It was a NHRA U.S. Nationals to remember as Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) earned prestigious victories during Monday’s 68th annual event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Labor Day.
The characteristic buildup to the U.S. Nationals finale began on Friday as qualifying took center stage under the lights. The Pep Boys All-Star Callout novelty races pressurized the Funny Car and Top Fuel classes on Saturday and Sunday before eliminations for the “Big Go” commenced on Monday.
As the drivers and teams leave IRP, winners and losers alike, their attention turns to the Countdown to the Championship — the showdown is set for Sept. 15-18 at Pennsylvania’s Maple Grove Raceway.
Brittany Force Breaks Records In Qualifying, Falls Short In Eliminations
The Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac dragster driver was off to a solid start on Saturday as Force claimed the No. 1 qualifier mark with a 3.640-second pass at 337.75 mph.
“That was a killer run. Especially since we struggled every lap and then we finally got it figured out. It was outstanding,” Force said.
While it was more than fast enough to claim her seventh No. 1 of the season, Force’s run also landed her a spot as the fourth-fastest dragster in NHRA Top Fuel history. Force kept the momentum going during eliminations, stringing together four dominant victories before falling to Matco Tools/Toyota dragster driver Antron Brown in the final round.
Brown overtook Force with a 3.706 run, securing his 54th Top Fuel victory and his second class win at the U.S. Nationals — his last came in 2011.
“Thank God above, all the prayers, all the hard work. We’re making it happen,” said Brown, who is also in his first season as a team owner. “To be here in Indy, our hometown – I live eight miles from the track – I’m just super proud. My team did an incredible job.”
Brown’s emotional win allowed him to jump from outside the top-10 to sixth in the standings, giving him considerable momentum for the title chase.
Meanwhile, Force emerges from Indy with her head held high, despite falling tantalizingly short of victory in both eliminations and the All-Star Callout. Steve Torrence bested Force for the win in the specialty race on Saturday.
Force leads the standings entering the Countdown to the Championship.
After 27 Years, Ron Capps Wins At Indy
The first time Ron Capps attempted to win at the U.S. Nationals was in a Top Fuel dragster in 1995. Two years later, he took on IRP behind the wheel of a Funny Car and in 2017, he reached the final round of eliminations.
But on Monday, all the years of trying were made worth it as Capps finally hoisted the U.S. Nationals trophy with his wife and children by his side. The victory came in his 27th attempt at the U.S. Nationals and in his first season as a team owner.
“To not only win at Indy on Monday, finally, but to win the big callout race and get pole position all in one weekend. It was like I was held back, and held back, and held back, and then, the flood gates opened,” Capps said.
Capps certainly left his mark on Indy this year, defeating points leader Robert Hight with a breathtaking, 3.912-second run in the final round of eliminations. As an added bonus, his win in the Pep Boys Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday put an extra $80,000 in his pocket.
Capps’ successful weekend moved him past Matt Hagan in the standings, giving him the No. 2 position moving into the Countdown to the Championship. Hight will lead the field.
100th Career Win For Greg Anderson
Greg Anderson went two-for-two at Indy on Monday, picking up his seventh win at the U.S. Nationals and becoming the second driver in NHRA history to win 100 events.
After defeating his first three opponents in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, Anderson was up against Dallas Glenn for the final round. With a 6.587-second run at a peak speed of 208.07 mph, Anderson secured his spot in the record books.
“I don’t know if I can explain how meaningful this is,” Anderson said. “It’s incredible and this [100th] win was meant to happen here. Indy means everything to me and I’ve said it my whole career.”
Even with 99 other wins to compare it to, Anderson labels his win at Indy as the “most special win” of his career.
It’s back to the grindstone this week as Anderson prepares for the Countdown to the Championship. The five-time Pro Stock champion begins the six-race stretch at third in the points behind Aaron Stanfield and point leader Erica Enders.
Matt Smith Moves Into Pro Stock Motorcycle Points Lead
The defending world champ enjoyed an ideal weekend at Indy, utilizing his 6.872-second run to claim his first win at the U.S. Nationals since 2006.
Smith and his Denso Auto Parts EBR motorcycle faced off to Karen Stoffer in the final round. In the typical one-on-one fashion, Smith pulled ahead of Stoffer for the victory and also moved into the points lead as the class readies for the Countdown to the Championship.
“I’ve been to the finals a lot of times here and I’m just blessed to have two [Indy] wins. They better watch out for me,” Smith said. “We’ve got a good bike and we’re going to defend our championship.”