Tommy Johnson Jr. charged to the Funny Car title in the Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway on Sunday. The Dodge Nationals is the third race of the six contest Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
Antron “Get Down” Brown sped off to victory in the Top Fuel category. Pro Stock driver Vincent Noble clawed his way to the finals and won over Greg Anderson. Both speedsters were also victorious in their respective categories at the 21st race on the 2016 NHRA schedule.
Tommy Johnson Jr. charged his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger to a 3.895 second time at 330.63 miles per hour in the last round. The pass was good enough to upset his teammate and current points leader Ron Capps.
Ron Capps burst down the quarter-mile in 3.911 seconds at 324.12 miles per hour. Unfortunately, he came up a little short in his Napa Auto Parts Dodge Charger. As a result, Tommy Johnson has been to the final round in all three NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship races.
Furthermore, it was the veteran’s 14th career win and his second of the 2016 season. events, claimed his 14th career victory, second of the season. Finally, it was Tommy Johnson Jr.’s first at Maple Grove Raceway.
Currently, Tommy Johnson Jr. sits second in the point standings. He only trails Ron Capps by 24 clicks. Tommy Johnson Jr. also raced past Cruz Pedregon, Mike Smith, and Jack Beckman on his way to the final. Capps bested Las Vegas champ Alexis DeJoria, Tim Wilkerson, and also the number one qualifier Matt Hagan, to face off against his stablemate.
“You want to have a strong start in the Countdown; we knew that going into it,” said Tommy Johnson, who was runner-up at this event in 2014. “We went from seventh to fourth in Charlotte. The runner-up is also good. Then we went to St. Louis and got another runner-up and went to second. At that point, I said I’d be happy with four more runner-ups, but when you look in the other lane and it’s Capps, who’s also leading the points, it’s a must-win. You’ve got to gain some ground.”
In the Top Fuel division, Antron Brown willed his Matco Tools dragster to a 3.721 second pass at 317.34 miles per hour. It was fast enough to top to Brittany Force’s 3.721 second run at 324.67 miles per hour in her Monster Energy dragster. Luckily, Brown had the quicker reaction time and claimed victory via a hole-shot.
The reigning and defending NHRA Mello Yello Series champion tallied his 60th career win. It also was Brown’s sixth of the 2016 season. Impressively, the win was his second straight at Maple Grove Raceway.
Antron Brown retained his first-place standing in Top Fuel division with the victory. He blew past Sonoma winner J.R. Todd, Clay Millican, and three-time 2016 winner Shawn Langdon in the first three sets.
“St. Louis didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of time left in this championship race,” said Brown. Brown was knocked out in the first round last weekend. “There’s three more races left and we’re also going to have to fight hard. Ain’t nobody going to give you the championship.”
Brittany Force beat Larry Dixon, who was making his first appearance of the season. She also swept past Doug Kalitta. Kalitta has won three times in 2016. Her last victim before reaching the finals was Leah Pritchett.
As of now, Doug Kalitta resides in the second spot, 77 points back of Antron Brown. Brittany Force is in third, followed by Shawn Langdon and eight time NHRA champion Tony Schumacher.
Pro Stock competitor Vincent Nobile captured his first win of the season of by posting a 6.575 second pass at 209.85 miles per hour. His Mountain View Tire Camaro defeated Greg Anderson. Anderson was going for his eighth event triumph of the season. He sped down the track with a 6.582 second clip at 210.37 miles per hour in his Summit Racing Camaro.
Vincent Nobile came into the contest with two runner-up finishes on the season. The victory ended a 56 race drought with the win. Furthermore, it was the tenth win of his career and moved him into third in the point standings. Greg Anderson’s teammate Jason Line sits in second place after the Dodge Nationals.
“It was a big day for Mountain View Racing and NAPA Auto Parts,” said Nobile. “We got the Chevrolet in the winner’s circle, and I’m semi-speechless. We turned it around right at the right time. Don’t get me wrong, at the beginning of the year we were like, ‘Give us our carburetors back.’ It certainly was a pain in the butt, not necessarily for me as a driver but for the crew chiefs and the guys working on the car.”
The NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship continues October 13th-16th win the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas.
