Six days, 16 eliminators, more than 900 racecars from 42 states and five countries: this is the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. The competitors of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series have been competing since Wednesday, beginning with qualifying and time trials and the always-exciting Stock Eliminator class eliminations on Thursday. The 65th edition of the world’s most prestigious drag race got off to auspicious beginning, as wet grounds delayed the racer parking process on Tuesday and Wednesday, pushing back the start of on-track activities by several hours. But competitors have traveled from near and far for a shot at Indy glory, and the such delays haven’t rained on anyone’s parade (pun intended).
This is what many in the class racing world live for: class eliminations run-offs at the U.S. Nationals. Nearly 160 cars strong have taken to the Lucas Oil Raceway this morning to compete for a class Wally. Prior to the opening round of class, which also serves as the final qualifier for the eliminator, the bump spot for the 128-car field already stood at a stout -0.764. Stock Eliminator is even more impressive, requiring a -0.881 run to make the fastest field of cars assembled all season.
Brad Plourd is a two-time champion of the U.S. Nationals, winning in Super Comp at the 51st running in 2005 and in Competition Eliminator in 2017. Plourd is enjoying a stellar week thus far, as he sits in the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot in Comp in his AA/AM altered and remains alive in the third round of Super Comp.
Mopar Hemi Challenge
One of the most popular attractions of the U.S. Nationals is the Mopar Hemi Challenge, featuring the 1968 Dodge Darts and Chrysler Barracudas of the SS/A Hemi category within Super Stock eliminator. Nineteen cars are on the property, all vying for the $15,000 prize and a special trophy from the folks at Mopar.
Yardley, Pennsylvania's Jimmy Daniels (left) has won the last two Mopar Hemi Challenge contests, having never lost as round at this race-within-a-race in his young driving career. Daniels entered eliminations in the cat-bird seat with a stout 8.473 at 156.66 mph, earning himself a bye on the odd-numbered ladder in round one. Daniels carded an 8.49 at 155 mph on his solo shot -- the quickest elapsed time of the round. Stephen Hebert, the No. 9 qualifier out of Louisiana, advanced through round one with an 8.81-second defeat of Dan Zrust.
Wendell and Mark Howes drove all the easy from New Brunswick, Canada, only to be paired against one another in the opening round of the Hemi Challenge.Wendell advanced on an 8.56, as Mark was dead-red at -0.281.
Hemi Challenge No. 2 qualifier Steve Comella was upset in the second round of the 426-inch elephant engine shootout by Jim Pancake, 8.64 to a quicker but losing 8.62.
West Virginia's Bucky Hess, one of the SS/AH class' longest-tenured competitors, has carried his impeccable style into the quarterfinal round of the Hemi Shootout after dispatching Gus Mantas in round two with an 8.56. Hess will face Rich Locker later this afternoon.
A Grand Debut
Alan Kenny anchors the quickest Top Dragster field in history with his 6.234. Even more impressively, it takes a 6.132 to get into the top 16 — a spread of just .032-seconds from number one to 16.
Last fall, the NHRA made dream a reality for Top Dragster and Top Sportsman competitors all across the nation when it announced they would be invited to the U.S. Nationals for the first time in 2019. The two high-speed bracket racing categories, originally conceived by the competing International Hot Rod Association, became part of the NHRA fold more than a decade ago and were later added to many of the Mello Yello Series national events — with the exception of Indianapolis. Many of the racers, who raced under the IHRA banner or in other categories, have never raced at the U.S. Nationals, making this one extra special.
Competition was fierce simply to gain entry into event, as racers from every geographic division within the NHRA vied for the opportunity to earn the first ever U.S. Nationals Top Dragster and Top Sportsman Wally’s. Just 34 entries were made available apiece, making these truly the creme of the crop.
Following three sessions of home-run derby shots at the racetrack,. Top Dragster concluded with the quickest field in history, as it required an incredible 6.234-second lap to make the show. Top Sportsman was equally impressive, as Jerry Albert snuck in on the final run of the final session with a 6.733.
Lester Johnson’s Kentucky-based ’55 Chevrolet paced the Top Sportsman field — as it has so many times previously — with a 6.154 at 230.53 mph.
North Carolina native turned Hoosier Don O’Neal brought perhaps the most unique combination in the Top Sportsman field to Indy — a 427 cubic-inch, Elite Motorsports-built LSX with a Magnuson supercharger on top (essentially a COPO Camaro Factory Stock Showdown engine package).
O’Neal, who had previously competed at Indy in Super Comp, failed to make the quick field with a 6.91-second best, but it was certainly not for a lack of effort as he works tirelessly to iron out the chassis and drivetrain package.
The Professor Gets Schooled
Warren Johnson and Greg Anderson, two of the three winningest Pro Stock drivers in NHRA history, are taking part in a special “Back To School” exhibition, facing off in identically prepared (and sealed) 2019 SS Camaro’s. During this afternoon’s second time trial, WJ, perhaps attempting a new tactic to gain an edge on his one-time protege, power-braked and then boiled the rear tires on his machine out beyond 200-feet before losing control and smacking the guardrail.
Add this one to the list of things you’ve never seen before and certainly never expected.
Oops!
Former U.S. Nationals winner and Top Alcohol Dragster national Champion Chris Demke brought racing to a halt for nearly an hour after emptying every last quart of oil out his supercharged Hemi on the burnout prior to his opening qualifying attempt.
Sh-sh-shakin’. Shawn Cowie, at the controls of the quickest blown alcohol dragster on the planet, missed the setup just a smidge on his opening qualifying attempt.
Rookie of the Year contender Jordan Vandergriff (left) is making his first career Top Fuel start this weekend at Indianapolis -- a race his uncle, Bob Vandergriff, nearly won in his debut race in 1995. Despite competing on only a part-time basis, he sits 14th in the standings and arguably still holds a shot at the rookie crown -- a contest he's locked in with fellow young-gun Austin Prock. (Right) Reigning U.S. Nationals Top Alcohol Dragster champion Josh Hart was expected to make his Top Fuel debut in 2019 with an abbreviated four-race schedule for the Vandergriff team -- while that debut has been pushed back, Hart confirms he intends to enter at Gainesville next spring in a car sponsored by Technet.
Troy Coughlin, Jr. (left) paced the Top Alcohol Dragster field in the opening session this afternoon with a 5.2376. Megan Meyer slotted in three spots back at 5.320.
Three-Peat
Second-generation racer Jimmy Daniels accomplished what no driver in the history of the Mopar Hemi Challenge has done by earning his fourth consecutive victory in the lucrative SS/AH showdown. A third-year driver, he has never lost a round here at Indy in his Ray Barton Race Engines-powered Dart. Daniels defeated Doug Fazzalore, Wendell Howes, and Bucky Hess on his path to the final; there, he won it on both ends of the racetrack for an 8.57 to 8.62 victory.
There last time we saw Nitro Harley racer Beau Layne on the NHRA tour, he was tumbling to a stop after a vicious crash at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle that caused as deep laceration in his arm and destroyed his nitro-burning motorcycle. Layne was unable to return for this, the final stop on the Nitro Harley schedule, but confirmed he will be back aboard a bike early next year. Layne joined NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart in there booth to call the opening session of the wild and crazy bikes this evening.
Force, Beckman, Line, Hines Take Early Qualifying Leads
Brittany Force closed Friday’s qualifying show in style as she blasted to to the No. 1 spot in her Advance Auto Parts dragster with a stellar 3.670. Points leader Steve Torrence, who opposed Force in the final pairing, slotted in second at 3.68.
“It definitely felt fast,” Force said. “We went right down the track and put an awesome number on the board. It was a pretty awesome run, but the next two days are going to be the important ones setting us up for Monday. We’re really looking for consistency because that’s where we’ve been struggling, so this is a good start to the weekend and we’re very happy with that. I want to win here. I’ve been coming here since I was a baby and it’s on my bucket list.”
In a tight opening session of Funny Car in which the top five cars are separated by just .021-seconds, Jack Beckman leads the way with a 3.875 at 328.46 mph. Nineteen cars took to the track, with Tommy Johnson, Jr.’s 4.36 currently anchoring the provisional field.
“Shawn Langdon was a few pairs in front of us and we saw him run a 3.88 at 330 and then I saw ‘Guido’ give John Medlen the signal to take the cover off the controller, which means he just saw that car go 3.88 and he knows there’s more on the race track there so he’s speeding the car up,” Beckman explained.
“John Medlen always lets me know the characteristics of the lanes; where to stage, where it’s going to pull the car, and I’m processing all of this. So then I go out there and the car makes a move to the right and I didn’t think it was going to make it down, because when you’re accelerating that hard, the front end is light and they don’t want to steer and the cars get real edgy. And then when I got it back in the middle of the lane and at the transition, it hit a bump. I got on the radio in the shutdown area and said it looped the tires a little bit down there. Going back and looking at the data, it barely made it, but it did, and we got that 3.87 and it feels awesome.”
In Pro Stock, Brainerd winner Jason Line continued his momentum in clocking a 6.570 at 209.62 mph, putting some distance on second-place Erica Enders at 6.590. Wally Stroupe sits in the No. 16 spot with his 6.694, leaving Alan Prusiensky, Richard Freeman, and three others outside the show after what may have been the quickest session teams will see all weekend.
“I think we have something good right now, and hopefully we can keep it that way,” Line said. “This is the best Summit Racing Chevy Camaro I’ve had in a couple years, for sure, and that makes it exciting and fun. You know, I’ve never won Indy. Last week in Brainerd I got to cross one off my list, and I’d like to cross another one off this week.”
Andrew Hines parked his Harley-Davidson atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle field with as 6.864 at 194.63, just ahead of rival Matt Smith and his 6.874.
Rickie Smith, back in his comfort zone behind the wheel of a big cubic-inch nitrous powerplant, denied everyone as the sun dipped low in the sky during the opening session of Pro Mod qualifying. Smith clocked an impressive 5.746 at 251.95, nearly .03-seconds ahead of Mike Castellana, who sits second at 5.774. The bump stands at Steve Jackson’s 6.108, but that number is certainly expected to change as the weekend goes on.
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