Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

NHRA

Brown, Capps and Gray Victorious at NHRA Northwest Nationals

Antron Brown, three-time Top Fuel world champion, was able to lock down his first victory of the season Sunday as he emerged victorious at the 31st annual CatSpot NHRA Northwest Nationals Sunday afternoon at Pacific Raceways.

Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Tanner Gray (Pro Stock) were also winners in their respective categories at the 16th of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Brown piloted to the winner’s circle with a run of 3.835–seconds at 322.84 mph in his Matco Tools dragster to take down teammate Leah Pritchett in the finals. This was Brown’s third consecutive victory at Pacific Raceways and his first victory since the 2017 event. Brown became the fourth driver in NHRA history to earn 50 career Top Fuel event wins.

“It is no secret that we struggled at the beginning of the year,” Brown stated. “Our main focus was one run at a time and to get better each time. But today all of the win lights turned on for our team and I couldn’t be so proud of all my guys for how persistent that they have been. It had been so long that I hadn’t even thought about winning 50 (races) but now that we got that win it is just a true blessing.”

Brown took down Shawn Reed, teammate Tony Schumacher and points leader Steve Torrence as he entered his 120th career final round. Prichett was the No. 6 qualifier and defeated Troy Buff, Clay Millican and Mike Salinas on her way to her second final round appearance on the Western Swing.

The 2016 Funny Car world champion Capps used a 4.033 at 314.90 in his Pennzoil Synthetics / NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T to beat points leader Courtney Force in the finals to eliminate John Force Racing’s hopes of sweeping the Western Swing. Capps secured his second win of the season and fourth event victory at Pacific Raceways.

“There’s a lot of good solid competition out there,” Capps said. “The main thing going through my head was to not let John Force sweep the swing in Funny Car so we put a stop to that. This was Rahn Tobler (crew chief) and I’s 24th event victory together since 2012 which is just crazy and I think we’re going to have a lot of success the rest of the season.”

Capps qualified ninth and took down Jonnie Lindberg, teammate Matt Hagan and Tim Wilkerson on his path to his fifth final round this season. Force defeated Jim Campbell, Shawn Langdon and Tommy Johnson Jr. on her way to her category-best sixth final round of the season.

In Pro Stock, Gray drove to a 6.632 at 210.05 in his Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Deric Kramer in the final round as he became the lone driver in the Pro Stock class with four victories on the year. The 2017 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award winner secured his fifth final round appearance on the 2018 season and first at Pacific Raceways.

“It is definitely my team that has gotten me to where I am today,” Gray stated. “It was tough day up on the start line and reaction times were a little bit slower here. My team worked with me through the mistakes that I’ve made but all in all it was a great day and I couldn’t be happier.

Gray qualified fourth and was able to take down Fernando Cuadra, Jason Line and Vincent Nobile on his path to victory as he locked in his position in the Countdown playoffs. Erica Enders, Nobile and No. 1 qualifier Jeg. Coughlin Jr. each joined Greg Anderson by locking in their spot in the 2018 Countdown.

The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, Minn. from August 16-19.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

This story was originally published on August 5, 2018. Drag Illustrated

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Features

Hot Rod Garage Day is an annual event hosted by the team from Hot Rod Garage, a popular automotive show. The event takes place...

News

Melanie Johnson, daughter of 13-time Top Fuel world champion tuner Alan Johnson, made her competitive debut in the Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) category at...

Exclusive

Drivers and team owners from outside of drag racing getting into the sport isn’t anything new – see John Andretti’s Top Fuel endeavor in...

News

With a thrilling finish all but guaranteed in Top Fuel heading into this weekend’s 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at legendary In-N-Out Burger...

Since 2005, DI has informed, inspired and educated drag racers from every walk of the racing life - weekend warrior and street/strip enthusiasts to pro-level doorslammer and Top Fuel racers. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-worthy videos to electric live events, DI meets hundreds of thousands of racers where they live, creating the moments that create conversations.