BForce, Hight, Line, Krawiec Victorious Sunday At NHRA Fall Nationals In Texas
Story By: SCOTT SMITH / NHRA – ENNIS, TX – Robert Hight powered to the Funny Car victory Sunday at the 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex.
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also earned victories in their respective categories at the fourth of six playoff events during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.
Hight raced to a 3.877-second pass at 332.34 mph in his AAA of Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS to defeat reigning world champion and category points leader Ron Capps’ 3.927 pass at 329.18 in his Napa Auto Parts Dodge R/T in the Funny Car final. It is Hight’s fourth win of the season, 41st of his career, third at Texas Motorplex and second in the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. Hight remains second in the points standings with Capps in first by just 24 points.
“This was huge. A round win is worth 20 points but truthfully that final round win for us was 40 points,” said Hight, who was also the No. 1 qualifier at the event. “We were 44 back going into the final round and had we lost that’s 64. Winning brought it back to 24 which is a little over a round with two races left. That was a 40-point swing for us. That was big. We needed that one. We would have been pretty bummed leaving here over three rounds back.”
On his way to victory, Hight defeated Jim Campbell, Alexis DeJoria, who announced her retirement following the 2017 season, and Tim Wilkerson. Capps took down Del Worsham, 16-time world champion John Force and teammate Jack Beckman.
Force piloted her Monster Energy dragster to a Texas Motorplex elapsed-time record of 3.681 at 326.87 to defeat Shawn Langdon and his Global Electronic Technology dragster’s 3.693 pass at 326.56 in the Top Fuel finals. The victory, Brittany’s third of the season and sixth of her career, moves her into second in the points standings.
“It’s been quite a day. A lot needed to happen and it seemed to work in our favor,” Force says. “Really it was about us going rounds. We had Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence, the two people in front of us in the standings. Everyone has been struggling trying to take them down. They’ve been killing it. When we pulled up there I felt confident in us that we were going to turn those win lights on. That’s what we needed to do, we were able to do it and then we were able to take down Langdon and won the thing. This is a huge win. It’s a Countdown race. And we’re still climbing that ladder.”
Her route to victory included wins against Terry McMillen, Doug Kalitta and points leader Steve Torrence. Torrence, an East Texas native and the No. 1 qualifier, raced Force in a back-up vehicle after his Capco Contractors dragster lost control after crossing the finish line in his quarterfinal win against Richie Crampton. Langdon, who was racing in his first final round since his win at St. Louis in 2016, had round wins against Clay Millican, Terry Haddock and reigning world champion Antron Brown before falling to Force in the final.
Defending Pro Stock world champion Jason Line found himself in the winner’s circle for the second time this season and 27th time of his career, after running a 6.548 pass at 211.20 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro to take down Drew Skillman who lost on a red-light start.
“The truth is whit the playoff format, now is what matters,” Line said. “We are picking up at the right time. I’m hopefully giving Greg Anderson, Bo Butner and everybody else something to think about for the next couple of weeks. No questions it’s not over. For me it was do or die. If we didn’t win here this weekend the chances of winning the championship were going to be slim to none. Really had to kind of win. And I was lucky enough to win. Really a nice feeling.”
Line raced past Alan Prusiensky, Texas native Alex Laughlin and Brian Self on the way to his third final round of the season. Skillman bested veteran Jeg Coughlin, Bo Butner and points leader Greg Anderson before losing to Line. Anderson maintains the points lead by 15 points over Butner who is trailed by Line.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec rode his Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to a 9.336 pass at 92.62 which was enough due to a red-light start from defending world champion Jerry Savoie. It is Krawiec’s sixth win of the season, 42nd of his career and second consecutive and third total at Texas Motorplex.
“This track really, leaving here kind of sets the tone for how that championship is going to shape up. I probably put more pressure on myself to do really good here,” Krawiec said. “You need to capitalize. For me, I had, I would say, a perfect weekend for how it worked out. I went out there got a lot of the little points in qualifying. I needed to capitalize, this was the opportunity for me to grab the ball and run with it. I think that was more of my drive for today. Lucky enough for me I had a great motorcycle under me.”
Krawiec road to victory was lined with wins over David Hope, Karen Stoffer and Scotty Pollacheck. The win puts him 107 points ahead of LE Tonglet who remains in second. Savoie, Tonglet’s teammate, rode past Gunner Courtney, rookie Joey Gladstone and former champion Matt Smith.
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 26-29, with the 17th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals.
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ENNIS, Texas — Final finish order (1-16) at the 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. The race is the 22nd of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Brittany Force; 2. Shawn Langdon; 3. Antron Brown; 4. Steve Torrence; 5. Leah Pritchett; 6. Richie Crampton; 7. Doug Kalitta; 8. Terry Haddock; 9. Billy Torrence; 10. Terry McMillen; 11. Scott Palmer; 12. Shawn Reed; 13. Blake Alexander; 14. Tony Schumacher; 15. Clay Millican; 16. Kebin Kinsley.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Robert Hight; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Tim Wilkerson; 4. Jack Beckman; 5. Alexis DeJoria; 6. Jonnie Lindberg; 7. John Force; 8. Daniel Wilkerson; 9. Jim Campbell; 10. Cruz Pedregon; 11. Bob Tasca III; 12. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 13. Del Worsham; 14. J.R. Todd; 15. Matt Hagan; 16. Courtney Force.
PRO STOCK:
1. Jason Line; 2. Drew Skillman; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Brian Self; 5. Alex Laughlin; 6. Erica Enders; 7. Tanner Gray; 8. Bo Butner; 9. Chris McGaha; 10. Larry Morgan; 11. Allen Johnson; 12. Deric Kramer; 13. Alan Prusiensky; 14. Jeg Coughlin; 15. Shane Tucker; 16. Kenny Delco.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Eddie Krawiec; 2. Jerry Savoie; 3. Scotty Pollacheck; 4. Matt Smith; 5. Andrew Hines; 6. Joey Gladstone; 7. Karen Stoffer; 8. Angie Smith; 9. Mike Berry; 10. Hector Arana Jr; 11. LE Tonglet; 12. Gunner Courtney; 13. Mark Paquette; 14. David Hope; 15. Steve Johnson; 16. Melissa Surber.
ENNIS, Texas — Sunday’s final results from the 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. The race is the 22nd of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Brittany Force, 3.681 seconds, 326.87 mph def. Shawn Langdon, 3.693 seconds, 326.56 mph.
Funny Car — Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.877, 332.34 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.927, 329.18.
Pro Stock — Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.548, 211.20 def. Drew Skillman, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 9.336, 92.62 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light.
Top Alcohol Dragster — Todd Bruce, 5.260, 275.96 def. Megan Meyer, 7.110, 141.80.
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Doug Gordon, Chevrolet Camaro, 5.376, 272.23 def. Annie Whiteley, Chevy Camaro, 5.382, 275.00.
Competition Eliminator — Clint Neff, Roadster, 7.654, 169.74 def. Will Hatcher, Dragster, 6.629, 177.98.
Super Stock — Slate Cummings, Chevy Cavalier, 9.344, 139.95 def. Pete Peery, Oldsmobile, 9.653, 136.32.
Stock Eliminator — Thomas Marlow, Ford Mustang, 10.243, 121.25 def. Jeff Lopez, Chevy Camaro, 9.482, 127.19.
Super Comp — Craig Anderson, Dragster, 8.922, 176.21 def. Ryan Herem, Dragster, 8.912, 169.91.
Super Gas — Tommy Phillips, Chevy Corvette, 9.916, 161.96 def. Jerry Debusk, Ford Probe, 9.931, 165.56.
Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — Shane Eperjesi, Dragster, 6.404, 209.75 def. Wade Pennington, Dragster, 5.965, 213.20.
Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Greg Lair, Chevy Camaro, 6.485, 214.04 def. Aaron Philpot, Chevy Cavalier, 7.014, 197.19.
ENNIS, Texas — Final round-by-round results from the 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the 22nd of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Richie Crampton, 3.683, 326.79 def. Billy Torrence, 3.726, 326.95; Shawn Langdon, 3.993, 219.54 def. Clay Millican, 8.830, 83.31; Brittany Force, 3.708, 327.27 def. Terry McMillen, 3.754, 317.57; Steve Torrence, 3.683, 327.59 def. Blake Alexander, 4.110, 217.28; Terry Haddock, 4.043, 285.95 def. Tony Schumacher, 4.559, 220.08; Antron Brown, 3.721, 325.69 def. Shawn Reed, 3.894, 271.24; Doug Kalitta, 3.867, 262.28 def. Kebin Kinsley, 10.303, 69.81; Leah Pritchett, 3.724, 324.05 def. Scott Palmer, 3.795, 313.22;
QUARTERFINALS — Langdon, 5.862, 105.23 def. Haddock, Broke – No Show; Brown, 3.687, 323.74 def. Pritchett, 3.709, 326.63; Force, 3.719, 326.56 def. Kalitta, 3.739, 323.43; S. Torrence, 3.724, 302.62 def. Crampton, 3.711, 325.53;
SEMIFINALS — Langdon, 3.702, 322.88 def. Brown, 3.716, 326.71; Force, 3.685, 327.43 def. S. Torrence, 3.728, 323.35;
FINAL — Force, 3.681, 326.87 def. Langdon, 3.693, 326.56.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Jonnie Lindberg, Toyota Camry, 4.372, 303.78 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 5.186, 257.38; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.287, 220.58 def. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.474, 244.43; Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.590, 229.70 def. J.R. Todd, Camry, 5.140, 190.78; Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.828, 338.60 def. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.053, 318.54; Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.886, 332.34 def. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.439, 195.70; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.975, 317.05 def. Courtney Force, Camaro, 5.842, 140.66; John Force, Camaro, 4.413, 234.61 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.467, 192.44; Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.933, 329.83 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.444, 209.82;
QUARTERFINALS — Capps, 3.921, 329.10 def. J. Force, Foul – Red Light; T. Wilkerson, 3.904, 331.45 def. Lindberg, 4.200, 276.63; Hight, 3.865, 331.77 def. DeJoria, 3.945, 329.83; Beckman, 5.082, 145.89 def. D. Wilkerson, Broke;
SEMIFINALS — Capps, 3.905, 329.10 def. Beckman, 4.468, 196.13; Hight, 3.898, 331.85 def. T. Wilkerson, 3.954, 316.60;
FINAL — Hight, 3.877, 332.34 def. Capps, 3.927, 329.18.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Drew Skillman, Chevy Camaro, 6.552, 211.39 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 14.090, 59.06; Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 210.37 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.562, 210.80; Brian Self, Camaro, 6.561, 210.01 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Dart, 6.589, 208.39; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.707, 209.69 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.532, 210.60 def. Deric Kramer, Dart, 6.616, 208.49; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.550, 210.60 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, 6.788, 178.50; Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.535, 211.83 def. Shane Tucker, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Greg Anderson, Camaro, Broke – No Show def. Larry Morgan, Camaro, 6.575, 210.77;
QUARTERFINALS — Anderson, 6.572, 210.01 def. Enders, 6.575, 210.37; Line, 6.552, 210.87 def. Laughlin, 6.565, 210.37; Skillman, 6.538, 211.26 def. Butner, 16.122, 51.20; Self, 6.566, 209.98 def. Gray, 10.780, 81.51;
SEMIFINALS — Line, 6.590, 210.64 def. Self, 13.523, 62.95; Skillman, 6.559, 211.26 def. Anderson, 6.592, 209.20;
FINAL — Line, 6.548, 211.20 def. Skillman, Foul – Red Light.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE — Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.855, 194.16 def. Gunner Courtney, Suzuki, 7.378, 146.62; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.957, 189.63 def. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.938, 195.68; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.889, 189.66 def. Mike Berry, Buell, 6.936, 186.59; Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.944, 190.73 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 10.180, 78.32; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.935, 193.21 def. Mark Paquette, 8.227, 110.04; Matt Smith, 6.900, 193.43 def. Melissa Surber, Buell, 19.300, 27.53; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.885, 194.44 def. David Hope, Buell, 9.212, 91.40; Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.916, 192.28 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.971, 194.46;
QUARTERFINALS — Savoie, 6.845, 194.52 def. Gladstone, Foul – Red Light; Pollacheck, 6.895, 189.50 def. A. Smith, 7.213, 146.19; M. Smith, 6.862, 193.77 def. Hines, 6.849, 193.27; Krawiec, 6.785, 196.50 def. Stoffer, 6.897, 191.32;
SEMIFINALS — Savoie, 6.860, 195.28 def. M. Smith, 10.803, 72.59; Krawiec, 6.853, 195.87 def. Pollacheck, 6.907, 191.76;
FINAL — Krawiec, 9.336, 92.62 def. Savoie, Foul – Red Light.
ENNIS, Texas — Point standings (top 10) following the 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the 22nd of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence, 2,465; 2. Brittany Force, 2,408; 3. Doug Kalitta, 2,389; 4. Antron Brown, 2,360; 5. Leah Pritchett, 2,285; 6. Tony Schumacher, 2,273; 7. Clay Millican, 2,268; 8. Shawn Langdon, 2,193; 9. Terry McMillen, 2,147; 10. Scott Palmer, 2,137.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 2,495; 2. Robert Hight, 2,471; 3. Courtney Force, 2,324; 4. Jack Beckman, 2,309; 5. Matt Hagan, 2,269; 6. John Force, 2,252; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., 2,224; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 2,206; 9. J.R. Todd, 2,199; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 2,128.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 2,471; 2. Bo Butner, 2,456; 3. Jason Line, 2,441; 4. Tanner Gray, 2,360; 5. Drew Skillman, 2,301; 6. Erica Enders, 2,252; 7. Allen Johnson, 2,183; 8. Jeg Coughlin, 2,180; 9. Chris McGaha, 2,154; 10. Vincent Nobile, 2,052.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,506; 2. LE Tonglet, 2,399; 3. Andrew Hines, 2,364; 4. Jerry Savoie, 2,360; 5. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,330; 6. Matt Smith, 2,313; 7. Hector Arana Jr, 2,297; 8. Karen Stoffer, 2,200; 9. Angie Smith, 2,174; 10. Joey Gladstone, 2,169.
