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Four-Wide racing often lends itself to the unexpected and the spectacular and this year’s edition of the American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway was no different. Here are five things we learned at the event.

NHRA’S 1,000TH TOP FUEL RACE WAS ONE FOR THE AGES

Drag racing is and most likely will always be a numbers game and at this point and time, few digits stick out more than 1,000, which represents the number of Top Fuel events NHRA has contested since the class made its official debut in 1963. Knowing that history would be made at zMax Dragway, NHRA and the Top Fuel teams came prepared. The special replica 1963 trophy made by Cold Hart Art was the talk of the pits and pre-race festivities included a gathering of most of the drivers to have won previous milestone events. In the end perhaps it was fitting that Shawn Langdon was there to collect the trophy from inaugural winner “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and that Langdon’s team owner, Connie Kalitta, was also on hand to enjoy the moment. Kalitta was also a participant in the 1963 Pomona event, albeit in the Top Gas class. Needless to say, the gravity of the moment wasn’t lost on and of them.

SEAN BELLEMEUR IS MAKING SERIOUS HISTORY

With a win in the delayed final round from the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals and an encore performance in Sunday’s four-wide final round, Sean Bellemeur racked up a few more milestones in what is rapidly becoming a Hall of Fame career. First, Bellemeur’s victory over Chip Beverett in the Gainesville final marked the first national event victory for an injected nitro Funny Car in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class. On Sunday, Bellemeur returned to win his 45th national event, breaking a tie with Bob Newberry for this place on the all-time wins list. Bellemeur has a long way to go to catch leader Frank Manzo (106 wins) or even second place Pat Austin at 70, but Bellemeur’s record is even more impressive when one considers that he won his first race in 2015, just a decade ago. It’s also worth noting that team owner Tony Barton has 38 Top Alcohol Funny Car titles, giving them 83 as a duo.

THE KB TITAN TEAM IS PRETTY GOOD AT PRO STOCK RACING

While we’re on the subject of numbers, try this one on for size; 200. That’s the number of Pro Stock victories achieved by the KB Titan team since the venture was launched by Ken Black and Greg Anderson more than two decades ago. Anderson has scored the bulk of the wins with 107 victories, but it was teammate Dallas Glenn that scored the milestone victory when he downed Anderson, Matt Hartford, and Eric Latino in the final quad. Not surprisingly, “Double-O Dallas” did what he does best with a .002 light and a 6.495 to hold off Anderson’s quicker 6.472. Since all four finalists were KB Titan entries, it was a given that they’d reach the milestone at their home event following the second round of eliminations.  

AUSTIN PROCK IS REWRITING THE HISTORY BOOKS

Let’s face it, Austin Prock will never get to 157 wins like his team owner, John Force but if he continues to win at his current pace, he might come close. Coming off a 2024 season where he won eight races and the Mission Foods championship, Prock has bagged two Funny Car titles in the first five races this season giving him ten wins in just 25 starts in the class. While he’s no Gaige Herrera, that is an awesome achievement especially when one takes into account the qualify of today’s Funny Car fields, which feather bump spots approaching the three-second zone and at least a dozen drivers capable of winning on any given weekend. Prock was good in a Top Fuel dragster, but he’s exceptional behind the wheel of a Funny Car. His driving style is suited perfectly for the shot wheelbase nitro burner, which makes perfect sense given his background of short track Sprint Car and Miget racing where car control is key.

PRO STOCK 2025 IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

The days of short fields in Pro Stock are over which is fantastic news for everyone, except any Pro Stock racer unfortunate enough to feel the painful sting of a DNQ. The zMax field was a prime example of just how difficult the class has become as there were 23 entries vying for just 16 spots and virtually all of them had the ability to qualify. That meant that seven drivers were going home on Saturday night. Two weeks ago, Erica Enders suffered her first DNQ in nearly a decade and this time, it was Aaron Stanfield and Cristian Cuadra who missed the field for the first time in their careers. Stanfield had previously made the show at the first 99 events of his pro career while Cuadra was riding a similar 86 race qualifying streak of his own. At this point, just eight drivers have qualified for each of the first five race this season and smart money says that number will likely shrink by a couple as the year goes on.