The third round of the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series’ Countdown to the Championship playoffs is the mid-point of this six-race enduro and caps three races in three weeks for NHRA’s Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle championship contenders. This is likely the race that will make or break championships, although it’s fairly certain – as it is most NHRA seasons – that the title chases will go down to the season finale. And likely to the season finale’s final rounds.
That’s the way NHRA drag racing is in its 75th anniversary season. Always competitive and always challenging. And by deciding to conduct the first two Countdown events at circuits unknown to many, likely most, of the racers involved, NHRA removed one thing that always gives an advantage: experience. True, some racers have tested and have bracket-raced at the two new-to-NHRA-competition dragstrips, but until they actually race, that experience doesn’t mean much.
Racers discovered, when they went initially to U.S.131 Motorsports Park and then to Rockingham Dragway, that the timing systems were different from those that they use at other NHRA member tracks. That situation resulted in some unusual fouls, when a racer leaves before the tree says it’s time to go. Red-light fouls were rampant in both competitions, in qualifying and elimination rounds.
All of those parameters change this week when the tour returns to World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) for the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHA MIdwest Nationals. The timing system will be similar to that used at most other NHRA tracks, making for one fewer item that crew chiefs have to adjust in their settings packages. It’s a familiar track for everyone on the tour.
Coming as the midway point in this Countdown, these NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals have the lure of airing on FOX adjacent to a Sunday FOX football broadcast, the sixth straight time a Countdown race has aired adjacent to an NFL broadcast. In order to make this confluence occur, NHRA will start Sunday eliminations at 9AM CDT in order to make this marquee broadcast window on FOX.
Can you believe 22 dragsters are planning to challenge one another at WWTR this weekend? While we know we can expect the Countdown 12, there’s another ten competitors looking to take a bite out of those eligible for the title. In addition to the marauding pair from Kalitta Motorsports, points leader Shawn Langdon and reigning titleholder Doug Kalitta, look to Elite Motorsports’ Tony Stewart, his wife Leah Pruett at Tony Stewart Motorsports, four-time champ Antron Brown, Billy Torrence, John Force Racing’s (JFR) Josh Hart, rookie Maddi Gordon – who will hand over her Ron Capps Motorsports dragster to Kenny Wallace so that the NASCAR driver can feel real horsepower as he climbs in Saturday morning at 10:30 (central) to start her car before the third qualifying session – Will Smith of SCAG Racing, Rick Ware Racing’s Clay Millican, SCAG racer Justin Ashley and Millican’s teammate Tony Schumacher, the eight-time Top Fuel champ.
Add to that dozen Shawn Reed, Lex Joon, Brian Inouye, Keith Murt, Kyle Wurtzel, Charles Loftin, Spencer Massey, Jasmine Salinas, Cameron Ferre and Scott Palmer, a literal litany of drivers who could stop anyone in the Countdown’s grip. The most important thing for those teams and drivers eligible for the title could be to stay out of trouble this week. With ten added competitors, getting into eliminations could be an issue, especially with drivers like Reed, Massey, Salinas and Palmer on the grounds.
His seven wins thus far into a 16-race campaign make Shawn Langdon the likely favorite to win the title; his three straight as the regular season closed and the first two Countdown races were held solidifies that notion. However, last year it was his teammate, Doug Kalitta who won this race en route to his second title. Last year Langdon won the first two Countdown playoff contests, as he has this year. “Racing guys like Doug brings out the beset in you and it’s humbling to beat a driver of that caliber,” Langdon admits. “(But) at the end of the day, the job’s not done. As good of a year as we’ve had, we’re only (25) points ahead of Doug, so there’s a lot of racing left!”
Matt Hagan is having a similar year to Langdon in his Dodge//SRT Hellcat from Tony Stewart Racing. While the four-time Funny Car champion wasn’t on the cams earlier in the season, he’s made up for it as the 20-race campaign’s progressed. With his victory on The Rock’s dragstrip, Hagan notched his fourth win of the season, 59th of his career and 19th Countdown race victory, tying him with six-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson. As he approaches this 15th WWTR race, Hagan has been a final round contestant seven times and has three wins, together with three No. 1 qualifiers.
“In the 20 years I’ve been doing this I’m not sure that I’ve seen this level of competition. Humility goes a long way,” Hagan said, as he noted his goals: “Be humble, be grateful, dig, work hard and show up every day. Every time I sit in that car every Sunday morning, I have an opportunity to win – and that’s huge. The chemistry with this team is there, and as successful as I’ve been in the past,” Hagan emphasized, “I’ve never had what i have right now with this TSR group.”
Hagan might have a bit of breathing room over JFR’s Jordan Vandergriff and his Chevrolet SS, leading the first-year Flopper driver by 84 points. Hagan was especially pleased to see competitor Ron Capps’ Toyota GR Supra go out in the second round last week, allowing Kalitta’s J.R. Todd and his Supra to leapfrog the three-time champ into third place. Vandergriff’s teammate Jack Beckman is fifth, followed by Tasca Racing’s Austin Prock (Ford Mustang Dark Horse), JFR’s Alexis DeJoria, Dan Wilkerson, Chad Green, Spencer Hyde, Dave Richards with their Mustangs and two-time champ Cruz Pedregon (Dodge) the final eligible Countdown driver, albeit 271 points behind Hagan.
There are 19 Funny Car entries, including Jack Wyatt in a Dodge, Terry Haddock’s Mustang, Blake Alexander in the second Chad Green Racing Dodge, Dale Creasy Jr.’s Stratus, fireman Chris King in his Dodge, Justin Schreifer’s Charger and, finally Bobby Bode III in his Mustang. Both pair of Top Fuel and Funny Car SCAG Racing entries will, for the month of October, be dressed personally and have their cars wrapped in pink to support of breast cancer awareness.
There are 16 entries in Pro Stock and, to a driver, it’s a very, very stacked group. The top 10 are all within 200 points and that should change with this race, won last year by six-time KB Titan Racing champ Greg Anderson. While he’s currently in fourth place (-66) behind Elite Motorsport’s Greg Stanfield, with two teammates between him and the leader (Matt Hartford and Dallas Glenn), Anderson might have his mirrors fixed on son Cody, who went to his first final round last week in Rockingham. The younger Anderson’s potential for win lights has increased exponentially over these last 16 contests; he’s been going rounds, picking up points and showing he belongs in this very tight and technically tough class.
Behind those five are Troy Coughlin Jr., Cody Anderson, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Matt Latino, Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Eric Latino and Kenny Delco, all eligible for the Countdown. The latter two are more than 200 points back, while Aaron Stanfield is 184 points behind his father, Greg. The big questions in this class are plentiful: can the balance of Elite Motorsports’ cadre of competitors find the sweet spot in their Jerry Haas chassis, as Greg Stanfield has done this season? Will KB Titan’s Matt Hartford take his first Pro Stock championship? Is there a seventh PS championship coming for Greg Anderson? What will it take to get Erica Enders back in the win column? Can the interlopers at WWTR take out the leaders in this class? Both Deric Kramer and Mason McGaha are known talents, and youngster Chris Vang has shown he belongs in this group and can put up a No. 1 qualifier, as he did in Sonoma and, finally, will Stephen Bell cause palpitations for his teammates and competitors?
“Anybody can win in this class right now,” Greg Stanfield reminded. “It is incredible how tight it is, so the points battle is going to go all the way to the end. It’s going to come down to who makes a good run at the ight time. If we can just keep surviving and try to close out when we should, it’s going to be a good end of the year.” After KB Titan Racing ruled the regular season, in the first two Countdown events, it’s been an Elite shutout, with Troy Coughlin Jr. taking the Michigan round. “I love the history of drag racing; it’s something that’s in my blood and I couldn’t be prouder to be racing with the Elite Motorsports team,” Troy Jr. stated. “I”m probably the luckiest driver here to have such a wonderful group of guys working on the JEGS machine.”
Pro Stock Motorcycle could use some more bodies in their pits. There are only 15 riders in the WWTR entry list, but they are all capable of competing well and hitting win lights at 1320 feet. Obviously, with 11 riders in the Countdown and a preponderance of Buell motorcycles on the entry list – there only six Suzuki entries with four Countdown—eligible, this third consecutive race of six playoff contests makes it essential to succeed in St. Louis. Reigning Vance & Hines Motorsports champion Richard Gadson ran a smart race at The Rock and learned to work well with the different system used by both Rockingham and U.S. 131 Motorsports Park before it. He’ll likely be showing his smarts again in St. Louis, but teammate Gaige Herrera, who won here last year, likely has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Still, that duo will have to get past the four-Buell Matt Smith Racing team, comprised of Matt and wife Angie, U.S. 131 winner John Hall and Jianna Evaristo. The latter hasn’t been able to race the past two events due to injury; she is on the entry list, but has been on the sidelines since Indy, with Michael Ray and Joey Gladstone riding in her stead. Not sure if she’s riding this weekend. Once again, Ryan Oehler, currently sixth in the standings ahead of Evaristo, will field three Buell motorcycles, for himself, Clayton Howey and Malcolm Phillips Jr. The balance of eligible Countdown riders are WAR Racing’s Chase Van Sant (Suzuki), Howey, and veteran Steve Johnson along with 2003 titleholder Geno Scali, both on Suzuki motorcycles.
Marc Ingwersen’s run to the final round at U.S. 131 had quite a few heads turning and he could be able to break a few hearts in St. Louis on his Buell, as could Suzuki rider Kelly Clontz, who has also been riding well. Finally, Mark Paquette returns on his Buell for a third time this year; he ran Indy and Michigan but sat out the race in North Carolina. This battle between Vance & Hines and Matt Smith Racing won’t stop until it’s time for championships to be awarded in Pomona this November; will someone new take over the proceedings this weekend?
All four Mission Foods classes are eligible for Friday night’s “Top Dog” competition during the second qualifying session. This inaugural “Top Dog” competition is presented by USEDHOTDOGS.com on October 2. This unique bonus program, the No. 1 qualifier in each pro class is going to be escorted to the USEDHOTDOGS.com Stage, where they will take their place atop the “Top Dog Throne.” As each session commences, competitors who surpass the prior ET leader will dethrone the current occupant and claim the throne for themselves. The last driver/rider remaining on the throne becomes the “Top Dog” of their class. There’s money involved, as well as a custom Hot Dog Trophy, exclusive USEDHOTDOGS.com swag, a ceremonial winner’s check ad bonus cash awards totaling $7,500. Both Top Dogs in Top Fuel and Funny Car will earn $2,500 each, while the award for Top Dog in Pro Stock gets $1,500 and the quickest Pro Stock Motorcycle earns $1,000.
The schedule includes two qualifying sessions on Friday, beginning at 4:30PM and 7PM, while Saturday’s pair of opportunities are set for noon and 2:30PM. Eliminations begin at 10am on Sunday so that the affiliation with FOX’s NFL broadcast can work out to everyone’s satisfaction. While the Lucas Oil Sportsman might fall prey to Thursday showers late in the day, there is a 50% chance (at this writing) for rain on Friday, but both Saturday and Sunday appear to be clear with temps in the 70s.
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