You’ve undoubtedly seen all the coverage from the NHRA World Finals in Pomona that featured all the Pro classes battling it out for championships and titles, but if you weren’t watching the livestreams and missed the sportsman classes, we’ve got highlight video right here. This is the stuff that r
eally drives us because these are the racers that are the real backbone of the NHRA, although sometimes people forget that. We’re talking about Stock Eliminator, the original small tire drag racing class, Super Stock which is like stock but with looser rules and a big tire allowed, Super Gas, and Super Comp which are index classes, and Competition Eliminator which is wide open at all kinds of levels. There’s also Top Dragster and Top Sportsman, as well as the heavy hitters of Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car. These are the categories that mostly make up NHRA Lucas Oil Sportsman Drag Racing and it is a lot of wheels up drag racing with killer finishes.
Check out all the action highlights in the video below and let us know what you think.
Video Description:
In her final race in the class before her planned move to Top Fuel next season, outgoing Top Alcohol Dragster world champ Julie Nataas defeated newly-crowned champ Shawn Cowie in the final round with a strong 5.18 pass.
Past world champ Shane Westerfield got back into the Top Alcohol Funny Car winner’s circle after a two-year absence, defeating Ray Martin, for the title. Six of Westerfield’s 17 career wins have come in Pomona, evenly split between the Winternationals and the Finals.
After sweeping both Las Vegas national events last season, Travis Gusso finished out 2024 with another big win, wheeling his H/A Cobalt to victory on Australian ace Jason Grima’s final-round red-light. J
ustin Jerome scored an emotional win to close out the season as he topped up-and-coming Shelby Williams in the Super Stock final. Jerome left first and closed the deal with a 10.616 against his 10.61 dial.
John McLaughlin wheeled his four-speed equipped ’70 Road Runner to his first national event title by beating Michael Wann in the Stock final. McLaughlin gave up a lead at the start, and won with a .03-over 10.56 after Wann broke out.
Bob VanPopering’s first career national event final-round appearance was a successful one as he claimed the Super Comp crown on Pomona on Nick Alejandre’s final-round foul.
In one of the biggest races of his long and successful career, Val Torres Sr. defeated Kris Whitfield in the final round to win the Super Gas world championship. Torres, a two-time Winternationals champ, won his second career Finals Wally with a 9.91 against Whitfield’s 9.88 breakout pass.
Ed Olpin closed out his 2024 season in the best way possible with a win in Right Trailers Top Dragster highlighted by a perfect .000 reaction time. Olpin ran 7.058 on his 7.03 dial while opponent Kevin Wright, who was nearly perfect in the semifinals, broke out by three-hundredths.
Canadian Joe Mellof was consistent on both ends of the track on his way to the win in Right Trailers Top Sportsman. Mellof turned on the win light in the final after Division 6 champ Robert Strohm fouled.
