PHOENIX, AZ – The last time Erica Enders was at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park it was 2020 and she was holding a Wally trophy as the Pro Stock winner en route to her fourth NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series world championship. That was two years ago, and Enders is now after the same success heading into this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals.

The 2020 event was also the most recent NHRA race at the track and, two years later, Enders is thrilled to return and she’s coming back with plenty of momentum as well. She opened her 2022 campaign with a victory at the season-opener in Pomona, picking up her first career NHRA Winternationals victory in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Enders qualified No. 1 and was remarkable on the starting line throughout eliminations, winning the 900th race in Pro Stock history. Heading to Phoenix, Enders is locked in on keeping the hot start going as she aims for a fifth world title.

“I’m going for it,” Enders said. “We’ve done this for 18 years and you’re going to have your off days, but I know the battles ahead of us and all we can do is prepare the best we can. This fire is lit under this entire team, and we are ready to go. I take a lot of pride in how we do this, especially those times when the cards are stacked against us.”

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PHOENIX, AZ – A week after opening the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season with a victory, Top Fuel rising star Justin Ashley will look to keep rolling and make it two wins in a row in 2022 in just his second career appearance at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park during this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals.

It’s the NHRA’s first trip to Phoenix area since 2020 and Ashley is looking to make a big impression in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect dragster. Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year, closed last year strong, earning a victory and advancing to two final rounds in the playoffs en route to a career-best fourth-place finish, and seems intent on sending an early-season message in 2022. Plenty of racing remains, but Ashley is undoubtedly thrilled with the way his team has started the new year.

“We were very proactive in the off-season and that’s how we wanted to be,” Ashley said. “We knew the Top Fuel field was going to be stacked and we didn’t want to stay stagnant. It’s just a testament to the work of our team, so be able to see it come to fruition (with a win) is really meaningful. I always have to be on my ‘A’ game. There’s no room for error and you always have to be on top of things in this class.”

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Complete Elimination Results from the Lucas Oil WinterNationals

POMONA, CA – Top Fuel rising star Justin Ashley started the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series with an impressive victory, powering to the win on Sunday at the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also picked up wins at the first of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

In a thrilling final round matchup featuring Ashley, the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year, and Austin Prock, the 2019 Rookie of the Year, Ashley came out on top with a run of 3.694-seconds at 314.53 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect dragster to slip past Prock’s 3.713 at 333.00. It gave Ashley his third career victory and first in Pomona. He knocked off Jim Maroney, Antron Brown and four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence to reach the final round and a year after advancing to the final round of the Winternationals, Ashley impressed in finishing the job on Sunday.

“We knew coming into the day the Top Fuel field was going to be tough,” Ashley said. “You saw today races separated by such little margins. We really had no layups at all and you’re never really going to have any layups. To be able to beat guys like Antron Brown, Steve Torrence, the four-time champ, and Austin Prock, who’s doing a great job, it really solidified what we came out here and wanted to do. We spent the off-season trying to work on power, pick up and get to where we wanted to and I feel like today you could really see that.”

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POMONA, CA – Following a dominant performance in qualifying throughout 2021, Brittany Force added another to start her 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, rolling to the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel on Saturday at the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the first of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Force powered to the top with a run of 3.661-seconds at 333.91 mph in the final qualifying session, giving her 33 career No. 1 qualifiers in her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster. She drove to 12 No. 1 positions a year ago and is now seeking her first career Winternationals victory as she looks to begin the 2022 campaign on an impressive note. Force will take on Ron August in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

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POMONA, CA – After a disappointing 2021, Funny Car standout Robert Hight got off to a strong start to open the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, rocketing to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday at the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the first of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Hight, a three-time world champion, powered to an impressive run of 3.882-seconds at 330.89 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS to take the top spot in Funny Car. If it holds, it would give Hight, who struggled to an eight-place finish last year, his 72nd career No. 1 qualifier and an ideal way to what he hopes is a rebound season.

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POMONA, CA – The last time Ron Capps was at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, he was wrapping up his second career Funny Car world championship in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Back at the same track for this weekend’s Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com to open the 2022 season, Capps has entered an entirely new world.

He’s been the reigning champ before in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car, but never as a team owner. The veteran star took that major step for the first time this off-season, adding plenty of additional responsibilities in the process. But the two-time world champ is basking in excitement as he prepares to kick of the 2022 campaign in style.

“To say this is the most excited I’ve ever felt heading into the Winternationals would be an understatement,” Capps said. “Obviously 1997, making my debut as a rookie, driving for Don ‘the Snake’ Prudhomme was pretty exciting and overwhelming, but coming into this season as a team owner and driver, defending our championship, and then you add in everything that’s been going on in this very short off-season, plus having the backing of NAPA AUTO PARTS and GearWrench, and, it just gives me a lot of satisfaction.”

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PHOENIX, AZ – Making its first trip to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park since 2020, the stars of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series are set to put on a show at the upcoming NHRA Arizona Nationals, which takes place Feb. 25-27.

It marks the second race of the 2022 season and fans will again be able to enjoy the thrills and incredible action of 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph nitro cars in Top Fuel and Funny Car at a track that has been a NHRA staple for more than three decades. With spectacular on-track action, unparalleled access to professional drivers in the pits, and number of exciting fan incentives and exhibition racing, the Duel in the Desert will again play host to a number of special moments over the course of the weekend.

All the top drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock will also look for an early-season win at a race that will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), including eliminations action at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 27. Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Tommy Johnson Jr. (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) all won the 2020 race.

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READING, PA – NHRA and Pep Boys Auto Service & Tires announced today that Pep Boys, one of the nation’s leading automotive service networks has been named the title sponsor of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event on Sept. 15-18 at Maple Grove Raceway. The Pep Boys NHRA Nationals serves as the opening race of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship and tickets are also now on sale for the first of six playoff races in 2022.

Regarded as one of the fastest tracks on the NHRA circuit, Maple Grove Raceway returned to the NHRA schedule in 2021 and fans turned out in huge numbers, eager to take in the thrilling action of 11,000-horsepower nitro-burning machines. All the stars in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will look to open the 2022 playoffs in strong fashion, with the scenic hills and beautiful Pennsylvania countryside providing a picturesque backdrop on what is sure to be a memorable weekend.

“Maple Grove Raceway has always been a fan favorite facility and NHRA race teams have entertained them with nearly four decades of incredible performances, and we’re excited to welcome Pep Boys Auto Service & Tires as the title sponsor of this marquee event,” said Brad Gerber, NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer. “Opening the Countdown to the Championship with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway has been proven to be a big hit for both race teams, who want to open the playoffs with a victory, and fans, who get to take in all the exciting 330-plus mph action, and we can’t wait to put on another great show in 2022.”

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