​​Top Fuel’s Austin Prock won the first race of the 2022 NHRA Countdown to the Championship in September at Reading, Pa., and he won the last one of the Countdown Sunday evening at Pomona, Calif. 

But what happened before the Countdown and occasionally in between his playoff victories was gnawing at him, making him feel like he was “the weak link of John Force Racing.” 

Cruz Pedregon, by his standards, has had a bad year.

No, Pedregon has had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year, for anyone familiar with classic children’s literature. In that children’s tale of a similar name about Alexander and his bad day, the main character learns that bad things are going to happen, but when you’re surrounded by people that support you, you can still achieve your dreams.

It is rare to know that you are witnessing history in the moment. Oftentimes, we don’t fully comprehend what a season, a race, or a single run will mean in the grand scheme of the history of the sport until years later.

But Sunday’s showdown between Greg Anderson and Erica Enders had all of the classic markers of a matchup for the ages. Between them, 10 championships. 144 Pro Stock race wins. Four consecutive titles. So it was only fitting that two of the best to ever strap into a racecar closed out the 2022 season in style with another classic matchup in their rivalry at the Auto Club NHRA Finals.

Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Angie Smith said she and her husband, Matt Smith, “win together and we lose together.” 

They literally won together Sunday at the NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif. – no real losing at Auto Club Raceway for the King, N.C., couple. She won the event to complete what she called a “win-win,” and he completed his quest for a sixth series championship that put him in an elite circle of the best in class history.

Twice is nice for Brittany Force.

The veteran Top Fuel driver added her second Top Fuel world championship to her resume, thanks to advancing to the semifinals of the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif., on Nov. 13.

Ron Capps made the improbable possible on the final day – Nov. 13 – of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season by winning his second world championship in a row – and first as a team owner.

Capps arrived at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif. trailing points leader Robert Hight by 61 points.

Matt Smith joined an exclusive club on Nov. 13.

Smith became only the third Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to win six NHRA world championships – joining Andrew Hines and the late Dave Schultz.

Third-generation drag racer Camrie Caruso, driver of the Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, was recognized as the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year during the final qualifying session at the Auto Club Finals in Pomona yesterday. Caruso and Top Fuel rookie Scott Farley were named finalists prior to the NHRA Nevada Nationals and following a vote by a national panel of motorsports journalists Caruso became just the fifth female driver to win the award which was first presented in 1990. Caruso along with the 2022 Camping World Drag Racing Series class champions will be celebrated tomorrow night during the NHRA season ending championship banquet at the Pechanga Resort Casino.

Richard Freeman had a vision for Pro Stock when it was failing. The veteran team owner hunkered down and developed a formula to make the factory hot rod division viable for years to come.

Saturday afternoon at the AAA NHRA Finals, Freeman announced the Johnson's Horsepowered Garage (JHG) team would expand to two cars with 2022 NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders joining Bo Butner under the #JHGDriven umbrella. Both JHG entries will run the full NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock schedule.