CONCORD, N.C. — On a warm Sunday morning at zMAX Dragway, with the track temperature at 105 degrees, NHRA began eliminations for the second four-wide event of the Mission Food Drag Racing Series season.
Below are the results from the first round and semifinals.
For the complete Four-Wide Nationals results, click here.
Top Fuel — Semifinals
Justin Ashley was the clear winner in the first Top Fuel semifinal (3.711 seconds, 333.58 mph), while his friend and fellow competitor Antron Brown (3.728 seconds, 333.66 mph) ran second in the Matco Tools dragster.
Though he had the best reaction time, Tony Stewart smoked the tires about 200 feet into the run and had to get off the gas. Brittany Force also failed to advance in her HendrickCars.com John Force Racing entry.
Seconds later, Rick Ware Racing’s Clay Millican (3.710 seconds, 333.91 mph) and Doug Kalitta (3.760 seconds, 334.57 mph) also staked a claim in the four-wide finale. Meanwhile, their opponents — Jasmine Salinas and Billy Torrence — fell short.
Funny Car — Semifinals
In the first Funny Car semifinal matchup, John Force pulled off another old hat trick in his PEAK Chevrolet (3.914 seconds, 330.80 mph) with J.R. Todd (3.933 seconds, 324.20 mph) in tow as the two crossed the finish line.
On the flip side, Cruz Pedregon and Alexis DeJoria ended their day in the semis.
It was a unique combination in the second quad, with Daniel Wilkerson, Bob Tasca III, Matt Hagan and Dave Richards filling up the four lanes at zMAX Dragway. Hagan made a strong run (3.879 seconds, 334.24 mph), while Wilkerson surprised (3.906 seconds, 328.30 mph) and advanced on to the finals.
Tasca and Richards will solider on to the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Elwood, Ill.
Pro Stock — Semifinals
A major shakeup occurred in the first Pro Stock semifinal, with Erica Enders losing the drag race to the finish line against her Elite Motorsports teammates Aaron Stanfield (6.554 seconds, 209.33 mph) and Cristian Cuadra (6.557 seconds, 209.85 mph).
Following the matchup, Jerry Tucker will also join Enders on the sidelines.
Greg Anderson (6.530 seconds, 210.08 mph) and Dallas Glenn (6.552 seconds, 209.23 mph) continued their climb through eliminations, while Deric Kramer and Troy Coughlin Jr. did not advance.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Semifinals
Gaige Herrera, John Hall, L.E. Tonglet and Ray Gadson will face off in the finals.
Top Fuel — First Round
Clay Millican (3.705 seconds, 337.66 mph) and Billy Torrence (3.725 seconds, 334.15 mph) defeated Tony Schumacher and Josh Hart in the first round of Top Fuel four-wide eliminations.
Justin Ashley (3.763 seconds, 331.69 mph) and rookie Tony Stewart (3.762 seconds, 326.71 mph) moved on from the next matchup, while Doug Foley and Dan Mercier made their exit.
“When I got out of the car, I got a ‘good job,’ which means we’re going on,” Stewart said, flashing a smile at the top end.
No. 2 qualifier Antron Brown (3.718 seconds, 334.48 mph) and Brittany Force (3.734 seconds, 335.82 mph) got the job done against the formidable Shawn Langdon and Steve Torrence, often called “King of the Four-Wides.”
Rookie Jasmine Salinas went low ET in her quad (3.70 seconds, 329.50 mph) with reigning champion Doug Kalitta finishing second (3.729 seconds, 334.98 mph). Shawn Reed and Cody Krohn did not advance.
Funny Car — First Round
The first Funny Car quad involved a shocking turn of events.
J.R. Todd was the only driver to make a clean run down the track (3.918 seconds, 323.50 mph), while Alexis DeJoria, Ron Capps and Buddy Hull all experienced issues off the line. DeJoria was the only driver able to recover, making a 5.444-second run at 265.43 mph.
There was a brief delay, as Capps’ car spewed oil in the fourth lane.
Cruz Pedregon conquered a few demons by winning his quad (3.893 seconds, 329.75 mph) while No. 1 qualifier John Force also advanced (3.916 seconds, 330.72 mph) from lane three. Chad Green and Paul Smith did not move on.
Daniel Wilkerson took his SCAG Power Equipment Funny Car onto the next round (3.885 seconds, 329.58 mph) along with Bob Tasca III (3.871 seconds, 336.82 mph). On the other hand, Jim Campbell and Paul Lee made their exit.
“Tough matchups up here,” Tasca noted on the top end.
Points leader Austin Prock experienced trouble in the final Funny Car matchup and was unable to make a clean run. However, reigning champion Matt Hagan (3.918 seconds, 331.61 mph) and Dave Richards (4.014 seconds, 319.60 mph) secured their spot in the semifinals. Blake Alexander will join Prock on the sidelines.
Pro Stock — First Round
Aaron Stanfield (6.552 seconds, 210.05 mph) and Jerry Tucker (6.548 seconds, 210.14 mph) won the first Pro Stock matchup of the day, with defending event winner Deric Kramer (6.525 seconds, 209.30 mph) and Troy Coughlin Jr. (6.556 seconds, 209.98 mph) topping the second quad.
Erica Enders (6.525 seconds, 211.13 mph) and Cristian Cuadra (6.544 seconds, 209.88 mph) advanced from the third matchup, while KB Titan Racing drivers Greg Anderson (6.512 seconds, 209.43 mph) and Dallas Glenn (6.525 seconds, 210.08 mph) moved on from the final.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — First Round
Matt Smith, Hector Arana Jr., L.E. Tonglet and Ray Gadson will race one another in the Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals. On the other side of the ladder, Gaige Herrera, Chase Van Sant, John Hall and Angie Smith will face off.