When the doors of an elevator open, no one really knows exactly what’s going to happen. We all know what we expect to happen. But when NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson is involved, that skews the odds. 

In his 35-year career, Steve Johnson has been an undeniably zealous ambassador for drag racing and for his class and for his program. So of course, he thought nothing of rolling his motorcycle that weighs nearly 700 pounds and is close to eight feel long into the elevator of a swanky downtown Houston hotel and taking it up 28 floors for his show-and-tell props at a pre-race press conference for long-time sponsor Slick 50. That’s how he rolls. 

The tears should have been ones of joy. 

In just her fifth professional outing, the NHRA SpringNationals at Baytown, Texas, 24-year-old rookie Camrie Caruso became only the second woman to earn a top- qualifying position in the Pro Stock class. It came 16 years after Erica Enders scored her first No. 1 start in 2006 at Topeka. 

Instead of celebrating, the tears running down her cheeks Saturday afternoon at Houston Raceway Park as she bravely stood for a television interview with FOX’s Amanda Busick represented a jumble of emotions. Within minutes, Caruso was all smiles –  but not after an unexpected encounter with four-time class champion Enders.

Point standings (top 10) following the 35th annual NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park, the fifth of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series - 

A recent open letter from Houston Raceway Park (HRP) General Manager Seth Angel indicated this genuinely is the final SpringNationals at his family-owned facility that is set to give way to industrial and commercial sprawl at the start of 2023. 

HRP will carry out its regularly scheduled racing program and events throughout this year. Global logistics solutions firm Katoen Natie’s expansion is planning to swallow the dragstrip land. 

Sunday's final results from the 35th annual NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park. The race is the fifth of 22 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series: 

Final round-by-round results from the 35th annual NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park, the fifth of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

This is a memory NHRA rookie Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso will likely never forget.

In just her fifth career start, Caruso, thanks to her 6.547-second lap at 209.39 mph Friday night, held on to the top qualifying spot at the SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park Saturday.

​​After a record-breaking victory performance at the season-opening Gatornationals in March, veteran Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Karen Stoffer shows no signs of slowing down.

Stoffer had the provisional No. 1 spot after Friday’s lone session with a 6.775-second pass and she stayed there thanks to a quicker 6.738-second run at 200.35 mph Saturday in Q2 at the SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park.