NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series embarks on its Western Swing this weekend, with two races in the Pacific Time Zone rather than the customary three contests in the western portion of the USA, now that Bandimere Speedway has closed its doors following last year’s 65th anniversary season.
Still there’s plenty to be excited about as the tour travels to Pacific Raceways this weekend and then on to Sonoma Raceway a week later. That’s obviously less stress and work for the teams and they won’t have to deal with the lack of power inherent in the Denver area race that was a challenge for everyone. Another aspect most won’t miss by avoiding Denver is the heat; it’s always been hotter than hot at that track and its placement, along the side of a mountain, always added to nascent issues of making sufficient power.
Another issue NHRA’s teams and fans won’t have to deal with at Pacific Raceways is rain. While it’ll be hot at this track, with temps in the mid-to-high 80s during daylight hours, with lows around 60 each night, it’ll be a good weather situation in Kent, Wash., which is about midway between Seattle and Tacoma. And with NHRA engaging in its first-ever night qualifying session at this track, speed and ET records could be doomed to the garbage patch.
In addition to all four Mission Foods classes competing this weekend – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – there are ten classes of Lucas Oil Sportsman racers encamped for action. It’s not unusual for the pro classes to be undersubscribed for the Western Swing and that’s no different for these 35th annual Northwest NHRA Nationals.
There are 14 drivers and cars entered in Top Fuel this weekend and, thankfully, that includes Brittany Force, who has been by her father, John’s, side since his dreadful accident at Virginia Motorsports Park June 23rd. Now that the 16-time Funny Car champion has been moved to a Southern California rehabilitation center that specializes in traumatic brain injuries to motorsports athletes, two-time dragster champ Brittany feels comfortable leaving his side to get back to work.
“I’m glad to get back to the racetrack after a tough few weeks,” Force said shortly after her 38th birthday. Last year she set the track speed record at 334.73 mph and this year she’ll be saluting a former team partner. “‘m proud to be running our Flav-R-Pac dragster this weekend to honor our longtime partner, Frank Tiegs. He always reminded me to make sure I was still having fun, because the is when you perform at your best.” Currently 10th in the standings, Force will be looking to move up the ladder as the regular season starts to wind down, with only four races before the Countdown to the Championship begins. “We’ve made great strides in our last few races and I’m eager to take that next step and put our Flav-R-Pac dragster in the Winner’s Circle for the Tiegs family and for my dad,” she proclaimed.
Force has some work to do from 10th place, as she faces a robust group of fellow Top Fuel competitors: points leader Doug Kalitta of Kalitta Motorsports, Justin Ashley, whose SCAG Power Equipment dragster lags kalitta by 134 points, Kalitta’s teammate Shawn Langdon in third place, two points behind Ashley, Norwalk winner and there-time champion Antron Brown (-194) in his Matco Tools dragster and four-time titleholder Steve Torrence, fifth and 206 points behind Kalitta. The balance of the top 10 are eight-time champ Tony Schumacher, Billy Torrence, Clay Millican, rookie Tony Stewart and Force, who needs to make up 432 points.
Josh Hart is 11th, 50 points behind Force and on the entry list, following a three-day test session at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as he preps for these final four events before the Countdown. Jasmine Salinas’ learning curve steepens at this track as she learns about racing in the Pacific Northwest, while Shawn Reed and local Ron Smith complete the Top Fuel competitors. Last year Steve Torrence was the victor in this event; this year the four-time champ is still searching for his first national event win. Torrence, Ashley, Kalitta and Brown are all fighting for this week’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory as well as Sunday’s national event win.
There are 16 cars entered in Funny Car, but John Force – on the entry list but not capable of racing in his current condition – won’t be among the competitors looking for their Wally winner’s trophy. Nor will last year’s victor, Tim Wilkerson, who has given up his Ford Mustang driver’s seat to son Daniel, who last year was crew chief for Chad Green. Daniel Wilkerson is having a good season thus far, going rounds and standing seventh in the search for a top spot in the Countdown to the Championship.
Of course top spot in Funny Car is owned by John Force Racing’s Austin Prock, whose Chevrolet Camaro SS has a substantial, 178-point advantage on Norwalk victor Bob Tasca III and his Ford Mustang. Five years ago, when he was competing in Top Fuel alongside Brittany Force, Prock won his first NHRA pro national event at Pacific Raceways. That he shared the Winner’s Circle with John Force made victory even more substantial for the [now] 28-year-old third-generation Prock Rocket. If he were to win this race in Funny Car, Prock would be only the third racer to win these Northwest NHRA Nationals in both a dragster and flopper, after Del Worsham and Ron Capps.
Reigning, four-time Funny Car champion Matt Hagan is in third place, just three points behind Tasca; Hagan’s Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat has been on a valleys/peaks tour thus far in the season; his Norwalk trip to the finals ended one lap early when he went up in smoke against three-time champ Ron Capps’ Toyota GR Supra in the semifinals. At least that result places Hagan, Capps, Tasca III and Prock in this week’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday afternoon. Hagan is followed in the standings by John Force and J.R. Todd’s Kalitta Motorsports Toyota GR Supra in fifth place, 228 points behind Prock.
In sixth is Capps, a four-time Northwest NHRA Nationals winner in Funny Car and Top Fuel, who has five runner-up results at Pacific Raceways. Following his runner-up finish in Ohio, Capps feels he’s got momentum on his side: “This time of the season is always a lot of fun for me and brings up a lot of really, really good memories,” Capps said. “The Seattle track probably tops that list as that’s where I won my first Wally as a professional driver. We always look forward to getting back to that part of the country for this race,” the Californian said.
Wilkerson, Alexis DeJoria’s Toyota GR Supra, along with Chad Green’s and Blake Alexander’s Ford Mustangs complete the Top 10 in Funny Car – for the moment. Look for Buddy Hull in Jim Dunn’s Dodge Charger to move forward this week; he’s been on a large learning curve and appears to be seeing progress. Cruz Pedregon, a two-time champion in this class has his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat ready to go, as does Paul Lee with his similar car. Dave Richards continues to learn the ropes in his Toyota Camry, while Jeff Diehl and his Camry are making two starts in a row on the Western Swing, here and at Sonoma, his home track. Gary Densham will be racing dad’s Ford Mustang this weekend.
Pro Stock took a hiatus from the Northwest NHRA Nationals for a couple of years; the doorslammer class last raced here in 2022, but returns to action this week. At their most recent Seattle-area contest, Troy Coughlin Jr. took home the win; the Elite Motorsports racer has a single victory this year and is looking to pad his credentials as the Countdown gets closer. There are 18 cars on the entry list this weekend, albeit without a single Cuadra in sight for the second race of the year. At the same time, there are two newbies racing in this class: Sienna Wildgust and Cory Reed. The latter driver makes his first attempt in Pro Stock on four wheels, having raced in Pro Stock Motorcycle exclusively until his tough accident at Charlotte’s 2021 fall race, while Wildgust cements her move to Elite Motorsports this weekend.
KB Titan Racing’s Dallas Glenn leads the points over squamate and five-time champion Greg Anderson, with an 89-point advantage. Reigning six-time titleholder Erica Enders of Elite is third, needing to make up 120 points, while her teammates shadow their team leader: Richmond and Norwalk winner Aaron Stanfield in fourth (-173), followed by five-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. (-256), Troy Coughlin Jr (-343), Jerry Tucker and Cristian Cuadra. KB Titan’s Deric Kramer is ninth while David Cuadra holds tenth place points, 549 behind Glenn.
With the three Cuadra Boys taking another weekend away from the track, there’s chances for others to gain spots in the fight to make the Countdown with the highest number of points. While he had a great 2023 season, this year hasn’t been kind to KBs Matt Hartford, while Brandon Foster is showing his skills in this class. Kenny Delco and teammate Val Smeland are on the entry list, along with KB’s Eric Latino, independent racer Joey Grose, along with Chris and Mason McGaha, the latter driver looking stronger as his season progresses. The Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge foursome in Pro Stock are Glenn, Mason McGaha, Stanfield and Cristian Cuadra, which means a bye for Stanfield with the Cuadra family taking the week off.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s pits are pretty much a ghost town in Seattle this weekend, with only 13 riders signed up to compete. Who’s missing? Once again LE Tonglet won’t be in the staging lanes at Seattle; it’s unknown whether he’s racing in Sonoma, too? Joey Gladstone has traded his helmet and gloves for wrenches and is working with KB Titan Racing, no doubt helping out with Cory Reed’s new Chevy Pro Stock car? And Ryan Oehler is taking some time off and regrouping. But we’ve got Gaige Herrera, reigning champion whose Vance & Hines Suzuki Hayabusa3 has a gaping 271-point advantage on six-time champ Matt Smith’s Buell. John Hall, in third place (-332) is on-site for this race along with fourth place Angie Smith, both riding Matt Smith Racing Buell motorcycles.
2023 Rookie of the Year Chase Van Sant is fifth on his WAR Racing Suzuki, followed by Hector Arana Jr.’s Buell, Jianna Evaristo’s Buell, Tonglet, Steve Johnson’s Suzuki and Marc Ingwersen’s Buell in 10th place, a full 526 points behind Herrera, who is looking to add to his national event wins record, which stands at 11 right now! All of these riders are on the entry list for Seattle, together with WAR’s Chris Bostick on his Suzuki, first-time Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Norwalk winner Richard Gadson on the second Vance & Hines Suzuki Hayabusa3, Brandon Litten on a Matt Smith Buell and Eiji Kawakami’s Suzuki from Chis Bostick Motorsports. Gadson has another opportunity to win a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge this weekend, as do Matt Smith, Gaige Herrera and John Hall.
With four qualifying sessions, including a 9:15PM first-time session on Friday, the Mission #2Fast3Tasty Challenge for all four Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series categories of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle on Saturday, this 35th Northwest NHRA Nationals contest should be a barnburner. Add in the Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster, and this should be an excitement-filled weekend from start to finish.
By Anne Proffit
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