Drag Racing Archives – Horsepower & Heels

Erica Enders wins Pro Stock World Championship

November 19, 2019 // by Horsepower & Heels

The stakes were high coming into the closing race of the NHRA season. It was down to the wire for Pro Stock driver, Erica Enders, battling to claim her third NHRA Pro Stock World Championship.

Gossip and drama in Qualifying

The suspense and drama began in qualifying. Enders, who has claimed three No. 1 qualifying spots in the countdown, and has qualified second at the last two races, would again earn the No. 2 position entering eliminations.

That’s where things get complicated. In what many viewed as a calculated move, rival Greg Anderson strategically placed himself at the bottom of the qualifying ladder in the No. 15 position, in hopes to send Enders home first round and give his Summit Racing teammates a chance at the Championship.

Not at all intimidated, Enders spoke at the top end following qualifying that she and Anderson have a long history of controversial encounters.

“That guy has hated losing to a girl since the day I first set foot out here and I plan to keep it that way,”
Erica Enders, via NHRA.com

Critical Round wins in Eliminations

Everyone was talking about the epic first round match up of the NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

The tension could be felt throughout the crowd as the two foes pulled to the starting line. Both had previously won in Pomona, Enders in 2014 and Anderson six times previously.

They left the line with nearly identical reaction times – Erica with a 0.017 and Anderson a 0.016. Both thundered down the track side-by-side, but Enders would come up with the win light by a mere 16 inches.

In a career-defining round win, Erica defeated Greg Anderson with a 6.570 ET at 210.41 mph, to his losing 6.575 at 210.31 mph. The crowd and her team on the starting line went wild in celebration.

“It was the race of the year for me, so I couldn’t be more proud. I found it bit interesting (the qualifying games), but it is what it is. I’ve said it before that I would rather race someone like him first round. We went out there and they gave us all they had, and today it ended in our favor. It was a great drag race.”
Erica Enders

Securing the championship

With that monumental win behind her, she just had one more round win to clinch a third championship: the quarterfinal match up against Chris McGaha. McGaha is another rival of Enders, with an equally colorful history of past encounters as well.

But Enders got the last laugh, as she proved deadly on the tree enroute to a holeshot win. Her reaction time of 0.019 over McGaha’s 0.050 was enough to keep her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro in front with a 6.597 at 209.69 mph to a losing 6.593 at 210.08 mph.

“Going against Chris in the second round, it’s two of my favorite guys to beat in the same day (in Anderson and McGaha), so I was just thrilled for our entire organization. What an honor.”
Erica Enders

After turning on the win light that made the championship official, Enders coasted around and lingered inside the car gathering herself for the ensuing celebration.

“This one means a lot because of the valleys we’ve been through. It was a challenge for us and I’m thrilled. It’s just an awesome feeling to be back on top, and it’s the reason why you never give up.”
Erica Enders

“Today ended up being a great day with us locking up our third championship and my teammate, Jeg Coughlin, winning the race and solidifying the second position. For everyone at Elite Motorsports to take home the top two positions in NHRA Pro Stock, it’s a huge thrill for us. We take a lot of pride in what we do and it paid off this year. I’m just really proud.”

Erica Enders “thrEEtime” Pro Stock Champion

It’s been the perfect storm of a championship chase for the Elite team led by crew chiefs Rick Jones and Mark Ingersoll. They entered the chase in fifth place, and really turned it up during the Countdown . Hoisting the championship cup was the culmination of all that immense amount of work. Enders becomes the lowest-seeded driver to win a championship in Pro Stock history.

Enders proved she is fire under pressure, winning St. Louis and Las Vegas during the playoffs, qualifying at the top of the field throughout and putting together a string of consistent performances.

The 2019 championship marks her third career NHRA Pro Stock title. She’s already adopted the new hashtag “thrEEtime champ” – a play on her initials. She previously won championships in 2014 and 2015. Enders joins Angelle Sampey and Shirley Muldowney as the only females in NHRA history to win three world titles.

She ends the year with her two countdown wins and five final round appearances, a total of 25 career victories. The Vegas win was the 150th overall wins for females in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series history – and 51 final round appearances.

“To give your whole life to something, it’s been a really long road and it hasn’t been easy at all,” Enders said. “You persevere and you just never give up.
Erica Enders

Melanie Salemi to debut new ride

November 5, 2019 // by Horsepower & Heels

Drag racing Pro modified driver, Melanie Salemi, is set to debut a new ride at the upcoming 26th Annual World Street Nationals race in Orlando, FL. The Buffalo, New York based team plan to debut a new screw blown Radial Vs. The World 2019 Camaro owned by Eddie Whelan.

“I’m extremely excited for the awesome opportunity for my team brought forth by Eddie Whelan. We owe all of this effort to him and his Al-Lee Installations team. He continuously provides us the opportunity to have the best of the best. I don’t doubt that in due time this car is going to be at the top of the class”.
Melanie Salemi

Melanie’s signature ‘Purple Reign’ livery theme will continue on the Whelan owned 2019 Camaro. The fan-favorite color scheme has been a staple for the Melanie Salemi Motorsports team over the years, making Melanie easily identifiable in the field.

The new Al-Lee Installations 2019 Camaro was built and assembled by Melanie’s Brother-in-law, Jim Salemi of G-Force Race Cars. Mike Stawicki, owner of MSR Performance Racing Engines, is responsible for the new C rotor screw supercharged Hemi powerplant setup. Transferring that power will be a Liberty Gears five speed transmission coupled to a QuickDrive Lock up drive unit with Neal Chance billet torque converter.

Melanie Salemi – 1310 on 315s

Salemi plans to be the first female to aggressively campaign in the wild radial doorslammer class at the World Street Nationals. They will be running the car on a 315-sized radial tire setup.

This is a versatile car. You’ll see it on 315’s and you’ll possibly see it on big tires at some point but for the next four months it will be strictly on 315’s. Needless to say we are pumped for the chance to go Radial vs. World racing with this new car and we have properly named this quest ‘1310 on 315’s!”
Jon Salemi

Audrey Worm’s New Top Fuel Dragster

October 24, 2019 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Top Fuel Dragster driver Audrey Worm took a giant step this week in her young drag racing career. The 27 year-old just purchased her own Top Fuel Dragster, a huge step towards her goal of owning her own Top Fuel racing operation.

Promising Rookie Upstart

Coming up from the nostalgia racing ranks, Worm burst onto the scene in Top Fuel during the 2017 season in the Leverich Racing Top Fuel Dragster. She made her debut during the NHRA Dodge Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, qualifying in the No. 14 position.

Audrey Worm Top Fuel — Photo: Audrey Worm, Facebook

She went onto compete in nine races during the 2018 season, qualifying for six of those events, and qualifying for the Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. Worm picked up her first professional round win at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. She also was named one of Drag Illustrated’s 30 Under 30 recipients.

In 2019, she would attend five races with the Leverich team, qualifying at those events, and culminating in a career-best 3.968-second pass at the Virginia NHRA Nationals in Richmond.

Her last appearance was at the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, NH before the team decided to change directions. This left Worm on the sidelines without a racecar.

A 2020 Goal for Team Ownership

Undeterred, Audrey has always made it clear she wants to own her own racing team. This ambition would put her in elite company as the second female owner in the sport’s history.

“It’s official, I’m heading home from Texas with my own Top Fuel Dragster! The car was previously driven by Jenna Drake [formerly Jenna Haddock] and before that Antron Brown. I am so blessed to have the support — not only friends and family, and my amazing husband Aaron Grant, but also from great sponsors.
Audrey Worm via Facebook

Audrey Worm new Top Fuel Dragster — Jenna last drove the dragster in competition.

The purchase of her very own dragster is a monumental step towards fielding a Top Fuel team for 2020. She and her supporters have a bright future awaiting them in 2020 with plenty on the horizon to keep them busy and to look forward for in the coming months.

“I would like to thank Chip Lofton at Strutmasters; William Francis and Kenny from Burromax; Cody from Sisson Engineering; Hap Whitlock from Hi-tech Cam; Howie O’Neil [and] Leonard Long from G-Force Shifters; PennGrade; Duane A. Junker from Gates; Millerweld, Jim Novinger; Carrie Willhoff at Racechick; Jim Michaud; Heidi Jordan and Robert Jordan; all my Racefan members, and all the individuals who contributed money for making my dream come true!”
Audrey Worm

Brittany Force 2019 Dallas Results

October 21, 2019 // by Horsepower & Heels

A track record, the top qualifying position, and a semi-final appearance are among the highlights for NHRA Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster driver Brittany Force at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals in Dallas, Texas.

No 1 qualifying Double-up with Dad

For the second time in NHRA history, a parent/child duo scored a double-up in qualifying poles. Brittany Force secured the No. 1 qualifier spot in Top Fuel, while dad John Force also earned the Funny Car pole Saturday at the Texas Motorplex. This marks the second occasion that the pair was able to accomplish this feat, the first time coming from this year’s SpringNationals in Houston, Texas.

“It’s always really special to hold onto any No. 1 qualifier with a teammate but to hold it with my dad, that’s the best. He’s the one who taught me how to drive this car and everything about this sport, and the reason I’m out here is because of him so to be able to share the No. 1 qualifier with him is awesome,” Force said. “We did it earlier this season and now we’re doing it again. It’s just very special to me. I’ve doubled up with Robert a handful of times but to be able to double-up with my dad would be awesome. It’s on my bucket list.”
Brittany Force, driver of Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster

Brittany Force’s qualifying efforts of an exhilarating 3.651-second pass at 331.28 mph Friday night was enough to set the track elapsed time record and marked her first No. 1 qualifier at the Texas Motorplex. She scored an additional 6 qualifying bonus points for the quickest elapsed times of session Q2 & Q4.

Semi-Final eliminations finish for Force

In the opening round of eliminations, the Advance Auto Parts machine blasted past No. 16 qualified Cameron Ferre with a stellar 3.694-second pass at 330.31 mph defeating Ferre’s 3.984 at 269.19 mph pass.

Round two, Force competed against longtime rival and three-time world champion Antron Brown. In prior meetings, Brown has the edge with a 17-9 record. Brown would leave the starting line first, and Force would encounter trouble when her dragster had cylinders out early, but hung on to run a 3.815-second pass at 319.60 mph upsetting Brown’s 4.113 at 230.72 after he smoked the tires.

The semi-final matchup placed Force against Torrence whom she has a 3-1 record against prior to this meeting. Torrence would take the starting line advantage and never look back for the win. Force dropped a cylinder to run 3.793-seconds at 318.32 mph giving Torrence and his 3.747 at 328.38 mph performance a trip to the finals – and the eventual event win. The margin of victory at the finish line was 0.0606 seconds (approximately 28 feet).

“Going into first round, this Advance Auto Parts team made some big moves especially when points leader Steve Torrence got taken out and No. 2, Doug Kalitta, got beat by my teammate Austin Prock. That opened the doors for this Advance team to pick up some points and catch up and that’s exactly what we did. We made it to the semis and would have obviously liked to have gone all the way but I’m not looking down on it. I’m staying positive and we’re still in the hunt for this championship.”
Brittany Force

Brittany and her Advance Auto Parts team leave the event in the No. 3 points standings for the Countdown to the Championship. They trail current leader Steve Torrence by 46 points with two events remaining.

Leah Pritchett 2019 Dallas results

October 21, 2019 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA driver Leah Pritchett earns a pair of No. 2 qualifiers but falls short in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock eliminations during the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals.

Pennzoil Top Fuel results

For the third time during the Countdown to the Championship events, Leah Pritchett and her Pennzoil Top Fuel team were able to score the No. 2 qualifying position, running a 3.681 E.T. at 332.10 mph best qualifying effort.

In the opening round of Top Fuel eliminations, she faced No. 15 qualifier Kebin Kinsley. Kinsley would have the early advantange, but Pritchett would drive around him at the finish line, running 3.724 E.T. at 324.12 mph to his losing 3.822 E.T. at 263.51 mph.

“Having a race car that makes it down the track on race day is very crucial for us, and we did not take Kebin Kinsley lightly. He showed with his early numbers that he wasn’t there for the taking, and it was a great drag race. The feeling of putting on that win light for the Pennzoil team is just as bright as our car. We’ve made progress in the sense of simplifying our issues. This was the best weekend we’ve had in the Countdown in regards to moving our program forward. The issues we’ve had have been in the bellhousing, and we were able to fix that.”
Leah Pritchett, driver of the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster

Round two would put her against No. 7 qualifier Austin Prock. Pritchett would leave first and carry the early lead, but encountered mechanical difficulties with her 11,000-horsepower machine dropping cylinders down track, allowing Prock to come around for the win. Leah ran 3.964 E.T. at 250.55 mph in her defeat by Austin Prock’s 3.742 E.T. at 330.39 mph.

“(Austin) Prock laid down that 3.68 in E1. Us not having lane choice wasn’t our issue in E2. We dropped a hole, and then dropped another two, and then kicked a belt at about half-track. At the top end, (NHRA on FOX reporter) Amanda Busick had asked how paralyzing it was to see your competition reach the finish line before you and I said, in that moment, it might be paralyzing because there’s nothing you can do, but this team is not paralyzed by any means. We know exactly what happened and why we weren’t able to move on beyond round two.
Leah Pritchett

Pritchett’s Pennzoil Top Fuel team exits the event in the No. 5 position in the Countdown to the Championship. She trails the current leader, Steve Torrence, by 104 points.

“The way the points are shaping up, it’s still extremely tight. We have a chance at this championship; we have a race car that’s coming around at a fast rate of speed and a team that’s dedicated to finishing strong. We look forward to continuing our Top Fuel championship campaign. We really thought today was our day. It was a good day, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a great day.”
Leah Pritchett

MOPAR Dodge Challenger Drag Pak Results

Pulling double-duty in the Factory Stock class with her MOPAR Dodge Challenger Dragpak can be a bit chaotic during the high-stress Countdown weekends, but Leah always balances this with professionalism and grace. This weekend, the Factory Stock driver was able to land the No. 2 qualified position in Factory Stock with a 7.889 E.T. at 172.36 mph effort.

“If you look back to March and the Gatornationals, the first Factory Stock race of the season, we were two-tenths behind the leaders in the class, and I remember telling Kevin Helms, our crew chief, we’ll be lucky if we even qualify for this race. That’s how far off pace we were, and the lack of parity in the class. It’s a testament to Dodge, MOPAR, DSR and this team. We knew we were challenged and we were still going to maximize all of our available opportunities with the power plant that we had. Hats off to NHRA for making pully adjustments and weight changes throughout the season to really tighten the class up. We weren’t the fastest or the quickest, but we were able to completely turn our season around by never giving up.
Leah Pritchett – driver of the MOPAR Dodge Challenger Dragpak

For the first time in 2019, Leah would land in the finals of the Factory Stock class – making for a busy weekend. In the opening round of eliminations, she would face David Barton, defeating him with a 7.934 E.T. at 172.61 mph to his 7.948 E.T. at 172.74 mph.

Round two would match her against David Janac, where despite running a bit off-pace with a 7.978 E.T. at 171.97 mph, she was able to score the easy win over Janac’s 8.821 E.T. at 119.16 mph.

In the semi-final, she captured the win in a tight race against Randy Taylor with a 8.012 E.T. at 171.36 mph over his 8.012 E.T. at 171.53 MPH. This placed her in the final against Chris Holbrook.

Unfortunately, her luck would run out in the finals. Leah’s 8.017 E.T. at 171.16 mph was not enough to defeat Chris Holbrook who posted a stout 7.977 E.T. at 172.74 mph.

Leah Pritchett finished the season in the No. 9 position in point standings for the 2019 Samtech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown.

“To finish the year with a Wally and a back-to-back win at this race would’ve been amazing, but the first thing I did when I got out of the car is high-five the guys, and thank them for not giving up and working extra hard to squeeze as much as we can out of these cars and this program. We fought hard today, almost had both of our cars in the final, and I’m excited about 2020. There was a moment in all of the chaos, running back and forth between both cars, that I reminded myself that I’m one of the few people in the world that gets to do that, so I make sure I enjoy it and use it to condition myself for other high-pressure situations.”
Leah Pritchett

Megan Meyer wins 2019 Top Alcohol Dragster Championship

October 14, 2019 // by Horsepower & Heels

This season proved to be a historic one for NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series TAD driver Megan Meyer. Not only did she carry home the win for the rain-delayed NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals in the quickest side-by-side pass on record in TAD, but she also secured the 2019 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster Championship – becoming the first female in history to win a TAD Championship.

https://www.facebook.com/NHRA/videos/2959620090732650/

via NHRA Facebook

In the final round, Meyer took on former teammate and points rival Troy Coughlin Jr. With the pressure on, Meyer drove to a 5.149, 281.48, her best run of the weekend, to squeak by Coughlin’s competitive 5.169, 280.80 mph run. The pair marked the quickest side-by-side TAD runs in history, and Megan’s win light gave her not only the win for the NTK NHRA Carolina Nationals event, but also gave her the points needed to make the title official.

Megan Meyer officially clinched the 2019 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol Dragster national championship.

Last season, Meyer finished the 2018 championship season as NHRA Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster’s third-place finisher. This season, she was gunning for the championship out of the gate, appearing in 12 finals this season and scoring seven victories in her injected nitro dragster. She is aided and tuned by her father, Randy Meyer. Megan’s victories this season include four national event titles – with marquee wins at the prestigious 50th annual Amalie Gatornationals and the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals.

Meyer is the fourth woman to win an NHRA Lucas Oil Series sportsman championship, joining class champions Amy Faulk (Super Stock, 1979), Jackie Alley (Super Stock 2011), and Mia Tedesco (Super Gas, 2016).

A big congrats to the new champ from all of us at Horsepower & Heels!

Brittany Force is ready for the 2019 Four-Wide Nationals

April 25, 2019 // by Horsepower & Heels

Brittany Force is ready for the 2019 Four-Wide Nationals this weekend at ZMax Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster team is hoping to carry the momentum from their recent victory at the Houston race for the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, the sixth event on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Season schedule.

Image Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Beginning the season with a new crew and a new car to sort out, Force and her Advance Auto Parts team have been hard at work finding their rhythm. Two first round exits marked the beginning of their season, but Force and the Advance team secured their first No. 1 qualifier during the 50th Anniversary Gatornationals and went on to qualify third and finish as runner-up at the Las Vegas Four-Wide event.

After a stellar weekend at the recent Spring Nationals in Houston ended in the winner’s circle, the Advance Auto Parts team have definitely found their pace. Force, the 2017 Top Fuel world champion, set both ends of the track record with a 3.661-second pass at 332.18 mph for the No. 1 qualifying position. Force and her father, John Force, made history as the first parent-child duo to qualify No. 1 at the same NHRA national event. Brittany would go onto win the race for the second consecutive year and double-up with teammate Robert Hight.

“Coming off a Las Vegas runner-up and a Houston win, I’m eager to get to a little four-wide action in Charlotte. This Advance Auto Parts team has worked incredibly hard this season with so many challenges thrown our way and the hard work is starting to pay off,” said Force. “In Houston David Grubnic took some risks and pushed our car to steal another No. 1 qualifier putting a 3.66 on the board. That run at 332 mph gave us a confidence boost and we pulled off another incredibly quick run at 3.67, took on some heavy hitters and fought our way to the winner’s circle. Pulling off a win this soon in the season with a new team has me so pumped going into the Charlotte Four-Wide and the rest of the season.”

History is on her side, as Brittany is the only woman to score a four-wide event win in the nitro categories in 2016. Force has always performed well at zMAX Dragway, qualifying No. 1 at the 2018 spring event with sister Courtney Force. She earned another No. 1 qualifying spot during the fall 2018 event and raced her way to a runner-up finish.

“My new crew chiefs and my entire new crew took on the Vegas Four-Wide a few weeks back where we were runner-up, so we got in our practice there and are hoping to do the same this time but come out with a win,” said Force. “I’ve won the Charlotte Four-Wide before and it would be great to do it again with my Advance team. We’re confident and ready to get after it on race day.”

Event Coverage

Qualifying for the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals begins on Friday with qualifying sessions at 4:45 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., and Saturday at 2:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations start at 12 noon on Sunday. Tickets are available from Charlotte Motor Speedway, and children 13 and under get in free. Television coverage can be viewed on FS1 Friday from 8 to 9 p.m. ET, Saturday from 10 to 11 p.m. ET and Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m. ET.

Follow updates on social media: #4WideNats

Courtney Force focused for Mile High

July 20, 2018 // by Horsepower & Heels

An already dominating Funny Car season has Advanced Auto Parts driver Courtney Force focused for Mile High action this weekend at the 39th Annual Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals. Force and her Advance Auto Parts team have scored eight semifinal finishes in the first thirteen races of the season, with a career best four wins and eight No. 1 qualifiers. The current NHRA Mello Yello points leader for the last seven races has only qualified outside of the top four one time in 2018.

“I am excited to head back to Denver to kick off the Western Swing. We were No. 1 qualifier the last two years at Bandimere Speedway,” said Force. “This Advance Auto Parts team had an early exit last season but we have also raced to the finals in Denver. That is the kind of success we are looking for with this team. We want to extend our points lead and start the Western Swing on the right foot. We are really excited to be on the West Coast and looking forward to a great weekend.”

Force has two runner-up finishes in her career at Bandimere Speedway, including a side-by-side race in 2016 against her father John Force who took his win in a photo finish victory. Her rookie season landed her in the final, but funny car veteran, Jack Beckman denied her first career victory. Force would pick up that win a few weeks later in Seattle.

“It is always fun to race at Denver. This track is tricky with the altitude. It creates a challenge for all the teams and it makes it exciting for the fans. It really does challenge everyone on the team to be at their best. I think this will be a great weekend for our Advance Auto Parts team,” said Force.

Courtney’s father, John Force, is the only funny car driver to ever sweep all three races on the famed and often grueling Western Swing of the tour. Denver’s Mile-High event marks stop one of the Western swing. Courtney Force focused for Mile High competition is one of the favorites to join her father as a driver capable of winning three races in a row. With previous win experience in the Sonoma and Seattle venues to her credit, a strong showing this weekend could continue to add her name to the record books.

“We are just going to take each one of these races one at a time,” said Force. “You can’t sweep the Western Swing if you don’t win in Denver this year. We have an amazing crew led by Dan Hood and Brian Corradi. I know they will give me a great race car. We stumbled a little in Epping but that is behind us and now we are focused on running like we did last season on the Mountain.”

Last year, Force left Denver with the track elapsed time and speed records for Bandimere Speedway with a blistering 3.889 second, 328.30 mph run. That kind of performance at mile-high, horsepower robbing altitude was something no one thought feasible just a few short years ago. But Courtney Force has made a career out of exceeding expectations, and this season she is focused on adding a National Funny Car championship to her list of accomplishments.

The 39th annual Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals begin with qualifying on Friday and Saturday with sessions at 6 and 8 p.m. on both days. Eliminations are set to take place Sunday at 11 a.m.

Leah Pritchett exits Sonoma in round two

July 31, 2017 // by Horsepower & Heels

NHRA Top Fuel top qualifier Leah Pritchett exits Sonoma in round two this weekend at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals. The Papa John’s Pizza Top Fuel team started the weekend off strong with a track record performing qualifying effort, but those results didn’t translate into Sunday win lights during eliminations.

In the opening round of eliminations, the top qualifier took on Terry Haddock, taking the win with a 3.749 second, 326.95 mph performance against Haddock’s 3.910 at 303.91mph. But her luck would not hold out, as Leah Pritchett exits Sonoma in round two when a mechanical issue slowed her to a 3.897-second run at 214.09 mph in an upset by Terry McMillen. A clutch lever malfunction on her Pap John’s dragster led to her engine losing a cylinder.

“Terry McMillen beat us to the finish line. Broken parts can break hearts but it can’t break our spirit when we go to Seattle,” Pritchett said of next weekend’s finale to the three-week Western Swing. “You go into every race day with a good, confident feeling. I feel like this Sunday we had the most confidence because everything was jelling. The people, everyone’s so on top of their game, the track record, low three out of four qualifiers.”

Pritchett and the Powered by Pennzoil team were quickest in the first three qualifying sessions of the weekend, landing the No. 1 qualifying pole. Her 3.669 second performance at 304.80 mph reset the track elapsed time record, a feat they have now accomplished five times. They also scored the top qualifying honors at the previous event in Denver, scoring a runner-up finish for the event, and were confident entering eliminations.

“I have said this morning if someone asked, ‘what’s it going to take to win this race?’ I would have answered ‘no mistakes.’ We were proven wrong. We didn’t make any mistakes and still lost.”

Leah Prichett and the Papa John’s Dragster now sit No. 3 in NHRA championship points entering the final race of the 3-event Western Swing.

Semifinal finish for Brittany Force in Sonoma

July 31, 2017 // by Horsepower & Heels

Another semifinal finish for NHRA Top Fuel racer Brittany Force in Sonoma. The Monster Energy sponsored racer scored her fifth semifinal in the last seven NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races, moving her inside the top five of the Top Fuel points standings following Sunday’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.

Brittany Force began the event with No. 2 qualifying attempt on Friday, followed by a tough qualifying effort Saturday, in which she failed to make a full pass. The second of three Western Swing events, Sonoma is one of Force’s favorite tracks.

During Sunday’s eliminations, Force outran No. 15 qualified Steven Chrisman in the opening round, charging down the track at a session-best 3.705 seconds, and posting a track record 331.61 mph speed to set up a quarterfinals matchup against No. 7 Shawn Langdon.

In round two, both Force and Langdon ran into trouble, but Brittany Force was able to salvage the run, and pedal the car across the finish line in 4.071 seconds at 264.75 mph with Langdon trailing close behind.

That put her up against No. 6, the current NHRA Top Fuel points leader, Steve Torrence. Torrence and crew had a stellar and consistent race day performance, running 3.753 seconds at 329.02 mph in the semifinal to defeat Brittany Force’s 3.882 seconds at 315.27 mph run. Force had fuel spilling out the left side of her car during the pass. Torrence advanced and scored the event win for the NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

The semifinal finish for Brittany Force in Sonoma allowed her Monster Energy team to jump ahead of Doug Kalitta in the NHRA Top Fuel points standings, moving to the No. 5 position. She also claimed the track speed record during her first round pass, a record held previously by Kalitta.

“To have a day like that and then have low ET of the session … I thought we were going to carry it all through the day,” Force said. “But we made a semifinal appearance, which is what we did last weekend too. So that’s pretty good, but the plan for next week in Seattle is to take it off the trailer and end up in the winner’s circle.”

Brittany and the Monster Energy team will head to the third stop on the Western Swing, the NHRA Northwest Nationals on August 4-6 at Pacific Raceway outside Seattle, WA. The event is the 16th of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.