Mike Salinas wasn’t kidding. 

After he defeated Steve Torrence in Sunday’s Top Fuel final round of the Thunder Valley Nationals to score back-to-back victories at Bristol Dragway, the San Jose, Calif., businessman told the crowd he was going to buy a home in East Tennessee.

Mission accomplished.

Alexia DeJoria wanted to get a win in the last three races, and she did just that at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn., Sunday.

Angelle Sampey is the winningest women racer in NHRA history, and she keeps on winning.

Sampey’s latest victory came Sunday at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.

Newly crowned world champions Jim Halsey (Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous), Chris Garner-Jones (Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle) and Tim Essick (Drag 965 Pro Street) bookended their championship seasons with victories at the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia Motorsports Park. 
 
Randy Weatherford (Penske/PRS Pro Boost presented by WS Construction), John DeFlorian (Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition), and Chris Holdorf ($hameless Racing Pro Outlaw 632) also won in the pro classes. 

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​​Alexis DeJoria powered to her first win in more than four years, rolling to the victory in Funny Car on Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Mike Salinas (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in their respective categories at the 18th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fifth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. It was also the first time the race in Thunder Valley took place in October and during the playoffs.

Jose Gonzalez clinched his first career E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service world championship on Sunday at Bristol Dragway as part of this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. 

The event was the 10th of 11 events during the 2021 E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season. 

Scotty Cannon, one of the winningest Pro Mod racers in Bristol Dragway history, became the 20th member of the prestigious Legends of Thunder Valley when he was inducted today during pre-race ceremonies at the 20th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

The wildly-popular racer from Lyman, S.C., whose signature mohawk haircut and take no prisoners racing style that endeared him to a legion of loyal drag racing fans, is the latest icon to be enshrined into Bristol Dragway’s exclusive Hall of Fame. He joins such legends as Speedway Motorsports executive chairman Bruton Smith, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, NHRA founder Wally Parks, 16-time NHRA Funny Car champ John Force, prolific NHRA team owner Don Schumacher, and drag racing visionary and promoter Ted Jones, the most recent inductee in 2019.

Point standings (top 10) following the 20th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the 18th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series -

Final round-by-round results from the 20th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the 18th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

DENSO Auto Parts Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Angie Smith will sit out the rest of the 20th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals after an accident Friday night while doing motor maintenance on her Buell.
 
“I was changing valve springs on the motor, which I’ve done 200 times, and when I swung a hammer to break it loose, I hit the first quarter of my finger and split it completely in two,” the 2x national event winner Smith explained. “We went to the emergency room, and they put stitches in it and a nerve blocker, but I crushed all the bones on the end of my left index finger.”