Troy Coughlin Jr. once admitted there’s a balancing act when it comes to qualifying and doing it while racing in qualifying. It’s a pretty simple philosophy cited the third-generation drag racer. Make your best run every time, regardless of the situation. 

And for Coughlin, the balancing act over the weekend at the final NHRA Mile High Nationals would have put him in the same caliber as the Flying Wallendas, a tightrope act that made them famous on a tightrope. 

Coughlin was smooth as peanut butter as he swept the weekend at Bandimere Speedway by winning the #2Fast2Tasty crown, qualifying second in Pro Stock, and winning his second NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event of 2023, stopping points leader Dallas Glen in the final round. 

Sometimes – for whatever reason – stars align.

Everything that can go right – does go right.

That was definitely the case for Matt Hagan this weekend at the final Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., just outside of Denver.

Point standings (top 10) following the 43rd annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 10th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series -

Final round-by-round results from the 43rd annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway, the 10th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan picked up the victory for Tony Stewart Racing at the final NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series race at Bandimere Speedway, powering past Alexis DeJoria in the final round on Sunday in front of a sellout crowd at the 43rd Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals.

Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the 10th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. It was also the third straight sellout crowd to close out racing at Bandimere Speedway.

After winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge specialty race on Saturday, Hagan made it a memorable clean sweep on Thunder Mountain, going 4.135-seconds at 304.25 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Direct Connections Charger SRT Hellcat to defeat DeJoria. It is Hagan’s fourth victory this season and 47th in his career, as well as his second career win at Bandimere Speedway.

Hector Arana Jr. kept using one word: “Awesome.”

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class’ No. 1 qualifier at the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals couldn’t find another word for his Friday-night track-record elapsed time of 7.047 seconds on the Bandimere Speedway quarter-mile aboard his family-owned GETTREX Suzuki.

In his mixture of joy and disbelief, Arana could find any other words for his accomplishment that came at a speed of 189.36 mph in the always-tricky conditions at Thunder Mountain in the Denver suburb of Morrison, Colo.

Since late in the 2022 season, Lee Beard has served as a consultant for Cruz Pedregon’s team.

Beard has had an amazing career in the sport of drag racing.

Beard tuned the late Gary Ormsby to a Top Fuel title in 1989. In 1992 he won a world championship as team manager for Larry Minor Racing when Cruz Pedregon captured the nitro Funny Car title. He also was the team manager at Don Schumacher Racing when Tony Schumacher was the Top Fuel champ in 2009.

Erica Enders, who never has won a Pro Stock trophy at Bandimere Speedway, said before the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals, “I will do everything in our power to leave Bandimere [as] Queen of the Mountain.”
 
She was quasi-coronated Saturday, this Princess of Pre-Race Performance, as her 6.919-second elapsed time on the Morrison, Colo., quarter-mile from Friday weathered two more qualifying sessions for the No. 1 qualifying position.

“I would love nothing more than to win Denver for my first time in Pro Stock as the NHRA rolls into the gates for the last time. This one would be so meaningful,” the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Chevy Camaro said.

Bandimere Speedway witnessed a thrilling final qualifying session in its history as Brittany Force showcased an extraordinary performance, setting a track record and securing the No. 1 qualifying effort. In the 10th race of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, 

Force (Top Fuel) was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) as the top qualifiers. The event in Denver marked the second consecutive sellout crowd.

Force left the audience in awe during the final qualifying session with a remarkable run. Piloting her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster, she blazed through Bandimere Speedway, completing the fastest run ever recorded at the track with a pass of 3.724 seconds at 337.33 mph. This extraordinary performance not only set a new track record but also marked Force’s fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and the 46th of her career.