2018 NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
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SUNDAY - BROWN, CAPPS AND GRAY VICTORIOUS AT THE CATSPOT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
Antron Brown, three-time Top Fuel world champion, was able to lock down his first victory of the season Sunday as he emerged victorious at the 31st annual CatSpot NHRA Northwest Nationals Sunday afternoon at Pacific Raceways.
Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) were also winners in their respective categories at the 16th of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Brown piloted to the winner’s circle with a run of 3.835–seconds at 322.84 mph in his Matco Tools dragster to take down teammate Leah Pritchett in the finals. This was Brown’s third consecutive victory at Pacific Raceways and his first victory since the 2017 event. Brown became the fourth driver in NHRA history to earn 50 career Top Fuel event wins.
“It is no secret that we struggled at the beginning of the year,” Brown stated. “Our main focus was one run at a time and to get better each time. But today all of the win lights turned on for our team and I couldn’t be so proud of all my guys for how persistent that they have been. It had been so long that I hadn’t even thought about winning 50 (races) but now that we got that win it is just a true blessing.”
Brown took down Shawn Reed, teammate Tony Schumacher and points leader Steve Torrence as he entered his 120th career final round. Prichett was the No. 6 qualifier and defeated Troy Buff, Clay Millican and Mike Salinas on her way to her second final round appearance on the Western Swing.
The 2016 Funny Car world champion Capps used a 4.033 at 314.90 in his Pennzoil Synthetics / NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T to beat points leader Courtney Force in the finals to eliminate John Force Racing's hopes of sweeping the Western Swing. Capps secured his second win of the season and fourth event victory at Pacific Raceways.
“There’s a lot of good solid competition out there,” Capps said. “The main thing going through my head was to not let John Force sweep the swing in Funny Car so we put a stop to that. This was Rahn Tobler (crew chief) and I’s 24th event victory together since 2012 which is just crazy and I think we’re going to have a lot of success the rest of the season.”
Capps qualified ninth and took down Jonnie Lindberg, teammate Matt Hagan and Tim Wilkerson on his path to his fifth final round this season. Force defeated Jim Campbell, Shawn Langdon and Tommy Johnson Jr. on her way to her category-best sixth final round of the season.
In Pro Stock, Gray drove to a 6.632 at 210.05 in his Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Deric Kramer in the final round as he became the lone driver in the Pro Stock class with four victories on the year. The 2017 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award winner secured his fifth final round appearance on the 2018 season and first at Pacific Raceways.
“It is definitely my team that has gotten me to where I am today,” Gray stated. “It was tough day up on the start line and reaction times were a little bit slower here. My team worked with me through the mistakes that I’ve made but all in all it was a great day and I couldn’t be happier.
Gray qualified fourth and was able to take down Fernando Cuadra, Jason Line and Vincent Nobile on his path to victory as he locked in his position in the Countdown playoffs. Erica Enders, Nobile and No. 1 qualifier Jeg. Coughlin Jr. each joined Greg Anderson by locking in their spot in the 2018 Countdown.
The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. from August 16-19.
SATURDAY - TORRENCE, HAGAN AND COUGHLIN JR. SECURE NO.1 QUALIFYING POSITIONS AT THE NORTHWEST NATIONALS
Matt Hagan secured his fourth No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car this season Saturday at the 31st annual CatSpot NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) are also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 16th of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Hagan powered to his first career No. 1 qualifier at Pacific Raceways in his Sandvik Coromant Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat after his run of 3.913-seconds at 324.75 mph from Friday stood strong through Saturday’s qualifying. Sitting fourth overall in the category points, Hagan will strive to narrow the points gap on Sunday as he looks for his third victory in five races.
“I think the new body is just a little bit of a learning curve,” Hagan stated. “The car is obviously running great with No. 1 qualifier but there’s still some things we are learning about this new Hellcat body. I feel confident about it though.”
Defending world champion Robert Hight secured the No. 2 position in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro with his pass of 3.919 at 327.82 during the second qualifying run. He will toe the line against Gary Densham during the first round.
In Top Fuel, category points leader Torrence continued to extend his points lead by securing his second No. 1 qualifying position of the year, as his pass of 3.723 at 331.61 in his Capco Contractors/Torrence Racing dragster from Friday held up. This is Torrence’s first career No. 1 qualifier at Pacific Raceways and he is seeking his second career victory at the facility.
“This season has been a lot of fun,” Torrence said. “The car ran well throughout qualifying and I’m not too concerned with its performance tomorrow. The last time we were No. 1 qualifiers it didn’t bode well for us so hopefully we can turn that around.”
Doug Kalitta will start second in his Mac Tools dragster after his 3.730 at 326.00 on Friday. He will meet Bill Litton in the first round.
Pro Stock’s Coughlin Jr. grabbed his second top qualifier in 2018 as his 6.501 at 212.16 from Friday in his JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro remained the best in the category. Coughlin, who most recently won at Sonoma, will look to secure his first victory at the facility since 2002 on Sunday.
“I feel pretty good, honestly,” Coughlin stated. “The first run we made today we were third of the session. I think we will use that as a little motivation and an attention grabber for game day tomorrow. We will be on our toes to race and race aggressively."
Coughlin Jr. will race Joey Grose in the first round of eliminations, while category points leader, Greg Anderson, starts second after his run of 6.503 at 211.79 on Friday in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro. He will meet Steve Graham in round one on Sunday.
Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Sunday at Pacific Raceways.
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 31st annual CatSpot NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 16th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.723 seconds, 331.61 mph vs. 16. Ron Smith, 4.861, 190.08; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.730, 326.00 vs. 15. Bill Litton, 3.970, 307.86; 3. Clay Millican, 3.743, 330.47 vs. 14. Jim Maroney, 3.932, 283.13; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.751, 327.11 vs. 13. Terry McMillen, 3.891, 311.34; 5. Antron Brown, 3.761, 330.80 vs. 12. Shawn Reed, 3.869, 318.84; 6. Leah Pritchett, 3.764, 322.34 vs. 11. Troy Buff, 3.867, 304.80; 7. Mike Salinas, 3.768, 327.98 vs. 10. Scott Palmer, 3.815, 323.81; 8. Brittany Force, 3.785, 326.32 vs. 9. Richie Crampton, 3.792, 323.50.
Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.913, 324.75 vs. 16. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 4.182, 296.63; 2. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.919, 327.82 vs. 15. Gary Densham, Ford Mustang, 4.085, 309.98; 3. Courtney Force, Camaro, 3.927, 325.69 vs. 14. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.073, 307.09; 4. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.943, 321.19 vs. 13. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.056, 315.71; 5. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.963, 320.58 vs. 12. Richard Townsend, Camry, 4.041, 305.84; 6. Shawn Langdon, Camry, 3.977, 325.37 vs. 11. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.028, 317.79; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.977, 321.35 vs. 10. John Force, Camaro, 4.028, 318.39; 8. Jonnie Lindberg, Mustang, 3.995, 315.42 vs. 9. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.008, 319.22.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Jeff Diehl, 4.211, 289.94; 18. Terry Haddock, 4.299, 289.32.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.501, 212.16 vs. 16. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.708, 206.80; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.503, 211.79 vs. 15. Steve Graham, Camaro, 6.637, 209.07; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.506, 212.66 vs. 14. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.615, 209.01; 4. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.510, 212.09 vs. 13. Fernando Cuadra, Camaro, 6.564, 210.54; 5. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.518, 211.73 vs. 12. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.557, 209.95; 6. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.522, 211.56 vs. 11. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.553, 211.13; 7. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.526, 211.96 vs. 10. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.541, 210.80; 8. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.527, 211.33 vs. 9. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.541, 211.83.
FRIDAY - TORRENCE, HAGAN AND COUGHLIN JR. PRELIMINARY NO.1 QUALIFIERS AT NORTHWEST NATIONALS
Steve Torrence piloted to the top of the category Friday night at Seattle as the current Top Fuel points leader took the preliminary No. 1 qualifier at the 31st annual CatSpot NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) are also preliminary No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 16th of 24 events on the 2018 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Torrence took the lead with his second pass of 3.723-seconds at 331.61 mph in his Capco Contractors/Torrence Racing dragster. Torrence is seeking his first career No. 1 qualifier at Pacific Raceways and 18th of his career.
“We’ve done well here in the past,” Torrence stated. “Coming out of the box and making a good run and then being able to back it up on that second one that does build up your confidence. I’m confident going into tomorrow.”
Doug Kalitta jumped into second in the class with a 3.730 run at 326.00 in his Mac Tools dragster during the second qualifying run.
Hagan drove to the preliminary top spot with a run of 3.913 at 324.75 in his Sandvik Coromant Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat during the second qualifying session of the evening. Hagan is on the hunt for his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the year and first career top spot at Pacific Raceways.
“This new Hellcat body is running really good,” Hagan said. “Its running better than what we are trying to run with it. Right now we are dialing the car in and this new body in so we’re pretty focused on that. All in all though we’re really happy.”
Defending world champion Robert Hight is second in current Funny Car qualifying after his run of 3.919 at 327.82 in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro as he looks to defend his event title on Sunday.
Coughlin Jr., the most recent event winner, powered his way to the top of the Pro Stock category in his JEGS.com/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro with a pass of 6.501 at 212.16 during the second round of qualifying. He is focused on securing his second No. 1 qualifier of the year and fourth victory of the year.
“I think the whole team is real confident right now and that’s what we’re trying to build on,” Coughlin Jr. stated. “We will have to be on our best behavior to stay No. 1 tomorrow and to be the last ones standing on Sunday. We have to make great calls in the pits, drive great from behind the wheel and have the racing gods in our corner.”
Points leader Greg Anderson is currently qualified second following a 6.503 at 211.79 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro during the first round of qualifying.
Qualifying continues at 1:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Pacific Raceways.
Friday's results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 31st annual CatSpot NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, 16th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.723 seconds, 331.61 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.730, 326.00; 3. Clay Millican, 3.743, 330.47; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.751, 327.03; 5. Antron Brown, 3.761, 330.80; 6. Leah Pritchett, 3.764, 321.73; 7. Mike Salinas, 3.779, 325.85; 8. Brittany Force, 3.785, 326.32; 9. Richie Crampton, 3.792, 323.50; 10. Scott Palmer, 3.815, 323.81; 11. Shawn Reed, 3.881, 290.32; 12. Troy Buff, 3.890, 303.64; 13. Terry McMillen, 3.892, 311.34; 14. Jim Maroney, 3.932, 283.13; 15. Bill Litton, 3.970, 307.86.
Funny Car -- 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.913, 324.75; 2. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.919, 327.82; 3. Courtney Force, Camaro, 3.927, 325.69; 4. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.943, 321.19; 5. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.963, 317.27; 6. Shawn Langdon, Toyota Camry, 3.977, 325.37; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.977, 321.35; 8. Jonnie Lindberg, Mustang, 3.995, 315.42; 9. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.018, 318.47; 10. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.056, 308.43; 11. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.073, 307.09; 12. Gary Densham, Mustang, 4.085, 309.98; 13. Richard Townsend, Camry, 4.136, 274.39; 14. Jeff Diehl, Camry, 4.215, 281.89; 15. John Force, Camaro, 6.260, 105.47; 16. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 6.488, 108.39.
Not Qualified: 17. Jack Beckman, 7.192, 97.47; 18. Cruz Pedregon, broke.
Pro Stock -- 1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.501, 212.16; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.503, 211.79; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.506, 212.66; 4. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.510, 212.09; 5. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.518, 211.73; 6. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.522, 211.56; 7. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.526, 211.96; 8. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.527, 211.33; 9. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.541, 211.83; 10. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.541, 210.80; 11. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.553, 211.13; 12. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.557, 209.95; 13. Fernando Cuadra, Camaro, 6.564, 210.54; 14. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.615, 209.01; 15. Steve Graham, Camaro, 6.637, 208.91; 16. Joey Grose, Camaro, 8.319, 117.73.
FRIDAY SPORTSMAN - TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER (SESSION ONE)
1 628 A/FD Kim Parker, Graham WA, Attack-BAE 5.176 276.29 276.29
2 1 B/AD Joey Severance, Woodburn OR, Hadman-NRE 5.213 277.60 277.60
3 2 B/AD Shawn Cowie, Surrey BC, Hadman-BAE 5.257 276.35 276.35
4 52 B/AD James Stevens, Gothenburg NE, CNE-MBR 5.269 274.50 274.50
5 724 A/FD Casey Grisel, Orangevale CA, Mckinney-B 5.330 257.28 257.28
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR (SESSION ONE)
1 66 Brian Hough, Junction City OR, '15 Camaro 5.500 268.81 268.81
2 7630 Steve Macklyn, Bountiful UT, '13 Mustang 5.521 264.80 264.80
3 6180 Jirka Kaplan, Calgary AB, '16 Camaro 5.576 261.42 261.42
4 636 Ray Martin, Anchorage AK, '13 Monte Carlo 5.588 258.71 258.71
5 3 Doug Gordon, Paso Robles CA, '15 Camaro 5.637 266.90 266.90
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SUPER STOCK (SESSION ONE)
1 604 SS/NA Troy Olsonawski, Federal Way WA, '66 Mali 11.145 12.15 -1.005
2 286 GT/GA Jeff Adkinson, Damascus GA, '05 Sunfire 9.454 10.40 -0.946
3 670 GT/EA Alan Falcone, Olympia WA, '05 Cavalier 9.200 10.10 -0.900
4 626 GT/HA Dave Barcelon, Bremerton WA, '08 Cobalt 9.670 10.50 -0.830
5 65 GT/JA Mark Faul, Tacoma WA, '66 El Camino 9.990 10.80 -0.810
6 6676 SS/DA Jackie Alley, Eagle ID, '69 Camaro 9.400 10.20 -0.800
7 601 SS/BS Cody Lane, North Bend WA, '05 Cavalier 8.913 9.65 -0.737
8 5820 GT/GA Brad Burton, Snohomish WA, '91 Firebird 9.665 10.40 -0.735
9 603 FSS/C Larry McLanahan, Kennywich WA, '16 Mustang 8.970 9.65 -0.680
10 6064 GT/KA Steve Schwab, Auburn WA, '91 Calais 10.248 10.90 -0.652
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
STOCK (SESSION ONE)
1 6711 FS/F Tommy Gaynor, Vancover WA, '15 Camaro 10.215 11.20 -0.985
2 3909 FS/A Drew Skillman, Greenwood IN, '12 Mustang 8.724 9.70 -0.976
3 610 I/SA Pete Kost, Covington WA, '77 Cutlass 11.350 12.30 -0.950
4 3222 E/SA Chris Stephenson, Tipton IN, '68 Firebird 10.757 11.70 -0.943
5 6969 K/SA Greg Marshall, Surrey BC, '88 Cutlass 11.718 12.65 -0.932
6 6052 K/SA James Boyce, Sultan WA, '88 Mustang 11.727 12.65 -0.923
7 5526 A/SA Dwayne Scheitlin, Brighton CO, '70 Challe 10.086 11.00 -0.914
8 6360 I/SA Bill Bushmaker, Auburn WA, '76 Road Runner11.405 12.30 -0.895
9 5009 B/SA Scott Burton, Golden CO, '70 Firebird 10.364 11.25 -0.886
10 603 FS/A Larry McLanahan, Kennewick WA, '16 Mustang 8.820 9.70 -0.880
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TOP DRAGSTER (SESSION ONE)
1 6775 Quentin Chambers, Bellingham WA, Parker-Chevy 6.046 227.57 227.57
2 74 John Richardson, Santa Clarita CA, Sarmento-Ch 6.097 191.48 191.48
3 7029 Bobby Ray McMahan, Lodi CA, TNT-APD 6.159 225.15 225.15
4 617 Steve Thompson, West Richland WA, TNT-Chevy 6.246 222.44 222.44
5 6718 Shane Molinari, Battle Ground WA, M&M-Chevy 6.374 218.48 218.48
6 6716 Meghan Molinari, Battle Ground WA, M&M-Chevy 6.482 207.30 207.30
7 75 Moe Trujillo, Happy Valley OR, Sarmento-Schmidt 6.532 206.16 206.16
8 63 Trevor Ritchie, Sherwood Park AB, TNT-Stin 6.552 208.36 208.36
9 7160 Andy Spiegel, Acton CA, Spitzer-SRE 6.640 201.34 201.34
10 6087 Mark Colton, North Bend OR, Yancer-Schmidt 6.686 204.17 204.17
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
