What’s On Tap this Weekend for the NHRA at Norwalk?
NHRA’s Summit Racing Equipment Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park near Norwalk, Ohio marks the tenth race in the Camping World Drag Racing Series, as the tour nears its halfway mark of 11 races in a 22-event campaign. One of everyone in the drag racing community’s favorite tracks, the Norwalk facility referred to as “America’s Racetrack” always rewards race-goers with action from the first pull to the finals’ finish.
There are four members of the community who are happy to have a second consecutive race after last weekend’s Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, TN. They are, of course, last week’s winners: Justin Ashley in Top Fuel, Ron Capps’ first Funny Car win with a Toyota GR Supra, Aaron Stanfield besting Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders and Jerry Savoie’s 14th Pro Stock Motorcycle victory (using an older, 2V Suzuki engine after a post-semifinal thrash), his first win in almost two years.
There were so many interesting stories around the Bristol race weekend, but now everyone in the pits is focused on one thing: bringing home that Norwalk Wally trophy. For some that focus is a distant wish; for others it’s an achievable goal. In other cases, a win is a necessity for racers who are accustomed to showing off the spoils of victory.
Last year’s Norwalk winners were four-time, reigning Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence, two-time titleholder Cruz Pedregon’s Funny Car, four-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders and five-time Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Smith. Thus far in the 2022 campaign, neither of last year’s nitro victors at Norwalk have found their way to the Winner Circle, but both Pro Stock 2021 winners have already celebrated this year. Enders already has four class victories.
Last year’s five-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, who scored his 99th win at Pomona in the season closer, is still looking for No. 100 and, while he didn’t get that win at Bristol, where Anderson earned his first Pro Stock victory, the veteran feels he’s showing positive signs after a five-week break for the class. “I felt in Bristol I was about to hit my groove,” Anderson explained. While the drought isn’t to the point where he’s panicking, “We’re ready to get down to the grind of racing every week and go the distance now.”
For everyone, having four qualifying sessions, including Friday’s second time trials at dusk, gives teams and drivers more opportunities to get it right in qualifying. Not only are the fans looking forward to seeing a full complement of qualifying attempts this weekend, but so are the racers, as it allows everyone to have one failed or slow attempt but to – hopefully – still get in the show.
Getting into the show in Top Fuel will take some great efforts, as there are 21 cars entered. In addition to the top 10 of Brittany Force, Mike Salinas, Ashley, Steve Torrence, Austin Prock, Shawn Langdon (who went to the finals at Bristol), Clay Millican, Josh Hart, Doug Kalitta and Antron Brown, this weekend is notable for the return of Billy Torrence, Gainesville winner Tripp Tatum III, Joe Morrison, Dan Mercier, Tony Schumacher, Mike Bucher, Kyle Wurtzel, Spencer Massey, Krista Baldwin, Leah Pruett and Scott Farley.
Last weekend Antron Brown showed why he’s earned three Top Fuel titles, making his way to the semifinals at Bristol. It was his best qualifying effort since starting AB Motorsports and going solo as driver and team owner. The P4 qualifying effort and his race-day results placed Brown back in the top 10 as the regular season continues. Brown also took a semifinal result in 2021 and feels he’s hitting his stride. “When you’re going rounds, you’re always improving, and the more laps you get, the better you get. We’re headed in the right direction,” Brown said in anticipation of this weekend’s battles.
Look for new and returning sponsors at this race in Top Fuel: Ashley has Bendix CVS joining his Phillips Connect-sponsored dragster, while Doug Kalitta flies the SealMaster colors on his Kalitta Motorsports rail. Teammate Shawn Langdon joins Kalitta in promoting Applied Innovation, a Michigan imaging, technology and automation services firm. Part-timer Krista Baldwin has support with IGTG as her primary partner this weekend; the architect-level IT consulting company will allow legendary racer Chris Karamesines’ granddaughter to up the ante on parts for her dragster.
After earning his sixth Wally winner’s trophy in Bristol, team owner/driver Ron Capps is excited to be back at Norwalk this weekend, where he was the No. 1 qualifier in 2021 and a 2016 victor, and where he’s a three-time runner-up. With his second win of the season, 70th overall, Capps became the first Toyota Funny Car racer to drive the new GR Supra to victory. “I love this part of the season,” Capps said, “with these back-to-back races. The Bader family always puts on a great show [at Norwalk] and I’m especially happy about the fact that we will have four qualifying sessions this weekend.”
Right now Capps is in third place (-106) behind three-time winner Matt Hagan of Tony Stewart Racing (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) and John Force Racing’s Chevrolet Camaro SS pilot Robert Hight, who has a 42-point lag. Those three are separated by 106 points, while John Force (Camaro), Cruz Pedregon(Charger SRT Hellcat), J.R. Todd’s and Alexis DeJoria’s GR Supras, Bob Tasca III, Tim Wilkerson and Chad Green in their Ford Mustangs are playing catchup. Green is 481 points behind Hagan. If John Force pulls a win light in the first round this weekend, he’ll reach a monumental 1,400 round wins!
The entry list shows 16 Floppers heading to upper Ohio and the Norwalk track, with everyone in the top 10 accounted for, together with Jim Campbell’s Charger, Paul Lee’s Charger, Blake Alexander in a Mustang, Dale Creasy Jr.’s Stratus, Mike McIntire Jr.’s Camry and Bobby Bode III in a Ford Mustang. No one currently racing in NHRA’s Funny Car class has more than one victory at Norwalk in this national event, and the list of those looking for their second win at the track is stout: Pedregon, Capps, Hagan, 16-time class champion John Force, Wilkerson and Bob Tasca III.
With her runner-up result last weekend against teammate and winner Aaron Stanfield, Erica Enders has unleashed an 83 point advantage over Stanfield, followed by the KB Racing trio of Kyle Koretsky, Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson in fifth place, 289 points behind Enders. Mason McGaha, Camrie Caruso, Bo Butner, Deric Kramer and Fernando Cuadra Jr. comprise the top 10, with Troy Coughlin Jr. and Matt Hartford less than 15 points behind the younger Cuadra. This is a special race for Coughlin, as his family is from Ohio and operate their company in the state. A three-time Norwalk winner in Lucas Oil Sportsman ranks, Coughlin Jr. is joined by family members Mike Coughlin in Top Alcohol Dragster and Mike’s son, teenager Clay, racing in his first NHRA national event in Super Stock.
There are 20 Pro Stock cars in the pits this weekend, including all of the top 10 and those closest to cracking into the top 10. In addition, Shane Tucker, Larry Morgan, John Gaydosh Jr. and Kenny Delco have brought their Camaro race cars to Norwalk, joined by Alan Prusiensky’s Dodge and the Ford Mustangs for the three Cuadra family members: Fernando, Fernando Jr. and Cristian. With a smaller rookie crop in 2022, a lot of attention is falling to Pro Stock racer Camrie Caruso, 24, who is qualifying well and going rounds. She’s had success at this track and has picked up even more commercial support, including Kings of Vapor, for this event.
“I have raced at Norwalk a bunch and am excited to have Kings of Vapor on my Camaro this weekend,” Caruso said. “I won there in Top Alcohol Dragster and I have raced my 632 car there. My dad won there in Pro Mod – so I really enjoy Norwalk.” Caruso has qualified for every national event this year and, in all but one race where she qualified ninth, Caruso has occupied the top half of each Pro Stock ladder. With a No. 1 qualifier at Houston in her fifth race, last weekend Caruso qualified second and raced to the quarterfinals. Watch this racer!
Pro Stock Motorcycle has changed over the past few years. It used to be the domain of Harley-Davidson and Vance & Hines, before the Milwaukee manufacturer decided to leave the sport. Buell stepped up, particularly with Matt Smith Racing, and that team’s owner stepped up mightily as he earned his fourth and fifth championships in the two pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. Smith decided to go with the four-valve Suzuki this season, especially after watching journeyman Steve Johnson have great success, along with V&H’s Angelle Sampey, a three-time champ in the class.
With Suzuki looking increasingly competitive, NHRA added weight to the four-valve riders, but a look at the current standings show Steve Johnson, Karen Stoffer (-79) and Matt Smith (-127) as the top three, Angie Smith is fourth on her Buell, followed by Sampey, Eddie Krawiec’s, Joey Gladstone’s and Jerry Savoie’s Suzukis. Marc Ingwersen’s Buell and Jim Underdahl’s Suzuki round out the top 10. There are 16 motorcycles on the entry list, with the whole of this top 10 entered, together with a two-Buell entry for Ryan Oehler and Chip Ellis, Jianna Evaristo on a Suzuki, Hector Arana Jr.’s return on his Buell, LE Tonglet IV riding Kelly Clontz’ Suzuki and Ron Tornow with his Victory motorcycle.
It’s a good mix here of different motorcycles and different levels of riding capabilities. Obviously the riders who are successful in 2022 have got their bikes together and are ready to race forward to the Countdown to the Championship playoffs that begin after the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend. It is important to look at how riders have gotten where they are, but consider who’s in this class at Norwalk, riders like Ellis, Arana Jr. and Tonglet. Tonglet earned the title in his rookie season, while Ellis has been integral to motorcycle development and Arana Jr. was the first rider to 200mph at Gainesville several years ago. This class is stout – results at Norwalk could fall any different way!
It’s going to be a hot weekend, if the forecasts are correct. With temps starting with a high in the mid-80s on Friday and hovering around 90 for the balance of this Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, those that do well in the heat will have an advantage at the water box and through to the timing lights at this track’s top end.
So do we expect momentum from last week’s round- and overall winners and their teams or will someone new step in and make it to the Winner’s Circle come Sunday afternoon? It’s never wise to bet against those that are having regular success but drag racing is known for its surprises in the pits and on the tracks. The only way to predict the winner’s is to see who makes it to the final rounds.