2018 NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
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SUNDAY - PRITCHETT, C. FORCE, NOBILE AND KRAWIEC ARE VICTORIOUS AT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Female NHRA nitro racers dominated Top Fuel and Funny Car as Leah Pritchett and Courtney Force were victorious in their respective categories Sunday at the 38th annual NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello at Atlanta Dragway.
Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also victorious in their respective categories at the seventh of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Pritchett locked in her first Top Fuel win of the season as she piloted her FireAde dragster to a pass of 3.874-seconds at 322.42 mph during the final round of eliminations to defeat Blake Alexander. This is her first Wally since Brainerd 2017, first event victory at Atlanta Raceway, and sixth overall. Pritchett is the first of Don Schumacher Racing’s Top Fuel drivers to go to the winner’s circle this season.
“We were racing one round at a time,” Prichett stated. “The conditions out there were varying all weekend long and that’s why my hats and kudos go off to Todd Okuhara [crew chief] for finding what was right and wrong and adjusting to it. Yeah, you want to win every race, but this one was very special in a lot of ways.”
Alexander, who raced to his first career final round, started from the No. 10 position and defeated Antron Brown, defending world champion Brittany Force, and points leader Steve Torrence before the final round.
C. Force claimed her second Funny Car victory this season with a pass of 4.046 at 313.73 in her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro against Matt Hagan. After earning the No. 1 qualifier on Saturday, Force secured her 10th career victory making her the most victorious female Funny Car driver in the history of NHRA.
“We had a great race car all day long,” Force said. “Every single guy on my crew has done just a phenomenal job all day long. From getting the No. 1 qualifying spot yesterday in our final qualifying run and to go out there and have some consistent runs. It’s great to be able to get a win at the track my sister [Ashley Force-Hood] got her first win at. It’s a pretty good day and we’re excited.”
In Pro Stock, Vincent Nobile powered his Mountain View Tire Chevrolet Camaro to a victory run of 6.599 at 209.72 to defeat Tanner Gray in his Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro in the final round. This is his first career victory at Atlanta and second Wally of the season.
“I had the car to beat this weekend,” Nobile stated. “I know we didn’t qualify No. 1 but going back after each run and looking at the computer we know we could’ve been the fastest car each session. On race day we got it together and was the fastest car every session. All in all, it was a great day.”
Nobile is now the points leaders for Pro Stock after defeating Alan Prusiensky, Chris McGaha and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson prior to the final round.
Defending world champion Eddie Krawiec rode his motorcycle to winner’s circle with a pass of 6.922 at 194.91 on his Screamin’ Eagles Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. This is his fourth event victory at the NHRA Southern Nationals and 45th of his career.
“This track has been very challenging for us this weekend,” Krawiec said. “I really had a better bike than what I showed Friday and Saturday because I was not making the proper chassis adjustments to get the bike down the track. We’re going to learn and continue to get better. That’s what we need to do.”
Krawiec was the No. 5 qualifier and was victorious against Angie Smith, LE Tonglet, the No. 1 qualifier Hector Arana Jr., and Scotty Pollacheck in the final round.
The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues with the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties at Heartland Motorsports Park May 18-20 in Topeka, Kan.
SATURDAY - C. FORCE, MILLICAN, ANDERSON, AND ARANA JR. ARE NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Courtney Force clinched the No. 1 qualifying spot for the Funny Car class Saturday at the NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello at Atlanta Dragway.
Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the seventh of 24 events on the 2018 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Force raced her Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro to a pass of 3.932-seconds at 324.51 mph during the final round of qualifying for the No. 1 position. This is her fourth No. 1 qualifier season and second consecutive at the track.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to improve after yesterday,” Force stated. “Coming out today we had some cloud cover which was great and laid down some numbers. I’m proud of my team and crew chiefs, [Brian] Corradi and [Dan] Hood, for laying it down on that last run. It feels good on the last run to get it fixed up and to go to the top spot like that.”
Force will face Jeff Diehl in round one of eliminations on Sunday. Teammate Robert Hight locked-in the No. 2 spot after a 3.952 at 327.59 run in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro and Tommy Johnson Jr. is seeded third.
Millican’s second qualifying pass of 3.758 at 331.12 in his Parts Plus/Great Clips dragster stood strong on Saturday for the No. 1 Top Fuel spot. This is his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and 13th of his career. He seeks to secure his first career victory at Atlanta Dragway.
“We held in there and got the green hat,” Millican said. “We are definitely looking for the yellow hat tomorrow. We went out this morning and made a nice solid run and Brittany [Force] was knocking on the door of taking the No. 1 spot away.”
He will face-off against Audrey Worm Sunday morning in the first round. Defending world champion Brittany Force sits in the No. 2 position with a pass of 3.760 at 324.28 in her Monster Energy dragster and points leader Steve Torrence is third.
Anderson, a four-time Pro Stock world champion, remained atop of the field Saturday with his pass of 6.586 at 209.69 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro from the second qualifying session on Friday. He seeks to secure his first victory of the season and 91st of his career.
“I still have a very fast and very consistent race car,” Anderson stated. “Glad to be No. 1 to set the field for tomorrow. I desperately need a good race day, but I feel positive that we’ve learned a lot about the race track over the weekend. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Anderson will race Val Smeland in the first round of eliminations. Drew Skillman powered his Ray Skillman Chevrolet Camaro to the No. 2 spot with his pass of 6.591 at 209.52 and will face Wally Stroupe.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Arana Jr. raced to the top of the two-wheeled category during the third round of qualifying with his pass of 6.806 at 198.76 on his Lucas Oil TV EBR. This is his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and 20th of his career.
“We know we have fast motorcycles,” Arana Jr. said. “We’ve been making great horsepower but have been struggling leaving the starting line. Come Q3 though, it [the bike] was dialed in and the numbers showed.”
Arana Jr. will line up against Ryan Oehler on Sunday morning. Arana Jr.'s father Hector Arana took the No. 2 position and marked the first time since 2012 they have qualified in the first and second position.
The NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello first round of eliminations begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Atlanta Dragway.
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 38th annual NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello at Atlanta Dragway, the seventh 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. Clay Millican, 3.758 seconds, 331.12 mph vs. 16. Audrey Worm, 6.070, 99.88; 2. Brittany Force, 3.760, 324.28 vs. 15. Terry McMillen, 4.880, 152.50; 3. Steve Torrence, 3.787, 327.74 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, 4.218, 243.19; 4. Leah Pritchett, 3.788, 314.83 vs. 13. Pat Dakin, 3.975, 287.35; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.794, 327.82 vs. 12. Bill Litton, 3.901, 311.92; 6. Doug Kalitta, 3.800, 323.81 vs. 11. Richie Crampton, 3.870, 306.88; 7. Antron Brown, 3.802, 325.61 vs.
10. Blake Alexander, 3.842, 326.08; 8. Mike Salinas, 3.818, 320.28 vs. 9. Scott Palmer, 3.830, 323.89.
Funny Car -- 1. Courtney Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.932, 324.51 vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Solara, 4.857, 171.75; 2. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.952, 327.59 vs. 15. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 4.606, 181.03; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 3.968, 319.90 vs. 14. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.155, 291.45; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 3.969, 316.38 vs. 13. John Smith, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.154, 259.46; 5. John Force, Camaro, 3.979, 324.67 vs. 12. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.107, 306.60; 6. Jonnie Lindberg, Mustang, 4.001, 316.15 vs. 11. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.054, 316.82; 7. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.019, 315.93 vs. 10. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.038, 318.09; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.029, 311.70 vs. 9. Shawn Langdon, Camry, 4.032, 317.42.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.586, 210.11 vs. 16. Val Smeland, Camaro, 7.222, 146.51; 2. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.591, 209.62 vs. 15. Wally Stroupe, Camaro, 6.834, 202.91; 3. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.594, 209.14 vs. 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.725, 205.85; 4. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.600, 209.39 vs. 13. John Gaydosh Jr, Chevrolet Camaro, 6.721, 205.66; 5. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.601, 209.46 vs. 12. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.680, 207.50; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.606, 209.07 vs. 11. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.651, 208.36; 7. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.608, 208.42 vs. 10. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.628, 209.30; 8. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.611, 209.65 vs. 9. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.617, 209.33.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.806, 198.76 vs. 16. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.958, 193.18; 2. Hector Arana, EBR, 6.850, 196.62 vs. 15. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.956, 191.97; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.864, 195.96 vs. 14. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.953, 192.06; 4. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.873, 195.05 vs. 13. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.949, 192.47; 5. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.877, 196.47 vs. 12. Melissa Surber, Buell, 6.945, 191.13; 6. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.882, 196.13 vs. 11. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.935, 193.85; 7. Cory Reed, Buell, 6.889, 193.13 vs. 10. Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.904, 192.58; 8. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.891, 195.22 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.897, 194.38.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Jim Underdahl, 6.997, 191.13; 18. Kelly Clontz, 7.004, 192.55; 19. Mark Paquette, 7.056, 188.20; 20. Andie Rawlings, 7.231, 181.76.
FRIDAY - MILLICAN, HIGHT, ANDERSON, AND M. SMITH ARE PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT ATLANTA
The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continued Friday evening as Clay Millican set the Top Fuel track speed record at the NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello at Atlanta Dragway.
Robert Hight (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are provisional qualifying leaders at the seventh of the 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Millican piloted his Parts Plus / Great Clips dragster to a pass of 3.758-seconds and track record speed of 331.12 mph during the second round of qualifying. He currently holds the national elapsed time record which was set at Pomona earlier this season. Millican is seeking his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and 13th of his career.
“To go 331 mph in Atlanta is pretty cool,” Millican stated. “The car is the quickest in the world and I’m proud of that. We’ve had a little problem when it’s hot outside. What surprised me is that this car is starting to run speed because last year we didn’t run speed."
Coming off his win at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Steve Torrence piloted his Capco Contractors dragster to the No. 13 qualifying position.
Defending Funny Car world champion Hight’s second qualifying pass of 3.952 at 327.59 in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro took him to the top of the category. He is striving for his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and 59th of his career.
“I’m pretty impressed with that run,” Hight stated. “If you look at all the other runs, the others were in the right lane. The left lane is a little trickier here. To get the No. 1 spot out of the left lane is pretty impressive. We haven’t run that well in a couple of races.”
Pro Stock veteran Anderson currently holds the top spot after driving to a 6.593 at 210.11 run in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro. He is seeking his fourth No. 1 qualifier and first victory of the season
“Qualifying No. 1 is great, but usually means its by thousands of a second,” Anderson said. “That’s how close the class is. So, anyone can still win on Sunday, but with bonus points I’ve gotten a ton of them this year the way my car has qualified. That is going to help in the long run.”
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Smith currently sits in the No. 1 qualifier position with a 6.882 at 196.13 on his Victory Magnum during the first round of qualifying. He chose to sit out the second round.
“We made a pretty good pass the first run,” Smith stated. “We decided to save parts and pieces. For Saturday, we’re going down one pass. I think we’ll be pretty good and if the weathers good we should be able to put a good time down.”
Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Eddie Krawiec is currently seeded second overall.
Qualifying continues at the NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday.
Friday's results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 38th annual NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello at Atlanta Dragway, seventh of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.
Top Fuel -- 1. Clay Millican, 3.758 seconds, 331.12 mph; 2. Leah Pritchett, 3.789, 314.83; 3. Brittany Force, 3.799, 319.60; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.800, 323.81; 5. Richie Crampton, 3.870, 294.43; 6. Blake Alexander, 3.884, 316.23; 7. Bill Litton, 3.901, 311.92; 8. Mike Salinas, 3.927, 304.46; 9. Pat Dakin, 4.193, 206.13; 10. Tony Schumacher, 4.219, 212.26; 11. Antron Brown, 4.435, 185.10; 12. Terry McMillen, 4.880, 152.50; 13. Steve Torrence, 5.066, 136.50; 14. Terry Haddock, 5.530, 120.95; 15. Audrey Worm, 6.070, 99.88; 16. Scott Palmer, 9.528, 88.29.
Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.952, 327.59; 2. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 3.969, 316.38; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 3.974, 319.90; 4. Courtney Force, Camaro, 3.987, 312.64; 5. Jonnie Lindberg, Ford Mustang, 4.001, 316.15; 6. John Force, Camaro, 4.042, 320.81; 7. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.045, 315.93; 8. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.055, 313.80; 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.061, 316.82; 10. Shawn Langdon, Camry, 4.183, 296.89; 11. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.606, 181.03; 12. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.666, 174.64; 13. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.850, 166.72; 14. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Solara, 4.857, 171.75; 15. Jim Campbell, Charger, 6.020, 107.26; 16. John Smith, Chevy Monte Carlo, 7.189, 84.84.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.593, 210.11; 2. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.601, 209.46; 3. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.603, 207.94; 4. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.606, 209.07; 5. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.615, 207.88; 6. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.620, 209.39; 7. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.620, 209.33; 8. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.627, 209.20; 9. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.630, 208.84; 10. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.658, 208.01; 11. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.729, 207.08; 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.750, 205.26; 13. John Gaydosh Jr, Chevrolet Camaro, 6.798, 203.71; 14. Wally Stroupe, Camaro, 6.890, 201.79; 15. Val Smeland, Camaro, 7.222, 146.51; 16. Bo Butner, Camaro, 7.753, 124.90.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.882, 196.13; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.884, 195.05; 3. Cory Reed, Buell, 6.889, 193.13; 4. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.891, 195.22; 5. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.895, 193.88; 6. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.901, 197.02; 7. Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.904, 192.58; 8. Hector Arana, EBR, 6.911, 196.62; 9. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.915, 194.80; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.919, 193.24; 11. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.942, 193.85; 12. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.953, 192.06; 13. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.971, 192.47; 14. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.980, 193.18; 15. Melissa Surber, Buell, 6.981, 188.41; 16. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.041, 189.66. Not Qualified: 17. Karen Stoffer, 7.053, 190.35; 18. Mark Paquette, 7.056, 188.20; 19. Kelly Clontz, 7.155, 186.12; 20. Andie Rawlings, 7.231, 181.76.
FRIDAY SPORTSMAN -
COMP ELIMINATOR (FINAL)
1 3002 E/A Pat Ross, Avon Lake OH, '05 Grand Am 7.663 8.32 -0.657
2 2 E/DA Frank Aragona, Freehold NJ, N&P 7.324 7.98 -0.656
3 16 F/DA Doug Doll Jr., Douglas MA, McKinney 8.089 8.71 -0.621
4 233 C/A Art Hodges, Olin NC, '14 Camaro 7.284 7.90 -0.616
5 2211 G/AA Van Puckett, Monroe GA, '05 Cavalier 8.225 8.83 -0.605
6 1 A/EA David Rampy, Piedmont AL, '32 Bantam 7.228 7.82 -0.592
7 330 D/D Brian Browell, Lafayette IN, MR2-Chevy 7.251 7.84 -0.589
8 42 A/ND Craig Bourgeois, Metarie LA, Haas-Chevy 6.947 7.53 -0.583
9 224 AA/AM Brad Plourd, Holly Pond AL, '23 Ford 6.460 7.04 -0.580
10 2467 C/ED Jim Kimbrough, Pace FL, ProStart-Chevy 7.368 7.93 -0.562
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SUPER STOCK (FINAL)
1 3903 FSS/C Ray Skillman, Greenwood IN, '10 Mustang 8.663 9.65 -0.987
2 4373 SS/CS Ashton Hudson, Dallas TX, '98 Escort 9.337 10.30 -0.963
3 332 GT/IA Marion Stephenson, Williamsport IN, '06 C 9.741 10.65 -0.909
4 3 GT/LA David Rampy, Piedmont AL, '87 Camaro 10.143 11.05 -0.907
5 79 GT/KA Mike Cotten, Cave Creek AZ, '70 Barracuda 10.029 10.90 -0.871
6 2207 GT/GA Jeff Taylor, Sellersburg IN, '05 Sunfire 9.534 10.40 -0.866
7 368 SS/TB Fred Allen, Mary Esther FL, '05 S-10 9.087 9.95 -0.863
8 338 GT/JA Nichole Stephenson, Hillsboro IN, '90 Sun 9.942 10.80 -0.858
9 203 SS/CM Gary Coccaro, Panama City FL, '10 Cobalt 8.642 9.50 -0.858
10 4192 FSS/G Brett Candies, Thibodaux LA, '10 Mustang 9.401 10.25 -0.849
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STOCK (FINAL)
1 R210 FS/AA Richard Bierie, Acworth GA, '17 Camaro 8.280 9.40 -1.120
2 3499 U/SA Gary Summers, Franklin KY, '76 Mustang 13.847 14.85 -1.003
3 2007 FS/F Daren Poole-Adams, Shelby NC, '15 Camaro 10.213 11.20 -0.987
4 2921 FS/D Chip Johnson, Fayetteville NC, '18 Camaro 9.637 10.60 -0.963
5 6736 E/SA Terry Hembree, Blue Ridge GA, '69 Camaro 10.745 11.70 -0.955
6 3391 D/SA Jerry Bennett, Hickory KY, '70 Duster 10.602 11.55 -0.948
7 2221 G/SA Richard Mace, Jacksonville FL, '91 Corvet 11.056 12.00 -0.944
8 1135 D/SA Nick Reiter, Warminster PA, '71 Charger 10.626 11.55 -0.924
9 2040 C/S Ken Vaughn, Columbia TN, '96 Corvette 10.455 11.35 -0.895
10 2543 H/SA Mike McMahan, Port Charlotte FL, '71 Corv 11.259 12.15 -0.891
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TOP SPORTSMAN (SESSION ONE)
1 2 Sandy Wilkins, Mount Ulla NC, '69 Camaro 6.428 215.72 215.72
2 2459 Tommy Turner, Naples FL, '12 GXP 6.683 210.70 210.70
3 27 Jackie Robison, Greer SC, '66 Nova 6.727 205.47 205.47
4 2062 Todd Ewing, Vinemont AL, '00 Camaro 6.803 205.10 205.10
5 4864 Vince Hoda, D'Iberville MS, '68 Camaro 6.806 202.55 202.55
6 6 Jeff Brooks, Fredericksburg VA, '51 Henry J 6.808 201.52 201.52
7 323F Bob Mandell III, Culleoka TN, '57 BelAir 6.852 204.05 204.05
8 2515 Greg Coffman, Russellville KY, '97 Cutlass 6.858 201.16 201.16
9 8 Don O'Neal, Evansville IN, '99 Monte Carlo 6.988 195.34 195.34
10 2985 Jeff Wilkerson, Athens AL, '67 Camaro 7.082 193.21 193.21
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