History was made on Sunday in Topeka as Brittany Force and John Force were both in the Winner’s Circle for the NHRA Nationals. They have never won at the same event before, so this was pretty special for father and daughter and is pretty cool. The entire event was full of drama, and we’ll have editorials on some of that coming this week, but overall the event was something to remember for many. Check out NHRA’s full results recap, and video highlights, below.
B. FORCE, J. FORCE AND GLENN PICK UP WINS AT MENARDS NHRA NATIONALS
TOPEKA, Kan. – For the first time in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series history a father and child duo shared the winner’s circle, as Funny Car legend John Force and his daughter, Top Fuel star Brittany Force, picked up wins on Sunday at the Menards NHRA Nationals Presented By PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park.
Standout rookie Dallas Glenn also won in Pro Stock at the 11th race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.
The two Forces have shared No. 1 qualifying positions before but never a win, though that changed on Sunday. B. Force claimed the Top Fuel victory by capping off a standout weekend with a run of 3.783-seconds at 324.75 mph in her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster in the final round against Clay Millican. She qualified No. 1 and then beat Scott Palmer and points leader Steve Torrence to reach the final round. After qualifying No. 1 six times this year, including a current string of four straight races, B. Force earned her first win since 2019 and was thrilled to share it with her father.
“This will be one I’ll never forget. This has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember,” said B. Force, who moved to second in points. “I remember there have been so many close calls where we thought hey, this could be our day that we’re gonna double up. To win a race is hard enough and then to do it with your teammates, it’s almost impossible. So it’s like you almost put it on the backburner.
“To double up with your dad on the same day, where you both run well all weekend long, and then you double up, it just seems impossible. So today, we pulled off the impossible, and it’s pretty cool that we’ll always share this. This will be a special racetrack for us and it’s pretty cool to have that with him.”
Millican drove to his first final in 2021 and 17th in his career by beating Doug Kalitta, Mike Salinas, and Shawn Langdon. The veteran is now ninth in points.
In Funny Car, J. Force was consistent all weekend and capped it off by going 4.019 at 321.04 in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Blue DEF Chevrolet Camaro SS to beat No. 1 qualifier J.R. Todd in the final round. The victory gave him the points lead in Funny Car for the first time since 2014 and he became the first driver in the class to reach three wins this season. He defeated Paul Lee, teammate Robert Hight and Cruz Pedregon to reach his 260th final round and Force tracked down Todd to pick up his 154th career win.
“I had a good day,” J. Force said. “Robert was probably my toughest race because it’s hard to beat Robert. I just had a car that was pretty fast, wasn’t the quickest, but I got the win. What was special was, to do it with Brittany. With (daughters) Courtney and Ashley, I never got the chance because they were always Funny Car, and usually beat me but with Brittany, I finally got that double up. It means a lot. We’re a family of racers.
“It was a great day. J.R. Todd was out there and I tried to steal all I could on that tree. He was out there and I could see just the nose of him and then he got in trouble, and I got around him on the other end.”
Todd picked up victories over Ron Capps and Blake Alexander as he reached his second straight final round, fourth this season, and 39th in his career. Todd also jumped to third in points, behind only Capps and J. Force.
Pro Stock’s Glenn had a perfect .000 reaction time in the final round, allowing his run of 6.681 at 205.01 in his RAD Torque Systems/KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro to hold up in the final round against Kyle Koretsky. It was just the sixth perfect reaction time in a final round in Pro Stock, as Glenn earned his second victory in what’s become a standout rookie season. He advanced to the final by beating Deric Kramer, Matt Hartford, and No. 1 qualifier Troy Coughlin Jr. and was lights out on the starting line in the championship round.
“It’s hard to put this win into words,” Glenn said. “But it’s just like this is like dream come true. This season, it’s taught me a lot. I’ve had a lot of highs and I’ve had some lows where I’ve been struggling and we’ve gotten a little taste of everything this year.
“I felt like I did my job really well and the car is just working really good right now. I’m really excited for the Countdown (to the Championship) coming up here and Indy next because we’ve got a really fast car for it.”
Koretsky earned his second career final round thanks to victories against Rodger Brogdon, points leader Greg Anderson and defending world champ Erica Enders. Both the wins against Anderson and Enders came on holeshots.
The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns Aug. 18-22 with the 39th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn.
***
TOPEKA, Kan. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 32nd annual Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park. The race is the 11th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Brittany Force; 2. Clay Millican; 3. Steve Torrence; 4. Shawn Langdon; 5. Mike Salinas; 6. Billy Torrence; 7. Justin Ashley; 8. Leah Pruett; 9. Alex Laughlin; 10. Doug Kalitta; 11. Kyle Wurtzel; 12. Scott Palmer; 13. Terry Totten; 14. Antron Brown.
FUNNY CAR:
1. John Force; 2. J.R. Todd; 3. Cruz Pedregon; 4. Blake Alexander; 5. Ron Capps; 6. Alexis DeJoria; 7. Robert Hight; 8. Matt Hagan; 9. Bob Tasca III; 10. Tim Wilkerson; 11. Paul Lee; 12. Jack Wyatt; 13. Jim Campbell; 14. Chris King; 15. Chad Green.
PRO STOCK:
1. Dallas Glenn; 2. Kyle Koretsky; 3. Erica Enders; 4. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 5. Greg Anderson; 6. Matt Hartford; 7. Chris McGaha; 8. Aaron Stanfield; 9. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; 10. Deric Kramer; 11. Kenny Delco; 12. Cristian Cuadra; 13. Alan Prusiensky; 14. Rodger Brogdon; 15. Mason McGaha and Bruno Massel.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Sunday’s final results from the 32nd annual Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park. The race is the 11th of 20 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Brittany Force, 3.783 seconds, 324.75 mph def. Clay Millican, 3.830 seconds, 288.58 mph.
Funny Car — John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.019, 321.04 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota Camry, 4.453, 199.29.
Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.681, 205.01 def. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.651, 206.13.
Top Alcohol Dragster — Rachel Meyer, 5.258, 276.58 def. Jasmine Salinas, Foul – Red Light.
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.511, 265.64 def. Kris Hool, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.
Competition Eliminator — Greg Kamplain, Dragster, 6.955, 188.10 def. Travis Gusso, Pontic Sunfire, 8.262, 163.69.
Factory Stock Showdown — John Cerbone, Chevy Camaro, 7.912, 174.32 def. Leah Pruett, Dodge Challenger, 8.808, 169.76.
Super Stock — Wyatt Wagner, Chevy Camaro, 9.843, 131.96 def. Justin Lamb, Camaro, 8.418, 144.98.
Stock Eliminator — Chris Knudsen, Chevy Camaro, 10.910, 105.31 def. Randi Lyn Shipp, Pontiac Firebird, Foul – Red Light.
Super Comp — Austin Williams, Dragster, 8.944, 164.19 def. Christopher Dodd, Dragster, 8.947, 169.23.
Super Gas — Collin Becker, Chevy Camaro, 9.901, 163.41 def. Jaron Miller, Chevy Corvette, Foul – Red Light.
Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers — Dusty Meyer, Chevy S-10, 7.055, 189.68 def. Kyle Firestone, Chevy Bel Air, 6.955, 196.64.
Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers — Danny Nelson, Dragster, 6.124, 213.30 def. Prescott Dean, Dragster, 6.351, 215.55.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Final round-by-round results from the 32nd annual Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park, the 11th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Clay Millican, 3.732, 323.50 def. Doug Kalitta, 3.804, 317.64; Steve Torrence, 3.736, 325.61 def. Leah Pruett, 3.776, 319.75; Brittany Force, 3.774, 328.86 def. Scott Palmer, 3.892, 299.06; Billy Torrence, 3.796, 323.89 def. Terry Totten, 4.170, 246.26; Mike Salinas, 3.756, 324.36 def. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.870, 311.34; Justin Ashley, 3.807, 321.88 def. Alex Laughlin, 3.800, 317.87; Shawn Langdon, 3.900, 307.16 def. Antron Brown, 4.914, 155.78;
QUARTERFINALS — Force, 3.747, 329.02 was unopposed; Millican, 3.804, 315.19 def. Salinas, 3.789, 303.37; Langdon, 3.812, 313.80 def. B. Torrence, 3.822, 323.04; S. Torrence, 3.787, 320.36 def. Ashley, 3.824, 322.88;
SEMIFINALS — Force, 3.769, 326.24 def. S. Torrence, 3.814, 317.87; Millican, 4.561, 172.01 def. Langdon, 7.121, 85.03;
FINAL — Force, 3.783, 324.75 def. Millican, 3.830, 288.58.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 4.022, 314.97 def. Jim Campbell, Dodge Charger, 5.715, 121.04; Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 4.811, 190.86 def. Chris King, Toyota Camary, 7.384, 88.94; J.R. Todd, Camry, 5.527, 128.21 was unopposed; Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.936, 323.58 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.970, 322.04; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.920, 323.89 def. Jack Wyatt, Charger, 4.263, 243.28; John Force, Camaro, 3.975, 326.08 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.163, 267.16; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.014, 316.01 def. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.044, 286.68; Ron Capps, Charger, 3.955, 325.92 def. Chad Green, Mustang, Broke;
QUARTERFINALS — Todd, 3.996, 318.99 def. Capps, 3.994, 317.49; Force, 3.959, 324.36 def. Hight, 4.007, 312.86; Alexander, 4.126, 252.95 def. Hagan, 4.193, 276.13; Pedregon, 4.006, 311.20 def. DeJoria, 4.006, 319.52;
SEMIFINALS — Todd, 4.040, 315.64 def. Alexander, 5.222, 159.29; Force, 4.005, 321.35 def. Pedregon, 4.063, 303.91;
FINAL — Force, 4.019, 321.04 def. Todd, 4.453, 199.29.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Mason McGaha, Chevy Camaro, DQ and Bruno Massel, Camaro, DQ; Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.630, 206.16 def. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 12.388, 70.82; Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.665, 205.63 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.682, 205.66; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.646, 206.64 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.640, 206.48; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.624, 207.27 def. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.675, 205.22; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.624, 206.57 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.713, 204.20; Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.607, 205.22 def. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, Foul – Red Light; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.620, 206.92 def. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, Foul – Red Light;
QUARTERFINALS — Koretsky, 6.671, 205.60 def. Anderson, 6.655, 205.66; Glenn, 6.637, 207.11 def. Hartford, 6.655, 205.32; Coughlin Jr., 6.649, 205.04 was unopposed; Enders, 6.633, 206.61 def. C. McGaha, 6.669, 205.44;
SEMIFINALS — Glenn, 6.659, 206.92 def. Coughlin Jr., 6.683, 204.54; Koretsky, 6.653, 205.51 def. Enders, 6.648, 206.57;
FINAL — Glenn, 6.681, 205.01 def. Koretsky, 6.651, 206.13.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Point standings (top 10) following the 32nd annual Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park, the 11th of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence, 1,090; 2. Brittany Force, 748; 3. Antron Brown, 736; 4. Leah Pruett, 611; 5. Shawn Langdon, 587; 6. Mike Salinas, 571; 7. Justin Ashley, 523; 8. Billy Torrence, 510; 9. Clay Millican, 482; 10. Doug Kalitta, 471.
Funny Car
1. John Force, 816; 2. Ron Capps, 787; 3. J.R. Todd, 778; 4. Bob Tasca III, 766; 5. (tie) Matt Hagan, 748; Robert Hight, 748; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 691; 8. Cruz Pedregon, 610; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 574; 10. Blake Alexander, 417.
Pro Stock
1. Greg Anderson, 895; 2. Aaron Stanfield, 741; 3. Erica Enders, 725; 4. Dallas Glenn, 639; 5. Matt Hartford, 622; 6. Kyle Koretsky, 618; 7. Troy Coughlin Jr., 574; 8. Mason McGaha, 550; 9. Deric Kramer, 518; 10. Chris McGaha, 409.
My wife and I were there for our 1st ever NHRA top fuel race. It was an amazing experience. Only complaint is $5 water