INDIANAPOLIS – The event drag racing fans and drivers have waited for all season, the prestigious 68th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, is set to take place on Aug. 31-Sept. 5 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, and there’s plenty in store on the sport’s grandest stage.
The biggest, longest, and most historic event in drag racing is set to be one to remember with action across several categories, the specialty Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout in both Top Fuel and Funny Car, special concerts throughout the weekend and thrilling bonus events like the Dodge HEMI Challenge and JEGS Allstars for sportsman racers. Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is also welcoming fans to the Big Go with free parking throughout the entire race weekend.
It is the 16th of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, as well as the final race before the Countdown to the Championship, and there’s nothing like winning a Wally on Labor Day Monday at the Big Go.
A victory on drag racing’s biggest stage ensures a place in the record books, and several top drivers have a chance to add to their legacies in new ways. The Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Top Fuel Callout started in Gainesville in March and now Brittany Force, Steve Torrence, Mike Salinas, and Justin Ashley are the final four in the specialty race, which will conclude on Saturday, Sept. 3. In the Pep Boys All-Star Funny Car Callout, eight drivers will vie for the win on Sunday, Sept. 4 during the special race-within-a-race, with the top three competitors getting a chance to call out their first-round opponent. In all, the specialty events in the thrilling, must-see 11,000-horsepower nitro categories will award an additional $260,000 in prize money during an already massive weekend at the prestigious Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Torrence (Top Fuel), Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all picked up wins a year ago at the Big Go. This year’s race will be broadcast on both the FOX broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including live eliminations coverage starting at 12 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 5 on FS1 and continuing at 2 p.m. on FOX.
Top Fuel’s Torrence picked up his second U.S. Nationals win last year, parlaying that success to his fourth straight world championship. Torrence has been on a dominant tear in recent seasons, but he’ll look to pick up his first victory of 2022 at the biggest race of the year. Looking to stop him is a star-studded group of drivers, including points leader Brittany Force, who has four wins this season, four-time 2022 winner Mike Salinas, Tony Schumacher, who leads all NHRA drivers with 10 Indy wins, Justin Ashley, 2019 winner Doug Kalitta, Leah Pruett, Josh Hart, Clay Millican, Antron Brown, and Shawn Langdon, who has a pair of U.S. Nationals wins.
In Funny Car, Wilkerson played the underdog role perfectly a year ago, winning at the Big Go for the second time in his career. This one came 18 years after his first, defeating Ron Capps in the final round and denying the eventual world champ his first U.S. Nationals victory. Capps, a two-time world champ, will try to change that this year and finally crack through at the world’s biggest drag race against a multitude of stars in the class, including points leader Robert Hight, five-time race winner John Force, Dodge drivers Matt Hagan and Cruz Pedregon, Sonoma winner Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, who won the race in 2017 and 2018, and 2014 winner Alexis DeJoria,
Enders has reigned supreme in Pro Stock at the prestigious U.S. Nationals the past two seasons and the four-time world champion has been dominant thus far this year, winning six times and taking a commanding lead in the points standings. A third straight win – and her fourth overall at the track – would put her in elite territory, but it won’t be easy in a class loaded with talent. That includes reigning world champ Greg Anderson, who has six Indy wins and 99 career victories, Aaron Stanfield, 2016 winner Chris McGaha, reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year Dallas Glenn, Kyle Koretsky, Troy Coughlin Jr., Matt Hartford, Deric Kramer, Bo Butner, and rookie Camrie Caruso.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Angelle Sampey has enjoyed a terrific 2022 season as she aims for her fourth world championship. She is also after her fourth Indy win, as is Krawiec, who is the reigning event winner. That would be the most among active riders, but the competition is stiff as both Vance & Hines riders have to face off with defending world champ Matt Smith, who won the race in 2006, Sonoma winner Joey Gladstone, Steve Johnson, who has a pair of Indy wins, Angie Smith, Ryan Oehler, Jimmy Underdahl and Jerry Savoie.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying for the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals will feature one round at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 2, two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 1:15 and 5:00 p.m. and the final two rounds on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 12:00 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 5.
The semifinals of the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Top Fuel Callout take place on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 2:40 p.m., with the final round to follow at 6:25 p.m. The next day, the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Funny Car Callout will begin with the opening round at 1:20 p.m., the semifinals at 2:45 p.m. and the final round at 4:55 p.m.
Keyword: U.S. Nationals In Indy Ahead For NHRA