2021 NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS - EVENT RESULTS
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SUNDAY - BROWN, TASCA, ANDERSON AND POLLACHECK EARN HISTORIC LUCAS OIL NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS WINS IN FINAL RACE AT ATLANTA DRAGWAY
Antron Brown couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to close out the famed Atlanta Dragway on Sunday, becoming the winningest Top Fuel driver at the historic facility with his fifth victory at the 40th and final Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals.
Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Scotty Pollacheck (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in their respective categories at the third race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season as the NHRA held the last race at the historic track.
Brown defeated three-time reigning world champ Steve Torrence in a thrilling final round, going 3.752-seconds at 323.81 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster to beat Torrence’s 3.794 at 323.81. Brown, a three-time world champ, beat Doug Kalitta, No. 1 qualifier Billy Torrence and Brittany Force to advance to the final round, making his best run of the weekend when it counted. Brown leaves Atlanta Dragway with seven overall victories, including two that came in Pro Stock Motorcycle, while Sunday’s triumph also gave him 68 carer wins. It was a meaningful victory for Brown, who beat his close friend Torrence in the final pair of NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competitors to go down Atlanta Dragway.
“That’s Rocky Balboa right there (referencing Torrence) and I’m Apollo,” Brown said. “To get this win, it was truly remarkable. We just built on it every lap. Any time you can do this and get one of these (Wally trophies), it’s just so special. Atlanta has just been so special to all of us.”
S. Torrence advanced to his 64th Top Fuel final round on the strength of wins against Buddy Hull, Justin Ashley and Shawn Langdon, staying in the points lead.
Tasca III picked up his second straight victory in Funny Car, with Sunday’s triumph against John Force one he will always remember. He went 4.004 at 326.48 in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang in the final round, beating Force’s 4.015 at 321.81, claiming his eighth career victory. Tasca maintained his points lead in the class, cemented himself as a certain championship contender and won for the first time in Atlanta. He picked the perfect time, adding a historic win at the final race at Atlanta Dragway to his growing resume.
“There’s nobody who has done it better than Force over the years and it’s an honor to roll up next to him, but there’s nobody I get up for more and to beat him in the final, it’s great,” Tasca said. “I want to thank all the Atlanta fans. It’s so special to be here and see this place sold out. There’s so many great memories and it’s so great to leave with the trophy. For all those Ford fans and all the Ford family members that called me (after the last race) after winning Vegas, we did it again.”
Tasca beat Paul Lee, Blake Alexander and defending world champ Matt Hagan to reach the final round. Force reached his 257th final round with victories against Cruz Pedregon, Ron Capps and J.R. Todd, producing a series of entertaining runs for the huge crowd at Atlanta Dragway on Sunday.
There was no stopping points leader Anderson on Sunday in Atlanta, as the four-time Pro Stock world champion furthered his dominant start to the 2021 season with a superb performance on Sunday. He took out Vincent Nobile in the final round in his DENSO Chevrolet Camaro, going 6.568 at 209.04 against Nobile’s 6.598 at 208.78. It handed Anderson his second victory this year and 96th in his career, putting him one away from tying Warren Johnson for the most in Pro Stock history. It also gave the longtime standout his fifth victory at Atlanta Dragway in the final race, which ties him with Johnson and gave Anderson a memorable send-off at the facility.
“It was an absolute dream weekend. My DENSO Chevy, it was absolutely flawless all weekend long,” Anderson said. “I’ve never made four smoother, nicer runs on raceday than this. It’s just been an awesome day and a storybook deal. There’s a lot of history here and I love racing here. To tie Warren and to go out with five each, it’s great. It’s been a dream, it’s been wonderful and I want to thank everyone who has helped us.”
Anderson beat Fernando Cuadra Sr., Matt Hartford and defending world champ Erica Enders to reach his 160th final round. Making his first appearance since 2018, Nobile beat Troy Coughlin Jr., Aaron Stanfield and Deric Kramer to advance to his 26th final.
In an all-Matt Smith Racing final round, Scotty Pollacheck claimed the victory over his teammate, as Matt Smith went red by a mere .001, handing the victory to Pollacheck on his DENSO/Strutmaster/Matt Smith Racing EBR. Pollacheck, who was the No. 1 qualifier, went 6.921 at 198.35 to claim his second career victory, with the first one also coming after he qualified No. 1. He was solid throughout eliminations, beating Jerry Savoie, Ryan Oehler and Angelle Sampey to reach his ninth career final round.
“This whole team did so well with two bikes in the final round, and Matt is the man,” said Pollacheck, who jumped to second in points, just three behind Smith. “He gave me one there because mine bogged down in the finals, but it’s going to be a big celebration tonight. This was awesome and it’s just a great team.”
Smith reached his 60th career final round and second in 2021 thanks to round wins against Steve Johnson, Joey Gladstone and Eddie Krawiec.
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action May 14-16 with the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.
TODD, B. TORRENCE, ANDERSON AND POLLACHECK PICK UP NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT SOUTHERN NATIONALS
Former world champ J.R. Todd rolled to his first No. 1 qualifier in nearly two years on Saturday, taking the top spot in Funny Car at the 40th and final Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Billy Torrence (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Scotty Pollacheck (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 in their respective categories at the third race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season as the NHRA celebrates the long and storied history of Atlanta Dragway at its final Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals race.
Todd’s last No. 1 qualifier came in 2019, but he powered to the top on Saturday, going 3.982-seconds at 325.69 mph in his 11,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Camry. Todd will race Alexis DeJoria to start the final raceday at Atlanta Dragway on Sunday after earning his 13th career No. 1 qualifier. After winning in Gainesville to open the year, a second victory this early in the season would put Todd on a good early-season path.
“It shows that (crew chiefs) Todd Smith, Jon (Oberhofer) and the team have their act together. It benefitted us being the last pair,” Todd said. “Todd made some tuneup changes to slow the car down and it put up a good number. This place has always been tricky and it’s nice to be starting from No. 1. We’ll see what the conditions bring tomorrow, but it could be a good points day for us.”
Bob Tasca III, who won the most recent event in Las Vegas, was the only other Funny Car driver to make a 3-second run, going 3.999 at 320.81. Matt Hagan moved to third with a pass of 4.001 at 314.02.
Torrence Racing dominated Top Fuel qualifying in Atlanta, with B. Torrence taking the top spot in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster and his son, Steve, following closely behind. B. Torrence earned his fourth career No. 1 qualifier by going 3.815 at 323.43, while S. Torrence, the three-time reigning champ in the class, was right behind with a 3.817 at 323.66. He is the most recent race winner and will be looking to be the last Top Fuel winner at Atlanta Dragway, which is also the site of his first career win in the class. Mike Salinas qualified in the third position by going 3.841 at 317.05.
“These yellow (No. 1 qualifier) hats are easier to come by than those winner hats, but I’ll take this one,” said B. Torrence, who has six career wins.
It was again Anderson on top of Pro Stock qualifying, taking No. 1 honors for the third straight race in his DENSO Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson, who has four career wins at Atlanta Dragway, impressed with a run of 6.548 at 210.41 to take the top spot for the 109th time in his standout career. He’ll face off with Fernando Cuadra Sr. in the first round of eliminations as Anderson seeks his second victory in 2021. Deric Kramer qualified second after going 6.554 at 210.21 in the opening round of eliminations, while Aaron Stanfield bumped up to third thanks to his final qualifying pass of 6.555 at 209.56.
“We’re out here having fun in the beautiful weather here today at Atlanta Dragway,” Anderson said. “Everyone is happy and it’s working out great. Three in a row, you can’t complain about that at all. This is one of my favorite tracks and a lot of history here, and I’d like to make some more tomorrow. This DENSO Chevy is running great and hopefully, we can find a way to four rounds tomorrow and have a little glory at the end of the day.”
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pollacheck continued the strong start to his 2021 season, picking up his first No. 1 qualifier on his DENSO/Strutmasters/Matt Smith Racing EBR with a run of 6.779 at 199.20. It also gives Pollacheck his third career No. 1 qualifier and comes on the heels of his final round appearance in Las Vegas. Pollacheck will meet Jerry Savoie in the opening round of eliminations. Joey Gladstone narrowly qualified second thanks to his career-best run of 6.780 at 198.20, while Andrew Hines jumped to third in the final session with a run of 6.809 and a career-best speed of 200.11.
“We do have an awesome bike,” Pollacheck said. “Matt and Angie (Smith) are making this program work so well and all four bikes are running (well). The bike is awesome and running great, as long as I don’t screw it up.”
In the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service, Khalid Al-Balooshi qualified No. 1 in his Bahrain 1 Racing Camaro, going 5.713 at 250.37. The Pro Mod race is presented by Alsum Farms/Wisconsin Potato this weekend in Atlanta.
Eliminations at the Lucas Oil NHRA Southern National begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 40th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, the third of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel -- 1. Billy Torrence, 3.815 seconds, 323.43 mph vs. Bye; 2. Steve Torrence, 3.817, 323.66 vs. 15. Buddy Hull, broke; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.841, 317.05 vs. 14. Joe Morrison, 30.957, 38.56; 4. Josh Hart, 3.844, 319.98 vs. 13. Arthur Allen, 5.690, 116.81; 5. Brittany Force, 3.856, 314.90 vs. 12. Doug Foley, 4.842, 151.63; 6. Leah Pruett, 3.957, 304.94 vs. 11. Shawn Langdon, 4.783, 154.79; 7. Justin Ashley, 4.104, 231.28 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 4.584, 164.27; 8. Antron Brown, 4.331, 191.76 vs. 9. Doug Kalitta, 4.389, 195.08.
Funny Car -- 1. J.R. Todd, Toyota Camry, 3.982, 325.69 vs. 14. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 8.386, 82.21; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.999, 320.81 vs. 13. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 6.534, 98.12; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.001, 314.02 vs. 12. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 5.024, 152.73; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.005, 319.60 vs. 11. John Force, Camaro, 4.995, 159.31; 5. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.006, 313.73 vs. 10. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.161, 307.09; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.026, 316.30 vs. 9. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.141, 302.96; 7. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.047, 276.35 vs. 8. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.062, 300.26.
Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.548, 210.41 vs. 16. Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.658, 208.75; 2. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.554, 210.21 vs. 15. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.652, 208.71; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.555, 209.56 vs. 14. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.634, 209.39; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.560, 211.06 vs. 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.612, 207.27; 5. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.563, 210.24 vs. 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.603, 209.23; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.563, 209.39 vs. 11. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.600, 208.62; 7. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.581, 209.56 vs. 10. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.598, 208.71; 8. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.581, 208.26 vs. 9. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.584, 209.07.
Did Not Qualify: 17. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.685, 207.66; 18. Richie Stevens, 6.689, 207.66; 19. Alan Prusiensky, 6.689, 206.57; 20. John Callahan, 7.297, 184.25.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Scotty Pollacheck, EBR, 6.779, 199.20 vs. 16. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.948, 189.34; 2. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.780, 198.20 vs. 15. Michael Phillips, Suzuki, 6.936, 193.74; 3. Andrew Hines, Buell, 6.809, 200.11 vs. 14. John Hall, Buell, 6.912, 192.30; 4. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.812, 197.62 vs. 13. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.897, 194.86; 5. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.815, 191.65 vs. 12. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.876, 195.00; 6. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.829, 197.16 vs. 11. Eddie Krawiec, Buell, 6.874, 201.70; 7. Matt Smith, EBR, 6.830, 200.53 vs. 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.858, 195.05; 8. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.839, 196.67 vs. 9. Cory Reed, Suzuki, 6.842, 196.85.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Jianna Salinas, 6.949, 191.48; 18. Chris Bostick, 6.987, 192.85; 19. David Barron, 7.016, 181.28; 20. Marc Ingwersen, 7.049, 195.70; 21. Pablo Gonzalez, 7.093, 185.05; 22. Charles Poskey, 7.284, 185.61
SPORTSMAN RESULTS -
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER (Q-1)
1 51 TA/D Rachel Meyer, Mount Vernon MO, Yancy-He 5.249 272.17 272.17
2 1128 TA/D Karen Stalba, Hammonton NJ, Page-BAE 5.261 276.80 276.80
3 3 TA/D Julie Nataas, Brownsburg IN, Copeland-B 5.279 273.39 273.39
4 613 TA/D Joey Severance, Woodburn OR, Dragster-N 5.325 269.51 269.51
5 737M TA/D Madison Payne, Claremont CA, Dragster-C 5.340 276.97 276.97
6 238 TA/D Mick Steele, Kodak TN, Dragster-BAE 5.402 264.08 264.08
7 1011 B/AD Dan Dietrich, Glen Arm MD, Dragster 5.421 241.50 241.50
8 54 TA/D Robin Samsel, Marion IN, Dragster-Chevy 5.427 273.05 273.05
9 178 TA/D Earl Nichols Jr., Wilmington DE, Dragst 6.086 239.31 239.31
10 250 TA/D Megan Smith, Anderson SC, Dragster-BAE 6.095 231.83 231.83
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR (Q-2)
1 10 DJ Cox Jr., Whiteford MD, '19 Camaro 5.547 263.51 263.51
2 12 Matt Gill, West Bridgewater MA, '16 Camaro 5.564 266.90 266.90
3 4 Bob McCosh, Columbia MO, '20 Camaro 5.582 255.82 255.82
4 34 Tony Bogolo, Hamilton OH, '19 Camaro 5.761 259.76 259.76
TOP SPORTSMAN (Q-2)
1 26 Sandy Wilkins, Mt. Ulla NC, '69 Camaro 6.355 218.09 218.09
2 2 Allen Firestone, Velma OK, '16 Camaro 6.406 214.55 214.55
3 1929 Jeff Brooks, Fredericksburg VA, '51 Henry J 6.454 214.72 214.72
4 4864 Vince Hoda, D'Iberville MS, '68 Camaro 6.571 211.83 211.83
5 2692 Dylan Stott, Columbus NC, '20 Mustang 6.614 210.44 210.44
6 31 Curt Fredrich, Burlington WI, '68 Camaro 6.795 204.54 204.54
7 44 Mike Morehead, Byrant AR, '13 Camaro 6.797 204.23 204.45
8 200C Chad Morrison, Statesville NC, '57 BelAir 6.849 189.47 189.47
9 3 Ron Riegel, Fairless Hills PA, '68 Camaro 6.890 200.53 201.07
10 2904 Doug Gbur, Greer SC, '10 GXP 7.168 193.57 193.57
SUPER STOCK (FINAL)
1 4343 GT/GA Craig Gualtiere, Amarillo TX, '05 Cavalier 9.320 10.40 -1.080
2 177 GT/JA Herbie Null Jr, Greencastle PA, '87 Camaro 9.748 10.80 -1.052
3 336 GT/LA Lisa Stephenson, Williamsport IN, '90 Sun 10.045 11.05 -1.005
4 4739 GT/JA Greg Stanfield, Bossier City LA, '19 Cama 9.813 10.80 -0.987
5 3718 FGT/I Nick Morris, Louisville KY, '98 Mustang 9.552 10.50 -0.948
6 159 FSS/E Victor Cagnazzi, Mooresville NC, '20 Cama 9.150 10.05 -0.900
7 3948 SS/CM Mike Stokes, Hopkinsville KY, '05 Cavalier 8.648 9.50 -0.852
8 28 GT/HA Marion Stephenson, Williamsport IN, '20 C 9.650 10.50 -0.850
9 4192 FSS/G Brett Candies, Thibodaux LA, '10 Mustang 9.404 10.25 -0.846
10 32 SS/IA Rickie Decker, Charlestown IN, '94 Camaro 9.859 10.70 -0.841
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RESULTS
STOCK (FINAL)
1 3321 B/SA Marion Stephenson, Williamsport IN, '15 C 10.156 11.25 -1.094
2 2007 FS/E Daren Poole-Adams, Shelby NC, '19 Camaro 9.885 10.95 -1.065
3 4739 B/SA Greg Stanfield, Bossier City LA, '20 Cama 10.242 11.25 -1.008
4 1591 FS/E Steve Johns, Mooresville NC, '15 Camaro 9.959 10.95 -0.991
5 1911 M/SA Timothy Stickles, Dover NH, '82 Malibu Wa 11.872 12.85 -0.978
6 32 C/SA Doug Duel, Newburg IN, '69 Barracuda 10.447 11.40 -0.953
7 22 FS/F Jeff Hairrington, Perry GA, '14 Mustang 10.267 11.20 -0.933
8 594 FS/AA Daria Kramer, Sterling CO, '17 Camaro 8.504 9.40 -0.896
9 25 G/SA Morgan Wilson, Laurens SC, '69 Nova 11.109 12.00 -0.891
10 159 FS/D Victor Cagnazzi, Mooresville NC, '15 Cama 9.718 10.60 -0.882
