ENNIS, Texas – Antron Brown furthered his points lead in Top Fuel on Sunday by racing to victory at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Drew Skillman (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners in their respective categories.
Brown, the No. 1 qualifier, sprinted to a 3.744-second pass at 321.12 mph to defeat Steve Torrence’s 3.750 at 323.12 in his Capco Contractors dragster. It marks Brown’s 61st career win, seventh of the season and third at the Texas Motorplex. He extended his lead over second-place Doug Kalitta by 150 points with the win. Brown outlasted Chris Karamesines, Kalitta and J.R. Todd in the earlier rounds.
“We had a great drag race out there,” said two-time and reigning world champion Brown. “It could’ve went either way. We were both close on the tree, but we snuck one out there. Nobody is blowing people out anymore. The only way you win is by inches. To win that final was monumental for our team. We needed to do that. We’re still not done working yet.”
Torrence raced past Clay Millican, Leah Pritchett and Shawn Langdon en route to his seventh final round appearance of the season. The runner-up finish bumped Torrence up to fifth in points.
Hagan pushed to a 3.913 at 327.03 to beat points-leader Ron Capps’ 3.906 at 322.19 on a holeshot in the Funny Car final round. Hagan claimed his fourth victory of the year and 22nd of his career. He moved to third in points, trailing Capps by 88 and second-place Tommy Johnson, Jr. by 24. He defeated John Bojec, Houston winner Courtney Force and No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight in the earlier rounds.
“That was a huge round,” said Hagan. “It’s just unfortunate that we’re facing (Ron Capps) so late in rounds. In Reading I had him in the semi’s and he spanked me on the tree, and this time I was able to get a little payback. I actually try to minimize everything out of my control and just focus on leaving on time, keeping it in the groove, and turning on the win light, and let the rest take care of itself. We can’t worry about who might mess up or how many rounds someone might go. We just need to do the best job we can and turn on as many win lights as we can.”
Capps outlasted Tim Wilkerson, Jack Beckman Del Worsham in the earlier rounds. Capps became the 15th driver in NHRA history to appear in 100 final rounds.
In Pro Stock, Skillman notched a 6.661 at 209.36 to knock off Alex Laughlin’s 6.708 at 208.30. Skillman tallied his third career win with the performance. He eliminated Chris McGaha, points leader Jason Line and Shane Gray in the earlier rounds.
“We have struggled so badly with this race car,” said Skillman. “We were lost, and going into the Countdown that’s the worst time of the year to be lost. We had some luck on our side this weekend. I drove decent, and the car at least went. We’re going the right direction, I think. We need to test again. We’re going to get back out there. We’re going to hit these last two races hard, so that’s where we’re going to go.”
Laughlin raced past Jeg Coughlin, Jr., Shane Tucker and Greg Anderson.
Krawiec rode to a 6.880 at 196.36 in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round to cross the finish line before Jerry Savoie, who posted a 6.856 at 196.76. Krawiec claimed his fifth win of the season, 36th of his career and second at the Texas Motorplex. Krawiec beat Karen Stoffer, Hector Arana and LE Tonglet to appear in his seventh final round of the season.
“Anytime you’ve got to race (Savoie), you’ve got to be focused,” said Krawiec, who now has a 17-point lead over teammate Andrew Hines. “As a matter of fact, you have to be focused for just about anybody out there. When you look at this category as a whole right now, it’s some of the best racing that there could be. You see LE (Tonglet) came up from nowhere and took Andrew out, then I’ve got to run him, and we run almost neck and neck with each other. You have to be on your game every single round here, no matter who you’re racing and who’s in that other lane.”
Savoie qualified No. 1 and sprinted past Joe DeSantis, Matt Smith and Angelle Sampey before losing to Krawiec.
The NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship continues at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 27-30, with the NHRA Toyota Nationals.
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
Texas Motorplex – Ennis, Texas
AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals – Oct. 16, 2016
Final Finish Order (1-16)
TOP FUEL
1. Antron Brown; 2. Steve Torrence; 3. Shawn Langdon; 4. J.R. Todd; 5. Tony Schumacher; 6. Doug Kalitta; 7. Leah Pritchett; 8. Brittany Force; 9. Larry Dixon; 10. Troy Buff; 11. Terry McMillen; 12. Kebin Kinsley; 13. Scott Palmer; 14. Chris Karamesines; 15. Richie Crampton; 16. Clay Millican.
FUNNY CAR
1. Matt Hagan; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Del Worsham; 4. Robert Hight; 5. Alexis DeJoria; 6. Jack Beckman; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 8. Courtney Force; 9. Chad Head; 10. Cruz Pedregon; 11. Dave Richards; 12. John Bojec; 13. John Hale; 14. Tim Wilkerson; 15. Brandon Welch; 16. John Force.
PRO STOCK
1. Drew Skillman; 2. Alex Laughlin; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Shane Gray; 5. Jason Line; 6. Bo Butner; 7. Shane Tucker; 8. Allen Johnson; 9. Jeg Coughlin; 10. Deric Kramer; 11. Aaron Strong; 12. Vincent Nobile; 13. Erica Enders; 14. Kenny Delco; 15. Chris McGaha; 16. Alan Prusiensky.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1. Eddie Krawiec; 2. Jerry Savoie; 3. LE Tonglet; 4. Angelle Sampey; 5. Andrew Hines; 6. Matt Smith; 7. Hector Arana; 8. Chip Ellis; 9. Steve Johnson; 10. Karen Stoffer; 11. Cory Reed; 12. Melissa Surber; 13. Shawn Gann; 14. Joey Gladstone; 15. Hector Arana Jr; 16. Joe DeSantis.
Sunday’s Final Results
Top Fuel — Antron Brown, 3.744 seconds, 321.12 mph def. Steve Torrence, 3.750 seconds, 323.12 mph.
Funny Car — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.913, 327.03 def. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.906, 322.19.
Pro Stock — Drew Skillman, Chevy Camaro, 6.661, 209.36 def. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.708, 208.30.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.880, 196.36 def. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.856, 196.76.
Final Round-By-Round Results
TOP FUEL
ROUND ONE — Doug Kalitta, 3.715, 325.30 def. Richie Crampton, 4.815, 166.31; Brittany Force, 3.721, 325.69 def. Terry McMillen, 3.919, 307.16; Tony Schumacher, 3.720, 327.11 def. Kebin Kinsley, 3.963, 249.12; Antron Brown, 3.709, 325.53 def. Chris Karamesines, 4.705, 162.25; Leah Pritchett, 3.955, 232.55 def. Scott Palmer, 3.967, 307.44; Shawn Langdon, 3.725, 327.98 def. Larry Dixon, 3.786, 319.60; J.R. Todd, 3.723, 324.36 def. Troy Buff, 3.849, 313.58; Steve Torrence, 3.713, 327.43 def. Clay Millican, 6.269, 100.24; QUARTERFINALS — Todd, 3.724, 323.12 def. Force, 4.181, 245.00; Langdon, 3.756, 322.65 def. Schumacher, 3.751, 322.73; Torrence, 3.736, 314.61 def. Pritchett, 4.173, 246.93; Brown, 3.729, 320.74 def. Kalitta, 3.765, 327.19; SEMIFINALS — Torrence, 3.737, 325.92 def. Langdon, 3.765, 324.90; Brown, 3.731, 319.52 def. Todd, 3.849, 279.90; FINAL — Brown, 3.744, 321.12 def. Torrence, 3.750, 323.12.
FUNNY CAR
ROUND ONE — Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.866, 329.99 def. Brandon Welch, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.451, 133.33; Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.908, 325.92 def. Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 4.020, 308.21; Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.932, 312.57 def. John Hale, Charger, 4.070, 308.64; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.888, 330.63 def. John Bojec, Toyota Camry, 4.023, 288.95; Courtney Force, Camaro, 3.894, 324.20 def. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 3.959, 322.81; Del Worsham, Camry, 3.909, 328.14 def. Chad Head, Camry, 3.924, 323.74; Ron Capps, Charger, 3.859, 325.92 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 5.278, 147.04; Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.922, 324.36 def. John Force, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; QUARTERFINALS — Worsham, 3.907, 324.75 def. Johnson Jr., 4.036, 291.82; Capps, 3.964, 300.26 def. Beckman, 3.938, 320.51; Hight, 3.885, 329.83 def. DeJoria, 3.918, 326.00; Hagan, 3.896, 329.34 def. C. Force, Foul – Red Light; SEMIFINALS — Capps, 3.904, 321.35 def. Worsham, 3.900, 327.11; Hagan, 3.899, 327.19 def. Hight, 4.686, 171.38; FINAL — Hagan, 3.913, 327.03 def. Capps, 3.906, 322.19.
PRO STOCK
ROUND ONE — Drew Skillman, Chevy Camaro, 6.630, 209.10 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.743, 204.63; Allen Johnson, Dodge Dart, 6.648, 207.66 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.683, 207.08; Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.675, 207.53 def. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.669, 208.81; Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.608, 209.56 def. Aaron Strong, Camaro, 6.668, 206.80; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.607, 209.46 def. Erica Enders, Dart, Foul – Red Light; Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.620, 209.01 def. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.658, 207.21; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.602, 209.17 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, Foul – Red Light; Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.622, 208.33 def. Deric Kramer, Dart, 6.658, 208.10; QUARTERFINALS — Laughlin, 6.668, 208.39 def. Tucker, 6.709, 207.69; Gray, 6.626, 209.10 def. Butner, 6.691, 207.56; Anderson, 6.623, 208.91 def. Johnson, 7.762, 124.48; Skillman, 6.647, 208.91 def. Line, 6.632, 208.84; SEMIFINALS — Skillman, 6.670, 209.04 def. Gray, 6.681, 209.33; Laughlin, 6.637, 208.59 def. Anderson, 6.659, 209.14; FINAL — Skillman, 6.661, 209.36 def. Laughlin, 6.708, 208.30.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
ROUND ONE — Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.854, 194.91 def. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Hector Arana, Buell, 6.879, 194.94 def. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.958, 193.85; Chip Ellis, Buell, 7.163, 162.06 def. Melissa Surber, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.897, 193.93 def. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.944, 193.10; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.843, 196.30 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.924, 193.46; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.810, 196.36 def. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Matt Smith, 6.893, 194.35 def. Cory Reed, Buell, 6.926, 190.43; LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.847, 195.70 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.898, 194.02; QUARTERFINALS — Savoie, 6.853, 195.36 def. M. Smith, 6.958, 191.05; Sampey, 6.923, 193.18 def. Ellis, Foul – Red Light; Krawiec, 6.873, 195.62 def. Arana, 6.976, 194.16; Tonglet, 6.877, 195.39 def. Hines, 6.864, 195.59; SEMIFINALS — Savoie, 6.892, 195.48 def. Sampey, 6.946, 192.00; Krawiec, 6.905, 194.60 def. Tonglet, 6.944, 192.33; FINAL — Krawiec, 6.880, 196.36 def. Savoie, 6.856, 196.76.
Point Standings (Top 10)
Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 2,504; 2. Doug Kalitta, 2,354; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,332; 4. Brittany Force, 2,313; 5. Steve Torrence, 2,307; 6. Tony Schumacher, 2,295; 7. J.R. Todd, 2,260; 8. Leah Pritchett, 2,250; 9. Richie Crampton, 2,195; 10. Clay Millican, 2,168.
Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 2,465; 2. Tommy Johnson Jr., 2,401; 3. Matt Hagan, 2,377; 4. Jack Beckman, 2,334; 5. Del Worsham, 2,320; 6. Robert Hight, 2,278; 7. John Force, 2,267; 8. Courtney Force, 2,238; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 2,228; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,151.
Pro Stock
1. Jason Line, 2,454; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,428; 3. Vincent Nobile, 2,340; 4. Shane Gray, 2,320; 5. Bo Butner, 2,314; 6. Drew Skillman, 2,269; 7. Chris McGaha, 2,222; 8. Allen Johnson, 2,213; 9. Jeg Coughlin, 2,146; 10. Erica Enders, 2,135.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Eddie Krawiec, 2,425; 2. Andrew Hines, 2,408; 3. Jerry Savoie, 2,376; 4. Angelle Sampey, 2,365; 5. Chip Ellis, 2,328; 6. LE Tonglet, 2,288; 7. Cory Reed, 2,229; 8. Hector Arana, 2,211; 9. Matt Smith, 2,202; 10. Hector Arana Jr, 2,183.
