2020 NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
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SUNDAY - JOHNSON, TORRENCE AND ENDERS TAKE WINS IN FRONT OF SOLD OUT ARIZONA NATIONALS CROWD
Funny Car veteran, Tommy Johnson Jr. added a trophy to his collection at the 36th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in front of a sold out crowd on Sunday. Sunday’s win marks Johnson’s 18th career Funny Car win and his second in Phoenix.
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also took home wins in their respective categories at the second of 24 events on the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
In an all Don Schumacher Racing final, Johnson went 3.883-seconds at 326.40 mph to defeat teammate Jack Beckman during the final round at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in his MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. He defeated Paul Lee, Bob Tasca ll and Ron Capps to advance to the finals during Sunday’s event.
“We had a good car,” said Johnson, whose last Phoenix win came back in 2006. “The last qualifying run showed us that we have a solid car. Coming up here today, we had a lot of confidence. We went out first round and laid down a solid number. We weren’t low (elapsed time) but we were close. We came out second round and sat low ET so we knew we had a solid car. As a driver, going into each round knowing you have a car that’s going to perform makes your job a little easier. It gives you a little less stress. The guys did a great job. Even in Pomona we a had a good car, just dropped a cylinder second round and event had a little issue with that in qualifying here.”
In Top Fuel, defending world champion Torrence picked up his 37th career win and his second in Phoenix after going 3.679-seconds at 321.27 in his CAPCO Contractors dragster. Torrence defeated Jim Maroney, Shawn Langdon and dad Billy Torrence to advance to the final round, where he out pedaled Doug Kalitta for the win. Sunday’s win marks Torrence’s first win in his first race of the 2020 season, having missed the season opener in Pomona two weeks ago.
“First round I had a little bit of the jitters,” said Torrence. “We missed Pomona so you came here and this is the first round of the first race of the season for us and I was a little bit nervous to go up there. We’re just going to see how the races go and what the weather throws at us. I think that we’ve always had a good hot weather tune-up. We’re just going to try to develop cool track conditions. We’re easing up to it. We’ll just see how it goes and that’s something that we really need to try to put our thumb on.”
In Pro Stock, three-time world champion Erica Enders grabbed her first win of the season and the 26th of her career with a 6.531-second pass at 210.44 in her Melling/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro. Sunday’s win moves Enders into the top ten for all-time wins in the Pro Stock class. Enders knocked off Fernando Cuadra Jr., Chris McGaha and Jason Line to advance to the final round where she defeated Bo Butner.
“I’d have to say today was excellent,” said Enders. “Coming in here off of Jeg's (Coughlin) dominating performance in Pomona, we knew that we just had to get my car happy because we share data obviously. There’s no reason why my shouldn’t run the same as Jeg’s Our objective coming in was to just get my car as happy as possible. We tested in Tuscan on Wednesday, so coming in we were definitely optimistic and finally got our act together for that one fun on Saturday. The guys gave me a tremendous race car today. Very consistent, very fast and we just crushed the competition today and it was really fun.”
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series racing action continues to Gainesville, Fla. on March 12-15 at the 51st annual AMALIE Motor Oil Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
SATURDAY - COUGHLIN, FORCE AND HAGAN CLAIM SECOND CONSECUTIVE NO. 1 QUALIFIERS OF THE SEASON
Jeg Coughlin continued his perfect season at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, taking home the No. 1 qualifying spot for the second consecutive event of the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.
Brittany Force (Top Fuel) and Matt Hagan (Funny Car) also raced to the No. 1 qualifying spot in their respective classes after a rain delayed day in Phoenix, with the fourth qualifying session being cancelled due to weather. The trio were also No. 1 qualifiers at the season opener in Pomona.
Coughlin has dominated the season so far, having taken home the No. 1 qualifying position and event win in Pomona two weeks ago. Saturday qualifying in Phoenix was no different after Coughlin rocketed to the top with a pass of 6.536-seconds at 208.52 mph. The five-time Pro Stock world champion is currently embarking on his "Breaking Barriers Tour," announcing that he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2020 season. He will race rookie Marty Robertson in the opening round of eliminations on Sunday.
“I think coming into the weekend here we were obviously riding right off of back-to-back Pomona wins,” said Coughlin. “Coming into this weekend as the defending champion kind of gave us another little feather in our cap. The team has been aggressive. We’ve been very fortunate our car has been performing really, really well. From behind the wheel, I can tell you we have quite a rocket. It feels amazing. I think that gives us a lot of confidence going into race day.”
Coughlin’s teammate Erica Enders sits in the second position with a 6.554-second pass at 208.33, with Aaron Stanfield close behind in third after going 6.567-seconds at 207.69.
In Top Fuel, Force stole the top spot away from Steve Torrence after posting a 3.670-second pass at 327.11 in her Flav-R-Pac dragster. Saturday’s No. 1 qualifier marks Force’s second No. 1 of the season and the 20th of her career. Force is looking to take home her first win at Phoenix, set to face off against Terry Totten in the opening round of eliminations.
“We were trying to run a little bit quicker than that," Force said. "That was barely around Torrence, but we stole the No. 1 spot. We got our second (green No. 1 qualifier) hat of the season. Really what our plan is, is to go out and win on race day. We’ve been consistent all weekend long with the three runs that we’ve had, but we need to do the same thing all day long tomorrow. It’s consistency. We made some mistakes carrying it over on race day a couple of weeks ago in Pomona. We’re ready for race day. We’re ready to go out and hopefully win the thing.”
Reigning Top Fuel champion Torrence sits in a close second after a run of 3.671-seconds at 326.48. Leah Pruett rounds out the top three with a pass of 3.680-seconds at 328.06.
Hagan finds himself in the No. 1 spot for the second race in a row this season with a run of 3.859-seconds at 331.61 in his MOPAR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Saturday’s No. 1 qualifier marks Hagan’s 38th career start from the No. 1 spot and the second at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Hagan will face off against Jeff Diehl in the opening round of eliminations.
“We have a really great race car,” said Hagan. “It’s driving well and it’s handling well. The car has been really performing. I’m just really excited about tomorrow. We’re going to have great weather on race day and we’re going to get after it. Dicky (Venables, crew chief) is one of those guys that really rises to the occasion all the time. When you’re strapped in that car and the conditions are right he can really throw down and always put you right where you need to be. Not a lot of guys out there can really say that.”
Following close behind Hagan is John Force sitting in the second spot after posting a 3.861-second pass at 331.94. In the third spot is Robert Hight after a pass of 3.867-seconds at 330.55.
Eliminations for the NHRA Arizona Nationals will begin at 11:00 a.m. MT on Sunday.
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 36th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, the second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Brittany Force, 3.670 seconds, 327.11 mph vs. 16. Terry Totten, 4.126, 269.08; 2. Steve Torrence, 3.671, 326.48 vs. 15. Jim Maroney, 4.018, 266.11; 3. Leah Pruett, 3.680, 328.06 vs. 14. Doug Foley, 3.878, 311.13; 4. Terry McMillen, 3.696, 326.79 vs. 13. Antron Brown, 3.786, 324.44; 5. Justin Ashley, 3.707, 322.81 vs. 12. Scott Palmer, 3.778, 322.96; 6. Billy Torrence, 3.714, 328.14 vs. 11. Austin Prock, 3.775, 314.24; 7. Shawn Langdon, 3.733, 325.45 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.772, 319.14; 8. Doug Kalitta, 3.740, 323.50 vs. 9. Shawn Reed, 3.749, 325.92.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Cameron Ferre, 14.887, 44.61.
Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.859, 331.61 vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 6.987, 94.65; 2. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.861, 331.94 vs. 15. Terry Haddock, Ford Mustang, 5.612, 125.56; 3. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.867, 330.55 vs. 14. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.352, 269.67; 4. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.868, 323.81 vs. 13. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.257, 210.37; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.883, 328.86 vs. 12. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.974, 319.75; 6. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.889, 329.42 vs. 11. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.962, 323.74; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.889, 329.10 vs. 10. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.916, 316.30; 8. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.896, 327.66 vs. 9. J.R. Todd, Camry, 3.916, 317.64.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.536, 208.46 vs. 16. Marty Robertson, Ford Mustang, 6.695, 206.39; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.554, 208.33 vs. 15. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.656, 206.13; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.567, 207.69 vs. 14. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.644, 206.32; 4. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.579, 209.20 vs. 13. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.639, 205.38; 5. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.580, 208.42 vs. 12. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.634, 208.04; 6. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.581, 209.01 vs. 11. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.596, 207.91; 7. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.581, 208.55 vs. 10. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.592, 208.30; 8. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.583, 208.14 vs. 9. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.589, 207.88.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Fernando Cuadra, 6.745, 205.66; 18. Steve Graham, 7.139, 162.43; 19. Joey Grose, 7.446, 138.97.
FRIDAY - HAGAN, TORRENCE AND COUGHLIN CLINCH PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS IN THE DESERT
Reigning event winner Matt Hagan continued his domination of Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, capturing the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot on Friday at the 36th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals, in his hunt for back-to-back wins in Phoenix.
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) also claimed provisional No. 1 qualifier spots in their respective categories at the second of 24 events on the 2020 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series calendar.
Hagan took the provisional No. 1 spot during the second qualifying session with a pass of 3.859-seconds at 331.61 mph in his Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car. Hagan is looking to continue his momentum from the season opener in Pomona after seeding himself in the No. 1 spot at the Winternationals two weeks ago. Hagan is the reigning event winner and is looking to take home his 34th career win, three of which have come at the NHRA Arizona Nationals.
“We have a really great race car,” said Hagan. “We qualified No. 1 in Pomona and then rolling here into Phoenix, the provisional No. 1. The car is just really working. We have to make some better decisions on race day, but race day is race day. You never know what is going to happen and what you will get thrown at you and how the track will be. But all-in-all conditions are great out here right now. The car is good, the track is good and just all around a really good pass.”
Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force is close on the heels of Hagan, currently sitting in the No. 2 spot after a pass of 3.861-seconds at 331.94. Force’s teammate Robert Hight currently sits in the third spot with a 3.867-second pass at 330.55.
Current Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence is looking to continue the momentum from 2019, grabbing the provisional No. 1 spot with a 3.671-second pass at 326.48 in his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel dragster. If it holds, Torrence will claim his 25th career No. 1 qualifier.
The ladies of Top Fuel are looking to take the No. 1 spot from Torrence, with Brittany Force in second with a 3.680 at 331.12 and Leah Pruett close behind in third with a 3.680-second pass at 328.06.
Pro Stock’s Jeg Coughlin continues his successful start to the season, clinching the provisional No. 1 spot with a 6.536-second pass at 208.46. Coughlin has swept the season so far, having grabbed the No. 1 qualifying spot and the event win at the season opener in Pomona. Coughlin is on the hunt for his sixth Pro Stock world championship, hoping to end his career on top, after announcing his retirement at the conclusion of the 2020 season. Coughlin is currently embarking on his Breaking Barriers 2020 Tour.
Erica Enders, Coughlin’s teammate, sits in a close second with a 6.565 at 209.82, followed by Aaron Stanfield, who ran a 6.567-second pass at 207.69.
Qualifying continues Saturday at the 36th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at 1:00 p.m. MT.
Friday's results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 36th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.671 seconds, 326.48 mph; 2. Brittany Force, 3.680, 331.12; 3. Leah Pruett, 3.680, 328.06; 4. Terry McMillen, 3.696, 326.79; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.724, 325.30; 6. Doug Kalitta, 3.740, 323.50; 7. Shawn Reed, 3.749, 325.92; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.758, 315.64; 9. Clay Millican, 3.772, 319.14; 10. Austin Prock, 3.775, 314.24; 11. Scott Palmer, 3.778, 322.96; 12. Antron Brown, 3.786, 324.44; 13. Jim Maroney, 4.018, 266.11; 14. Terry Totten, 4.126, 269.08; 15. Shawn Langdon, 4.153, 204.23; 16. Doug Foley, 4.154, 230.37.
Not Qualified: 17. Cameron Ferre, 14.887, 44.61.
Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.859, 331.61; 2. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.861, 331.94; 3. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.867, 330.55; 4. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.883, 328.86; 5. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.889, 329.42; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.893, 323.27; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.915, 324.12; 8. J.R. Todd, Toyota Camry, 3.916, 317.64; 9. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.942, 301.74; 10. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.953, 326.40; 11. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.962, 323.74; 12. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.974, 319.75; 13. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.257, 210.37; 14. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.352, 269.67; 15. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 5.612, 125.56; 16. Jeff Diehl, Camry, 6.987, 94.65.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.536, 208.46; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.565, 209.82; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.567, 207.69; 4. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.579, 209.20; 5. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.580, 208.42; 6. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.581, 209.01; 7. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.581, 208.55; 8. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.583, 208.14; 9. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.589, 207.88; 10. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.592, 208.30; 11. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.596, 207.91; 12. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.634, 208.04; 13. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.639, 205.38; 14. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.651, 206.73; 15. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.656, 206.13; 16. Fernando Cuadra, Camaro, 6.745, 205.66.
Not Qualified: 17. Marty Robertson, 6.816, 200.50; 18. Steve Graham, 8.131, 116.65; 19. Joey Grose, 22.283, 34.54.
FRIDAY SPORTSMAN RESULTS
TOP FUEL HARLEY (SESSION ONE)
1 3 Rickey House, Humble TX, '13 Harley 6.989 215.79 215.79
2 13 Tracy Kile, Asheville NC, '01 American 7.843 197.28 197.28
3 63 Jay Turner, Julian NC, '20 Harley 8.218 150.85 150.85
4 1 Tii Tharpe, Pfafftown NC, '17 Harley 10.618 86.64 86.64
5 204 Randal Andras, Morgan City LA, '17 Harley 10.853 91.43 91.43
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COMPETITION ELIMINATOR (FINAL)
1 7189 B/ND Dean Carter, Peoria AZ, Uyehara-Chevy 6.915 7.55 -0.635
2 4799 B/D Bill Kent, Midland TX, Frameworks-Chevy 6.674 7.27 -0.596
3 710 D/SMA Doug Lambeck, Irvine CA, '08 Sunfire 8.341 8.93 -0.589
4 4 A/SMA Tony Mandella, Eastvale CA, '92 Camaro 7.873 8.46 -0.587
5 7879 A/SMA Don Bevers, Tucson AZ, '89 Probe 7.954 8.53 -0.576
6 68 C/AA John Edwards, Nampa ID, '19 Camaro 7.382 7.94 -0.558
7 767 D/EA Tibor Kadar, Glendale AZ, '09 Cobalt 8.229 8.77 -0.541
8 7230 C/T Randy Jones, Monarch Beach CA, '00 S-10 8.302 8.81 -0.508
9 10 A/EA Ralph Van Paepeghem, Garden Valley ID, '3 7.306 7.81 -0.504
10 550 A/DA Will Hatcher, Satanta KS, BOS 6.615 7.09 -0.475
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SUPER STOCK (FINAL)
1 554 GT/OA Ron Roddel, Sioux Falls SD, '02 Grand Am 10.471 11.45 -0.979
2 601 SS/BS Cody Lane, Seattle WA, '05 Cavalier 8.679 9.65 -0.971
3 4118 FGT/E Pete Peery, Bowie TX, '05 Sunfire 9.093 10.00 -0.907
4 7774 FSS/C Rodger Comstock, Fort Lauderdale FL, '16 8.777 9.65 -0.873
5 7680 FSS/F Tom Ferruggia, Menifee CA, '13 Camaro 9.329 10.20 -0.871
6 4701 SS/KA Jason Stoll, Frederick OK, '88 Firebird 10.386 11.25 -0.864
7 T733 FSS/D Tim Seymour, San Dimas CA, '16 Camaro 9.043 9.90 -0.857
8 777A GT/JA Phil Cocuzza, Phoenix AZ, '08 Cobalt 9.953 10.80 -0.847
9 4444 SS/KA Norman Marsden, Santo TX, '66 Nova 10.418 11.25 -0.832
10 6846 GT/FA Byron Setters, Red Deer AB, '10 Cobalt 9.422 10.25 -0.828
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STOCK (FINAL)
1 652 F/S Bob Gullett, Calgary AB, '68 Nova 10.767 11.80 -1.033
2 5400 B/SA Al Corda, Elk Mound WI, '15 Camaro 10.265 11.25 -0.985
3 7881 I/SA Chris Ashley, Chandler AZ, '90 Camaro 11.348 12.30 -0.952
4 5016 H/SA Steve Scherschligt, Arizona City AZ, '73 11.198 12.15 -0.952
5 703D B/SA Kyle Rizzoli, San Luis Obispo CA, '69 Cam 10.353 11.25 -0.897
6 5526 A/SA Dwayne Scheitlin, Brighton CO, '70 Challe 10.113 11.00 -0.887
7 5306 H/SA Johnny Diekema, Blue Grass IA, '68 Nova 11.269 12.15 -0.881
8 76 F/SA Mike Cotten, Cave Creek AZ, '73 Duster 10.979 11.85 -0.871
9 7341 E/SA Rick Kolber, Glendale AZ, '72 Demon 10.834 11.70 -0.866
10 732 G/SA Phil Mandella Jr., Upland CA, '69 Chevelle11.152 12.00 -0.848
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TOP DRAGSTER (FINAL)
1 7237 Steve Will, Fortuna CA, Sarmento-BAE 6.150 230.61 230.61
2 7796 John Richardson, Santa Clarita CA, Sarmento-Ch 6.189 223.02 223.02
3 79 Jennifer Wiens, Las Vegas NV, RaceTech-MadCap 6.195 225.15 225.15
4 7029 Bobby Ray McMahan, Lodi CA, TNT-APD 6.222 221.23 221.23
5 703Y Shaunda Blinzler, Scottsdale AZ, American-AJPE 6.245 226.58 226.58
6 D712 Phil Dion, Paradise Valley AZ, Yancer-BAE 6.268 216.17 216.17
7 5149 Phil Unruh, McPherson KS, RaceTech-Stin 6.374 222.22 222.40
8 7155 Jeff Connelly, Mesa AZ, Spitzer-SDPC 6.418 228.38 228.38
9 7156 Chuck Phelps, Chandler AZ, Yancer-Chevy 6.489 211.69 211.69
10 7730 Mike MacBrair, Napa CA, Sarmento-DLRE 6.536 208.71 208.78
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TOP SPORTSMAN (SESSION ONE)
1 7151 Jeff Connelly, Mesa AZ, '19 Camaro 6.129 237.05 237.05
2 730 Bryan LaFlam, Gilbert AZ, '67 Mustang 6.159 232.15 232.15
3 514 Phil Unruh, McPherson KS, '18 Corvette 6.506 222.11 222.11
4 7980 Joe Roubicek, Camarillo CA, '68 Camaro 6.623 207.72 207.72
5 73 Bud Preuss, Grand Junction CO, '69 Camaro 6.729 203.71 203.71
6 4979 Craig Liles, Artesia NM, '13 Camaro 6.869 202.06 202.06
7 2 Doug Crumlich, Irvine CA, '63 Corvette 6.905 197.48 197.48
8 550 Ed Olpin, Plesant Grove CA, '68 Camaro 6.924 197.91 197.91
9 7450 Don Meziere, Escondido CA, '09 Cobalt 6.940 195.11 195.11
10 6432 Gary Miserva, Sherwood Park AB, '63 Corvette 6.951 194.83 194.83
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