NHRA Carolina Nationals Sunday preview
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NHRA Carolina Nationals Sunday preview
22 Sep 2024 Phil Burgess, NHRA National Dragster Editor
Race coverage
NHRA Carolina Nationals
It’s raceday for the second of six events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship playoffs at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
It’s still too early to win the championship but not too soon for another disastrous outing to spoil your chances, and with temperatures predicted to reach the high 80s, the crew chiefs will be put to the test.
Top Fuel low qualifier Brittany Force is hoping to pull off the feat by her former Funny Car teammate Robert Hight, who went from 10th entering the 2009 Countdown to first place at season’s end. Force started the Countdown ninth but lost in round one at the playoff opener in Reading, so she needs to carry the momentum of her No. 1 spot deep into eliminations today.
Points leader Justin Ashley’s gap to second-place Antron Brown is just seven points but while Ashley got down the track on all four runs, including a best-of-session pass in Q4, Brown only made it down one in four tries.
Matt Hagan and Austin Prock traded blows in qualifying and it appears that Hagan’s crew chief Dickie Venables may have found his mojo. The team didn’t make a full run Saturday while they worked on their fuel curve for today’s hot weather while Prock didn’t make a full pull in Q4.
Prock’s lead over second-place Bob Tasca III is a comfortable 89 points so he’ll undoubtedly lead Charlotte with the points lead. If he wins round one against Dave Richards, Hagan will get a bye into the semi’s.
Six-time Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders had low e.t. of all four qualifying sessions and enters eliminations as the favorite as she tries to close the gap from third place on points leader Aaron Stanfield and second-place Dallas Glenn. Enders, of course, remains on the cusp of a milestone 50th career win, a mark that she’s been gunning for through a 14-race win drought this season.
Stanfield finished second behind Enders in two of the four sessions while Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin also accomplished the same feat, meaning that all are capable of closing on her.
With the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship battle down to less than a round’s worth of points, low qualifier Matt Sith and world champ Gaige Herrera, the No. 2 qualifier, would love to meet in the final round.
Smith will have a bye run for being the low qualifier in the 15-bike field while Herrera will have to deal with his teammate, No. 3 qualifier Richard Gadson, to reach the final; they could meet in the semifinals.
2024 EVENT WINNERS
Doug Kalitta, Top Fuel; Bob Tasca III, Funny Car; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock; Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle.
MOST EVENT VICTORIES
Antron Brown, 3, TF; Robert Hight, 4, FC; Jason Line, 3 PS; Andrew Hines, 5, PSM.
TRACK RECORDS
Top Fuel – 3.647 seconds by Mike Salinas, Sept. ’23; 338.00 mph by Salinas, Sept. ’23.
Funny Car – 3.820 seconds by John Force, April ’24; 338.34 mph by Bob Tasca III, April ’24.
Pro Stock – 6.455 seconds by Jason Line, Mar. ’15; 215.48 mph by Greg Anderson, Mar. ’15.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.671 seconds by Gaige Herrera, April ‘24; 203.49 mph by Eddie Krawiec, May ‘21.
NATIONAL RECORDS
Top Fuel – 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. ’19, Reading, Pa.; 338.94 mph by B. Force, Nov. ’22, Pomona, Calif.
Funny Car – 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. ’17, Brainerd; 339.87 mph by Robert Hight, July ’17, Sonoma, Calif.
Pro Stock – 6.450 sec. by Erica Enders, March ’22, Gainesville; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ’14, Englishtown. N.J.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.627 sec. by Gaige Herrera, Oct. ’23, Gainesville, Fla.; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July ’21, Sonoma, Calif.
