The first race of the 2015 season for NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series brings with it a surge of optimism for all the race teams. With a clean slate in a new year to build upon most teams aimed for the fences to grab the most points at the 55th NHRA Winternationals at historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
2013 Top Fuel Champion Shawn Langdon raced to the quickest Top Fuel time in NHRA history to take the top qualifying position in a rain-shortened day of Professional Qualifying on Saturday at the Winternationals with the final round of cancelled due to the rain. Langdon, who lost his team’s sponsorship in the recent off season, came back making a statement for the coming year, although it may become a shortened season without a sponsor.
Courtney Force in Funny Car and Erica Enders-Stevens in her Camaro Pro Stock also led their respective categories into Sunday’s eliminations at the Fairplex track at Pomona, California. Having lost longtime sponsor Ford, John Force Racing switched the vinyl on their existing Mustang funny car bodies by gaining backing from Chevrolet Racing and the Camaro. A new Camaro body is in the works for later this season.
Langdon set the track record elapsed time with a killer run of 3.700-seconds at 328.30 mph in Alan Johnson’s Knuckle Sandwich/AJPE top fuel dragster. Langdon’s time would become a national record if he could make another run within one percent of his third session run — a time of 3.737 or quicker. This was the 17th time in Langdon’s career that he secured the No. 1 qualifier spot and began eliminations against #16 Steve Chrisman.
In Sunday Eliminations, reigning Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan opened the new NHRA season by racing to victory. In Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Jason Line’s Camaro Pro Stock were also were winners at the first of 24 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events.
After overcoming a spectacular engine explosion during qualifying on Friday, Hagan and his team changed to a back-up body to qualify 12th on Saturday. He then powered his Rocky Boots/Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T to four round wins on Sunday, including a final-round performance of 4.011 seconds at 320.89 mph to hold off his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Ron Capps at the finish line. Capps’ NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T finished in 4.078 at 314.90. It was Hagan’s second-straight Pomona win, fourth victory overall at this track and his first Winternationals win.
Hagan’s said confidence in his 10,000-horsepower DSR funny car never wavered after the qualifying fireball. “You try to put it out of your mind and not think about it,” Hagan said. “These [racecars] are animals out there and you never know what you are going to get when you crawl in there to drive one. It’s always an experience. You have to respect it, but you can’t fear it.”
Langdon (far lane) scored the Winternationals Top Fuel victory in dramatic fashion by edging rival Antron Brown’s Matco Tools dragster at the finish line in the final round. The 2013 Top Fuel Champion, who entered this race without a full time sponsor but had support from Food Network star Guy Fieri this weekend, drove the Knuckle Sandwich/AJPE dragster to a time of 3.799 at 309.91 to finish in front of Brown, whose machine stopped the clocks in 3.804 at 310.70.
It was Langdon’s second Winternationals win and the 10th victory of his career. The win gave the team much needed momentum after their sponsor Al-Anabi Racing from the country of Qatar pulled funding from the team just weeks before the season opener.
“We had a lot going on positively with Guy Fieri here this weekend,” Langdon continued. “We had to come out here and do well and make a statement. Now we’ll take what we did here and move on to Phoenix and continue what we are doing. We are still looking for sponsorship and trying to do the best we can.”
Jason Line (near lane) claimed his fourth Winternationals Pro Stock victory by outrunning rookie Drew Skillman in the final round. Line powered his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro to a winning performance of 6.545 at 211.83, while Skillman’s Skillman Chevrolet Camaro trailed with a 6.556 at 211.13. It was Line’s 36th career victory and the 91st Pro Stock win for a Chevy Camaro, a record in the category.
“It’s great to get off to a good start,” Line said. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to come here and do this well. I didn’t think the off-season had gone well enough for us, but apparently it has. And it feels great to win.”
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POMONA, Calif. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 55th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the first of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
- Shawn Langdon; 2. Antron Brown; 3. Larry Dixon; (shown) 4. Spencer Massey; 5. Leah Pritchett; 6. Steve Torrence; 7. Doug Kalitta; 8. Richie Crampton; 9. Tony Schumacher; 10. Brittany Force; 11. Troy Buff; 12. Dave Connolly; 13. Steven Chrisman; 14. Clay Millican; 15. J.R. Todd; 16. Terry McMillen.
FUNNY CAR:
- Matt Hagan; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Del Worsham; 4. Robert Hight; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 6. Courtney Force; 7. John Hale; 8. Bob Bode; 9. Alexis DeJoria; (shown) 10. Tony Pedregon; 11. Tim Wilkerson; 12. Jeff Arend; 13. Cruz Pedregon; 14. Gary Densham; 15. John Force; 16. Chad Head.
Newcomer John Hale has taken over driving Big Jim Dunn’s Dodge Charger Nitro Funny Car for this season, the cool, retro designed uniforms garnered the best appearing crew Wally and Hale went on to defeat Cruz Pedregon in the first round of eliminations.
PRO STOCK:
- Jason Line; 2. Drew Skillman; 3. Rodger Brogdon; 4. Erica Enders-Stevens; 5. Chris McGaha; 6. Larry Morgan; (shown) 7. Shane Gray; 8. Allen Johnson; 9. Vincent Nobile; 10. Jonathan Gray; 11. V. Gaines; 12. Deric Kramer; 13. Greg Anderson;
14. Matt Hartford; (shown) 15. Joey Grose; 16. Jimmy Alund.
Sunday’s Sportsman final results from the 55th annual Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the first of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:
Chris Demke (near lane), Tujunga, Calif., faced off with Shawn Cowie who got the early lead only to see Demke chase him down for his 16th NHRA national event win, posting his quickest pass of the weekend at 5.264 seconds, 273.88 mph. Demke had the lead by the 330’ mark and won by a tenth of a second as Cowie, Delta, B.C., crossed the finish line at 5.367, 268.33.
Jonnie Lindberg became the 100th different driver to win an NHRA national event in the Top Alcohol Funny Car class. The Swedish driver had to run down Brian Hough, a former NHRA Northwest Division Champion, who was looking for his eighth win on the national circuit.
Lindberg ran 5.40’s and 5.50’s throughout eliminations defeating three local drivers in his earlier round match ups. The first time winner defeated Mike Drake, Glendora, Calif., in round 1; John Lombardo Jr., Brea, Calif., in round 2; and Claremont, Calif., resident Jay Payne in the semifinals.
In Top Fuel Harley it was Len Darnell, Vancouver, Wash., leading from start to finish with a strong final round pass against Joey Stenotti, Naples, Fla. Darnell, the number three qualifier, ran 6.822 seconds at 174.87 to defeat Stenotti who suffered mechanical problems early in the run.
This is the first of four stops in 2015 for the NHRA Harley-Davidson Drag Racing Series at NHRA National events. The series also joins the NHRA Lucas Oil Series at ten events across the country.
Alan Ellis, Mapleton, Utah, wheeled his ‘23 roadster past former national champion Dean Cater, Glendale, Ariz., for the win in Competition Eliminator. Ellis out ran Cater to earn his 7th national event win with a lap of 6.543, 205.72 mph.
Dean Carter (near lane), who has seven wins ran a strong 7.054, 190.06 in his nostalgia dragster, a solid competitor in the NHRA’s Hot Rod Heritage Series.
Jody Lang from Puyallup, Wash., took the win over Jeff Jerome, Los Angeles, in Stock Eliminator at historic Auto Club Raceway. Lang earned his 24th win with a strong 12.202 second run on a 12.18 dial in.
Rounding out the winners were Cody Lane (shown) , North Bend, Wash. won in Super Stock bagging his second national win in a double breakout run with former Stock National Champion Justin Lamb, Henderson, Nev. The two left the line together with Lane’s SS/BS 2005 Cavalier winning the match.
Dave Crawford, Deitt, Iowa won in Super Comp, this was his second win as well as he outran 23-time Super Comp winner Jimmy Lewis, Forney, Texas, with an 8.910, 179.97 mph run.
This was Crawford’s second win as well as he outran 23-time Super Comp winner Jimmy Lewis, Forney, Texas, with an 8.910, 179.97 mph run.
Steve Williams, in his ’63 Corvette roadster, picked up his 9th win and his first at historic Auto Club Raceway. Williams drove past Hollis Colleasure, San Dimas, Calif., and his ‘27 roadster for the win in Super Gas.
Steve Williams’ Super Gas ’63 Corvette roadster, Williams is an avid racer and Vice President of K&N Engineering.
The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues Feb. 20-22 with the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix.
Super Stock winner at Pomona was CODY LANE not Cody LANG!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for covering the little guys in sportsman NHRA drags.