HINES, BATES, WEAVER CLOSE OUT 2016 NMRA SEASON WITH A BANG

Phil Hines (Street Outlaw), Aaron Bates (Renegade), and Teddy Weaver (Pure Street) were among the many winners at the NMRA’s season-ending World Finals at the Beech Bend Raceway Park in Kentucky on Sunday evening.

NMRA World Finals

Reigning series champion Phil Hines closed the 2016 NMRA season out on a high note on Sunday evening at the Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky in front of a packed house, as he took home the Street Outlaw hardware after opponent Joel Greathouse — who earlier reset the class record — rolled the beams in the finale. In Renegade, low qualifier Aaron Bates ousted Adam Arndt in the final round by a 7.44 to 7.51 count, while Haley James scored a scant 7.85 to 7.87 victory over Joe Guertin in the Coyote Modified money round. Virginia’s Teddy Weaver took Pure Street honors with a 9.65-second rout of a slowing Shawn Johnson, and Shane Stymiest dropped Coyote Stock low qualifier Darin Hendricks in the final, 10.23 to a 10.34.

Street Outlaw: Phil Hines
Renegade: Aaron Bates
Coyote Modified: Haley James
Pure Street: Teddy Weaver
Coyote Stock: Shane Stymiest
Factory Stock: James Meredith
Modular Muscle: Shane Williams
Open Comp: Dennis Corn
Truck & Lightning: Randy Conway
Super Stang: Chris Parisi
Ford Muscle: Tom Osterkamp
GT500: Brian Devilbiss
Ecoboost: Brad Gusler
Turbo Coyote Shootout: Justin Jordan
Stick Shift Shootout: Nicholas Shortridge
Bracket 1: Derrick Cornish
Bracket 2: Gary Parker
Bracket 3: Clifford Moore

NHRA Dodge Nationals

Antron Brown helped his cause for a third Top Fuel title on Sunday with his second win of the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship at the Dodge Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania, as he defeated Brittany Force in a spectacular final round that saw both drivers record 3.721-second elapsed times, with only .003 separating them at the tree. In Funny Car, Tommy Johnson, Jr. made it two-for-two for Don Schumacher Racing by downing his teammate, Ron Capps, in the final, 3.89 to 3.91, while Vincent Nobile kept his title hopes alive with a wire-to-wire defeat of Greg Anderson in Pro Stock, 6.57 to 6.58. And in Pro Stock Motorcycle, Edie Krawiec defeated first-time finalist Cory Reed, 6.81 to 6.95, to earn his fourth victory of the season.

Top Fuel: Antron Brown
Funny Car: Tommy Johnson, Jr.
Pro Stock: Vincent Nobile
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Eddie Krawiec
Top Alcohol Dragster: Jackie Fricke
Top Alcohol Funny Car: Andy Bohl
Competition Eliminator: Al Ackerman
Super Stock: Michael Iacono
Stock: Peter Biondo
Super Comp: Amanda Boicesco
Super Gas: Craig Porter

PDRA Sunshine State Shootout

The penultimate stop on the PDRA tour at the Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida fell victim to Mother Nature over the weekend, as rains hampered qualifying, cutting competitors to just two shots at the race track before officials made the decision to postpone eliminations to the season finale in Richmond. Jason Scruggs led qualifying in Pro Extreme with his 3.52-second lap, while Tommy Franklin commanded the 17-car Pro Nitrous field with a stellar 3.70. Eliminations will be completed during qualifying at the Virginia event.