Latest news with #MissionFoodsDragRacingSeries'
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NHRA Pomona Results: A Record for Greg Anderson; Clay Millican Denies Tony Stewart
NHRA Pro Stock star Greg Anderson reset the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip's class elapsed-time record for the second time Sunday at the Lucas Oil Winternationals as he defeated KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn for the fourth straight time. It made Anderson a 108-time winner, breaking a tie with sportsman greats Dan Fletcher and Frank Manzo and becoming the second-most winning racer ever in the sports 74-year history. Only John Force, with his 157 victories, has more triumphs. Also on the iconic Southern California racetrack in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series' third of 20 races, Clay Millican denied Tony Stewart his first Top Fuel victory in a second try, and Jack Beckman delivered John Force Racing its 300th Funny Car victory. Clay Millican, the six-time champion and winningest IHRA driver, blew the engine of his Mighty Fire Breaker / Parts Plus Dragster at the finish line—'The Mighty Fire Breaker was on fire,' he said. But he earned his eighth overall victory. After jumping up and down and clapping his hands, Millican said crew chief Jim Oberhofer told him before that final-round run, 'I've got it loaded up. Two things are going to happen: We're going to win and we're going to blow it up, and if we lose, we'll be a footnote in history as the ones to let Tony Stewart win his first race. Thank goodness we ain't that footnote in history. 'Tony Stewart is going to win one of these things very soon. He wins everything. He's won in everything he's ever driven,' Millican said. 'But look who won today. I knew it blowed up, but I kept my foot in it anyway.' Millican's feat came one day after Rick Ware Racing scored its first victories of the season with Progressive America Flat Track Series riders Briar Bauman and Chase Saathoff at the Sanoia Short Track in Georgia. Bauman won the Mission AFT Super Twins race, and Saathoff won the ATF Singles event. At six o'clock Monday morning, Jack Beckman will be back at his job in the Los Angeles area as an elevator repairman, but Sunday he was the toast of the Funny Car class. The PEAK Chevy Camaro driver beat first-time finalist Daniel Wilkerson to record his 36th Funny Car victory. Before the final round, Beckman said of Wilkerson and his SCAG Ford team, 'That's a Cinderella story, and they've done a fantastic job. But that Chevy is hungry. That PEAK squad's on mean right now for Graham Rahal Racing, for After banking a cool $10,000 Saturday for winning the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus race, Beckman earned his second straight victory at Pomona, dating back to his victory in last November's Finals. Beckman has improved in each of the season's three races. He exited in the second round at the season-opening Gatornationals, reached the semifinals at Phoenix last week, and won Sunday to inch closer to his 500th round-win. He's at 488. Greg Anderson, winner of the past two events, said he was humbled by the company he's in after beating Dallas Glenn for the fourth consecutive time. 'Just to be mentioned with John Force is amazing. I'll never catch that record. I'm proud to be second to that man,' the Racing Equipment Camaro owner-driver said. This was Anderson's 186th final round and the fourth straight featuring him and Glenn. That includes the Finals last November here on this same dragstrip. And that was for the first time such a performance happened since 1980, when Bob Glidden and Lee Shepard dominated. The last time Anderson was not in a final round was Sept. 29, 2024, at St. Louis, when Glenn and Aaron Stanfield took the spotlight. Anderson has won the Winternationals seven time as part of his 16-victory history here. Perennial Funny Car championship contender Bob Tasca failed to qualify for the first time since the spring Las Vegas race in 2014. He never got down the track under full power in four qualifying chances. Final finish order (1-16) at the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip. The race is the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. TOP FUEL: 1. Clay Millican; 2. Tony Stewart; 3. Brittany Force; 4. Shawn Langdon; 5. Jasmine Salinas; 6. Doug Kalitta; 7. Josh Hart; 8. Ida Zetterstrom; 9. Scott Palmer; 10. Steven Chrisman; 11. Justin Ashley; 12. Shawn Reed; 13. Antron Brown; 14. Steve Torrence. FUNNY CAR: 1. Jack Beckman; 2. Daniel Wilkerson; 3. Matt Hagan; 4. Spencer Hyde; 5. Chad Green; 6. Blake Alexander; 7. Cruz Pedregon; 8. Paul Lee; 9. Bobby Bode; 10. Jeff Diehl; 11. Austin Prock; 12. J.R. Todd; 13. Ron Capps; 14. Dave Richards; 15. Alexis DeJoria; 16. Steven Densham. PRO STOCK: 1. Greg Anderson; 2. Dallas Glenn; 3. Cory Reed; 4. Deric Kramer; 5. Matt Hartford; 6. Jeg Coughlin; 7. Matt Latino; 8. Brandon Foster; 9. Eric Latino; 10. Greg Stanfield; 11. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 12. Stephen Bell; 13. Erica Enders; 14. Aaron Stanfield; 15. Mason McGaha; 16. Cody Coughlin. Sunday's final results from the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip. The race is the third of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series: Top Fuel -- Clay Millican, 4.273 seconds, 189.71 mph def. Tony Stewart, 6.187 seconds, 99.83 mph. Funny Car -- Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 4.015, 302.28 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 8.292, 91.83. Pro Stock -- Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.476, 210.90 def. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.503, 211.66. Top Alcohol Dragster -- Anthony Troyer, 5.193, 276.86 def. Joey Severance, 5.389, 239.19. Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Brian Hough, Chevy Camaro, 5.449, 263.41 def. Shane Westerfield, Camaro, 5.447, 265.64. Super Stock -- John Winslow, Dodge Challenger, 9.010, 146.53 def. Justin Lamb, Chevy Camaro, 8.709, 151.24. Stock Eliminator -- Jeff Adkinson, Chevy Camaro, 9.356, 130.27 def. Joe Sorensen, Camaro, 11.168, 114.75. Super Comp -- Bill Webber, Dragster, 8.927, 167.74 def. Toby Payne, Dragster, 8.890, 182.72. Super Gas -- Jerron Settles, Chevy Corvette, 9.909, 162.27 def. John Parrino, Ford Mustang, 9.885, 147.39. Top Sportsman -- Aaron Steinkey, Chevy Camaro, 6.315, 213.27 def. Chris Newman, Camaro, 6.567, 211.93. Legends Nitro Funny Car presented by Extreme Steel -- Derrick Moreira, Chevy Camaro, 4.774, 238.43 def. Shane Westerfield, Camaro, 4.700, 239.10. Final round-by-round results from the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series: TOP FUEL: ROUND ONE -- Tony Stewart, 3.713, 314.68 def. Antron Brown, 5.253, 139.70; Josh Hart, 3.675, 332.67 def. Justin Ashley, 4.536, 184.75; Brittany Force, 3.700, 337.75 def. Steven Chrisman, 4.048, 252.61; Shawn Langdon, 3.668, 331.28 def. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.806, 278.40; Doug Kalitta, 3.660, 338.34 def. Scott Palmer, 3.852, 288.52; Clay Millican, 3.874, 282.54 def. Shawn Reed, 4.696, 238.01; Jasmine Salinas, 3.716, 331.45 def. Steve Torrence, Foul - Red Light; QUARTERFINALS -- Millican, 3.717, 313.37 def. Salinas, 3.707, 331.69; Force, 3.693, 332.26 was unopposed; Langdon, 3.691, 334.73 def. Hart, 11.965, 61.44; Stewart, 3.702, 332.92 def. Kalitta, 4.456, 178.26; SEMIFINALS -- Millican, 3.750, 324.12 def. Force, 3.812, 263.92; Stewart, 3.723, 330.07 def. Langdon, 3.835, 316.01; FINAL -- Millican, 4.273, 189.71 def. Stewart, 6.187, 99.83. FUNNY CAR: ROUND ONE -- Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 3.960, 325.61 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 5.811, 130.12; Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.842, 332.51 def. Bobby Bode, Toyota GR Supra, 3.883, 330.47; Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.236, 222.58 def. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 4.415, 300.13; Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.886, 322.19 def. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.989, 162.82; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.847, 327.19 def. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.092, 260.31; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.890, 324.44 def. Steven Densham, Mustang, 10.437, 91.66; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.165, 234.00 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.621, 253.18; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.884, 324.59 def. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 9.685, 86.38; QUARTERFINALS -- Hyde, 4.144, 231.28 def. Pedregon, 6.931, 95.05; Wilkerson, 3.932, 330.47 def. Lee, 10.656, 71.19; Beckman, 3.859, 331.04 def. Green, 3.901, 329.34; Hagan, 3.940, 324.51 def. Alexander, 3.944, 325.22; SEMIFINALS -- Wilkerson, 3.894, 329.26 def. Hyde, 5.000, 153.46; Beckman, 3.860, 328.62 def. Hagan, 3.915, 316.82; FINAL -- Beckman, 4.015, 302.28 def. Wilkerson, 8.292, 91.83. PRO STOCK: ROUND ONE -- Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.524, 209.52 def. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.556, 210.54; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.490, 211.49 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.564, 210.83; Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.535, 211.10 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.508, 210.70; Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.491, 210.97 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.532, 210.31; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.482, 211.96 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.552, 209.59; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.477, 211.00 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, Broke; Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.502, 210.80 def. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, Broke; Brandon Foster, Camaro, 6.526, 210.80 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 14.890, 59.05; QUARTERFINALS -- Kramer, 6.535, 211.00 def. M. Latino, Foul - Red Light; Reed, 6.517, 210.90 def. Foster, Foul - Red Light; Glenn, 6.505, 211.46 def. Hartford, 6.505, 211.89; Anderson, 6.492, 211.56 def. J. Coughlin, 6.546, 210.77; SEMIFINALS -- Glenn, 6.507, 211.33 def. Kramer, 14.431, 60.58; Anderson, 6.489, 210.67 def. Reed, 6.517, 210.90; FINAL -- Anderson, 6.476, 210.90 def. Glenn, 6.503, 211.66. Point standings (top 10) following the 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series - Top Fuel 1. Shawn Langdon, 300; 2. Doug Kalitta, 223; 3. Antron Brown, 214; 4. Brittany Force, 202; 5. Tony Stewart, 200; 6. Clay Millican, 199; 7. Jasmine Salinas, 197; 8. Josh Hart, 120; 9. Justin Ashley, 117; 10. Steve Torrence, 113. Funny Car 1. Jack Beckman, 271; 2. Paul Lee, 212; 3. Matt Hagan, 197; 4. Chad Green, 194; 5. Austin Prock, 171; 6. Ron Capps, 164; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, 160; 8. Bob Tasca III, 153; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 141; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 139. Pro Stock 1. Greg Anderson, 355; 2. Dallas Glenn, 317; 3. Cory Reed, 206; 4. Matt Hartford, 181; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 156; 6. Deric Kramer, 148; 7. Eric Latino, 143; 8. Aaron Stanfield, 140; 9. Mason McGaha, 136; 10. Troy Coughlin Jr., 120.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How to Watch PRO Superstar Shootout Drag Racing Spectacular at Bradenton
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." A blend of ground-pounding, side-by-side drag racing and a casual, festival-like feel marks the second edition of racer-organized, non-NHRA-sanctioned event A concert, more autograph sessions set as Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock drivers shake off-season cobwebs before Gatornationals Tony Stewart says chip draw 'adds another level of excitement to it' With social-media-savvy Garrett Mitchell (a.k.a. Cleetus McFarland) purchasing 50% of Florida's Bradenton Motorsports Park in late December, a bunch of elite drag racers cooped up all winter, and a concert at the end of the race Saturday featuring alternative/indie rock-pop artist and American Rebel CEO Andy Ross, the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout Feb. 6-8 promises to be one big full-throttle entertainment experience. This second edition of the non-NHRA-sanctioned event organized by Professional Racers Owners Organization will showcase the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series' top drivers in the uniquely formatted event that starts with one round of qualifying Thursday night. Three rounds of qualifying follow Friday, with the non-traditional chip draw for Saturday's first round of eliminations. Saturday's action will feature three rounds of nitro eliminations for the quickest eight qualifiers and four rounds of Pro Stock (which fields 16 qualifiers), as well as the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car exhibitions for drivers outside the Top 8. Reigning NHRA champions Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Austin Prock (Funny Car) are among the competitors. Prock won this event last year. Scheduled to race in the Top Fuel class also are Justin Ashley, Doug Foley, Brittany Force, Josh Hart, Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, Shawn Reed, and Tony Stewart. Mike Salinas will make his first appearance since last March as he gets back in the groove after undergoing heart surgery. And he'll do it with a twist: possibly racing against daughter Jasmine Salinas for the first time. Funny Car racers who are treating this race as a warm-up for the NHRA season-opening Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway are Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Chad Green, Matt Hagan, Paul Lee, Dave Richards, Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, and Dan Wilkerson. Tasca was the talk of last year's event for—unofficially, as far as the NHRA was concerned—breaking the 340-mph barrier. 'We have a new crew chief and a new guy working on the bottom end of the race car coming into Bradenton. We'll view the event as one big test session to get back into the groove of things and make sure the guys are a well-oiled machine. Everything is about routine, so it'll be good to get that down,' Hagan said. Six-time champions Greg Anderson and Erica Enders will lead the Pro Stock class that's full of family feuders—the three Cuadra brothers (Fernando, Cristian, and David), father-son duo Chris and Mason McGaha, and uncle-nephew tandem Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. Dallas Glenn, Eric Latino, Cory Reed, and Aaron Stanfield are entered. Tony Stewart, driver of the Johnson's Horsepowered Garage Dragster and PRO board member, said the event is 'exciting because you have teams and drivers that got together and decided to hold their own race and you know all the work that everyone has done. There's a real core group of about three people that have been really digging in and handling all the details of the event for PRO. It's great for all of us to be able to go down [to Florida] and get our season started off with some testing and then have an event at the same time and place. 'The event had such a great feel last year. I'm really excited about going back. The atmosphere was extremely laid back. It's a great opportunity to get the rust knocked off from the off-season and get back in the car and do what we love the most,' he said. PRO spokesman Elon Werner said, 'Customer service is key. We went into last year wanting to have an event with a different feel than a national event, and we succeeded. We wanted to give fans more access and provide new access for the broadcast (streamed on FloRacing). There will be a few more autograph sessions, and everyone is focused on making the fan experience even better both in person and for the viewing audience on FloRacing. 'The fans love the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car, and they love the access to the drivers. It is more relaxed than a national event. Drivers and crew chiefs are in the staging lanes. Also, the show on Saturday is pretty compact and exciting,' Werner said. He said PRO will highlight some Sick Week (the popular drag-and-drive event) competitors throughout the event. It's too early to tell what impact influencer Mitchell's (McFarland's) presence, with his four million-plus followers on social media, might have on the event or the sport in general, but Werner said, 'PRO is dedicated to growing the sport. We aren't really worried about who gets the credit. All the teams have been actively promoting the event and reaching out to fans of all ages.' After qualifying reveals who will advance to Saturday's eight-car field for eliminations, those drivers will participate in a random chip draw to determine who they'll line up against in Round 1. And Stewart said, 'I've never been part of a chip draw like that, especially in drag racing, so I think it adds just a different element to it. Instead of having the No. 1 qualifier go up against No. 8 on Saturday, you don't know who you will get. It could be 1 versus 2, and it could be 7 versus 8. 'But that's the exciting part about the chip draw—it's a wild-card factor,' he said. 'It can really change the complexion of a race day. It's not something that I think we want to do all the time, but for a special event like the PRO Superstar Shootout, I think it's an awesome element that just adds another level of excitement to it.' PRO invites its members and full-time professional teams to participate. Thursday, February 6 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on Nitro qualifying session (Q1): 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, February 7 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on Nitro qualifying session (Q2): 12:30 p.m. ET Nitro qualifying session (Q3): 4 p.m. ET Nitro qualifying session (Q4): 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, February 8 (Nitro Eliminations, streamed live on Round 1: 1:45 p.m. ET Round 2: 4 p.m. ET Finals: 7 p.m. ET
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
5 Biggest Offseason Stories Heading Into 2025 NHRA Season
While it's been a relatively quiet NHRA offseason with few driver changes, there's plenty of intriguing storylines to ponder going into the 2025 season. Here's five that caught our attention:West Texas businessman Chad Green marks his fifth Funny Car season by adding a Funny Car to his team, one that his son, Hunter Green, will share with established Blake Alexander. Alexander, 36, will drive for 13-14 races, and the 29-year-old Green will start his pro career with five. For Alexander, it's a boost to his visibility and a chance to build on his up-trending 2024 season that resulted in a career-best sixth-place finish, a victory, and a 22-17 record. That was his most productive season since 2018, when he won two of his three finals and was 23-9 on race day. For Green, whose only on-track experience has been in a sportsman-level Top Alcohol Dragster, it's an opportunity to give a younger face to the sport. Canadian multi-class veteran Spencer Hyde, 33, will succeed Alexander at Jim Head least to start the season, eight-time champion and 88-time race winner Tony Schumacher will be missing from the entry list because of finances. JCM Racing team owner Joe Maynard will move forward with an all-female lineup of full-time Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria and part-time Top Fuel racer Ida Zetterström. Schumacher's absence, particularly in the wake of legend John Force's traumatic brain injury diagnosis, is a disappointment and squandered chance for the charismatic Schumacher to rise to the role of the NHRA's most dynamic late as two weeks before the Feb. 6-8 non-NHRA-sanctioned PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton, Fla., neither Steve Torrence nor father Billy Torrence is listed as an entrant. And that would be an excellent tune-up for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series' March 7-9 opener. Billy Torrence's crew chief, Jason McMcCulloch, already has moved over to Josh Hart's Top Fuel team to share tuning duties with Ron Douglas, signaling at least one or possibly both teams might not return. Just a couple of years ago, Steve Torrence and Tony Schumacher were mock-bragging about being the sheriff in town. If both have ridden away, who's going to run Dodge City?The NHRA schedule already had back-to-back four-wide spectacles, one at Las Vegas, the other at Charlotte. And the consensus was that drivers were relieved to return to the traditional two-lane format. But the sanctioning body, apparently missing the clues, decided they all needed one more thrown into an already stressful six-race stretch that determines the champions. So, a four-wide event in Charlotte in September is now part of the Countdown. President Glen Cromwell said, 'Because drag racing is a straight-line sport, we challenge them with all-concrete tracks, others that are a mix of surfaces, different elevations, different weather, and now, in the Countdown, a different format in four-wide.' But to Cromwell's credit, he said, 'Everything we do is to try to move the sport forward, and this is one of them. And if it doesn't work and we don't see a boost, then we'll look at changing things.'The Peach State Showcase of Speed, scheduled for Oct. 24-25 at Valdosta, Ga. – two weeks after the Dallas event and one week before the second Las Vegas race, in the Countdown – was another peculiar Countdown addition. NHRA boss Glen Cromwell said this national-event-mimicking was a great tool for promoting the 2026 NHRA Gatornationals five months down the road. The facility is lovely, the management is strong, and the drag-racing crowds pack the place for other types of events. But it's distracting from the Countdown. Maybe the sanctioning body should keep the Showcase of Speed and drop the Countdown. Or maybe the NHRA should trim its season and host a showcase day with postseason exhibitions nationwide at selected tracks to raise awareness of the sport, rather than hop back and forth from Texas east to Georgia back west to Las Vegas and Southern California to end the season.
