The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series rolled into Las Vegas for the NHRA Ford Performance Nationals. It was more than a race, as the teams prepare for the final two races of the season with championships on the line, there was another feature to the event. The return of a legend, 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force returned to the track for the first time since his accident in June. Force would be there as a spectator watching his three teams with daughter Brittany Force in Top Fuel, with Austin Prock and Jack Beckman driving his Chevy SS Camaro Funny Cars.
The final two rounds of eliminations were held over until Monday morning following an on-track incident, which took place in the semifinal round of Top Fuel with a pair of teammates, Shawn Langdon and Doug Kalitta. They were both trying to get back into the points battle following the points leader Justin Ashley’s early exit. Langdon was on pace to score the easy win over Kalitta when his car drifted towards the centerline foam blocks and hit them, thus disqualifying him and sending shrapnel into his rear tire thus exploding the tire at well over 300 mph and sending Langdon into the shutdown area in a sea of sparks. With an incredible job of driving Langdon was able to get the car safely stopped without hitting anything else. While that was certainly spectacular, the delay for the event actually took place in the opposite lane with Kalitta. His dragster’s engine exploded when his dragster broke a rearend dumping synthetic fluid down the length of the left lane. The NHRA Safety Safari after attending to both drivers making sure they were safe, began the long process of restoring the traction but were unable to do it in a timely manner Sunday night pushing the remaining rounds to Monday.
In true cinematic fashion, Brittany Force came through and scored her first win in two years with her father watching from the starting line. Force and her team dominated the field with their stellar performances throughout the weekend. She scored the pole with a stellar 3.66 @ 334.98 mph blast on Saturday morning’s third qualifying session. In the opening round she defeated Josh Hart with a 3.721 @ 329.26 mph to Hart’s tire smoking 4.133 @ 209.07 mph. Round two she picked up the win over Shawn Reed with a solid 3.701 @ 325.92 mph to Reed’s 3.722 @ 328.62 mph. Her semifinal round match up with Clay Millican, she would put the quickest run of eliminations up on the board 3.666 @ 331.85 mph to Millican’s 3.705 @ 329.99 mph. She would then defeat Doug Kalitta in the final as Kalitta’s Mac Tools dragster lost traction nearly immediately after he stepped on the throttle.
In Funny Car, Austin Prock came into the event with a solid points lead over teammate Jack Beckman who is earning points for the injured team owner John Force. Prock ran the table much like his Top Fuel teammate Brittany Force did; qualified on the pole and scored the event win. Prock had the second-best car of race day behind only his teammate Jack Beckman. Prock defeated Tim Gibbons in round one with a 3.866 @ 332.84 mph run. Round two Cruz Pedregon fell to Prock’s 3.859 @ 323.43 mph. His semifinal opponent Blake Alexander lost traction at the hit of the throttle and could only watch Prock put another 3.859 @ 328.54 mph run on the board. Prock would then take on Paul Lee in the final, who defeated Beckman in the previous round on a hole shot. Lee cut a .054 rt to Beckman’s .063 rt, Lee’s 3.834 @ 330.23 mph was just enough to hold off Beckman’s quicker 3.827 @ 323.04 mph run. Prock saved his best run of eliminations for last, running a 3.83 et to Lee’s 3.982 et.
In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn arrived in Las Vegas with the points lead but would not leave with it. Glenn, who qualified fifth, squared off against the number 12 qualifier Christian Cuadra in round one. Cuadra cut a .005 rt to Glenn’s .023 rt and then drove away with a 6.622 @ 205.38 mph to Glenn’s 6.635 @ 204.51 mph. With Glenn on the trailer this opened the door for several other drivers but it would be Aaron Stanfield coming out on top with the points lead and the event trophy. Stanfield worked his way through the field to eventually match up with five-time champion Greg Anderson in the final round. Using his quick reflexes, Stanfield cut .023 rt and ran a 6.606 @206.13 mph to defeat Anderson’s .043 rt and his quicker 6.591 @ 206.39 mph.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle class was the Gaige Herrera show. Herrera qualified on the pole and then ran low elapse time of every round of eliminations. In round one he ran a 6.854 @ 195.99 mph. Round two he lowered the boom with his 6.868 @ 195.36 mph. In the semifinal round he lowered it even further with a 6.818 @ 196.30 mph. He saved the best for last, running a 6.798 @ 197.16 mph in the final round to defeat Angie Smith and score the event trophy and extend his points lead.
The NHRA Mission Foods drag racing series will make its way to In-N-Out Burger Raceway at Pomona for the next event in the 2024 season, Nov. 14 through 17.
