by Bobby Bennett, Susan Wade; Photos by Alex Owens, Auto Imagery, Nicole Clark
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK – BRITTANY HITS 340, NEW START TIME FOR SUNDAY, BECKMAN’S ANNIVERSARY IS A BLAST
1 – NEW START TIME FOR SUNDAY – Due to potential weather issues, NHRA officials announced a schedule change for Sunday’s eliminations of the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd (MN) International Raceway.
Eliminations will begin at 10 a.m. CDT on Sunday in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, starting with Top Fuel. The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series action will begin at 8:30 a.m.
2 – 2FAST2TASTY WINS FOR LANGDON, BECKMAN AND ANDERSON – Jack Beckman, Shawn Langdon and Greg Anderson earned victories in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday during the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.
Beckman claimed his third Mission Challenge win of the season in Funny Car, running 3.942 seconds at 324.59 mph in his PEAK Chevrolet SS to defeat Matt Hagan in a matchup of former world champions. Beckman also secured the No. 1 qualifying spot earlier in the day with a 3.879 pass at 330.63.
“At first, I didn’t make a big deal out of this [Mission Challenge], but sometimes Saturday can be a bit anticlimactic,” Beckman said. “Typically, we’d get data for Sunday, but now, I think it’s one of the smarter moves NHRA has made. It makes [Saturday] matter. Those points that go into the Countdown are huge. That’s a big carrot. I thought it was cool before I won the first one. Now that I’ve won a couple, I really love it.”
Langdon earned his fourth Top Fuel Challenge victory of the year with a holeshot win over teammate Doug Kalitta, using a .059-second reaction time and a 3.742, 334.32 run to take the stripe. The victory tied Langdon for the most Mission wins in 2025 and added three more bonus points toward the Countdown to the Championship.
“We were trying to move up in qualifying, so we’re trying to run a little bit better than a 3.74,” Langdon said. “I think my [stage light] was blinking pretty good, so maybe that distracted him. We wanted to have a good race. It wasn’t intentional by any means. I was just trying to stage shallow.
“Now, we’ll see what we can do tomorrow,” Langdon said. “We really appreciate everything that Mission Foods does. This is a great program, but we also have to focus on tomorrow, especially with the U.S. Nationals and the Countdown coming up.”
In Pro Stock, Anderson picked up his first Mission Challenge win of the year by defeating KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn with a 6.561, 208.23 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.
Anderson also secured the No. 1 qualifier with a 6.555 at 207.59 earlier in the day and won the Friday night American Rebel Light “Battle for the Rebel Axe” bonus race. He will now look to complete a perfect weekend with a Sunday win.
“It’s been two perfect days and that’s all you could hope for,” Anderson said. “I’m excited for tomorrow. My race car is great and I feel like we’ve got a great chance. Competition brings out the best in everyone out here.
“Matt Hartford has worn me out in these [Mission] deals. I want to win anytime we go down the race track. You get here and make it through them all, and then you’ve got Dallas left. That’s always tough.”
3 – ANOTHER 340 – During the third overall qualifying session Saturday, Brittany Force recorded a 340.82-mph speed, which matched her sixth-fastest run in Top Fuel history that she ran last month at Seattle.
4 – BECKMAN SWEEPS SATURDAY – For Funny Car racer Jack Beckman, the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty bonus program wasn’t something he gave much thought to.
“Typically, we’d get data for Sunday,” he said. “But now, I think it’s one of the smarter moves NHRA has made. It makes [Saturday] matter. Those points that go into the Countdown are huge. That’s a big carrot. I thought it was cool before I won the first one. Now that I’ve won a couple, I really love it. Make that three victories that come with cash and Countdown points.”
Beckman, who this weekend is marking one year since he assumed the role of driver of the PEAK Chevy Camaro, was the leader all day Saturday. He took over the No. 1 qualifying position in the morning session, third overall. Then he won the bonus race in a showdown between former series champions. He defeated Matt Hagan with a 3.942-second pass at 324.59 mph, and he hung onto the top spot for the fourth time this season.
He will face Dave Richards to start pursuit of his third victory this year.
“I’m over the moon with my car,” Beckman said. “Even with us struggling, we were still second in points and still won a race. It’s just that we were even better last year. When we went back to last year’s car after the Epping wreck, it seemed like it wanted something different. But now I think we’re back.
Points leader Austin Prock will start race day from the No. 2 slot and will meet Jim Campbell, who’s filling in for Buddy Hull while his hand heals from his accident at Sonoma. Hunter Green is third and will face his father, Chad Green, in Sunday’s first round.
5 – KALITTA LOSES AND WINS – Despite his snoozy .207-second reaction time that cost him in the final round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Doug Kalitta still came out on top – on top of the starting order for Sunday eliminations. Shawn Langdon won the bonus race and bragging rights against his teammate, but Kalitta secured his seventh No. 1 qualifying position of the season in his Mac Tools dragster with an earlier Saturday run at 3.655 seconds and 339.36 mph. It’s the 65th time in Kalitta’s career that he has led the field on race day.
His first-round opponent will be Terry Totten, who gambled and almost lost big-time. Totten didn’t run during the first three sessions this weekend, saving his parts and effort for the fourth and final opportunity. But when he got to the starting line, his starter lost charge. The crew got the car fired and he launched – with the car jumping about half a foot off the pavement. But he made the short field, taking the 14th and last spot.
Kalitta, the Sonoma winner, will be going for his second straight victory. And he said, referring to his mistake on that final pass, “As far as driving it, I try to do the same thing every time and not mess things up too badly. I want to lick my wounds from [the Mission Challenge final] and regroup and put it behind me for tomorrow.”
However, he said he was pleased with his top-qualifying performance. “That run was very smooth. The car stayed right in the middle,” he said. “It seems like it drives nice every time it runs big numbers like that. My guys have put together some really consistent runs. They have the car put together the same way each time and that makes a big difference. That’s quite a ride.”
No. 2 starter Brittany Force was the only other Top Fuel driver to qualify in the 3.6-second range. She had a 3.697 at a track-record speed of 340.82. Jordan Vandergriff, substituting for Shawn Reed this weekend after Reed’s crash in Seattle, is third with a career-best run of 3.705 seconds at 334.32 mph.
6 – ANDERSON REMAINS ATOP PRO STOCK – After claiming his fifth No. 1 Pro Stock qualifying performance of the season, Greg Anderson said his weekend has been everything he could ask for.
“It’s been two perfect days and that’s all you could hope for,” Anderson, who’ll take on Chris Vang in the opening round, said. “I’m excited for tomorrow. My race car is great, and I feel like we’ve got a great chance. Competition brings out the best in everyone out here. Matt Hartford has worn me out in these [Mission] deals. I want to win anytime we go down the racetrack. You get here and make it through them all, and then you’ve got Dallas left. That’s always tough.
“I’ve had a great year so far,” Anderson said, “but we need to keep progressing here in Brainerd, and again in Indy and into the Countdown. In this class, you’d better keep on working and keep on improving, because the competition is going to keep coming after you.”
The six-time champion, a product of Duluth, last won at Brainerd in 2011.
Points leader Glenn, Anderson’s final-round victim in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, ended up qualifying No. 2 with a 6.569-second pass at 208.20 mph. Matt Hartford was third with a 6.575, 206.42.
6B – MUSICAL CAMAROS – Erica Enders, Pro Stock winner during the recent idle NHRA weekend at the Night Under Fire at Norwalk, Ohio, is back in her trusty RJ Race Cars Camaro this weekend. It’s the car Greg Stanfield drove to victory at Sonoma, Calif., in the previous event. Stanfield has a new Jerry Haas-built ride.
7 – WISDOM OF SHAWN REED – Top Fuel racer Shawn Reed, sidelined while his injured left hand heals, spent some time in the announcer’s booth. Here are some of his memorable comments:
“I don’t want to be in the Silly Season. I want to know what I’m doing next year. It took me 58 years to get here. I don’t want to change it up too much yet.”
“I love Ron Capps because he’s older than me.”
“I don’t think Austin [Prock] or I would do well in the ring with [Matt] Hagan. He’s big.”
7B – NOT THAT LONG AGO, BUT …. – The last time Jordan Vandergriff had a Top Fuel deal of his own, his competitors in the class included Richie Crampton, Pat Dakin, Cameron Ferré, Terry McMillen, Scott Palmer, Austin Prock, Leah Pruett, and Mike Salinas.
8 – EXPANDING THE FAMILY – This weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals marks Clay Millican’s final event as a single-car Top Fuel operation before he joins forces with Tony Schumacher under the Rick Ware Racing banner at the U.S. Nationals.
Millican said the process of building a second team has been intense and demanding, describing the transition as more challenging than a typical between-rounds thrash.
“I know zero about building a second team, and I have been a part of building one, and it is an absolute thrash even if you start in November,” Millican said. “The amount of work that my team has put in is so impressive.”
Millican credited car chief Jesse Snyder with managing the new team’s parts list and ensuring the new car is outfitted identically to their current machine. He said the effort has brought together people from multiple areas of the sport.
“It’s been a wild mad dash thrash, and it ain’t over with, and it won’t be over with probably until a couple races in,” Millican said. “But, man, it’s been fun to watch so many people from so many different places all come together to do one thing, and that’s get to — what is it, eight-time? – eight-time champ back on the track.”
The addition of Schumacher, an eight-time Top Fuel champion, brings a second competitive entry to Rick Ware Racing. Millican said balancing his team’s championship push with the expansion effort has been a test of leadership and delegation.
“Jim O’s [Oberhofer] just made sure that our car is ready to go, and when each person gets their job done, whatever it may be, and if they’re done at lunchtime, then they’ll direct a few hours to the other car,” he said. “We have people coming in, so those roles are all getting filled. It’s really starting to come together.”
Millican acknowledged the pressure that team leadership has faced during the transition, including Oberhofer, Rob Flynn, Nicky Boninfante, and Troy Fasching. As for his own role, Millican said he’s been on the outside looking in.
“I’m used to diving in,” he said. “I don’t know whether it’s a curse or a blessing that I haven’t had to go be in the middle of it too much.”
As for racing alongside Schumacher, Millican said the relationship has shifted significantly over the years. “I’ve never spent a ton of time with Tony ’til the last few months, and the more I’m around him, the more I like him,” Millican said. “I usually didn’t like him because he beat me so much. He beat everybody all the time.”
He referenced a humorous comparison to the film Days of Thunder, largely due to his team owner Rick Ware’s background in NASCAR, clarifying that there’s no rivalry between him and Schumacher today. He quickly dismissed the notion it could turn into a Cole Trickle/Ross Wheeler type atmosphere.
“No Rowdy and Cole at the beginning of the movie,” Millican said. “It’s after, towards the end of the movie, when Cole’s helping Rowdy. That’s where we’re at.”
9 – BROWN, ROSS MAKE UP SONG – Whether it becomes a hit is iffy, at best. But provisional No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier Antron Brown struggled a bit to compose a song as he sat on the promotional “Throne of the North” Friday night as part of the Battle for the Rebel Axe competition. American Rebel Light Beer boss Andy Ross, who also is a singer who headlined a concert Friday night at the racetrack, stepped in to help the four-time series champion. With Brown strumming the guitar, Ross belted out an impromptu tune that goes like this:
We like our girls in bikinis, like our coolers in the truck,
Motorsports on TV – hard-working for a buck.
So raise ’em high, high, high. Justify-fy-fy.
American Rebel is the only beer we’re drinking ‘round here.
Brown provided an encore with a rhyme: “And it’s light and it’s out of sight and we are going to be drinking it all tonight, baby.”
Ross put up $10,000 total in bonus money for the top Friday qualifiers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock. Brown and Funny Car’s Austin Prock each earned $4,000, and Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson pocketed $2,000.
But it’s highly doubtful Brown will rake in any money in royalties from the song.
10 – WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES – A year after returning to the NHRA Funny Car ranks following a nearly four-year absence, Jack Beckman is marking a personal milestone this weekend at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.
Beckman, a two-time Funny Car champion and full-time elevator technician, was called back into action in August 2024 to substitute for John Force, who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a crash at the Virginia Nationals in June last year.
“Well, I still fix elevators Monday through Friday most weeks. I still drive home and hate traffic in Southern California,” Beckman said. “But at least 17 times a year, because I can drive to some of the races, I hop on an airplane. I’m not a big fan of the TSA screens or any of that other crap, but I’m going to fly out to an NHRA drag race to get strapped into John Force’s Chevy. It’s pretty damn cool.”
What began as an eight-race fill-in assignment evolved into a full-time opportunity for 2025. Beckman finished second in the championship standings last season, a feat that still surprises him.
“Last year was amazing. It was a pinch-me deal,” he said. “I had been dormant for over three and a half years, and I thought that that was the end of my career.”
Beckman described the opportunity as rare and meaningful, likening it to reliving a dream. “One of my friends in the elevator trade said, ‘Most people don’t ever get their dreams. You’re getting yours for the second time.’ I knew that and I appreciated that,” Beckman said. “I didn’t think it’d get any better until the offseason when I got asked if I’d take the ride full time for 2025. So it did get better.”
Despite the pressures of high-level racing, Beckman said his perspective has been shaped by years outside the car — and the realities of his day job.
“When people say, ‘Well, what about the pressure? What about this? What about that?’ Taking a night call fixing an elevator is pressure,” he said. “That’s a great job, and I’m fortunate as can be to have that as a job. So for three and a half years, I would’ve done anything to feel the pressure lining up next to somebody in the final round for that Wally trophy, but I couldn’t do that because I didn’t have a ride.”
Beckman said the return to competition, and the opportunity to regularly climb into one of NHRA’s top Funny Cars, has brought renewed confidence and clarity.
“There can be a lot of stress here and there’s a lot of things that can put you in a pressure-packed environment, but who wouldn’t want to switch places with me?” he said. “To get to climb in that Peak car, and these guys got this thing prepped so well, so often, it gives me a ton of confidence every time I step on the throttle.”
Now a full-time driver again, Beckman is not taking a single weekend for granted. “I highly recommend this if you got some money to spend,” he said.
10B – 15TH ANNIVERSARY FOR BODE – Fifteen years ago this weekend, Bobby Bode learned two valuable lessons: Avoid blue snow cones if you might end up in the winners circle pictures and work hard and positive things will happen.
The young Funny Car driver said he remembers watching his father, Bob Bode, defeat Jack Beckman in the final round at Brainerd International Raceway to record his first and only victory. And he won’t forget that he “had a blue snow cone. And so in all the winner’s circle pictures, my lips are blue.”
Bobby Bode said “so much” of that day resonated with him: “That was just that magical day, and then everything came together and kind of put our team on the map, if you will. And it’d be cool to repeat that here this year – anytime, really. That was definitely a special day.
“It just made me think no matter what you have or what budget you have, or whatever you do, you can always … Hard work always leads to success,” he said. “My dad raced for 10 years before he won, and he didn’t have the nicest pieces, didn’t have the biggest budget, and he raced really hard. So that’s something that I’ve carried with me in my last 10 years racing.”
Incidentally, in that final round in 2010, Bob Bode cut a 0.114-second light, compared to Beckman’s .080. But Beckman – who set low elapsed time of the meet in the opening round of eliminations and top speed of the meet in the quarterfinals – lost traction early in the run. Bode advanced that day by defeating Cruz Pedregon, Bob Tasca III, and Tim Wilkerson.
10C – CUMMINGS, WESTERFIELD SET THE PACE IN TOP ALCOHOL – Veteran drivers Matthew Cummings and Shane Westerfield set the pace in their respective categories during final qualifying at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.
Cummings jumped to the top of the Top Alcohol Dragster field Friday with a 5.167-second pass at 275.51 mph. The strong run puts the Pompano Beach, Fla., driver in prime position heading into final eliminations.
Jackie Fricke, the multi-time national-event winner from Flemington, N.J., posted a 5.190 at 274.72 mph to hold the No. 2 spot, while Madison Payne, the third-generation racer from Claremont, Calif., was third at 5.205, 275.73.
Melanie Johnson (5.220), Anthony Troyer (5.227), and Greg Hunter (5.228) rounded out the top six. Shawn Cowie, a perennial contender and former U.S. Nationals winner, held the eighth spot with a 5.255-second run at 274.33 mph.
Jared Dreher secured the 10th spot with a 5.273 at 266.53 mph, with the top 10 separated by just over a tenth of a second.
In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Shane Westerfield delivered the low run of the session with a 5.532-second effort at 261.83 mph in his Chevrolet Camaro. Westerfield, who has been a dominant force in the class over the past two seasons, leads a tightly packed field heading into final eliminations.
Ohio’s Phil Esz slotted into second with a 5.537 at 259.21 mph, followed by Iowa’s Chris Foster, who ran a 5.545 at 261.47 mph. Jim Whiteley, a former national champion, was fourth at 5.574, while Christine Foster, who shares tuning duties with her husband Chris, rounded out the top five with a 5.576.
Madison Gordon and Bob McCosh recorded identical 5.585-second runs, with Gordon taking the sixth spot by speed at 260.66 mph. Stan Sipos (5.597), defending world champion Sean Bellemeur (5.598), and Annie Whiteley (5.605) completed the top 10 in a class separated by less than a tenth of a second.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – BEERS, GUITAR AND CASH STEAL THE SHOW ON FRIDAY IN BRAINERD
1 – IT’S THE BEER FACTOR – Austin Prock continued his strong Funny Car campaign Friday by earning the provisional No. 1 qualifier and winning the American Rebel Light “Battle for the Rebel Axe” at Brainerd (MN) International Raceway during the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.
Prock delivered a 3.893-second run at 331.45 mph in his Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS to top the session and claim the $4,000 bonus along with the event’s Rebel Axe trophy.
The performance placed Prock on the “Throne of the North,” a promotional display made from cases of American Rebel Light beer, and extended a streak that could lead to his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season. Prock, who won the most recent NHRA event in Sonoma, has a chance to clinch the regular-season title this weekend.
“You know, when American Rebel Light is part of a race, we seem to do well in this Cornwell Tools Camaro,” Prock said. “We seem to run pretty well, so it was cool to collect the cash, and the guitar. It’s a good way to start the weekend here in Brainerd.”
Despite the top speed, Prock said the car wasn’t easy to handle on either run.
“On both runs today, my steering wheel was pretty far to the left, so it had my hands full a little bit there,” he said. “I wanted to be prepared for that, and definitely felt a little loose down there, but it still ran 331 mph, so it couldn’t have been slipping too badly.”
Prock emphasized the importance of tuning consistency as the Countdown to the Championship approaches less than a month from now.
“To win these races and win these championships, we’ve got to be able to go down all conditions of racetracks,” Prock said. “So, we have a pretty good notebook right now.”
Jack Beckman, who returned to Funny Car competition at Brainerd in 2024, sits second after a 3.907 pass. Ron Capps, whose seven Brainerd wins lead all active Funny Car drivers, is third with a 3.920 at 330.39.
2 – AB FINISHES ON THE THRONE – Reigning Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown secured the provisional No. 1 qualifying position Friday at Brainerd International Raceway with a 3.742-second pass at 334.90 mph during the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.
The run also earned Brown the top prize in the American Rebel Light “Battle for the Rebel Axe,” including a $4,000 bonus and the custom Rebel Axe trophy.
Brown’s 12,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster outran a tight field to place him atop the “Throne of the North,” made from cases of American Rebel Light beer, in the 13th event of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
“It felt good. The track was a bit tricky. We didn’t get the clutch right on the first run, but that run definitely made up for it,” Brown said. “We got to do what we wanted to do, which was run the race track. The car was straight, stayed nimble and felt good. It sets us up good for tomorrow.”
If the performance holds, it will be Brown’s first No. 1 qualifier since the season-opening race in Gainesville, Florida, which he won. He has six career wins at Brainerd combined in Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
“We’ve got a little hole to dig out of in the points to get where we want, so I’m super pumped and happy for that run,” Brown said. “I don’t often drink beer, but when I do it will be American Rebel Light.”
Clay Millican was second on the qualifying sheet after going 3.746 at 330.72 mph, and points leader Shawn Langdon slotted in third with a 3.753 at 334.82.
3 – THE HOMESTATER DELIVERS – Greg Anderson powered to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position Friday night at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals with a 6.614-second pass at 204.76 mph in his Pro Stock Camaro, edging teammate Dallas Glenn by two-thousandths of a second.
If the run holds through Saturday, it will mark Anderson’s 137th career No. 1 qualifier and his fifth of the 2025 NHRA season.
“Well, it felt really nice,” Anderson said of the run. “Before the run, I told all my guys, we made a nice run on the first run and I think I was second and I said, ‘Look, guys, I know you just want to go out there and make a nice run tonight, but I want that guitar. I want those cases of beer.’”
The Friday qualifying session at Brainerd included a special “Battle for the Rebel Axe” bonus for low qualifiers. Anderson said he thrives on such challenges.
“Anytime that anybody puts up a special bounty like that, it means the world to a guy like me,” he said. “I love any extra thing you can try and achieve out there. And it could be a $2 walleye fish at the finish line. It doesn’t matter. It’s something special. It’s something cool to note that you did something better than everybody else that night.”
Anderson said he knew the run was strong the moment he launched.
“I could tell when I left the starting line that I had a great chance and you never know until you get to the finish line, but it felt perfect,” he said. “Good enough by .002 of a second, which is as good as a mile.”
The weekend is especially significant for Anderson, who began his Pro Stock career working as an apprentice for John Hagen at the Brainerd facility. In 1983, he was on the starting line when Hagen was fatally injured in a crash.
“This is where it all started right here,” Anderson said. “Obviously, I had tragedy here, but I have a lot of great times here too. So it’s been everything. The ultimate low, but they’ve all been highs too.”
Anderson has won three times at Brainerd, the track he once called home. He said the event gives him a rare chance to reconnect with family and friends in the area.
“I don’t come back during the year just to visit,” he said. “I just work all the time. I don’t have time to leave. So this is the only time I get to do that. Thank God that Brainerd still has the race.”
Anderson also praised the racing surface, which contributed to quick performances across the Pro Stock field Friday night. “This is one of the best surfaces we run on all year long,” he said. “Everybody picked up like a ton tonight and punched right up. That tells you how great the racetrack is.”
While other tracks offer elevation or weather challenges, Anderson said Brainerd’s combination of mild altitude and a solid surface makes it unique.
“You bring everything you can find in your trailer, you bring to the starting line and this racetrack takes it,” Anderson said. “It’s going to be hard to race.”
4 – THE BATTLE FOR THE THRONE – The Friday night qualifying session at Brainerd International Raceway featured a new twist during the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, with the debut of the American Rebel Light “Battle for the Rebel Axe.”
The session awarded bonus payouts and a custom trophy to the top qualifiers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock. The No. 1 qualifiers in Top Fuel and Funny Car each received $4,000, while the top Pro Stock qualifier earned $2,000. They also received the Rebel Axe trophy – a fully functional electric cigar-box guitar shaped like a 12-pack of American Rebel Light.
The unique award is branded with event and sponsor logos and pays tribute to Brainerd’s heritage and its legendary connection to Paul Bunyan.
Winners sat atop the “Throne of the North,” built from 100 American Rebel Light cases. At the end of qualifying, Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) claimed their thrones and custom guitar.
Anderson took the award away from teammate Dallas Glenn, and it might have been just as well he did.
“We got all that beer, and the funny thing is Dallas was on the case of beer when I was [running],” Anderson said. “He doesn’t even drink. So it’s only fitting. I drink. I love the beer. He doesn’t drink at all. So it would’ve been a total waste. So I think I did Dallas a favor. That’s the common look at this. I did Dallas a favor, and we’re going to drink that beer.”
5 – REED REVEALS LONG-TERM GOAL – Nothing against his substitute, Jordan Vandergriff, but Top Fuel team owner Shawn Reed, on the mend from a hand injury from the Seattle race, admitted he wasn’t rah-rah about watching Vandergriff make that first pass in the Reed Trucking and Excavating dragster Friday afternoon.
“I spent three million bucks so I could drive it myself, so I didn’t like that at all. I’d rather have y’all hit me in the feet with sledgehammers. But good for Jordan,” Reed said.
Asked if he ever thought he’d relinquish his driver’s seat to a “Bachelorette” TV show star whose name on the car says “Hollywood,” Reed joked, “No, but he is a pretty boy, and I like him.”
However, Reed offered some insight into his career game plan.
He said before the weird experience of being a spectator as someone else driving his dragster that “it’s going to definitely be different, but I always had this in my plan. I mean, I wanted to drive four or five or six years, and then I want to hopefully be funded enough and let some other people get in this car and come into the sport.
“We just got to get JV, got to get him a little bit of money, get him some sponsorships, and he needs to be out here. Him and a few other people need to be out here,” Reed said.
6 – REED EYEING NO. 5 ON HIS DRAGSTER – Top Fuel’s Shawn Reed, whose accident at Seattle last month cost him his left index finger and resulted in a pin being inserted into a thumb, said his healing is progressing well – and that he still plans to return to the driver’s seat at Reading for the first race of the Countdown.
“It’s almost four weeks since my crash, and healing’s doing pretty good,” he said. “I went in 10 days after my surgery and wasn’t really ready to take the stitches out, but we got them out anyway and got me in a half splint.” He said the medical staff in Seattle “wanted to put me in a full cast, but they put me in a half splint just so I could start moving my fingers.”
Eager to get back to his new normal, Reed said, “I wanted a rapid return, so just under the surgeon’s eye and physical therapy and all that stuff. I’m moving my fingers now, and another week and a half I get my pin out, so that’ll be right before Indy. Then I hit physical therapy pretty dang hard for two weeks leading up to Reading, which [is when] I hope to be back in the seat.”
Reed is adamant about competing at all six Countdown events, starting with the Sept. 11-14 Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway. It’s an ambitious plan, but Reed is pragmatic, if a bit reluctantly.
“That’s when I want to be back, and of course, yeah, I’ve got some Plan Bs. If for some reason I can’t get back there, then we’ll probably end up putting Jordan [Vandergriff] in the car [again] or something, for sure. But I want to be the man responsible for the last six races,” he said.
“I want to take that 10 off my car. I don’t like that 10. I don’t like a nine. I don’t like an eight. I want to move up in the Countdown, and I want a five or better on my wing at the end of the year. So that’s what I strive for, and hopefully I can be the one running all them six races.”
Reed said he knows he has some time left before Vandergriff exhausts the NHRA substitute driver policy.
“So Jordan would be collecting points for me here, which is great. It is a great rule. Keeps me in the ballgame, because if I didn’t field a car here or Indy, then there’s an outside chance that I could be caught by somebody in 11th or 12th spot. So by me showing up and getting the points, it kind of, I think, stops that kind of program,” Reed said.
“I should stay in the top 10, I’m thinking, which – that’s what we want to do, stay in the top 10 just so we have a chance – because anybody … Robert Hight won this thing from the No. 10 spot before. And I’ve seen it, so I’m not going to go on a limb and say I’m going to win it, but that No. 10 ain’t going back on my wing, I promise.”
7 – VANDERGRIFF NOT GIVING UP ON DREAM – Jordan Vandergriff, Shawn Reed’s substitute for at least this event, said he came into the weekend for his first driving opportunity since 2019 with the same mindset he brings to the FOX pit reporter job he has had since stepping from the cockpit.
“I come in today really confident,” Vandergriff said. “I know in 2019, it was my rookie year, and I did pretty good. So I know that if I just do what I did then, I’ll be OK. And then, obviously, this is a quicker car than I’m used to. This is a very, very good, fast race car, so it’s going to be a little quicker. But I think I’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly.”
Preparation for both assignments is similar, he said: “I think I approach everything the same way. I approach it with a certain level of confidence, and I’m also willing to be taught and know I don’t know everything.”
As for doing his homework in either role, Vandergriff said, “I’ll tell you what, I get real nervous on the TV. In the beginning of the TV stuff, my heart would be racing. I would be waiting for Steve [Reintjes, NHRA’s vice-president of broadcasting] to get in my ear, and tell me when to go. And I think I feel more comfortable here, just being here with the crew and the guys. Coming here this morning, it just feels like I’ve been here before, because I have been. So, it feels nice to be back in that sort of swing of things. I’m ready to go, ready to stay on the gas.”
Through those nearly six years outside the confines of a Top Fuel dragster, Vandergriff said he has “never been close to giving up” on his vision of being a driver full time.
“I know that this is a dream of mine, and I’ve worked for it, and I’ve always wanted to work for it. No, never close to giving up. I’m still not close to giving up,” Vandergriff said. “This is a one-race deal as of right now, and there’s potential to do maybe one more. But, yeah, never given up on this driving thing. I know I do the TV stuff now, but I want to be a driver, and I think I’m going to do it.”
He said he isn’t disappointed his agreement with Reed covers only this race and maybe the U.S. Nationals. He said, “At this point, I’ll take anything I can get. So I’ll take this one race and … we’ll see what shakes out there. But look, I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, it’s been five years, and I’m just so happy to be back at the racetrack. Ready to go.”
Vandergriff said he “would be just as excited” to return to competition in a Funny Car, if the chance came up.
“Look, I’ve maybe had some experience in both. And the Funny Cars are very, very – they’re just a different animal. And I think I’m a dragster guy right now,” he said. “I grew up watching my uncle [Bob Vandergriff], so I’ve always loved dragsters. I want to spend some more time in a dragster. But if I got a call for a Funny Car, I will change my personality, and I’ll hop right in that thing, for sure. I would drive anything right now.”
8 – SO WHAT HAPPENED TO BUDDY HULL? – The Funny Car racer didn’t think anything much had messed up his hand in the final qualifying-session accident at Sonoma, California, in which a violent engine explosion sent his car into the sand trap.
However, he ended up with a couple of fractures, some temporary nerve damage, and bone contusions and inflammation that’s taking a few weeks to heal.
“It’s just a matter of making sure that my thumb and my index finger can fully function,” said Hull, who is serving this weekend as analyst in the public-address booth while Jim Campbell drives his Jim Dunn Racing entry. “That’s the biggest thing. A fuel Funny Car is something [where] there are moments where your left hand is the only thing on the wheel and you don’t have your right hand available, so it’s got to be right.”
He said his physical therapy is going well and that he actually is ahead of the healing curve.
“I’m on a very aggressive program,” Hull said. “We’re doing a laser therapy on it, ice, cryo – all this stuff to try to get it sped up. And I am ahead of the curve. The swelling is way down.
“As soon as the contusions calm down … they’re going to start doing some manual therapy to start getting my hand working again,” he said.
With pride and confidence and the trademark Buddy Hull optimism, he said, “I’m a fast healer. Believe me, I’m a fast healer. It won’t be long. So we’re just doing everything we can do. But the good news is I’ve seen three doctors, and all three of them say the same thing: I’ll recover 100 percent – and that doesn’t happen for everybody. And part of it was because of my physical build. I have really big, thick hands, so my hands were able to take the brunt of the force. So it’ll be all right.”
At first he thought he just had a puncture wound, which was serious enough to require four stitches.
“I knew I had basically something go through my hand, but that’s some stitches and you’re good to go. But by Tuesday morning it wasn’t looking so good. My hand looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man or the Pillsbury Doughboy or whatever you want to call it,” Hull said. “So just a couple fractures in there, a couple small fractures that are probably two to three weeks to heal those, what they’re saying; four weeks at the most.”
The firewall came down and hit him hard, too. He said, “It did some nerve damage, right? Not permanent, but it hit the nerves, and so they’re waking back up. So I got to give those time to wake back up. There’s really no timeframe.”
He explained the accident: “So when it blew up, the firewall came back, went over the driver’s shield, and then landed on my hands on the steering wheel. And then I ripped my hands off the wheel and the firewall fell on my lap. You can see it in the pictures. So I had no access to the steering wheel, no access to the brake handle. They were completely blocked off.”
9A – HIRED GUN – Jim Campbell is substituting this weekend for injured Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car driver Buddy Hull; ironically, his replacement a couple of years ago. But no hard feelings at all for Campbell, who said he doesn’t mind the label of hired gun.
“Well, it’s better than having no gun,” Campbell quipped. “It’s good to be back and … this is kind of like family to me. And anything I can do to help these guys out, it’s always a benefit.”
He figured Jim, Diane, and Jon Dunn gave him the call because “I know the routines. I’ve been here and I’ve done it before. And everyone’s been super-receptive. I’m stoked. I love the Dunns, and when they called me up and said, ‘Hey, might need you to drive because Buddy’s hand’s hurt,’ I’m always going to take care of the people that helped me out in this sport originally. So absolutely I’m going to take care of them and keep this car in the Countdown and see what we can do.”
Campbell is earning points for Hull, who entered the weekend in 14th place. Hull has competed at all events and therefore is eligible to enter the six-race playoffs.
Brainerd International is one of Campbell’s favorite tracks. “We’ve run good at this track. We’ve had our issues, too, when the parachutes didn’t come out and when the parachutes blew out. So make sure all that stuff’s good,” Campbell said before his first pass of the weekend, when he took the car for a planned half-track spurt. “Brand new car, take it out there, probably punch it to half-track and make sure that everything works good and then go after it,” he said. “They’re a Countdown car, so we’ll make sure they’re ready and rockin’ going into the U.S. Nationals.”
9B – BILLY BILLY PULLS DOUBLE-DUTY – For the first time in recent memory, Billy Torrence is back behind the wheel of his Top Fuel dragster while his son, four-time NHRA world champion Steve Torrence, is away from the track.
The elder Torrence, 67, is competing in both Top Fuel and Super Comp this weekend, stepping into the driver’s seat while Steve focuses on family, business, and life outside of drag racing.
“I never even gave it any thought,” Billy said when asked if he imagined racing while Steve sat out. “I really enjoy him doing it more than me, but, no, I hadn’t given that any thought.”
While it might seem unusual to see the Torrence patriarch in action without his son, Billy said it feels normal given Steve’s current priorities.
“Steve, it’s about to be hunting season, and it’s been lake season, so Steve’s been a little preoccupied with kids and what have you,” Billy said. “I think he’s going down to the ranch and getting all his hunting stuff going on. I told him, I said, ‘Heck, I’ll go race that old car.’ He says, ‘Have at it.’”
Billy said he’s proud to see his son embracing life outside the racetrack and focusing on family.
“We’ve been trying to tell him that for the last couple of years, or he’s been trying to tell us that,” he said. “We got a couple of brand new grandkids, and we’re really enjoying that. Mama Kay, she’s out there with them, but we still intend to do some racing. We’ll just do it on a need-to basis. When we want to go, we will.”
At age 67, Torrence laughed off any notion that he might be taking on too much.
“No. Is that right?” he joked when asked if someone told him not to race two cars at his age.
He acknowledged Steve’s growing involvement with the family’s CAPCO Contractors business, a transition Billy always envisioned as part of his retirement plan.
“That’s a big business, and he does more and more all the time,” he said. “So I have to do a little less and less, because at my extended age, I’m going to take off on him one of these days.”
Billy said Steve has always had other interests and is now balancing work and family life, while Kay Torrence stays busy overseeing the construction of a new lake house.
“Really just the kids, that’s been the biggest part of slowing down and smelling the roses,” he said.
10 – OLD HABITS ARE HARD TO BREAK – Greg Stanfield may have a full crew at Elite Motorsports, but that didn’t keep the veteran Pro Stock driver from getting elbow-deep in the work as his new Camaro was being prepared for its first qualifying run Friday at Brainerd International Raceway.
Despite the resources around him, the five-time NHRA champion was back in familiar territory—wrench in hand, directing the effort to bring a brand-new car to life.
“I’m a jack of all trades, a master of none,” Stanfield said as he worked alongside his crew in the staging lanes. “It’s a new car, so it’s just going to take a little bit to get all the little bugs [out] and kind of [do] things how we want it done.”
Stanfield confirmed the team hadn’t made a pass yet but was working to make the transmission shift more smoothly before its first attempt. “The first pass might be a little off, but we’ll get there,” he said.
Coming off a final-round win at the Sonoma Nationals, where he defeated his son, Aaron Stanfield, Greg said there’s no time to rest on his laurels.
“He’s might be a driver, but he’s always worked on his own race cars throughout his whole career, so I don’t think he knows any better,” Aaron said. “But to get in there and get his hands dirty and work on his car. I think he really enjoys that aspect of racing. So that’s what you see.
“Besides, I just don’t think you can’t teach that old dog new tricks like that. He likes working on his race cars, so. And of course all these guys, Elite Motorsports, they appreciate his input and he enjoys it.”
