- NAPA NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY
- Shake and Bake Show Add Drag Race Bracket Bonanza League
- ALPINE PARTNERS EXTENDS KALITTA MOTORSPORTS PARTNERSHIP, DEPLOYS AFLAC BRANDING
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- PDRA American Doorslammer Challenge Canceled Due to Weather
- MASON WRIGHT WINS PRO MOD AT ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS
- PDRA’s Best Head to Buckeye State for American Doorslammer Challenge
AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / RMT RUNNER-UP IN TEXAS
ENNIS, TX – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team capped off their Texas NHRA 
FallNationals weekend with a runner-up finish Sunday at Texas Motorplex. Robert Hight and the AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS saw the semifinals while John Force in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy and Brittany Force with the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster had second round exits.
After securing the first No. 1 qualifying position of his career, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster kept their streak of full-pulls down the Texas Motorplex dragstrip with a first-round win over Alex Laughlin. Prock would go 4.736-seconds at 326.23 mph to Laughlin’s 3.837 at 318.83 to set up a second-round match-up with Leah Pruett. Prock would have another solid 3.737 pass at 324.18 despite having a gasket out to better Pruett’s 3.764 at 275.72.
In the semifinals, Prock would line up with Top Fuel veteran and three-time champion Antron Brown. The Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler tuned Montana Brand dragster would ride to a stout 3.681-second pass at 326.30 mph defeating Brown’s 3.689 at 329.72 mph.
Antron Brown Jumps to Third in Top Fuel Points with Semifinal Finish at Dallas
ENNIS, TX – Three-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown came up just eight-thousandths of a second short from reaching his 
second final round of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship Sunday night at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex. Brown in his bright pink Matco ‘Tools for the Cause’ dragster lost a side-by-side race to Austin Prock in the semifinals at the fourth race of the playoffs. Another late-round finish combined with early exits by other championship contenders allowed Brown to move up from fifth to third in points.
Brown made four sub-3.70-second passes throughout the weekend, including his 3.693 E.T. at 331.93-mph in the second qualifying session that put the AB Motorsports owner and driver in the No. 4 spot going into Sunday’s rain-delayed eliminations.
Brown kicked off eliminations with a 3.684 E.T. at 330.54-mph to eliminate former teammate Tony Schumacher and his 3.715-second effort. Later in the round, Mike Salinas and Steve Torrence lost, allowing Brown to pass Salinas and close in on Torrence. A 3.699-second pass followed in the second round, which knocked out Texas native Spencer Massey and his 3.879 while allowing Brown to pass Torrence in the process.
DeJoria Bows out Early at Texas NHRA FallNationals
ENNIS, TX – Alexis DeJoria placed the Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car in the No. 12 position to start race day at the 
Texas NHRA FallNationals, qualifying on the strength of her 3.976-second pass from the third session. The Austin, Texas resident started the weekend ranked sixth in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship points standings, and was looking to make up some ground on Sunday at the event where she made her Funny Car debut in 2011.
DeJoria drew No. 5 qualifier Blake Alexander as her first-round competitor and was seeking to extend her 6 – 1 round-win lead over her opponent on a rain-delayed race day. She scored the slight starting line advantage but her machine encountered issues early and started spinning the tires while Alexander made a clean pass for the win. During that session, Tim Wilkerson also advanced and the round-win allowed him to move ahead of DeJoria in the point standings, bumping her back one spot.
“Disappointing weekend for the DC Motorsports Funny Car team,” said DeJoria, who recently powered the Bandero GR Supra to the final round in Charlotte at the NHRA Carolina Nationals, the second of six Countdown events. “We struggled in qualifying. Got down one run and made a good pass but didn’t have the best qualifying position going into race day and that set us back. First round, we went up there, I had an okay light, and the car started moving toward the right and smoking the tires, and that was it. We’ll regroup and head to Vegas, and see what happens out there.”
Tony Schumacher Continues Trend of Running Strong on Race Day
ENNIS, TX – It was simply a matter of ending up on the bad side of a good drag race that led to an early exit for Tony Schumacher and the 
Maynard Family Racing team during Sunday’s elimination rounds at the Texas NHRA FallNationals.
With six Texas Motorplex triumphs, Schumacher is the winningest Top Fuel driver in the history of the facility, and the 2020 ‘Texas Motorplex Legend’ award recipient was hoping to add to his total as he sought to race to the winner’s circle for the second time this season.
Piloting the SCAG Power Equipment livery for the last time in 2022, Schumacher entered the final qualifying session on Saturday evening sitting in the No. 13 spot after clocking a 3.836 E.T. as his best run of the weekend’s first three qualifying rounds. Crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler turned up the wick in Q4, tuning Schumacher’s machine to a 3.801 E.T., and while it was a solid pass, it wasn’t enough to improve their position on a ladder which was mostly set from Friday night’s Q2 session during prime racing conditions.
PDRA World Finals Conclusion Pushed to Monday Due to Rain
DINWIDDIE, VA – A late Sunday evening rain shower and more rain in the forecast forced Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) 
officials to postpone final eliminations at the Proline Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia Motorsports Park. The series completed two rounds of eliminations before rain started. Eliminations will continue Monday.
“We had some pop-up showers come in sooner than expected that brought things to a stop,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. “Our PDRA and VMP teams started drying the track once the rain stopped, but we don’t have a big enough window to start racing again before more rain hits. We’re expecting more rain through the night. We’ll get to work on the track as soon as possible so we can crown the rest of the champions and the World Finals event champions on Monday.”
Before the rain hit, the PDRA decided all but two world championships. The 2022 world champions are Jim Halsey in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, Todd Tutterow in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, Johnny Pluchino in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition, Amber Franklin in $hameless Racing Pro 632, Tim Essick in Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by AFCO, Henry Underwood in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by US Rail, Larry Roberts in Lucas Oil Elite Top Dragster presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance, Joe Roubicek in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers, Tisha Wilson in Lucas Oil Top Dragster presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance, and Chris Suppers in Coolshirt Systems Pro Jr. Dragster presented PRP.
Salemi, Halsey, DeFlorian, Lannigan, Gast, Riddle, and Curry Lock In Low Qualifier Spots at PDRA World Finals
DINWIDDIE, VA – Melanie Salemi checked off one of the three things on her team’s to-do list – qualifying No. 1 in WS Construction Pro 
Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive – Saturday night as she chases a Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) world championship. Salemi’s 3.579-second pass at 209.46 MPH from Friday night stands as the quickest pass of the Proline Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger so far. Next, she needs to break her own elapsed-time record and win the race to maintain her championship hopes.
The pro classes ran two final qualifying sessions Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Park to set the fields for Sunday eliminations. The other low qualifiers are Jim Halsey in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, John DeFlorian in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition, Walter Lannigan Jr. in $hameless Racing Pro 632, Paul Gast in Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle, and Bill Riddle in Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by AFCO. Paul Curry took the No. 1 spot in AFCO Super Street presented by Menscer Motorsports.
The sportsman No. 1 qualifiers are Glenn Butcher in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by US Rail, Jody Stroud in Lucas Oil Elite Top Dragster presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance, Barry Daniluk in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman 48 presented by Vortech Superchargers, and Marty Jones Jr. in Lucas Oil Top Dragster 48 presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance.
Aaron Stanfield Earns No. 1 Qualifying Position and Spot in Semifinals at Texas Motorplex
ENNIS, TX – Aaron Stanfield and his Stanfield Racing Engines Chevrolet COPO Camaro captured the final No. 1 qualifying position of the 
2022 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown season Saturday at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals and picked up two round victories to reach the semifinals at Texas Motorplex.
Stanfield earned the No. 1 spot with his 7.705-second pass at 171.94 mph setting him up to run against David Davies and the DH Davies Racing Dodge Drag Pak in the first round. Stanfield would win his first round race on the starting line with Davies going .019-second red. Stanfield would have a clean 7.772-second pass at 178.37 mph.
“We just want to end the season on a high note,” said Stanfield, who is also No. 2 qualifier in Pro Stock. “The Texas Motorplex was nice enough to let us test on Wednesday. I knew after that we had a couple good and fast hot rods. We have been working hard. We ran well in Indy and then we fell off with ET in Reading. We got back to where we were in Indy here at the Texas Fall Nationals, I am just happy as a group with how we are running this weekend. That is what is important to me.”
AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / RMT LAND FIRST CAREER NO. 1 SATURDAY AT TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
ENNIS, TX – Austin Prock in the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster earned his first career No. 1 qualifying position 
Saturday at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. Robert Hight in his AAA Texas Chevy Camaro SS Funny Car will start form No. 2 while Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster settled into the No. 3 position and John Force with the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy are No. 6.
Already sitting No. 1 after his 3.682-second pass at 334.57 mph from Friday night, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand Rocky Mountain Twist team followed up on Saturday with two solid runs. In the afternoon, Prock would handle the Montana Brand dragster to a 3.862-seconds and 334.57 mph before coming out in the final session to run 3.780 at 324.58.
“I wasn’t for sure we were going to keep the top spot. I know what Brittany and David Grubnic are capable of and they came swinging for us in that last session,” Prock said. “I’m glad to keep No. 1 spot, hopefully in translates to a good day on Sunday. We could use a good day, go some rounds. We’re off to a good start. We went down the track all four runs, the last time we did that was in Reading when we won. This team never quits. Everybody kept their head down and kept working for the same common goal of competing for wins. All the parts and pieces are here and when we make the right decisions, we’re right the. We have to keep making those smart decisions tomorrow and if I drive well, we’re going to turn on some win lights.”
PROCK, HAGAN, ENDERS AND SAMPEY EARN TOP SPOTS AT TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
ENNIS, TX – Austin Prock clinched his first career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at Texas Motorplex, taking the top position in Top Fuel into 
raceday at the 37th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 20th event in the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Prock’s strong run of 3.682-seconds at 334.57 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster from Friday held up through final qualifying on Saturday, giving the young standout and the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year his first No. 1 qualifier in his professional career. It’s another exciting moment for Prock in the Countdown to the Championship following his win in Reading to open the playoffs. He’ll open eliminations against Alex Laughlin looking to collect his second victory of the 2022 season.
“We were really glad to keep our number one spot and hopefully this will translate into a good day on Sunday,” Prock said. “We went down the track every run in qualifying and I think the last time we did that was Reading and we ended with a Wally (trophy). So, hopefully, that will be the same case tomorrow.
David Barton Crowned Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Champion
ENNIS, TX – The 2022 Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown battle between Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge 
Challenger Drag Paks for the 2022 championship came to an end Saturday at the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex when David Barton and his Saw Mill Auto COPO Camaro qualified for eliminations.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet. It is hard to believe we came out on top amongst all these people who are trying so hard to accomplish the same goal. It has been a lot of work from all our teammates and all our employees and all our families,” said Barton. “This whole operation is like a big travelling family circus. I have to thank all our customers. It has been great and I am honestly speechless.”
Through the first seven races of the 2022 eight race schedule, Barton raced his way to five final round appearances picking up three wins at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Father’s Day weekend in Bristol, Tennessee, and the two most recent, the prestigious U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis where he took over the points leads for good and his hometown race, the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania.
