91����

��

UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Josh Hart, a two-time Indy winner in Top Alcohol Dragster, continued to be impressive in his Ron Douglas-tuned Brakes For Breasts/TechNet dragster, following qualifying runs of 3.726, 3.753, 3.722, and 3.787 with a stout 3.690 to kick off eliminations against Doug Foley, who lost traction at the step. Hart, who was one of 10 drivers who didn’t get a fifth and final qualifying shot Sunday night due to rain, will have second-round lane choice against low qualifier Brittany Force.

***

Clay Millican’s first-round loss to Doug Kalitta means he’ll finish no better than 11th in points, but the popular Tennessee driver will still be part of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs because his team has run at least the minimum number of required qualifying passes at every race in the regular season.12th-place����Austin Prock also will participate in the Countdown for the same reason, despite his first-round loss to Steve Torrence.

***

Brittany Force took an easy win over Dan Mercier, whose car bogged just off the line, and locked up the top speed in the Countdown to the championship. If she��can win her first U.S. Nationals title, she’ll join father John and sister Ashley as Indy winners. As multi-generational as the sport is, no Indy-winning parent has had two kids also win the U.S. Nationals.

Previous father-child winners at the U.S. Nationals include Brad and Randy Anderson, Ray and Dave Connolly, Troy Coughlin Sr. and Jr., Warren and Kurt Johnson, Don and Tony Schumacher, Rickie and Matt Smith, and Greg and Aaron Stanfield.

Brother combos also have shared Indy bragging rights, including Jeg, Troy Sr., and Mike Coughlin; Tony and Michael Bartone; Terry and Jerry Emmons; Matt and Andrew Hines; Nick and Devin Isenhower; Cruz and Frank Pedregon; Edmond and Scotty Richardson; and Eric and Gary Waldo.

The Coughlin clan is far and away the biggest family winner with brothers Jeg, Troy Sr., and Mike all winning the U.S. Nationals. Combined with Troy Jr.’s wins, they have collected nine wins: Jeg (4), Mike (2), Troy Jr. (2), and Troy Sr. (1).

***

How tight was first-round racing in Top Fuel? The eight winners ranged from 3.690 to 3.743.

Top Fuel second-round pairings (lane choice first): Josh Hart vs. Brittany Force; Doug Kalitta vs. Mike Salinas; Justin Ashley vs. Billy Torrence; Steve Torrence vs. Antron Brown

***

The first-round match between 10th-ranked Chad Green and 12th-place Blake Alexander had serious playoff implications as the winner would earn the No. 10 spot. Neither driver had made the required qualifying runs during the regular season to lock them in on a participant basis, so it was all down to the points. Alexander took the win in Jim Head’s car, 3.89 to 3.944, to punch his ticket while Green will miss the playoffs.

***

Like Clay Millican in Top Fuel, Jim Campbell will finish 11th in Funny Car, but “Big Jim” Dunn and the team will be part of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs after having made the required number of qualifying passes at all events during the regular season.

***

Ron Capps has had a lot of chances to win the U.S. Nationals but has never gotten it done. He was in the final last year and got ambushed by Tim Wilkerson, who picked up a ton of e.t. between the semifinals and final round, and none of this is lost on Capps, who kept alive the dream with a first-round win over Dale Creasy Jr.

“I hear it every year from the media for days coming into this race: ‘When are you going to finally the U.S. Nationals?’ and it's getting monotonous. In the final round last year, I made the mistake of almost counting the win before the final was won, thinking about the interview I'm gonna do. When you have that good a car, and lane choice and that lane was tough to get down for everybody and [Wilkerson] threw down and worked our butts, and it stung. That was run of the year in Funny Car -- no doubt about it -- so I learned another lesson at Indy I talked about this at the top end, about the spirits that wander around this place. I was running through my head watching the NHRA channel that goes 24/7 with such cool old-school footage and all of the great moments right down there where I was standing that I've seen and read about in National Dragster as a kid, moments that change their lives of being a champion at Indy.”

***

Dale Creasy Jr. was one of just two drivers who didn’t qualify in the three-second zone as his 4,075 left him in the No. 16 spot and a first-round date with low qualifier Ron Capps. Creasy didn’t win that first-round tilt, but he did finally break into the threes with a 3.982 alongside Capps’ 3.886.

***

J.R. Todd stunned the crowd with low e.t. of the meet in beating Cruz Pedregon in the final pairing of the first round. The DHL Toyota, tuned by Jon Oberhofer and Todd Smith, zipped to a 3.856, supplanting Ron Capps’ 3.864 as the meet’s best pass. The track record is 3.799, set by Matt Hagan way back in 2017.

***

Funny Car second-round pairings (lane choice first): J.R. Todd vs. Ron Capps; Blake Alexander vs. John Force; Matt Hagan vs. Robert Hight; Bob Tasca III vs. Tim Wilkerson

***
��

Troy Coughlin Jr. already has a pair of Indy wins to his credit including a Super Comp victory in 2010 and a Super Gas title in 2014. He’s still in the running for his first Pro Stock win at “The Big Go” after beating Deric Kramer in round one. Coughlin, who is the hottest driver in the Pro Stock class with back-to-back wins in Seattle and Topeka, stretched his win streak to nine-straight rounds after beating Deric Kramer’s Get BioFuel Camaro in round one. Coughlin got the clutch out first and ran a 6.623 for the win, narrowly holding off Kramer’s competitive 6.634. Coughlin will have his work cut out for him in round two when he faces six-time Indy winner and low qualifier Greg Anderson.

***

The wow moment of the first round came when rookie Camrie Caruso took out Aaron Stanfield on a holeshot. Caruso has struggled since her runner-up finish in Houston, but the tide appeared to turn when she strapped a .011 light on Stanfield and drove to a 6.63 to 6.61. The win comes at an opportune time for Caruso as she looks to maintain her spot in the Top 10 heading into the Countdown. She is one of 15 drivers who will fight for the Camping World Pro Stock title.

��“We’ve sucked, but we ain’t gonna suck anymore,” exclaimed proud dad, Marc Caruso. “We’ve got the best in the business and we’re going to take care of business.”

***

Bo Butner’s shot at a double ended when he was on the receiving end of a holeshot against Fernando Cuadra Jr., who has one of the quickest reaction time averages in the class. For the record, Butner is still in competition in Super Gas with his Corvette roadster. As for Cuadra, he had a simple explanation for his very competitive .018 reaction time.

“Coffee does it for me,” said the Corral Boots driver. “I tried it last year in Charlotte and it does it for me. That’s all I know.”

***

Pro Stock quarterfinal pairings (lane choice first): Matt Hartford vs. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; Erica Enders vs. Camrie Caruso; Greg Anderson vs. Troy Coughlin Jr.; Dallas Glenn vs. Kyle Koretsky.

***

Joey Gladstone’s two race win streak is over courtesy of Karen Stoffer who did exactly what she needed to do with a .004 light and a 6.913 on her Big St. Charles/Skillman Auto Suzuki. Stoffer came into the U.S. Nationals as the eighth-ranked rider in the class in what she’s said will be her final season as a full-time pro.

***

Jianna Evaristo scored her biggest win since her upset victory at the 2019 Auto Club Finals when she took out four-time world champ and defending Indy winner Eddie Krawiec in round one and it wasn’t a holeshot. After an even start, Evaristo flat outran Krawiec, riding her Pep Boys Suzuki to a 6.952 to cover Krawiec’s 6.966. The win was especially gratifying after Evaristo’s�� season was interrupted by a pre-season testing accident that forced her to miss several events.

“This is amazing,” she said. “We had a slow start to season but I owe this to Matt and Angie Smith. They believed in me and helped me get back on the bike. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

***

The Vance & Hines team suffered a double-whammy as Krawiec’s teammate, Angelle Sampey, also suffered an unexpected round one loss at the hands of Ron “the Rat” Tornow. Sampey was inexplicably late off the starting line and Tornow was quick to take advantage. The final numbers weren’t pretty as Tornow’s 6.981 crossed the finish line before Sampey’s 6.919, and the margin of victory wasn’t close. Tornow credited reigning world champ Matt Smith with helping to tune his bike and also noted that a new wrap may have changed his luck.

***

With championship leaders Joey Gladstone, Angelle Sampey, and Eddie Krawiec sidelined in round one, the door is open for either Matt Smith or Steve Johnson to take over the top seed in the Countdown to the Championship but both riders must win the event in order to do so. Since Smith and Johnson are on opposite sides of the ladder, it’s possible that they could race in the final round with the winner holding the lead entering the five-race playoff for Pro Stock Motorcycle riders.

***

Pro Stock Motorcycle quarterfinal pairings (lane choice first): Karen Stoffer vs. Ron Tornow; Angie Smith vs. Steve Johnson; Matt Smith vs. Hector Arana Jr.; Jerry Savoie vs. Jianna Evaristo

***

Doug Kalitta kept his hopes alive for a second U.S. Nationals Top Fuel title by beating Mike Salinas, 3.80 to 3.98. It was Kalitta’ s first victory over Salinas in five times this season. Kalitta is looking for his 50th career win and his first since late 2020. Kalitta’s famous uncle, Connie, won the race in 1994 when he defeated Eddie Hill in the final round.

***

Antron Brown, meanwhile, is gunning for his fourth U.S. Nationals win, and a second Top Fuel crown to go with two Pro Stock Motorcycle Wallys won at Indy. It’s been 11 years since Brown won Indy, defeating Del Worsham at the 2011 event. Brown advanced to the semifinals when good pal Steve Torrence smoked the tires.

***

With second-round losses by second-place Mike Salinas and third-ranked Steve Torrence and his win over Billy Torrence,��Justin Ashley can move from fourth all the way to second f he reaches the final round. With a solid 3.697 after an opening 3.670, he’s certainly the odds-on favorite to beat teammate Antron Brown in their final-four matchup.

***

Brittany Force kept pace with Josh Hart, backing up her first-round 3.695 with a 3.699 to send Josh Hart to the trailer. Regardless of what happens the rest of the race, Force will finish the regular season in first place and Hart will wind up fifth,

***

Semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Brittany Force vs. Doug Kalitta; Justin Ashley vs. Antron Brown

***

Funny Car racing doesn’t get a whole lot closer than the titanic matchup between Robert Hight and Matt Hagan. Hight left first by .004-second (.056 to .060) and outran Hagan by .006-second (3.861 to 3.867) to get a ticket to the semifinals by just a hundredth of a second.

***

Hagan’s loss leaves the door open for Ron Capps to pass Hagan for second place in the standings. Capps, who raced to a 3.88 to beat low e.t. runner J.R. Todd, can pass Hagan by beating John Force in the semifinal round.

***

Bob Tasca III will get a chance at revenge on Robert Hight, who called him out and beat him in the first round of the Pep Boys Callout. Tasca had had bracket-racing-like consistency in the 3.88 zone, running 3.883 and 3.886, while Hight has run 3.89 and 3.86.

***

Funny Car semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Ron Capps vs. John Force; Robert Hight vs. Bob Tasca III

***

Dallas Glenn ran his record to a perfect 3-0 this year against Kyle Koretsky after the Lucas Oil Camaro driver shook the tires and had to lift off the throttle. Glenn, the No. 2 qualifier, now moves into the semifinals for the fourth time this season with a 6.611. Glenn is just 30 races into his Pro Stock career and the reigning Rookie of the Year has already appeared in six final rounds and has accumulated 44 round wins.

***

For the first time since their memorable Houston final, Erica Enders and Camrie Caruso went head-to-head in a Pro Stock race and the result was another win for the Melling/Elite driver. Enders drove to a 6.595 to win her 10th straight round at Indy and earn lane choice for her semifinal race against Dallas Glenn. In qualifying, Enders officially locked up the top seed in the Countdown to the championship playoffs. She’s also got the best win percentage of any NHRA pro this season with a 34-6 record in elimination rounds.

Pro Stock semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Erica Enders vs. Dallas Glenn; Greg Anderson vs. Fernando Cuadra Jr.

***

Drag racing is often called a game of inches but sometimes it’s measured in fractions of inches which was the case when Steve Johnson took out Angie Smith in the quarterfinals. Johnson, already a two-time Indy winner, left first and got his MacRak Suzuki to the finish line ahead of Smith’s Denso Buell by a .0006-second. After a hot start, Johnson struggled through the summer months with just two round wins in the last five events but now he’s in the semifinal round for the first time since Richmond, where he lost in the final to Matt Smith. Johnson is now third in the standings, behind Joey Gladstone and Matt Smith.

Sharp-minded NHRA fans might remember Johnson's first U.S. Nationals win in 2005 when the final outcome wasn't determined until Tuesday due to a timing system malfunction.

***

Jerry Savoie does some of his best work at the U.S. Nationals as the former world champ already has a pair of Indy Wallys in his collection. Savoie is still in the running for a third title after a quarterfinal win against Jianna Evaristo. Savoie was late off the starting line but could afford to be as Evaristo red-lighted by six-thousandths. Savoie also remained consistent with a 6.889 that backed up his 6.878 from the opening round.

Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Matt Smith vs. Jerry Savoie; Steve Johnson vs. Karen Stoffer

***

Brittany Force will have lane choice over Antron Brown in the final round in her bid to win her first U.S. Nationals crown. Force, runner-up last year to Steve Torrence, laid down a stout 3.676 –- her third straight 3.6-second pass of raceday –- to beat 2019 Indy winner Doug Kalitta.

Brown made his best run of the race, a 3.698, to defeat No. 2 qualifier Justin Ashley, who slowed from his 3.69-second pace of the first two rounds as the engine went sour before the finish line. If Brown wins the race, he will jump from ninth place to sixth in the standings.

***

Dean Antonelli, John Medlen, and the NAPA Auto Care team have Ron Capps' Toyota on repeat, running a third straight 3.88-second elapsed time to beat John Force, who went up in smoke. Capps' victory moved him past Matt Hagan and into second place in the points standings heading into the playoffs.

Robert Hight and Bob Tasca III, on the other hand, both missed the tune-up as both went up in smoke almost immediately. Hight, the points leader, did a better job of recovering and hustled to a 5.75 to 7.47 victory and a shot at another U.S. Nationals crown.

***

“Double-Oh Dallas” Glenn struck again with a nearly-perfect .005 reaction time to end Erica Enders Indy win streak at 10 rounds. Glenn grabbed a .016-second lead over Enders at the start and needed all of it with a 6.623 to 6.609 holeshot victory. Glenn will have a chance to win his first race since Gainesville, but in order to do so, he’ll have to get past his teammate, Greg Anderson, who took care of business with a .019 light and a 6.608 to stop No. 12 qualiifer Fernando Cuadra Jr’s Cinderella run. Anderson is not just seeking his first win of the season, but also his 100th career victory.

“If he [Anderson] wants No. 100, he’s going to have to go through me,” said Glenn, only half-jokingly of the upcoming all-KB Racing final round.

***

The Pro Stock Motorcycle final round will feature Karen Stoffer and reigning world champ Matt Smith with Smith holding lane choice following his 6.893 win over Jerry Savoie in the semifinals. Smith previously won in Richmond and Denver this season to bring his career win total to 34 and he’ll have a chance to tie “Big Daddy” Don Garlits with 35 victories when he takes on Stoffer in the final. Stoffer, the winner of the Gainesville season-opener, advanced to career final No. 30 when a close victory over two-time Indy winner Steve Johnson. Stoffer left first and rode to a 6.920 to 6.930 win on her Big St. Charles/Skillman Auto Suzuki. ��

***

LUCAS OIL SERIES SPORTSMAN RESULTS

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Julie Nataas def. Mike Coughlin

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Sean Bellemeur def. D.J. Cox

COMPETITION
Doug Engels def. Frank Aragona Jr.

SUPER STOCK
Pete D’Agnolo def. James Caro

STOCK
Brett Candies def. Jim Marshall

SUPER COMP
Austin Williams def. Jason Kenny

SUPER GAS
Bo Butner def. Steve Hoyt

SUPER STREET
Douglas Wood def. Ryan Locke

TOP DRAGSTER presented by Vortech Superchargers
Rusty Baxter def. Dane Ward

TOP SPORTSMAN presented by Vortech Superchargers
Vince Hoda def. Craig Liles

FUELTECH PRO MOD presented by D-Wagon
Lyle Barnett def. Kris Thorne

TOP FUEL HARLEY-DAVIDSON
Jay Turner def. Bob Malloy

MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK
Johnny Pluchino def. Tony Gillig

CONSTANT AVIATION FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN
David Barton def. Aaron Stanfield

Anderson gets 100th win; Brown, Capps, and Smith also grab U.S. Nationals titles