SUNDAY FINAL – PROCK, LANGDON, ANDERSON POST NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS VICTORIES
Going into the NHRA Arizona Nationals, finishing one race, and then concluding the original was going to be a challenge of logistical proportions. In the end, it was Austin Prock delivering a veteran-style display of domination as a rookie.
Prock stopped last Arizona Nationals champion Alexis DeJoria for his monumental victory.
Joining Prock in the winner’s circle was Top Fuel racer Shawn Langdon picking up his second win of the season and Pro Stock icon Greg Anderson broke through for his first win of the season, and No. 104 for the season.
Prock won from the No. 1 qualifying position, running 3.952 seconds at 320.74 mph to get past DeJoria in his second final round this season. He made his way to the final round after beating Buddy Hull, Daniel Wilkerson, and points leader J.R. Todd to reach the finals.
Prock earned his place in drag racing history by becoming only the 19th to win in both Funny Car and Top Fuel.
It marked a memorable moment for Prock, especially winning with his father, Jimmy, as the crew chief, and his brother, Thomas, as the car chief.
“This is huge,” Prock said. “All you want to do is make your parents proud. I sure hope they are. My dad and Thomas did a great job. Double up for John Force Racing with two wins. It doesn’t get much better than this. I went to church this morning, great message. The sun was shining down. A packed house. What more can you ask for? We are rolling out of here with some gold.”
DeJoria reached the finals for the first time this season thanks to round wins against Bob Tasca III, Paul Lee and Blake Alexander.
Langdon now has his second Top Fuel win in three races to open the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. He drove past Justin Ashley in the final round on Sunday with a run of 3.760 at 318.69. It’s the first career Top Fuel win at Firebird Motorsports Park for Langdon, who also denied Ashley a double-up victory this weekend in Phoenix. He defeated Josh Hart, Antron Brown and No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence to reach the final round and then posted a brilliant .050 reaction time against Ashley to pick up his 19th career victory.
Langdon has now held the points lead for three races, his first time leading the points three races in a row since the 2015 campaign. He was quick to credit first-year crew chief Brian Husen.
“It really was a picture-perfect day,” Langdon said. “The whole Kalitta Air team, from Connie to Chad Head to Brian Husen, he has done such a good job. We made some changes in the crew, and they have given me a flawless race car all year long.
“First round, had a weird kind of thing… had to do the idle of shame down the race track. The rest of the runs were smoother. Justin and that SCAG team over there with Mike Green and Tommy DeLago are a tough bunch. I knew I just needed to leave with Justin and let Brian do his thing. I hit the gas and knew we had a shot. Two out of three isn’t bad, and we are ready for more.”
Ashley reached his second straight final and 21st overall on the strength of round wins against Tony Schumacher, Doug Kalitta and Tony Stewart, who won his first rounds in Top Fuel on Sunday.
Anderson got on the scoreboard with his first victory of the season in impressive fashion, taking down teammate Dallas Glenn in the final round with a 6.582 at 208.97. It’s his third career win in Phoenix, winning at Firebird Motorsports Park for the first time since 2017.
Anderson’s road to the final included wins over Eric Latino, Troy Coughlin Jr. and then No. 1 qualifier and longtime rival Jeg Coughlin Jr. to reach the championship round, posting an impressive .022 reaction time to lead wire-to-wire against his KB Titan Racing teammate.
The early-season win is also a breath of fresh air for Anderson, who remains focused on winning a sixth career world championship. He didn’t pick up a victory last year until late in the season but made sure that didn’t happen again on Sunday in Phoenix.
“104 is a nice round number,” Anderson said. “It’s been a while, and it’s been a tough race track all weekend long. My crew did a fantastic job, and we managed the race track. We just flat out-raced them. I can’t thank them enough.
“I was watching the NASCAR race, and my teammate at Hendrick were 1,2, and 3. I knew if I didn’t win, I would be the weak link in the chain. Lot of pressure but I love the extra pressure. Thank you Mr. H, [Hendrick], great day for you and me.”
Glenn, who won the postponed Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals on Saturday in Phoenix, reached the finals for the 19th time in his career and second time this season thanks to round wins against Mason McGaha, Cristian Cuadra and Aaron Stanfield.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action April 12-14 with the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
SATURDAY QUALIFYING – COUGHLIN TAKES THE TOP SPOT IN PHOENIX PRO STOCK, WHILE NITRO CLASSES REMAIN UNCHANGED
Jeg Coughlin Jr. was the only new face atop the professional leaderboard at the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Phoenix as qualifying closed on Saturday evening.
Coughlin swiped the No. 1 spot from the six-time world champ during the final session, as the veteran went 6.517 at 210.64 in his Scag Power Equipment car.
For Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), they remained the leaders throughout Saturday’s two sessions.
The momentous No. 1 marked Coughlin’s 35th and his first since returning to full-time racing this season. He’ll race Phoenix-area native Matt Hartford in the first round.
“It’s very exciting and a big testament to this team,” Coughlin said. “To be on the pole, it feels fantastic. We unloaded off the trailer with a good run right off the bat. I had my hands full the first three gears and we tuned it up for Q2. It was the quickest of the session and went straight down the track. They tuned it up for Q3 and gave me a little more and it felt really nice. The car feels good and the team is gelling, and that’s what it takes.”
Enders’ 6.518 at 210.90 put her second, while Dallas Glenn took third with a 6.537 at 209.14.
Austin Prock’s 3.840 at 334.40 from Friday held up, giving the freshman Funny Car driver his second No. 1 spot in three races. He’ll open eliminations against Buddy Hull. Bob Tasca III took second with a 3.876 at 334.65 and Paul Lee qualified third after going 3.889 at 329.02.
Steve Torrence’s run from Friday stood up, as the four-time world champion earned his first top spot of the season with his 3.678 at 336.23 in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster. He’ll race against Top Fuel rookie Travis Shumake. Brittany Force qualified second thanks to Friday’s 3.689 at 334.90, while defending world champ Doug Kalitta’s 3.697 at 323.66 put him third.
Eliminations for the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at Firebird Motorsports Park.
Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.678 seconds, 336.23 mph vs. 16. Travis Shumake, 4.175, 203.61; 2. Brittany Force, 3.689, 334.90 vs. 15. Tony Stewart, 3.982, 255.24; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.697, 323.66 vs. 14. Terry Totten, 3.858, 318.24; 4. Antron Brown, 3.738, 329.34 vs. 13. Clay Millican, 3.841, 308.07; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.750, 327.74 vs. 12. Josh Hart, 3.820, 320.81; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.755, 328.38 vs. 11. Justin Ashley, 3.802, 330.15; 7. Krista Baldwin, 3.755, 325.37 vs. 10. Billy Torrence, 3.799, 328.86; 8. Shawn Reed, 3.772, 327.74 vs. 9. Jasmine Salinas, 3.774, 318.92.
Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.840, 334.40 vs. 16. Buddy Hull, Dodge Charger, 4.158, 260.31; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.876, 334.65 vs. 15. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 4.134, 301.74; 3. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.889, 329.02 vs. 14. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.068, 307.72;
4. John Force, Camaro, 3.901, 325.37 vs. 13. Jim Campbell, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.052, 302.41; 5. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.923, 320.58 vs. 12.
Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.027, 311.85; 6. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.927, 324.44 vs. 11. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.020, 310.34; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.941, 323.35 vs. 10. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.008, 271.57; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.974, 294.43 vs. 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.976, 312.57.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Dave Richards, 4.227, 296.31; 18. Terry Haddock, 4.457, 240.34.
Pro Stock — 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.517, 210.64 vs. 16. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.595, 208.81; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.518, 210.90 vs. 15. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.590, 208.62; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.537, 209.14 vs. 14. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.589, 207.08; 4. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.538, 210.08 vs. 13. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.589, 208.65; 5. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.541, 211.30 vs. 12. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.583, 209.07; 6. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.557, 209.88 vs. 11. Brandon Foster, Camaro, 6.578, 208.65; 7. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.564, 209.72 vs. 10. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.576, 209.88; 8. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.572, 209.65 vs. 9. David Cuadra, Mustang, 6.575, 209.75.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Fernando Cuadra Jr., 6.615, 208.88; 18. Joey Grose, 6.664, 206.92; 19. Camrie Caruso, 8.920, 142.87; 20. Sienna Wildgust, 13.812, 76.93.
FRIDAY – S. TORRENCE, PROCK LEAD WACKY FIRST DAY FILLED WITH ISSUES
Racing at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Chandler, Ariz., near Phoenix, was suspended for more than two hours Friday afternoon because of an unidentified problem with the Firebird Motorsports Park dragstrip surface.
That was followed by a brief blanket of rain sprinkles, but ultimately, Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Austin Prock (Funny Car) were provisional No. 1 qualifiers.
After action resumed, the Funny Car class completed its lone qualifying session, and the Top Fuel category was about halfway through its first of three chances when the NHRA announced that Pro Stock and Pro Modified would not run Friday. Instead, both of those classes will make three qualifying attempts Saturday.
Pro Stock cars will run Saturday at the category’s scheduled 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. times. The Pro Stock #2Fast2Tasty Mission Challenge will take place during those sessions. The third and final Pro Stock qualifier is slated for 3:30 p.m., when Dallas Glenn and Erica Enders will race in the finals of the rain-postponed Winternationals.
Pro Mod will run at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4:15 p.m. Saturday.
Top Fuel and Funny Car will make their two scheduled qualifying attempts at noon and 2:30 p.m. The finals of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge takes place during that first opening session. John Force and J.R. Todd will square off for the Funny Car cash and Countdown points. Tony Schumacher and Brittany Force will meet for the Top Fuel honors.
The Winternationals final rounds for both nitro classes will take place during Saturday’s last session. In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley will race Tony Schumacher, while in Funny Car, John Force will go against Matt Hagan.
As for the delay that caused the NHRA to rearrange the schedule, the sanctioning body issued the following statement:
“Due to unseasonable weather conditions on Friday in Phoenix, the Safety Safari has spent additional time working on the track and track prep.
“When we return to racing action, Legends Nitro Funny Cars will be the first cars on the track, followed by the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, starting with Funny Car.
“Based on Saturday’s the forecast, we expect great race conditions, and we plan to start racing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series at 8 a.m., as scheduled.”
One nitro crew chief, whose name Competition Plus has chosen not to publish, said, “It looks like the track’s come up a little bit there on the starting line, pretty much right across from the Tree, not where the car leaves, but right there where it gets to the back tires.”
With several individuals working downtrack, at about 700-800 feet on the 1,000-footcourse, for the bulk of the down-time, he said, “Somebody said the track’s coming up down there, as well. It looks like it’s where they ground it or prepped it. It looks like the aggregate’s coming apart.”
But he said he was uncertain about the cause of that: “I’m not sure. They don’t let us know what they did. We got to try to figure it out on our own.”
Friday’s results after the first one of three rounds of qualifying for the 39th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park, third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.678 seconds, 336.23 mph; 2. Brittany Force, 3.689, 334.90; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.697, 323.66; 4. Antron Brown, 3.738, 329.34; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.755, 328.38; 6. Krista Baldwin, 3.755, 325.37; 7. Shawn Langdon, 3.790, 317.42; 8. Jasmine Salinas, 3.893, 252.76; 9. Justin Ashley, 3.902, 313.58; 10. Shawn Reed, 4.026, 276.41; 11. Clay Millican, 4.508, 171.42; 12. Billy Torrence, 4.726, 158.26; 13. Terry Totten, 4.934, 148.17; 14. Tony Stewart, 6.165, 100.36; 15. Josh Hart, 8.167, 77.54; 16. Travis Shumake, 8.693, 83.34.
Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.840, 334.40; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.876, 334.65; 3. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.889, 329.02; 4. John Force, Camaro, 3.901, 325.37; 5. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.923, 320.58; 6. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.927, 324.44; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.941, 323.35; 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.996, 281.77; 9. Jim Campbell, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.052, 302.41; 10. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.068, 307.72; 11. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.158, 260.31; 12. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.501, 196.99; 13. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.653, 178.17; 14. Dave Richards, Mustang, 7.475, 86.37; 15. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 7.633, 99.00; 16. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 8.581, 76.65. Not Qualified: 17. Ron Capps, 8.909, 82.80; 18. Daniel Wilkerson, 10.449, 81.56.
SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING –
SUPER STOCK (Q2)
1 2 GT/FA Brad Burton, Snohomish WA, ’91 Firebird 9.346 10.25 -0.904
2 603 FSS/B Larry McLanahan, Kennewick WA, ’19 Mustang 8.324 9.20 -0.876
3 7406 SS/AH Eric Bell, Chandler AZ, ’68 Barracuda 8.581 9.45 -0.869
4 5007 FSS/B Todd Rodenburg, Lakewood CO, ’19 Mustang 8.347 9.20 -0.853
5 T733 FSS/D Tim Seymour, San Dimas CA, ’16 Camaro 9.047 9.90 -0.853
6 7680 FSS/G Tom Ferruggia, Menifee CA, ’13 Camaro 9.415 10.25 -0.835
7 757 SS/IA Larry Zavala, Montebello CA, ’87 Camaro 9.882 10.70 -0.818
8 75 SS/IA Mike Cotten, Cave Creek AZ, ’71 Barracuda 9.883 10.70 -0.817
9 6002 GT/MA Rick McKinney, Richmond BC, ’96 Camaro 10.387 11.20 -0.813
10 4056 GT/HA Hunter Pierdolla, Fredricksburg TX, ’97 F 9.689 10.50 -0.811
STOCK (Q2)
1 4 FS/C Leo Glasbrenner, Murrieta CA, ’14 Camaro 9.365 10.30 -0.935
2 5583 A/SA Dan Zrust, Maple Grove MN, ’19 Challenger 10.138 11.00 -0.862
3 77 E/SA Shelby Williams, Cherry Valley CA, ’70 Ca 10.842 11.70 -0.858
4 55 A/S Randy Mans, Rogers MN, ’00 Firebird 10.095 10.95 -0.855
5 7341 E/SA Tony Marconi, Surprise AZ, ’72 Demon 10.861 11.70 -0.839
6 4688 F/SA Mike Cotten, Cave Creek AZ, ’73 Duster 11.028 11.85 -0.822
7 5009 FS/C Scott Burton, Golden CO, ’10 Mustang 9.481 10.30 -0.819
8 5 FS/D Justin Lamb, Henderson NV, ’22 Camaro 9.782 10.60 -0.818
9 603 FS/AA Larry McLanahan, Kennewick WA, ’19 Mustang 8.584 9.40 -0.816
10 754 FS/D Lindy Lindholm, Newport Beach CA, ’17 Cam 9.795 10.60 -0.805
TOP DRAGSTER (Q1)
1 9 Prescott Dean, DeSoto KS, Mullis-Chevy 6.116 226.28 226.28
2 6275 Robert Tehle, Billings MT, TNT-Chevy 6.119 224.85 224.85
3 529 Donna Patterson, Lorette West MB, American-Che 6.129 230.92 230.92
4 7613 Kevin Kleineweber, Miracopa AZ, TNT-Chevy 6.133 207.53 207.53
5 7796 John Richardson, Santa Clarita CA, Dragster-Ch 6.170 195.51 195.51
6 478E Mark Ellis, Graham TX, Miller-Chevy 6.186 227.46 227.46
7 79 Jennifer Wiens, Las Vegas NV, Dragster-MADC 6.201 226.16 226.16
8 75 Thomas Bayer, Cherry Valley CA, Miller-Chevy 6.254 228.31 228.31
9 503A Jeff Koron, Hays KS, Dragster-Chevy 6.263 226.32 226.32
10 699B Aaron Steinkey, Dunmore AB, Dragster-REHE 6.291 215.24 215.24
