One of drag racing’s most popular personality racers – Antron Brown – has secured a 3rd NHRA Top Fuel World Championship….

Antron Brown did not win the NHRA Toyota Nationals Top Fuel event however he did secure his 3rd career NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship yesterday.
After defeating Wayne Newby in the quarterfinals, Antron outlasted his two closest chasers, Doug Kalitta, who lost in the quarterfinal round to Steve Torrence, and Shawn Langdon, who fell in the first round to J.R. Todd, to secure the season crown.

John Force (Funny Car), Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also event winners in their respective categories at the 23rd race on the 24 event NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

The NHRA Toyota Nationals was the fifth race of the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

It is Brown’s second consecutive world championship, in 2015 he also clinched the title at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His first championship came in 2012. It is the first time in seven years that a Top Fuel champion has won back-to-back titles.

Antron Brown clinched his 3rd career NHRA Top Fuel World Championship at Las Vegas – yesterday.

“Brian (Corradi) and Mark (Oswald) and our entire team has worked so hard and I’m just privileged to drive that racecar for Don Schumacher Racing because Don makes it all happen,” Brown said. “When you come to a sport with all this access it makes dreams like mine, a kid from New Jersey, come true. My dad, uncle, everybody, they instilled it in me at a young age, work hard and you can make great things happen.”

Brown won his first race of the season at the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals and had a runner-up finish at the next event, the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. A win in Epping, N.H. kept him second in points. Brown took the points lead at the Route 66 Nationals and never relinquished the top spot. During the famed West Coast Swing he made a final round appearance at Denver and raced to his fourth victory of the season in Seattle. His success continued during the Countdown to the Championship piloting his dragster to three victories in the first four races.

John Force powered his Peak Antifreeze Chevy Camaro to a 3.884 second pass at 327.19 mph to defeat daughter, Courtney Force who raced a 3.906 at 325.85 in her Traxxas Chevy Camaro. It is John’s 147th career victory, fourth of the season and sixth at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speed, fourth at the fall event.

John Force (near lane) was first to the finish line stripe racing his daughter Courtney in the fuel FC final round.

“I’m really excited,” said Force, a sixteen-time world champion and the winningest driver in NHRA history. “I mean I never like beating my daughter. We got two wins in the Countdown just a little bit late. It’s pretty exciting when I see the stands packed. The way NHRA and the way our TV deal has really been hopping, sold out crowds, and so many things going on. To be a part of it still at my age is really awesome.”

For the 147th time in his career – John Force stood in victory lane.

It was the fifth time father and daughter had faced each other in a race finals, the most recent was in Denver, where John also won. John defeated John Bojec, Chad Head, and Matt Hagan in the earlier round for the win. With the semifinal finish, Hagan moves to second in the points standings, 86 behind Ron Capps who fell to Courtney in the semifinals.

Torrence piloted his Capco Contractors dragster to a 3.734 pass at 323.81 to defeat J.R. Todd’s 3.762 at 321.96 in his SealMaster dragster in the Top Fuel final. It is Torrence’s third win of the season, eighth of his career and first at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Texan Steve Torrence won for the 3rd time this season in Top Fuel.

“It’s been a good weekend all together,” Torrence said. “We kind of struggled the first few races of the countdown and dropped the ball. I mean heck we had to turn it on and come up here and try to do some good. The Capco guys have really stayed focus and stayed driven and done what it took to overcome just some bad luck and a couple screw ups on my part. We have a really good team, we have a championship caliber team, I believe.”

Torrence defeated Richie Crampton, Doug Kalitta and Leah Pritchett to get to the finals while Todd faced Shawn Langdon, No. 1 qualifier Clay Millican and 2016 champion Brown in the earlier rounds.

Lady racer Leah Pritchett had another strong event showing – placing in the Top Fuel “final four”

Clay Millican was the event’s low qualifier at 3.689 secs

In Pro Stock, Shane Gray raced his Gray Motorsports Chevy Camaro to a 6.719 pass at 204.76 to defeat teammate Drew Skillman for his first win of the season, fifth of his career and first at The Strip.

“It was a great weekend,” Gray said. “It was a really good weekend for me. We were talking out there I think I’ve been in nine semis this year and I haven’t won since U.S. Nationals in 2014. It was a great day. I’ve got one more race to run and then my son is getting in the car so I can’t think of a better time to win. Awesome day.”

Shane Gray scored in Pro Stock – his first win of the 2016 season.

Gray had victories against Deric Kramer, Bo Butner and Greg Anderson before reaching his first final round of the season. His win moves him into third in points. Jason Line and Anderson remain in the first and second spots, respectively, after they both fell in the semifinals.

Bo Butner entered this cool “Dukes of Hazard” themed Chevy Camaro in Pro Stock

Jerry Savoie rode his Savoie’s Alligator Farm Suzuki to a 6.915 at 194.13 to defeat Andrew Hines in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round for his second win of the season sixth of his career and first in Vegas.

“To do what we did here, we been working hard,” Savoie said. “Tim (Kulungian) went back to the shop and looked at a bunch of notes, and got on a dyno and an engine we had back home and did some work. It’s like football and anything else, the harder you work, the better you get. It all came together this weekend. No. 1 qualifier every round, and we got a fast motorcycle. It’s going to be very, very interesting when we get to Pomona.”

Jerry Savoie won from the pole in Pro Stock Motorcycle

Savoie defeated Scott Pollacheck, LE Tonglet, and Matt Smith in the early rounds and is now three points behind Harley-Davidson teammates Hines and Eddie Krawiec who are tied for the points lead.

Triumph for Troy

Defending NHRA Pro Mod World Champion Troy Coughlin ended his season on a high, rolling his turbocharged Corvette C7 to a very convincing win for that class’s season-finale event.

Defending NHRA 2015 Pro Mod Champion Troy Coughlin ended the ’16 campaign with a winning effort.

Troy Coughlin raced to in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series event portion which was presented by Aeromotive, Inc.

Coughlin, a two-time world champion, powered his JEGS.com Chevy Corvette to a 5.814-second pass at 250.78 mph to defeat Todd Tutterow’s 6.018 at 233.92. This was the third win of the season for Coughlin who narrowly lost the season championship to Rickie Smith.

“We’re gonna take [the trophy] every time we get a chance to,” said Coughlin. “Steve Petty (crew chief) and all the guys on the team and back at Jegs.com and Proline Racing Engines gave us a fast race car pretty much all year. Especially in the last half of the season it’s been fast, consistent, and will win races.”
Coughlin, who won in Englishtown, N.J., and St. Louis, outlasted Pete Farber, Kevin Rivenbark and Rickie Smith in the earlier rounds.

The NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series concluded with a season ending celebration in Las Vegas and honored three-time champion Rickie Smith.

Wily veteran Pro Mod racer Rickie Smith has clinched his 3rd career NHRA World championship.

The Lucas Oil Lowdown

Jonnie Lindberg and Jimmy DeFrank clinched the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series World Championship in Top Alcohol Funny Car and Super Stock respectively this past weekend at the NHRA Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas. Garrett Bateman and Terry Ruckman raced to the event wins in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car as each of them scored their second career NHRA national event wins.

Lindberg locked up his second championship in as many years when Doug Gordon fell to Lindberg’s brother Johan in round one as Gordon was the last racer with a shot at catching Lindberg in the points chase. Lindberg has five wins on the season in six final rounds including four at national events: Pomona, Calif., Norwalk, Ohio, Brainerd, Minn., and the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

With his 2nd round finish — Sweden’s Jonnie Lindberg clinched his 2nd consecutive NHRA Lucas Oil World Championship for TAFC class racing.

DeFrank won in a similar fashion as the last few competitors in contention lost in early rounds this weekend. This is DeFrank’s fifth Super Stock Championship with his last coming in 2012 and his first in 1997. DeFrank opened the season with a win in Pomona, Calif., followed by wins at Auto Club Dragway and Woodburn Dragstrip for his championship run. Both drivers were honored in a starting line presentation during Sunday morning’s pre-race ceremonies.

Jimmy DeFrank celebrates his NHRA Super Stock Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series World Championship

Bateman faced off with Joey Severance, who was recently crowned 2016 Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion, in the final round. Bateman had not beaten Severance previously but ran him down for the win with his quickest pass of eliminations at 5.277 seconds at 275.56 mph. Severance was out first and gave Bateman a run posting a 5.305 at 269.89. Bateman won this event last year for his first career national event win.

Garrett Bateman (near lane) beat Joey Severence in the TAD final round.

Dale Cox Jr. took the early lead on Ruckman in the funny car final but Cox, driving the Bartone Bros. entry, slowed at the 1000 foot mark and Ruckman raced by for the win and his second of the year having won the Las Vegas spring national event. Ruckman posted a lap of 5.642, 261.32 to Cox’s 5.779, 219.72.

David Rampy added another win to his resume taking home number 92 with a win over Jeff Lane in Comp Eliminator.
Lane was out first but Rampy ran him down in his familiar red Ray Skillman Chevrolet altered covering the quarter-mile in 7.368 seconds to Lane’s 8.222 in his Chevy Cobalt.

In Super Stock, Kyle Rizzoli raced to his fourth national event win but his first in Super Stock as he knocked out Ryan McClanahan in the final while Darrel Goheen grabbed his first career national event win defeating Nanette Stein in Stock Eliminator. Stein left early with a foul start as Goheen ran it out to a nice 0.023 second package on his victory lap.

Michael Miller and Tommy Phillips rounded out the Lucas Oil winners with Miller forcing Mike Hiatt to break out in Super Comp and Phillips doing the same to Kevin Moore in Super Gas. Both Miller and Phillips took holeshots with Hiatt and Moore running too fast as they tried to run them down. Miller posted a run of 9.069 at 163.93 and Phillips was 10.057 at 157.74. The win was Miller’s eighth with Phillips increasing his count to 38.

Darrel Goheen drove his Chevy Camaro to a win in Stock eliminator.

David Rampy won in Competition eliminator for the 4th time at Las Vegas – it was his 92nd career NHRA title win.

Michael Miller was a winner in Super Comp index racing.

Posted with files by NHRA Communications & Eric Lotz
Photos by Bob Johnson, Gary Nastase & Courtesy of NHRA