Gil Kirk knows he has a place in drag racing history even if he never wins another. 

Kirk, the driving force behind the Rod Shop brand, had six wins as an owner/sponsor going into Monday's Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. 

Though the brand has been dormant for a while, on Monday, Kirk and his driver, Greg Stanfield, provided an object lesson that the Rod Shop team is still about winning and doing so on the grand stage of drag racing. 

After four of five qualifying attempts at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, defending race winner Antron Brown sat on the outside of the qualified field looking in.

Brown’s weekend-best pass was only good enough for 17th on the 16-car ladder, leaving him with one final attempt to make the field and defend his U.S. Nationals victory.

As fate would have it, his hail mary lap in his fifth and final attempt was just enough to sneak into the field in the 15th spot, a heart-stopping moment he would use as a rallying cry to steer his Matco Tools dragster to a stunning victory Monday in the 69th running of the U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Now, that's how you honor a legend.

On the 50th anniversary of Don “The Snake” Prudhomme’s maiden victory at the U.S. Nationals, Ron Capps paid the perfect tribute to the all-time great with a win of his own Monday at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals in a throwback livery honoring his former boss.

Capps, who now drives for his own team, raced for Prudhomme’s Snake Racing team from 1997-2004, winning 13 races together in Funny Car. To honor their achievements, Capps worked with longtime sponsor NAPA to set aside their traditional predominantly blue design for a bright yellow Hot Wheels scheme that Capps used as motivation to collect back-to-back wins at the biggest drag race in the land at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

On Sunday, Matt Hartford believed he had the quickest Pro Stock car on the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park property.
 
Monday, he proved it.
 
Hartford clocked a 6.624-second elapsed time at 206.57 mph in the final round to defeat Fernando Cuadra Jr., who slowed to 7.099 seconds at 178.87 mph.

 
The talk all weekend in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class was about Gaige Herrera – and for good reason. He was the No. 1 qualifier. He won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge season title on Saturday.
 
Lost in all the Herrera hype was six-time and reigning world champ Matt Smith.
 
Well, he stepped in the spotlight on Monday, winning the U.S. Nationals for the third time in his career.

The Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals hasn’t always been too kind to Kris Thorne. Three years ago at the “Big Go,” Thorne suffered a terrifying crash that forced him out of competition for nearly a year. Last year, Thorne made it to the final at Indy but suffered heartbreak when he turned on the red light by seven thousandths of a second, handing the win to Lyle Barnett. 

The reigning Fuel Tech NHRA Pro Mod Champion found redemption at this year’s U.S. Nationals as he used two holeshots in eliminations, including one in the final round against his teammate Justin Bond, to score his first-ever U.S. Nationals title. 

The Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals showcased impressive back-to-back victories for Antron Brown and Ron Capps, who triumphed in the Top Fuel and Funny Car categories, respectively, on Sunday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. 

Additionally, Matt Hartford claimed his first Indy win in Pro Stock, while Matt Smith secured his second straight Pro Stock Motorcycle win. Altogether, the quartet solidified their positions as standouts in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.

Brown qualified in the No. 15 spot but overcame the odds to reign supreme. Driving his Matco Tools/Toyota dragster, Brown clocked in at 3.779 seconds and reached a blistering speed of 328.54 mph to defeat Steve Torrence in the final round. This marked Brown’s second consecutive win of the season and an extraordinary 74th career victory. To reach the finals, he overcame formidable opponents, Brittany Force, Clay Millican, and points leader Justin Ashley.

Point standings (top 10) following the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 15th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series - 

Final round-by-round results from the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 15th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series: