BRISTOL, Tenn. — It was a doubleheader day for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series at Bristol Dragway, as the rain-delayed New England Nationals and qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals simultaneously took place on Saturday.
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel) and Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) earned the New England national event wins, while Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Hererra (Pro Stock Motorcycle) topped qualifying for Sunday’s Thunder Valley Nationals
Top Fuel — Ashley Picks Up Win No. 3
The Top Fuel class kicked off the double dip, as Friday night’s first round results dictated the matchups for Saturday afternoon.
During the quarterfinals for the New England Nationals, Steve Torrence defeated Antron Brown, Ashley took out Brittany Force, Tony Schumacher moved up after his single-car run and Mike Salinas won against Pruett.
In the semifinals, Ashley stomped Torrence in their matchup and Schumacher passed Salinas.
The third-year NHRA driver then lined up against the eight-time Top Fuel champion in the final round, on the eve of Schumacher’s induction at Bristol Dragway as a “Legend of Thunder Valley.”
But Ashley was undeniable, passing Schumacher with a 3.846-second run at 324.12 mph. At the top end of the drag strip, the Phillips Connect driver was crowned champion of the New England Nationals — and also earned the Mission #2Fast2Tasty bonus win.
“When you go into the weekend knowing you not only have an opportunity to win, but knowing that we have three opportunities to win and having the team take care of two of them already, it’s just so significant,” Ashley said. “Second round, we went out there and blew some stuff up just trying to get a win and then came back and turned it around.”
It was the first win for Ashley with the newly merged Ashley Maynard Racing team and the eighth of his career.
Tony Stewart Racing’s Leah Pruett was lead qualifier for Sunday’s Thunder Valley Nationals, as her quick time from Friday (3.745 seconds, 322.42 mph) held over through Saturday’s sessions. It is her first No. 1 award of the season.
Force, Torrence, Ashley and Salinas completed the top five in qualifying.
Funny Car — Tasca Triumphs
The Funny Car field also picked where they left off, with some drivers going rounds for New England Nationals eliminations and others putting down fast laps for Thunder Valley qualifying.
In the New England quarterfinals, Chad Green advanced, J.R. Todd shut the door on Matt Hagan and 16-time champion John Force defeated Alex Laughlin. Also, Tasca eliminated Robert Hight after the John Force Racing driver got sideways and crossed the center line.
During the semifinals, Tasca triumphed over Green, while Force shot past Todd as the two Funny Cars neared the finish line. In the final elimination of the day, Tasca’s crew watched in nervous anticipation as he staged in the right lane, across from Force.
“To race John Force in the finals, I mean, okay, maybe he’s lost a little bit of his edge, but I can tell you right now, at his age, to do what he does out here, it will never be done by anybody,” Tasca said. “It’s like getting to play against Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan in your respective profession.”
Trip To Bristol Delivers John Force A Feeling Of Certainty
When the Christmas tree turned green, Tasca rocketed down the quarter-mile strip and flipped the win light against Force with a 4.032-second run at 322 mph. It was the 13th win of his career and his first New England Nationals triumph. He also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
“If I’m going to win a race in the final round, to have John Force alongside me for the New England Nationals trophy — it’s going to be a long time before I forget that,” Tasca said.
As far as qualifying results for the Thunder Valley Nationals that will be contested on Sunday, Hight kept a tight grip on the No. 1 qualifier position with his Friday run of 3.938 seconds at 321.35 mph.
Ron Capps, Green, Tasca and Alexis DeJoria completed the top five in qualifying.
Pro Stock — Enders Stays The Course
Enders stayed the course during Saturday’s qualifying sessions for Pro Stock, surging to collect her first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 30th of her career.
“Definitely feel a lot more confident than I have going into the other Sunday’s this season,” Enders said. “It’s nice to have a race car back underneath us, that’s truly exciting, and we just have to go to work tomorrow and execute the best that we can.”
Her time from the second session — 6.627 seconds at 205.88 mph — held as the fast lap.
In The Face Of Frustration, Enders Keeps The Faith
Aaron Stanfield, Cristian Cuadra, Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn completed the top five in qualifying.
Also, Elite Motorsports driver Stanfield won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in the Pro Stock category, defeating KB Titan Racing’s Glenn with a 6.637-second run at 206.32 mph.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Hererra Does It Again
Vance & Hines rider Hererra refused to relinquish his spot atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle field during qualifying on Saturday afternoon at Bristol Dragway.
“I was glad to get the holeshot and come out on top,” Hererra said. “This whole season has been a dream come true, to do it the way we’ve been doing it.”
He also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus event, defeating Hector Arrana with the combination of a .009 reaction time, 6.849-second run and 194.83 mph speed. He will head into Sunday’s eliminations as the No. 1 qualifier, hoping to extend his season-long win streak.
Hector Arana Jr., Eddie Krawiec, Angie Smith and Chip Ellis completed the top five.