BRAINERD, MN – Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps moved into the points lead and picked up his 75th career win on Sunday at Brainerd International Raceway, powering past Robert Hight in the final round of the 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Capps delivered a run of 3.887-seconds at 332.75 mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, holding off Hight’s 3.900 at 324.90, getting his second win of the 2023 season. The back-to-back world champion also got his seventh career win at Brainerd International Raceway, which is the second-most in NHRA history at the facility to John Force’s 11 victories.

To reach the final round for the sixth time this year, Capps, the No. 1 qualifier, knocked off Jim Campbell, Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tasca III. In a matchup that featured a pair of three-time world champions, Capps led wire-to-wire against Hight to pick up a special milestone victory. His points lead stands at 21 points heading to Indy.

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BRAINERD, MN – Top Fuel standout Antron Brown picked up his first win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, defeating defending world champion Brittany Force in the finals of the bonus event on Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway as part of this weekend’s 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also won in Brainerd, as the bonus race featured three first-time winners. Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) qualified No. 1 at the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Brown drove to the victory against Force with a run of 3.840-seconds at 292.01 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools/Toyota dragster in the championship round. He defeated points leader Justin Ashley earlier in the day before driving past Force. Brown, a three-time world champion, will try to double-up on Sunday in Brainerd and also earn his second event win this season.

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BRAINERD, MN – Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps powered to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday at Brainerd International Raceway as he looks to win the 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals for a seventh time.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Capps went 3.894-seconds at 330.23 mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, putting the back-to-back Funny Car champ in the No. 1 position after two qualifying sessions. If it holds, it would give Capps his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 38th in his career. Only John Force has won at Brainerd more than Capps, who will look add to his success this weekend at a track that means a great deal to him.

“It’s hard to explain, but I love this place, a lot of great memories,” Capps said. “That was just another version of it. We had to shut the car off in the first run, and I sat there at the starting line and watched (Matt) Hagan go low E.T.

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BRAINERD, MN – After four years away, Pro Stock is back at Brainerd International Raceway for this weekend’s 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, which means it’s the first time since 2019 that five-time world champ Greg Anderson will compete at the track where he grew up racing.

It’s one of the many reasons the Duluth native is excited about this weekend, as Anderson heads to Brainerd with the most momentum he’s had this season in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.

He qualified No. 2 in Topeka last weekend and finished as the runner-up to defending world champion Erica Enders, marking his first final round appearance during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

That gave Anderson a much-needed boost of confidence and returning to Brainerd remains extremely special for the veteran. He’s won three times in Pro Stock at a track that gave Anderson is start in the sport and nothing would make him happier than to win a fourth in front of the die-hard Pro Stock fans in Brainerd.

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BRAINERD, MN – A week after getting a back-to-back win at a track, Funny Car standout Bob Tasca III will try to accomplish that again at this weekend’s 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Tasca accomplished the feat last weekend in Topeka and heading into annual race at the fan-favorite facility in Brainerd, the veteran Funny Car driver enters the weekend as the defending event winner in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. He’s also fifth in points and eager to make another make a big move with the Countdown to the Championship approaching.

The race in Brainerd is the penultimate race of the regular season and with another big showing, Tasca could head into Indy third in points. With his car throwing down the quickest Funny Car run in Topeka last weekend – a statement run of 3.885-seconds in the final round – Tasca and his team, led by crew chiefs Aaron Brooks and Todd Okuhara, head to Brainerd with plenty of momentum and confidence they can run stellar numbers in any condition or situation.

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TOPEKA, KS – Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley continued his impressive 2023 season, defeating defending world champion Brittany Force in the final round and picking up his sixth win of the year on Sunday at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park.

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also won at the 13th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

In the championship round, Ashley went 3.702-seconds at 323.58 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect Toyota dragster to slip past Force’s 3.707 at 323.58 in the final NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national event at Heartland Motorsports Park. After battling through several weather delays, the final round finished up under the lights as Ashley earned his 11th career win.

Ashley knocked off Josh Hart, Leah Pruett and Antron Brown to reach the final round before turning in the quickest run of the weekend to continue his dream season. He also stretched his lead to 83 points over Steve Torrence.

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TOPEKA, KS – Robert Hight hung on to the No. 1 qualifier position in Funny Car at Heartland Motorsports Park, earning his 80th career top spot on Saturday at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the 13th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Hight’s strong run of 3.948-seconds at 321.19 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS from Friday held up, handing the multi-time world champ his third No. 1 qualifier this season and a remarkable 80th in his standout career. Hight also made a strong run to close out qualifying on Saturday as he looks for his third win of the 2023 season. Currently fourth in points, Hight has his sights on a major move over the next three races and he’ll open eliminations on Sunday against Jack Wyatt.

“That 80 is a big number, it shows I’ve been doing it a long time, but it also shows I’ve had great teams behind me,” Hight said. “You’re not No. 1 qualifier without a really good racecar. This is a tribute to all the good people I’ve worked with. This is big for us. I think we’re turning a corner with this new combination; it’s starting to respond. Jimmy [Prock, crew chief] was happy.

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TOPEKA, KS – Four-time Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence made the only run in the 3.70s on Friday at Heartland Motorsports Park, driving to the provisional No. 1 spot at the Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor.

Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 13th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. It is also the final NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national event at Heartland Motorsports Park.

Torrence put together a run of 3.764-seconds at 326.24 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster to close out the opening round of qualifying in a thrilling side-by-side run with points leader Justin Ashley. If it holds, Torrence, who is currently second in points, would pick up his first No. 1 qualifier this season and 35th in his career as he also gets closer and closer to getting into championship form. Torrence won in Seattle and ran well in Sonoma, and will look to build on that this weekend in Topeka.

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TOPEKA, KS – After nearly a month off, the Pro Stock class returns to action this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park, which marks the perfect location for standout Troy Coughlin Jr.

The rising star claimed the most recent Pro Stock victory last month in Denver and has plenty of Topeka momentum, too, claiming the victory last year at Heartland Motorsports Topeka in his JEGS.com Chevrolet Camaro.

That gives him plenty of confidence heading into this weekend’s Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor, which marks the final NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series national event at Heartland Motorsports Park. The July win in Denver gave also Coughlin his second victory this season, bumping him to third in points in the loaded Pro Stock category.

Just as exciting for Coughlin is the strides his Elite Motorsports team made during the downtime heading into Topeka, leaving him excited he can pick up where he left off, not only from Denver, but also from last year’s championship performance at Heartland Motorsports Park.

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BRAINERD, MN – The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is set for its annual stop at Brainerd International Raceway for the 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals on Aug. 17-20, bringing its 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph excitement – as well as the first Pro Stock appearance since 2019 – to the fan-favorite facility.

It is the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA season, putting it once again as the penultimate race of the regular season. With the Countdown to the Championship playoffs approaching, the event comes at a pivotal point as all the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock prepare to make a push for a championship.

Brainerd International Raceway has hosted incredible racing action for more than four decades, with the famed “Zoo” offering some of the best camping on the NHRA tour and one of the most unique and thrilling experiences in motorsports. Fans can also look forward to the return of Pro Stock, which is back at the track for the first time in four years, adding another can’t-miss element to the weekend.

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