THE TWENTY: 2024 U.S. NATIONALS EDITION
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Competition Plus’ Water-Cooler Topics From The NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
1 – FORGET DISNEYLAND, MILLICAN GOING TO ARBY’S – When NFL players win the Super Bowl, they traditionally exclaim, “I’m going to Disneyland!” to celebrate. Clay Millican won Monday’s Toyota U.S. Nationals – the Super Bowl of NHRA drag racing – and told the crowd at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park that he’s going someplace a lot closer – Arby’s.
With fast-food restaurant chain Arby’s sponsoring Millican this week for the first time, the Top Fuel winner had joked with final-round opponent Steve Torrence before their duel that he was ready to win and go to Arby’s. Torrence, driver of the Capco Toyota dragster, teased, “I’ll drive you in a Toyota.”
But clearly, Millican was in the driver’s seat, capturing the milestone 70th edition of the Labor Day classic drag race, earning what he called “a lifetime award right there.”
Team owner Rick Ware was at the starting line for a Millican victory for the first time. And after Millican hoisted his seventh “Wally” trophy, he said Ware told him “to have fun with [the experience]. And I got to stomp on that loud pedal four times today, baby! I’ll bet you he [Ware] is back there doing backflips.”
Millican made a drive-through winners’ circle appearance with Austin Prock (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) as the regular season concluded. The Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will now shift its focus to the six-race Countdown to the Championship, which will begin in two weeks at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.
2 – THE SO-CALLED PROCK COMEBACK TOUR - Shortly after winning his first NHRA U.S. Nationals, Austin Prock proclaimed that his team was back.
A wearied Funny Car class must wonder, at what point did he leave?
"I had a feeling we were going to get it done today," Prock said. "This is the first race my grandfather has been at since I started racing in Funny Car. He started the legacy, and we were able to check this one off the list as a family."
As for the comeback part, Prock referenced a quarterfinal finish in the last seven races as the so-called "down-and-out" period. In those seven races, starting in Epping, he reached the final round five times, winning thrice. Prock has qualified No. 1 on 10 occasions this season and won his fifth race since settling into the role of substitute driver for Robert Hight.
Fellow finalist Ron Capps, who has been lethal on race day at Indy for back-to-back seasons, barely stood a chance as Prock left the starting line first and blazed away. Prock grabbed .028 on the starting line, and that was as close as Capps got as the so-called rookie scored the momentous victory, 3.885 to 3.935.
Prock had a little extra motivation. In 1974, Don Prudhomme's famed Army car beat his grandfather, Tom Prock. In the winner's circle, Prock proclaimed he'd evened the score.
"I got him back for you, Grandpa," Prock said with a smile.
3 - AARON STANFIELD SHINES BRIGHTEST IN PRO STOCK – Say this about Aaron Stanfield: The talented Pro Stock driver isn’t sneaking up on anyone anymore.
Stanfield rose above the rest to win the coveted U.S. Nationals on Monday at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.
In the final round, Stanfield, driving an Elite Motorsports Camaro, clocked a 6.561-second elapsed time at 209.36 mph to defeat five-time world champion and Elite Motorsports teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr., who came across the finish line in 6.562-seconds at 209.59 mph.
The biggest difference in the race came at the starting line. Stanfield cut a .017 light, compared to Coughlin Jr.’s .044-second reaction time.
It was a U.S. Nationals for the ages and history books for Stanfield. The Pro Stock victory secured his second Wally of the afternoon, as he was also triumphant in Factory X. He's the first to win both pro and sportsman titles in the same event.
"This is what dreams are made of right here," Stanfield said. "It's been a long weekend, and I can’t thank these guys enough for what they do on both of my programs. Mark Ingersoll is a bad dude. I am trying to wrap my mind around this. We just won two Wallys at the Big Go."
This is Stanfield’s fourth Pro Stock title of the season and the 11th of his career. Stanfield made his Pro Stock debut as a 19-year-old at the 2014 U.S. Nationals.
4 - GAIGE HERRERA IS PERFECT IN INDY FINALS – There’s very little that Gaige Herrera hasn’t accomplished since the start of the 2023 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season, his rookie year on the Mission Foods Drag Racing circuit.
The reigning world champion checked two more boxes Monday at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
Herrera won the Big Go for the first time in his career, thanks to a perfect .000 light to pair with his 6.763-second elapsed time at 198.70 mph in the finals on his Vance & Hines Suzuki. Herrera defeated Angie Smith, who clocked a respectable 6.829 seconds at 197.19 mph on her Matt Smith Racing Buell.
“We are very strong as a team," Herrera said. "This is a complete team win. This win is for Vance & Hines, Byron (Hines) and Terry (Vance). They never quit, especially Byron back in the shop. I'm very proud to be a part of this team. I have a great group behind me. To get this win, when I debuted here two years ago, I wasn't able to get the win here last year, but it feels really good to get it here this year."
This was Herrera’s seven win in nine races in 2024, and his 18th Wally in the last 24 PSM races. By the way, he also been the No. 1 qualifier at 19 of those 24 races.
"Gaige Herrera is rock solid, that's why he's the champion,” said Andrew Hines, Herrera’s crew chief.
Herrera has been nearly unstoppable the past two seasons. He has an 81-6 elimination-round record since he joined the powerhouse Vance & Hines team at the start of the 2023 season.
5 – QUARTUCCIO SCORES BIGGEST NHRA PRO MOD WIN OF HIS LIFE – Small-tire legend turned big-tire frontrunner Ken Quartuccio picked up the biggest win of his Pro Modified career, defeating Mike Stavrinos in the final round at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
This weekend's event launched the four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs and with the victory, Quartuccio leaves Indianapolis as the series leader.
To get to the final round for the third time in his NHRA Pro Mod career, Quartuccio knocked off Sidnei Frigo, Lyle Barnett and former multi-time PDRA champion Kevin Rivenbark, who is now second in points.
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6 – SKINNER WINS FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN - Kevin Skinner won his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown crown. Starting from the No. 6 position on the ladder, he won five rounds of eliminations and toppled Raymond Nash in the final round. It was a bit anticlimactic as Nash broke on the burnout to hand Skinner a solo into his place of drag racing history.
“It's a lot for the U.S. Nationals to be the first win,” said Skinner. “It's a big deal because we've been doing this since 2014. To get the first win at the U.S. Nationals is big for us. It's big to get a Mustang in the winner's circle. We have the Fords headed in the right direction. I know Chris Holbrook from Holbrook Engines has really been working hard. To get Ford charging back towards the front is always good for us.”
Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series point leader Stephen Bell raced to the second round before losing a close duel to Mark Pawuk. Bell was first off the line with an .017-second reaction time, but Pawuk’s Dodge got to the finish line first with in 7.873 seconds to to Bell’s 8.120. With two races remaining, Bell is still in the driver’s seat for his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series championship.
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will be back in action at the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Reading, Pa., set for September 13-15 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
7 – MOZERIS: A SPORTSMAN WEEKEND TO BEHOLD - At least, this is the way Kayla Mozeris saw it.
Mozeris, a Comp racer from Phoenix, Ariz., once doubled up with her father Joe at the NHRA Mile High Nationals. That was the high mark of her career. However, in one weekend at drag racing's most prestigious event, she finished as the runner-up in the $90,000 RoofTec Comp Cash Clash, losing to teammate Cali Neff.
Mozeris rebounded Monday by stopping Joe Carnasciale. She is currently ranked in the top 10 of the RoofTec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund. If she had won the Cash Clash, event sponsor Rodger Brogdon offered a $10,000 double-up.
Ironically, last year's Cash Clash runner-up won the overall event. Not only did Chase Williams win Indy in 2023, but also the CEBF championship.
9 – IT WENT BLUUUUHHH ... THEN BOOM – An uninjured Daniel Wilkerson was emotional and appeared on the verge of tears in his interview following a nasty explosion to his jackal-themed SCAG Mustang Funny Car. The force of the engine explosion split the body apart with the rear portion tethered to the car and taking all the appearance of Mary Poppins and her magical umbrella.
"I don't know, I hate tearing s*** up," a somber Wilkerson said. "I tore a lot of stuff up this weekend. We had such a good car last night. I don't know what happened to the thing but it just went bluuuuuhhhh. I feel personally responsible for the work we have to do right now."
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"Red pants were actually my crew guys’ idea," Capps said. "They surprised me on Friday. We wanted to do something with the Hot Wheels car (a year ago), but ran out of time. This time we did it all."
Originally, the red pants didn't do anything for Prudhomme. By Sunday, they grew on the legend.
"You know, those red pants are pretty cool," Prudhomme admitted.
11 – FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME, BECAUSE IT WAS - It took 14 races, but Buddy Hull finally scored his first career NHRA Funny Car round win. He notched the milestone at the expense of Bob Tasca III, a three-time victor this season.
"It's an incredible feeling," Hull said. "This team works so hard. I can't stress that enough. Jim Dunn Racing could be the hardest-working team of all. I cannot stress that enough."
For team owner Jim Dunn, it was all about righting a wrong dating back some 59 years ago.
"Makes me very happy because I remember I didn't qualify here in 1965," he said.
As a driver, Dunn drove to a runner-up finish in the 1981 U.S. Nationals. As a team owner, Dunn won the Big Bud Shootout with Kenji Okazaki, and the 1999 event with Frank Pedregon.
“I really believed we were going to get that run. I know Hunter was running amazing, but I just had it in my heart and on my mind that I knew it was God’s will that we were going to take it home today,” she said. “That was confusing. I’m still learning to do this. It’s not been a year yet that I’ve been in this car.
“There’s no communication between me and my guys. I don’t have a radio. So I wasn’t sure why the starter was telling me not to go. I got so confused. I saw my red light go on. I thought maybe I rolled in too deep. When they shut off the car, I screamed, ‘What happened?!’ I am thankful they caught it before I hit the gas pedal and maybe hit the wall.”
After his guaranteed-victory solo pass, Green said, “I hate to win that way,” and said he wished Sampey had had a chance to race for the trophy.
14 – VANCE & HINES, MSR WERE DESTINED TO MEET IN FINALS – If there were any doubt of who the most dominant teams are in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle class are before the U.S. Nationals, there shouldn’t be any longer.
In the semifinals, Vance & Hines teammates Gaige Herrera and Richard Gadson faced off, while Angie Smith and her husband Matt of Matt Smith Racing went head to head.
Herrera, not surprisingly, upended Gadson, who is still searching for his first career Wally in his first season with Vance & Hines.
The other result – Angie defeating Matt – was an upset. Angie has won three PSM Wallys in her career while Matt has 39 on his resume to go with six world championships.
Those stats had no impact on the showdown, though, as Angie clocked a 6.820-second elapsed time at 199.17 mph to defeat Matt’s 6.843-second effort at 197.77 mph.
WANT TO SEE "THE TEN" FROM PRO STOCK QUALIFYING? - CLICK HERE
“I’m still encouraged by the weekend, even with the semifinal loss." Stewart said. "I don’t know what we have to do to win one of these races. That’s two races in a row in which we qualified second. We are in the game now. We have a car that is capable of finishing off one of these events with a win, we just need a little luck on our side. We have to create our own luck, too. It was nice to not have to sweat it after the second round of qualifying when we jumped to No. 2. I think we have a lot of confidence leaving this race, even though it didn’t go how we wanted at the end. We have a lot to look forward to with this final stretch in the Countdown.”
16 – BLACKED OUT IS BEAUTIFUL - Alexis DeJoria had the opportunity to avenge Sunday’s loss to Matt Hagan in Monday's first round of eliminations. Against Hagan, she made her quickest run of the weekend, posting a 3.886 to defeat Hagan’s 4.225-second effort. In the quarterfinals, DeJoria recorded another stout pass, bettering her previous time with a run of 3.876 – but it wasn’t enough. Austin Prock’s slight starting line advantage, coupled with his 3.879 E.T., propelled him across the finish line first in a tight side-by-side race, ending her team’s day after Round Two.
With the car’s performance steadily improving over the past several events, DeJoria is eager to get started in the Countdown to the Championship. She feels her team has zeroed in on its combination at the point in the season when it matters most.
“You never want to peak too early,” said DeJoria. “We’ve done that, where we peaked early and then dropped off in the Countdown. This year, we had some struggles early, but we’ve turned it around when it really counts.
“We had a good showing this weekend,” she added. “Out of all five qualifying runs, we made four clean runs down the race track – solid,
Consistent runs – and qualified ninth for Monday. … Our 60-foot times are getting better. We got beat second round, but we didn’t give it away. I got beat by a little bit of a holeshot on the starting line, but I still had a good light and it was a really close race.
“I’m just proud of all of us for sticking it out. We’ve been working so hard to get this car back to where it needs to be and it’s finally here, and I just want to thank Del (Worsham) and my guys so much for everything they’ve done. All the hard work, all the times we’ve gone up there and done our best and lost in the first round over and over and over again. We all feel really relieved going into the Countdown that we finally have the hot rod that we’ve been working toward all season long.”
DeJoria starts the Countdown to the Championship from the 10th spot. She has six prior top-10 finishes, with her best showing coming from the 2021 season at sixth. The playoffs get underway Sept. 13–15 in Reading, Pa., when the Mission Foods Series returns to Maple Grove Raceway for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals.
17 – ONE FOR THE AGES - Shawn Bellemeur won the Top Alcohol Funny Car title, stopping veteran Stan Sipos in the final round. To say that Sipos is an elder statesman, he and Bellemeur had no common opponents that they’ve ever raced. When Sipos was in his heyday, he raced legends such as Bob Newberry and Frank Manzo.
In the final, Sipos red-lighted but that didn’t stop Bellemeur from running a 5.43 at 267 to take his fourth U.S. Nationals Top Alcohol Funny Car Wally, and his third in a row (2018, 2022-24).
“Indy brings the best in the world out,” Bellemeur said. “We have guys leaving before the tree, early mornings, late nights, hot, cold, and the Killer B’s (his team) shined again. I’m just the lucky one that gets to put the pedal down. I get the jitters every time, no matter how long I do this here at Indy.
“Indy is everything. A guy from the West Coast dreams of coming here much less winning it. It is a dream come true to come here, line up under the arch and win it for legends Tony Bartone and (tuner) Steve Boggs.”
Car owner Bartone has assembled a strong Top Alcohol Funny Car team, to say the least.
“Unreal,” Bartone said. “We go out to win races. If you win enough by the end of year you win a championship. This is the best, most cohesive Top Alcohol Funny Car team I’ve ever been a part of in my life. We have great crew members, and everything is going well.”
Cristian, who was fighting to stay in the top 10 in the points to make it into the Countdown to the Championship, drew Dallas Glenn, the KB Titan star who was fresh off winning the previous race in Brainerd, Minn.
All Cristian did was clock a 6.569-second elapsed time at 209.65 mph time to edge Glenn’s 6.563-second ET at 208.17 mph. The difference was at the starting line. Cristian cut a .008 light compared to Glenn’s .022 reaction time.
David, meanwhile, turned heads of his own in the first round by defeating Mason McGaha, a finalist in Brainerd. David had a winning elapsed time of 6.557 seconds at 208.68 mph to outrun McGaha’s 6.611-second effort.
“I can’t explain it, but the butterflies for the first round at Indy is the ultimate,” Pro Stock ace Erica Enders said. Funny Car veteran Ron Capps called Indianapolis Raceway Park “hallowed ground.” And Top Fuel rookie Ida Zetterström said, “Indy feels like race day every day.”
That’s not exactly how Top Fuel owner-driver Doug Foley felt about the U.S. Nationals, which featured five qualifying sessions through three days. He said Monday, “Somebody asked me how qualifying went. I said, ‘It’s like having a colonoscopy three days in a row.’”
20 – ALSO OVERHEARD - “It never feels good when you are a Funny Car driver and it feels like the vinyl top rolls back.” – NHRA announcer Jason Galvin, commenting on Dan Wilkerson's first-round engine explosion.
"I told my guys that I am going to do my best to make you guys have to work hard all day." – Buddy Hull, moments before beating Bob Tasca III in the first round of Funny Car eliminations.
"I'm not into participation awards, but we are in the Countdown." – Josh Hart, following his second-round loss to Brittany Force, finishing outside of the top 10 but qualifying for the Countdown based on perfect attendance.
"JEGS likes to keep things entertaining." - Troy Coughlin Jr. following a sideways burnout that just missed a crewman.
“Indy is [pressure-packed]. Holy crap! We hate it, but we love it.” – Tony Stewart’s crew chief, Neal Strausbaugh.
“It’s going to be ruthless.” – Tony Schumacher, anticipating Monday’s competition (which saw him reach the Top Fuel semifinals).
"I give 'em a look and they know." - Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, saying he doesn't say anything to Ron Capps' crew to motivate them.
WANT TO SEE "THE TEN" FROM PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE QUALIFYING? - CLICK HERE
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