Photos by NHRA
SUNDAY FINAL – FORCE, TODD, AND ANDERSON WIN AT NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
Brittany Force captured her first victory of the season in Top Fuel, defeating points leader Tony Stewart at the NHRA New England Nationals on Sunday. She clocked a final run of 3.694 seconds at 340.39 mph in her Monster Energy dragster.
Joining her in the New England Dragway winner’s circle were J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock).
With her win, Force ties Shirley Muldowney for the most wins by a female in Top Fuel history. She advanced to the finals by defeating Clay Millican, Shawn Reed, and No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta, posting a track-record time of 3.681 seconds at 341.42 mph in the semifinals. She downed Tony Stewart for the victory.
“This is just a big one. The last time I stood in the winner’s circle with (her father, John Force) was here and I wanted to win for him,” Brittany said. “This one is dedicated to him and everything he’s done over the last year. It’s been really tough and we’re so proud of him, and I’m just happy to have him out here. I need him out here with me. I knew we would get back to this winner’s circle, and I’m so proud of all these guys.
“Coming into race day, something just felt different — our whole team had a good feeling. It was a great story — Tony, five final rounds in a row, and now facing a Force in the final. (Crew chief David) Grubnic told me before the run, ‘You’ve been here before. You’ve won here. Just go have fun.’ That reminder brought me back to why we do this — we love it. You’ve got to drive from the heart, like my dad says.”
Stewart, who has reached five consecutive final rounds, finished the race in 3.720 seconds at 329.91 mph. He holds a 71-point lead in the standings after defeating Rit Pustari, Justin Ashley, and reigning champion Antron Brown to reach the finals.
Todd secured his first Funny Car victory since the season opener in 2024, defeating rookie Spencer Hyde with a run of 3.888, 332.43. This victory marked Todd’s 22nd career win and ended a 25-race winless streak.
Todd rebounded from an engine explosion during qualifying, with his crew working late into the night to rebuild the car. He advanced to the final by defeating Cruz Pedregon, Phil Burkart, and Alexis DeJoria.
“I’m just glad we got that win out of the way for Dickie’s sake,” Todd said. “I’m not saying there was pressure, but when you hire a guy of that caliber, people expect you to win. Coming in, I knew this was a good place for us. Dickie and (Matt) Hagan had a lot of success here. I was excited, but we’re still learning. Then Q4 happened and we blew it up. The guys worked until midnight rebuilding the car. Today felt like a fresh start, and we ran super consistently, exactly how Dickie’s won here before.
“These guys have been grinding since last season when we had a miserable second half. I think Brainerd was the last time we even made a semifinal. But they never complained, never gave up. Even last night after the fire, they were joking, saying maybe we should catch on fire every weekend if it means we win. They keep it light, and the only way to pay them back is with a trophy.”
Hyde reached his first final round after victories against Matt Hagan, Buddy Hull, and Jack Beckman, who crashed shortly after launching in the semifinals. Despite losing in the first round, defending world champion Austin Prock held onto the points lead.
Defending Pro Stock series champion Anderson faced longtime rival Erica Enders in the final, winning with a run of 6.469, 212.19 to set a track E.T. record. This victory was Anderson’s third of the season, bringing his career total to 109 wins.
Anderson’s teammate Dallas Glenn has also excelled this season, with the duo winning every event so far. He defeated Kenny Delco, Dave Connolly, and Matt Hartford to reach the finals, and has advanced to the title round in every event this year.
“I got lucky a couple times today. It takes a lot of luck to win one of these things. We finally made a great run in the final. To win when you’re off your game makes you feel pretty doggone good,” Anderson said. “This is the best race car I’ve ever had, no question. It’s paid for itself in wins and made me look like a star. I can’t take credit. Fifteen years ago, I traded my car tools for engine tools. I’m an engine guy now. My hat’s off to the team. The cars are so evenly matched these days, if you find even a small advantage in setup, it’s huge.”
Anderson is now three rounds away from achieving 1,000 career round wins, a milestone achieved by only one other racer.
One thousand “is a wild number,” Anderson said. “There’s only one other guy to do that – John Force. I never dreamed I’d be close to that. Every round win now feels like a bonus. I’m living far beyond my wildest dreams.”
Advancing to her first final of the season, Enders was denied her 50th national event win. She defeated Deric Kramer, Cory Reed, and Aaron Stanfield to reach the finals.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continues June 6-8 with the 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn.
SATURDAY – KALITTA, PROCK, C. COUGHLIN HEAD INTO SUNDAY EPPING AS #1 QUALIFIERS
Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta accomplished two goals in one run Saturday: He extended Kalitta Motorsports’ #2Fast2Tasty winning streak, and he secured the No. 1 qualifying spot for Sunday’s eliminations at the 12th annual NHRA New England Nationals.
In the final round of the specialty event, Kalitta defeated points leader Tony Stewart with a blistering 337.24-mph pass that reset the track speed record and marked his fourth straight No. 1 qualifier with a 3.670-second elapsed time.
Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Cody Coughlin (Pro Stock) qualified No. 1 at the seventh of 20 races that comprise the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Kalitta’s massive speed gives him the edge in his bid to win in Epping for the second straight year and pick up his first 2025 event victory as well.
Crew chief “Alan Johnson and the guys have been doing a great job. The car left straight and felt great, and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow,” Kalitta said. “We’ve been qualifying really well. I’m looking for a great Sunday.
Second in Top Fuel qualifying is Stewart, who recorded a 3.694 at 330.55. Reigning champion Antron Brown is third with a 3.697 at 337.07.
In Funny Car, Prock’s 3.860 at 331.69 from Friday was enough to hold the top spot through Saturday, although the defending series champion came close to replicating that run with a 3.867 to close out qualifying and send a message to the rest of the field heading into eliminations. This is Prock’s second No. 1 of the season and the 20th in his career. He races Buddy Hull in the first round as the defending world champion looks for his third win of the year.
“We went out and laid down another solid run — that’s two No. 1 qualifiers in a row, and we’re just getting started,” said Prock, who set a Funny Car record last year with 15 No. 1 qualifiers. “There’s still more on the table. If we need to push it harder, I believe there’s more in this car. I’ve always said all I ever wanted to do was drive a Funny Car. Then all I wanted was to line up against John Force like my grandfather did. Now I’m doing it at this level with this team. It’s surreal.”
Friday’s early leader, Bob Tasca III, is second with a 3.891 at 335.40, and Paul Lee’s 3.891 at 329.18 gives him him the third spot.
Cody Coughlin, the only member of the Coughlin Family racing under the KB Titan banner, topped Pro Stock qualifying on the strength of Friday’s 6.537 at 210.28 in his Cody Coughlin Construction Chevrolet Camaro. Just six races into his transition from oval track racing to drag racing, Coughlin opens race day against Brandon Miller.
“This is only my sixth drag race ever, so to earn my first No. 1 qualifier award already is really special,” Coughlin said. “Coming from the circle-track world, I never expected this would be easy. The KB Titan group builds rocket ships, and the level of competition out here is intense, even among teams using the same power. You have to do everything right to make a run like that, and I’m just proud we were able to put those numbers on the board. I hope this is just the beginning of more good things to come this year.”
Coughlin’s teammates, defending world champ Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn, qualified second and third. Anderson ran 6.537 at 209.95 and Glenn, the points leader, is third after going 6.539 at 210.28.
Eliminations for the New England Nationals begin at 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday at New England Dragway.
SATURDAY – MIGHT AS WELL RENAME IT #2FAST2KALITTA DELIVERS AGAIN; BECKMAN, HARTFORD DELIVER WINS
Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta sure does love those champion-chips titles.
Kalitta ensured Kalitta Motorsports remained undefeated this year in the Top Fuel portion of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with a victory over Tony Stewart. Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, as well.
Kalitta Motorsports’ Top Fuel duo of Kalitta and Shawn Langdon have won all six Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus races in 2025, with Kalitta taking his fourth victory of the year after going 3.670 seconds at 337.24 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster.
“This Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge is a great idea,” Kalitta said. “It gives fans something exciting to watch, and it’s fun for us too. It’s a little like sprint car racing, where you’re racing every day. I’m definitely having fun with all of this. Let’s keep it up.”
Beckman is working on a streak of his own, claiming the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory over Matt Hagan, who won the event in Chicago two weeks ago at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals.
Beckman, who took over driving for drag racing icon John Force last August, won the event Saturday. He now has six consecutive round wins. Beckman went 3.913 at 316.52 to get the win. He was impressed with the job his team did on Saturday in Epping.
“This was one of the wildest Saturdays I’ve ever been part of. We had to do a full engine change before (the final) round, no warm-up, just bolt it in and go,” Beckman said. “The crew thrashed. I had to hang out by the car to make up time for Matt, and we got it fired. I didn’t even know if we’d get it done today, but it looks cool as hell now. The Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge gives us a race within qualifying, and that adds so much more meaning.
“This place is as cool as it gets. Austin’s team makes it look easy. What both our crews did today it’s awe inspiring. I’m a huge historian of this sport, and it means the world to be part of it like this.”
Pro Stock’s Hartford also has an impressive streak in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, winning for the third time in four races in the specialty event with a 6.557, 207.88 to defeat Dave Connolly Saturday. Connolly is filling in for Eric Latino, who is recovering from knee surgery following the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.
Hartford now has a Pro Stock-leading 13 championship bonus points, which will be added to his reset total once the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begins. He’s still looking for his first win of the season.
“Anytime you’re racing Dave Connolly, you know you’re lining up against one of the best Pro Stock drivers ever. He’s proved it over and over again,” Hartford said. “We were both running KB (Titan Racing) power, so it came down to who did a better job on the track. I’m proud to say that today, our team did. It’s a testament to our crew, our prep, and our execution.
“We’ve got 13 Mission points now — that’s over half a round heading into the Countdown. Every point counts. We know Greg (Anderson) and Dallas (Glenn) are out front right now in regular season points, but once they reset in Indy, we want to be right there with them.”
Eliminations for the New England Nationals begin at 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday at New England Dragway.
FRIDAY QUALIFYING – PROCK, KALITTA AND C. COUGHIN TAKE TOP PROVISIONAL QUALIFYING SPOTS AT NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS
Austin Prock, the reigning Funny Car champion, secured the provisional No. 1 position for John Force Racing at the NHRA New England Nationals on Friday at New England Dragway.
Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Cody Coughlin (Pro Stock) also claimed the provisional No. 1 spots in their respective divisions at the seventh race of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
During the second session, the “No. 1 Clawifier Award presented by NAPA” was up for grabs. The top qualifier for the evening was to occupy a chair made of lobster pot, and lobster dinners were awarded to each class leader.
Prock set the pace early in the Q2 session and maintained his lead, finishing with a run of 3.860 seconds, 331.69 mph. This positions Prock to potentially earn his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 20th of his career.
“It took a lot to get this thing tamed down, but the guys did a great job diagnosing it, and we laid down a really nice lap,” Prock said. “John Force Racing has had a lot of success here. Last year was a really special moment in my life and all I’ve ever wanted to do is drive a Funny Car.
“I always try to do the best I can every time I get in this car. That’s what these guys deserve, what our team deserves and what our partners deserve. I’m just trying to get in there and drive to the best of my ability.”
Bob Tasca III currently sits in second with a time of 3.891, 335.40, while Paul Lee is in third with a 3.891 at 329.18.
In Top Fuel, Kalitta was eighth after the first round of qualifying, but his Q2 run of 3.697 seconds at 331.36 mph made him the only driver to dip into the 3.60s on Friday. This could mark Kalitta’s fourth consecutive top qualifier of 2025, continuing his impressive qualifying streak.
“The car shook a little bit at the beginning, got cleaned up and then it set sail,” Kalitta said. “It was definitely what we were looking for. We were all gunning for the lobster, and the way the team has this car running, I was hoping it would make it and it did.
“We’re very fortunate after the first day and Epping is a cool area. I’ve had a great running car all year (but) haven’t gotten the win yet, so I’m real hungry for that. This would be a great place to do it. We got it done last year, which was cool. We’re just trying to go rounds, keep our heads down and hope like heck it goes our way Sunday.”
Shawn Reed is currently in second with a pass of 3.702, 334.24, and Brittany Force follows in third with a time of 3.713, 334.48 mph.
Pro Stock rookie Coughlin claimed the provisional No. 1 qualifier with a standout run of 6.537, 210.28, in his Cody Coughlin Construction Chevrolet Camaro. This achievement stands as his best performance since leaving stock car racing to go drag racing.
“It felt so seamless that I thought it was going to be slow,” Coughlin said. “But as they say, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Greg (Anderson) and Dallas (Glenn) have been fast — everybody has been fast here with KB Titan power — so I figured they’d edge me out because they know all the tricks of the trade.
“I spoke to Greg during the off-season to congratulate him on his championship and we just meshed. I’ve always been a fan of the Hendrick (Motorsports) team, and when Greg invited me out to a test, I was hooked.”
Coughlin surpassed reigning champion Anderson, who also recorded a 6.537 but at a slightly slower speed of 209.95 mph. Points leader Glenn trails closely in third with a run of 6.539, 210.28.
Qualifying continues Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EDT at the New England Nationals at New England Dragway.
Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 12th annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, seventh of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.697 seconds, 331.36 mph; 2. Shawn Reed, 3.702, 334.24; 3. Brittany Force, 3.713, 334.48; 4. Antron Brown, 3.715, 335.40; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.716, 331.69; 6. Tony Stewart, 3.742, 330.47; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.750, 335.07; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.752, 307.86; 9. Dan Mercier, 3.761, 329.18; 10. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.780, 328.78; 11. Josh Hart, 3.793, 315.86; 12. Scott Farley, 7.523, 76.34; 13. Clay Millican, 7.719, 84.94; 14. Rit Pustari, 9.724, 75.76. Not Qualified: 15. Mike Bucher, broke.
Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.860, 331.69; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.891, 335.40; 3. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.891, 329.18; 4. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.908, 326.87; 5. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 3.909, 329.58; 6. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.914, 328.70; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.917, 329.83; 8. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.922, 329.75; 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.930, 327.74; 10. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.965, 316.01; 11. Blake Alexander, Charger, 3.969, 323.97; 12. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.000, 280.66; 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.022, 317.49; 14. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.106, 268.60; 15. Buddy Hull, Charger, 8.843, 76.01. Not Qualified: 16. Phil Burkart, broke.
Pro Stock — 1. Cody Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.537, 210.28; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.537, 209.95; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.539, 210.60; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.543, 208.17; 5. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.549, 209.56; 6. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.555, 209.20; 7. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.564, 208.65; 8. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.565, 209.26; 9. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.566, 208.46; 10. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.576, 209.01; 11. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.582, 208.14; 12. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.594, 207.59; 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.595, 208.26; 14. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.608, 208.36; 15. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.623, 207.91; 16. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.768, 173.43.
FRIDAY SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING
COMP (FINAL)
1 7 I/SM Joe Carnasciale, Ashway RI, ’07 Cavalier 8.893 9.49 -0.597
2 1890 K/AA Michael Hanratty, Glastonbury CT, ’32 Ban 7.557 8.12 -0.563
3 173 A/SMA Paul Ricci, Rocky Hill CT, ’96 Avenger 7.971 8.53 -0.559
4 1034 PSTA Chip Ippolito, Laconia NH, ’01 S-10 7.669 8.22 -0.551
5 1298 F/DA Chris Piston, Cicero NY, N&P 8.181 8.73 -0.549
6 4011 A/SMA Royce Freeman, Lindsey OK, ’08 Cobalt 8.159 8.53 -0.371
7 15 A/EA Todd Logan, Kingston MA, ’32 Bantam 8.467 7.91 0.557
SUPER STOCK (FINAL)
1 173L FSS/E Philip Lankford, Langhorne PA, ’14 Camaro 9.088 10.05 -0.962
2 1027 GT/TB Marc LaBrecque, S. Deerfield MA, ’00 S-10 9.915 10.85 -0.935
3 1334 SS/TA James Bruneau, Bristol CT, ’00 S-10 8.973 9.90 -0.927
4 1140 GT/GA Tom Boucher, Byfield MA, ’87 Camaro 9.611 10.40 -0.789
5 1883 GT/TD Eric Merryfield, Andover MA, ’96 Dakota 10.514 11.30 -0.786
6 1778 GT/GA Joe Santangelo, Marlborough CT, ’87 Camaro 9.616 10.40 -0.784
7 1394 GT/FA Louis Gill, Quebec PQ, ’92 Cavalier 9.467 10.25 -0.783
8 1190 GT/LA Lenny Williams, Poughkeepsie NY, ’83 Cama 10.269 11.05 -0.781
9 301C SS/BS John Coughlin, Delaware IN, ’08 Cavalier 8.914 9.65 -0.736
10 1941 SS/KA Tim Stickles, Dover NH, ’80 Cutlass 10.523 11.25 -0.727
STOCK (FINAL)
1 1883 T/SA Eric Merryfield, Andover MA, ’77 Gremlin 13.326 14.40 -1.074
2 161J F/SA Brady Jezewski, Chichester NH, ’67 Camaro 10.844 11.85 -1.006
3 1507 H/SA Thomas Auger, Naples FL, ’63 330 11.151 12.15 -0.999
4 1021 K/SA Gene Monahan, Brockton MA, ’89 Firebird 11.698 12.65 -0.952
5 1601 A/SA Jim Farrell, E Nassau NY, ’69 Camaro 10.082 11.00 -0.918
6 17 FS/D Stephen Smyth, Uxbridge MA, ’09 Challenger 9.703 10.60 -0.897
7 1168 K/S Dean Cook II, Coverty RI, ’95 Cobra 11.653 12.55 -0.897
8 1499 A/SA Jim Boudreau, Tewksbury MA, ’69 Camaro 10.116 11.00 -0.884
9 1130 G/SA Bob Horgan, Wolfeboro NH, ’83 Camaro 11.121 12.00 -0.879
10 1047 F/SA Kenny Richard, Vernon CT, ’86 CP 10.976 11.85 -0.874
TOP DRAGSTER (FINAL)
1 119K Freddy Perkins III, Higganum CT, Dragster-Chevy 6.103 219.86 219.86
2 17 Al Kenny, Jupiter FL, Dan Page-STIN 6.139 226.39 226.39
3 1057 Bob Vojtila, Southington CT, Dan Page-Chevy 6.276 216.72 216.72
4 122J Jim Blake, Danvers MA, ’32 Altered 6.522 208.91 208.91
5 11 Vince Musolino, Bridgeport MA, Racetech-APDR 6.545 208.71 208.71
6 1419 Val Di Genova, Derry NH, Dan Page-Chevy 6.545 208.20 208.20
7 119E Paul Neal, Everett MA, Dragster-MART 6.614 200.95 200.95
8 190 Becki Miller, Canterbury CT, Dan Page-Chevy 6.703 198.32 198.32
9 1410 Deborah Di Genova, Derry NH, Dan Page-Chevy 6.838 194.69 194.69
10 6 Chuck Krepela, W. Springfield MA, American-Che 6.861 194.60 194.60
TOP SPORTSMAN (Q1)
1 151C Dan Christopher, Raymond NH, ’09 Cobalt 6.695 203.89 203.89
2 L196 Nick Ladyga, Lisbon CT, ’08 GTO 6.802 200.80 200.80
3 150 Ben Schlafman, Sharon MA, ’09 GXP 6.851 202.33 202.33
4 130 Michel Bastien, Sre-Anne-Des-Plaines PQ, ’93 D 7.043 197.45 197.45
5 110X Nick Willard, Leominster MA, ’10 GXP 7.202 192.25 192.25
6 123 William Destefano, Warren RI, ’02 Camaro 7.277 190.27 190.27
7 1220 Angela Kinson, Plaistow NH, ’67 Mustang 7.347 185.79 185.79
8 1546 Eric Cabral, Manchester NH, ’41 Willys 7.387 186.07 186.07
9 1418 Rob Hyatt, Salem NH, ’94 Cutlass 7.400 185.49 185.49
10 153 Brian Bell, East Hampstead NH, ’68 Camaro 7.404 185.23 185.23
