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SUNDAY FINAL – BROWN, PROCK REMAIN UNDEFEATED, AS GLENN, M. SMITH SCORE CHARLOTTE-2 WINS
Antron Brown claimed his second straight playoff victory at the NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sunday, moving into the Top Fuel points lead for the first time since 2017. Brown defeated Doug Foley in the final round at zMAX Dragway with a run of 3.848 seconds at 319.90 mph, earning his fifth win of the season and 79th career victory.
Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also secured victories at the 16th of 20 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series races this season.
Driving his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster, Brown surpassed Larry Dixon for the second-most Top Fuel wins in NHRA history with his 63rd career win. The three-time world champion, who qualified 10th, defeated Steve Torrence, Billy Torrence, and reigning champion Doug Kalitta before besting Foley in the final.
“When you race somebody like Doug Foley, you don’t falter and say, ‘Well, I can’t mess up.’ That’s when you set yourself up for failure,” Brown said. “We go out there and run what we can run, and give it all we got, and it fell our way. We just keep working hard and digging, no matter what. You’ve got to show up on raceday and we have that mindset to stay humble and stay hungry.
“We still have four races left. Drag racing’s math. There’s 16 rounds left on table to win and our goal is go out there wins many of those rounds as possible. We won the first eight, so we’ve got a third of them.”
Prock extended his dominant run in Funny Car, capturing his third straight win by defeating Matt Hagan in the final with a 3.924-second pass at 326.48 mph.
Prock, driving his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, has now opened a 129-point lead in the Funny Car standings through the first two playoff races. Hagan, who qualified No. 1, reached his fifth final of the season but was unable to hold off Prock’s late charge.
“We left the door open to get beat today a couple times and then my team made wholesale changes going into the semifinals, stuff I would say 95 percent of the crew chiefs wouldn’t change going into a round, and it went up there and flew,” Prock said. “It stuck. It was on a mission, and I did the same thing in the final round.
“I’m just trying to take it one moment at a time, one round at a time. And if you do that, you don’t get caught up in being the leader, being the chaser, just go up there and do the best that you can do, because each person on the team has a specific job to do, and they have to do it perfect to have the success. We’ll celebrate tonight and then get my head back in the game and go and try again, one run at a time.”
Hagan, who qualified No. 1, reached the finals for the ffith time this year and 92nd time in his career with round wins against Dave Richards and Bob Tasca III. Hagan was looking for a sweep of both Charlotte races this year. Tasca is second in points, while Beckman trails his teammate by 136 points.
In Pro Stock, Glenn regained the points lead with a 6.626-second run at 207.18 mph to edge Aaron Stanfield in the final. Glenn’s fourth win of the season puts him eight points ahead of Stanfield with four races remaining.
“Aaron has a fast car and he’s a great driver and doesn’t make mistakes,” Glenn said. “So, it’s a deal where you can’t make a mistake against him. The crew chiefs have to do their job and give me the best car they can. I’m glad that Aaron and I put on a good show for the fans in the final. I hate not having a close race against him.
“In the Countdown, every lap I go up there in eliminations, I’m on kill. I’m trying to do everything I can. I can’t make any mistakes. I’ve got to try to make sure I get every last bit in case it does shake a little bit and I lose whatever performance advantage I have. I’m on kill 100 percent of the time.”
Stanfield, who had won back-to-back races, knocked off Chris McGaha, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Greg Anderson to reach the finals for the eighth time in 2024 and 23rd time overall. Enders is 53 points back in third, while Anderson trails his KB Titan Racing teammate Glenn by 74 points.
Smith took a crucial step toward a potential seventh Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, defeating rookie Richard Gadson in the final after Gadson red-lighted. Smith’s second win of the year gives him a 25-point lead over Gaige Herrera in the standings.
“I was just trying to stay good and tough against Richard and when I went through the lights, I didn’t see my win light and I didn’t know if I won or not,” Smith said. “It’s never a good feeling when you can’t see a win light because you thought you had a good deal, but you don’t ever know. But all in all, what a weekend, what a day.
“I like being under pressure. It doesn’t matter what you do in the regular season. You always have to be good the last six races, and I’ve always been pretty good last six races, and that’s how I won my championships, and that’s how we’re going to continue to race.”
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues Sept. 27-29 at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis.
SATURDAY QUALIFYING – HAGAN, FORCE TOP NITRO QUALIFYING, ENDERS AND M. SMITH TOP PRO STOCK QUALIFYING
Matt Hagan, the reigning Mission Foods NHRA Funny Car world champion, secured his first No. 1 qualifier position of the season on Saturday at the NHRA Carolina Nationals. Hagan’s top run came at zMAX Dragway during Friday’s qualifying.
Brittany Force in Top Fuel, Erica Enders in Pro Stock, and Matt Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle also qualified No. 1 in their respective categories. This event is the 16th of 20 races in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Hagan’s 3.832 seconds at 333.25 mph remained atop the leaderboard through Saturday’s two qualifying sessions. This performance marks Hagan’s 52nd career No. 1 position and his second this year as he aims to improve his standings.
“We feel like we found some stuff, working hard behind the scenes,” Hagan said. “My guys have obviously been scratching their head a little bit all year and have just not had the performance that we really wanted or hoped to, but knowing that we can run with these guys, and I think that we showed that Friday, that’s real.”
With 137 points separating Hagan from the points leader, he has the opportunity to sweep the Charlotte races this season. A win on Sunday would significantly boost his championship ambitions.
“Tomorrow’s going to be 90 degrees, so it’s back to probably pedaling the car some and figuring out how to get down the racetrack,” Hagan added. “But the lanes are really nice, both equal, so at the end of the day, I feel confident that we got a car that could go down the racetrack.”
Points leader Austin Prock qualified second with a time of 3.833 seconds at 332.84 mph, while teammate Jack Beckman from John Force Racing secured the third spot with a pass of 3.850 seconds at 327.27 mph.
In Top Fuel, Force clinched the No. 1 qualifier position with a qualifying run of 3.690 seconds at 334.24 mph. This impressive feat, the 49th of her career, came thanks to her performance on Friday, adding momentum as she looks to enhance her standings.
Force, who opened the weekend in ninth place in points, will face rookie Ida Zetterstrom in the opening round of eliminations. She aims to capture her first event win since her championship season in 2022.
“We missed it on the first run today and that was a really crucial run, but on our last run, we ran a (3.77), which was second in the field, so that was a killer run for us,” Force said. “We needed that. We just needed our car to go down the racetrack. We had a window we were trying to aim for, and we made it right in that window and, picked up some points and had a good run in the heat.
“It’s going to be even hotter tomorrow, so that was more important of a run than our 3.69 Friday night. I wish we would have gotten down there both runs today, but we pushed a little too hard, and hopefully we can find that balance for tomorrow.”
Shawn Reed qualified second in Top Fuel with a 3.700-second run at 324.12 mph. Defending world champion Doug Kalitta took third place with a time of 3.710 seconds at 332.59 mph.
Enders enjoyed a successful day of Pro Stock qualifying, posting the fastest times across both qualifying sessions. Her best, a run of 6.557 seconds at 208.20 mph, came in Friday qualifying.
Enders, who entered the weekend third in points, is pursuing her first win since at Gainesville earlier this season. She will face Derrick Reese in the initial elimination round.
“Obviously, that [50th win] is being held over our heads pretty significantly, but I have a great race car this weekend. My car is flying,” Enders said. “We were low for every session, which was worth 12 bonus points, so that’s more than half a round, so now I have to go to work.”
Expressing the pressure of the milestone, Enders mentioned, “Hearing the excitement in my guys’ voices, that part’s really exciting, but on the other side of things, it weighs on you because now it’s in my hands.”
Greg Anderson secured the No. 2 position for Pro Stock with a time of 6.580 seconds at 208.49 mph, relegating points leader Aaron Stanfield to third place with a run of 6.580 seconds at 207.85 mph.
Smith, a six-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, was the only pro competitor who improved his qualifying time on Saturday, riding to a time of 6.799 seconds at 199.67 mph on his Denso Auto Parts Buell, becoming the only rider to break into the 6.70s during qualifying. Smith’s time secured him his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the 2024 season.
“We knew the weather was a little bit better, but the track was a little bit worse, so we took a tooth off [the rear sprocket] this morning to see if we control the tire. It stuck and we went 6.79 so we thought we were on the right path but got back in that right lane that has thrown us for a loop,” Smith said. “Lane choice is going to be big for me tomorrow and I will stay in the left lane as long as I can or have to figure out how to go down that right lane if I lose (lane) choice tomorrow.
“Having a bye (in round one) is always good because we can go up and try stuff and it’s good that (Gaige Herrera and Richard Gadson) have each other on the other side of the ladder.”
Gaige Herrera qualified second with a time of 6.812 seconds at 198.47 mph, while his teammate Richard Gadson secured third at 6.830 seconds at 199.26 mph.
Eliminations for the NHRA Carolina Nationals are set to begin at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday at zMAX Dragway.
Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 16th 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. Brittany Force, 3.690 seconds, 335.73 mph vs. 16. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.797, 317.94; 2. Shawn Reed, 3.700, 325.61 vs. 15. Billy Torrence, 3.797, 329.42; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.710, 332.59 vs. 14. Tony Stewart, 3.796, 329.18; 4. Justin Ashley, 3.714, 330.80 vs. 13. Dan Mercier, 3.780, 323.12; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.714, 327.11 vs. 12. Doug Foley, 3.770, 325.06; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.725, 334.15 vs. 11. Josh Hart, 3.755, 327.59; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.725, 332.92 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.752, 324.90; 8. Jasmine Salinas, 3.734, 331.20 vs. 9. Clay Millican, 3.749, 326.32.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Mike Bucher, 3.896, 294.56; 18. Cameron Ferre, 9.301, 73.81.
Funny Car — 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.832, 333.25 vs. 14. Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 4.208, 238.38; 2. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.833, 332.84 vs. 13. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 4.147, 245.85; 3. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.850, 327.27 vs. 12. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.101, 308.92; 4. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.884, 328.22 vs. 11. John Smith, Charger, 4.046, 302.21; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.886, 332.92 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.033, 312.71; 6. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.886, 329.02 vs. 9. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.963, 318.24; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.904, 319.22 vs. 8. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.906, 329.67.
Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.557, 209.10 vs. 16. Derrick Reese, Ford Mustang, 6.644, 206.80; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.580, 208.49 vs. 15. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.641, 207.08; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.580, 208.52 vs. 14. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.622, 208.36; 4. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.586, 208.20 vs. 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.614, 208.07; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.590, 207.46 vs. 12. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.609, 207.08; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.591, 207.72 vs. 11. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.603, 208.78; 7. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.592, 207.62 vs. 10. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.602, 208.49; 8. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.595, 208.42 vs. 9. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.597, 208.20.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Larry Morgan, 6.656, 208.10.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.799, 199.67 vs. Bye; 2. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.812, 198.58 vs. 15. Marcus Hylton, 7.168, 184.55; 3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.830, 199.26 vs. 14. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.936, 195.76; 4. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.834, 198.17 vs. 13. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.930, 195.82; 5. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.850, 199.55 vs. 12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.917, 195.05; 6. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.878, 197.25 vs. 11. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.898, 197.13; 7. John Hall, Beull, 6.881, 196.79 vs. 10. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.893, 197.02; 8. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.882, 198.15 vs. 9. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.889, 196.76.
FRIDAY QUALIFYING – FORCE, HAGAN, ENDERS, M. SMITH SET THE PACE AT NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS
Two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force secured the provisional No. 1 position during qualifying Friday at the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals. Force recorded a time of 3.690 seconds at 334.24 mph in her HendrickCars.com Chevrolet dragster.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also earned provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their categories. This event marks the 16th of 20 races in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the second of six in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Force’s performance puts her on track for her third No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 49th of her career. She is now ninth in points and aims for a strong weekend after her previous season’s success.
“To end qualifying with two solid runs, we picked up points, and we’re leaving currently No. 1; our Monster Energy/HendrickCars.com team are all very excited and very proud of that,” Force said.
“Our mindset for tomorrow is what it was coming into today. We want to do exactly what we accomplished today. We want to pick up points where we can tomorrow in the conditions we’re running in where the track temp is going to be quite a bit different, and we’ve got to figure that track out for Sunday. That’s where it really matters.”
Shawn Reed is second in Top Fuel with a time of 3.700 seconds, while defending champion Doug Kalitta is third at 3.710 seconds.
Hagan, needing a solid performance to remain in the championship hunt, recorded the quickest pass of both sessions in Funny Car. His run of 3.832 seconds at 333.25 mph puts him in contention for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season.
“That’s definitely a good shot in the arm. Our qualifying positions all year long have been a struggle, and we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to figure it out,” Hagan said. “It’s always tough when you see a guy like [crew chief] Dickie Venables scratch his head. That’s when you’re going, ‘This must be pretty bad if the guy’s not got it figured out,’ but those guys never give up.
“It’s just good to come back and see our guys smiling in the pit and everybody high-fiving and to be on top. There’s a lot of times that these race cars will kick you, and it’s just an awful feeling because it’s just so humbling because you work so hard at it, and then you every now and then you get a little shot in arm.”
Points leader Austin Prock finished second in Funny Car with a run of 3.833 seconds. His teammate, Jack Beckman, is third at 3.850 seconds.
In Pro Stock, Enders moved to No. 1 with a time of 6.557 seconds at 208.20 mph. After finishing as the runner-up in the previous playoff event, Enders seeks her sixth top qualifier of the season.
“Those [qualifying bonus points] can be huge and make or break a championship run,” Enders said. “I think in 2015 when we won the championship, we accumulated the most ‘baby’ points in the Countdown, and it was definitely helpful for us to lock it up. We got six today, and if we do the same tomorrow, that will be 12, and that’s more than half a round of racing, so it’s a pretty significant chunk.
‘I’m sure it’ll be sunny and hot and sticky tomorrow, so I just want to go out there and make good runs. I want to make two really clean cracks at the Christmas Tree, trying to redeem myself on last week’s holeshot loss in the finals. I’ve got a little bit of work to do in the cockpit.”
Currently second in points, Aaron Stanfield claimed the second spot with a run of 6.580 seconds. Dallas Glenn, also near the top of the points standings, is third after a time of 6.590 seconds.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith took the provisional No. 1 position with a run of 6.803 seconds at 198.47 mph. He aims for his fifth top spot of the season, just outside the points lead.
“Those [qualifying bonus points] can be huge and make or break a championship run,” Enders said. “I think in 2015 when we won the championship, we accumulated the most ‘baby’ points in the Countdown, and it was definitely helpful for us to lock it up. We got six today, and if we do the same tomorrow, that will be 12, and that’s more than half a round of racing, so it’s a pretty significant chunk.
‘I’m sure it’ll be sunny and hot and sticky tomorrow, so I just want to go out there and make good runs. I want to make two really clean cracks at the Christmas Tree, trying to redeem myself on last week’s holeshot loss in the finals. I’ve got a little bit of work to do in the cockpit.”
Defending champion Gaige Herrera follows closely with a run of 6.812 seconds. His teammate Richard Gadson rounds out the top three with a time of 6.836 seconds.
Qualifying continues Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET at zMAX Dragway.
Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
Top Fuel — 1. Brittany Force, 3.690 seconds, 335.73 mph; 2. Shawn Reed, 3.700, 325.61; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.710, 332.59; 4. Justin Ashley, 3.714, 330.80; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.714, 327.11; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.725, 334.15; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.725, 332.92; 8. Jasmine Salinas, 3.734, 331.20; 9. Clay Millican, 3.749, 326.32; 10. Antron Brown, 3.752, 324.90; 11. Josh Hart, 3.755, 326.71; 12. Doug Foley, 3.770, 325.06; 13. Tony Stewart, 3.796, 325.69; 14. Billy Torrence, 3.797, 329.34; 15. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.797, 317.94; 16. Dan Mercier, 3.825, 317.87.
Not Qualified: 17. Mike Bucher, 3.988, 294.56; 18. Cameron Ferre, 9.301, 73.81.
Funny Car — 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.832, 333.25; 2. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.833, 332.84; 3. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.850, 327.27; 4. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.884, 328.22; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.886, 332.92; 6. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.886, 329.02; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.904, 309.63; 8. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.910, 323.81; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.963, 306.67; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.041, 299.53; 11. John Smith, Charger, 4.046, 302.21; 12. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.108, 307.30; 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.208, 238.38; 14. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 8.994, 79.15.
Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.557, 208.20; 2. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.580, 208.04; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.590, 208.20; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.590, 207.05; 5. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.592, 207.05; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.595, 208.20; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.595, 206.99; 8. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.597, 208.20; 9. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.603, 208.78; 10. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.613, 207.85; 11. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.614, 207.34; 12. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.618, 207.08; 13. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.623, 208.36; 14. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.631, 208.49; 15. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.641, 207.08; 16. Derrick Reese, Mustang, 6.644, 206.80.
Not Qualified: 17. Larry Morgan, 6.657, 206.61.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.803, 198.47; 2. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.812, 198.47; 3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.836, 197.80; 4. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.850, 198.20; 5. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.878, 196.24; 6. John Hall, Beull, 6.881, 195.87; 7. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.882, 197.71; 8. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.893, 196.04; 9. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.910, 195.36; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.917, 190.94; 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.921, 196.13; 12. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.936, 194.63; 13. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.948, 194.91; 14. Marcus Hylton, 7.168, 184.55; 15. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 9.296, 95.11.
