Camping World
IN FRONT OF SELLOUT CROWD AT MAPLE GROVE, B. FORCE, HIGHT, BUTNER AND M. SMITH QUALIFY NO. 1 AT PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
READING, PA – Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force capped off qualifying with a thrilling run on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway, 
grabbing the No. 1 qualifier in front of a sellout crowd at the 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals and the opening race of the Countdown to the Championship.
Robert Hight (Funny Car), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. NHRA and officials at Maple Grove Raceway announced a sellout for Saturday’s racing as well, as the passionate fanbase in the area packed the historic track.
The Koretsky family purchased the fan-favorite facility in April and the tremendous crowd enjoyed an impressive day of qualifying.
HIGHT, ASHLEY, BUTNER AND A. SMITH TAKE PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS TO OPEN PLAYOFFS AT PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
READING, PA – Funny Car points leader Robert Hight opened the Countdown to the Championship playoffs in impressive fashion, powering to the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday at the 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.
Hight continued his incredible 2022 to open the playoffs, racing to the No. 1 position with his pass of 3.867-seconds at 331.20 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS. Hight is seeking his fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and 75th in his career, but the points leader is also looking to add to the six wins he’s already put together. He’s been remarkably consistent throughout the season and the team’s mindset won’t change during the Countdown to the Championship as the three-time world champ looks to continue his success this year.
CHAMPIONSHIP GLORY UP FOR GRABS WITH NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP SET TO BEGIN
INDIANAPOLIS – The stage is set for the standouts in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. After a thrilling and record-setting 
regular season in 2022, dreams of a coveted NHRA world championship come down to the final six races, as the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin at this weekend’s 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Championship dreams will be made over the next six races, as the Countdown to the Championship starts at this weekend’s 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, kicking off a memorable stretch of three straight race weekends.
That includes stops at zMAX Dragway for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals in Charlotte and World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis for the NHRA Midwest Nationals. The next two stops include a visit to the famed Texas Motorplex in Dallas for the Texas NHRA FallNationals on Oct. 13-16 to finish off the track’s Stampede for Speed, and then The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the NHRA Nevada Nationals on Oct. 27-30. The road to the finals concludes with the must-see 57th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals on Nov. 10-13 at Auto Club Raceway, where the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will put it all on the line for a chance at championship glory.
DEFENDING PRO STOCK WORLD CHAMP GREG ANDERSON READY TO DEFEND CROWN HEADING TO PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
READING, PA – Two months ago, Greg Anderson likely wouldn’t have considered himself much of a threat to defend his world championship in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. But the longtime star has made a swift turnaround in recent weeks, vaulting back into title contention as the Countdown to the Championship playoffs open this weekend at the 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Anderson, a five-time world champ in Pro Stock, picked up his 100th victory at the most recent race at Indy, continuing a recent hot streak that has included three straight No. 1 qualifiers in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro as well as final round appearances in three of the past four races.
Points leader Erica Enders remains the favorite in the class thanks to a dominant season that’s included six victories and eight final rounds, but Anderson is coming on strong and he can’t wait for the six-race playoffs to begin this weekend in Reading.
TONY STEWART RETURNS TO FOX BROADCAST BOOTH FOR NHRA PLAYOFF OPENER AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
READING, PA – Hall of Fame driver and team owner Tony Stewart is returning to the FOX broadcast booth this weekend as the NHRA 
Camping World Drag Racing Series kicks off its Countdown to the Championship playoffs with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Stewart will once again join the NHRA on FOX team of Brian Lohnes and Tony Pedregon for eliminations on Sunday, with the event also serving as the NFL adjacent broadcast on FOX. It puts the NHRA on a huge platform to open its 2022 playoffs, with Stewart also in the broadcast booth for the second consecutive race.
“Tony’s work in the FOX NHRA booth for the U.S. Nationals was absolute nails,” said Frank Wilson, FOX Sports VP Event & Studio Production. “Drawing from his experience as a Hall of Fame driver, a team and track owner, and the relationships he has with some of the biggest names in the business, Tony has a unique perspective and can talk to nearly any aspect of racing with insight and credibility. It will be great to have him back in the booth Sunday for the opening of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.”
COUNTRY MUSIC STAR TIM DUGGER, THREE DAYS OF RACING HIGHLIGHTS NHRA RETURN TO ST. LOUIS
ST. LOUIS – With a special fireworks show and a concert by country music star Tim Dugger helping kick off the weekend, the upcoming 11th 
annual NHRA Midwest Nationals on Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis will be loaded with special events, adding to the memorable three days of racing action in the middle of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event marks the halfway point of the six-race postseason as title contenders across all four professional categories will look to strengthen their championship resumé in St. Louis.
Dugger’s performance is slated to take place directly after the thrilling, must-see racing action under the lights at World Wide Technology Raceway on Friday. The 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph Top Fuel and Funny Cars will run a special 7 p.m. CT night qualifying session that will kick off the racing weekend, leading into a special fireworks show and the concert. That leads into final qualifying on Saturday and eliminations on Sunday, where the stakes will be high as the stars look to leave their mark in the Gateway City.
TOP FUEL’S ANTRON BROWN ROLLING AT RIGHT TIME AS NHRA PLAYOFFS OPEN AT PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
READING, PA – Whatever difficulties Antron Brown and his team endured early in the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season appear to have been erased, putting the three-time Top Fuel world champion back on track to compete for another world title.
The road to the championship starts at this weekend’s 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first of six races during the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs. On the strength of two wins in his past three races, including the most recent NHRA U.S. Nationals, Brown enters the playoffs with plenty of momentum in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster.
He’s jumped out to sixth in the Top Fuel points standings, a considerable leap in just a month thanks to victories in Topeka – which was his first as a team owner – and Indy. It’s a loaded field of title contenders heading to Reading, but Brown might be peaking at the perfect time this season.
KORETSKY FAMILY SET TO UNVEIL NUMEROUS UPDATES TO MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY AT PEP BOYS NHRA NATIONALS
READING, PA – For the past five months since they’ve purchased Maple Grove Raceway, veteran NHRA racer Kenny Koretsky and his family, which includes his sons Kenny Jr. and current Pro Stock driver Kyle, have been hard at work on renovations and updates to the historic facility.
Numerous improvements have already been made and will be noticeable for fans and race teams heading into this weekend’s 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. It’s been a tremendous amount of work, but the Koretsky family is excited to show off the revamped facility at the opening race in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
“It’s taken a lot of work from everyone and there’s still a lot of work to be done, but we’re proud of what we’ve done and the response we’ve already heard from fans and racers,” Kyle Koretsky said. “We’ve even had racers who have offered to help the place succeed. There’s a lot of history here and we want to make sure this track succeeds. Our family has put our heart and soul into this and there’s no room for failure. That’s not in our vocabulary. We’ve built a strong team here and we’re looking forward to having a great race and a great future here.”
ANDERSON GETS WIN NO. 100; CAPPS, BROWN AND M. SMITH ALL GET VICTORIES AT DODGE POWER BROKERS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS
INDIANAPOLIS – Greg Anderson picked up his 100th career win on Monday and veteran Ron Capps won for the first time at the prestigious 
68th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, capping off a memorable day for the pair of longtime standouts at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won at the 16th of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the final event of the regular season.
Anderson drove to the milestone win with a run of 6.587-seconds at 208.07 mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Dallas Glenn in the finals, becoming just the second driver in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series history to reach 100 career victories. He knocked off Fernando Cuadra Sr., Troy Coughlin Jr., and Fernando Cuadra Jr. to reach the final round, making the quickest run of each round of eliminations. Glenn went red in the finals, handing the five-time world champion his seventh Indy win and one of the best moments in his incredible career.
“I don’t know if I can explain how meaningful this is,” Anderson said. “It’s incredible and this (100th) win was meant to happen here. Indy means everything to me, and I’ve said that my whole career.
NHRA ANNOUNCES FULL SCHEDULE FOR 2023 CAMPING WORLD DRAG RACING SERIES SEASON, INCLUDING RETURN TO ROUTE 66 RACEWAY
INDIANAPOLIS – NHRA officials today announced the details of the full 2023 Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule, which will 
include a pair of Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout races in Gainesville and Indianapolis, as well as a return to the fan-favorite Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill.
NHRA previously released the dates for the first four events of the 2023 season, including the must-see opener, the 54th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway on March 9-12. The series also makes a highly-anticipated return back to Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago for the Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance on May 19-21. Tickets for the Chicago race will go on sale in October. Considered one of the top facilities on the tour, the track will host its first NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series race since 2019, one of many thrilling highlights for the upcoming season.
“We are thrilled to release our full schedule for the 2023 season, which will bring incredible racing action to tracks all across the country,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said. “We’re proud of everyone involved who worked so hard to get Route 66 Raceway back on our schedule. Starting with what will be an incredible kickoff in Gainesville, there are lot of exciting moments to look forward to next year. We appreciate our fans, race teams, track partners and sponsors who all helped to put the 2023 plan in place.”
