Camping World
DEFENDING FUNNY CAR CHAMP MATT HAGAN LOOKS TO SHINE IN LAS VEGAS AGAIN AT DODGE//SRT NHRA NATIONALS PRESENTED BY PENNZOIL
LAS VEGAS – There’s been plenty of magic at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the fall for Matt Hagan in recent seasons, including 
last year when Hagan won the final race of the 2020 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season to claim his third career Funny Car world title. In the middle of a tight and thrilling championship hunt this year, the reigning world champ returns to Las Vegas hoping to again strike it big at this weekend’s Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil.
This year’s stop in Las Vegas comes in its traditional spot as the penultimate race in the Countdown to the Championship and Hagan finds himself in quite a battle heading down the stretch in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. After leading the points for two straight races, his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps jumped one point ahead with two races remaining. With J.R. Todd 83 points back, and Cruz Pedregon and John Force both 101 points behind, it’s setting up quite a showdown for Las Vegas and Pomona. Hagan is ready for it, having won the past two fall races in Las Vegas and three of the past four.
JOSE GONZALEZ CLINCHES FIRST E3 SPARK PLUGS NHRA PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES WORLD TITLE, J.R. GRAY GRABS WIN IN BRISTOL
BRISTOL, TN – Jose Gonzalez clinched his first career E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service world 
championship on Sunday at Bristol Dragway as part of this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
The event was the 10th of 11 events during the 2021 E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season.
It’s been a dominant 2021 season for Gonzalez, who clinched the world title by advancing to the final round in Bristol. He drove to five wins this season in his ProCharger-powered Q80 Camaro, advancing to six final rounds in all. Gonzalez suffered an early-season crash at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, but rebounded in dominant fashion, winning three straight races at one point and clinching the world championship a race before the final event of the season.
DEJORIA, SALINAS AND SAMPEY PICK UP WINS AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL, TN – Alexis DeJoria powered to her first win in more than four years, rolling to the victory in Funny Car on Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Mike Salinas (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in their respective categories at the 18th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fifth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. It was also the first time the race in Thunder Valley took place in October and during the playoffs.
DeJoria, who also qualified No. 1 for the first time since 2016, was impressive from start to finish this weekend in her 11,000-horsepower Bandero Premium Tequila ROKiT Toyota Camry and went 3.921-seconds at 327.66 mph in the final round to beat J.R. Todd, who went 3.939 at 326.22 in an all-Toyota Camry championship round. DeJoria knocked off Paul Lee and Robert Hight to reach the final round, making a weekend-best pass of 3.904 at 327.74 in the semifinals, rolling to her sixth career victory a round later.
S. TORRENCE, DEJORIA, POLLACHECK EARN NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL, TN – Top Fuel points leader and three-time defending world champ Steve Torrence powered to the track record on Saturday at Bristol Dragway, making the quickest run in Bristol history to qualify No. 1 at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car) and Scotty Pollacheck (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 18th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fifth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. In all, five of the six possible track records were broken during qualifying on Saturday at Bristol, which is hosting its first NHRA playoff races in track history.
Torrence closed out qualifying with a stellar run of 3.667-seconds at 331.28 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster, giving him his fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and 31st in his career. It was the third time the track record was set in Thunder Valley already this weekend in Top Fuel, with Brittany Force doing it on Friday and Mike Salinas following with a 3.668 at 329.83 in the opening round of qualifying on Saturday. Torrence, though, topped everyone and will open eliminations against Cameron Ferre as he attempts to win a fourth straight world title. Torrence is also seeking his 50th career Top Fuel victory.
B. FORCE, WILKERSON, M. SMITH GRAB PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
BRISTOL, TN – Brittany Force made the quickest run in track history at Bristol Dragway on Friday, powering to the provisional No. 1 spot in Top Fuel at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 18th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fifth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Force blistered the track record at Thunder Valley with an impressive run of 3.682-seconds at 328.94 mph in her 11,000-horsepower Flav-R-Pac dragster, sending her back to the No. 1 spot. If it holds, it would give the former world champ an incredible 12 No. 1 qualifiers this season and 10 in the last 11 races. She entered the weekend 52 points back of points leader Steve Torrence and Friday was the start of what Force hopes is a big weekend.
DEFENDING PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHAMP MATT SMITH HOPES TO FOLLOW IN FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS IN BRISTOL AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL, TN – Matt Smith has never raced at Bristol Dragway, but he doesn’t have to look far to see the impact his family has had at the fan-favorite facility. Smith’s father, Rickie, was named one of the Legends of Thunder Valley in 2007 after his longtime success at the track in Pro Stock and Pro Mod, with his name alongside other Bristol legends atop the grandstands.
M. Smith will have a chance to grab his first NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series victory in Bristol at this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals and the defending Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ is heading into the race with plenty of momentum. He won last weekend in Dallas — also picking up his first career win at that track — to move back into the points lead on his Denso Auto Parts/Stockseth/Matt Smith Racing EBR, and now has a chance to keep rolling as Pro Stock Motorcycle makes its official points debut at Bristol. The class raced at Thunder Valley as part of two exhibition races in 1999 and 2000, but this will mark the first time championship points will be on the line in the class at Bristol Dragway.
FUNNY CAR STANDOUT RON CAPPS LOOKS TO FIND MORE BRISTOL DRAGWAY MAGIC AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
BRISTOL, TN – Bristol Dragway might be close to home for defending Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan, but there’s nobody who feels more at home in Thunder Valley than his Don Schumacher Racing teammate, Ron Capps. The veteran standout in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series has won a Funny Car-best five times at the fan-favorite facility and coming off a victory last weekend in Dallas, Capps heads into Bristol with plenty of momentum for this weekend’s 20th NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
The race will take place during the Countdown to the Championship playoffs for the first time in event history and that may be music to Capps’ ears considering his success at the track. He posted back-to-back wins at Bristol Dragway in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye in 2017 and 2018, and grabbing a sixth victory this weekend would tie him with Tony Schumacher for the most in NHRA history at the track. More than anything, a victory would also further heat up the championship duel between Hagan and Capps, as Hagan currently leads his teammate by just 33 points.
ANDERSON, ASHLEY, CAPPS AND M. SMITH GRAB KEY WINS AT TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
ENNIS, TX – Greg Anderson made history on Sunday at Texas Motorplex, picking up his 98th career win to become the all-time wins leader 
in Pro Stock history at the 36th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also picked up wins at the 17th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fourth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Anderson capped off another brilliant weekend in Dallas, earning his sixth victory at Texas Motorplex when Chris McGaha went red in the Pro Stock final round. For his part, Anderson went 6.624-seconds at 206.32 mph in HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro to cap off his historic day and weekend. The victory also gave him the most Pro Stock wins in Texas Motorplex history and extended his points lead in the process.
HIGHT, B. FORCE, ANDERSON AND JOHNSON EARN NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
ENNIS, TX – Robert Hight held onto the top spot in Funny Car, powering to the No. 1 position on Saturday at Texas Motorplex at the 36th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fourth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Hight raced to the No. 1 qualifier on the strength of his run of 3.878-seconds at 331.94 mph in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro on Friday, and made a strong pass to close out qualifying on Saturday. It is his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and 70th in his career as he looks for his third win of the 2021 campaign. Hight will start eliminations against Jeff Arend knowing he needs a number of big performances over the final four races to jump back into championship contention.
B. FORCE, HIGHT, ANDERSON AND JOHNSON CLAIM PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
ENNIS, TX – Brittany Force rocketed to both ends of the track record on Friday at Texas Motorplex, blasting to the provisional No. 1 spot in Top Fuel at the 36th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Robert Hight (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 17th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fourth race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Force made the fifth-quickest run in NHRA history in her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster, powering to a run of 3.637-seconds at 335.32 mph to jump to the top and collect the $15,000 bonus awarded on Friday night to the low qualifier in the final session. It was also the seventh-fastest run in Top Fuel history. If it holds, it would give Force her 11th No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 31st in her career. Her streak of eight straight No. 1 qualifiers was snapped at the most recent race in St. Louis, but Force and her team got right back on track on Friday in Dallas.
