John Force says he’s tired and that his time is up.
But, after seeing the 17-time Funny Car champion (16 in NHRA, 1 – AHRA) pick up career NHRA win No. 157, Force’s actions speak louder than words. He outran teammate Austin Prock in the final round. He has two wins on the season and completed a double-up weekend after winning Saturday’s Mission 2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Mason Wright (Pro Modified) rounded out Sunday’s NHRA New England Nationals champions at New England Dragway in Epping, NH.
In an all-John Force Racing Funny Car final round, Force was first off the line by .018 and never looked back en route to a 4.081, 319.29 miles per hour to beat Prock’s 4.096, 316.38.
A visibly tired Force admits he drew inspiration from Sunday’s second consecutive sellout crowd.
“I love the crowds. For three days, they packed them in. I came here 40-something years ago, and this place is special,” Force said. “We had a good race car, and what keeps me alive is driving this hotrod and all these fans.
“I’m down right now because don’t like beating my teammate in the final. He is the future. I love that kid. He’s going to be here for a long time, and Robert [Hight] will be coming back. I’m not being dramatic, but my time is up. It was up when I was 65. Hell, it was up when I turned 50. The world is changing for me, and I’ve got to do some real thinking. I’m not quitting today. I’m going to Bristol, but I just know I’m not what I used to be.”
Prock’s loss in the finals wasn’t a total loss, as he jumped back in the points lead on a day where the No. 1 qualifier scored wins over Mike Smith, Chad Green, and Daniel Wilkerson.
For Kalitta, his Top Fuel career has now come full circle. The 54-time winner completed a clean sweep of all facilities by stopping long-time rival Tony Schumacher in the final round.
Kalitta overcame a slight Schumacher holeshot and drove around him with a 3.802 elapsed time at 332.92 miles per hour. Schumacher slowed to a 4.307 at only 201.43 miles per hour.
“Coming in here, my goal was to try and get the win. This is the last place haven’t won. I didn’t want to put a lot of attention on it, but it’s hard not to,” Kalitta said. “This was incredible. We’ve been digging hard, and I was just trying not to screw it up.”
“Then, on Saturday, we got set up for our tribute to Scott [Kalitta]. It’s great to have an opportunity to have a good meal with a lot of the teams, and I know it means a lot to Connie. He loves this sport. It was a good time to be able to pull off this win. It was super special.”
Kalitta entered eliminations as the No. 1 qualifier, his third of the season, and stopped Scott Farley, Tony Stewart, and teammate Shawn Langdon in the semifinals. Kalitta beat Langdon by two-thousandths of a second to advance to the final round against Tony Schumacher. It was their 95th head-to-head matchup and their 19th in a Top Fuel final.
Schumacher’s second final round of the season was also the 159th of his career. He made it there by defeating Brittany Force, Josh Hart, and Clay Millican. Justin Ashley remains the points leader, while Kalitta pulled to within 26 points of the top spot.
Coughlin picked up his first win of the season and the fifth of his Pro Stock career, fending off defending series champion Erica Enders, who is one win shy of 50.
Coughlin evened his record to 2-2 versus the defending NHRA Pro Stock champion by picking up his career NHRA win No.. 13. He grabbed the lead early and drove to the win with a 6.584, 210.05 to fend off Enders’ quicker and faster 6.563, 210.54. Enders remains at 49 career NHRA victories.
“It was definitely a wonderful day,” Coughlin said. “Erica is fast. She hits the tree well, and it’s an honor to race her. When I practice every week on a simulator, you’re asking nothing more of yourself than you do each week on the track. You’re just racing yourself and need to be that way when you’re running a champ like Erica.
“In the final, I just tried to crush it and make my best lap. I got there by four thousandths of a second, and here we are.”
Coughlin’s road to the final round for the first time this season was by defeating Brandon Miller, Aaron Stanfield, and points leader Dallas Glenn.
Enders, who started the day as the No. 1 seed, reached her 81st career final round thanks to wins against Fernando Cuadra Jr., Deric Kramer, and Jerry Tucker.
Mason Wright drove to his first career NHRA Pro Modified victory, defeating Jordan Lazic in the final round. He ran a 5.733, 254.47, outrunning Lazic’s 5.740, 249.72. It was the fourth of 10 races during the 2024 season.
The 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 7-9 with the 23rd annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn.
