ENDERS-STEVENS, MASSEY, WORSHAM, HINES HIT VEGAS JACKPOT

Erica Enders-Stevens reassumed the points lead in Pro Stock with her victory Sunday in Las Vegas, while Del Worsham won in Funny Car for the first time since 2009 with his defeat of John Force in the final, all of which set up a highly-anticipated finale in Pomona in two weeks.

NHRA Toyota Nationals

The NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas set up an epic finale to come in Pomona, as Erica Enders-Stevens reassumed the points lead with her Pro Stock victory over Jeg Coughlin Jr. on Sunday, while John Force narrowed the gap between he and points leader Matt Hagan with a final round appearance opposite of Del Worsham. Worsham, with his victory, hoisted the Funny Car Wally for the first time since 2009, as his 4.06 bested Force’s 4.10. Spencer Massey ousted J.R. Todd in the Top Fuel final, 3.75 to a tire-smoking 7.37, and Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Andrew Hines extended his margin with a final round defeat of Matt Smith. And in Pro Modified, Rickie Smith successfully defended his world championship title and then proceeded to win the whole thing, downing an out-of-shape Don Walsh Jr. in the final round at the class’ season finale.

Event Winners:

Top Fuel: Spencer Massey
Funny Car: Del Worsham
Pro Stock: Erica Enders-Stevens
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Andrew Hines
Top Alcohol Dragster: Joey Severance
Top Alcohol Funny Car: Steve Harker
Competition Eliminator: Justin Lamb
Super Stock: Jason DeForrest
Stock: Joe Sorensen
Super comp: Bobby Dye Jr.
Super Gas: Tommy Phillips

Radial Fest

It’s safe to say no one will ever forget the inaugural Radial Fest at the Huntsville Dragway in Alabama, as history was made over the weekend when Brad Edwards, driving a stock suspension, twin-turbo Ford Mustang, recorded the first three-second pass in history on 315 Drag Radials. Edwards clocked an out-of-this-world 3.99 in the Pro Drag Radial final round after trading the record back and forth with Jamie Hancock throughout eliminations. Edwards carded runs of 4.03, 4.03, 4.03. 4.00, and finally, the magic “three” in the epic final round opposite of Hancock. For his part, Hancock laid down the quickest-ever sixty-foot by a radial tire car in the money round, but lost traction at mid-track and nosed his Corvette into the guardrail. In X275, Rich Bruder trumped his one-week-old world record pass of 4.47 with a series of 4.4-second laps, with a best of 4.46, and rode the momentum all the way to the final, where he defeated Shawn Ayers for the first-ever Radial Fest crown.

Event Winners:

Pro Drag Radial: Brad Edwards
X275: Rich Bruder

Radial Revenge Tour

The Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park hosted the final Radial Revenge Tour event over the weekend, bringing out some of the heaviest hitters in the nation on radials, including incoming record holder Keith Berry, DeWayne Mills, and a host of others. And when all was said done, it was Mills, a native of Oklahoma, that stood tall, as he powered his ’68 Camaro to victory over Justin Martin, going 4.23 in the money round. Tyler Stubbe took X275 honors with his 4.61-second defeat of Josh Gray in the final round, while Brian Edwards closed out a dominant performance in MX235, running 4.98 in the final to oust Donald Kelly.

Radial Versus The World: DeWayne Mills
X275: Tyler Stubbe
MX235: Brian Edwards