Drivers of the Chevrolet Camaro SS, COPO Camaro contribute to season success

DETROIT (Nov. 15, 2022) – Chevrolet has been recognized as the top manufacturer in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) for the record-extending 27th time. The award was presented Nov. 14 during the NHRA Awards Ceremony in Temecula, California. It is the sixth consecutive year and eighth time in the past 10 seasons that Chevrolet has won the award presented to the automobile manufacturer whose current-year models earn the most points for qualifying and category victories at NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series regional and divisional events.

Points are awarded to entries in Funny Car, Pro Stock, Super Stock and Stock Eliminator classes, plus the Constant Aviation NHRA Factory Stock Showdown series. Points accumulated by Chevrolet Camaro SS and Chevrolet COPO Camaro drivers in the professional and Sportsman classes were more than triple the closest manufacturer. Chevrolet first earned the award in 1966, and no other manufacturer has won it more times. GM brands Oldsmobile and Pontiac combined to win 24 titles between 1971 and 2006.“I’m so proud of the hard work by the Chevrolet teams that delivered valuable points toward the Manufacturers Championship again this year,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president, Performance and Motorsports. “Thanks to the owners, drivers and crews in the professional classes and Sportsman classes for another year of high-performance results every time they showed up at the track.”

Erica Enders earned her fifth NHRA Pro Stock world championship — all with Chevrolet — by driving the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS to a career-best 10 victories and three runner-up finishes in the 19 races. “I remember when Erica won her first race at Route 66 Raceway in July of 2012,” Campbell said. “We had the opportunity to celebrate that milestone win at SEMA later that year. Since that first one, she’s added 42 more wins and five championships. She’s an inspiration to so many drag racing fans.”  Chevrolet has amassed 18 Pro Stock driver championships and 366 victories, including 247 with the Camaro nameplate. Aaron Stanfield, Dallas Glenn, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Greg Anderson also visited the winner’s circle as competitors won every race driving a Chevrolet Camaro SS. Anderson, who has driven a GM product to five Pro Stock championships, became the second driver in the professional classes to reach 100 wins and won the season finale for No. 101. John Force with 155 Funny Car victories is the all-time leader. Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso was voted the NHRA Rookie of the Year. It is the second year in a row in which a Chevrolet driver has received the award and third time in the past four years. Dallas Glenn of KB Racing won in ’21 and Austin Prock of John Force Racing won in ‘19. David Barton of Reading, Pennsylvania, driving the Saw Mill Auto Chevrolet COPO Camaro, claimed the Constant Aviation NHRA Factory Stock Showdown series title for the second time. Drivers of the COPO Camaro won five of the eight races, including three by Barton and one each by two-time champion Aaron Stanfield and Len Lottig. Chevrolet has won the past three championships. “It’s been an incredible season with driver championships in Top Fuel, Pro Stock and the Factory Stock Showdown combined with winning the Manufacturers Cup,” Campbell said. Funny Car drivers Robert Hight and John Force made important points contributions to the Manufacturers Cup championship. Hight, driving the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, amassed a career-high eight victories and six top qualifier honors. Sixteen-time Funny Car champion Force, driving the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS, won the four-wide race at Charlotte. Additionally, national event Stock Eliminator wins were recorded by Leo Glasbrenner (Pomona1, Phoenix, Las Vegas2), Jeff Strickland (Gainesville), Ryan McClanahan (Las Vegas1), Darren Poole-Adams (Charlotte1, Bristol) and Tyler Cassil (Topeka). The Top Fuel class does not contribute points to the Manufacturers Cup standings, but Brittany Force and Austin Prock produced multiple highlights during the season in their Chevrolet dragsters. Force won the Top Fuel championship for the second time. She recorded five victories, 10 No. 1 qualifiers and set the national event speed record of 338.91 mph in the season finale at Pomona. Prock, returning to full-season competition for the first time since his rookie of the year campaign in 2019, won two races and earned his initial Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier honor at Dallas. The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season begins March 10-12 with the 54th Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. FOX will telecast eliminations live at noon ET Sunday, March 12.

BATAVIA, Ohio (November 11, 2022) – The 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule is slated to be bigger and better than ever before.  The nation’s premier tour for dirt late models will bring 56 events to 32 tracks across 16 states from January to October with over $5 million in purse money up for grabs along the way. Per usual, the 2023 campaign will launch with 13 events during Georgia-Florida Speedweeks and conclude with the 43rd Annual Dirt Track World Championship.  The 2023 schedule is highlighted by a colossal 18 races that pay $25,000 or more to the winner, including the return of 11 crown jewel events that boast a $50,000 or more top prize.  Like years past, Golden Isles Speedway kicks off the season with the Super Bowl of Racing on January 25-28. From there, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is back at Bubba Raceway Park for two nights on January 29-30 before heading to All-Tech Raceway, February 2-4. The 47th Annual Wieland Winternationals will close out Speedweeks, February 5-11, at East Bay Raceway Park. In addition to the return of several iconic venues, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will make its inaugural appearance for the $18,049 to win Melvin L. Joseph Memorial at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway on April 28; the $25,000 to win Farmer City 74 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway on May 12; and the $30,000 to win FALS Spring Shootout Presented by Titan Industries at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway on May 13. One of the richest events on the tour, the 13th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals, will shift to Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. in 2023. The traditional format will continue, culminating in the $53,000 to win, $5,300 to start, finale on Saturday, July 22. The season-long grind will come to an end with the 43rd Annual Dirt Track World Championship. However, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finale will have a new home. The famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio will be the destination for the $100,000 to win crown jewel starting in 2023. “We believe we’ve set the stage for an incredible season,” said Rick Schwallie, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Director. ”The 2023 schedule is a commodity of the continued commitment of our teams, promoters, marketing partners, and loyal fans. We are incredibly proud of what we’re able to offer drivers and fans alike next season and excited to celebrate these new milestones.” The complete Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule can be viewed below or at www.lucasdirt.com/schedules/.  2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Schedule:

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2022, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 65 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will be streamed live on MAVTV Plus, with broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

No. 64 Corvette continuing to make progress ahead of season, GTE Pro finale MANAMA, Bahrain (Nov. 11, 2022) – Corvette Racing will start the final race for the GTE Pro class in the FIA World Endurance Championship fifth in the category. Nick Tandy set a lap of 1:57.539 (103.023 mph) around the Bahrain International Circuit on Friday evening in the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that he will share with Tommy Milner.

It’s the first trip to Bahrain for the Corvette Racing and the mid-engine C8.R as the team and its fellow WEC competitors close the season in the Middle East.  The single-car team worked throughout Thursday and Friday’s practice sessions to try and come to grips – literally and figuratively – with the circuit layout and racing surface. The high temperatures in the desert present a challenge to tire life with high levels of degradation expected to factor in Saturday’s race. Corvette Racing’s two manufacturer competitors – Porsche and Ferrari – have the benefit of multiple years of experience at Bahrain, especially having contested a doubleheader a year ago at the circuit. As a result, the gap to the front is considerable – nearly 1.4 seconds – but Corvette Racing engineers were hard at work after the session pouring over data to make further improvements before Saturday’s race. The goal is to add one more victory in GTE Pro competition to its tally of 32 around the world, taking into account the category in the WEC as well as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) class, which ran from 2014-2021. The Eight Hours of Bahrain for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time (AST) / 6 a.m. ET Saturday from the Bahrain International Circuit. The race will air live on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race on the MotorTrend Plus app and Radio Le Mans’ online audio coverage.

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTE PRO: “Obviously the point staring us in the face is that we are slowest in the class, which is sad for everyone. We did a lot of work from Free Practice Three to qualifying, and actually the car was fantastic. My lap in qualifying was one that I was pleased with and probably was one of the best I’ve done this season. The gap to the front, while at almost 1.5 seconds, is the closest we’ve been all weekend. So as a team, we’ve done a terrific job. It doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re going to start from the fifth position. To end qualifying in GTE Pro like this is frustrating. But we can all be proud as a team for continually progressing and making the car better for us drivers. It was really pleasurable to be out there again in this C8.R in qualifying trim and driving fast.”

Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Nov. 14, 2022) – November has been a great month for Dominic Scelzi, who has earned a podium result during each of his four feature starts.

Scelzi posted a pair of third-place results on Nov. 5 during the Tribute to Gary Patterson, which was hosted by the Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif. His podium during the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series main event capped his second straight championship with the series.

“It was a really good night,” he said. “We were second quick in the 410 and quick time in the 360. We ran well in the heats and that put us in the dashes. As the night went on the track got rougher and more narrow.”

Scelzi placed third in the 410 dash to line up on the inside of the second row in the A Main.

“The race went green and we jumped right into second, but they called the start back,” he said. “After that I ran third for the majority of the race. I was right behind Tim (Kaeding) when he hit a hole and I got by him. A couple of laps later I hit a hole and he got back by me. It was just a hard track to pass on.”

Scelzi won the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360ci sprint car dash to garner the pole position for the feature.

“I stumbled a little on the initial start,” he said. “That allowed the outside guy to get by me. Then we went into turn one, hit a hole and fell to third. We ran third the rest of the way.”

Last weekend was a step forward for Scelzi, who swept an ASCS Southwest Region doubleheader at Cocopah Speedway. The two triumphs pushed Scelzi into the double digits victory mark for the second straight season.

“It was such a great weekend to have,” he said. “The first night we went fourth to first in our heat race, which put us as the high-points driver. We redrew the No. 4 for the feature. I had a really good start and got into third right away. Ryan (Timms) and I battled for three or four laps. As we got into traffic he was glued to the cushion and I was searching. We went to split a lapped car. He went high and I went low. I was able to pass him and the lapped car that pushed up the track a bit. I got by the leader in the next corner. From there we were unchallenged until about four laps to go when Ryan slid me in turn two. I turned underneath him and pulled back away. It was neat to get my first win in Arizona and the 10^th of the season.”

Saturday’s event finale featured similar success for Scelzi.

“We started last in our heat race,” he said. “The track was really wet early. Everyone dropped to the bottom. I stayed up around the outside and was able to go from seventh to third basically down the front straightaway. We were high points again and this time drew the No. 3 to start the feature third.

“The track was beautiful. It was slick and wide with a little grip on the bottom. I fell to fourth on the start, but worked my way to third in a couple of laps. I rolled the bottom and passed for second. Then I slid the leader into turn one when the yellow came out so I went back to second. When we went green I got next to him in turns one and two on the bottom. I slid him into turns three and four. He slid me back into turn one and I crossed him back over. Then I protected through turns three and four.”

Scelzi led the remainder of the feature to cap the stellar weekend that led to his first triumph in Arizona – the eighth state he’s won in – as well as his 60^th career sprint car victory.

The season concludes Nov. 22-23 at Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif.

QUICK RESULTS –

Nov. 5 – Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 3 (4); Dash: 3 (3); Feature: 3 (3).

Nov. 5 – Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 3 (4); Dash: 1 (3); Feature: 3 (1).

Nov. 11 – Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. – Heat race: 1 (4); Feature: 1 (4).

Nov. 12 – Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz. – Heat race: 3 (7); Feature: 1 (3).

SEASON STATS –

58 races, 11 wins, 31 top fives, 41 top 10s, 48 top 15s, 51 top 20s

UP NEXT – 

Nov. 22-23 at Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif.

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

POMONA, CA (Nov. 11, 2022) – For the second time during the Countdown, Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force set the NHRA national speed record Friday and, in the process, claimed the provisional No. 1 qualifying position for herself and her Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team at the season-ending 57th Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. John Force and Robert Hight were fourth and fifth quickest on the first day in their Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Cars and Austin Prock was sixth in Top Fuel in his Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster. Brittany grabbed six of a maximum eight qualifying bonus points on the first day, thereby extending her lead ever so slightly over Justin Ashley.  After a solid 3.742-second run in the first session, Brittany drove the David Grubnic and Mac Savage-tuned dragster through the 1,000 foot timers in 3.641 seconds and a finish line speed of 338.44 mph, bumping up the record of 338.43 she set last month at St. Louis ever so slightly. “Setting another new speed record is pretty incredible,” she said. “I’m just very proud of this Monster Energy team and what we’ve accomplished. We’re chasing a championship that’s going to lock up on Sunday and I’m excited about it. My mindset is where it’s been all season long. The confidence that I have with this team. We know how to get this car down (the track). We know how to turn win lights on. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I’m confident with these guys that we can get the job done. It’s going to be fun.” After an uncharacteristic misstep in the first qualifying session (7.538 seconds at only 85.87 mph), Robert Hight and the Auto Club of Southern California team stormed back in Q2 with a solid run of 3.866 seconds at 333.25 mph that sends them into Saturday’s final two qualifying session in the No. 5 position. It was an admittedly conservative effort on the part of crew chiefs Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham. “We had to get down the track (on the second run),” Hight said. “Jimmy told me it should run 3.86 and that’s what it did. We knew that wouldn’t stand up (for low of the session), but it gave us a place to start and it puts us in the show. It was a handful because we were driving into the sun. It was hard to see. But it was a good rebound for this Auto Club team and we’re looking for more tomorrow.” John Force made two solid qualifying laps Friday in his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy, following an opening 3.893-second effort in Q1 with a 3.864 and 333.49 in the second session.  “I need a miracle to win (the championship),” acknowledged the 16-time champ who starts No. 4 in points behind Hight, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps, “but Robert and Brittany are right in it. We’ll just have to see where it goes. I feel good. The car’s good. I’m really excited for Brittany and that Monster / Flav-R-Pac team. Robert? They didn’t get down the first run, so they had to pull it back in Q2. They’ll be fine tomorrow. Today it was 70 degrees; supposed to be 66 tomorrow, so we’ll see what happens. I still like driving; still love getting in the seat at 73. It’s crazy, but I still love it.” In the midst of a strong Countdown performance that included a win at Reading, Pa., runner-up at Dallas and a trip to the semifinals two weeks ago at Las Vegas, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster will go into Saturday qualifying in the No. 6 position in Rahn Tobler’s last weekend as crew chief with Joe Barlam. After a dismal 4.498 to start, the third generation driver laid down a 3.705 and 332.43 Friday night to put himself back in the conversation. “Not the start we wanted for r this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team,” he said, “but that was a nice rebound in Q2 and we’re looking for even more improvement tomorrow. Conditions should be as good as they were today.” Competition at the NHRA Auto Club Finals continues with qualifying Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Eliminations are slated to begin Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday beginning with qualifying at 2 p.m. ET and eliminations at 4 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:6th; 3.705-seconds; 332.43 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.641-seconds; 338.94 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+6 (third quickest Q1 & quickest Q2)

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2022) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team rallied to their second win of the season Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway. With a standout Countdown to the Championship performance that included two wins in three final rounds, Prock will finish the season third in points after entering from the No. 11 spot.  Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team won the 2022 Camping World Top Fuel world championship en route to a semifinal finish. Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SS will finish the season No. 2 and John Force and his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS will wrap up the season in the No. 5 after they both had a second-round exit. Austin Prock started his day with a victory over veteran race Shawn Langdon. Prock would have a clean pass of 3.711-seconds and 329.34 mph while Langdon would smoke the tires for a 7.377 at 87.80. In the second round, Prock would stay consistent with a. 3.704-second pass at 329.18 to end Leah Pruett’s day after she went 3.721 at 324.20. With the win, Prock would line the Montana Brand dragster up with teammate Brittany Force in the semifinals. Prock would pilot his Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler tuned dragster to stout 3.642-second pass at 335.48 mph to send newly crowned Top Fuel world champion Force and her solid 3.676 at 337.58 mph home in an exciting side-by-side duel. Poised to take on three-time champion Antron Brown in the finals, Prock and the Montana Brand team would stay on point with another blistering run of 3.641-seconds at 336.23 mph to take the win over Brown’s 3.701 at 320.74. The run would be a career-best and mark Prock’s third national event win of his career. “I’m so happy for Rahn Tobler who is retiring this year. I’ve had a blast working with him. He’s an absolute legend in the sport and to go out like he did tonight speaks volumes for what he’s done for the sport,” Prock said. “That was the quickest run he’s ever made in history and it was his last one. Then during the semifinals, we were the quickest side-by-side run ever. I’m really proud of Rahn and I still get butterflies when I watch him roll him into the staging beams. He’s accomplished so much in the sport and he believes in me to drive his race car. He came out of retirement to come work with me and that means a lot to me. It gives me a lot of confidence and I’m glad we went out on top with him.” Having solidified her second Top Fuel world championship with her 3.701-second pass at 334.90 mph to defeat Steve Chrisman’s 4.794 at 176.53 in the first round, Brittany Force would handle the Monster Energy hot rod to 3.687 seconds at 337.58 mph to send Clay Millican and his 3.864 at 283.97 home in the second round. With the win, Force would meet teammate Austin Prock in the semifinals. Force would have a stout 3.676-second pass at 337.58 mph but it wouldn’t be enough for Prock’s 3.642 at 335.48. “This season has been outstanding for this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team. Coming into 2022 I said it would be one of the toughest years of competition. We did really well all season long. Had the top spot, lost for a little but then gained it back but then heading into the Countdown, this thing we’ve been preparing for all season long, we struggled, and it just felt like that championship we had worked so hard for was slipping away from us,” Force said. “We turned it around, kept ourselves in the top bunch and then really made a move with a win in Vegas and then coming here to Pomona, we gained points in qualifying, enough that we would have enough of a lead to get the job done with a win in the first round. It was a strong season start to finish. Very proud that my teammate Austin Prock was able to get the win here today, happy we get to share the winner’s circle with him.” Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevy entered race day form the No. 4 position with a 56-point lead over his closest challenger, Ron Capps. Hight would pick-up up a first-round win with a 3.872-second pass at 330.47 mph bettering Chad Green’s 3.914 at 327.82. With only Capps still in contention with him after the first round, Hight and the Auto Club Chevy would have a rare mishap smoking the tires for only a 6.292 at 110.92 while Bob Tasca III would manage a 4.262 at 224.96. Capps would go onto runner-up closing the book on Hight’s 2022 championship chances. “It’s a tough way to go out. We had a great season. This Auto Club team, they worked hard all season long. We weren’t happy with our performance last year, and we set out to change it, and we did,” Hight said. “We knew it was going to come down to Pomona, we knew we’d need at least seven or eight wins, we knew we needed eight perfect runs this weekend. We came up short but that doesn’t take away from the amazing season we had, if anything, it motivates us even more to do even better next season. This team has it in them, they know how to get the job done and now we just hope the off-season goes by quickly.” John Force and the PEAK Chevy picked-up a first-round victory over Blake Alexander when he went 3.919-second s at 317.49 mph while Alexander smoked the tires for a 5.548 at 128.71. Force’s 2022 season would come to an explosive end in the second round when after an engine failure blasted the body off. Force would cross the finish line at 6.495 and 70.93 while eventual event winner Cruz Pedregon would have a clean 3.876 at 330.96.  “What a season, what a final weekend. Brittany got the job done with that Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team and Austin capping it off with a win for Montana Brand. Robert, No. 2, I know he’s not happy with that but what a season they’ve had,” Force said. “We all finished top five, that’s impressive. Did we want to go more rounds today, yeah, but it wasn’t in the cards. I know that second round was pretty spectacular but for the wrong reasons. We’ll just pull it all together for next year.” The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season will begin with the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway March 9-12. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:5th; 3.689-seconds; 333.08 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (fourth quickest Q4)Race Results:Beat Shawn Langdon, Leah Pruett, Austin Prock and Antron BrownBRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.641-seconds; 338.94 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+13 (third quickest Q1; quickest Q2 & Q3; second quickest Q4)Race Results: Beat Steve Chrisman, Clay Millican; Lost to Austin ProckJOHN FORCE, 73, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:4th; 3.864-seconds; 333.49 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +4 (second quickest Q1 & fourth quickest Q2)Race Results: Beat Blake Alexander; Lost to Cruz PedregonROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:5th; 3.866-seconds; 332.43 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+5 (second quickest Q3; third quickest Q4)Race Results:Beat Chad Green; Lost to Bob Tasca III

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Unofficial NHRA Camping World Final Top Ten Points Standings TOP FUEL – 1. Brittany Force, Monster Energy/FLAV-R-PAC dragster, 2596; 2. Antron Brown, 2534; 3. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 2514; 4. Justin Ashley, 2510; 5. Mike Salinas, 2461; 6. Steve Torrence, 2443; 7. Josh Hart, 2419; 8. Clay Millican, 2348; 9. Shawn Langdon, 2339; 10. Doug Kalitta, 2335; 11. Leah Pruett, 2295; 12. Tony Schumacher, 2277. FUNNY CAR – 1. Ron Capps, 2682; 2. Robert Hight, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SS, 2679; 3. Matt Hagan, 2587; 4. Bob Tasca III, 2504; 5. John Force, PEAK/Blue Def Platinum Chevy Camaro SS, 2490; 6. Cruz Pedregon, 2410; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 2372; 8. J.R. Todd, 2344; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 2343; 10. Blake Alexander, 2199; 11. Jim Campbell, 2198.

Troy Coughlin Jr. Qualifies On Top And Erica Enders Gets Runner-Up Finish At NHRA Finals In Pomona

Elite Motorsports Weekend Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series POMONA, Calif. (November 13, 2022) – In an exciting and dramatic series of events at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team walked away with five Top Ten finishes in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series points standings. The event started off on a positive note as Troy Coughlin Jr. powered his JEGS.com / Elite Motorsports Camaro to the No. 1 qualifier position with a killer run of 6.508-seconds at 210.80 mph. This is the first No. 1 qualifier of the season for the talented Pro Stock legacy. “We made a couple of nice clean runs down the 1320 in Pomona on Saturday,” said Coughlin. “There’s nothing like being here, it’s really majestic. Hats off to Elite Motorsports and everyone at the engine shop. In all of our pits and with all of our teams, we all work together so well. There’s a lot of passion there.” It was with that dynamic passion that the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team entered the final event of what has been a banner year for the largest professional team in the NHRA. In the first round of competition newly-crowned five-time series titleist Erica Enders defeated Mason McGaha while Coughlin took down Shane Tucker. Cristian Cuadra was slated to race Kyle Koretsky, but Koretsky’s car would not fire up on the starting line and C. Cuadra got a bye-run into the quarterfinals. Aaron Stanfield lined up against 2022 Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso. His Janac Brothers/JC3 Energy camaro powered past Caruso with a pass of 6.552 at 209.33. In an all-Elite pairing, Bo Butner’s #JHGDriven Camaro raced past his teammate Fernando Cuadra Jr. while Fernando Cuadra Sr. turned on the win light against Dallas Glenn. It was a father-son standoff that would kick off the quarterfinal round of competition as C. Cuadra and Cuadra Sr. faced off against each other in their Cuadra/Corral Boots machines. Although C. Cuadra had the starting line advantage, the Cuadra family patriarch outpaced his son to get the win with a margin of victory of only three feet. Stanfield defeated Matt Hartford on a holeshot with a stunning reaction time of .011-seconds. While Greg Anderson defeated Butner in Round Two, Butner’s performance throughout the weekend proved to be enough to secure a Top Ten finish for the 2017 Pro Stock world champion. In the final pair of this round, Enders got the starting line advantage over Coughlin and held on to it to advance to the semifinals where she would face Stanfield. In the next heat of competition, Cuadra Sr. dropped the hammer too soon, red-lighting and giving the round win to Anderson. Enders got a starting line advantage over Stanfield and her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro took it all the way to the stripe to advance to her thirteenth final round of the season. In the end, it would be Anderson who emerged victorious while Enders took the runner-up finish to end the best-performing season of her career with 10 event wins and six No. 1 qualifiers. Whilst Enders secured her top-place finish in Las Vegas, the rest of the Elite Motorsports team endeavored to finish strong in the points standings. Ultimately, Stanfield finished third, Coughlin finished fourth, C. Cuadra finished eighth and Butner landed in ninth. ***

Photos

Troy Coughlin Jr. lays down a full smokey burnout during qualifying at the Auto Club NHRA Finals. Photo credit: Auto Imagery 2022 Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Cristian Cuadra powered to a Top Ten finish in his Corral Boots Mustang Photo credit: Auto ImageryAaron Stanfield launches with the wheels up in his Janac Brothers/JC3 Energy Camaro. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Bo Butner lays down a crowd-pleasing burnout in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. Photo credit: Auto ImageryFernando Cuadra Sr. advanced to the semifinal round in his Cuadra Camaro. Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Fernando Cuadra Jr.heats up the tires in his Corral Boots Mustang . Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Unofficial Pro Stock Points Standings For The Countdown To The Championship 1. Erica Enders 2,8232. Greg Anderson 2,5813. Aaron Stanfield 2,5754. Troy Coughlin Jr. 2,5385.  Kyle Koretsky 2,4596. Matt Hartford 2,3977. Dallas Glenn 2,3758. Cristian Cuadra 2,2959. Bo Butner 2,26510. Deric Kramer 2,25911. Mason McGaha 2,24112. Camrie Caruso 2,22913. Fernando Cuadra Jr. 2,22714. Fernando Cuadra Sr. 2,21415. Chris McGaha 2,164

POMONA, CA (November 13, 2022) — A dramatic and positive season for team owner and driver Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy came to an end today at the Auto Club Finals. In just his third season competing in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Ashley was in championship contention heading into final eliminations today at the Auto Club Finals. As the No. 10 qualifier Ashley entered the final race of the season facing No. 7 qualifier Antron Brown, whose team shares a technical alliance. The two Toyota Top Fuel dragsters were chasing points leader Brittany Force as they entered the opening session.

Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy, photo by Ron Lewis

The two championship contending drivers had to watch seven other pairs of 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters race before they took to the track. There were several upsets with championship implications, including first round losses by Mike Salinas and Steve Torrence. Ashley could keep his championship hopes alive with a victory over Brown. Both dragsters executed burnouts and pulled to the starting line. Ashley got to the jump off the starting line with a reaction time advantage of .045 to .067 seconds and both land rockets began to fly down the track.

As Ashley and the Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster approached half-track Brown was on a smooth pass and Ashley’s race car hazed the tires forcing him to give his race car a quick pedal, robbing the 2020 Rookie of the Year of valuable momentum. Brown got to the finish line first with a winning time of 3.704 seconds, the second quickest pass of the session. Ashley’s 4.070 second pass at 290.01 mph was not enough to advance to the quarterfinals.

“It could be very easy to look at this race under a microscope and that would be silly. I think it is important to look at the season as a whole,” said Ashley, who will finish the season in fourth place. “Obviously, we wanted to win the championship and we gave ourselves a chance to do that with our performance throughout the Countdown. Our Phillips Connect team has a lot to be grateful for on and off the racetrack. We accomplished a lot of really great things this season. We are going to do a lot of things in the off-season to continue to improve and carry that momentum forward. As good as the Top Fuel field was this year, I think it will only be better next year.”

This season Ashley won three national events including the season opening Winternationals, the Thunder Valley Nationals and the Texas Fall Nationals and he raced to an additional four final rounds. The second generation drag racer entered the Countdown as the No. 3 seed and raced to the points lead following a runner-up finish at the first playoff race, the Pep Boys Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. Ashley held the lead until the penultimate playoff race two weeks ago at the Nevada Nationals, when a first round exit combined with a win by Force moved him to second place heading into the season finale. 

Born and raised in New York, Ashley was looking to capture a slice of history with a possible championship season. No professional driver in any of the major motorsport disciplines in North America has ever hailed from New York state. NASCAR’s Geoff Bodine from Chemung, New York, came the closest prior to Ashley with a third-place finish in 1990. Louis Meyer, of Yonkers, New York, was the 1928, 1929 and 1935 AAA National Champion, the forerunner to the IndyCar Championship.

Ashley along with the rest of the Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten finishers will be celebrated tomorrow night at the 2022 NHRA Champions Banquet at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.765 sec; 315.19 mph; Qual. 5

Q2: 3.706 sec; 329.42 mph; Qual. 7

Q3: 3.735 sec; 335.98 mph; Qual. 9

Q4: 3.713 sec, 323.50 mph; Qual. 10

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools Toyota dragster, 3.704, 333.82 mph def. Justin Ashley, Plainview, NY, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 4.070, 290.01 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force         2596

2. Antron Brown         2534

3. Austin Prock            2514

4. Justin Ashley          2510

5. Mike Salinas           2461

6. Steve Torrence       2443

7. Josh Hart                 2419

8. Clay Millican           2348

9. Shawn Langdon      2339

10. Doug Kalitta          2335

About Justin Ashley Racing
Justin Ashley Racing in partnership with Davis Motorsports fields the Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. In 2021 Ashley raced to three final rounds with a win at the Texas Fall Nationals in Dallas and ultimately finished No. 4 in the Top Fuel standings. During his Top Fuel rookie season in 2020 Justin won the NHRA Summernationals, finished in the Top Ten and was recognized as the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year.  Prior to his professional debut Ashley has three wins in Top Alcohol Dragster on the Lucas Oil Series. He is the son of multi-time NHRA national event winner Mike Ashley. In 2017, he was named to the Drag Illustrated magazine’s 30 under 30 list, highlighting some of racing’s most promising young individuals on and off the racetrack. To learn more about Justin Ashley Racing, visit JustinAshley.com.

POMONA, CA (November 13, 2022) —- After nineteen races from coast-to-coast NHRA Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso wrapped up a strong rookie season by qualifying for the 57^th Auto Club Finals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The driver who resides in Denver, North Carolina, has been pursuing her dream of racing in one of the toughest professional categories in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Through two days of qualifying Caruso made consistent runs and rolled into race day as the No. 13 qualifier. The 24-year-old qualified for every national event this season and in the first round the Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro pulled up beside Aaron Stanfield.

Camrie Caruso and Powerbuilt Chevrolet Camaro, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

For the fourth time this season Caruso was racing one of the toughest competitors in the class. Earlier this season she got a win light against Stanfield at the U.S. Nationals, but the first-year driver was not able to recapture that magic today at Pomona. Knowing she was at a slight performance disadvantage, Caruso knew she had a shot to make up an elapsed time deficit with a strong reaction time. In the back half of the season Caruso had made strides of improvement but today she was .002 seconds early against Stanfield, lighting the red-light for disqualification. Her scoreboard lit up with a 6.556 second, 210.31 mph beside Stanfield’s 6.552 second, 209.33 mph run but it was a moot point with the early start. It was her quickest run of the weekend in a losing effort.

“I knew I needed to be aggressive on the starting line and I almost had a perfect reaction time. Aaron is a great competitor and I am proud of how my team pulled together this weekend,” said Caruso. “This race has been amazing even though we didn’t get the win. I made my first professional start here in February and it seems like that was yesterday. The season has flown by and we will take the off-season to get even better. We have a lot of things in the works and I am excited to get my second season started as soon as possible. 

Camrie Caruso, 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

At the conclusion of qualifying yesterday Caruso was recognized at the top end of the race track as the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year. She opened the season qualifying No. 7 at the historic Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and the very next event she qualified No. 8 at the Arizona Nationals and won her first round of eliminations, advancing to the quarterfinals following a win light in the first round over Cristian Cuadra. Over the next six races Caruso qualified in the top half of the field five more times including a No. 1 qualifier at the SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park. The first-year driver also advanced to her first final round at that event defeating Fernando Cuadra, Bo Butner and five-time champion Greg Anderson before losing a close final round to five-time and newly crowned 2022 Pro Stock champion Erica Enders in the first all-female Pro Stock final round.

“We qualified for every race and our highlight was the race in Houston when we were No. 1 qualifier and raced to the final round,” said Caruso. “Every race this season I feel like we got better and I am excited to get back on track next season. We will have a lot of exciting announcements over the off-season and I want to thank Tequila Comisario, Powerbuilt Tools, Right Trailers, Sand Haulers of America and everyone that has supported us this season.”

Over the back half of the season Caruso continued to develop, improving her reaction time while her young team battled to stay in the Top Ten. They qualified for the NHRA Countdown to the Championship as the No. 8 seed.

Caruso became the ninth Pro Stock driver to win NHRA Rookie of the Year. Since 1990 fifteen previous winners of the NHRA Rookie of the Year award have gone on to win NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series world championships including Pro Stock standouts Jason Line, Tanner Gray, Mike Edwards, Kurt Johnson, and Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.558 sec, 210.73 mph; Qual. 9

Q2: 6.570 sec, 210.14 mph; Qual. 12

Q3: No Time; Qual. 13

Q4: 6.560 sec, 210.37 mph; Qual. 13

Bonus Points:  0

Race Results

First Round

Aaron Stanfield, Bossier, La., Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro, 6.552, 209.33 mph def. Camrie Caruso, Denver, NC, Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, red-light – DQ 

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fifteen – Pro Stock

1. Erica Enders                         2823

2. Greg Anderson                   2581

3. Aaron Stanfield                  2575

4. Troy Coughlin Jr                  2538

5. Kyle Koretsky                      2459

6. Matt Hartford                     2397

7. Dallas Glenn                       2375

8. Cristian Cuadra                   2295

9. Bo Butner                           2265

10. Deric Kramer                     2259

11. Mason McGaha                2241

12. Camrie Caruso                  2229

13. Fernando Cuadra Jr          2227

14. Fernando Cuadra             2214

15. Chris McGaha                   2164

About Camrie Caruso/Caruso Family Racing
Camrie Caruso is a third-generation driver with Caruso Family Racing. The 23-year-old Pro Stock rookie is following the career path of her father, former Pro Mod racer Marc Caruso and her grandfather, “Papa Joe” Caruso, who competed in Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Pro Mod. Racing a Chevrolet Camaro with power provided by Titan Racing Engines Caruso will race the full NHRA Camping World Series schedule as she chases Rookie of the Year honors and her first world championship. She first got behind the wheel of a race car when she was eight years old competing in the NHRA Junior Dragster League. She has continued to move up through the NHRA competition classes for over a decade rising to Top Alcohol Dragster as well as Elite Top Dragster and Pro Outlaw 632 in the PDRA. Caruso has a Finance degree as well as a Marketing degree from SUNY Empire State College. In 2018 she was recognized by Drag Illustrated magazine as a 30 Under 30, drag racing personality. When she is not at the track, she is handling the marketing for Titan Racing Engines.

POMONA, CA (November 13, 2022) — Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster raced to a semifinal finish at the 57th Auto Club Finals today and solidified their Top Ten position in one of the toughest Top Fuel fields in the modern era. Hart, from Ocala, Florida, finished his first full season as the No. 7 Top Fuel driver in the world. Through two days of qualifying Hart and his Ron Douglas tuned Top Fuel dragster rolled off the trailer on Friday with the second quickest pass of the first session. Through three more sessions Hart made two more solid runs on Saturday running 3.714 and 3.712 seconds to head into race day as the No. 11 qualifier. It was not the ideal position, but Hart was confident his R+L Carriers team would step up on race day.

R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

In the opening round against Countdown contender Doug Kalitta Hart was able to get the jump off the starting line and the 2021 Rookie of the Year finalist never trailed in the drag race. It was not a perfect run, but Hart’s 3.801 second run was enough to get the first win light of the day.

In the quarterfinals Hart raced third generation drag racer Krista Baldwin. Hart’s 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster picked up on the performance side and turned on another win light with a 3.746 second at 314.75 mph pass. At the top end the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster was moving around but Hart kept it under control to advance to another semifinal.

Racing to try and reach his third final round of the season Hart had to beat three-time world champion Antron Brown. Both dragsters launched hard and they were side-by-side for the entire race. At the finish line it was a virtual photo finish with Hart’s 3.717 second pass at 331.20 mph less than one thousandth of a second short from turning on a third win light on Sunday. According to DragRaceCentral.com the margin of victory was less than five inches at over 330 mph.

Josh Hart, driver of the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I have so many great people in my corner from my crew chief Ron Douglas to Chris Armstrong and all the people that have joined us this season,” said Hart. “This weekend was a great unified effort. We learned a lot and made it through the sophomore season. I am anxious for next season to get here. I know I will be in my garage working on the practice tree. I wish I could say we are on to the next one but there is no next one until next year. I appreciate all the support from the fans and I love all y’all.”

Hart will head to the off-season with the knowledge that his R+L Carriers team raced to two final rounds, four semifinals in 2022 and positive momentum heading into the 2023 season.  

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.718 sec, 335.07 mph; Qual. 2

Q2: 7.609 sec, 89.25 mph; Qual. 10

Q3: 3.714 sec, 330.63 mph; Qual. 11

Q4: 3.712 sec, 311.92; Qual. 11

Bonus Points: +3 (2^nd quickest of Q1)

Race Results

First Round

Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, 3.801, 320.28 mph def. Doug Kalitta, Ypsilanti, Mich., Mac Tools Toyota dragster, 4.113, 255.92 mph

Second Round

Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, 3.746, 314.75 mph def. Krista Baldwin, Pittsboro, Ind., Baldwin Racing dragster, 4.015, 234.78 mph

Semifinals

Antron Brown, Pittsboro, Ind., Matco Tools dragster, 3.725, 324.44 mph def. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, 3.717, 331.20 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force         2596

2. Antron Brown         2534

3. Austin Prock            2514

4. Justin Ashley           2510

5. Mike Salinas           2461

6. Steve Torrence       2443

7. Josh Hart                2419

8. Clay Millican           2348

9. Shawn Langdon      2339

10. Doug Kalitta          2335

NOV. 13, 2022 Chevrolet celebrates championships in season finale• Brittany Force races to second Top Fuel championship in record-setting performance• Erica Enders officially crowned Pro Stock champion for the fifth time in Camaro SS• Austin Prock in Top Fuel, Greg Anderson in Pro Stock earn second wins of season• Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock racer Camrie Caruso voted rookie of the year

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2022) — Brittany Force put a big Bowtie stamp on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season in the Auto Club NHRA Finals. Force, driving the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, earned her second Top Fuel world championship in the season finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona to become the fourth female in NHRA professional ranks to win multiple titles. “I want people to remember this day here in Pomona with this Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team — David Grubnic, Mac Savage, every single one of my guys,” said Force, who also joined three-time champion Shirley Muldowney as the only female multiple titleholders in Top Fuel. “We have been working all season long, we never gave up, and then we struggled in the Countdown and we recovered when we needed to in Vegas and win it here today in Pomona.“I have to thank every single one of my guys and our sponsors. We wouldn’t be here without them today, and I’m just so proud of everybody. It just seems surreal right now. I can’t believe it ended up this way.”

Force joined Erica Enders as Chevrolet champions in the pro ranks in 2022. Enders, driver of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, clinched the Pro Stock title two weeks earlier at Las Vegas – a pivotal event Force won to set up her championship chase. “This year Brittany capitalized on momentum coming out of Las Vegas and her and her team rose to the occasion with speed at the right times all weekend long,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president, Performance and Motorsports. “We knew it would come down to the last race. When the pressure was on, Brittany and her team delivered in true championship form. It’s great to see Brittany in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac John Force Racing team clinch their second championship. We’re proud to race with them.” Force’s victory in Las Vegas marked a career best fifth win for the 2013 rookie of the year. She won four events when she claimed the championship in 2017 to become the second woman to win in the premier division and the first to do so in 35 years.

In the season finale, Force claimed her 10th No. 1 qualifier in 22 races and 42nd of her career to pad her advantage over her closest pursuer, Justin Ashley, from seven to 26 points entering race day. She also reset the national Top Fuel speed record at 338.94 mph in qualifications. Ashley’s early exit in eliminations handed Force the title. Force lost to John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock, driving the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, in the semifinals. Prock went on to win his second race of the season with a personal-best run of 3.641 seconds. Enders earned her fifth Pro Stock title, tying Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. for third on the all-time list. Bob Glidden with 10 is the leader and Warren Johnson is second with six. “As a kid with big dreams, this makes me want to pinch myself,” said Enders, who also won titles with Chevrolet in 2014, ’15, ’19 and ‘20. “We have worked really hard to get here and we’ve sacrificed a lot. It’s nice to see all of those sacrifices paid off. I’m a blessed girl.“I go back to the seven years that I drove Pro Stock without a win and just how challenging those years were. Driving for teams that we knew when we pulled on property that we weren’t going to qualify unless somebody broke or hit the wall or something. It was all of those valleys that make these peaks so enjoyable because when you’re going through that stuff, the view of the top where you want to be seems so distant so it’s just a testament to never give up and to do your best and surround yourself with the right people and that’s what I have at Elite Motorsports.”Enders, seeking her 11th victory in 19 races, was runner-up to Anderson in the final. Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.comCamaro SS, won for the 101st time in his Pro Stock career and gave KB Racing team owner Ken Black a retirement Wally. “This weekend is really for Ken Black; we want to celebrate him in every way we can, and it’s been a joyous weekend,” said Anderson, who has recorded 101 of Black’s 176 Pro Stock wins.Camrie Caruso, driver of the Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS in Pro Stock, was voted the NHRA Rookie of the Year. “We achieved so many of my goals this season from qualifying No. 1 to getting to a final round to qualifying at every national event,” she said. “We didn’t check all the boxes, but I am very thankful. The competition is so tough out here and to be recognized as the Rookie of the Year is a tremendous honor. Every race this season I feel like we got better, and I am excited to get back on track next season.” Robert Hight came up short in his bid for his fourth Funny Car championship when the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS lost traction early in his quarterfinal round matchup. Hight, who topped the Funny Car standings after all but six races, led the class with a career-high eight victories this season. Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force, driving the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS, lost in the quarterfinals in the 118th career meeting with Cruz Pedregon. Tim Seymour of San Dimas, California, drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to a runner-up finish in Super Stock.  Last month, Chevrolet also won the Constant Aviation NHRA Factory Stock Showdown championship for the third consecutive year as David Barton of Reading, Pennsylvania, drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to the title for the second time (2017). Aaron Stanfield won in 2020 and ’21. Barton won the events at Bristol, Indianapolis and Reading in the eight-race series. Len Lottig (Gainesville) and Stanfield (Dallas) also drove their COPO Camaros to victory. The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season begins March 10-12 with the 54th Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. FOX will telecast eliminations live at noon ET Sunday, March 12.

An interview with Top Fuel champion BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER:WERE YOU AWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE FIRST ROUND OR WAS YOUR FOCUS ON YOUR RACE?“I was standing on the top end watching run after run. I knew what had to take place, but I honestly did not think it would go down that way. I thought it was going to be an all-day battle and somehow we locked it up in the first round. Still seems surreal.” WHAT A PHENOMENAL RACE CAR YOU HAVE HAD ALL SEASON LONG.“We’ve had a great season. This Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team set national records, track records, No. 1 qualifiers and we won a handful of races this season. I’m very proud of all of them and it took every single person to make it work and now we have a second championship.” ON THE TOP 10 LIST OF FASTEST SPEEDS IT READS YOUR NAME.“That’s David Grubnic for you. Always pushing, never wants to pull back, never wants to lay up. He wants to push the car as hard as we can go and that’s when we seem to excel and do our best. It’s pretty awesome. We got the national record in St. Louis at 338.4 and then here this weekend 338.9, so it’s pretty awesome to have it at my home track and share it with all the fans. Thank you to the fans for all your support.” YOU MUST HAVE ONE OR TWO MEMORIES OF BEING OUT HERE WATCHING YOUR DAD?“I remember sitting up in the stands with my sisters when we were little kids watching him go by and win races and win championships. We always brought our little animal cracker boxes up there and we’d sit up there all day watching Dad.” An interview with Pro Stock world champion ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:TEN WINS AND 13 FINAL ROUNDS. YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP REALLY WASN’T IN DOUBT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON.“It was our goal coming out. I’m really proud of how my boys at Elite Motorsports race. We’re five-time world champions and I could not be more proud of my Melling Performance team.” AS A YOUNG GIRL IN JUNIOR DRAGSTERS, YOU WATCHED THE PROFESSIONALS COMPETE AND HAD TO THINK MAYBE SOMEDAY THAT COULD BE ME?“I had big dreams and what’s awesome about being a kid is the magic of believing it can happen. With surrounding yourself with the right people and just working really hard — having an undeniable work ethic — but it’s all about the people. They are the most important pieces of the puzzle and I’m so proud. I got my Super Comp license for my 16th birthday right here at this racetrack and went on to do a lot of fun stuff in that category. But for 18 completed years in Pro Stock, I’d say we’re doing pretty good and I’m not done yet.” DO YOU EVER WALK INTO YOUR OFFICE AND LOOK AT THE TROPHIES?“I do. I’m very proud. It’s one of those pinch-me moments where you’re humbled and you don’t feel like you’re there yet but you look at these pictures and see how awesome you’ve done. I’ve had the support of my family all along and this Elite Motorsports team I can’t deny talking about them because before I joined them I had six wins. We have 43 now. I’m really proud to be their driver.”  An interview with Top Fuel race winner AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER:PRETTY GOOD DAY AT THE OFFICE FOR YOU.“This has been a dream of mine to win at Pomona. I think I’ve been in the final three times and to finally get it done for Rahn Tobler – the final race of his career and to go out in the fashion he did just shows what a legend he is. I’ve been blessed to race with him, blessed with the opportunity to even do this. My dad didn’t get it done today, but hopefully this will cheer the family up.” WHAT ABOUT THOSE NUMBERS YOU WERE PUTTING ON THE SCOREBOARD?“I couldn’t even believe it. The run in the semis I didn’t even get to enjoy that. It was the quickest run I’ve ever had and I about double-stepped the thing and by the time I pulled the laundry at the top end I was still on the starting line. The final round I got to enjoy it and that thing left hard and went right own Broadway and we got to turn on the win light. Awesome to get up on the wing again and hopefully this is a good sign for 2023.” THIS HAS TO MAKE GETTING READY FOR 2023 SWEET?“The nicest thing about winning the last one is you get to enjoy it the longest. I’m really looking forward to 2023. It just shows how hard this team has worked and what we’re capable of. We put this team together in about a week and a half and we showed that we could come and play. I really enjoyed driving this thing. I’m glad I can do my part and when we all come together we hold the Wally at the end of the day.” YOU WON THE BATTLE; YOUR TEAMMATE WON THE WAR.“There isn’t a better way to finish out. I just wish would have gotten a better start in the Countdown. We would have been battling it out right with her. That would have been really cool. But to see her get her second championship, and then to see David Grubnic win it. He’s worked so hard. He’s been in the fight for the last four years and to finally get it done is really special.” An interview with Pro Stock race winner GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COMCHEVROLET CAMARO SS:HOW MUCH DOES THIS MEAN GOING INTO THE OFFSEASON?“It’s been a tough year for us. (Elite Motorsports has) done a fantastic job this year. (Erica Enders) won a lot of races. She is a very worthy world champion. She has kicked our butts all year, but we got the last battle. My motivation this weekend was Ken Black. He’s stepping out of the sport, but he’s done so much for this sport, so much for me personally, so much for this race team. I couldn’t think of any better way to thank him than handing him a trophy from the finals.” YOU HAVE BEEN WITH KEN BLACK SINCE HE STARTED THE TEAM IN 2002. YOUR THOUGHTS?“Ken Black is responsible for every one of my wins. He’s made all of my hopes and dreams come true. Who knows what my life would have been if it wasn’t for him. He gave me this wonderful opportunity 20 years ago, and we tried to make the most of it. It’s because of him that we’ve been able to be a huge success. We have a lot to be proud of because of him. He’s absolutely the man. I’m happy for him, proud to be part of his team, and so thankful for all the years we’ve spent together. We’ve been awesome together. We’re going to try to keep his KB Racing name alive and strong for a lot of years to come.” YOU HAVE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING AND THE TEAM WILL STILL BE AROUND TO CHASE WINS AND CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR YEARS TO COME.“Absolutely. I can’t tell you how excited I am for the future. Just like Ron Capps; he’s reborn. And look at the job he did this year. He’s a new team owner and it lights a fire under you. And that’s exactly what it’s going to do to me. And I’m going to need it to compete with that Elite team. It’s going to be a great offseason. We’ve got four months to make our product better and come out here and make everyone proud.”

Earns Toyota’s Fourth NHRA Funny Car Driver’s Championship

POMONA, Calif. (November 13, 2022) – Toyota driver Ron Capps won his third career NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Funny Car Championship on Sunday night with a final round appearance in the season finale at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Capps’ championship marks the fourth Funny Car championship for Toyota, and the first for the GR Supra Funny Car.

TOYOTA FAST FACTS

•               Since joining Team Toyota in Charlotte, Capps won four races, advanced to three final rounds and scored 36 round wins over 17 races to claim the 2022 NHRA Top Fuel Championship. 

•               This is Capps third championship, and second consecutive. Capps previously won the championship in 2016 and 2021.

•               The 57-year-old California-native is second all-time with 72 career Funny Car wins. Combined with his one Top Fuel victory, Capps ranks sixth in NHRA history with 73 career wins. 

•               This is Capps’s first title as an owner-driver for Ron Capps Motorsports. Capps won the previous two championships with Don Schumacher Racing.

•               This is the first title for the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car. Cruz Pedregon won the first Funny Car championship for Toyota aboard a Toyota Solara in 2008, and Del Worsham (2015) and J.R. Todd (2018) won their Funny Car titles aboard the Toyota Camry.

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

What would you say to anyone looking to take a risk like you did to start this race team?

“It’s like anybody in Amrica, anything you put your mind to, you can do with great people around you. I told you earlier I knew we deserved it because of the great group of people I have around me. I can’t even begin to say what it feels like right now. I mean, NAPA Auto Care people, all the NAPA Auto Care owners, 6000 strong and for everybody at home that puts on the Ron Capps NAPA jersey and watching on the couch there on Fox Sports, and GearWrench and Toyota coming on board – to give them a championship means so much. But my family and more than anything we have take on this role this year. That’s been unbelievable. I’m sure you’ve all seen me age quite a but in the last year or so. And I’m sure there were some upset people on the starting like including Slugger (Labbe, TRD) from Toyota and his guys. They thought I was going to shut it off and I planned on it, but I didn’t see Cruz (Pedregon) and I knew I couldn’t get across the centerline so I hugged the wall all the way down. I hope everybody appreciates that. I ran it to the finish line because that was a hard decision to make. For the fans, I did the longest burnout.”

PAUL DOLESHAL, group manager, motorsports, Toyota Motor North America

“We are thrilled to celebrate with Ron and his entire team on their third Funny Car championship in the first season for the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car. To see the efforts of the entire Toyota Gazoo Racing North America team culminate in a Funny Car championship this quickly is extremely rewarding. Ron has fully embraced the Toyota culture and Toyota family since our partnership began this season and we couldn’t be more thrilled to call him a Team Toyota champion.” 

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 13, 2022) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster earned their second NHRA Camping World NHRA world championship on Sunday, Nov. 13 when they qualified No. 1 and won first round at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team became just the fourth woman in NHRA professional drag racing history to win multiple championships after Erica Enders, Angelle Sampey and Shirley Muldowney and just the second in Top Fuel behind Muldowney. “I want everyone to remember this day, here in Pomona with this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team; David Grubnic, Mac Savage, every single one of my guys. We have been working at this all season long. We never gave up and then we struggled in the Countdown, but we recovered, and we recovered when we needed to in Vegas and here in Pomona,” Force said. “This just seems unreal; I can’t believe we’re here. I have to thank every single one of my guys, our sponsors, Monster Energy, Flav-R-Pac, Auto Club, Chevy, PEAK, Cornwell Tools, Montana Brand, NK Seeds, Powers Solar, we wouldn’t be here without them today. I’m so proud of everybody. It just seems surreal; I can’t believe it ended up this way. I believed coming into today, I was motivated, pumped, we all were, and we got the job done. Just needed to get past the first round.” After earning 13 bonus points throughout qualifying, Force picked up a first-round win at 3.701-seconds and 334.90 mph defeating Steve Chrisman and just had to see how championship contenders Mike Salinas and Justin Ashley faired through the first round. Salina would go out first, falling to Krista Baldwin. As the last pair in the first round, Ashley would come up short to Antron Brown who was knocked out of contention when Force won first round. Force will take on Clay Millican in the next round of eliminations as she continues to compete for her sixth win of the season.

• Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Matt Hagan qualified his Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car No. 3 on the eliminations ladder at the 57th annual Auto Club National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Finals and remains in the hunt for the championship for a fourth straight year heading into the last race day of the season
• While Hagan has a 62-point deficit to Funny Car championship leader Robert Hight and is five behind No. 1 Qualifier Ron Capps, both of his opponents are on the opposite side of the eliminations ladder to the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat which sets up the possibility of TSR earning their first NHRA world title by advancing to the final or winning the Wally trophy
• No. 2 seed Cruz Pedregon had the best qualifying performance of his Funny Car career aboard the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat with four of the quickest passes he has ever run, all of which were in the 3.84-second range
• TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett took her Dodge Power Brokers dragster for their best elapsed-time run of the season to earn the No. 4 position for eliminations at NHRA Finals

November 12, 2022, Pomona, California – Race day at the 57th annual Auto Club National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Finals may offer up a very exciting end to Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) first season in drag racing competition as Matt Hagan qualified his Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car No. 3 for eliminations and, with three win lights and a little luck, could end up battling for a Wally trophy and the 2022 NHRA World Championship in the final round of the season.

There are certainly plenty of scenarios that could play out on race day for the points-and-a-half finale at the legendary Auto Club Raceway at Pomona but should current class leader Robert Hight falter in the first two rounds while the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car drives to a final elimination appearance, the world championship title for Hagan and TSR remains a possibility.

The three-time Funny Car World Champion’s best run of the weekend came in Friday’s second session with a 3.669-second elapsed time run at 329.67 mph to put him third on the elimination ladder and earn four of his five total qualifying bonus points. While he wasn’t able to amass enough extra points to put him within two rounds (or less than 60 points) of Hight as No. 1 Qualifier Capps (57 points behind) had done, the good news is that both of Hagan’s opponents are on the opposite side of the eliminations ladder, giving the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver a chance to contend for the crown by advancing to the final round.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Hagan heads into the last race of the season as a title contender. He’ll begin his drive against No. 14 seed Steven Densham. 

Two-time Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon earned the No. 2 Qualifier position for the last race of the 2022 season aboard his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat after putting together the best qualifying performance of his career with four of the quickest passes he has ever run, all of which were in the 3.84-second range. Pedregon ran a career-best 3.840-second run at 322.58 mph with his first lap of the weekend to put himself in the provisional No. 1 Qualifier position on Friday, and had three more great consistent runs that put him first or second in each of the remain sessions to collect a total of 14 bonus points. 

Unfortunately, Pedregon was dislodged from to the top spot by Capps in their final qualifying run. Pedregon will have No. 15 seed Jason Rupert as his opening round opponent.

TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett will go into the last race day of the year as No. 4 qualifier after wheeling her Dodge Power Brokers dragster to their best elapsed time run of the season with a 3.669 second/329.67 mph effort in Friday’s second session. That run put her provisionally third heading into Saturday qualifying where she added two more solid passes but was unable to improve her starting position in a tight Top Fuel field. Pruett will line up next to No. 12 seed Alex Laughlin in the opening round as she works towards earning her second Wally trophy of the year.

The NHRA Finals, the last of six NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” playoff events will air on FS1 with a recap of qualifying on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. ET and race coverage beginning at 4 p.m. ET to conclude with the crowning of 2022 NHRA World Champions.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Leah Pruett, Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster  

(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.669 seconds at 329.67 mph)

Qualifying 1: 9.948 seconds at 69.35 mph

Qualifying 2: 3.669 sec./329.67 mph (2 bonus points for 3rd quickest of session)

Qualifying 3: 3.739 sec./323.12 mph 

Qualifying 4: 3.692 sec./324.59 mph  

“Friday was a phenomenal day. Even though we smoked the tires on the first run, it really wasn’t due to tune-up. It was just an internal error that we identified immediately just like we had in Denver at the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-HIgh Nationals where we rebounded and put down a killer time and went on to win the race. It felt so good to go fast and it’s a complete tribute to the dedication that this team has had through our last couple races. We haven’t had the results that we wanted, but the team kept digging and applied all of those performance enhancing ideologies into this. Our goal is to finish out stronger than we’ve raced all year. We’re very happy with our Dodge Power Brokers dragster and we’re excited because we are going in the direction that we’ve been trying for so long. The car is reacting and it’s exciting to be able to continue pushing and not trying to fix problems. 

“To be able to execute like we did in qualifying was awesome. Qualifying fourth in what I would consider to be the toughest and tightest Top Fuel competition season that I’ve ever been a part of feels good. We’re just really focused on making sure that we keep this momentum and that fierce fighting attitude to make sure that we have a very long Sunday drive.”

Matt Hagan, Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  

(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.844 seconds at 323.58 mph)

Qualifying 1: 4.199 seconds at 220.66 mph

Qualifying 2: 3.844 sec./ 323.58 mph (4 points for quickest run of session)

Qualifying 3: 3.867 sec./326.56 mph (1 point for 4th quickest run of session) 

Qualifying 4: 4.057 sec./245.32 mph

“It kind of comes down to if (Bob) Tasca can take Hight out in the second round, we still have a real shot at it. Then it could be a battle between me and (Ron) Capps to see who goes the farthest there at the end of the day. We’ve still got a shot at it. It’s always great to be in the hunt and I’ve got nothing but confidence in my team and Dickie Venables, Mike Knutson and Alex Conway. Those guys always put an amazing race car underneath me and I’m just excited to get to go tomorrow.

“Obviously there’s always pressure at every race but this is just amplified a little bit more because it’s an opportunity for a championship. It always seems to come down to the last race and the last run and the semi-finals or finals so there’s nothing new there. It’s just knowing that we have to go every round and make every round count. Dickie’s a great racer on Sunday. He races the racetrack. He’s good with making the calls up there and the gut decisions that he has to make up there to make the car go down the racetrack. I think that we just gotta go race the track tomorrow, race our race and let the cards fall where they fall.”

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

(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.840 seconds at 322.58 mph)

Qualifying 1: 3.840 seconds at 322.58 mph (4 points for quickest run of session)

Qualifying 2: 3.849 sec./327.03 mph (3 points for 2nd quickest run of session)

Qualifying 3: 3.847 sec./323.43 mph (4 points for quickest run of session)

Qualifying 4: 3.841 sec./ 330.31 (3 points for 2nd quickest run of session)

“To say I’m happy and excited and relieved all in one would be an understatement. I’ve been surprised before at the finish line. but not like that. [The first pass] was such a great run and honestly, the car had a cylinder out about three-quarter track on that first (run) so had we been able to put the back half of this second run with the first one I would have been a little bit better.”

“To have four great consistent runs like that makes us very excited about our next season because we now know we have a car that can win races. We’re still trying to get faster speeds, That’s something that we know we need to work on but hats off to the team. They did the job and it’s exciting. That’s what you want and that’s what we work for. Tomorrow we’re just gonna go out there and do all we can to outlast everybody.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following qualifying at the NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Robert Hight 2649 (8)

2.  Ron Capps: 2592 (5)

3.  Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 2587(4)

4.  John Force: 2460 (1)

5.  Bob Tasca III: 2444 (3)

6.  J.R. Todd: 2344

7. Tim Wilkerson: 2313

8. Alexis DeJoria: 2312 (1)

9. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 2290

10. Blake Alexander: 2199

11. Jim Campbell: 2198

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Brittany Force: 2536 (5)

2.  Justin Ashley: 2510 (3)

3.  Mike Salinas: 2461 (4)

4.  Antron Brown 2444 (3)

5. Steve Torrence: 2443 (2)

6. Austin Prock: 2394 (1)

7. Josh Hart: 2359 (1)

8. Shawn Langdon: 2339

9.  Doug Kalitta: 2335

10. Clay Millican: 2318

11. Tony Schumacher: 2277(1)

12. Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers): 2265 (1)

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.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with a lineup that delivers unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT Hellcat versions of the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Durango, as well as an R/T plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the all-new 2023 Dodge Hornet, representing the brand’s first-ever electrified performance vehicle. Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock; the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world; and the 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever; and best-in-class standard performance in the compact utility vehicle segment with the Dodge Hornet. Combined, these four muscle vehicles make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2022, the Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market), making it the only domestic brand ever to do so three years in a row. In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). 

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

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12, 2022) – With a second NHRA Camping World tour championship clearly in her sights, Brittany Force starts Sunday’s 57th Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona as the No. 1 qualifier on the strength of a 3.641 second performance in a Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster she drove to a track record-setting and all-time best Top Fuel speed of 338.94 mph. Robert Hight, who is trying to join Don “the Snake” Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein and teammate John Force as one of the sport’s only four-time Funny Car champions, will start his Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS from the No. 4 position after a best of 3.849 seconds. John Force, meanwhile, qualified his Dan Hood and Tim Fabrisi prepared PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Camaro No. 7 in Funny Car at 3.864 at 333.49 mph. Third generation drag racer Austin Prock, whose Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster has surged during the Countdown, will start from the No. 5 spot at 3.689 seconds, 333.08 mph. Brittany grabbed 13 of the maximum 16 qualifying bonus points over the two days and, as a result, will carry a 26-point advantage over second place Justin Ashley into Sunday eliminations where she will oppose No. 16 qualifier Steve Chrisman in the first round. The No. 1 start is the 2017 Champion’s 10th of this season and 22nd over the last two campaigns. That gives her 42 career No. 1s, third most in team history behind her dad (165) and Hight (77). “I feel very good going into race day tomorrow. We had four consistent runs, got that No. 1 spot and we picked up some bonus points, so this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is going into tomorrow feeling good,” said Force. “I’ve been here before, battling out to the final day for the championship, that gives me a little bit of confidence. We’re out ahead, but not by very much. It could change so quickly, but this team is incredible, what we’ve done all season long, what we’ve done this weekend, we just need to keep on hitting our numbers like we have been.” Robert Hight’s Top 4 starting position is his 19th in 22 races this year in the NHRA national record-holding Auto Club Chevy tuned by Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham. A 61-time tour winner, Hight will begin his drive to a potential fourth championship against No. 13 qualifier Chad Green. Significantly, he will start eliminations 57 points ahead of No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps and 62 ahead of Matt Hagan. “Two great runs today for this Auto Club Chevy team. It gives us something to work with for tomorrow,” High said. “It’s going to be an exciting day of racing, that’s for sure. These Auto Club guys have worked hard all season, tomorrow it pays off. We just need to keep our heads down and focus. It’s ours to lose, we know that, and we know what we need to do. I’m ready to get it going and I know every single one of these guys is too.” Regardless of what happens Sunday, John Force will finish in the Top five for the 29th time in his career. He’ll open his bid for a ninth win in the Auto Club Finals and 17th overall at Auto Club Raceway against No. 10 qualifier Blake Alexander against whom he is 5-0 in his career.  “Going to be an exciting Sunday race day. Championships are on the line. I know I’m out of it but Brittany and Robert are right in it. It’s going to come down to the wire. They both have what it takes to get the job done, they’ve had it all year,” Force said. “We’ll just have to see what happens, see how the day shakes out, maybe this PEAK team can do something to help that Auto Club team out. We’ll see.” In the midst of a strong Countdown performance that includes a win at Reading, Pa., arunner-up finish at Dallas and a trip to the semifinals two weeks ago at Las Vegas, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster will go into Sunday’s eliminations against No. 12 qualifier Shawn Langdon.  “Solid day for this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. We’re rolling into Sunday qualified fifth and have a great car to go rounds,” Prock said. “We’re looking forward to a strong day to finish out the season.” Competition continues at the Auto Club Finals with eliminations at 11 a.m. Sunday. Television coverage will air on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with qualifying highlights at 2 p.m. ET and concluding with final eliminations from 4-to-7 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:5th; 3.689-seconds; 333.08 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (fourth quickest Q4)BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.641-seconds; 338.94 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+13 (third quickest Q1; quickest Q2 & Q3; second quickest Q4 ) JOHN FORCE, 73, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:4th; 3.864-seconds; 333.49 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +4 (second quickest Q1 & fourth quickest Q2)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:5th; 3.866-seconds; 332.43 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+5 (second quickest Q3; third quickest Q4)

Torrence’s Top Fuel Dragster Scores Number Two Qualifier

POMONA, Calif. (November 12, 2022) – Ron Capps and his NAPA Toyota GR Supra team struggled through Friday’s qualifying sessions and found themselves on the outside looking in at the top-16 cars. But when the final round came about Saturday afternoon, Capps posted the top time of 3.837 to claim the number one qualifier position. Capps now finds himself within 57 points of the Funny Car championship with eliminations starting Sunday morning from Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California.

In Top Fuel, Steve Torrence posted the number two qualifier time with a pass of 3.647, but was behind one of the two championship contenders, Brittany Force, who claimed the number one qualifier spot only six one-thousandths quicker.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Auto Club Raceway of Pomona

Race 22 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Brittany Force*	Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster*	1st (3.641)	S. Chrisman
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	2nd (3.647)	R. August Jr.
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	6th (3.693)	J. Hart
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	7th (3.696)	J. Ashley
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	10th (3.706)	A. Brown
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	12th (3.751)	A. Prock

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Ron Capps	NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	1st (3.837)	J. Arend
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	6th (3.862)	J. Campbell
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	9th (3.917)	T. Wilkerson

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 1st

Can you talk about the emotion involved in claiming the number one qualifier heading into the championship run tomorrow?

“I got on the radio and I was screaming and yelling, it was like going down the road to Disneyland and getting on Space Mountain for the first time as a kid. I was fighting for my life to keep it between the guardrail and the center line and it was just hunting and moving. A lot of times, you think that would take ET (elapsed time) away, but I felt the clutch come in sooner than normal and today I could just tell. Yesterday we had issues, turned out it was ignition issues and we found it, but today it just had max cackle that Gary Scelzi always talked about. When your car is just banging and popping and sounding good at idle and you do the burnout and you think, ‘This might be too much,’ it sounded like that all day today. We were worried that the conditions might cool off too much with it being late in the day, but it held its own and Guido got in the box a couple times during the oil down and it just got to where I was asking for us just to get down and have a good run. We’re not going to see these conditions again this year so it’s great to end this way. We started the season with the number one qualifier at the Winternationals as a new team owner and I thought it would be crazy and how much better could it get. Then we go on to win five races and get the pole here at the end. This is what I talk about when you get into a race car like this and you wish you could make those big runs at the big moments, but when you actually have the capability and the personnel and the tools and obviously the sponsors with NAPA and Toyota, but you can actually strap in and go not only do I wish I can or do I think we can, but I know we can go out and throw down with the best. It’s a great feeling so what a way to end qualifying.”

What does it do knowing you have a possible match-up with Robert Hight in the semi-finals tomorrow?

“It’s just an emotional roller coaster. First it’s the interview on the top end and then we come up and see my family on the fence – all 80 of them that we got tickets for. That’s all fun and that’s what makes this so special, right? Then to get up here and I forgot all about the math and we get up here and Paul Mecca and our Gearwrench tools guy are like, ‘Did that get us below two rounds?’ So to have you guys tell us that not only did it, but it got us three points under, it gets better and better. Then I find out that we’re on the same side of the ladder so like I said, it’s a different day tomorrow. New track, new people, new opponents, big moments. I’m going to wake up tomorrow in my motorhome trackside and have a chance of possibly winning a world championship once again in NHRA. Possibly not, but there’s a good chance. There’s not a better feeling to wake up and stand here and realize that as a kid I used to watch the big moments and now I’m part of some of them.”

How do you calm yourself down in a situation like tomorrow with the championship on the line?

“Some drivers have to be completely silent and sit in the tow vehicle and I’m sending Instagrams out and tweets. Leah (Pruett) asked me last year when I have the time to do all this stuff and I told her, ‘When I get into the staging lanes.’ I answer my emails and send my tweets and funny Instagrams and Facebook stuff before I get suited up and it keeps my mind calm. And if anyone here is A.D.D., they will understand. It’s backwards, but I just try to stay busy. I’ve been through this moment so many times, it doesn’t matter, you still wake up with a pit in your stomach and bald eagles flying around your stomach. That’s what it’s all about.”

ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 6th

After a career-best pass in this qualifying session with 3.862, what does that say about this race team?

“Well, it definitely lifted up in the front, I could feel it a little bit, but it was nice and smooth. I didn’t get out of the groove too much. The temperature is great right now. Our last one would have been good, but I’m so nervous about crossing the center line or touching it and getting 15 points taken away. So I’m a little gun shy. I can’t say enough about our team, they are so rad and our crew chiefs are so rad. This year has really been building for next season. We have a badass car. We have a badass team and my whole crew is just freaking awesome.”

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

TF Qualifying Result: 2nd

How do you feel about your championship chances with Brittany Force and Justin Ashley running strong in qualifying?

“There’s still a chance, but that door is definitely not open very much. Anytime you can run quicker than that Monster car on any lap, that’s a big deal and it’s crazy to think we ran .64 and we’re still number two. That’s a testament to how bad to the bone those guys are, but these Capco Contractors boys on this Toyota dragster, we definitely want to finish the season on a bang and finish strong. We kind of shot ourselves in the foot and just experimented entirely too long and couldn’t get it back in time. It’s been a good year, but I’m glad it’s over. We still have a shot to play spoiler tomorrow, but it would entail two of the best cars out here to go out early. We’re not going to hope for that, but we’re just going to go out and give it all we’ve got and maybe we can play spoiler.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.  

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants.  By 2025, Toyota’s 14^th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.  With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Second place for Milner, Tandy, No. 64 C8.R in season, class finale SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 12, 2022) – Corvette Racing’s never-give-up mindset came to the forefront again Saturday as a total team effort led to a runner-up GTE Pro class finish in the Eight Hours of Bahrain and the final race of the year in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy came home second in the last race for the GTE Pro category with the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. It marked the pairing’s third podium finish of the season and second runner-up result, the first coming in the season-opening 1,000 Miles of Sebring. Milner, Tandy and Corvette Racing captured the Six Hours of Monza earlier this year as part of the team’s globe-trotting first season in the WEC. Saturday’s result provides a nice springboard to the 2023 season and a GTE Am campaign with the mid-engine Corvette C8.R.

Saturday, the Corvette team’s fortunes took a dramatic change just past the one-hour mark. After starting fifth in class – and sitting at the bottom of the GTE Pro timesheets throughout practice and qualifying – Milner gained track position by going a lap longer than three other GTE Pro cars in his opening stint and made his first pit stop during the race’s first full-course caution just past the one-hour mark. Going long gained Milner 30 seconds and – more importantly – three positions to second place by the time the race went green again with 75 minutes running. From that point on, Milner masterfully managed his pace and tires on a hot and slippery surface for the next hour before handing off to Tandy for a double-stint under another yellow period. The C8.R continued to show life with changes from the Corvette Racing engineers and crew following Friday’s qualifying. Tandy was able to fight and overtake one of the two Porsches and challenge eventual race-winner Ferrari despite behind handfuls of seconds behind throughout practice. Milner got back in in the Corvette just past the halfway point – again, under a full-course yellow – and held second position throughout his 70-minute run before a final swap back to Tandy for the final 2.5 hours. As much as the pre-race adjustments to the C8.R paid off, the pit work by the Corvette Racing crew and engineering strategies – both fuel and tire usage – kept the team in contention throughout. That bore out in the pit stops with the C8.R crew nine seconds quicker in its cumulative pitlane time throughout the race than the other two podium cars in GTE Pro. The end of the WEC season brought to an end an iconic era of GTE Pro racing. Corvette Racing, naturally, has been part of GTE Pro in the WEC – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – since the first year of the class in 2011. Its participation in GTE-rules racing was amplified in 2014 with the birth of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category in IMSA, which used the same technical rules that existed for GTE. Taking into account both championships, Corvette Racing has an exemplary record in GTE/GTLM competition with 32 victories at racetracks around the world to go along with five Drivers and Team championships and four Manufacturers crowns in IMSA Corvette Racing will return to FIA WEC competition in 2023 with Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg teaming in a GTE Am Corvette C8.R. The season begins March 17 at Sebring International Raceway.

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTE PRO: “That was definitely a lot better than we were anticipating! It’s great to be back on the podium in the last race of the year and the last GTE Pro race. It’s a little bittersweet. If you look at our season as a whole, we had a great year. There was still a lot to be had. If Le Mans had gone the way it was going for us, Nick and I would be World Champions as drivers so that’s a bit of a bummer. But that’s racing. I’m happy to end this class on a high note and be back on the podium for Corvette Racing. I’m super-proud of the work that all these guys have done this year. We realistically had a championship season, and everyone should be super-proud.”(On the race): “We were really lucky with the timing of that second full-course yellow and to be in position to take advantage of that. That catapulted us back in the race. Ultimately we didn’t have the pace to run with the Ferrari. The plan from the beginning was to run our own race and be smart on the strategy to see where we end up. The engineers had me save quite a bit of fuel. We did whatever we could do to be as perfect as possible and let the result be determined by everybody else and not by us. Our goal was to drive our own race and see what happened.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTE PRO: “What a great way to finish the season. It shows again that in a long endurance race, all the pieces and parts of the puzzle – most of those being the people involved – make a huge difference. From a team point of view, we ran an absolute faultless race from start to finish. We got lucky with strategy but we put ourselves in position to get that luck. From then on, we made the Corvette the best that it’s been to drive all week. We had pace in the race when others saw theirs drop. From the pit crew to the engineering group, everyone who has been looking after the team, getting us and the car here and ready, it’s been a great day for Corvette Racing. We finished probably three places further up than we should have, and that’s due to great execution from every single team member. It’s a great way to end this season.”(On the race): “We got lucky with the early yellow. Actually we had looked at it early and said maybe the only chance we’d have is to try and play something on the fuel strategy game. That worked out well for us and the 51 Ferrari. We gained about 30 seconds on the other three cars when we pitted. Then we were looking to see where we were in the meat of the race when the sun came down. We weren’t too bad on pace, and I had a great fight with Michael (Christensen, No. 92 Porsche) for a few laps. It was a good run out there.”(On the full season): “I think you can see that all of us at Corvette Racing have enjoyed it. It’s been good fun. It’s been frustrating at times but overall everyone is pleased with what we’ve done by coming in for the full season. We’ve won a race and been competitive at most events. We’ve got experience not just for Corvette Racing but also for all our partner teams at General Motors. Everything we’ve done and learned will help not only this teams but hopefully others in the future. It’s good to come here and see everything and bring people to these events and tracks with regulations we haven’t seen before.”

LAURA WONTROP KLAUSER, GM SPORTS RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “We’re really proud of all the accomplishments by everyone on the Corvette Racing program this year in the World Endurance Championship. It was our first time in this series, and we knew it was going to be a learning season. To win at Monza, to lead as many laps as we did at Le Mans, and to finish second at Sebring and now here at Bahrain… I’d say we did pretty well! There is a lot we can and will take from this into the 2023 season. A huge thanks to everyone at Chevrolet, GM Performance, Pratt Miller and many, many more who supported us and made this possible. We’re already looking forward to Sebring next year!”

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 09, 2022) – Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet team enter this weekend’s Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona with a seven-point lead chasing her sixth win of the season which would guarantee her the second NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series championship of her career. Coming off a wire-to-wire victory at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team are poised to win her second Top Fuel championship in just seven years. Force’s victory Las Vegas marked a career best fifth win for the 2013 Rookie of the Year. She won four events when she claimed the championship in 2017 to become just the second woman to win in the premier division and the first to do so in 35 years.  “I’m really proud of our entire team, they’ve all worked really hard from David Grubnic and Mac Savage to every single crew guy and we’ve had a great season. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac ream has been winning races and setting track records and now it comes down to the final race, as we knew it would,” Force said. “Our Countdown got off to a rocky start. The first four races, we didn’t perform like we had all season and we started to stumble, but we turned it around in Vegas and we all felt that energy. Anything can happen in Pomona with points-and-a-half, and we’ve all seen it before at this race. It’s still anyone’s game. That win in Vegas was huge for us and we’re going ride that through this weekend. That gives us confidence and it motivates us to want to do it again.” Force was the winner at the Finals in her championship-winning 2017 season where she also earned her only Finals No. 1 qualifying position (although she has started from No. 1 the last three years at the season-opening Winternationals). Owner of the 10 fastest speeds in Top Fuel history, Brittany is also the speed record holder at Auto Club Raceway where she drove her Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster to 336.23 mph on Feb. 9, 2020. With Dave Grubnic and Mac Savage handling the tune-up duties, she set the current NHRA national records of 3.623 seconds (Aug.31, 2019 at Reading, Pa.) and 338.43 mph (Oct. 2, 2022 at St. Louis). The Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona will begin with four rounds of qualifying including two on Friday at 1 and 4:15 p.m. and two Saturday at 12:30 and 4 p.m. Eliminations, where champions will be crowned, are slated to begin Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event begins Sunday with qualifying coverage Sunday at 1 p.m. ET and eliminations airing in a tape delay at 4 p.m. ET and a special NHRA Post Show at 7 p.m. ET all on FOX Sports 1 (FS1).

LIVEWIRE-TO-WIRE: English Wins at Charlotte, Nets First Career World Finals Victory

Kentuckian clinches second in Series points and Rookie of the Year title

CONCORD, NC – Nov. 3, 2022 – Tanner English’s third World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series Feature win of the season Thursday night was worth a lot more to he and his team than just another trophy in the cabinet.

With his wire-to-wire victory in the 40-lap main event at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, English garnered enough points in the standings to lock-up second place overall and officially clinch the 2022 Rookie of the Year Award.

This effectively settles the 10-month-long battle for the prestigious honor between English and fellow full-time Outlaw Max Blair. With only one race remaining on the schedule and the points advantage at 58, English now becomes the highest-finishing rookie in points in World of Outlaws Late Models history – breaking the previous record of third place, shared by Ricky Weiss (2019) and Tyler Bruening (2021).

“It’s big to me to be able to do that and get second in points,” English said. “Everybody’s been tough. Max has been tough all year, and [Ryan] Gustin… it’s just been a tough crowd, and it’s good to finish up front with all these people.”

It’s been a long and demanding season to this point, and in the 42nd race of the 2022 campaign at the World of Outlaws World Finals, The Kentucky Livewire made quick work of the field in the caution-free event that took slightly over 12 minutes to complete. At the drop of the green, English got the jump on polesitter Shane Clanton and won the mad dash into Turn 1 – a goal that he said was the key to the win.

“I knew Clanton was going to be tough getting into Turn 1,” English said. “It kinda helped me out when he pushed me up a little bit; I kinda pushed-up and hit that cushion coming off and it got me a good run down the straightaway.

“That was big. That’s what won the race. I feel like if he gets out front, he wins the race.”

Armed with clean air and the rest of the field behind him, English jumped out to a fluctuating lead of approximately 1.5 seconds on Clanton through the first 20 laps. As the laps clicked off, English dug further and further into lapped traffic, but never seemed to slow down or give up ground to Clanton.

English managed to maintain the solid gap in traffic until the final laps, when Clanton began to close the gap slightly. Try as he may, though, Clanton was unable to reel English all the way in and was forced to settle for runner-up as English crossed the stripe for his first career victory at The Dirt Track.

“I didn’t even think we’d make the show here,” English said. “I thought I was going to have to use some provisionals the way this place is. It usually takes some big motor here, and we don’t have that, for sure.

“It’s sung. It was getting after it, but it got the job done and that’s all you can ask out of it.”

Clanton crossed the stripe in second for the second-straight night. Though he managed to hold-off a relentless Chris Madden throughout the second half of the race, the 2015 Series champion said he knew how his car could have been better even before the race was over.

“We tightened it up a little too much,” Clanton said. “If I’d have left it like it was last night, I maybe could’ve charged harder getting into the corner. But when I drive harder, I’m too tight.”

Madden came home third after starting fourth on the grid. He was a strong threat to Clanton’s runner-up spot inside of 20-to-go, nearly pulling alongside him to make the pass at one point.

“I ran Shane down and ran up [beside] him and tried to move around a little bit, but the air would get dirtied-up a little bit and we’d get loose,” Madden said. “Overall, we had a good race car tonight. We just needed to draw a 1 or 2 I think and start on that front row.”

Madden’s strong Thursday showing makes up a bit for his 21st-place result in Wednesday’s Feature, where internal mechanical issues on the final lap struck him and ruined what could’ve been a top-10 finish. He’ll need those Every Lap Matters points, as they set Saturday’s Heat lineups.

“Hopefully, we’re gonna get a good starting spot for the Heat Race [on Saturday],” Madden said. “You definitely need to start on the first three rows, for sure.”

Wednesday night winner Mike Marlar crossed the stripe in fourth, while Rocket1 Racing’s new pilot Hudson O’Neal turned things around from Wednesday’s 13th-place run to complete the top-five. Scott Bloomquist was the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award winner, advancing six spots on his drive from 20th-to-14th.

UP NEXT

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models have the night off from racing action tomorrow at The Dirt Track and will instead headline Friday’s Fan Fest on the access road in front of the grandstands from 2-4pm. Full-time Outlaws and various other drivers in the field will be there with their cars signing autographs and taking part in the fun activities planned, then getting ready for the World Finals finale on Saturday night and the 50-lap, $25,000-to-win Feature event.

Tickets are available at WorldofOutlaws.com or at the gate on race day. If you can’t be at the track, watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

CASE Construction Feature (40 Laps): 1. 81E-Tanner English[2]; 2. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 3. 44-Chris Madden[4]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[5]; 5. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 6. 49-Jonathan Davenport[9]; 7. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 8. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]; 9. 17M-Dale McDowell[10]; 10. 7W-Ricky Weiss[11]; 11. 1T-Tyler Erb[12]; 12. 8-Kyle Strickler[7]; 13. 10-Garrett Smith[14]; 14. 0-Scott Bloomquist[20]; 15. 76-Brandon Overton[15]; 16. 22-Chris Ferguson[16]; 17. 93-Carson Ferguson[22]; 18. 18D-Daulton Wilson[21]; 19. 20-Jimmy Owens[18]; 20. 111V-Max Blair[25]; 21. B1-Brent Larson[17]; 22. 15-Dale Hollidge[13]; 23. 1-Josh Richards[26]; 24. 22*-Payton Freeman[24]; 25. 19R-Ryan Gustin[23]; 26. 88-Trent Ivey[19]; 27. 11-Gordy Gundaker[27]

Inside Line Promotions – BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Nov. 3, 2022) – Although mechanical woes derailed a great result for Dominic Scelzi last Saturday, he was able to increase his lead in the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series championship standings.

Scelzi now owns a 65-point advantage entering the season finale this Saturday when Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif., hosts the 39^th annual Tribute to Gary Patterson. Scelzi simply needs to take a green flag to garner the series championship for the second straight season.

“Our consistency has been incredible this season and we’ve had a lot of good runs,” he said. “A lot of people worked hard in the offseason and got better. We did, too, but there’s so many cars capable of winning out here. It’s been a great season and we’re fortunate to have had the success we’ve had.”

Last Saturday started out promising for Scelzi, who qualified fourth quickest at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park. He advanced from third to second place in a heat race and from sixth to third place in the dash to earn the third starting spot in the A Main.

“We were really good,” he said. “We timed in good and ran good in the heat and in the dash. I truly felt we were the strongest car there. The engine started going on the first start of the feature. I knew something was wrong and figured I needed to stay out as long as I could to minimize the points lost. Once Willie (Croft), who is second in the points, had his incident I decided to pull.”

Scelzi was running third when he exited the race early because of the mechanical problem. He was credited with an 18^th-place result.

The KWS/NARC season concludes this Saturday. Scelzi will also compete in the 360ci winged sprint car competition with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour during the Tribute to Gary Patterson.

“This is a big event so it’d be nice to end the season with a win or two,” he said. “I’d like to get to five NARC wins this year and if we could do that it’d put me at 20 career wins with the series. We’re at nine wins overall this season so we need one more to hit double digits.”

Following Saturday’s event Scelzi plans on tackling four additional nights of action this season – the 2^nd annual Keith Bryan Memorial at Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz., Nov. 11-12 and a Kings of Thunder doubleheader at Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif., Nov. 22-23.

QUICK RESULTS –

Oct. 29 – The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif. – Qualifying: 4; Heat race: 2 (3); Dash: 3 (6); Feature: 18 (3).

SEASON STATS –

54 races, 9 wins, 27 top fives, 37 top 10s, 44 top 15s, 47 top 20s

UP NEXT – 

Saturday at Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif., for the 39^th annual Tribute to Gary Patterson with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series and Sprint Car Challenge Tour