Antron Brown raced to his sixth Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park and in the process increased his championship points lead.
Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners of the event, the first race for NHRA in the St. Louis area in more than two years.
Brown defeated championship rival Spencer Massey in the final round and moved 21 points ahead of the Texas driver as only three races remain in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Brown, who battled side-by-side with Massey all weekend, took the victory with a final round performance of 3.766 seconds at 325.22 mph in his Matco Tools/Aaron’s dragster, while Massey trailed with a 3.812 at 324.05 in his FRAM/Prestone dragster.
“Our team hit a grand slam here this weekend,” Brown said. “We qualified No. 1 and took it one round at a time. It was a great weekend, but it’s always a struggle. This class is very competitive, and these guys aren’t playing anymore. You have your struggles here and there, and you have to keep on overcoming them. I’m just so happy for our Aaron’s/Matco guys.”
Brown beat Bruce Litton, Steve Torrence and Brandon Bernstein in early rounds before unleashing his quickest run of the day in the final against Massey.
“It was a stressful day where we matched up against some great competition,” Brown said. “Matching up against my teammate [Massey] in the final was big – we’ve been back and forth in the points. It’s great to have six wins, but right now they’re all in the past. We need to go back to the shop and get focused on these last three races. It’s just so competitive out here and this points race is going to go down to the last race.”
Beckman moved to within 30 points of Funny Car points leader Ron Capps by racing to his third victory of the season. He took the final round win in his Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger over Matt Hagan, who fouled at the start in his DieHard Dodge Charger.
“It’s nice to know that we have a car that can challenge for the championship,” said Beckman, who beat Alexis DeJoria, Jeff Arend and Tony Pedregon to advance to the final round. “This wasn’t do-or-die, but it’s getting pretty close. I’m not saying we counted points, but we had a tablet going with a lot of cross marks and updated math. Losing to Capps by four-thousandths in Dallas hurt a lot, but today went a long way towards healing that. It’s awesome to know that we have three races to go and are only 30 points back. All we want is a fighting chance going into Pomona.”
Points leader Capps lost in the second round to Hagan, a non-Countdown performer and the defending world champ who has now advanced to back-to-back final rounds in the playoffs. Beckman was surprised when he saw Hagan blast away from the line so early in the final.
“From my perspective, you’re ready to go up there and squeeze the trigger if anything happens,” Beckman said. “I heard noise, saw the red light come on, and saw the big DieHard logo from Matt’s car. We have a big respect for that car. Over the last four races, it might be the best-running car on average.”
In Pro Stock, Enders earned her fourth victory of the season and first ever in the playoffs by using a reaction time advantage to defeat series points leader Allen Johnson in the final round. She powered her GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt to a 6.540 at 211.79 to finish just inches in front of Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, who posted a quicker, but losing run of 6.538 at 212.13.
“This is the win I wanted to get in Texas last week, but I’ll take it,” Enders said. “We were definitely consistent this weekend and that’s why we got to the final so I could race my bud [Allen Johnson] and get to the winner’s circle.”
Enders outran Shane Gray, teammate Dave Connolly and event top qualifier Jason Line to advance to her second straight Countdown final round appearance.
“It is a total team effort every week,” she said. “My team is the reason why I get to do this. They’re great. They helped me get down a tricky track when other guys were getting in pedal-fests. We were a little behind performance-wise in the final, but we made a good run and I did my job.”
With the runner-up finish and third straight final round appearance in the Countdown playoffs, Johnson increased his series lead to 109 over Line, while Enders moved to third in the standings, 126 back of Johnson.
Krawiec claimed his seventh Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of the season and increased his points lead to 33 over his final round opponent and teammate, Andrew Hines. Krawiec took his 18th career victory when Hines fouled on his identically-prepared Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson.
Krawiec took three of his round wins via red-light starts by his opponents, including his first round win over Steve Johnson and second round win over Chip Ellis. Krawiec used a strong performance on his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson to outrun Hector Arana Sr.’s Lucas Oil Buell in the semifinals.
“Andrew and I were lucky to take out the Hectors in the semis and that really helped us in the points,” Krawiec said. “I lost in Dallas due to rider error. I had a .066 light which is unacceptable. This week I was good on the tree and had a good bike which is what it takes to win some rounds. Yes, I had three red-lights against me here but I did well and all my runs were good. I pushed it a little in the final but I know the potential of what he [Andrew] has. He crushed me in Charlotte.”
The NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs continues with round four of six, Oct. 4-7 with the Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pa.
Troy Coughlin raced to the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx victory Sunday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.
Coughlin outran Danny Rowe in the final round to score his first career victory in the high-horsepower doorslammer category and move to third in the points standings with only one race remaining in the NHRA Pro Mod season.
Coughlin powered his turbocharged JEGS.com ’68 Camaro to a final round performance of 5.873 seconds at 257.58 mph to take the victory over Rowe, who had problems getting his supercharged Sterling Bridge ’68 Camaro to start for the final. Once Rowe got his machine fired, the car had issues going down the track and finished in 6.732 at 179.42.
“When I let the button go at the starting line in the final, I knew it was over when I didn’t see him, because those blower cars accelerate fast,” Coughlin said. “From then on, I just focused on making a clean run. It was just our time to win.”
Coughlin defeated Rickie Smith, Charlotte winner Leah Pruett and Pete Farber to advance to the final round. Coughlin is a three-time winner in NHRA Pro Stock competition and he claimed a 2005 Pro Mod exhibition victory in Englishtown, N.J., but this is his first Wally in official NHRA Pro Mod competition.
“My guys Steve Petty, Bryan Metzenheim, Mike Rees, Nick Gaylord, all the folks at JEGS.com deserve all the credit in the world,” Coughlin said. “Pro Line, our engine shop, has given us a fantastic race car all year. We beat a five-star team today.”
Coughlin moves to third in the points standings, 42 back of leader Mike Castellana and one point back of second-place Smith.
“Going into the last race out in Vegas with this kind of momentum is important,” Coughlin said. “There are still some spots up for grabs and everything is still pretty tight. Any time you can go to the end of an NHRA season and be in the running for a top three for four spot in your class, that’s saying something.”
The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx world champion will be crowned at the season-finale, Oct. 25-28, during the Big O Tires NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Final finish order (1-16) at the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. The race is the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Antron Brown; 2. Spencer Massey; 3. Brandon Bernstein; 4. David Grubnic; 5. Tony Schumacher; 6. Khalid alBalooshi; 7. Steve Torrence; 8. Shawn Langdon; 9. Doug Kalitta; 10. Bob Vandergriff; 11. Larry Dixon; 12. Clay Millican; 13. Morgan Lucas; 14. T.J. Zizzo; 15. Terry McMillen; 16. Bruce Litton.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Jack Beckman; 2. Matt Hagan; 3. Tim Wilkerson; 4. Tony Pedregon; 5. Ron Capps; 6. Dale Creasy Jr.; 7. Mike Neff; 8. Jeff Arend; 9. Johnny Gray; 10. Jim Head; 11. Alexis DeJoria; 12. Robert Hight; 13. Cruz Pedregon; 14. John Force; 15. Bob Tasca III; 16. Courtney Force.
PRO STOCK:
1. Erica Enders; 2. Allen Johnson; 3. Vincent Nobile; 4. Jason Line; 5. Greg Anderson; 6. Buddy Perkinson; 7. Dave Connolly; 8. Mike Edwards; 9. V. Gaines; 10. Larry Morgan; 11. Chris McGaha; 12. Jeg Coughlin; 13. Shane Gray; 14. Greg Stanfield; 15. Ron Krisher; 16. Warren Johnson.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Eddie Krawiec; 2. Andrew Hines; 3. Hector Arana; 4. Hector Arana Jr; 5. Karen Stoffer; 6. Chip Ellis; 7. Scotty Pollacheck; 8. Shawn Gann; 9. Matt Smith; 10. Michael Ray; 11. John Hall; 12. Jim Underdahl; 13. Jerry Savoie; 14. Mike Berry; 15. LE Tonglet; 16. Steve Johnson.
Sunday’s final results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. The race is the 20th of 23 in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Antron Brown, 3.766 seconds, 325.22 mph def. Spencer Massey, 3.812 seconds, 324.05 mph.
Funny Car — Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.132, 306.53 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, foul.
Pro Stock — Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.540, 211.79 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.538, 212.13.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.851, 193.88 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, foul.
Competition Eliminator — Clint Neff, ’23-T Ford, 9.148, 99.07 def. Larry Pritchett, Pontiac Sunfire, foul.
Super Stock — Fred Bartoli Sr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.798, 134.46 def. Justin Jenkins, Chevy Cobalt, 9.534, 138.47.
Stock Eliminator — Daryl Bureski, Olds 442, 11.416, 103.20 def. Bobby Bishop, Ford Mustang, 12.655, 96.32.
Super Comp — Michael Eggleston, Dragster, 8.889, 175.87 def. Pat Fitzpatrick, Dragster, foul.
Super Gas — Jarod Bowman, Chevy Corvette, 9.909, 161.19 def. Dan Huellewig, ’32 Ford, 9.910, 144.74.
Final round-by-round results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Khalid alBalooshi, 3.830, 322.50 def. Larry Dixon, 3.917, 310.41; Brandon Bernstein, 3.798, 321.50 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.907, 256.36; David Grubnic, 5.136, 276.41 def. Terry McMillen, 6.133, 154.30; Tony Schumacher, 3.784, 320.51 def. Clay Millican, 3.925, 279.04; Antron Brown, 3.839, 320.28 def. Bruce Litton, 10.440, 71.61; Spencer Massey, 3.803, 310.77 def. T.J. Zizzo, 5.015, 144.16; Shawn Langdon, 3.771, 325.69 def. Morgan Lucas, 4.069, 230.33; Steve Torrence, 3.793, 321.27 def. Bob Vandergriff, 3.908, 309.63;
QUARTERFINALS — Massey, 3.782, 311.92 def. alBalooshi, 3.831, 298.40; Brown, 3.787, 321.19 def. Torrence, 3.904, 306.74; Bernstein, 3.795, 318.84 def. Schumacher, 3.795, 324.12; Grubnic, 3.797, 319.22 def. Langdon, 3.920, 286.07;
SEMIFINALS — Brown, 3.812, 317.94 def. Bernstein, 5.149, 137.48; Massey, 3.795, 317.64 def. Grubnic, 10.350, 50.37;
FINAL — Brown, 3.766, 325.22 def. Massey, 3.812, 324.05.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Tony Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 4.111, 308.14 def. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 10.515, 77.92; Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.397, 239.65 def. Courtney Force, Mustang, DQ; Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.127, 306.12 def. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 4.233, 294.37; Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Impala, 4.606, 189.34 def. John Force, Mustang, 6.921, 103.19; Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.086, 304.32 def. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, foul; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.072, 309.20 def. Johnny Gray, Charger, 4.162, 307.09; Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.125, 305.63 def. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.272, 258.96; Jeff Arend, Camry, 4.142, 309.13 def. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.657, 204.73;
QUARTERFINALS — T. Pedregon, 4.109, 305.36 def. Neff, 10.472, 75.58; Beckman, 4.093, 306.95 def. Arend, broke; Wilkerson, 4.084, 308.50 def. Creasy Jr., 6.047, 128.74; Hagan, 4.116, 297.35 def. Capps, 4.345, 295.27;
SEMIFINALS — Beckman, 4.093, 302.35 def. T. Pedregon, 5.957, 134.52; Hagan, 4.137, 299.46 def. Wilkerson, 4.197, 291.19;
FINAL — Beckman, 4.132, 306.53 def. Hagan, foul.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Buddy Perkinson, Pontiac GXP, 6.564, 210.80 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Avenger, 6.551, 210.87; Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.537, 211.63 def. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.575, 209.62; Dave Connolly, Chevy Cobalt, 6.563, 209.65 def. Ron Krisher, GXP, 6.601, 210.21; Erica Enders, Cobalt, 6.538, 211.46 def. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.588, 210.05; Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.526, 211.96 def. Warren Johnson, GXP, 6.645, 207.43; Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.535, 211.49 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.590, 209.43; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.514, 212.13 def. Jeg Coughlin, Avenger, 6.587, 210.70; Vincent Nobile, Avenger, 6.546, 211.03 def. Chris McGaha, Avenger, 6.579, 210.28;
QUARTERFINALS — Enders, 6.532, 211.73 def. Connolly, 6.566, 210.83; A. Johnson, 6.517, 212.03 def. Edwards, 16.178, 44.22; Nobile, 6.544, 211.36 def. Anderson, 6.535, 211.93; Line, 6.506, 212.66 def. Perkinson, 6.546, 211.39;
SEMIFINALS — A. Johnson, 8.564, 184.60 def. Nobile, 9.392, 145.50; Enders, 6.531, 212.33 def. Line, 11.297, 79.17;
FINAL — Enders, 6.540, 211.79 def. A. Johnson, 6.538, 212.13.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE — Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 6.895, 191.19 def. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.903, 190.38; Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.090, 159.16 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.899, 194.04 def. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.942, 193.27; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 7.222, 156.44 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, foul; Hector Arana, Buell, 6.845, 195.73 def. Mike Berry, Buell, 6.959, 191.32; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.881, 193.49 def. John Hall, Buell, foul; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.907, 193.38 def. Matt Smith, Buell, foul; Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.923, 192.93 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, foul;
QUARTERFINALS — Krawiec, 6.810, 197.10 def. Ellis, foul; Hines, 6.850, 194.94 def. Stoffer, foul; Arana Jr, 6.882, 195.34 def. Pollacheck, 6.946, 189.31; Arana, 7.758, 179.73 def. Gann, 8.056, 169.08;
SEMIFINALS — Hines, 6.874, 193.27 def. Arana Jr, 7.013, 192.93; Krawiec, 6.852, 193.96 def. Arana, 6.892, 194.38;
FINAL — Krawiec, 6.851, 193.88 def. Hines, foul.
PRO MODIFIED:
ROUND ONE — Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 5.883, 245.00 def. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.964, 248.11; Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.910, 257.97 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.966, 243.55; Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.353, 218.19 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 11.229, 77.20; Donald Martin, Camaro, 5.875, 247.16 def. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 6.006, 241.20; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.293, 229.31 def. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 6.358, 183.00; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.921, 245.49 def. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 6.039, 243.11; Leah Pruett, Mustang, 5.894, 251.95 def. Harold Martin, Chevy Corvette, 6.147, 211.76; Don Walsh, Mustang, 5.856, 252.57 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, broke;
QUARTERFINALS — Farber, 10.830, 79.15 def. D. Martin, foul; Rowe, 5.932, 236.75 def. Castellana, 5.955, 242.76; Coughlin, 5.922, 255.97 def. Pruett, 5.912, 251.58; Walsh, 5.860, 253.28 def. Janis, 6.069, 196.96;
SEMIFINALS — Coughlin, 5.930, 252.99 def. Farber, 6.041, 243.68; Rowe, 5.866, 247.20 def. Walsh, foul;
FINAL — Coughlin, 5.873, 257.58 def. Rowe, 6.732, 179.42.
Point standings (top 10) following the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 2,378; 2. Spencer Massey, 2,357; 3. Tony Schumacher, 2,295; 4. Shawn Langdon, 2,274; 5. Brandon Bernstein, 2,238; 6. Morgan Lucas, 2,205; 7. Steve Torrence, 2,180; 8. Doug Kalitta, 2,168; 9. David Grubnic, 2,152; 10. Bob Vandergriff, 2,117.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 2,361; 2. Jack Beckman, 2,331; 3. Mike Neff, 2,262; 4. Cruz Pedregon, 2,202; 5. Tim Wilkerson, 2,197; 6. Courtney Force, 2,180; 7. Robert Hight, 2,179; 8. Johnny Gray, 2,149; 9. Jeff Arend, 2,148; 10. John Force, 2,143.
Pro Stock
1. Allen Johnson, 2,442; 2. Jason Line, 2,333; 3. Erica Enders, 2,316; 4. Vincent Nobile, 2,292; 5. Greg Anderson, 2,218; 6. Mike Edwards, 2,181; 7. Ron Krisher, 2,129; 8. Larry Morgan, 2,125; 9. V. Gaines, 2,117; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 2,114.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,415; 2. Andrew Hines, 2,382; 3. Hector Arana Jr, 2,306; 4. Hector Arana, 2,267; 5. Karen Stoffer, 2,229; 6. Michael Ray, 2,219; 7. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,177; 8. LE Tonglet, 2,147; 9. Shawn Gann, 2,146; 10. Matt Smith, 2,118.
Pro Modified
1. Mike Castellana, 616; 2. Rickie Smith, 575; 3. Troy Coughlin, 574; 4. Don Walsh, 559; 5. Danny Rowe, 556; 6. Leah Pruett, 534; 7. Donald Martin, 468; 8. Pete Farber, 442; 9. Mike Knowles, 368; 10. Steve Matusek, 362.
Antron Brown raced to the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel capping a record-setting two days of qualifying at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.
Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers.
Brown will go for his second consecutive playoff victory and his sixth win of the season from the top spot as he holds a one point lead in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship over playoff rival Spencer Massey, who was second in qualifying. Brown will race part-time driver Bruce Litton in the opening round.
“Tomorrow is going to be where all the marbles are counted,” Brown said. “We have a tough first round matchup. We struggled a little bit today getting our car slowed down when it got a little hotter, so we have our work cut out for us. The track has been really good, so tomorrow is going to be a good race day.”
Brown took his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season and 32nd of his career with his Friday track record performance of 3.737 seconds at 326.79 mph in his Matco Tools/Aaron’s dragster.
“Those qualifying points pay big dividends,” Brown said. “We came in here tied with Spencer, went back and forth, and came out of qualifying one point ahead. Spencer’s been trying to take my lunch money. We want every point we can get because they all add up when we come into Pomona [for the Countdown finale]. We were trying hard today to go low in each round. It didn’t go in our favor, but the .73 from last night put us No. 1.”
Massey was second with a 3.752 at 326.16 in the FRAM/Prestone dragster, while David Grubnic was third overall in his Optima Batteries dragster with a 3.773 at 317.94.
Beckman secured his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season in Funny Car with a track record time of 4.049 at 308.85 in his Valvoline NextGen Dodge Charger.
“The awesome thing about getting qualified on Friday is getting the chance to come up with your race day tune-up,” Beckman said. “Qualifying No. 1 never hurts your chances, and making two good runs today and getting to try a new supercharger should help us out. I like that we’ve been able to qualify like this on a consistent basis, but we have to convert. We have to turn this into round-wins.”
Beckman, who will race rookie Alexis DeJoria in the opening round, hopes to take advantage of his top qualifying effort during eliminations so he can improve on his third place points position in the Countdown playoffs.
Tomorrow is going to be where all the marbles are counted. -Antron Brown
“We have four races left and that’s 16 rounds, assuming that you get to the final round each time,” Beckman said. “We’re five rounds out of the lead right now, and we’re not racing for second place. The pressure is squarely on us.”
John Force qualified second in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang with a 4.060 at 308.35, while defending world champ Matt Hagan was third with a 4.061 at 305.42 in his DieHard/Aaron’s Charger. Funny Car points leader Ron Capps will start sixth and meet teammate Johnny Gray in the opening round.
Line earned his sixth No. 1 of the season and 30th of his career in Pro Stock, powering to a track record performance of 6.496 at 213.47 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro. He will meet Jeg Coughlin in the opening round.
“That [6.49] was the best corrected run we’ve ever made,” Line said. “It was about as close to perfect as you can get. Our Camaro finally come around. It’s a great car at least for this weekend. Today, is the first time that I feel like the Camaro is as good as our old Pontiac. Greg’s car still needs a little work, but mine was as good as it gets. This car has come a long way.”
Line says with Series leader Allen Johnson’s extended lead in the standings, he’s trying to grab every available point on the table.
“Obviously, we’re working on trying to get the three little [qualifying bonus] points,” Line said. “All little points matter, but you really have to get the big points tomorrow in order to have a shot at the championship. I just have to do a good job driving and make it happen.”
Johnson was second overall with a 6.516 at 212.76 in the Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, while Line’s teammate, Greg Anderson, moved into third with a 6.517 at 212.36 in his Summit Racing Camaro. Erica Enders will start fourth in her GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana Jr. took his third No. 1 of the season and second in a row with a track record time of 6.809 at 196.50 on his Lucas Oil Buell. He will face John Hall in the first round.
“The conditions were great and we were able to tune from last night’s run and we were able to make adjustments so as you’ve seen we ran better today,” said Arana Jr. of his ninth career to qualifying position. “You always hope you’ll run quicker but I was a bit surprise that we ran that fast. I did not think we’d go a 6.80.”
Arana Jr. feels confident as he goes for his first win of the season and tries to move up in the points standings. He hasn’t made it past the semis in each of his other two races this season when he was the top qualifier.
“I’ve been riding well and the bike is running well,” Arana Jr. said. “We just need to be consistent. I am not thinking about what happened before. I’m looking forward and living in the present.”
I am not thinking about what happened before. I’m looking forward and living in the present. – Hector Arana Jr.
Hector Arana Sr. was second with a 6.827 at a track record speed of 196.56 on his Lucas Oil Buell and is followed by the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson tandem of points leader Eddie Krawiec in third and Andrew Hines in fourth.
Don Walsh raced to his third consecutive No. 1 qualifying position and then claimed an opening round victory in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx portion of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals when Scott Ray was unable to make the call in his ’53 Corvette following his top end crash yesterday.
Walsh took the No. 1 qualifying position with a track record performance of 5.816 seconds at 255.43 mph and then sped to the opening round win by powering his late-model Ford Mustang to an effort of 5.856 at 252.57.
Other first round winners included track speed record holder Troy Coughlin, series points leader Mike Castellana and Charlotte winner Leah Pruett.
Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and third of six races in the Flull Throttle Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel — 1. Antron Brown, 3.737 seconds, 326.79 mph vs. 16. Bruce Litton, 3.902, 306.33; 2. Spencer Massey, 3.752, 326.16 vs. 15. T.J. Zizzo, 3.889, 298.67; 3. David Grubnic, 3.773, 317.94 vs. 14. Terry McMillen, 3.887, 318.47; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.775, 325.69 vs. 13. Clay Millican, 3.868, 316.60; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.795, 325.53 vs. 12. Brandon Bernstein, 3.867, 316.01; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.799, 318.92 vs. 11. Morgan Lucas, 3.856, 309.56; 7. Khalid alBalooshi, 3.837, 320.51 vs. 10. Larry Dixon, 3.840, 314.90; 8. Steve Torrence, 3.840, 318.92 vs. 9. Bob Vandergriff, 3.840, 318.77. Did Not Qualify: 17. Keith Murt, 3.938, 303.84; 18. Tim Cullinan, 3.948, 305.98; 19. Luigi Novelli, 3.983, 286.13; 20. Chris Karamesines, 4.086, 305.98; 21. Pat Dakin, 4.098, 249.58; 22. Troy Buff, 4.193, 270.59.
Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.049, 308.85 vs. 16. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 4.187, 291.13; 2. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.060, 308.35 vs. 15. Dale Creasy Jr., Chevy Impala, 4.183, 289.07; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.061, 305.42 vs. 14. Jim Head, Toyota Solara, 4.182, 304.46; 4. Courtney Force, Mustang, 4.073, 309.70 vs. 13. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.152, 305.84; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.077, 309.63 vs. 12. Tony Pedregon, Camry, 4.136, 301.20; 6. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.083, 309.34 vs. 11. Johnny Gray, Charger, 4.126, 305.15; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.090, 312.06 vs. 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.115, 302.75; 8. Jeff Arend, Camry, 4.095, 312.93 vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.100, 305.29. Did Not Qualify: 17. Todd Lesenko, 4.474, 248.84; 18. Terry Haddock, 4.512, 254.23; 19. Peter Russo, broke.
Pro Stock — 1. Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.496, 213.47 vs. 16. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Avenger, 6.581, 210.54; 2. Allen Johnson, Avenger, 6.516, 212.76 vs. 15. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.576, 210.11; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.517, 212.36 vs. 14. Warren Johnson, Pontiac GXP, 6.576, 211.00; 4. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.519, 212.23 vs. 13. Shane Gray, GXP, 6.564, 210.67; 5. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.527, 211.99 vs. 12. Ron Krisher, GXP, 6.558, 211.43; 6. Vincent Nobile, Avenger, 6.530, 212.33 vs. 11. Chris McGaha, Avenger, 6.553, 210.31; 7. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.532, 212.26 vs. 10. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.553, 210.93; 8. Buddy Perkinson, GXP, 6.536, 212.09 vs. 9. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.548, 211.66. Did Not Qualify: 17. Kurt Johnson, 6.590, 210.18; 18. Steve Schmidt, 6.653, 207.21; 19. Lewis Worden, 6.674, 207.82; 20. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.790, 203.55; 21. Mark Hogan, 6.860, 207.78; 22. Dave River, 25.240, 203.06.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.809, 196.50 vs. 16. John Hall, Buell, 6.987, 189.52; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.827, 196.56 vs. 15. Mike Berry, Buell, 6.984, 190.22; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.839, 195.56 vs. 14. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.929, 193.43; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.862, 195.00 vs. 13. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.912, 194.07; 5. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.877, 193.40 vs. 12. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.910, 191.02; 6. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.882, 194.32 vs. 11. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.906, 192.38; 7. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.886, 194.88 vs. 10. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.888, 193.18; 8. Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 6.886, 190.16 vs. 9. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.887, 191.95. Did Not Qualify: 17. Matt Guidera, 7.052, 189.36; 18. Michael Phillips, 7.065, 190.94; 19. Wesley Wells, 7.087, 189.07.
First-round Pro Mod results from the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx :
ROUND ONE — Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 5.883, 245.00 def. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.964, 248.11; Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.910, 257.97 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.966, 243.55; Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.353, 218.19 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 11.229, 77.20; Donald Martin, Camaro, 5.875, 247.16 def. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 6.006, 241.20; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.293, 229.31 def. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 6.358, 183.00; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.921, 245.49 def. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 6.039, 243.11; Leah Pruett, Mustang, 5.894, 251.95 def. Harold Martin, Chevy Corvette, 6.147, 211.76; Don Walsh, Mustang, 5.856, 252.57 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, broke;
Top Fuel racer Antron Brown led a record-setting day of qualifying Friday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.
Brown and the rest of the NHRA teams took advantage of cool fall temperatures in the St. Louis area that led to a parade of track records in all four Full Throttle Series classes. It is the first time drag racing’s marquee circuit has visited the multi-purpose motorsports facility that sits just beside the Mississippi river and in view of the famed Gateway Arch in more than two years.
Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were qualifying leaders at the third of six playoff races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.
Brown powered his Matco Tools/Aaron’s dragster to a track record performance of 3.737 seconds at 326.79 mph to qualify just in front of his teammate and championship rival Spencer Massey, who was second with a 3.752 at 326.16 in his FRAM/Prestone dragster.
“We made the third-quickest run in history on a track we haven’t ran on in two years, which is a credit to the Gateway staff and the NHRA Safety Safari,” Brown said. “When I stepped on the gas, the car picked up and took off with no hesitation. I felt instant wheel speed. It hunkered down after 60 feet and never stopped accelerating. I took a little peek up at the scoreboard and saw that .73. Underneath my helmet, I was like, ‘Yeah, boy!’ I felt like Flavor Flav. We’re just beside ourselves, and we’re riding that wave.”
Brown and Massey entered the event tied at the top of the Top Fuel standings, but Brown now holds a two-point lead by virtue of his better qualifying effort today.
“This is the way you want to start,” Brown said. “We never ran that quick before. We got pretty much everything out of that run. Hats off to Brian [Corradi] and Mark [Oswald] – our crew chiefs – and our Matco Tools/Aaron’s boys for doing a bang-up job. I’m pretty stoked about it. I’m very blessed to be on this team.”
David Grubnic posted a 3.773 at 317.94 in his Optima Batteries dragster for third overall, while seven-time Top Fuel world champ Tony Schumacher was fourth with a 3.775 at 325.69 in his U.S. Army dragster.
In Funny Car, Beckman led the field with a track record time of 4.049 at 308.85 in his Valvoline/NextGen Dodge Charger.
“The reaction from the three guys who pick me up in the tow vehicle and the rest of the guys in the pits after a run like that makes it all worthwhile,” Beckman said. “I think that tracks get unfairly over- or underrated simply based on the numbers that come up on the scoreboard which has more to do with the time that we run there than the actual racing surface. I think it’s cool that St. Louis gets a chance to show off with good atmospheric conditions. I also think it’s great that the people in this area get a chance to attend a Countdown race.”
John Force was second in Funny Car qualifying with a 4.060 at 308.35 in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang and was followed by defending world champ Matt Hagan, who posted a 4.061 at 305.42 in his Aaron’s/Mopar Dodge Charger. Series points leader Ron Capps was sixth in his NAPA Auto Parts Charger, covering the distance in 4.083 at 309.34.
Line set both ends of the Pro Stock track record in moving to the top of the order with a performance of 6.514 at 212.76 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro.
“All and all it was a good day for both of the Summit cars,” Line said. “We’re getting better with the new Camaro but we still have a ways to go. Greg (Anderson) is still a tick behind but at least we understand these cars and we know what to do to make them better. We had a fairly high barometer today which is great for Pro Stock. I felt like a 6.4 run was out there but none of us did that good of a job to get there. Tomorrow we won’t be quite that conservative.”
Series points leader and Dallas winner Allen Johnson was second in his Team Mopar Dodge Avenger with a 6.516 at 212.76, while three-time season winner Erica Enders was third in her GK Motorsports Chevy Cobalt, posting a 6.519 at 211.83.
Arana Jr. set a track record time of 6.826 at 195.19 on his Lucas Oil Buell to lead Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying.
“This is my first time out here and it’s been great so far,” Arana Jr. said. “It’s really great but the most important thing is to be consistent and have success on Sunday. That’s what we’re gonna work on. We need to go rounds on race day. [Coming to a new track is] fun; it’s something new and different. That was what I went through at every race last year. It’s always fun to go to a new track and it gives you more knowledge. Every track is different and this one feels good so far.”
Hector Arana Sr. set a track speed record on his Lucas Oil Buell at 196.56 and was second overall with a time of 6.827. Series points leader Eddie Krawiec was third with a 6.839 at 194.77 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, while his teammate Andrew Hines was fourth with a 6.862 at 195.00 on his Harley-Davidson. Dallas winner Michael Ray was 12th with a 6.947 at 190.78 on his Viper Motorcycle Company Buell.
Qualifying continues Saturday with sessions at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday’s eliminations start at 11 a.m.
Don Walsh raced to the qualifying lead Friday in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx portion of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.
Walsh powered his turbocharged late-model Ford Mustang to a Gateway Motorsports Park track record time of 5.816 seconds at 255.43 mph to move to the top of the 16-car field. If his time holds through tomorrow’s final qualifying session he will earn his third consecutive No. 1 qualifying position.
Donald Martin was second in his supercharged ’68 Camaro with a 5.861 at 247.84, while Charlotte winner Leah Pruett was third in her turbocharged 2012 Mustang with a 5.880 at 251.06.
Troy Coughlin qualified sixth in his JEGS turbocharged ’68 Camaro with a 5.924 at a track record speed of 255.43 mph. Series points leader Mike Castellana was fifth in his Al-Anabi Racing late-model Chevy Camaro with a 5.911 at 241.20.
Qualifying continues for the NHRA Pro Mod Series on Saturday with the final round at 1:30 p.m. and will be followed by the first round of eliminations at 4 p.m. Pro Mod eliminations will continue on Sunday at approximately 2:30 p.m.
MADISON, Ill. — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the Inaugural AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, 20th of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and third of six races in the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s playoffs. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Antron Brown, 3.737 seconds, 326.79 mph; 2. Spencer Massey, 3.752, 326.16; 3. David Grubnic, 3.773, 317.94; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.775, 325.69; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.795, 325.53; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.799, 318.54; 7. Khalid alBalooshi, 3.837, 320.51; 8. Steve Torrence, 3.840, 318.92; 9. Bob Vandergriff, 3.840, 318.77; 10. Larry Dixon, 3.840, 314.90; 11. Terry McMillen, 3.887, 318.47; 12. Clay Millican, 3.893, 316.60. Not Qualified: 13. Keith Murt, 3.937, 303.84; 14. Pat Dakin, 3.968, 249.58; 15. Chris Karamesines, 3.974, 305.98; 16. Bruce Litton, 4.044, 233.12; 17. T.J. Zizzo, 4.379, 177.74; 18. Troy Buff, 6.799, 78.76; 19. Morgan Lucas, 6.867, 97.93; 20. Luigi Novelli, 7.194, 83.92; 21. Brandon Bernstein, 7.217, 79.81; 22. Tim Cullinan, 9.078, 68.57.
Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.049, 308.85; 2. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.060, 308.35; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.061, 305.42; 4. Courtney Force, Mustang, 4.073, 309.70; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.077, 309.63; 6. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.083, 309.34; 7. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.090, 312.06; 8. Jeff Arend, Toyota Camry, 4.095, 312.93; 9. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.100, 305.29; 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.115, 301.13; 11. Johnny Gray, Charger, 4.131, 304.60; 12. Tony Pedregon, Camry, 4.136, 301.20. Not Qualified: 13. Mike Neff, 4.138, 305.63; 14. Jim Head, 4.154, 304.46; 15. Dale Creasy Jr., 4.242, 287.53; 16. Todd Lesenko, 4.467, 205.63; 17. Peter Russo, 5.640, 129.08; 18. Alexis DeJoria, 6.926, 93.60; 19. Terry Haddock, 8.331, 82.22.
Pro Stock — 1. Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.514, 212.76; 2. Allen Johnson, Dodge Avenger, 6.516, 212.76; 3. Erica Enders, Chevy Cobalt, 6.519, 211.83; 4. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, 6.527, 211.99; 5. Vincent Nobile, Avenger, 6.530, 212.33; 6. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.533, 211.83; 7. Buddy Perkinson, Pontiac GXP, 6.536, 212.09; 8. Mike Edwards, GXP, 6.541, 212.26; 9. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.548, 210.47; 10. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.553, 210.93; 11. Chris McGaha, Avenger, 6.553, 210.31; 12. Ron Krisher, GXP, 6.558, 211.20. Not Qualified: 13. Warren Johnson, 6.559, 210.37; 14. Jeg Coughlin, 6.569, 210.54; 15. Greg Stanfield, 6.578, 210.11; 16. Shane Gray, 6.585, 210.24; 17. Kurt Johnson, 6.618, 210.18; 18. Lewis Worden, 6.623, 207.69; 19. Steve Schmidt, 6.686, 206.89; 20. Mark Hogan, 6.688, 207.78; 21. Dave River, 6.755, 203.06; 22. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.921, 192.33.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.826, 195.19; 2. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.827, 196.56; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.839, 194.77; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.862, 195.00; 5. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.882, 194.32; 6. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.886, 194.88; 7. Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 6.886, 190.16; 8. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.888, 193.18; 9. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.899, 192.49; 10. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.912, 194.07; 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.929, 193.43; 12. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.947, 190.78. Not Qualified: 13. Jerry Savoie, 6.953, 192.06; 14. Matt Smith, 6.959, 191.02; 15. Mike Berry, 6.971, 190.22; 16. Michael Phillips, 7.000, 190.94; 17. Matt Guidera, 7.005, 189.36; 18. Wesley Wells, 8.948, 98.18; 19. John Hall, 13.448, 54.15.
Friday’s qualifying results for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx portion of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Saturday’s final eliminations.
Pro Modified — 1. Don Walsh, Ford Mustang, 5.816, 255.43; 2. Donald Martin, Chevy Camaro, 5.861, 247.84; 3. Leah Pruett, Mustang, 5.880, 251.06; 4. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.886, 247.38; 5. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.911, 241.20; 6. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 5.924, 255.43; 7. Raymond Commisso, Camaro, 5.968, 243.63; 8. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 5.971, 244.69; 9. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 5.991, 245.09; 10. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 6.009, 212.23; 11. Mike Janis, Mustang, 6.021, 214.18; 12. Harold Martin, Chevy Corvette, 6.125, 215.62; 13. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 6.471, 233.20; 14. Clint Satterfield, Camaro, 8.663, 152.07; 15. Scott Ray, Corvette, 12.965, 62.84; 16. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 18.190, 43.25.
You might also like
The Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals In Pictures
The Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals was one heck of a race. Check out these stunning images captured by Mark Riker from the event.
