If there is a “most memorable victory” to have ever personally witnessed in my NHRA drag racing career, the pro stock triumph of Aaron Strong in 2016 is probably it. Coming into the Northwest Nationals that year, the Washington-state based racer had never won a round in the category. Then he qualified 14th and like any good 14th qualifier in pro stock, the inevitable was about to happen against Greg Anderson in round one. And then he won.
And then he beat Erica Enders in round two. If that wasn’t wild enough, he dispatched Bo Butner in round three. Of course it rained next and halted eliminations. After conferring with the teams and the drivers, the final round would be run at the US Nationals, three weeks hence. Even that final against Vincent Nobile was looking pretty grim for the local racers from Washington. That was a full time car. Nobile had won loads of rounds, many races, and was certainly the odds on favorite to be the guy who ripped the head off the voodoo doll that Strong and team had used to stop their other opponents with breakage and bad luck, right?
Wrong.
You literally cannot make this up.
Hit the image below to check out the video of Aaron Strong getting his first pro stock win –
