Photos by Mike Burghardt, NHRA
THE TEN – 2025 NHRA LAS VEGAS NATIONALS EDITION
Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA Vegas 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas.
1 – FINALLY! – Tony Stewart is now a professional drag racing winner. And to think, all it took was a drag-racing format that reminded him of sprint car racing.
“This reminds me of short-track racing, raced at the dirt track nearby and the short track. It’s like heat racing, you don’t have to be the fastest, just in the top two rounds, then the main – just like the sprint car races,” Stewart said after winning the first round.
Stewart admits he doesn’t have a comfort zone yet in drag racing, but he sure looked like he found one Sunday. He picked up his first NHRA Top Fuel win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, defeating a quad that included reigning world champion Antron Brown, Jasmine Salinas, and Justin Ashley at the 25th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
Stewart went 3.870-seconds at 317.42 mph to hold off Brown at the finish line, claiming his first Top Fuel Wally, and adding to the Hall of Famer’s long list of accolades. The former champion in the NASCAR, IndyCar, and USAC ranks won NHRA Rookie of the Year honors a year ago, and then set the stage for the Vegas breakthrough with a final-round appearance two weeks ago at Pomona, California.
“I just remember when I came here the first time with (wife) Leah and she was talking about how a lot of the drivers don’t like this format just because it’s different, it’s non-traditional,” Stewart admitted. “I kind of looked at that, especially when I ran the (Top Alcohol Dragster), and then last year with the Top Fuel car for the first time. This is an equalizer, I feel, because there’s drivers that are out of their comfort zone. They’re used to two lanes and one other opponent now they got three opponents; they got four bulbs to look at on there.
“To me, that’s an equalizer because I embraced it, I loved it. I felt like now that brings them back a little bit because they’re uncomfortable, and I’m used to stuff like this. It’s when you’re not used to a pattern and you’re not used to rhythm, you’re creating that. And so for those guys to have to get out of their comfort zone and do something different a couple times a year, and for me to not even have a comfort zone yet, it equalizes the field, I feel like. So I love them.”
Stewart’s love for racing four abreast was cultivated when he won here in 2023 in the alcohol-fueled dragster.
“I was a big fan of it,” he continued. “We went to Charlotte a week later; runner-up to Mike Coughlin, my teammate by two inches, I think, at the line. I just liked the format of it. It’s more accustomed to what I’m used to. You don’t have to win your heat race to win a sprint car race, you got to run so far up in your heat race to transfer the A-main, and then you got to win the A. So that’s kind of what today is like – you don’t have to win each round.
“We won the first two rounds ourselves, but you don’t have to, you just got to finish in the top two to get to the final, and then in the final you got to win the race to win it. So I like it. I mean, we can’t get to Charlotte fast enough. If we raced to Charlotte tomorrow, it wouldn’t be soon enough for me. So I am excited that twice in Charlotte (this year), we get to run four wide. I haven’t been around long enough to get set in my ways yet. So I like things that create a little bit of chaos occasionally.”
2 – NO STYLE POINTS NEEDED – Austin Prock didn’t have a 2024 season. He didn’t win by the skin of his teeth, but he wasn’t stopping the timers like a banshee, either.
“I said this morning after E1, ‘If they’re all ugly like this, put that blinking light on, I don’t care, as long as we’re better than everybody else in the other lanes,” Prock said. “That’s the name of the game in four-wide drag racing. You don’t have to be perfect all the time, you just got to be better than everyone else.”
Prock ran 4.009 seconds at 316 miles an hour to pick up his first win of the season, which was his second straight in Las Vegas. It was also the 13th win of his relatively short career, and ninth in Funny Car. It was also on a less-than-perfect racing surface that challenged even the most-seasoned tuners.
Prock could seemingly do no wrong last year, with the win lights seemingly lighting up before he fired the car. This season has been more of a test. The John Force Racing team struggled to qualify at the season-opener in Gainesville and delivered very un-Prock-like performances in the ensuing events in Phoenix and Pomona.
Prock and his team took a page out of the National Football League’s elite teams; even on a bad day, good teams find a way to win.
“I believe our team is great,” Prock said. “We haven’t had the success that we had last year, but we’re still the same team, excluding one guy. We got a young kid in there that shows a lot of potential. To get a win for (Samuel Brodhead) – it’s his first Funny Car win – to get a win for him, and this whole Cornwell tools team is really special.”
Thomas Prock, Austin’s assistant crew chief and brother, said immediately after the win that the team “got away with one there.”
“We had a brain fart, essentially, setting the mags,” Austin said. “We wanted to go one way with the mags, and they accidentally went the other way, so then they were really off. But she hung on. I think it had three or four cylinders out down track because that thing was doing anything but going straight.
“It left nice and obviously slow because all the ignition wasn’t set right, but it was good enough to win.”
3 – JUST HOW WE DREW IT UP – After winning his first round of Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn knew things could only get better. As he prepared to fire his car, he developed a nosebleed. So, as he did his burnout and rolled across the line, his nose went drip, drip, drip. It wasn’t a gusher, but it was enough to tip-toe into his focus.
Glenn was in a quad with Aaron Stanfield, David Cuadra, and Mason McGaha. In a very un-Double-O-Dallas-like fashion, he was the last of the quad to leave the starting line. In a combination of sniffling blood and hitting his shift points, Glenn finished second in the quad. It was at this point he believed destiny was on his side.
“And then somehow, I don’t know what I was looking at, but I didn’t see Lane Two stage and just didn’t go onto the two-step until right before the tree came down. I was way late, just dead late. And got lucky enough with the horsepower to get the wind”
Glenn went on to pick up his 15th national event victory, by beating Matt Hartford for the crown. Finishing as semifinalists were Greg Anderson and Matt Latino. It was Glenn’s 31st Pro Stock final round.
Glenn understands that the only round in four-wide racing a driver has to be the best in is the final round. Until then, he worked the system in his favor. It’s evident this format suits Glenn.
“It is pretty hectic,” Glenn admitted. “But the great thing about this format is you can finish second twice before you got to finish first. I didn’t feel like I did a great job in the first two runs, so all I had to do was cut one good light and four good shifts in the final there – and that’s all I needed, and a little bit of luck.”
4 – THE STREAK IS BROKEN – OR IS IT? – Just one of the four-wide intricacies that some believe needs reconsidering is that if a driver finishes lower than second in the final quad of a four-wide race, they are considered a semifinalist, even though they are technically in a final round.
The bottom line, as drag racing statisticians believe, is that “four-wide ruins stats.”
In 1980, Bob Glidden and Lee Shepherd accounted for a record-setting six consecutive final rounds – but they didn’t face the challenges inherent in a four-wide drag race.
Vegas winner Glenn understands both sides of the debate.
“I’ve always believed that it’s no, if your light doesn’t come on for either blinking or solid, then to me, it’s not a final. If you don’t get final round points and final round money, then it’s not a final. That’s just the driver’s opinion here. It is the final, technically final round. But to me, if you don’t finish first or second, then it’s a semi.”
5 – THE CHOSEN ONE DELIVERS – If there’s one thing that is apparent when it comes to Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Maddi Gordon – a Top Fuel rookie in 2026 – it’s that it’s always memorable when she wins.
Last year, her first national-event victory came as a rookie at the NHRA Northwest Nationals – and it was the 100th NHRA victory for a female driver.
Her second national-event victory coincided with this week’s announcement that she would wheel a Top Fuel dragster for team owner (and Funny Car racer) Ron Capps next year. As much credit as she gets, it’s credit she’s prepared to deflect.
“We did it as a team,” Gordon said. “It’s 100% team effort, but this is so cool. I mean, this was such a huge, huge weekend for our team and myself, Ron Capps Motorsports, everybody to officially announce Top Fuel. But to win the 4-Wide with my family is so amazing.
“This is my second national event I’ve ever won. First National was in Seattle and (sister) Macie wasn’t there, but this is the first one with Macie. And I tell you what, she is a key, key part to this race car. We had an engine problem and she found it. If she didn’t find it, we probably would’ve blown up in Q4. But instead, we did it and we ran good. But this is just amazing. A huge testament to our team, to our sponsors, to make this happen.”
On Thursday, Ron Capps and NHRA officially revealed Gordon as the driver for his fledgling Top Fuel team, although it was one of the worst kept secrets for a while.
“I don’t usually get speechless, but I get speechless when I talk about it,” Gordon said. “Driving Top Fuel is something that, really, it didn’t feel achievable for myself because we don’t have the millions that it takes to run one of those cars. So that was not something that I set a goal for because it just seemed beyond the sky for me. But Ron Capps and his partners made a dream of everybody. I mean, they made this dream come true, and I am so honored to be mentored by him and his whole team, and I’m going to do my best to be the best driver that I can be.”
6 – THE HITS KEEP COMING FOR TASCA – The previous event for Bob Tasca III was forgettable, given that he failed to qualify for the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California. He qualified this weekend at Las Vegas, but in the first round of eliminations, his Motorcraft Mustang was unable to back up following its burnout.
“The neutral safety switch failed,” Tasca said. “Once it goes into neutral, you can’t get it off unless you shut off the engine. I didn’t want to screw up any of my opponents, so I shut off the car and got out.”
7 – RICHARDS BREAKS THE DRY SPELL – It’s been almost a year since Dave Richards won a round of competition, and it was at last year’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
On Sunday, Richards advanced to the second round along with rookie Funny Car driver Spencer Hyde, who won Saturday’s Funny Car #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
“This is so rewarding, just to get this Bluebird Turk Mustang into the second round,” Richards said. “We are not giving up. We work so hard. My crew chiefs are busting their butts. It feels good. It just feels like all of this work is paying off. This is fun.”
One round later, Richards earned his first final-round quad appearance by beating Cruz Pedregon and Hyde.
“It’s just one of those days where I have been calm and cool,” Richards said. “I like these four-wide conditions for us. It’s a tricky track. We are getting better and better, and this is the momentum we have needed.”
Richards finished third, a semifinalist, and will be a part of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Charlotte for the first time in his career.
8 – ASHLEY HITS HIS MILESTONE – Justin Ashley reached a significant milestone Saturday by qualifying for his 100th career race-day start.
Ashley, the 2020 Rookie of the Year, has made an impressive mark in his professional-event appearances, never missing a race day and securing 15 career victories. He entered Sunday with another milestone at hand at 149 career round wins with a chance to hit 150.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to compete in my 100th career race-day start,” Ashley said. “Truthfully, I am not very comfortable even using the word ‘my’ because there have been so many people along the way that were part of this journey.
“Racing one race is a dream come true, but to race 100, that takes a special group of people – from ownership to teammates, partners, family, and everyone in between. I’m looking forward to firing up this SCAG Power Equipment Toyota machine and truly making it official.”
Ashley qualified for his milestone race in the No. 8 spot after recording a time of 3.876 seconds at 310.13 mph during the fourth qualifying session Saturday.
He picked up No. 150 round win, and advanced with Doug Kalitta. Clay Millican was the odd-man out in the three-car race. Ashley added No. 151 to complete the weekend.
9 – CHOMISKI HEADLINES SPORTSMAN RACERS – All he had to do was take the tree to win the Competition Eliminator title, and that’s exactly what Taylor Chomiski did. When Cody Lane broke on his semifinal bye run, Chomiski scored his second win in three consecutive Vegas final rounds.
“I was at the top end after my semifinal win, and they told me he broke and I had won,” Chomiski said. “The Lanes are great competitors, and I’ve lost on a bye run before. I know how it feels, and now I am on the other side of it. What a day!”
Chomiski won the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals last year after finishing runner-up in the Rooftec Vegas Cash Clash, and he has won 12 of 13 elimination rounds this season.
Sunday’s other sportsman-category champs included: Shawn Cowie (Top Alcohol Dragster), Maddy Gordon (Top Alcohol Funny Car), Chad Guilford (Super Stock), Scott Burton (Stock), Kris Whitfield (Super Comp), Kenneth Mostovich (Super Gas), Steve Will (Top Dragster), Brian Warr (Top Sportsman), and Larence Paden (Super Street).
10 – YES, THEY SAID IT – Sometimes drag racers say the darndest things. Here are some examples.
“We made five runs in a row, running slow in Pomona. We came here to step it up and put on a spectacular show if you like fireworks.” – Top Fuel racer Scott Palmer on his weekend’s performance.
“It’s dicey out there and we are in Vegas and shouldn’t have dice out there on the track.” – Funny Car crew chief Tim Wilkerson on the challenging racing surface in the first round when son Daniel ran a 4.24 to advance.
“My dad is my greatest role model. I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity.” – Matt Latino, after advancing to the final quad of Pro Stock.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK – SPENCER HYDE GOES BALLISTIC ON THE #2FAST2TASTY, AS KALITTA ROLLS THROUGH WITH DOUBLE-WHAMMY
1 – RACING AND WINNING BY JIM’S RULES – When Spencer Hyde came to work for Jim Head, he was immediately informed of the rules surrounding driving a car for the recently inducted Hall of Famer.
“When he came up to meet me for the first time, he said, ‘I only got three rules: Never red light; never hit a wall; never hit a cone,” Hyde recalled. “So we got that out of the way early, but he wasn’t too hard on me. Honestly, he’s been great. Him and I get along really, really well, and he’s got such a great group of guys over there. So really happy things are starting to gel.”
Hyde didn’t red-light, blast a timing cone or hit a wall Saturday, but did blow a significant hole through the body. And that was within Head’s acceptable parameters as he picked up his first significant victory, winning the Funny Car portion of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Las Vegas, after getting in the show following a semi-final finish in Pomona. He had failed to qualify in Gainesville and Phoenix.
“Obviously, we had a little rough start to the season. Didn’t qualify in Gainesville, didn’t qualify in Phoenix, but putting that behind us, we had a great outing in Pomona – went to the semifinals – and obviously here, I think we were low of two or maybe even three of the sessions and won this deal. So, pretty happy with that.
“Getting more comfortable in the car, getting some good clean runs in. That’s the first time it’s blew up on me on the finish line, so that was exciting. It’s really good. I got a really good group of guys back there.”
Hyde said the reason he gets along so well with Head is that he reminds him of his dad, Peter Hyde.
“Yeah, they’re both self-made guys,” Hyde explained “They’re both business guys, both entrepreneurs, and they like things done the old-fashioned way and that’s how I grew up. So dealing with that is like dealing with Jim. They’re both just right to the point and get-’er-done kind of guys, which I’d rather be around those kind of guys than bullsh*tters.”
2 – NO PROVISIONALS IN DRAG RACING – Much has been made of which motorsport is faster, but one thing drag racing can boast beyond its open pits is the fact there are no provisionals. Every race, a professional racer must earn his or her spot in the field, and lately in two pro divisions, it’s not a given.
In Pomona, Bob Tasca III, the spokesperson for drag racing is much faster than IndyCar debate, missed the cut in Pomona after qualifying No. 1 a race before. On Saturday, six-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders missed the cut in Pro Stock, getting bumped from the field by teammate Jeggie Coughlin.
Greg Anderson has been on a roll this year, jumping to the top of the leaderboard in three of four events this season.
“Every time we go to that starting line, unlike any other motorsport, it’s sudden death,” Anderson said. “You either get it right, or you go home, period. You don’t get another lap to fix the problem. You don’t get another lap to do a better job. You do it right the very first time you go up there or you go home, and that’s what drag racing is. It’s sudden death every time you roll up to the starting line. So, that’s what I think makes our sport way tougher than the rest of the motorsports, but we chose it, we picked it, so we got to deal with it.
“You better be right when you go up there, or as I say, you go home, and obviously I made a brain fart, as they say, in the final round there (of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday) and I lost. Run a record time. I feel embarrassed, to be honest with you. I apologize to my team and obviously my sponsors, and just hopefully I can come back tomorrow and do a better job. But drag racing is tough, buddy. It’s tough.”
3 – KALITTA’S WONDERFUL KILL-TWO-BIRDS-WITH-ONE-SHOT MOMENT — Not only did Doug Kalitta win the Top Fuel portion of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, in doing so he nailed down the No. 1 spot for Sunday’s eliminations. As it stands, the specialty race could be #2Fast2Kalitta, as Kalitta and teammate Shawn Langdon have swept the program in 2025.
“Yeah, I really like the format, being able to race on Saturdays. It’s brought a lot more to the fans,” Kalitta said. “I think they’re all engaged a little more on Saturdays. We ended up winning this race (4-Wide Nationals) last year. So, for me, coming to these races that you won the previous year, you really want to get it done again.”
Kalitta will face off against Justin Ashley and Clay Millican in the first round as he attempts to repeat last year’s 4-Wide win.
“Besides Sonoma, I think this is the closest track to where Alan (Johnson, crew chief) lives, so he typically has a lot of people that come out. So, I’m going to have to give the love to Alan on this one, because this is like his home track and maybe that has something to do with it.”
Brittany Force’s run of 3.754, 333.16 placed her second, with Antron Brown moving to third after completing a 3.787-second pass at 326.08.
4 – PAUL LEE TOPS FUNNY CARS — Paul Lee didn’t seem disappointed that he backfired the supercharger and lost in the opening round of Saturday’s Funny Car portion of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. No risk it, no biscuit, as he and tuners Jonnie Lindberg and John Medlen were shooting for the moon.
“We were looking to win and go faster,” Lee said. “I mean the car was set up, it ran an .869 60-foot, which is the fastest of the whole weekend with any Funny Car. It was just too aggressive. We were looking to run, it was going to run .89 or .90, but the track just didn’t hold. So that’s okay. Go for the win there and the low ET, and then the last run is just get ready for race day, and that’s what we did.”
Lee’s Friday run of 3.940 at 326, held up through both of Saturday’s grueling sessions.
This season, and much of the last half of 2024, Lee has presented a car running in the top five.
“Our goal is to be a top-five car,” Lee said. “We want to be able to roll in the gate and be able to win a race, and we’re getting there. I mean, we’re never quite there yet, but we still are working on it. For a team that’s only really a little over a year old … one year and what, three races? I’m pretty happy with the progress.”
5A – ANDERSON IS THE MAN IN PRO STOCK – Despite running the quickest pass of the weekend with a time of 6.614 seconds, Greg Anderson faced disappointment Saturday when he lost to teammate Dallas Glenn in a holeshot finish during the #2Fast2Tasty final round. However, Anderson will be on guard for holeshots when he competes in Sunday’s eliminations.
Anderson’s impressive run secured the No. 1 qualifying position in his HendrickCars.com Camaro for the third time this season and the 135th time in his career. He is aiming for his third consecutive win, starting with an opening-round quad that includes Cristian Cuadra, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Eric Latino.
“I feel fantastic about the car. But the loose nut behind the wheel, maybe not so much,” Anderson joked. “The 4-Wide is a tricky deal. We both hit the light at the exact same time, and every time that seems to happen, it feels like an extra-long light. That’s my kryptonite, and once again, it got me.”
Anderson expressed pride in his team and the performance of the KB Titan race cars. “Bottom line is, I’m proud of the guys and the product we’ve got out here. It’s a hell of a feeling, like I said; a proud papa. We’ll come back tomorrow with a little more fire in the belly and hopefully close the deal, because I don’t like to lose.”
Cody Coughlin qualified second with a time of 6.636 seconds at 205.60 mph, while Glenn took the third position.
In a surprising turn, six-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders failed to qualify, marking a significant milestone. Enders, who holds the record for the most wins at Las Vegas with 10, had not missed qualifying for an event since the fall race in Charlotte in 2016 — a streak spanning nearly nine years.
5B – DALLAS GLENN WINS #2FAST2TASTY – Dallas Glenn won a thrilling Pro Stock final in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, winning over KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson on a holeshot with a run of 6.637 at 206.13. Anderson was quicker with a 6.614, but Glenn’s strong .022 reaction time handed the young standout his first victory of the season in the specialty race for the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro.
“I’m really thrilled, because three of us basically staged at the same time, and then I didn’t feel like I hit the tree,” Glenn said. “I was happy to see I was .022, and then the car made a right turn. I was out in the weeds and it was spinning and bouncing. It was a little more shocking to see the win light come on.
“It was definitely a big confidence boost. You know, I feel like we’re still working on the car. We’re still getting a little bit better, and I feel like I can miss it and still be .022, so I’m definitely feeling more comfortable in the car, too. We have a lot of momentum going into Sunday.”
6 – DOUG KALITTA’S LOVE FOR FUNNY CARS – Austin Prock said in his first year of driving the John Force Funny Car that this breed of race vehicle was as close to being a sprint car on the drag strip. The 1994 USAC sprint car champion and former Top Fuel titleist couldn’t agree more with Prock.
What might be one of the best-kept secrets in drag racing is Kalitta has driven a Funny Car, and even reached a final round in competition when he drove his cousin Scott Kalitta’s entry.
Kalitta is definitely a dragster guy, but Funny Cars certainly tickle his fancy.
“Funny Cars are definitely the coolest car out here, in my opinion,” Kalitta said. “I’ve only had the opportunity to drive it a few times, but just having the body and the shorter wheelbase … the shorter wheelbase is a big deal, especially with the headers and dropping the cylinder, and because of the length of the header on that thing. You drop a hole, I mean, that thing is just steering you all over the place. And again, I don’t have a lot of experience in driving Funny Cars, but the time that I drove, which has been a while ago, you know, was a lot of fun.”
Kalitta did actually drive a Funny Car in competition, scoring a runner-up finish to Gary Densham at the 2006 IHRA Suzuki Motor City Nationals in Milan, Michigan. Densham ran a 5.017-second quarter-mile at 300 mph to top Kalitta’s tire-shaking 5.71.
“That was an interesting story,” Kalitta explained. “Scott, I don’t think he wanted me to drive his car. Because he ended up going on a vacation for the first time, where he had scheduled some vacation, and Connie was like, ‘We want to take the car out.’
“And he canceled his vacation and drove it that weekend. Then he rescheduled. And I don’t know if Connie and him had something going on, but he scheduled another vacation; same thing. Connie wants to run the Funny Car. Scott couldn’t get out of it with his family on the second go-around, so I finally got an opportunity to drive that thing.
“Scott loved driving Funny Cars. I mean, you can just look at him and see that he’s like a hardcore Funny Car driver. But he was incredible in that thing. I was fortunate to be able to drive his car.”
Would Kalitta like to drive a Funny Car again?
“I wouldn’t turn it down,” Kalitta said. “I guess it’d be kind of fun to try again. These cars now are going a hell of a lot quicker than when I drove one. Austin Prock, he’s made it look easy, and a lot of these guys that drive these things are doing a hell of a job driving them, because in comparison to driving a dragster, it’s definitely a little more of a handful.”
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7 – CUTTING IT CLOSE, CAPPS STYLE – Ron Capps loves drag racing’s drama. What he doesn’t love is being on the negative side of it.
Capps entered the final session of Funny Car qualifying unqualified. It was not a banner qualifying effort for Capps, who never ascended higher than No. 15 heading into Q4. He then made what was considered a quantum leap, climbing into the No. 10 spot for Sunday.
“We had confidence headed into there,” Capps said. “We had an issue in the pit area, and luckily they found it. We couldn’t do a proper warm-up. So on top of being on the bump, not being able to do a proper warm-up, we’re rushing. We almost didn’t make it to staging lanes – just things that seemed like adversity kept getting thrown at us. And then we’re up there and there’s oil down in front of me, so they back me up.
“Now I got another 15 minutes to think about it sitting in the car.”
8 – DRAG RACING IN VEGAS BABY, THE BIG 25 — Ron Capps recalled his initial reaction to discussions about a championship drag strip being built in Las Vegas. Although he was driving for Don Prudhomme at the time, he remained silent as Prudhomme and Mario Andretti talked about the project, which was expected to be completed in less than a year.
“We drove out there and looked at the dirt. They had proposed building a drag strip,” Capps said. “I’m not even sure we saw the drawings at that point, we just knew that Bruton had talked about it.”
Capps and Prudhomme were in Las Vegas for the SEMA Show in October 1999 when they visited the site that would become the second “Strip” in Las Vegas.
“We left the SEMA show that day, and I’m already freaking out because I’m driving for the Snake and in the same car as him,” Capps recalled. “And then you add Mario Andretti. I think Michael Andretti was in the back seat with me. But I just remember thinking, looking over and seeing how big that speedway was – and just all the dirt that was there – that this was going to be a drag strip?”
Capps expressed disbelief at the rapid transformation of the site. “To go back and walk up and see the grandstands and the suites, the tower … it didn’t seem real the first time we walked up.”
9 – ALEXIS BURNS, THEN DNQ’S – Alexis DeJoria, racing in his first season as part of JCM Motorsports, had things go good, then bad, and then worse.
DeJoria went into the Q4 session as the 18th on the list. She appeared to be on her way to making it solidly into the field when her Funny Car lost a cylinder late in the run, and then burst into flames when the supercharger exploded. The car became engulfed, but she got it stopped and emerged uninjured.
“Brand new suit. Damn it. These things are expensive,” DeJoria said after the run. “Yeah, and inhaled a lot of smoke as you would. It doesn’t matter. We got the helmets and the visor and the fresh air, but stuff like that, you might as well not have a helmet on at all because you just get all the smoke. So my oxygen levels are a little low, but the car’s in one piece for the most part. Burst panel, we’re going to have to replace that oil on the track, but hopefully we stay in the show.
“We’re on the bump right now. It was a dog leaving. We’re just trying to get in, laid it out. Unfortunate boom at the top end. But hopefully we stay in the show.”
DeJoria’s spot lasted just one pair as Ron Capps bumped her out of the event. He, too, entered the final session as the No. 18 entry.
10 – THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM — All four of Saturday’s Funny Car alternates could have qualified in the Top Fuel field, which came up short of filling a 16-car field for the third consecutive event.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – TORRENCE KEEPS IT REAL, PAUL LEE CONTINUES TO MAKE HIS MARK
1 – THE DEFINITION OF FUN – Steve Torrence didn’t sound like himself when he exited his CAPCO dragster after driving to the provisional No. 1 spot in Friday’s qualifying.
Torrence, who declared he wasn’t running a full schedule after sitting out the NHRA Arizona Nationals, made an impactful statement after running 3.840 seconds at 320.81 mph. He was one of just two drivers to run in the 3.80s on the first day of qualifying.
“Yeah, the car’s running good,” Torrence said in his top-end interview. “The car ran good in Pomona, the driver did terrible, but we got to get back to zero where we’re enjoying what we’re doing. And this is fun again because when you come out here and you don’t have a good time and you argue with this guy and you argue with that guy and it’s just an uphill battle to put on a good show for all these great fans and you have such a good team like what we have, we need to readjust and make this fun and try to put on a good show.
“And that’s what we’re working on. So we’ll continue to come and hang out and have a good time racing as long as we’re enjoying it. And if not, we’ll stay at home. And I got two little girls and a whole business to take care of.”
Torrence, who has accomplished admittedly more than he believed he ever would in drag racing, clarified his statement further in Friday’s press conference.
“Winning is by far the most fun,” Torrence was asked of his definition of fun. “Sometimes even when you’re winning, it isn’t fun, you know? You got other things that are going on and … The inside of me is still the same, but I’m a different guy. I got a family. I got two little girls that I really enjoy hanging out with, my wife I really enjoy hanging out with. And sometimes you just don’t want to get on that airplane and go to the racetrack because it’s more fun to be at home with your family.
“And I think that’s just part of growing up and being a little more mature and realizing the priorities in your life are not exactly the same as they were four years ago, five years ago, 10 years ago, whatever.
“Because there was one point in my life where nothing mattered other than winning a championship. And when you get there, it’s like, ‘Okay, well, we’re here, so we got to do it again.’
“And when you get in the mindset of winning the round, winning the race, it’s, ‘Okay, well, we just did that, but that’s what we were supposed to do. And now it’s not about that anymore.’
“When you cross the finish line in the final, you’re thinking about the next race. That’s what drove me, you know? And I still enjoy that. I still enjoy the thrill of competition and everything that comes along with it, because it makes you get up. But it also kind of changes that … I don’t want to go there every weekend and do that every weekend. I’d rather watch my little girl grow up. Because I read a quote the other day and it said, ‘You will know your children as adults much more of your life than you know them as kids.’
“And so you need to enjoy that. So it just kind of struck a note with me. I have a hard time adjusting to not getting in the race car every single weekend – which, we’ve only skipped one race, but I know at some point I’ll have a hard time adjusting to that. Because … that’s what I’ve done forever. Maybe that’s not the answer, but right now I just want to enjoy all the time that I can with them, with my family, and make this fun again. Because if this is too much of a job, it’s not fun. I have a job at home every day. You know, I go to work, go racing on Friday, I’m back at work on Monday.
“So no complaints, just kind of priorities changing a little bit.”
2 – PAUL LEE CONTINUES TO SHINE – News flash: Paul Lee is no longer one of the best-kept secrets in drag racing.
Lee showed his team is more than capable of running in the heat, pulling off a strong run of 3.940 at 326.08 in his McLeod/FTI Performance Dodge Charger SRT. Lee continues to perform at a high level, in line for his second career No. 1 qualifier just two races after winning his first career Funny Car race in Phoenix.
“I was pretty impressed,” Lee said. “I mean 135 degrees (track temp). We were hoping to run like a high 3.93. Jonnie, he’s an aggressive guy, and I think he thought it could hold a little bit more and he put some extra nuts on the clutch and it went and it helped the motor. … It was close to the limit because it chattered pretty good. It tried to break the tires loose, but it chattered a little bit, and it just didn’t get off of it, it just kept going and it cleared.”
Lee is off to his best start since entering the fuel Funny Car division, and those who know his drive and determination to succeed shouldn’t be surprised with his early season success.
“It’s been my plan since the beginning,” Lee said. “Since I started this team, the goal was to be a top-five car and compete for a championship. Whether we win or not, that’s out of my control, but the goal was to be a top-five car, and it’s taken five years and it takes the right people, the parts, pieces, people and the budget. And this year we have all of it, so, yes, we’re all in this here.”
3 – GREG ANDERSON’S WORLD – It’s good to be Greg Anderson these days.
Anderson scored the No. 1 position Friday with a 6.637 at 205.32 mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson is after his third No. 1 qualifier in four races and has won two consecutive races. He’s on track to contend for a third as he’s enjoying one of the best recent stretches in his standout career.
Even Anderson had to admit it is good to be the winningest driver in the class.
“I’m a fortunate man,” Anderson said. “I surrounded myself with great people, and they make me look good. I try not to screw it up every time I get in that car, but they make me look good. And the team is great right now. The team is absolutely operating at a very high level. And very proud of them top to bottom, from the engine guys to the car guys, to shop guys that work at the shop. Everybody’s doing a great job. It’s fun racing right now. We’re having a lot of fun.”
As much fun as he’s having, Anderson had to chuckle a bit in the Q2 session when his team got a tad bit too aggressive, and he rattled the tires and aborted the run.
“It was being too aggressive with the clutch,” Anderson said. “Having too much clutch and heavy gear. You have to run a lot of gear ratio here because you have a horrible correction run … today. So you really don’t have any power. The racetrack is a little bit uphill. You got a hot racetrack, so you have to give it as much gear to make the motor think it’s got power. We just missed on the clutch. You got to get the clutch right. If you miss the clutch, you’ll do what I just did.”
4 – IT GETS REAL FOR GORDON – If it wasn’t apparent just how volatile of a racing world Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Maddi Gordon was about to enter as the newly announced Top Fuel driver for Ron Capps, it became real when she warmed up her new boss’ car Friday in Vegas.
“That was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Gordon said, with a look on her face that she had just strapped herself to a rocket and flown to the moon.
“The cackle just rumbles. I don’t even know how to explain it. And it was cool because the cockpit is always similar to my car. So the brakes are in the same spot, clutch, all that stuff. So I can feel a difference. The clutch has a long throw on it compared to my car. The brake is a push brake instead of a pull. So, some small differences there, but it is just amazing. It’s the coolest thing. I could get used to that for sure.”
Gordon admits her first fuel warm-up was much better than the initial time she warmed up her dad Doug’s alcohol car.
“I warmed up the alcohol car for the first time in 2023 at the Phoenix Regional,” she said. “I’ll tell you what, it didn’t really go as smooth as I was hoping for. I had trouble getting in reverse. Actually, my papa wasn’t really impressed with my performance. He just expected me to get in and just do perfect, and I didn’t. But I learned and they taught me and I got better.”
So how did she do this time?
“You’ll have to ask Guido about that,” she said of the team’s crew chief.
5 – A WIN OF DESTINY – Clay Millican admits his Pomona win wasn’t the prettiest one he’s ever had, but it was awesome. As he sees it, there are no ugly wins, just wins.
“Looking back on it, it was an awesome day,” Millican said. “For me, behind the wheel, I had a day. I had a day. I put it in golf terms several times. That’s like winning a major. But let’s put it in terms of people that can’t play golf like you and me, but you go to the golf course one day, and it’s like, ‘Dang, I hit the ball, and it went straight. Dang, I made a putt, and it went in.’
“That’s what happened. I mean, I killed the tree. We won on a holeshot, we went on a pedal job, and I had a day. I wish I had them all the time.”
If Millican had his druthers, every race win would be like Pomona. His new teammate, Tony Schumacher, the winningest Top Fuel driver in NHRA history, offered Millican sage advice.
“I told him that’s how I’d like to win every race, and he responded, ‘That’s what makes those days special when you made a difference for the team.’
“Typically, a driver obviously wants to do his job, but typically, it’s because you did something wrong, and people may not even know it. You might’ve got a half a tire out of the groove, and it smoked the tires, so it’s your fault. So, a lot of times, it’s just low ET gets the win. But it’s fun for a driver when you can look at it and go, ‘Hey, I had something to do with it today.’”
6 – ALL IN THE FAMILY – The Force and Rahal brands represent a motorsports powerhouse, and they will be displayed on two of the three John Force Racing cars this weekend. Brittany Force and Jack Beckman are decked out in the red, white, and black branding of Graham Rahal Performance [GRP], a custom-tuning and performance parts shop catering to cars and owners of every shape, size, and interest.
Well, it doesn’t hurt that the Rahal and Force names are related. Force’s daughter Courtney is married to Rahal.
“I’m excited about the partnership with GRP as a primary sponsor in Las Vegas and as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the season,” Brittany Force said. “Graham Rahal is my brother-in-law, so to be teamed up with family is very meaningful to me. This is a unique way to connect IndyCar with drag racing; two motorsports that are different but similar at the same time.”
Rahal, who competes in the NTT Indy Car Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, founded GRP in 2017 and has expanded its scope each year.
“This partnership fires me up,” said John Force, winner of a record 157 NHRA tour events and 16 championships. “Graham’s not just family, he’s a racer, a businessman, and someone who lives and breathes performance.”
7 – THE LESSONS OF HUNTER GREEN – Hunter Green, son of NHRA Gatornationals Funny Car champion Chad Green, admitted one of the most interesting things of his three-second run in Friday’s Q1 session was not ending up fourth-quickest provisionally in his professional debut. It was the amount of clutch dust swirling around inside the cockpit.
Lesson No. 1 for the rookie Funny Car driver: clutch dust is normal for floppers and not A/Fuel Dragsters.
“That’s not something I’m used to,” Green admitted. “And according to my dad and Blake, it’s inconsistent. Sometimes, it can throw a lot of clutch dust, sometimes, it won’t. Most of the test runs I made didn’t put out a lot of clutch dust, but here I am in my first round of competition, and it was an absurd amount that I had to look through while I was driving, which is something I’ll adapt to. It’s no big deal.”
Lesson No. 2: There’s a reason why most Funny Car drivers don’t have a white firesuit like the one he brought with him from Top Alcohol Dragster.
“It’s already not white anymore,” Green said. “They warned me. I just haven’t gotten around to getting a new suit yet.”
Lesson No. 3: The first run in a Funny Car, especially in a four-wide configuration, can go beyond being a rush.
“Extremely intimidating,” Green said. “Just to be in this category at the professional level, a lot more eyeballs on you – at least it feels like there is. And driving one of the most violent cars in the world, one of the fastest cars in the world, it’s intimidating. It’s still going to be intimidating. It’s probably going to be that way for a while. I mean, in Top Alcohol, I didn’t really feel like I was one with the car and comfortable with the car until two-and-a-half years in. I don’t think it’ll take that long for this since I’ve been driving Top Alcohol for the last three years, so that’s still 280 miles-an-hour car. So I don’t know. We’ll see. That definitely gave me confidence that first run, though.”
8 – NEW GIG, NEW ROLE — Blake Alexander is in Las Vegas but not getting himself covered in clutch dust … at least not from inside the car.
Alexander is splitting time this year with Hunter Green, racing the second Mustang Funny Car for Chad Green Motorsports. In just his fourth race as a member of the team, Alexander says he’s having a good time.
“I enjoy working here a lot,” Alexander said. “It’s a lot of fun to work with a 32-year-old crew chief, and I feel like Matt (Bynum) and I get along well and work well together, and all the guys work really well together, and that’s all that really matters.”
When picking which race he runs and when Hunter drives, it’s a strategic schedule to benefit Pronto Auto Parts, Schaeffler, and his myriad associate sponsors. Right now, his schedule is 15 races.
“That was always kind of the plan when we built this team, which was to provide value to Chad’s investment into the sport as he takes the next step,” Alexander said. “I feel like he’s pretty happy with it, and I’m pretty happy with it. And Hunter’s also enjoying working with us and learning a lot on the fly.”
Alexander is perfectly fine with holding the role of mentor/advisor, although that’s not exactly what he describes himself as doing.
“I try to keep everyone together, working and pulling the rope in the same direction,” Alexander explained. If I titled myself, I would say I’m an associate crew chief, but really, I’m trying to learn as much as I can from Matt and all the guys out here. Every year I come out here, I try to learn as much as possible.”
Hunter did just fine, running one of the few three-second passes in the heat of a challenging Q1 session.
“I didn’t need to help him too much because he knows what he’s doing, but simultaneously, whenever you make your first run in competition, there’s some stuff you tell people right before they hit the gas, so I was proud of him. I knew he was going to do okay, and he and his dad and I are close, and we talked this week about it. It was a good convo. We were confident coming in here that it would go okay.
“I always tell my wife that I was more excited standing out of the car watching him than I’ve made a lot of runs, kind of get the picture, and I never really did this to have people know who I am or any of that. I just liked the cars and thought they were cool, so this is an extension of that. And I really kind of enjoy getting to understand the way the guys on the crew. I don’t know, I can just be with them more and ask more questions and be more ied when I’m not doing the other stuff.”
9 – BEATING UP ON DAD, LATINO STYLE – Matt Latino chuckles at the notion that beating his much more experienced drag racing father, Eric Latino, at Pomona two weeks ago amounted to elder abuse. He not only left on Eric, but also beat him to the finish line.
“Well, that’s an interesting way to put it,” Latino said with a laugh. “I knew that it was going to have to be on a holeshot if I was going to take my dad down, so that’s exactly what happened. I went .018 to his .052 (reaction time), which was a decent light for him as well. I put .04 in the bank on the starting line. He had .03 in ET and it just wasn’t enough. There’s no favorite. Obviously, it was unfortunate that one of us had to go home following round one, but if anyone was going to win, I was going to make sure it was me.”
As far as Latino sees it, racing against his dad in his first-ever race was a dream come true.
“I think it’s the coolest thing ever,” Latino said. “Some people were disappointed about it, mostly my mom. What lane do I stand in? Who should I watch? It was, of course, like I said, disappointing that one of us had to go home. But it’s a story that I can tell forever, and it’s a moment that I will never forget. My first-ever round of competition, and it was against my dad. I’ve looked at my dad as a role model growing up all my life, and here I am racing him and then also getting to the end first. That’s pretty cool.”
So, who did his mother Sue cheer for? As Latino described it, both.
“Mom stood right in the middle,” Latino said. “(NHRA) let her stand in the middle. They made an exception. She was shocked (I won). I actually have a video of my mom just with her hand over her mouth, just in awe about the results.”
Knowing her son, the win might not have been much of a total surprise considering how focused he can get in tasks. It was something ingrained in him since childhood.
“How do I stay focused in Vegas?” Latino offered. “We avoid distractions. I got my own hotel away from all the other guys I know. If I saw a group of guys at the tables, I’d probably want to join them and hang out with them. So I got my own hotel at Fremont, which is closer to the strip. I decided to play some dollar blackjack, keep it safe. I told the dealer, I said, ‘At 8:45, you let me know what time it is because that’s when I’m going to get up and leave. I’ve got to be fed and in bed by 10:30.’
“And that’s exactly what I did. I left, got some $15.99 prime rib, and I was in bed by 10:30. Lights out.”
10 – BRANDON FOSTER: THE SMOOTH OPERATOR – Pro Stock racer Brandon Foster admits he had the best training vehicle for racing, which is one of the most competitive professional categories. He laughs but is very serious that driving a Caterpillar 600 with an 18-speed transmission, was all he needed to prepare for a five-speed Liberty in his Chevrolet Camaro.
“You got to actually have technique and know how to drive,” Foster admitted. “It took me about 20 runs in a Pro Stocker to feel like I had the hang of it.”
The hang of it came from hundreds of thousands of miles in a big truck and a season of racing in Super Gas, neither of which are natural progressions to Pro Stock.
“It’s a challenging class to race,” said Foster, who runs Elite horsepower tuned by Jim and Jamie Yates. “You just don’t point and hold on. You got to actually have a reaction time and be on your toes.”
Foster believes that when drag racing fans get caught up in the criticism of the class being dominated by Camaros, they miss out on the significant aspect of the class; the difficulty in racing Pro Stock.
“I challenge them to get in it. Try it out,” Foster said.
Jim Yates, a past NHRA Pro Stock champion, says to throw out his role as a crew chief and take his word as someone who raced Pro Stock.
As Yates sees it, Foster is the real deal.
“He’s come on so quickly, but I tell him, I said, ‘You’re an athlete,’ when you watch him drive the car, and I tell him he’s an athlete,” Yates said. “You got to be an athlete. You got to take it like an athlete. We talked about that several years ago when he was talking about doing this. You have to be in shape, you have to work out, and you have your mind focused. And when he gets in the car, he’s a rookie … but he’s so focused in the car. When he drives, it looks really nice on the (computer) graph, and he doesn’t lose his cool.
“That’s the good part because it’s frustrating sometimes when you’re just starting off, and when you make a mistake, you just got to take a deep breath and go back at it again. … He’s got a good reset button. If something goes wrong, just resets, he goes right back out and does it right the next time.”
