·        No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan powered his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a coveted win at the Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at Bandimere Speedway near Denver

·        Hagan earned his first victory at the picturesque mountainside dragstrip, his first win of the 2021 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) season and the 37th of his Funny Car career

·        Funny Car semifinal match-up featured a Dodge versus Dodge showdown between DSR teammates Hagan and Ron Capps

·        Leah Pruett drove her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak from the No. 4 qualifying position to her first runner-up finish of the season in Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) competition

July 18, 2021, Morrison, Colorado – After more than a decade of attempts to conquer the mountain, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car pilot Matt Hagan finally hoisted the Wally trophy at his primary sponsor’s longtime title event, the Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil, at Bandimere Speedway near Denver. The No. 1 qualifier powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye through eliminations to break through for his first coveted victory at the picturesque dragstrip nestled in the Rocky Mountains. The win was his first of the 2021 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the 37th of his career.

“Congratulations to Matt Hagan for his first event title win at the Dodge//SRT Mile High Nationals presented by Pennzoil,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. “We’re proud of the defending Funny Car world champion and his Don Schumacher Racing team for bringing home the Wally trophy at an event that has meant so much to us for more than three decades.”  

Hagan felt the importance and exhilaration of winning for Dodge//SRT and Mopar brands at the Bandimere Speedway event at which they have held title rights for more than 32 years, the longest consecutive and active sponsorship in all of motorsports.

“Man, I tell you, this mountain has chewed me up and spit me out several years in a row and I’m just so glad to pull that win down for Dodge and SRT, and to do it behind the wheel of the Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car in front of so many passionate Dodge and Mopar fans is just something you definitely put extra pressure on yourself to do so when it happens it’s just that much more satisfying,” said Hagan, whose last win also came at another of his sponsor’s title events, the 2020 Dodge NHRA Finals Presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he secured his third Funny Car NHRA world championship. 

Hagan’s triumph at “thunder mountain” was earned with an opening round win over Chris King, a second round Bye run and an exciting side-by-side semifinal battle won against his fellow DSR HEMI®-powered teammate Ron Capps to face No.2 qualifier Alexis DeJoria in the final showdown. Hagan’s quick 0.046-second reaction time gave him the starting line advantage and he never looked back on his 4.105 sec./ 305.70 mph ride to victory.

“We finally got it done and I finally get to put this trophy up on the shelf,” added Hagan. “I’ve got to call out my guys and give them so much love. To watch them up here in the altitude wrenching and sweating. Those guys love doing what they do and they bust their ass for me. My heart was beating out of my chest up there during the finals and it felt like I was running for a championship. I had to remind myself to calm down, take a deep breath and just do what I do. It’s so cool when you do a burnout and see all of these fans in the stands; it genuinely gives me chill bumps. It feels amazing being back in the winner’s circle like we’re used to.”

With this win, Hagan will have his first career opportunity to attempt to sweep the “western swing” and now focuses his efforts to turning win lights on at the next two events in consecutive weeks at Sonoma and Pomona dragstrips in California.

“I’m not even thinking about ‘sweeping the Swing’ at this point,” said Hagan. “I just want to take it one race at a time, qualify well and take it round by round. Fuel Funny Cars are so unpredictable and that’s why this sport is so humbling. Every win light and every race win, you’re grateful for and we’re just going to keep moving forward.”

No. 4 qualifier Capps, who has personified consistency by qualifying his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the top-five at every national event so far this season, began his day against Terry Haddock for a third consecutive event. Capps defeated Haddock in the opening round for a second time in as many races to advance to a quarterfinals meeting with No. 5 seed John Force. In that match-up, Capps turned on the win lights with a 4.039-second run at 312.42 mph over his opponent, who lost traction early.  

That set up the mountainside showdown between the two DSR HEMI-powered teammates who had a stellar side-by-side run with the slight advantage going to Hagan, who had an early lead that he maintained to the finish to narrowly beat Capps’ straight-down-the-groove pass.

The Cruz Pedregon Racing team came into the weekend with high hopes of following up their Norwalk win with a strong performance at the uniquely challenging mile-high venue. Cruz Pedregon’s No. 9 qualifying position saw the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car line up against No. 6 seed Paul Lee and his HEMI-powered machine. While Pedregon was quicker off the start, he felt an issue begin to hamper his run and opted to click it off early to save efforts and equipment for the next two back-to-back events.

In Top Fuel action at the mile-high dragstrip, Leah Pruett qualified her DSR Dodge//SRT Redeye dragster 11th quickest to face off in the opening round against No. 4 seed Doug Kalitta. Pruett took advantage of Kalitta’s difficulties gaining traction off the start and, after wrangling her dragster slightly mid-track, crossed the finish with a 3.824-second pass at 316.45 mph to advance. As Pruett and her team prepared for their second round match up against No. 10 seed Joey Haas, a trail of oil following her burnout ended their hopes of going any further in Top Fuel eliminations. She did, however, have another opportunity to battle for a win as she pulled double duty by also getting behind the wheel of her 2021 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak this weekend.

The Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) series raced for the first time at the high altitude Denver dragstrip with both Pruett and teammate Mark Pawuk qualifying in the top half of the field with their Mopar Drag Paks.

From her No. 4 starting position, Pruett made two clean passes to defeat Waldemar Rodriguez and John Cerbone and advance to the semifinals. She then faced off against and defeated reigning FSS champ and current point leader Aaron Stanfield with an 8.259-second elapsed time run to take her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak to the final round for the first time this season. In that final matchup, Pruett and Stephen Bell were even on the start and continued racing deadlocked to the stripe, with Bell claiming victory with a narrow eight-thousandth of a second margin of victory.

Pawuk and his 2015 Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Drag Pak started the day from the No. 8 spot against No. 9 seed Joseph Welch, also in a 2015 Drag Pak. Pawuk took his Mopar machine for an 8.345-second run to beat his opponent’s 8.348-second pass. The quarterfinals found Pawuk lining up next to reigning series champion Stanfield. “The Cowboy” gave it a ride, keeping pace with his competitor until just ahead of the finish line when Stanfield pulled ahead for the narrow victory.

The NHRA’s three-race western swing continues next weekend at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California, on July 23-25 before capping off the consecutive weeks of racing with a return to the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, California, on July 20-Aug 1.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES

FUNNY CAR:

Matt Hagan, DSR Pennzoil Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye

(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.966 seconds at 319.22 mph) 

Round 1: (0.087-second reaction time, 4.045 seconds at 317.49 mph) defeats No. 14 Chris King (0.103 /6.222/100.34)

Round 2: (0.083/4.019/314.09) wins on a BYE run

Round 3: (0.071/4.022/314.53) defeats No. 4 Ron Capps (0.076/4.051/313.58)

Round 4: (0.046/4.105/305.70) defeats No. 2 Alexis DeJoria (0.089/4.227/297.68)

“Man, I tell you, this mountain has chewed me up and spit me out several years in a row, and I’m just so glad to pull that win down for Dodge SRT, and to do it behind the wheel of the Dodge//SRT Hellcat Funny Car in front of so many passionate Dodge and Mopar fans is just something you definitely put extra pressure on yourself to do, so when it happens it’s just that much more satisfying. We finally got it done, and I finally get to put this trophy up on the shelf.

“I’ve got to call out my guys, and give them so much love. To watch them up here in the altitude wrenching and sweating. Those guys love doing what they do, and they bust their ass for me. My heart was beating out of my chest up there during the finals and it felt like I was running for a championship. I had to remind myself to calm down, take a deep breath, and just do what I do. It’s so cool when you do a burnout and see all of these fans in the stands; it genuinely gives me chill bumps. It feels amazing being back in the winner’s circle like we’re used to.”

“Dickie Venables is the man. I’ve won so many races and two championships with him, and I just can’t say enough about him. He’s a good racer, and I’m so lucky to have him in my corner. We’re back, baby, definitely going to be doing more of this! The mountain is tough, you only get one shot a year in these types of conditions. We drag all of these different parts and pieces up here specifically for this race. Dickie works so hard, and he’s so good at his craft.”

Ron Capps, DSR NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.986 seconds at 318.09 mph)

Round 1: (0.076-second reaction time, 4.083 seconds at 317.12 mph) defeats No. 11 Terry Haddock (0.121/4.413/214.52)

Round 2: (0.060/4.039/312.42) defeats No. 5 John Force (0.053/4.376/226.47)

Round 3: (0.076/4.051/313.58) loss to No. 1 Matt Hagan (0.071/4.022/314.53)

“Just a great job by Guido (Dean Antonelli), (John) Medlen, and this whole NAPA AutoCare team. We always get pumped to run the blue chrome Pennzoil car. When you run these special schemes you surely want to do well and try to give your partners a Wally, and we came close today. Another fantastic qualifying job by this NAPA team; top five. That’s a heck of a streak to qualify in the top five at each race so far this year. This is a very grueling race track that will test and strain all of the parts, components, and lubricants through the most extreme conditions we will see all season. For us, it’s always fun to leave here with everything in one piece and running great. We have great oil from Pennzoil, and fantastic parts from NAPA and DSM, and I can’t say enough about the DSR shop guys who build this car. To come out with a new car and qualify well, and make it to the semis and nearly a final round is a good start to ‘the Swing.’ We’re headed to my two home tracks in the next two weeks at Sonoma and Pomona, and that excites me. I’m pumped to have the family come out and hang out with this new NAPA team I have.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 9 Qualifier – 4.074 seconds at 313.29 mph)

Round 1: (0.080-second reaction time, 4.843 seconds at 170.82 mph) loss to No. 6 Paul Lee (0.086/4.058/319.52)

“Obviously a little bit of a letdown. I felt like we had a really good shot at winning that first round but I got off the throttle because I felt the motor lean out and I didn’t want to do any more damage with two more back-to-back events. I’m just going to chalk this up as one of those Denver things. This place can be good to you or it can be really difficult. I feel proud of the work these guys have done and the positive progression we have made. I felt good all weekend. (Crew Chief) John Collins made some good calls but unfortunately, we just didn’t have enough runs.”

TOP FUEL:

Leah Pruett, DSR Pennzoil Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster  

(No. 11 Qualifier – 4.056 seconds at 249.49 mph)

Round 1: (0.121-second reaction time, 3.824 seconds at 316.45 mph) defeats No. 4 Doug Kalitta (0.064/7.384/108.12)

Round 2: (Did not start) loss to No. 10 Joey Haas (0.666/14.877/78.09)

“What a complex day of emotions, to say the least. Usually I like to reflect on my day thinking of Top Fuel and Factory Stock separately, but this weekend, it all runs together. I was going back-and-forth between the pits all weekend, up the stairs, down the stairs, warming up, just shifting gears all weekend long.

Winning first round of Top Fuel was great, and what this team needed. We put down a really solid .82 run and we would’ve even had top speed if we had made it all the way down to the finish line. Our Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster was exactly on the path that we wanted. Unfortunately, second round, we had a valve cover leak and it spilled some of that good Pennzoil on the track during the burnout. Just very unfortunate, and not how we wanted to show out at our sponsor’s event. We could easily be discouraged, but we’ve done our due diligence and we’ll keep our heads up, and keep dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s. We are resilient and we will get out of this hole, and that starts in Sonoma.”

FACTORY STOCK SHOOTOUT:

Leah Pruett, 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak 

(No. 4 Qualifier – 8.261 seconds at 167.24 mph)

Round 1: (0.070-second reaction time, 8.344 seconds at 166.25 mph) defeats No. 13 Waldemar Rodriguez (0.116/8.502/162.61)

Round 2: (0.29/8.290/166.05) defeats No. 5 John Cerbone (-0.006/8.385/160.88)

Round 3: (0.036/8.259/166.54) defeats No. 1 Aaron Stanfield (0.048/13.604/63.74)

Round 4: (0.053/8.265/166.48) loss to No. 3 Stephen Bell (0.051/8.259/164.79)

“Man, what a triumphant feeling to make it to the finals in Factory Stock. It’s been a small while since we visited the final round, and being competitive with the other manufacturers in our class, and the consistency that we had in eliminations today was so impressive. Testing last week was very important. We’ll continue to pick away at our sea-level tune-up, but to me, the most impressive thing is getting this new Drag Pak dialed-in and working very well. The car is responding, and it’s consistent. I haven’t been this excited about our program since we were so dominant in 2018. I had a ton of fun driving this Drag Pak this weekend. To go from such a disappointing second round exit in Top Fuel, to finding that inner strength, to wanting to chop the tree down, and the only thing I wanted to do was put on a win light, and I was able to do that with Factory Stock. I’m very blessed to be able to run in both categories and compete with two different teams. The power is in the numbers so, we’re going to keep putting in the hours and chasing those win lights, and they will come.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 8 Qualifier – 8.330 seconds at 164.73 mph)

Round 1: (0.058-second reaction time, 8.345 seconds at 164.81 mph) defeats No. 9 Joseph Welch (0.038/8.384/162.55)

Round 2: (0.058/8.286/165.50) loss to No. Aaron Stanfield (0.042/8.284/164.37) 

“Definitely a better weekend for our Empaco Equipment/Ohio CAT/Ohio Peterbilt/Mr. Heater Dodge Drag Pak. We qualified eighth and made it to the second round. It was a great race, and we were close on the reaction times. We lost on the E.T. by only two-thousandths of a second. We feel that we made huge progress this weekend and we’re very excited about the new members on our team. We’re looking forward to getting back down to sea level and continuing to make progress, and moving the program forward in Topeka. I want to congratulate my teammate Leah Pruett for going to the final. What a great race, and great weekend for Dodge and Don Schumacher Racing.”

NHRA Championship Points Standings:
Following the Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)
1. Bob Tasca III – 643 (2)

2. John Force – 593 (2)

3. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 558 (1)

4. J.R. Todd – 532 (1)5. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 529

6. Robert Hight – 517 (1)

7. Alexis DeJoria – 498

8. Tim Wilkerson– 477

9. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 450 (1)

10. Terry Haddock – 264

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)
1. Steve Torrance – 858 (5)

2. Antron Brown – 551(1)

3. Brittany Force – 505

4. Billy Torrence – 448 (1)

5. Shawn Langdon – 408

6. Mike Salinas – 395

7. Doug Kalitta – 367

8. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 362

9. Justin Ashley – 337

10. Clay Millican – 328
 
DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News
Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com. 

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers exceptional service, parts and customer care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, the brand expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com. 

July 18, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came up short in their gamble to win Sunday’s Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway but still scored an 11^th-place finish. It was the team’s third-straight finish of 11^th or better, coming after a 10^th-place finish at Road America and a ninth at Atlanta.

DiBenedetto started 14^th in Sunday’s race and was running 12^th when rains halted the show after just seven green-flag laps.

Once racing resumed after a one hour, 41-minute red-flag period, DiBenedetto worked his way forward and finished the first Stage in ninth place, earning two bonus points.

DiBenedetto ran just outside the top 10 for most of the second Stage and finished that segment in 12^th place.

The third and final Stage of the race saw drivers and race teams making their strategy plans to maximize their opportunities in the event the race was cut short because of darkness. There are no lights at New Hampshire and the long red-flag period meant the race likely wouldn’t run to the advertised distance. 

And the length of that segment of the race meant that no one could run to the finish without making a pit stop for fuel. NASCAR advised teams that if the race would be shortened, they would get a notice when there were 10 laps left to run.

DiBenedetto had worked his way up to ninth place when the leaders began making green-flag pit stops at Lap 250 of the scheduled 301. 

Crew chief Jonathan Hassler elected to leave DiBenedetto on the track, hoping for some yellow-flag laps that would have slowed the pace and potentially ended the race before he had to pit.

DiBenedetto took the lead on Lap 254 and held it for 20 laps but no caution flags flew, so he steered the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang to pit road for a splash of fuel and two fresh tires.

He rejoined the race in 14^th place and worked his way back to 11^th when darkness ended the race eight laps shy of the advertised distance.
 
DiBenedetto was upbeat afterwards, saying Sunday was another day to brag on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.
 
“We were a little off on handling to start with and had to crank on it some,” he said. “We made some good adjustments and would have had another top-10.” 
 
He said that if the team hadn’t gambled and run long on their final stop he believes he would have finished eighth, but he supported the decision to try for a race victory.
 
“It was a fair trade-off on the gamble,” he said. “And the decision to take two tires (on the final stop) was a great call.”
 
NASCAR is taking a two-week break during the Olympics before returning to action on Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen.
 
DiBenedetto, who is 17^th in the points standings with four races left in the regular season, said he’s glad to be on a roll heading into the off weeks.
 
“Every week we’re up there in the top 10,” he said. “It just shows how good this team is.”
 

Brian Henderson, Robert Noaker start from second row, leads in first half of race
Atlanta Speedwerks crew works overnight to prepare replacement #94 chassis; rewarded with eighth-place result for Scott Smithson and Ryan Eversley
VGMC falls victim to heat, steering issue in two-hour event

LAKEVILLE, CT (July 17, 2021) Winners of the last race in Watkins Glen, the #84 Atlanta Speedwerks team of Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson once again led the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge charge for Honda at Lime Rock Park.

Henderson qualified third in his Honda Civic Type R TCR and led for 30 laps during the first half of the two-hour race. The team made a bold strategy call, leaving Henderson out longer than the other front-runners before making their scheduled pit stop and driver change.

Unfortunately for the team, the gamble did not pay off, and Henderson fell back as the tires began to degrade. He eventually brought the #84 down pit lane and handed over to co-driver Noaker who would finish sixth.

The sister Atlanta Speedwerks #94 Honda Civic Type R TCR of Ryan Eversley and Scott Smithson had a fraught weekend, with the team working overnight to build up a spare chassis for the race following a crash in the second practice.

Starting from the pit lane, and incurring a drive-through penalty for their pit lane start, Smithson and Eversley raced from the very back of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge field to finish eighth at the flag. The Herculean effort by the team enabled Eversley to maintain his second-place position in the championship point standings.

The VGMC Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR was one of several cars during the event that fell victim to the heat and attrition on a 90-plus degree day in Connecticut. After a strong start by Victor Gonzales, a power steering failure late in the race for co-driver Karl Wittmer made driving the #88 too strenuous in the afternoon heat and humidity.

Lime Rock Park 120 Honda TCR Race Results
6th – #84 Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
8th – #94 Ryan Eversley and Todd Lamb, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
9th – #88 Victor Gonzalez and Karl Wittmer, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR – Not running

Quotes
Brian Henderson (#84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), started third, finished sixth: “All things considered, sixth place is okay, we’re pretty happy. We’re trying to keep that momentum from Watkins Glen, where we got those pair of wins. The beginning of the race went pretty well, we were able to take the lead and stay out front for a while. With the added weight [through a Balance of Performance change following Watkins Glen], we definitely encountered tire wear on the left front during the race, that got the best of us. But we’ll rally for the next one at Road America.””

Ryan Eversley (#94 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR), started from pit lane, finished eighth: “I mean, we got a top-10, so I’m happy about that. Unfortunately, the #77 [championship rivals Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis] won, so now we’re really going to be scrapping for the championship. But we wouldn’t even have been out there today without the incredibly hard work, an all-nighter, really, from the Atlanta Speedwerks guys. To be able to come back with a top-10 with a spare car built up overnight—that never saw the setup pad—I was really happy with the pace we had today. As always, thanks to Honda and HPD for their support.”

Next
The MICHELIN Pilot Challenge heads to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin to contest the Road America 120 on August 6-7.

HPD has three ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, and culminates with the no-compromise, championship-winning Civic Type R TCR race car. Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring

Honda Racing social media content and videos from this weekend’s race at Lime Rock Park are available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

July 18, 2021 Jim Allen

(7/19/21) Sacramento, CA … This weekend brings the second doubleheader of the 2021 NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car campaign with the “Chris and Brian Faria Memorial” at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway kicking off two nights of racing on Friday, July 23rd. The following night, July 24th, showcases the “Winged Madness” night at Nipomo’s Santa Maria Raceway, in an event that will feature a Wheelie Contest.

Friday’s event in Tulare honors the two brothers of the Faria family. Chris showed promise as a racer before sadly losing his life in a farming incident in 1993. Brian helped with the operation of the Thunderbowl before he passed in an automobile accident in 2006.

Saturday’s show not only offers a full program of NARC-KWS action at Santa Maria, but also what is sure to be a thrilling Hammerdown!/Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash Wheelie Contest. Having made a habit of taking checkered flags with the front end aimed at the sky, Tim Kaeding must be the early favorite. However, he’ll have some stout competition in pursuit of the $1,000 prize.

On Friday at Tulare the NARC-KWS 410 Sprint Cars will be joined by the Kings of Thunder Winged 360 Sprint Cars and Western RaceSaver Sprints. On Saturday at Santa Maria RaceSaver Winged Sprints, Winged California Lightning Sprints and the Legends of Kearney Bowl are also on the card.

Both events should combine to provide a must-see weekend of racing. The Thunderbowl is known to provide some of the most intense, high-velocity action on the schedule. May’s Peter Murphy Classic in Tulare featured a slider-fest to decide the outcome. Santa Maria’s most recent race in 2019 saw three different leaders and an exciting final lead change with only two laps left.

Heading into the weekend, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding is looking to rebound after an Ocean Speedway DNF trimmed his point lead to just one marker. Tulare should be a place to get the 2017 titlist back on track. Kaeding has eleven top-5s in his last twelve series starts at the Thunderbowl and led the opening 23-laps of this year’s Peter Murphy Classic. Bud also scored a solid third place finish in the series’ most recent visit to Santa Maria.

The reigning series champ DJ Netto should be up front both nights as he looks to jump from third to first in the points podium. The Hanford native carries a streak of twelve consecutive series top-10s at the Thunderbowl and earned his first career series victory at the 3/8ths mile in the 2015 Faria Memorial. He’s also scored top-5s in the last two series appearances at Santa Maria.

A preview for these two facilities cannot go without mention of Dominic Scelzi. The driver out of Fresno has four Thunderbowl victories this year including an $11,000 NARC-KWS triumph as part of his Peter Murphy Classic sweep in May. Scelzi also took home the win the last time NARC visited Santa Maria in 2019. He’s just a single point behind Bud Kaeding in the championship chase heading into the weekend.

The trio above are just a few who will be on hand this weekend. Other expected entries include two time feature winner in 2021 and two time series titlist Tim Kaeding of San Jose, Aromas’ Justin Sanders, Tarlton Motorsports pilot Corey Day, Mitchell Faccinto from Hanford, Morgan Hill driver JJ Ringo, Ryan Robinson of Foresthill, Willie Croft, Billy Aton, Kenny Allen and more.

The NARC King of the West Hoosier Tire format for both events will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, three 10-lap Brown and Miller Racing Solutions Heat Races, a 6-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, and the Fujitsu 30-lap feature.

For the Chris and Brian Faria Memorial at Tulare, the gates will open at 4:00 P.M. Hot laps are set for 5:00 P.M., qualifying at 6:00 P.M. and racing at 7:00 P.M. Pit passes are $40. Adult tickets for the main grandstands are $25 and the bleachers are $20. Seniors can access the grandstands for $23 and the bleachers for $18. Kids 6-12 grandstands tickets are only $13 and the bleachers are $10. Kids 5 and under are free.

For the Winged Madness event at Santa Maria, the pit gates will open at 1:00 P.M., and the front gates will follow at 4:00 P.M. The price for adult tickets is $30. Seniors will be admitted for $28. Kids 6-12 can get in for just $6. Kids 5 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online via the track’s website: santamariaraceway.com.

Both events can be viewed live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car schedule.

The Thunderbowl Raceway is located on the Tulare County Fairgrounds at 620 S K St, Tulare, CA 93274. For more information call (559) 688-0909.

Santa Maria Raceway is located at 1900 Hutton Road, Nipomo, CA 93444. For more information call (805) 710-4407.

NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After seven events in 21-race series 7/19/21)

1. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 771
2. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 770
3. DJ Netto, Hanford – 767
4. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 748
5. Sean Becker, Roseville – 741
6. Billy Aton, Benicia (R) – 738
7. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 730
8. Sean Watts, Clovis – 719
9. Kenny Allen, Chico – 583
10. Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 560
11. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 525
12. Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA – 524
13. Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol (R) – 518
14. Kyle Offill, Tracy (R) – 481
15. Geoffrey Strole, Hanford (R) – 475
16. Kyle Hirst, Paradise – 427
17. Willie Croft, Colfax – 421
18. Mitchel Moles, Raisin City – 397
19. Ryan Robinson, Foresthill (R) – 322
20. Blake Carrick, Lincoln – 320

NASCAR CUP SERIES,NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY,FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES, JULY 18, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER7th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE8th      ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE 9th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 13th    TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT #WEDIGLANDSCAPING CAMARO ZL1 1LE 15th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER/DAWN CAMARO ZL1 1LE  TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Aric Almirola (Ford)2nd     Christopher Bell (Toyota)3rd      Brad Keselowski (Ford)4th      Joey Logano (Ford)5th      Ryan Blaney (Ford)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Watkins Glen International for the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday, August 8, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7thSOLID DAY ALL AROUND. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU NEEDED THERE AT THE END OR THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO MAKE GAINS? “I think we just needed grip. I was just a little bit too free. Once we finally got some grip in it, my long run kind of faded a little bit. My team made some improvements, so that was good. I feel like with the improvements, we probably finished a spot or two better than we maybe would have before. It’s good to get the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE back into the top-10.” 
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th“Eighth-place here at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1 1LE ran in the top-10, right around sixth to tenth, all day long. We executed on a green flag pit stop there at the end to bring our Chevrolet home right behind Kyle (Larson).”
“We want to be better; but a nice, solid, pretty uneventful day. I got to race around my teammate (Kurt Busch) a few times. It was good stuff. Onto the next one.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th “Top-10 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the No. 48 Ally team; we’ll take it. We typically aren’t good here, so a ninth-place finish is pretty good for us. It’s a good improvement versus the last couple of times we’ve been here. I only raced one race car today, which was fantastic. I’ve raced three race cars here before, so we’re doing what we can on the Ally Camaro. Not a bad day.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT #WEDIGLANDSCAPING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th“Our No. 8 Caterpillar #WeDigLandscaping Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was really strong today. I told Randall (Burnett) and the guys during the red flag that our car was sporty and could be in contention at the end. The handling built free during a long run, but it wasn’t unbearable or hurt us in any way. We barely adjusted on the handling during the race which is a sign of a really fast race car. We had to overcome a few different things – overshooting the pit stall and scrubbing the wall – but even though that cost us track position, I steadily worked my way back up inside the top-10. There were a few different strategies in play at the end when we were racing against the darkness. I hate we didn’t get to run the full distance, because I think we could have finished better than 13th. As we get closer to the playoff cutoff though, we will need to have a clean race and get a win to secure our spot. I know our team can do it and we will keep battling.” 
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 17th“It was an intense day to say the least in our No. 3 Chevy at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. We battled weather, ill-timed cautions and darkness. We started the race a little tight rolling through the center of Turns 3 and 4 but routine adjustments really helped the handling of our Chevy. In Stage 2, the caution flag came out while we were on pit road, pinning us one lap down. I’m proud of this team for giving me what I needed to race our way into position for the free pass. I wish we could have earned some Stage Points today and finished a little higher in the running order, but I know we gave it our all and that is just how it goes sometimes. There’s a lot of fight left in this team so don’t count us out of the NASCAR Playoffs battle yet. We’ll take these next few off weekends to regroup before Watkins Glen.”

DENVER (July 18, 2021) — Racing for his second NHRA Mile-High Nationals title this weekend had veteran driver Tim Wilkerson and the Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Shelby Mustang focused on consistent performance on the mountainside at Bandimere Speedway. Through three rounds of qualifying Wilkerson guided his team to improved performance every session. The LRS Summit Racing Shelby Mustang Funny Car picked up four qualifying bonus points for making the third quickest run of the second session and the quickest run of the final qualifying run. For his efforts Wilkerson was rewarded with the No. 3 qualifier and first round match-up with veteran Jim Campbell.

In the first round Wilkerson and Campbell both executed burnouts but before Campbell could stage he was shut off affording Wilkerson a single run to advance to the quarterfinals. The LRS Summit Racing Mustang Funny Car took nothing for granted posting a strong 3.996 second run at 322.88 mph.

 In round two Wilkerson drew another tough competitor facing Paul Lee. Once again Wilkerson was a winner before he moved off the starting line as Lee jumped the start earning a red-light and disqualification. Wilkerson made a good run in the heat of the day earning his second win light with a 4.252 second pass.

The semifinals had Wilkerson, the No. 3 qualifier, squaring off with No. 2 qualifier Alexis DeJoria. Both race cars had been consistently strong throughout the day. When the starting line tree activated both car jumped off the starting line but Wilkerson smoked the tires and was forced to watch as DeJoria pulled away for the win. It was a tough end to a promising day for the Springfield, Illinois, team owner, crew chief and driver.

“Racing up here on the mountain is always tough but I like the challenge,” said Wilkerson, who is one of the few NHRA competitors who tunes and drives at this level. “I have a lot of great partners on this race car most importantly Levi, Ray & Shoup and Summit Racing. We are giving it our best every weekend and we had a pretty good day today. I will be glad to get to sea level in Sonoma because I know this Mustang can run with anyone out here.” 

The Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Funny Car will leave Denver solidly in the top ten with the Sonoma Nationals on the horizon next weekend followed by the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. 

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION DODGE/SRT MILE-HIGH NHRA NATIONALSBANDIMERE SPEEDWAY IN MORRISON, COLORADOJULY 18, 2021                                                                                                    Chevrolet moves to second leg of Western Swing • Brittany Force sets track record in recording third No. 1 qualifier• Stephen Bell wins Factory Stock Showdown in COPO CamaroMORRISON, Colo. (July 18, 2021) – There won’t be a sweep of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Western Swing for John Force Racing in 2021, but the three-car team started the series of three races in three weeks with solid efforts at Bandimere Speedway. 
Brittany Force reset the track Top Fuel elapsed time record with a pass of 3.717 seconds in the Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster to earn her third No. 1 qualifier honor of the season, 21st of her career and first at the strip.Bandimere Speedway is the 18th different track at which Force has qualified No. 1 and it is the ninth track where she holds the elapsed time record. Force won her first-round match but fell in the second round by a scant four-thousandths of a second.
“Leaving Mile-High Nationals in third (in standings) and on a high note. This Monster Energy team picked up another No. 1 qualifier, a track record and six qualifying bonus points,” she said. “This weekend is not slowing us down. It’s only pushing us to the edge of wanting it more.”
Teammate and team patriarch John Force, an eight-time winner at the mountain venue, lost in the second round of Funny Car competition. Force, a two-time winner this season, was the No. 5 qualifier in the PEAK/BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS.
In the first round, Force dispatched teammate Robert Hight, the No. 10 qualifier in the Auto Club of Southern California Camaro SS. Hight is a four-time winner at the strip southwest of Denver.
“It sucks racing a teammate; you’re supposed to do that at end of the day,” Force’s crew chief, Danny Hood, said. “We had to get after it because you know Jimmy (Prock, Hight’s crew chief) is going to do the same.”
John Force is the only Funny Car driver to sweep the Western Swing, earning the distinction in 1994. John Force Racing has a combined sweep to its credit in 2016 when Hight won in Denver, Courtney Force prevailed in Sonoma and John Force wrapped up the victory in Seattle.
Chevrolet Pro Stock drivers will rejoin the schedule July 23-25 at Sonoma Raceway in California for the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Greg Anderson sits atop the standings with reigning champion Erica Enders in second. Both have two wins. FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 4 p.m. ET July 25.
Stephen Bell, driving the Stanfield Racing Engines Chevrolet COPO Camaro, won the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown final. A COPO Camaro has won three of the four events this season.
Scott Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois, advanced to the semifinals of Super Stock in his COPO Camaro.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/ FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier, fell in second round): “Leaving Mile-High Nationals in third (in standings) and on a high note. This Monster Energy team picked up another No. 1 qualifier, a track record and six qualifying bonus points. We hit our marks, our numbers. The team did their job, I did my job, and the car did exactly what we wanted it to do. We just got beat. It was a great drag race for the fans. This weekend is not slowing us down. It’s only pushing us to the edge of wanting it more.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier, fell in second round): “The mountain is always as struggle for any team coming up here with the altitude. But this PEAK/BlueDEF team survived it. Only went a couple rounds but still good. Now we go down to Sonoma, and we’ll see how that goes. I’m happy with this team, young team, to me at least. They’re really good, really coming around with Daniel Hood and Tim Fabrisi and Joe Barlam. I’m really enjoying being with these guys.” 
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 10 qualifier, fell in first round to John Force): “Little bit of a rocky weekend for the Auto Club team. We’re used to getting after it and we just missed it a couple times whit weekend. Luckily, we are right on to the next race, and we can turn things around. Sonoma has been good to this team in the past. Hopefully, that’s the case this year, too.”

July 18, 2021 Jim Allen

(7/17/21 – Jim Allen) Watsonville, CA … Sean Becker survived a wild sprint car “Battle Royale” at Saturday’s Howard Kaeding Classic to claim the coveted $6900 victory in NARC King of the West Fujitsu Racing Series action at Ocean Speedway.   His winning efforts in the 30-lapper came aboard the David Vertullo Starr Property Management/Morrison Concrete #83V sprint car.

This premier headliner was loaded with mayhem that effectively reeled in and damaged half the 24-car field in one form or another during three red flag and five caution periods.  Luckily nobody was injured.

Australian Jessie Attard set the tone on the initial green flag pursued by Becker, Shane Golobic and fast qualifier Tim Kaeding who were battling position.  The action came to a halt just as things were getting interesting when the caution came out on the sixth circuit for a stopped car.  When action resumed, Golobic got past Attard and paced the field for two laps before the yellow flag appeared once again for a another stalled car.

On the ensuing restart, things went bad when Golobic’s right rear tire gave way initiating a massive pile up in the second turn.   Among those involved were Willie Croft, Tim Kaeding, Justin Sanders, Dominic Scelzi, Kyle Hirst, Ryan Bernal, Kalib Henry and DJ Netto.  Most teams scrambled to make makeshift repairs and returned to action.  Unfortunately, Tim Kaeding would bring out the red again on the restart when he flipped hard into the front straightaway concrete.  He was shaken but walked away under his own power.

It was Becker’s turn to lead and he didn’t waste the opportunity, jumping out to a healthy advantage as Attard, Sunnyvalley Dash winner Corey Day, and Mitchell Faccinto traded jabs behind him.  Another caution appeared on lap 14 when JJ Ringo turned over in the first corner while Attard, Joey Ancona, Sanders and series point leader Bud Kaeding crashed in another turn two tangle.  Those five cars were done for the night.

Becker once again shot out into the lead, now chased by ninth starter Tanner Carrick and Mitchell Faccinto.  The frontrunners reached slower traffic on lap 21 and Becker’s advantage began to shrink as Carrick began to reel him in.  However, Becker expertly negotiated his was through slower cars and held on for a three-car length victory.  It was his 11th King of the West win for the 2005 champion.

“I’m so excited to finally win one for this team,” said a fired-up Sean Becker after jumping out of his car and climbing the front straightaway fence much to the delight of the capacity crowd.  “We’ve worked really hard and I’m glad they didn’t give up on me.”

It was car owner Dave Vertullo’s first King of the West win since 2012.

Carrick was $3000 richer in second aboard his CVC Concrete Sprinter, with Faccinto filling up the rest of the podium in the Stan Greenberg Western Metal Company ride.  Eighteenth starter Blake Carrick survived the mid-pack carnage to finish fourth and collect the $650 Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger Award.  Ryan Bernal rebounded from his earlier accident to score fifth in the NOS Energy sprint car.

The second five to cross the checkered was 20th starter Bill Aton, Keith Day Jr., four-time series champ Hirst, Kalib Henry, and Scelzi.

FUJITSU FEATURE EVENT (30 laps)   83V – Sean Becker, 83T – Tanner Carrick, 37 – Mitchell Faccinto, 38B – Blake Carrick, 17WX – Ryan Bernal, 26 – Billy Aton, 22 – Keith Day Jr, 0 – Kyle Hirst, 17W – Shane Golobic, 93 – Kalib Henry, 41 – Dominic Scelzi, 72W – Kurt Nelson, 88N – DJ Netto, 21 – Corey Day, 98 – Sean Watts, 76 – Kenny Allen, 53 – Jessie Attard, 69 – Bud Kaeding, 88A – Joey Ancona, 16A – Justin Sanders, 2 – JJ Ringo, 42X – Tim Kaeding, 29 – Willie Croft, 8 – Jeremy Chisum.

HOOSIER TIRE LAPS LEADERS:   Attard 1-6, Golobic 7-8, Becker 9-30.

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER:  Blake Carrick – 18th to 4th

ARP QUICK QUALIFIER (28 Cars) – Tim Kaeding – 11.115 seconds

BROWN & MILLER HEAT RACE #1 (10 laps):   Tim Kaeding, Jessie Attard, Dominic Scelzi, Billy Aton, Bud Kaeding, Chris Nelson, Sean Watts

FUJITSU GENERAL USA HEAT RACE #2 (10 laps):  Ryan Bernal, Justin Sanders, Sean Becker, Tanner Carrick, Joey Ancona, Geoffrey Strole, Kurt Nelson

FLORACING.COM HEAT RACE #3 (10 laps):  Kyle Hirst, Willie Croft, DJ Netto, Corey Day, Kalib Henry, Jeremy Chisum, Jason Chisum

KAEDING PERFORMANCE CENTER #4 (10 laps):  JJ Ringo, Shane Golobic, Mitchell Faccinto, Blake Carrick, Keith Day Jr., Mark Barroso, Kenny Allen

SUNNY VALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” DASH (6 laps):  Corey Day, Jessie Attard, Shane Golobic, Sean Becker, Ryan Bernal, Tim Kaeding

KAEDING PERFORMANCE CENTER SEMI (12 laps): Sean Watts, Kurt Nelson, Jeremy Chisum, Kenny Allen, Geoffrey Strole, Chris Nelson, Mark Barroso, Jason Chisum.

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·        Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car driver Matt Hagan secured No.1 qualifier honors at the Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at Bandimere Speedway near Denver

·        Hagan earned the top spot on the Funny Car eliminations ladder by driving his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye to the top of the timing sheets in two of three qualifying sessions 

·        DSR Funny Car pilot Ron Capps qualified No. 4 aboard his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat on Thunder Mountain and will start from a top-five position on the eliminations ladder for the eighth consecutive national event this season

·        Cruz Pedregon and his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat set the third quickest run of the final Funny Car qualifying session and will start from the No. 9 spot for Sunday’s contest

·        Top Fuel DSR pilot Leah Pruett posted her best run of the weekend in the final qualifying session to put her Dodge//SRT Redeye dragster 11th of the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s contest at the Rocky Mountains venue

·        In Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) action Pruett and teammate Mark Pawuk both qualified their Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak in the top half of the field for the eight-race series’ first eliminations at Bandimere Speedway

July 17, 2021, Morrison, Colorado – Matt Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye to the top of “thunder mountain” and the Funny Car timing sheets to earn the No. 1 qualifier position for Sunday’s Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals Presented by Pennzoil, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series event held near Denver, Colorado, at the picturesque Bandimere Speedway. Sunday’s national event at the Rocky Mountains venue will be Dodge//SRT and Mopar brands 32nd as title sponsors, the longest consecutive and active sponsorship in all of motorsports.

Hagan secured his second top-qualifier honor of the 2021 NHRA season and the 42nd of his career with his 3.966-second pass at 319.22 mph on Friday under the lights. The three-time NHRA Funny Car world champion collected a total of six bonus points by posting the quickest pass in two of three qualifying sessions with his Mopar machine. He’ll begin pursuit of the coveted Wally trophy at his sponsor’s long-time headline national event with a first round match-up against No. 14 qualifier and rookie Chris King.

Running alongside Hagan in the adjacent lane for all three sessions was DSR teammate Ron Capps who qualified his HEMI®-powered Funny Car in the top-five for an eighth consecutive event this year. He drove his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the No. 4 spot on the eliminations ladder with his 3.986 second pass at 318.09 mph from Friday which earned him a bonus point for setting the third quickest run of Q1. Capps will have No. 11 seed Terry Haddock in the lane next to him for the opening round of eliminations.

Fresh off a win at the previous event, the Pedregon Racing team headed into the final qualifying session without a baseline run but gave their driver and team owner Cruz Pedregon exactly what he needed to post the third quickest run of the session and earn a bonus point. His Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat ran a solid 4.074 sec./313.29 mph to position him in ninth place overall and pair him up with No. 6 seed Paul Lee on Sunday morning.

In Top Fuel action, DSR Dodge//SRT Redeye dragster pilot Leah Pruett had her best run in Saturday night’s final qualifying session under the lights at the Rocky Mountain dragstrip with a 4.056-second elapsed time run at 249.49 mph to put her 11th on the eliminations ladder where she will start her race day battling No. 4 qualifier Doug Kalitta.

Pruett also pulled double duty for a fourth time this season by taking the wheel of her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak for the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) series debut this weekend at Denver. Both Pruett and her teammate Mark Pawuk had four qualifying runs to get their race cars running to their liking and successfully qualified them in the top half of the field for Sunday’s contest. 

With a solid final pass, Pruett drove her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak to the fourth quickest pass in FSS qualifying with an 8.261-second elapsed time run at 167.24 mph to set up a meeting with No. 13 Waldemar Rodriguez in the opening round. 

Pawuk and his Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger had their best run in Q2 with an 8.330-second pass at 164.73 mph. They ended up eighth on the ladder and will see No. 9 seed Joseph Welch in the first round of FSS competition.

The Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals Presented by Pennzoil will be live streamed via NHRA.TV with FS1 providing qualifying highlights on Sunday, July 18, from 3-4 p.m. Eastern, and coverage of Sunday’s elimination rounds from 4-7 p.m. Eastern. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES

FUNNY CAR:

Matt Hagan, DSR Pennzoil Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye

(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.966 seconds at 319.22 mph) 

Qualifying 1: 3.966 sec./319.22 mph (3 bonus point for quickest of session)

Qualifying 2: 4.007 sec./315.64 mph (3 bonus point for quickest of session)

Qualifying 3: 7.563 sec./ 89.45 mph (7th)

“This Mopar Dodge SRT crew really put a great car underneath me during qualifying this weekend and we’re sitting No. 1 going into race day. Dickie (Venables) and Mike (Knudsen) and Alex (Conaway) are doing a great job and mesh so well together. It’s a great feeling to be No. 1 for your sponsor with Dodge and SRT and Mopar at their event driving the Dodge flagship car. I hope it puts a smile on their faces. We’re always pushing and learning and I’m excited about tomorrow. I’ve never won here on Thunder Mountain and we want to check this one off the box and keep moving forward and up in the points chase. I’m very confident in Dickie and this team on race day.”

“We’ve got to go rounds. There’s no doubt about it. We’ll take that No. 1 qualifier now and take that momentum into race day tomorrow. This Hellcat is running strong, man. It was running so strong that on that last run the rear was trying to pass the front end. We were just trying to go after it a little bit too hard but we didn’t have anything to lose. It was one of those things where (Crew Chief) Dickie Venables crawled into the box and does what he does. He tunes it up. I know he’s going to do that tomorrow and I cannot wait to put on a show here for all these fans here in Denver. It’s going to be awesome.”

Ron Capps, DSR NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.986 seconds at 318.09 mph)

Qualifying 1: 3.986 sec./318.09 mph (1 bonus point for third quickest of session)

Qualifying 2: 4.050 sec./314.39 mph (5th)

Qualifying 3: 7.300 sec./92.53 (6th)

“This race is unique because of the two-night qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday night. It’s a whole new game on race day. It’s going to be different conditions, temperatures and this is when we rely on the NAPA Know How that I always talk about with our crew chiefs, Guido (Dean Antonelli) and John Medlen, for Pennzoil and NAPA. It’s going to be a lot of fun to wake up, come here in the sun and race in front of these great fans. The grandstands have been absolutely packed. These Dodge//SRT Mile-High fans are crazy and we love that and I’m aiming to get back in the winner’s circle here at Denver.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 9 Qualifier – 4.074 seconds at 313.29 mph)

Qualifying 1:  7.657 sec./82.65 mph (10th)

Qualifying 2: 8.695 sec./81.36 mph (12th)

Qualifying 3: 4.074 sec./313.29 mph (1 bonus point for third quickest of session)

“I was third quickest in the last session and I was really looking for a three-second run this weekend but it seems like if you get behind here it’s really tricky up here on the mountain. If you miss (getting a good run in) early, it’s kind of tough to come back to that, but I’m sure (Crew Chief) John Collins and the guys will get it tuned. The thing you got to think about is we don’t race at night and we’ll come out here tomorrow at 11:30 am when it’ll be sunshine and bright, and completely different set-up. That was a good run to get us in the field solidly and the Snap-on Dodge will be ready for tomorrow.” 

TOP FUEL:

Leah Pruett, DSR Pennzoil Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster  

(No. 11 Qualifier – 4.056 seconds at 249.49 mph)

Qualifying 1: No Time

Qualifying 2: 4.150 sec./234.45 mph (7th)

Qualifying 3: 4.056 sec./249.49 mph (10th)

“We had mile-high expectations for this Dodge//SRT team this weekend coming into Denver. Friday was the time to lay it down and what’s been happening with our cars is a number of odd problems that we have been fixing along the way. We had a bolt breakage on Friday night so we did not get to have the one very important baseline run on the mountain. That put us behind and we put a couple of solid runs down today, but we’re a little behind with our fueling with dropped cylinders. We want to be on top of the mountain tomorrow. We’ve been there before here. We have tough competition in the first round with (Doug) Kalitta. For us, just going one round at a time is super important. I feel like the amazing fan energy and our Mopar muscle is going to take us to where we want to be tomorrow and that’s holding the bronze ‘Wally’ trophy.”

FACTORY STOCK SHOOTOUT:

Leah Pruett, 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak 

(No. 4 Qualifier – 8.261 seconds at 167.24 mph)

Qualifying 1: 8.991 sec. / 154.21 mph

Qualifying 2: 11.831 sec./ 78.16 mph

Qualifying 3: 8.417 sec. /165.80 mph

Qualifying 4:  8.261 sec./167.24 (4th)

“We’ve really been working hard the past few weeks with setups and testing these two Drag Pak Challengers with setups and between Mark’s car and mine we’ve been working with some different parts and we’re still figuring out the configuration with this new 2021 Drag Pak with the shocks and suspension and transitions and transfer. So far, it seems like the tune-up is working and that’s kudos to the work the team did with testing. I’ve never been so happy with an 8.26 and that puts us fourth in the field against some stout heavy hitters. This is what we expect of this Mopar team, to dig deep and find some gold here on the mountain.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 8 Qualifier – 8.330 seconds at 164.73 mph)

Qualifying 1: 8.381 sec. / 164.75 mph (3rd)

Qualifying 2: 8.330 sec. / 164.73 mph

Qualifying 3: 8.348 sec. / 164.77 mph

Qualifying 4: 11.398 sec./104.26 mph

“As tough as it is to race here because of the high altitude, the Bandimere family does a fabulous job with this facility. It reminds me a lot of Norwalk, Ohio, with a family-run operation. We saw a huge crowd last night and tonight, and I’m very happy and thankful for the fans. We tested here last week prior to this race and made three good runs in qualifying and really went for it tonight, but it overpowered the track and spun the tires and that knocked me down three spots. We’re still in the top half of the field and looking to have a good, long day on Sunday at the Dodge//SRT Mile-High Nationals.”
 
DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News
Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com. 

Lightning, impending weather halt Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park
Mario Farnbacher and Jeff Kingsley lead Acura results with ninth-place finish

LIME ROCK, CT. (July 17, 2021) – Lightning and threatening weather conditions forced IMSA race officials to call today’s Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park with just under 30 minutes to go in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT class-only contest.

The red flag waved with one hour, 10 minutes remaining in the two hour, 40-minute contest, just as GTD category teams were nearing their final scheduled pit stops. Multiple lightning strikes in the Lime Rock area continued under the red flag, as the race clock continued to run and approaching thunderstorms then led officials to call the race.

Mario Farnbacher and Jeff Kingsley led the way for Acura in their Compass Racing NSX GT3 Evo, making up one position just after the first round of pit stops to end the day 9th in GTD.

IMSA Northeast Grand Prix Acura GTD Race Results
9th GTD – #76 Jeff Kingsley, Mario Farnbacher, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
11th GTD – #66 Till Bechtolsheimer, Marc Miller, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
13th GTD – #44 John Potter, Andy Lally, Magnus Racing with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo

Quotes
Mario Farnbacher (#76 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) Started 10th, finished 9th: “I’m just disappointed, for myself, for the team and for the fans. We had a huge crowd here this weekend, but the weather prevented us from putting on a proper race for them. I was actually hoping for some rain, as I think we have a very good wet weather car and would have made up a bunch of positions. I understand that the safety of the fans and race workers comes first, but it’s just an unfortunate result for everyone.”

Marc Miller (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) Started 9th, finished 11th: “I think we had a fast car. We just didn’t get the track position we needed. If the race had resumed, I think we would’ve been in a really good position, as we needed just a splash [of fuel] at our final stop to get us to the end. I think we could’ve made up a lot of position in the final round of [pit] stops. We were hoping to make it a good show at the end of the race, but didn’t get the opportunity.”

Fast Fact
Saturday’s two-hour, 40-minute Northeast Grand Prix was the first of two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship stand-alone events for the production-based GTLM and GTD classes. The second GT-only race will take place at Virginia International Raceway in October.

NEXT
The full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field returns for the next race on the schedule, the August 6-8 IMSA Sports Car Weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.