{"id":90954,"date":"2023-05-17T11:11:09","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T18:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=90954"},"modified":"2023-05-17T11:11:09","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T18:11:09","slug":"nhra-returns-to-chicago-after-four-year-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/nhra-returns-to-chicago-after-four-year-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"NHRA Returns to Chicago after Four Year Absence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NHRA participants and fans are happy to return to Route 66 Raceway this weekend<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series\u2019 return to Chicago-area\u2019s Route 66 Raceway – for the first time since 2019 – is shaping up to be a bellwether for the series with myriad events within this three-day salute to straight-line racing, the Gerber Collision 7 Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals.<\/p>\n

In addition to three qualifying sessions, one on Friday afternoon and two on Saturday, this weekend marks the first ever Pro Stock All-Star Callout for eight outstanding door slammer racers, the return of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty competition between semi- and finalists from Pomona (the two four-wide races aren\u2019t included in this specialty race), cacklefests, PEAK Street Car Shootout, Q&A with Larry \u201cSpiderman\u201dcBride and Dave Vantine, and a Toyota Supra Showdown between Top Fuel\u2019s Justin Ashley and reigning Funny Car champ Ron Capps.<\/p>\n

All of this on-track activity should make fans happy and keep competitors occupied throughout the weekend, which builds to a Sunday climax of eliminations. The allure of competing again at Route 66 Raceway has brought an extended entry to all the professional classes, with 21 Top Fuel, 18 Funny Car, 20 Pro Stock and 18 Pro Stock Motorcycle entries on the grounds. In addition, the FuelTech Pro Mod Series has a total of 19 cars entered.<\/p>\n

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Steve Torrence is in a familiar slot, leading the NHRA Top Fuel standings – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Top Fuel, the situation is familiar as everyone is chasing Steve Torrence, the four-time consecutive champion who currently leads the points standings despite not having scored a Wally winner\u2019s trophy thus far in the 2023 season. The Texan has hovered in the semis and finals but hasn\u2019t hit the jackpot – yet. He is the defending winner of this race from four years ago, when he was en route to a five-win streak in the 2019 season. Behind Torrence are Justin Ashley (-35), Leah Pruett (-53), Austin Prock (-55) and reigning titleholder Brittany Force, who is 56 points behind Torrence. Making up the balance of the top 10 are Antron Brown, Mike Salinas, Shawn Langdon, Josh Hart and Doug Kalitta, who is only 170 points back.<\/p>\n

Joining these outstanding racers are Tony Schumacher and Clay Millican, currently 11th and 12th in the standings, Lex Joon, locals T.J. Zizzo and Will Smith, Buddy Hull, Kyle Wurtzel, Spencer Massey, Doug Foley, Jacob Opatmy and Jacob McNeal. With the Mission Foods competition and with this standout field of competitors, finding one\u2019s way into the 16-car field is going to be tough! \u201cI have lots of good memories from Chicago,\u201d Torrence reminisced. \u201cI know things change but my crew chiefs (Richard Hogan and Bobby Lagana Jr) should have some good data to work with. I think we\u2019re all glad to be back.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Three-time champs and former DSR teammates Matt Hagan and Ron Capps joke around – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The situation in Funny Car isn\u2019t much different. In 2019 the winner\u2019s Wally went to Tommy Johnson Jr., who isn\u2019t in the class at this moment. He defeated John Force Racing\u2019s Robert Hight, the three-time champ who is thrilled to be back in Joliet. Hight and his Chevrolet Camaro SS own the class track record at this track. Of course, everyone is chasing Matt Hagan, who is having a fabulous year in his Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. He\u2019s got a 58-point advantage on Alexis DeJoria, whose Toyota GR Supra has been hounding the Virginia cattle farmer all season. Hight is third (-69), reigning titleholder Ron Caps\u2019 Toyota GR Supra holds fourth-place points (-72) and Chad Green\u2019s Ford Mustang is with, 129 points behind Hagan.<\/p>\n

Behind those five are Bob Tasca III\u2019s and Tim Wilkerson\u2019s Mustangs, 16-time champ John Force\u2019s Camaro SS, Cruz Pedregon\u2019s Charger SRT Hellcat and Blake Alexander in Jim Head\u2019s Mustang. This top-10 in the Flopper class is joined on the entry list by 2018 champ J.R. Todd (currently 11th after some difficult races – in particular the Winternationals, where he twice suffered incidents), Alex Laughlin in Jim Dunn\u2019s Funny Car, Terry Haddock\u2019s Mustang, Dale Creasy Jr. in his Dodge Stratus, Ohio\u2019s Mike McIntire Jr\u2019s Toyota, Justin Schriefer\u2019s Charger and Bobby Bode III\u2019s Mustang. As the most recent finalist, Hight is \u201csuper excited to get back to Chicago. I love that facility and a lot of people from our shops will be there watching,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Pro Stock sure has a lot on its plate this weekend with its first ever All-Star Callout scheduled for Saturday, mostly in conjunction with qualifying. The eight drivers participating in this inaugural Pro Stock specialty race are all chasing points leader Dallas Glenn of KB Titan Racing, Those seeded second d through eighth are his teammates Matt Hartford and Kyle Koretsky, Elite Motorsports\u2019 Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Cristian Cuadra and reigning five-time champion Erica Enders, along with 2022 Rookie of the Year and KB Titan racer Camrie Caruso. Only Cuadra, among these eight racers, drives a Mustang; the balance are in Chevy Camaro race cars.<\/p>\n

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Camrie Caruso’s Camaro Pro Stock entry’s wrap should make everyone thirsty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Glenn\u2019s third year in this class sees him wiping the field on a race-by-race basis. He\u2019s got 81 points on KB Titan technical partner Hartford, 119 on Coughlin Jr., 154 on fourth-place and most recent winner Deric Kramer and 164 on Caruso. The balance of the top 10 include Stanfield, five-time champ Greg Anderson. Koretsky, Elite\u2019s Bo Butner III and Cristian Cuadra. Enders, who has been so dominant the past few years is stuck in the lucky 13th spot; she hasn\u2019t had this poor a season start since her team\u2019s short-lived partnership with Dodge in 2016, when NHRA first went to electronic fuel injection.<\/p>\n

Others to look for in the Pro Stock lineup include Shane Tucker, Alan Prusiensky and his Dodge Dart, the son-father team of Mason and Chris McGaha, Fernando and Fernando Cuadra Jr (both in Mustangs), David Cuadra making his second start in a Mustang and Robert River in a Chevy Cobalt. It\u2019s a talented field; some drivers and their teams will be disappointed come Saturday evening. Of course 15 drivers will be disappointed Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Of the five races held to date, NHRA\u2019s Pro Stock Motorcycle class has only raced twice but the same rider has beat all comers in both events. Hired in the off-season by Vance & Hines, Gaige Herrera has been victorious at both Gainesville and at the second four-wide race in Charlotte. In what\u2019s become a Suzuki-dominant category, albeit with a new weight gain attempt to gain parity for the Buell runners, he\u2019s got 102-point advantage on six-time champ Matt Smith, on a Suzuki, with teammate Eddie Krawiec third (-120). Angie Smith, who continues to ride her Buell is fourth (-129), with veteran Suzuki rider Steve Johnson in fifth and lagging Herrera by 133 points.<\/p>\n

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Hector Arana Jr is racing full-time in Pro Stock Motorcycle this year – Anne Proffit photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chase Van Sant, riding a Suzuki for WAR Racing in his rookie season, holds sixth place, followed by the Suzuki motorcycles of Joey Gladstone and Jianna Evaristo. Hector Arana Jr., back full-time in the class is ninth on his Buell, followed by the similar machine of Ryan Oehler. Look for all of the top 10 to b<\/span>e challenged by Marc Ingwersen\u2019s EBR, Chris Bostick\u2019s Suzuki, Chip Ellis on a Matt Smith Racing Buell, Wesley Wells\u2019 and Peggy Llewellyn\u2019s Suzukis, Ron Tornow and John Hall on their Buells, and a very competitive Kelly Clontz with her Suzuki. This class will have the semifinalists and finalists from Gainesville racing in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge this weekend.<\/p>\n

The weather in Joliet, IL could be a Friday factor, with occasional rain showers forecast, as of mid-week. Both Saturday and Sunday will be mostly sunny with temps ranging from the low- to high-70s and rain chances less than 10 percent. Especially with the specialty events on Saturday, this forecast could presage high speeds and low ETs. Just what every NHRA drag racing participant and fan desires.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series\u2019 return to Chicago-area\u2019s Route 66 Raceway – for the first time since 2019 – is shaping up to be a bellwether for the series with myriad events within this three-day salute to straight-line racing<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":90962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3465,3470,5029,3399,22],"tags":[9267,38,9709,7,4801,9684,9710,6859,73],"class_list":["post-90954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drag-racing","category-news","category-racing","category-nhra","category-event-coverage","tag-camping-world-drag-racing-series","tag-funny-car","tag-gerber-collision-class-nhra-nationals","tag-nhra","tag-pro-stock","tag-pro-stock-all-star-callout","tag-pro-stock-motorcycle-missiion-2fast2tasty-challenge","tag-route-66-raceway","tag-top-fuel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Joliet-logo-min-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-nF0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90954"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90965,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90954\/revisions\/90965"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}