Dallas Glenn didn’t expect to win his final-elimination round during the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weekends ago.
The relatively-new Pro Stock driver was lined up against Christian Cuadra, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Deric Kramer as the crowd prepared for one of the last four-wide battles of the day.
And while Glenn considers Cuadra, Coughlin Jr. and Kramer formidable opponents, it wasn’t self-doubt that had him flustered on the starting line. After the KB Titan Racing driver staged near Coughlin Jr., he almost didn’t get his foot down in time before the Christmas tree turned green.
“When I let go, I was like, ‘Aw, I didn’t think I got that very good.’ I was just running through the gears and it went a little bit left and it sounded a little weird near the finish line,” Glenn said. “Then I saw my win light come on and start flashing and I was just super pumped up.”
NHRA’s recent weekend in Sin City marked the second consecutive event where Glenn has earned a Wally, as he also won the previous event at California’s In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip on April 2. But with the Four-Wide Nationals creating a little more chaos than normal, Glenn expertly shifted gears, workshopped a new strategy and managed to ride it all the way to the Pro Stock winner’s circle.
“You don’t have to win the first two rounds, you just have to win the last one,” Glenn said about four-wide competition.
And that’s exactly what he did, with a .039-second reaction time and a 6.649-second lap in the final elimination — narrowly edging Kramer and Coughlin Jr.
Glenn credits his KB Titan Racing team with preparing “the best car I’ve ever been in,” which is the white-and-red RAD Torque Systems/KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro.
It’s worth noting that the Washington native is still an emerging talent in Pro Stock, as he made his NHRA debut in 2021. During his inaugural season, Glenn won three national events and was named rookie of the year.
The 32-year-old backed up his strong debut with a triumph at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway and a coveted berth in the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff stretch in 2022.
Having already added two Wallys to his shelf this year, Glenn seems to be channeling some of the magic he carried during his rookie season. He leads the standings, 51 points ahead of Coughlin Jr. and 65 points ahead of Matt Hartford in third.
While his circumstances may have changed, Glenn’s plan of attack is the same.
“All I’m going to try to do is keep trying to win races,” Glenn said. “I’ve got a long drive home from here — I still drive the truck — it’s probably going to bring a smile to my face every time I think that I’m on top right now. That’s something that’s kind of new.
“I’ve always just been hungry, chasing somebody.”
The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway victory marked his sixth career Pro Stock win.