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NHRA\u2019s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is bounding to the close of its 2024 season, a 20-race extravaganza that will crown champions in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle. The penultimate race takes place this coming weekend on The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a venue known for providing awesome racing and seasonal fun – after all, it\u2019s Halloween weekend. The 24th annual NHRA Ford Performance Nationals will offer four qualifying sessions and four rounds of eliminations, together with Lucas Oil Sportsman competition that begins on Halloween proper, together with Legends Nitro Series qualifying and eliminations throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n
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Additionally, this is the final race for the Congruity Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, which is a wide-open race between 16 drivers still mathematically alive in the title chase. It\u2019s the last of 10 events and it\u2019s likely this championship battle will go to the final round. With a maximum of 179 points on offer at this race and 30 points for each round win, eyes will be on former world champion Khalid Al Balooshi, who is the current points leader. Justin Bond is just 12 points back in second place, with Jordan Lazic 24 points in arrears. Lazic has Ken Quartuccio breathing down his neck and two points behind him, with Mason Wright rounding out the top five, just 35 points behind Al Balooshi. His four primary contenders are looking for their first title, so keeping one\u2019s cool and putting up the points should be a trial demanding composure.<\/p>\n
Same for the Mission Foods contenders. Composure while trying to earn a title is vital. Last year\u2019s winners at this race were Mike Salinas in Top Fuel and Robert Hight for Funny Car. Neither one of them is racing this coming weekend; rookie Jasmine Salinas is racing her dad\u2019s dragster with coaching and tuning by Rob Flynn, while Austin Prock is the points leader in Funny Car, driving Hight\u2019s Chevrolet Camaro SS, with his dad Jimmy and brother Thomas turning the knobs. Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle\u2019s 2023 race winners are in the mix for repeat championships and racing this weekend. They are Erica Enders, the six-time champ from Elite Motorsports and Vance & Hines\u2019 Gaige Herrera, looking for a second consecutive title on his Suzuki Hayabusa3.<\/p>\n Taking a close look at Top Fuel, there\u2019s only 255 points separating first from tenth place. That\u2019s nothing, particularly with points-and-a-half on offer for the season finale in Pomona, CA. A good showing here in Sin City could change the direction of this title fight, with only 88 points currently separating first from fourth! Justin Ashley, who led 2023\u2019s regular season but was unable to secure his first title, holds first place, for the moment. He\u2019s hounded by three-time champ Antron Brown in second place, lagging by 44 points. Kalitta Motorsports is in the mix as well. Shawn Langdon holds third place (-76) in Connie Kalitta\u2019s personal dragster. Langdon won the season opener, was strong in the regular season with two wins, but hasn\u2019t been able to secure a win in the Countdown to the Championship – yet – and realizes, \u201cWe definitely need to have a good race to stay in contention.\u201d<\/p>\n Four-time champ and five-time winner at this venue, Steve Torrence holds fourth place, 88 points back. \u201cWe just can\u2019t make any more mistakes,\u201d Torrence realizes. \u201cIt\u2019s all about what we can do this weekend.\u201d Eight-time champ Tony Schumacher is in fifth place, lagging by 105, while Clay Millican is only nine points behind him. Langdon\u2019s teammate Doug Kalitta, who won his first championship last year is seventh. After failing to qualify for the 70th Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend, Kalitta\u2019s been in a swoon he\u2019d like to come out of! Same for two-time champ Brittany Face, 190 points back. Rookie Tony Stewart, on pins and needles as wife Leah Pruett – for whom he\u2019s driving as she carries their child – preps for the duo\u2019s next act, is 241 points behind Ashley, while Billy Torrence completes the Top 10 and is the driver 255 points behind Ashley.<\/p>\n This weekend\u2019s official entry list shows 19 Top Fuel dragsters in the pits. In addition to our Top 10 drivers, look to Schumacher\u2019s stablemate, 2023 European TF champ Ida Zetterstrom, Josh Hart, Will Smith, Lex Joon, Spencer Massey, Shawn Reed, Travis Shumake and Scott Palmer, the latter primed for both this event and Pomona with backing from former Pro Stock standout Rodger Brogdon\u2019s Rooftec brand.<\/p>\n The internet is all abuzz with the idea that, perhaps, Austin Prock might bring home his first Funny Car championship at Las Vegas. True, he\u2019s got 147 points in hand over the boss, John Force, whose John Force Racing PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS is being wheeled by 2012 Funny Car titleholder Jack Beckman over the final eight races of this season, since Force\u2019s late June accident at Richmond, VA. Force will be at the track this weekend, soaking in that nitro scent he\u2019s missed since suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in his crash. It\u2019s the 16-time champ\u2019s first trackside outing and it\u2019s a given that both Brittany Force, Prock and Beckman will be putting their best feet forward in welcoming Force back to his trackside family.<\/p>\n While the primary thrust points to Prock and Force\/Beckman, reigning and four-time champ Matt Hagan is 168 points back in his Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Winning two weeks ago at Dallas for his third victory of the 2024 season Hagan, a four-time winner in the fall Las Vegas race has two No. 1 qualifiers at this track, achieved earlier in his stellar career. Three-time champ Ron Capps remains in this championship mix, racing from fourth place in his Toyota GR Supra flopper. He\u2019s 180 points behind Prock and is the final driver truly mathematically eligible. Owning four event titles, Capps believes, \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a fast, fast weekend. Cool conditions, and it\u2019s already a fast track. Conditions are telling us it\u2019s going to be track-record speeds,\u201d Capps pronounced.<\/p>\n While Bob Tasca III is 211 points behind Prock in his Ford Mustang, he\u2019ll be gunning for honors at his manufacturer\u2019s event, with Ford Performance the race\u2019s sponsor. Tasca III is outside the 200-point line, but gaining qualifying points and going rounds, he might just upset the class\u2019 leaders. Rookie Daniel Wilkerson is sixth and Blake Alexander seventh, both driving Ford Mustangs and wanting to perform for the brand, while 2018 champ J.R. Todd is eighth in his Toyota GR Supra from Kalitta Motorsports. Chad Green holds ninth place in his Mustang and Alexis DeJoria\u2019s DC Motorsports Toyota GR Supra is in tenth place, a massive 360 points in arrears.<\/p>\n How about 21 Funny Cars this weekend? That\u2019s the number NHRA has stated will be at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Adding to our ten top players are Buddy Hull in Jim Dunn\u2019s Dodge Charger, two-time champ Cruz Pedregon (who will forget his full-track wheelie several years ago here?) in his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Paul Lee\u2019s Charger, Terry Haddock\u2019s Mustang, Dave Richards in his Toyota Camry, Blake Alexander driving Jim Head\u2019s Mustang, John Hale\u2019s Charger, Steven Densham\u2019s Mustang, Jeff Diehl\u2019s Toyota Camry, Tim Gibbons and Jason Rupert driving Ford Mustangs and, finally, Christopher Morel in a Charger. That\u2019s going to make for lots of action in the Flopper class!<\/p>\n Pro Stock, too, is oversubscribed this weekend with 20 cars in the pits. If 2023 race winner Erica Enders is able to put together a second straight win in this two-across race on The Strip, she could move her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro from her current fourth place, where she\u2019s 111 points behind KB Titan Racing\u2019s 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year Dallas Glenn and his Camaro, teammate Aaron Stanfield\u2019s Camaro (-53) and KB Titan\u2019s Greg Anderson, who is 90 points behind his teammate. Enders, who has an amazing 10 wins at this track – the most in NHRA history – has experienced a roller-coaster year.<\/p>\n Elite Motorsports owns all but sixth and tenth places in the back half of this top 10 list, with Jeg Coughlin Jr. fifth and 196 points behind Glenn, KB Titan\u2019s Matt Hartford (-302), Christian Cuadra, Jerry Tucker and Troy Coughlin Jr. from Elite and, finally, Eric Latino of KB Titan, who is 359 points behind Glenn. Drivers looking to help mix up the standings in Las Vegas include KB Titan\u2019s Camrie Caruso and Deric Kramer, Kenny Delco, Mason and Chis McGaha, KB Titan\u2019s Cory Reed, Joey Grose, Derrick Reese, Fernando Cuadra Jr. and his brother David Cuadra. Only the Cuadra brothers are racing Ford Mustang bodies in this race.<\/p>\n There are 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle racers on the current entry list, led by reigning titleholder Gaige Herrera and his Vance & Hines Suzuki Hayabusa3. He leads six-time champ Matt Smith\u2019s Buell by 62 points, rookie teammate Richard Gadson by 161 and the Buell of Hector Arana Jr by 185. Fifth place goes to 2023 Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant (-230) on his WAR Suzuki, followed by the Buells of Angie Smith, Jianna Evaristo and John Hall, all riding for Matt Smith Racing. Veteran and Suzuki stalwart Steve Johnson, who made his 500th start earlier this year is ninth and Chris Bostick lags Herrera by 404 points on his WAR Suzuki, the sole motorcycle using a parachute to aid it in stopping at the top end.<\/p>\n Marc Ingwersen, who is still using an older spec Buell engine (as does Hector Arana Jr) returns to the fray, as does 2003 champ Geno Scali on a Vance & Hines Suzuki. They are joined by Malcolm Phillips Jr.\u2019s Suzuki GSXR, local Kahea Woods Jr.\u2019s Suzuki, Ryan Oehler\u2019s Buell and Clayton Howey, riding a Suzuki. It\u2019s a tough haul to Las Vegas and it\u2019s apparent that some of the motorcycle entries aren\u2019t going to come out just for this race, or for the SEMA show immediately following.<\/p>\n As Ron Capps alluded, the weather is probably going to induce low ETs and high speeds over this four-day event. The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series starts the festivities on Thursday, while the Mission Foods grouping starts on Friday. In addition to the five classes already noted, look for Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Mountain Motor Pro Stock and Factory X on the grounds. FS1 will show qualifying, race finals and a postface show on Sunday, with re-airs on FS2. Check local listings. Planning to be on-site? Bring jackets, hats and gloves! We\u2019re expecting highs in the 70s Thursday and Friday, with Saturday and Sunday\u2019s temps in the mid60s. There is a chance of showers for both Saturday night and Sunday, forecasters have said.<\/p>\n By Anne Proffit<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NHRA\u2019s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is bounding to the close of its 2024 season, a 20-race extravaganza that will crown champions in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":98354,"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],"tags":[10976,10397,38,75,423,9441,9966,7,4801,74,11010,9341,73],"class_list":["post-98353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drag-racing","category-news","category-racing","tag-24th-ford-performance-nhra-nationals","tag-congruity-pro-mod-drag-racing-series","tag-funny-car","tag-john-force","tag-john-force-racing","tag-lucas-oil-drag-racing-series","tag-mission-foods-drag-racing-series","tag-nhra","tag-pro-stock","tag-pro-stock-motorcycle","tag-sin-city","tag-the-strip-at-las-vegas-motor-speedway","tag-top-fuel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vegas-race-logo-min.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-pAl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98353","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=98353"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98372,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98353\/revisions\/98372"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Justin-Ashley-TX-action-min-300x200.jpg\")
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