2022 NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
 |
|
SUNDAY - SELLOUT CROWD SEES HAGAN, SALINAS AND ENDERS EARN WINS AT NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
For the first time this year, Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan knocked off Robert Hight in the final round, powering to an impressive third win of the season on Sunday at the NHRA New England Nationals at a sold-out New England Dragway.
Mike Salinas (Top Fuel) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also picked up wins at the eighth of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. For the second straight day, NHRA and New England Dragway officials announced a sellout crowd at the facility.
Hagan delivered a run of 3.922-seconds at 327.98 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat for Tony Stewart Racing in the championship round against Hight, as the two standouts met in the final for the third time in 2022. Hight won the first two, including at the most recent race, but Hagan earned his 42nd career win on Sunday. It’s also his fourth win at New England Dragway in the past five events, as Hagan knocked off Dale Creasy Jr. and J.R. Todd to reach the final round. It was his sixth championship round in eight races and followed with the impressive win against Hight.
“It was just a great weekend, and I can’t say enough about (crew chief) Dickie Venables,” Hagan said. “Nothing really needs to be said because the race car speaks for itself. All the boys wrenching on the car just do a great job, and when I crawl in that car, I don’t have to think about anything other than leaving the starting line. I’m nothing without those guys, and I’m so proud of them. They truly deserve all the credit, and I should be giving all my trophies to these guys.
“We’re in a great rhythm, and Dickie is in a great mind space. I think we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. There will be some lows, but that’s drag racing. You just try to ride this wave as long as you can. I give a lot of respect to Robert Hight and Jimmy Prock for showing up and showing out, and I love that. It creates a great rivalry for the fans.”
Hight stayed second in points, advancing to the final round for the fifth time this year and 89th overall with wins against Cory Lee, Alexis DeJoria and defending world champion Ron Capps.
In Top Fuel, Salinas drove to his third win in what has been a stellar 2022 campaign, powering past Justin Ashley in the final round with a 3.729 at 330.80 in his 11,000-horsepower Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster. A year after falling in the final round at New England Dragway, Salinas made amends on Sunday, climbing to second in points with his sixth career victory. He reached the final round thanks to victories against Joe Morrison, Leah Pruett, and Austin Prock before getting past Ashley to pick up his first win at the historic facility.
“I was glad to come back and redeem myself,” Salinas said. “I will honestly say I got lucky. This has been an off week for me. I’ve been all over the place and a mess. I would call this a lucky week for me. I was doing a couple of silly things in the car, but we know we have a good car, and we were still able to get the win. I love the people here and everyone here is so awesome. The fans and the people are amazing. They’re good people and 90 percent of them thanked us for coming. It’s a timeless place.”
Ashley reached the finals for the third time this year after round wins against Dan Mercier and Shawn Langdon. Brittany Force, who set the track speed record on Sunday with a run of 334.90, maintained the points lead, now 50 points over Salinas.
More than a month between Pro Stock races didn’t slow down Enders one bit, as the points leader stayed red-hot in Epping, capping off her weekend with a winning run of 6.547 at 211.00 in the finals in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Enders knocked off defending event winner Aaron Stanfield in the final round, claiming her third straight victory and fourth in what’s been a dominant 2022 season.
Enders reached the final round with victories against Kenny Delco, defending world champion Greg Anderson and Mason McGaha, and then led wire-to-wire against Stanfield to run away with her 37th career win. It’s only the second time in the four-time world champ’s career where she’s had a three-race winning streak, showing just how motivated she is to claim a fifth world title.
“We’re off to a tremendous start, and we’re going to enjoy the ride while it lasts and try to capitalize on it,” Enders said. “But this is a dream come true. Any weekend we can stick two Elite Motorsports cars in the final round is awesome and winning here in 2017 kind of turned the tides for us. This is a unique place to run, and the cars usually run really well here. I love racing in this part of the country. It’s exciting to see the fan’s reception for our class when nitro kind of takes the lead because they explode and crash and run into things. But Pro Stock is so intricate and precise, and the fans here love it. This is Pro Stock country.
“This is our effort for our fifth title, and the fashion that we lost in last year was pretty gut wrenching. But that gave us the motivation to go to work. We’ve started the season on the right foot, and I’m blessed to be the girl that gets to drive that racecar.”
Stanfield advanced to the final round for the third time this year, knocking off Troy Coughlin Jr., Deric Kramer, and Fernando Cuadra Jr. He also stayed second in points, though Enders’ lead grew to 92 points with the victory.
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action June 17-19 with the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
SATURDAY - IN FRONT OF SELLOUT CROWD, S. TORRENCE, HAGAN AND GLENN QUALIFY NO. 1 AT NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
In front of a sellout crowd on Saturday at New England Dragway, Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan secured the No. 1 position for Tony Stewart Racing at the NHRA New England Nationals.
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the eighth of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. NHRA and New England Dragway officials announced a sellout for Saturday’s racing as well, as the passionate fanbase in the New England area again packed the historic facility in Epping.
“It’s been a beautiful day and the crowd has been phenomenal,” New England Dragway President Paul Lorenti said. “To me, it feels like the inaugural race (in 2013) and we’re just so excited to see this upward trend. We’re very thankful and appreciative of all the great fans who came out to the track. It’s been an unbelievable day and we’re all very happy about it.”
Hagan’s run of 3.878-seconds at 332.51 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat from Friday stood up during Saturday’s final two sessions, giving him a second straight No. 1 qualifier and third this season for the first-year TSR team. Hagan, who also has 46 career top spots, will aim for his fourth win at New England Dragway in the past five events, feeling good about what his team has in store for Sunday.
“We’ve had an amazing season, and this Power Brokers Dodge is running strong. Tony gives us the parts and pieces, and he expects results, so we’re trying to give it to him,” Hagan said. “It was really cool to turn the corner and not be able to get down the midway because of all the people. I love seeing that. To have a sold-out crowd is amazing, and these folks are coming out in droves, and I love to be part of it. This is wonderful weather for fast conditions, and hopefully tomorrow will be a good day, too. All in all, I’m really happy with our team and the calls (crew chief) Dickie (Venables) is making.”
John Force made a huge jump in the final qualifying session, moving to second with his run of 3.881 at 330.31. Teammate Robert Hight, who is second in points this year and has three wins, also made a big move, going up to third thanks to his run of 3.889 at 329.34.
In Top Fuel, Torrence’s track-record run of 3.664 at 329.50 from Friday in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster gave him his second No. 1 this season. It’s also the 33rd career No. 1 qualifier for the four-time defending world champ and he will open eliminations against Scott Farley seeking his first win of the 2022 season. It’s been a longer drought that Torrence has been used to in recent seasons, but his team has been outstanding this weekend at New England Dragway, closing out qualifying with a run of 3.720 at 329.10. It was a perfect capper to qualifying and now Torrence will try to carry it over to raceday and grab a second career Epping win.
“It does feel good. We’re definitely making steps in the right direction, and that’s what we’ve been looking for all year,” Torrence said. “We’re getting a little better and a little better, and when that consistency card comes around, it’s great.
“The driver needs to do his job tomorrow, for certain. Just go out, concentrate, and focus on that. Richard [Hogan] and Bobby [Lagana, co-crew chiefs] will give me the car to do it. They’ve done that time and time again the last few years, so I know I have the racecar behind me. I have for a long time, and we’re going to try to keep this momentum going. This is a huge step for us.”
Brittany Force was just as impressive in qualifying, setting the track speed record during the first session on Saturday with a blast of 334.32. Her run of 3.687 at 329.50 from Friday kept her second, as the points leader will aim for her fourth win of the season. Mike Salinas stayed third thanks to his 3.705 at 328.06.
Glenn picked up his first No. 1 qualifier of the Pro Stock season and second in his career as his run of 6.543 at 209.33 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro held up from Friday. The reigning Rookie of the Year made a solid run to close out Saturday as well and will open eliminations against Alan Prusiensky. He’ll be looking for his second win of the season and Glenn was equally pleased with how his team returned in Pro Stock’s first race since late-April.
“I made my best run when I needed it – the air wasn’t as good today, and we kind of missed it on both runs overcompensating for it, but I think we’ll be good for tomorrow,” Glenn said. “After my first No. 1 qualifier last year, I was talking with Matt Hartford, and he said, ‘All the years I’ve been racing, I’ve never been No. 1 before. There are guys out here who’ve been racing a very long time and don’t have one yet, and I already have another one. It’s pretty cool. Tomorrow, we just need to be better than the guy next to us. We don’t have to be the fastest car out there, just the best every run.”
KB Racing team maintained the top two spots in Pro Stock as well, as Kyle Koretsky’s 6.544 at 209.95 from Friday kept him second, but just barely over Erica Enders and Deric Kramer. Both ran 6.544, with Enders, the current points leader, going 209.79 in the final session and Kramer going 209.10 in Saturday’s first session.
Eliminations for the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the ninth annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, the eighth of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.664 seconds, 329.50 mph vs. 16. Scott Farley, 8.098, 81.22; 2. Brittany Force, 3.687, 329.50 vs. 15. Clay Millican, 8.065, 77.34; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.705, 328.06 vs. 14. Joe Morrison, 5.988, 109.79; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.728, 329.50 vs. 13. Cameron Ferre, 3.931, 314.75; 5. Josh Hart, 3.731, 328.94 vs. 12. Shawn Langdon, 3.783, 325.45; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.745, 307.44 vs. 11. Leah Pruett, 3.780, 323.50; 7. Austin Prock, 3.749, 293.22 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.777, 327.59; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.768, 326.08 vs. 9. Dan Mercier, 3.775, 314.68.
Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.878, 332.51 vs. 14. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 9.791, 89.91; 2. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.881, 330.31 vs. 13. Terry Haddock, Ford Mustang, 5.491, 136.08; 3. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.889, 329.34 vs. 12. Cory Lee, Mustang, 4.547, 227.31; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.901, 324.28 vs. 11. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.343, 208.88; 5. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.911, 325.22 vs. 10. J.R. Todd, Toyota Supra, 4.288, 221.85; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.923, 328.30 vs. 9. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 3.970, 324.83; 7. Ron Capps, Supra, 3.929, 327.59 vs. 8. Jim Campbell, Charger, 3.950, 319.67.
Pro Stock -- 1. Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.543, 209.33 vs. 16. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.621, 209.04; 2. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.544, 209.95 vs. 15. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.620, 209.79; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.544, 209.79 vs. 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.595, 210.60; 4. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.544, 209.10 vs. 13. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.593, 208.20; 5. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.545, 211.00 vs. 12. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.590, 209.62; 6. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.547, 209.59 vs. 11. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.590, 209.79; 7. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.561, 209.52 vs. 10. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.582, 210.31; 8. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Ford Mustang, 6.571, 209.49 vs. 9. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.578, 209.30.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Cristian Cuadra, 6.629, 208.94.
FRIDAY - S. TORRENCE SETS TRACK RECORD, HAGAN AND GLENN ALSO GET PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
Four-time Top Fuel defending world champion Steve Torrence made the quickest run in New England Dragway history, driving to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday at the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the eighth of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.
In a thrilling side-by-side qualifying run with points leader Brittany Force, Torrence set the track E.T. record with a run of 3.664-seconds at 329.50 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster. After seven races, the four-time champ is still seeking his first win of the 2022 season and could also claim his second No. 1 qualifier this year. New England Dragway has also been good to the Torrence family, with Steve winning in back-to-back years before his father won last year. After Friday’s standout run, Steve also has the track record with his stellar blast to close out the day.
“There was so much emotion behind that run just because we’ve been working so hard and diligently to really make this car do that,” Torrence said. “(I) couldn’t be happier for every one of these guys on the team because it’s so much hard work and this is like seven or eight races now without us winning one and it’s all a sacrifice you have to make. You have to tear stuff down to build it back up stronger and that’s where we’re at. I’m not going to say that we’re there yet, but we’re definitely a step in the right direction. That’s a confidence booster for myself and for every one of the guys. That’s what we needed to do, and it came at the perfect time.”
Force finished in the second spot with the only other run in the 3.60s on Friday, going 3.687 at 329.50. She’s after her fourth win this season. Mike Salinas, who has two wins in 2022, is third with a run of 3.705 at 328.06.
Points leader Hagan continued to put together spectacular runs in Funny Car, delivering an impressive blast of 3.878 at 332.51 in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat. Hagan’s knack for delivering a big run on Friday this year continued, helping him close in on his second straight No. 1 qualifier. If it holds, it will also give Hagan his 46th career No. 1 qualifier as he looks for his fourth career win at New England Dragway. Hagan won three straight years in Epping before his streak was snapped last year, and his bid for a third victory in 2022 for the first-year Tony Stewart Racing team took a good step on Friday.
“This Power Brokers Dodge is exciting to drive all the time,” Hagan said. “Having (crew chief) Dickie Venables under the hood is a godsend. These are Dickie’s conditions. The guy is just a mastermind, and I’m just trying to do a good job driving it. You see guys out there shaking the tires, smoking it, not making full pulls because the track is so good. A lot of crew chiefs underestimated it, but one thing about this team is they don’t underestimate anything. They go for the jugular, and they seem to hit it a lot. I think we’ll have to step up (on Saturday). If you get another day like today, you better put your mouthpiece in and hang on.”
Blake Alexander claimed the second spot thanks to a solid run of 3.911 at 325.22, while Jim Campbell’s career-best pass of 3.965 at 315.64 has him third after the opening run. Tim Wilkerson is right behind in fourth after going 3.966 at 320.66.
Glenn, the reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year, closed in on his first No. 1 qualifier of year, going 6.543 at 209.33 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. With Pro Stock making its first appearance since late April, it was Glenn who made the biggest impression on Friday. Racing for just the second time in Epping in his career, Glenn is after his second career No. 1 qualifier, as well as his second victory this season.
“We were pretty happy. I’m sure the crew chiefs probably feel like there’s more left in it, but to come out and put a nice solid lap down definitely shows we were working hard these past few weeks and that we’ve kind of stayed in the groove,” Glenn said We didn’t have too much rust to shake off. The run felt nice and smooth, it felt natural, and I’m just glad I didn’t make any mistakes on my part.
“Tomorrow is going to be good. I’d definitely like to stay in that No. 1 spot and see Greg [Anderson, KB Racing teammate] get down the track and make a good, solid run. Our ultimate goal for this team is one, two, and three, so that’s what I’d like to see. But with the field bunched up as tight as it is, you can see that the other teams have been working, too.”
Glenn’s KB Racing teammate, Kyle Koretsky, is right behind in second after going 6.544 at 209.95, while Aaron Stanfield, who has a pair of wins this year, is nearly as close in third with his 6.545 at 211.00.
Qualifying continues at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
Friday's results after the first one of three rounds of qualifying for the ninth annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, eighth of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.664 seconds, 329.50 mph; 2. Brittany Force, 3.687, 329.50; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.705, 328.06; 4. Josh Hart, 3.745, 326.00; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.745, 307.44; 6. Austin Prock, 3.749, 293.22; 7. Antron Brown, 3.809, 324.12; 8. Doug Kalitta, 6.845, 98.25; 9. Shawn Langdon, 7.188, 94.11; 10. Dan Mercier, 7.656, 92.15; 11. Scott Farley, 8.098, 81.22; 12. Clay Millican, 8.226, 77.70; 13. Leah Pruett, 8.255, 139.47; 14. Justin Ashley, 9.974, 72.98.
Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.878, 332.51; 2. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.911, 325.22; 3. Jim Campbell, Charger, 3.965, 315.64; 4. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.966, 320.66; 5. J.R. Todd, Toyota Supra, 4.460, 195.93; 6. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 5.835, 123.14; 7. Ron Capps, Supra, 7.749, 87.37; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 8.109, 79.11; 9. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 8.376, 84.48; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 9.875, 74.12; 11. Cory Lee, Mustang, broke; 12. Robert Hight, Camaro, broke. Not Qualified: 13. Dale Creasy Jr., broke.
Pro Stock -- 1. Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.543, 209.33; 2. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.544, 209.95; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.545, 211.00; 4. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.547, 209.59; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.552, 209.52; 6. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.560, 210.80; 7. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.561, 209.52; 8. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Ford Mustang, 6.571, 209.49; 9. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.584, 210.28; 10. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.621, 209.04; 11. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.636, 209.30; 12. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.672, 209.30; 13. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.943, 206.54; 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 7.721, 173.41; 15. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 17.449, 50.13; 16. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 18.535, 55.76.
