Ron Capps, Erica Enders, Hector Arana Jr. also come up big in Texas.
- Capps Continues Dallas Domination
- Several Top Fuel Frontrunners stumble as Ashley Extends Points Lead
- Enders completes sweep of Texas races
- Hector Arana Jr. Scores Upset in Pro Stock Motorcycle
- Results, Updated Standings
- Updated Points Standings
- Funny Car top five fare better than their Top Fuel counterparts.
- Steve Torrence, Brittany Force, Mike Salinas miss key Top Fuel opportunities with only two more races remaining.
- Steve Torrence still hoping to ‘benefit from that welfare points system’.
- Hector Arana Jr. wins in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
In a showdown Sunday between the two youngest NHRA Top Fuel drivers, Justin Ashley claimed a repeat victory at the Texas Fall Nationals near Dallas, defeating fellow 27-year-old Austin Prock at Texas Motorplex.
With that, Ashley opened up some space between himself and the troop of rivals (Steve Torrence, Mike Salinas, Brittany Force, and Antron Brown) who scrambled their spots in the standings with early exits.
Capps Continues Dallas Domination
Ron Capps on in the Funny Car class at Texas on Sunday.
NHRA/National Dragster
In Funny Car, Ron Capps also earned his second straight Dallas triumph, beating Matt Hagan in a match-up reminiscent of the start of the Camping World Drag Racing Series season. He called it “old-school, Funny Car-style” racing, under the lights in the final round because of a rain delay and the day-long threat of thunderstorms.
“For the fans this is big. We had a lot of nay-sayers that we weren’t getting any racing in – and we got it all in. Unbelievable. Hagan and our team getting it on with flames out the side,” Capps said.
He presented the trophy to co-crew chief John Medlen, who he said “is going to retire off into the sunset. This trophy is well-earned by him. Toyota – we’re going to double up with Toyota with Justin (Ashley), so what a big night.”
The season will end with the Oct. 27-30 Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Nov. 10-13 Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif.
After winning another classic final-round face off against five-time and current champion Greg Anderson, Erica Enders all but sealed the deal for her fifth championship, one she could sew up at Las Vegas.
“It would be awesome to lock it up. Whatever happens we can deal with it,” she said.
All of the NHRA Funny Car semifinalists at Sunday’s Texas FallNationals – points leader Robert Hight, Capps, Hagan, and Bob Tasca III – came from the top five, with John Force the odd man out.
By contrast, in the Top Fuel class, only points leader Ashley and No. 5 Antron Brown survived the first two rounds.
Several Top Fuel Frontrunners stumble as Ashley Extends Points Lead
Justin Ashley moved closer to his first Top Fuel championship with his win on Sunday.
NHRA National Dragster
Brittany Force this year has grabbed all of the top-10 speeds in Top Fuel history, set low elapsed time of the meet 10 times and top speed 13 times, qualified No. 1 at eight races, and matched her career-best single-season victories total with four.
And Steve Torrence, no fan of this playoff system that’s in its 15th year, said, “I’ve never been a big fan of the Countdown, and I’m still not a fan of the Countdown. And at this point, we should all be racing for second, because Brittany has been so dominant this year. But that’s the world we live in. We have a shot at it, and we’re going to see what we can do.”
Neither he nor Force, the respective Nos. 2- and 3-ranked title contenders, did what they had hoped to do Sunday. Both lost to Shawn Langdon, Torrence in the first round and Force in the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time in the six-race Countdown.
But the day belonged to points leader Justin Ashley, who padded his advantage. When the event began, the first and eighth Countdown drivers were separated by just 88 points. By Sunday night, the spread was 162, with his closest rival not Torrence any longer but Force, and she has an 84-point gap to close with just two races left if she is to earn her second title. And finalist Austin Prock, winner at the Countdown kickoff at Reading, Pa., has improved from 10th to seventh place.
Ashley rebounded from a first-round exit at the previous race, at St. Louis, and he said, “First-round losses can kill you if you let ’em.” But he said he’s concentrating on the task at hand because he knows that “a number of cars are ready to pounce” on him if he makes the slightest mistake.
“A win is a win, no matter when or where you get it,” Ashley said. “It’s so much fun seeing that win light come on four times on Sunday. The winner of this race, where it is positioned in the season, makes it all that much more significant. There are only two more races after this, and we know the past history has shown that if you win Dallas, you really put yourself in position to go after that championship.”
Steve Torrence and Mike Salinas, the respective No. 2 and No. 4 Top Fuel seeds in the Countdown, were first-round losers.
Torrence said as he prepares for the penultimate race of the season, in two weeks at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he’s going to need to stick to his program “and get our heads out of our butts.” He called the early defeat “disheartening” but expressed hope – with a jab at the Countdown format.
Referring to season finale in November at Pomona, Calif., where racers will earn half again as many points as usual, Torrence said, “That Pomona race is points and a half. So we’ll see if we can benefit from that welfare points system.”
Enders completes sweep of Texas races
Erica Enders’ win was her ninth of the season in Pro Stock.
NHRA/National Dragster
Top qualifier Erica Enders matched her 2015 career-best victory total with her ninth and recorded her 42nd Pro Stock win overall in 72 finals. She extended her points lead to a whopping 166 with two Countdown events left.
The Houston native concluded a sweep of the two events in her home state this season. She won in April at Houston.
“I hope they keep coming,” Enders said of victories.” You never know when it’s going to be your last, so we never want to let up,” she said. “Being here in my home state of Texas, my sister reminded me right before that final round that if you can get this done you’ve accomplished the Texas two-step for the last time, since Houston [Raceway Park] is going away. So, that cowboy hat [given to each pro winner of this race] is going to mean the world to me. I love Texas.”
She said, “I think about the seven years I drove in Pro Stock without a win and just how challenging those years were. Those valleys make the peaks so enjoyable.” She said she cautions herself not to assume anything. The overwhelming margin she enjoys right now “makes us fight harder,” Enders said. “My dad taught me ‘Don’t get so far ahead of yourself that you forget to enjoy the moment.’”
However, she said she can help but think that “I don’t want to let our foot off their throats. Having a performance advantage is unique in Pro Stock, because it’s so challenging. These guys are cutthroat, and I enjoy racing them.”
Hector Arana Jr. Scores Upset in Pro Stock Motorcycle
Hector Arana Jr. got into the win column for the first time this season in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
NHRA/National Dragster
Hector Arana Jr., who for financial reasons has been relegated to a part-time Pro Stock Motorcycle racing schedule defeated Jerry Savoie, who was making his seventh final at Texas Motorplex in the past eight years.
It was Arana’s first victory since the 2019 fall Las Vegas race, and it made up for his runner-up finish here last season.
Results, Updated Standings
Sunday’s final results from the 37th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. The race is the 20th of 22 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Justin Ashley, 3.688 seconds, 329.24 mph def. Austin Prock, 12.682 seconds, 48.46 mph.
Funny Car — Ron Capps, Toyota Supra, 3.911, 327.18 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.923, 331.32.
Pro Stock — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.537, 209.63 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.547, 208.74.
Pro Stock — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.537, 209.63 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.547, 208.74.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.822, 196.35 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.890, 193.03.
Top Alcohol Dragster — Jasmine Salinas, 5.252, 280.88 def. Madison Payne, 5.262, 278.62.
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.458, 266.60 def. Kyle Smith, Ford Mustang, 5.497, 258.41.
Competition Eliminator — Adam Hickey, Spitzer, 7.780, 123.12 def. Scott Cashio, Chevy Cobalt, Foul – Red Light.
Super Stock — Brandon Bakies, Chevy Camaro, 9.381, 127.03 def. Aydan Patterson, Camaro, 9.515, 137.20.
Stock Eliminator — John Brimer, Ford Mustang, 8.881, 155.27 def. Randi Lyn Shipp, Pontiac Firebird, 10.710, 122.71.
Super Comp — Austin Williams, Dragster, 8.919, 171.40 def. Kyle Secrest, Dragster, 8.926, 175.66.
Super Gas — Phil Unruh, Chevy Camaro, 9.963, 172.08 def. Heidi Robison, Chevy Corvette, 9.889, 174.32.
Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers — Wayne Johnson, Dragster, 6.269, 213.95 def. Robert Cool, Dragster, 6.920, 192.08.
Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers — Jimmy Lewis, Pontiac GXP, 7.011, 143.88 def. David Cuadra, Pontiac GTO, Foul – Red Light.
Factory Stock Showdown — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 7.764, 165.00 def. Bill Skillman, Ford Mustang, Broke – No Show.
Pro Modified — Kris Thorne, Chevy Camaro, 5.720, 250.24 def. Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, Foul – Outer Boundary.
Top Fuel Harley — Randal Andras, Harley, 6.348, 211.42 def. William Jackson, Harley, Broke – No Show.
Round-By-Round
Final round-by-round results from the 37th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the 20th of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Leah Pruett, 3.888, 229.84 def. Josh Hart, Foul – Red Light; Justin Ashley, 3.699, 331.08 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.714, 326.13; Antron Brown, 3.684, 330.54 def. Tony Schumacher, 3.715, 326.16; Kebin Kinsley, 3.799, 322.97 def. Clay Millican, 3.795, 271.36; Austin Prock, 3.736, 326.23 def. Alex Laughlin, 3.837, 318.83; Brittany Force, 3.722, 336.30 def. Buddy Hull, 5.840, 108.10; Spencer Massey, 3.783, 319.47 def. Mike Salinas, Foul – Red Light; Shawn Langdon, 3.730, 322.79 def. Steve Torrence, 3.735, 327.53;
QUARTERFINALS — Prock, 3.737, 324.18 def. Pruett, 3.764, 275.72; Brown, 3.699, 328.04 def. Massey, 3.879, 263.44; Ashley, 3.677, 331.76 def. Kinsley, 5.132, 149.33; Langdon, 3.721, 328.25 def. Force, 3.676, 332.96;
SEMIFINALS — Prock, 3.681, 326.30 def. Brown, 3.689, 329.72; Ashley, 3.686, 329.79 def. Langdon, 3.723, 323.79;
FINAL — Ashley, 3.688, 329.24 def. Prock, 12.682, 48.46.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.856, 330.44 def. Jim Campbell, Dodge Charger, 4.003, 320.47; Ron Capps, Toyota Supra, 3.889, 330.88 def. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.343, 212.54; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.875, 326.56 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.051, 305.98; Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.884, 330.76 def. Jack Wyatt, Charger, Broke; Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.924, 324.61 def. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 4.471, 192.42; John Force, Camaro, 3.925, 331.66 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.902, 327.70; Paul Lee, Charger, 3.980, 296.36 def. J.R. Todd, Supra, 4.092, 239.55; Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.967, 271.99 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 7.870, 80.69;
QUARTERFINALS — Hight, 3.901, 326.73 def. Lee, 3.968, 327.15; Tasca III, 3.861, 328.68 def. Alexander, 6.112, 115.68; Hagan, 3.883, 335.12 def. Wilkerson, 3.938, 329.26; Capps, 3.885, 336.78 def. Force, 4.045, 293.79;
SEMIFINALS — Capps, 3.897, 332.84 def. Hight, 7.486, 91.11; Hagan, 3.891, 338.02 def. Tasca III, 3.891, 329.21;
FINAL — Capps, 3.911, 327.18 def. Hagan, 3.923, 331.32.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.582, 208.88 def. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.596, 208.85 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.590, 209.00; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.566, 208.50 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.602, 209.35; Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.579, 209.12 def.
Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 9.978, 91.10; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.572, 210.04 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 8.214, 114.31; Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.574, 208.41 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.616, 209.50; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.555, 209.21 def. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.644, 208.61; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.539, 209.79 def. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.668, 187.05;
QUARTERFINALS — Coughlin Jr., 6.574, 209.94 def. Koretsky, 6.575, 208.57; Anderson, 6.565, 208.67 def. C. Cuadra, 6.582, 208.27; Stanfield, 6.559, 209.18 def. Kramer, 6.565, 208.30; Enders, 6.541, 209.93 def. Hartford, Foul – Red Light;
SEMIFINALS — Anderson, 6.568, 204.46 def. Stanfield, 6.575, 209.12; Enders, 6.561, 209.39 def. Coughlin Jr., 7.829, 127.42;
FINAL — Enders, 6.537, 209.63 def. Anderson, 6.547, 208.74.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE — Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.862, 194.45 def. Marc Ingwersen, 6.880, 189.67; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.917, 192.98 def. Chip Ellis, 6.930, 194.75; Angie Smith, 6.841, 200.77 def. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.955, 190.96; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.804, 195.54 def. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 6.888, 196.97; Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.852, 197.92 def. Richard Gadson, 7.675, 121.02; Ryan Oehler, 6.960, 191.84 def. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 7.033, 146.09; Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.834, 198.88 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 11.660, 68.21; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.818, 200.38 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.065, 180.43;
QUARTERFINALS — Savoie, 6.874, 194.70 def. Oehler, 7.045, 187.79; Arana Jr, 6.924, 193.32 def. A. Smith, 7.713, 125.09; Johnson, 6.778, 195.33 def. A. Smith, Foul – Red Light; M. Smith, 6.804, 200.07 def. Krawiec, 6.904, 193.97;
SEMIFINALS — Arana Jr, 6.887, 193.41 def. M. Smith, 7.595, 130.37; Savoie, 6.874, 194.46 def. Johnson, 7.014, 186.24;
FINAL — Arana Jr, 6.822, 196.35 def. Savoie, 6.890, 193.03.
Updated Points Standings
Point standings (top 10) following the 37th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the 20th of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
1. Justin Ashley, 2,422; 2. Brittany Force, 2,340; 3. Antron Brown, 2,338; 4. Steve Torrence, 2,326; 5. Mike Salinas, 2,304; 6. Josh Hart, 2,275; 7. Austin Prock, 2,262; 8. Doug Kalitta, 2,251; 9. Shawn Langdon, 2,234; 10. Clay Millican, 2,218.
Funny Car
1. Robert Hight, 2,486; 2. Ron Capps, 2,476; 3. Matt Hagan, 2,408; 4. John Force, 2,349; 5. Bob Tasca III, 2,312; 6. Tim Wilkerson, 2,228; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 2,219; 8. J.R. Todd, 2,218; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 2,191; 10. Blake Alexander, 2,118.
Pro Stock
1. Erica Enders, 2,557; 2. Aaron Stanfield, 2,394; 3. Greg Anderson, 2,362; 4. Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,343; 5. Kyle Koretsky, 2,330; 6. Matt Hartford, 2,286; 7. Dallas Glenn, 2,267; 8. Mason McGaha, 2,157; 9. (tie) Bo Butner, 2,149; Camrie Caruso, 2,149.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Matt Smith, 2,377; 2. Joey Gladstone, 2,326; 3. Jerry Savoie, 2,274; 4. Steve Johnson, 2,259; 5. Angie Smith, 2,258; 6. Eddie Krawiec, 2,237; 7. Angelle Sampey, 2,218; 8. Marc Ingwersen, 2,171; 9. Karen Stoffer, 2,140; 10. Ryan Oehler, 2,139.
Keyword: NHRA Texas FallNationals Results, Updated Points: Justin Ashley Extends Top Fuel Lead