DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four Wide Nationals April 5-7 2019

Photo Credit Dicken Wear

Photo Credit Dicken Wear

·       RON CAPPS
Driver of the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

Noteworthy:

• Five-time Las Vegas event winner:
• Spring: 2009 
• Fall: 2001, 2006, 2011, 2012

Quotable:
"These past few weeks off have been much-needed for a lot of teams. A year ago, as we were headed to the inaugural Vegas Four-Wide race, we were all excited because we were going to a brand-new race track. We found out once we got there just how good of a job they did building four fantastic lanes. This year, leaving Gainesville, we’ve had an uncharacteristically slow start to the season for our NAPA AUTO PARTS team. We’re ninth in points, but I really feel like we’re on the verge of a win at any given time. We’ve fought some bugs here and there the first three races, and we’re still really trying to get a feel for these new DSR chassis. We’ve run both cars with our new Dodge Hellcat body and it’s showing us it’s got a lot more downforce with less drag. I feel like we left Gainesville with a lot of really good information that (crew chief Rahn Tobler is going to put to good use.
 
"The best part about this upcoming weekend is the weather. We’ve had cold weather the first three races, much colder than we’ve ever had before. I think a lot of the teams are really pumped to see high 70s, low 80s for the first time this season. This event starts a string of a lot of back-to-back races over the next few months, and I think we’re going to see our NAPA team make a run up in the points. Couldn’t think of a better place to start that run than one of my favorite tracks that we go to, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway."

Photo Credit DSR Racing PR.

JACK BECKMAN
Driver of the Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

• Jack Owns the Las Vegas Funny Car E.T. and speed records
• E.T.: 3.854-secs, Las Vegas II, 2017 
• Speed: 335.57-mph, Las Vegas II, 2017
• Career-best 
• Raced to his first professional victory (Funny Car) at the 2006 Fall event

·      

Quotable:
“I’m really looking forward to Vegas. Twice a year we get a shot at a totally unique format. I’ve won a four-wide event a couple of times and I enjoy being taken out of our element and getting thrown a little bit of a curve-ball. Plus, I just love Vegas. My first-ever nitro win was there and I haven’t been back to the Vegas winner’s circle since then. It’s been over 12 years so I’d like to end that drought this time at Vegas."
(Story copy courtesy DSR Racing PR)

(Photo Credit Gary Nastase, Courtesy JFR-PR.)

BRITTANY FORCE ENTERS LAS VEGAS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

WITH ADDED CONFIDENCE

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2019) — The 2017 Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force and her Advance Auto Parts team are heading to the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals ready for their first Wally of the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing season.

After starting the season with two first round exits at the Winternationals and Arizona Nationals, Force and the Advance Auto Parts team put their struggles behind them at the recent 50th anniversary Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. They put together four stellar passes over two days of qualifying including a 3.680-second pass which earned her the No. 1 qualifier and held up as the quickest of the weekend in the Top Fuel category. Force and the Advance Auto team’s efforts also earned them a spot in the history books, when she became the first woman in 40 years to snag the No. 1 qualifier position in Top Fuel at the Gatornationals.

“We qualified No. 1, made six solid passes getting down the race track all weekend and got to the second round. We definitely picked up our pace in Gainesville and we’re starting to figure this race car out,” said Force. “My entire Advance Auto Parts team and I, we’re all really excited to get to the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals and go some rounds on race day.”

At last year’s inaugural four-wide event at The Strip, Force qualified third but had a first-round exit after smoking the tires and pedaling her dragster to the finish line. Even though she has yet to get a win at the facility, Force came close in 2017 when she finished runner-up at the fall event and eventually went on to win the season championship just two weeks later. She’s also the first woman in her category to win the four-wide format, she picked up the victory at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte in 2016. Heading into the Las Vegas event Force could pick up another first, the first woman to win in the four-wide format at two different tracks.

“I’m super pumped to get to Las Vegas. Its an exciting race and the second time The Strip has hosted the four-wide so its still new. It gives the West Coast fans a chance to come out and get a taste of what four-wide is all about,” said Force. “We had a decent run last year but we’re hoping to make it to the final quad this time and ultimately get the Advance Auto Parts dragster in the winner’s circle.”

Qualifying at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals starts Friday and Saturday with sessions at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. both days. Eliminations are scheduled to begin Sunday at 12 p.m. NHRA coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET. Tickets can be bought through LVMS.com. (DSR and JFR Driver info Courtesy their respected Race Teams. Re-Posted as a courtesy of Dicken Wear and The Motorsports Report.)

BRITTANY FORCE ESCAPES SERIOUS INJURY FROM POMONA, CALIF. INCIDENT

POMONA, Calif. (Feb. 12, 2018) — NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series racer Brittany Force escaped serious injury after a racing incident in the first round of Sunday’s eliminations at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Force’s Monster Energy dragster went out of control during the pass, made contact with the guard wall and came to rest past the finish line. She was responsive, speaking with medical personnel, and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Force suffered no major internal injuries but does have some bruising of the lungs. A CT Scan was negative and the MRI showed subtle findings likely from previous injuries. She was admitted overnight for observation simply as a precaution. Much like her father’s explosion on Friday evening, Force’s Simpson safety gear, including her Steilo Helmet, R3 head and neck restraint, fire suit, neck collar and belts, kept her conscious and securely strapped into the driver’s seat. “You look at how these cars evolved over 40-50 years. We made a lot of changes after the loss of Eric (Medlen, former JFR driver who lost his life in a 2007 testing accident). A lot came out of that. Building better chassis, safer. Want to thank Simpson safety for building helmets, equipment and everything to keep our drivers safe. The car giving way when it hit the wall head on allowed it to take the impact and fold up (as it was designed to do),” John Force said. “I want to thank Schumacher Racing for creating the canopy (over the driver’s seat). When the car was upside down, you know that protects the drier’s head. Want to personally thank Don Schumacher for his investment (in the canopy program). Very important. Thanks, Don. Safety Safari was right on top of it, as always, that’s why they’re the best in the business. Finally, John Medlen, was one of the first to come to me, and want to know if she was okay. I didn’t have an answer at the time. But he’s lived it. He knows what all of us go through: owners, friends, parents and sponsors. End of the day, we keep addressing it to get it better.” Brittany Force, the No. 2 qualifier, was racing Terry Haddock in the first round when her Monster Energy dragster smoked the tires. Force attempted to pedal her 11,000 hp race car before it took a hard left and made contact with both guard walls.

Brittany Force becomes the 2017 NHRA Top Fuel Champion.

POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 12) – Monster Energy driver Brittany Force made history Sunday at famed Auto Club Raceway, storming to the Top Fuel championship by winning the Auto Club NHRA Finals.

In doing so, she became the first daughter of the legendary John Force to win a championship, following her dad’s 16 Funny Car titles with one of her own.

She became just the second female to win a championship in the nitro categories and the first since Shirley Muldowney won the Top Fuel title in 1982.

“That’s pretty incredible,” Force said. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around a Pomona win. I’ve always wanted to win here – it’s my home track, and we have the championship. All of it, it’s still doesn’t seem real. The only reason it is real is because of all the support around me.”

That not only includes her family, but also her Monster Energy team. In her fifth season as a professional driver, Force has her first championship.

“It’s huge,” Force said. “I’ve watched my dad for years. I really have to give it up to him and thank him and my mom for all their support. They’ve always had my back every tough weekend. I’ve been beaten on holeshots countless times – and red lights, those are tough to come back from.

“But I really believed that that would make me a better driver in the end. Today is pretty great, seeing it all come back full circle.”

Force was solid all day, cutting good lights and eventually beating Shawn Langdon in the final for her fourth victory of the season and seventh of her career.

But the most important round win was in the second round, when she knocked off Richie Crampton moments after points leader Steve Torrence lost to Antron Brown. Force was first off the Christmas Tree and then made a pass of 3.679 seconds at 328.22 mph to beat Crampton and clinch the championship.

“I’ve been carrying a gut-ache for two weeks because I’ve been wanting to get here to today,” Force said. “I thought, ‘Just get me to Sunday, get me in my race car, and let’s see what our team can do.’ I know my team, my crew chiefs, and I know they bring everything to the line. Then it’s my job to finish it, and we did that all day long.”

In the final, she made another terrific run, 3.667 seconds at 330.07 mph to earn her third victory in the six-race Countdown to the Championship. Force and her John Force Racing team were terrific in the NHRA playoffs, winning three times, posting one runner-up finish and one semifinal finish. She began the Countdown in sixth place in points but scored the most points in the Countdown to vault to second behind Torrence.

Then came Sunday, when Force took control.

“We’ve had an incredible day,” Force said. “I still haven’t wrapped my head around what happened. It’s a dream. I don’t know if I ever thought we’d be here. To lock everything up the way we did is pretty incredible, and I have to thank Alan Johnson, Brian Husen and my entire Monster Energy team for that.”

Photo credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery

Story courtesy JFR PR: Lee Montgomery & Michael Harker.

Tanner Gray wins his First Ptro-Stock Race. In Vegas no less.

17 YEAR OLD ROOKIE HITS THE JACKPOT IN SIN CITY AND BECOMES THE YOUNGEST PROFESSIONAL DRIVER IN NHRA HISTORY TO WIN A NATIONAL EVENT!

Las Vegas, Nevada (April 3) - 13 days before his 18^th birthday rookie Tanner Gray earned his first wally in Pro Stock at the 18^th Annual Denso Spark Plug NHRA Nationals and becomes the youngest professional driver in NHRA history to win a national event.

Tanner defeated Deric Kramer in the opening round of eliminations Sunday, current point’s leader Greg Anderson in the quarterfinals, and the 2016 World Champion Jason Line in the semi-finals before taking a huge starting line advantage in the final against Bo Butner.  

Tanner moved “all-in” in each of the 4 rounds Sunday, with an average reaction time of .017 seconds including a near perfect .001 in the quarter finals against Anderson. “It is my job as a driver to perform on the tree. I let Dave (Connolly) and his guys make the calls and trust that they have given me a good race car.”

“Dave (Connolly) has this car running really well and we saw that all weekend.” Tanner continues, “In qualifying he was able to make some adjustments that really paid off today.”

Tanner Gray’s teammate, and father, Shane Gray also had a successful weekend. Gray runner up in Saturday’s Pro Stock specialty race: the K&N Horsepower Challenge and nearly missed an opportunity to face son Tanner in the semifinals on Sunday. Gray’s race day ended when he met Jason Line in the quarter finals and ran an ET of 6.732 seconds at 205.91 mph to Line’s ET of 6.695 seconds at 206.10 mph.

Running two Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevy Camaro’s help’s crew chief Dave Connolly collect additional data to equip both drivers with the best race car possible.

“We knew the track was going to be hot Saturday and we just tried to race smart,” Connolly said. “With Shane’s (Gray) 3 runs on Saturday, we capitalized on seeing what kind of track conditions we were going to have on Sunday, or at least something similar. I felt like we had the upper hand going into eliminations. With the sun being out and the track getting hotter and hotter, we knew it was going to be tricky but felt comfortable with what we learned from Saturday that led into Sunday’s results.”

There was a true optimism that circled the Gray Motorsports pit all weekend long. Connolly spoke about this optimism, “There are times when you are able to produce impressive ET’s with a pro stock car, but you know things are not right. You know the car is not happy. After Gainesville, we stayed and tested and learned a lot. I felt very comfortable coming into race day, especially with the run we made Q4. The track was 120 plus degrees, and we made great run with what we figured would be our race day set up. Take that confidence and combine it with a driver who we have all the faith in the world in come race day, and these are the results we work towards. Tanner did his job all afternoon and earned this win”

Tanner Gray has always been a spectator at the Denso Spark Plug NHRA nationals until given the opportunity by grandfather, Johnny Gray, at the beginning of the 2017 NHRA season.

“I was pretty nervous coming up. This is something I wanted to do since I was really young and I finally got the opportunity to do it. When I started this deal, I told my dad I wanted to be the youngest Pro Stock winner. To be able to do that feels really cool,” Tanner said.

When asked about being a part of Tanner Gray’s historical moment, Crew Chief Connolly said, “It’s crazy and gratifying all at once. I’ve said this over and over, this is more gratifying standing behind a car watching Tanner (Gray) who is like a brother to me , 17 years old doing what he’s doing. I don’t know if there is anything else that could put a bigger smile on my face. I knew I was going to be excited about this year. Watching him (Tanner Gray) win, along with the reactions of Shane (Gray), Amber (Gray), Johnny (Gray) and Terry (Gray) really meant a lot. We’re a huge family and we care about each other.” Story from Natalie Jahnke of Gray Motorsports.

John Force Racing's 2,500th Funny Car round win.

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (March 21) – John Force’s Funny Car victory Sunday in the NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., was memorable for many reasons, including yet another milestone over the team’s 40-year existence in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

After winning all four rounds, and coupled with Robert Hight’s first-round victory, the team achieved the 2,500-round victory threshold for Funny Cars. Force’s final-round win over rookie Jonnie Lindberg sealed the deal.

JFR’s first round victory was June 1, 1979, when Force defeated Tom McEwen at the Cajun Nationals in Baton Rouge, La. Force himself has accounted for just over half of those 2,500 Funny Car round victories, as he now stands at 1,269, with six round wins this season. He defeated Del Worsham, Jack Beckman, and Tommy Johnson Jr. before beating Lindberg on Sunday.

Even more impressive is that JFR’s 2,500 NHRA Funny Car round wins account for more than 20 percent of wins all-time in the class. 

“It was the reign of terror that started it all, with Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderly and John Medlen,” Force said. “It was really about a group of guys – it wasn’t about me. I just wrote the checks, but I got to drive one of the baddest hot rods on the planet. We won just about everything.

“But those days are gone now. John Force wants to stay in the game, and now we’ve got Robert Hight, my daughter Courtney, young Austin Prock is coming,” he continued. “I’m really excited about this. We put the band back together. Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones said life’s a drag, but today, life’s not a drag – it’s a drag race, and we won.”

Winning races and elimination rounds is one of the things John Force has done best. Overall, nine drivers have won Funny Car rounds with JFR. The total includes:

• John Force 1,269
• Robert Hight 375
• Tony Pedregon 292
• Courtney Force 134
• Mike Neff 118
• Gary Densham 108
• Ashley Force Hood 105
• Eric Medlen 95
• Phil Burkart Jr. 4

Hight added to his total Sunday, besting Bob Tasca III in the first round with career-bests in time and speed, and has two round wins this season. Courtney Force won her first three rounds of the season at Pomona, making it to the final round.

“It’s amazing, but what’s really amazing is when you look at who has most of those wins,” Hight said. “John Force’s records – he’s so far out in front of everybody else – it’s not even achievable. With the competition level and everything else there is today, these records we keep getting will never, ever be broken. I was lucky enough to get the 200th victory for John Force Racing at Topeka (2011), and that was pretty exciting."

To do it at Gainesville, Hight said, was special. In the 1990s, for example, Force participated in 37 rounds out of a possible 40, and won 33 of those 40 rounds. He just kept winning ... and winning ... and winning.

“He’s had good luck at Gainesville,” Hight said. “But I take away from this that all three of our Funny Cars are running good, and we’re not searching for faster cars but right where we want to be. We just need to get a little consistency. I’m just happy to be a little part of those 2,500 round wins. We have three good cars now, and we’re going to get a lot more wins.”

The milestone is more than just a number. It represents tireless efforts by drivers, crew chiefs, team members, fabricators, shop workers, and office staff who have worked with Force since the 1970s.

“If you look at the Tony Pedregons that drove for me, the Eric Medlens, the Gary Denshams, Robert Hight, my girls – if you go down that list, they were all part of that. It wasn’t just about me," Force said. "I’ve done well in the sport, because I’ve lived it and loved it. I give 110 percent to my sponsors, never 100 percent. We overdeliver, you have to.

“With the cast of characters we have, we’re going to keep hitting them with all we’ve got."

The team earned its 2,500th round victory across all NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series classes last year. Including the team’s Top Fuel dragster – piloted by Brittany Force and sponsored by Monster Energy – the team’s round victory total stands at 2,593. Brittany Force added another Top Fuel round victory Sunday, and stands at 93 in her career.

The fourth round of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, the NHRA Nationals, is March 31-April 2 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada. John Force Racing has won five races at the spring race in Las Vegas, most recently with John Force running the table in 2015.

(Story Courtesy: Lee Montgomery JFR-PR).

 Photo Credit: Gary Nastase for Auto Imagery

PRITCHETT SETS NATIONAL RECORD, FORCE SETS TRACKS RECORDS.

CHANDLER, Ariz. – Leah Pritchett set the Top Fuel elapsed-time national record with her second session pass during the 33rd annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park on Friday.

Courtney Force (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) were also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the second of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

Pritchett’s 3.658-second pass at 329.34 mph in her Papa John’s Pizza dragster during the second round of qualifying puts her at the top of the field heading into the final two session of qualifying on Saturday.

“To be behind the wheel of this machine that is constantly putting out time and time again fast numbers and quick numbers is, to be honest, a little bit difficult to comprehend,” said Pritchett who is coming off a win at the season opening event in Pomona, Calif. “It’s everything that dreams are made of. It’s almost too good to be true, but it’s not. Seeing the extra attention to detail that I’ve never seen before and, I’ve been around a lot of crews in my life, it’s paying off on the track so well and so much.”

Don Schumacher Racing teammates Tony Schumacher in his U.S. Army dragster is second with a 3.667 pass at 323.89, the third quickest run in NHRA history, and reigning world champ Antron Brown in his Matco Tools dragster, are in third after a 3.689 pass at 326.56. Rookie Troy Coughlin Jr. is in fourth after running a career best 3.696 in the SealMaster dragster.

Courtney Force set both ends of the Funny Car track record with her 3.838 pass at 332.67 in her Advanced Auto Chevy Camaro during the first session.

“It’s always that first run of the weekend that you’re always the most nervous about,” Force said. “To be able to lay down a number like that for a track record and having (Matt) Hagan right out my window, I knew it was going to be a great pass. We ran killer numbers here during testing, that’s going to be our goal to be able to do it here again this weekend.”

Hagan is in the second position with a 3.839 at 329.67 in his Sandvik Coromant Dodge Charger R/T and Tim Wilkerson, who won the event last year, is in third with a 3.852 run at 329.42 in his Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Shelby Mustang.

Friday's results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 33rd annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, second of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.  Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Top Fuel -- 1. Leah Pritchett, 3.658 seconds, 329.91 mph; 2. Tony Schumacher, 3.667, 323.89; 3. Antron Brown, 3.689, 326.56; 4. Troy Coughlin Jr., 3.696, 326.48; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.709, 322.88; 6. Steve Torrence, 3.751, 326.48; 7. Clay Millican, 3.751, 316.30; 8. Troy Buff, 3.764, 321.96; 9. Terry McMillen, 3.768, 322.11; 10. Scott Palmer, 3.971, 278.29; 11. Steven Chrisman, 4.771, 162.96; 12. Steve Faria, 5.295, 129.06; 13. Brittany Force, 6.377, 93.04; 14. Shawn Reed, 9.362, 78.92.

Funny Car -- 1. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.838, 332.67; 2. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.839, 330.31; 3. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.852, 329.42; 4. Jack Beckman, Charger, 3.873, 329.18; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.877, 327.43; 6. Del Worsham, Toyota Camry, 3.896, 328.22; 7. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.897, 325.45; 8. J.R. Todd, Camry, 3.904, 328.22; 9. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.920, 325.14; 10. Gary Densham, Mustang, 3.938, 320.36; 11. John Force, Camaro, 3.941, 313.15; 12. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.035, 256.70; 13. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.226, 215.82; 14. Jeff Arend, Chevrolet Impala, 4.479, 202.91; 15. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.950, 167.57; 16. Phil Burkart, Charger, 10.652, 90.12.

Pro Stock -- 1. Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.509, 212.19; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.522, 211.73; 3. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.538, 211.79; 4. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.540, 211.43; 5. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.542, 211.23; 6. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.557, 210.77; 7. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.558, 211.59; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.561, 211.73; 9. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.563, 210.70; 10. Deric Kramer, Dodge Dart, 6.581, 209.88; 11. Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.583, 209.62; 12. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.584, 210.21; 13. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.600, 209.56; 14. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, 6.614, 209.04; 15. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.615, 210.08; 16. Val Smeland, Camaro, 21.361, 69.45.

(Story and Stats Courtesy NHRA Communications Dept). 

 John Force TF/FC   Photo by: Dicken Wear

 Ron Capps TF/FC   Crew Person Caden Capps.  Photo by: Dicken Wear

 Robert Hight TF/FC   Photo by: Dicken Wear

Del Worsham TF/FC   Photo by: Dicken Wear

Leah Pritchett TF/D  Photo by: Dicken Wear

 Leah Pritchett TF/D   Photo by: Dicken Wear

Courtney Force TF/FC   Photo by: Dicken Wear

Courtney Force TF/FC   Photo by: Dicken Wear

Leah Pritchett and Papa Johns win the 2017 NHRA Winternationals.

(All Photos by: Dicken Wear)

POMONA, Calif. – Leah Pritchett, a Redlands, Calif. native, earned the second Top Fuel victory of her career at the 57th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals on Sunday at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, her home track.

“This definitely is taking delivery from the momentum from last year,” Pritchett said. “What just happen is the best thing that has ever happened for me professionally in my career. In my opinion, right now, we have the perfect group of people, partners, sponsors, a car that is reacting. This thing is ‘A+’, Grade A, perfect kid in school type of situation and we’re taking advantage of it right now.”

Pritchett defeated Steve Torrence and eight-time champion Tony Schumacher en route to the finals. Kalitta, who was in his third consecutive final at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, bettered Terry McMillen and three-time and reigning world champion Antron Brown.

Leah Prichett’s sponsor, “Papa Johns” was named the Official Pizza of the NHRA on Wed. 

POMONA, Calif. Sunday 2-12-17: Final finish order (1-16) at the 57th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.  The race is the first of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1.  Leah Pritchett; 2.  Doug Kalitta; 3.  Antron Brown; 4.  Tony Schumacher; 5.  Troy Coughlin Jr.; 6.  Steve Torrence; 7.  Terry McMillen; 8.  Brittany Force; 9.  Shawn Reed; 10.  Scott Palmer; 11.  Clay Millican; 12.  Steve Faria; 13.  Terry Haddock; 14.  Troy Buff; 15.  Steven Chrisman.

FUNNY CAR:

1.  Matt Hagan; 2.  Courtney Force; 3.  John Force; 4.  Ron Capps; 5.  Jack Beckman; 6.  J.R. Todd; 7.  Tommy Johnson Jr.; 8.  Del Worsham; 9.  Alexis DeJoria; 10.  Robert Hight; 11.  Tim Wilkerson; 12.  Bob Bode; 13.  Phil Burkart; 14.  Jeff Diehl; 15.  Cruz Pedregon; 16.  Jim Campbell.

PRO STOCK:

 Jason Line; 2.  Greg Anderson; 3.  Bo Butner; 4.  Erica Enders; 5.  Shane Gray; 6.  Jeg Coughlin; 7.  Tanner Gray; 8.  Vincent Nobile; 9.  Drew Skillman; 10.  Chris McGaha; 11.  Matt Hartford; 12.  Alan Prusiensky; 13.  Kenny Delco; 14.  Deric Kramer; 15.  Allen Johnson; 16.  Val Smeland.

Sunday's final results from the 57th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the first of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Leah Pritchett, 3.711 seconds, 324.98 mph  def. Doug Kalitta, 7.630 seconds, 103.85 mph.

Funny Car -- Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.875, 330.07  def. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.901, 326.95.

Pro Stock -- Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.568, 211.10  def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.579, 211.56.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Joey Severance, 5.214, 275.51  def. Garrett Bateman, 5.486, 263.10.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Shane Westerfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.652, 127.19  def. Jonnie Lindberg, Camaro, Foul - Red Light.

Competition Eliminator -- Doug Lambeck, Pontiac Sunfire, 8.351, 156.97  def. Clint Neff, Bantam Roadster, 7.655, 156.48.

Super Stock -- Justin Lamb, Chevy Cobalt, 8.638, 153.23  def. Timothy Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.375, 120.43.

Stock Eliminator -- Jerry Emmons, Chevy Camaro, 10.170, 119.87  def. Justin Jerome, Plymouth Duster, 10.985, 119.38.

Super Comp -- Steve Williams, Dragster, 8.903, 185.38  def. Dave Alves, Dragster, 8.891, 184.77.

Super Gas -- Ed Olpin, Chevy Corvette, 9.886, 168.98  def. Robert Naber, Corvette, 9.882, 163.06.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com -- Mike Coughlin, Dragster, 6.093, 212.73  def. Andy Spiegel, Dragster, 6.662, 199.85.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com -- Ed Olpin, Chevy Camaro, 6.978, 198.26  def. Jeff Gillette, Pontiac GTO, 6.939, 193.24.

Top Fuel Harley -- Jay Turner, Dixie, 6.276, 218.23  def. Rickey House, VTS, Foul - Red Light.

(Story and Results courtesy the NHRA).