitor Dylan Winefsky is from El Mirage, AZ. This weekend marks the return of Jason Rupert to the Funny Car ranks – he usually races exclusively in West Coast events – while Blake Alexander takes over the second Chad Green Racing Flopper. Green will be racing a Mustang while Alexander drives a Dodge. Alexander, Rupert and Winefsky are the sole racers this weekend that do not compete in every NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series event.
Like door slammers? There’s 20 Pro Stock entries for the race at Firebird Motorsports Park and it’s a very stout entry list, starting with the three most successful KB Titan Racing entries: reigning first-time champ Dallas Glenn, six-time champ Greg Anderson and 57th Gatornationals victor Matt Hartford. The Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge features this trio along with fellow six-time titleholder Erica Enders, who will be looking to take down Anderson while Glenn and Hartford continue their intra-squad battle for the points and money given to the Challenge race winners.
The excessively hot conditions forecast for the Phoenix area – and the entire West Coast – that forced NHRA to start activities much earlier than originally intended, could create unusual situations in all classes, but particularly in Pro Stock. “This weekend, we’re going into conditions nobody is used to running,” Hartford explained. “It’s going to be uncharted territory. You’re going to have to perform on Friday, and if you’re not in the field after Q1, you may not get in,” Hartford shared.
The balance of this overstocked field incudes two Stanfields, Aaron and dad Greg, three Coughlins, Jeg Jr and Troy Jr with Elite Motosports and Gatornationals top qualifier Cody Coughlin from KB Titan. That outfit boasts a pair of Latinos, Eric and son Matt that are helping solidify KB Titan’s standings. This week marks the second-ever Pro Stock race for Cody Anderson. who earned a first-round win in Florida before falling to his dad Greg in their first-ever Pro Stock meeting. The independent McGaha family, with drivers Chris and son Mason are competing this weekend, too. Shane Tucker is entered, along with KB’s Deric Kramer, independent Kenny Delco, Elite’s Stephen Bell, Joey Grose and Chris Vang. The Pro Stock pits are loaded with talented drivers and teams. Who will beat the heat?
A 17-car Pro Mod grouping is filled with stars, including reigning titleholderJR Gray and Billy Banaka, who came so close to taking the title in that series’ final at Las Vegas last fall. World Series of Pro Mod winner Derek Menholt, Chip King, Alex Laughlin, Mike Castellana, Lyle Barnett, Stevie “Fast” Jackson, Erica Enders doing double duty this weekend, and Justin Bond are some of the stars to look for during the weekend.
As NHRA celebrates its 75th anniversary, for each of its 20 races the sanction intends to salute stars from its recent and not-too-recent past. This weekend the emphasis is on the stellar career of Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, as well as former driver and Firebird track manager Charlie Allen, together with former broadcaster and local resident Jon “Thunderlungs” Lundberg. Prudhomme is featured on the unique commemorative ticket for this race and will be in the broadcast booth – together with the two other honorees – during the race meeting.
Last year, Shawn Langdon won the Firebird race in Top Fuel, while Paul Lee earned his first-ever career win in Funny Car and Greg Anderson got the W in Pro Stock. This weekend, as ever, it will be up to each team to find the best solution for the intense heat and sun at this venue as they hope and try to gain one of the unique Diamond Wally winner’s trophies. Friday qualifying starts at 9:30 local with Pro Stock up first, with the second session set for noon. On Saturday, Top Fuel begins the festivities at 10am, followed by Funny Car and Pro Stock. The fourth and last qualifying session begins at 12:30. Final Eliminations begin Sunday morning at 10am. Wear sunscreen!
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