NHRA News
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BROWN TAKES OVER TOP FUEL POINTS LEAD WITH HOUSTON WIN: Antron Brown raced to his third win of the season at the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals and takes over the points lead from Doug Kalitta. Erica Enders-Stevens (Pro Stock) and Robert Hight (Funny Car) also took home wins in the Lone Star state. Brown defeated Pomona winner Khalid alBalooshi for his second win at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston.
"We have a lot of respect for the Al-Anabi guys," said Brown. "You have to beat them to contend for the championship because it goes through them. We get up for that challenge whenever we race them. Any time we beat them, it’s like hitting the jackpot. There are a lot of good teams out here, and we don’t take anybody lightly."
For more on the story visit www.NHRA.com.
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ENDERS-STEVENS WINS 99TH NATIONAL EVENT BY A FEMALE RACER: With her victory in her hometown of Houston, Erica Enders-Stevens notched the 99th victory by a female in the history of the NHRA. The 100th victory is an important milestone in the sport and Enders-Stevens hopes to capture the historic victory.
“The ball’s in our court,” Enders-Stevens said. “We’ve got to carry the momentum. That’s important in this game, and I know I keep saying that, but it’s huge, and we’re going to keep carrying it as long as we can. Pro Stock really goes in cycles, so I’m really hoping this is our cycle, and we’re going to keep fighting for it.”
The march to 100 has also garnered media coverage for Enders-Stevens and all the women in the NHRA. Stories on the NHRA can be found on the clip section of www.NHRA.com.
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LUCAS OIL EXTENDS MULTI-LEVEL PARTNERSHIP WITH NHRA: Lucas Oil Products signed a multi-year extension with the NHRA to remain one of the drag-racing sanctioning body’s cornerstone sponsors. The all-encompassing partnership includes series sponsorship of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, title rights sponsorship of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, naming rights at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and designation as the Official Oil of NHRA.
“With our long-time involvement in the NHRA with the sportsman series sponsorship, drag racing has been a significant part of our lives,” said Forrest Lucas, CEO of Lucas Oil Products. “From the grassroots level of the sport, all the way up to the Top Fuel dragsters, for almost two decades, we at Lucas Oil have proudly supported numerous forms of motorsports to demonstrate the quality of our products under extreme racing conditions. From the very beginning, our participation in these events has given us the opportunity to interact with the very people who purchase and use our products. The Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series is extremely effective in helping us achieve our goals.”
For more on the story visit www.NHRA.com.
He Said, She Said
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"I think it’s a terrific thing. A lot of ladies played a big part in getting to 100 wins and it’s good for the sport. Anything that shows women can be competitive with men and come out on top, it’s a good thing. There are a lot of cars capable of getting that 100th win."
—Historic racer Shirley Muldowney on women accounting for 99 wins in the history of the NHRA. The 100th win could come at the upcoming event—the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. For more on this story visit, www.NHRA.com.
Inside the Numbers
13: Number of consecutive Funny Car final rounds dating to the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in September of 2013 that has featured at least one Funny Car from John Force Racing. JFR drivers have won nine of those final rounds, the most recent by Robert Hight in Houston. Hight has five wins in that stretch with John Force accounting for four victories. Hight has also raced to five of six final-round appearances to start the 2014 season.
"When you win one of these races, it’s an accomplishment. To have this as my third win of the year, just shows how steady my team is," Hight said. "Truthfully, that just puts more pressure on me because when that car goes up there and runs like it does, a bracket car, all I can do is screw it up. I have got to do my job."
Did You Know
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JOHNSON NOTCHES FIRST NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITION OF THE SEASON: Allen Johnson, the 2012 Pro Stock world champion, garnered his first No. 1 qualifying season in Houston with his run of 6.555 seconds at 211.63. It also marked the first time he had a No. 1 qualifier since the St. Louis event in 2013. This was the first time that Johnson raced his new Dodge Dart to the top of the charts to lead the category into eliminations on Sunday. With his runner-up finish he moves to second in points, 77 behind Enders-Stevens.
View the complete 2014 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.