While the Winternationals in Pomona, California usually signal the kickoff for the NHRA championship race season, a pandemic-related delay pushed the event all the way back to July. In fact, it’s been well over a year since the NHRA visited the legendary Auto Club Raceway. So the drivers were eager to get back, which meant we got to watch some amazing action all weekend long. So let’s get to it in this week’s NHRA Wrap-Up.
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2021 NHRA Winternationals Pro Stock Results
Just like he did in New England, Aaron Stanfield stymied Greg Anderson’s quest for his 97th victory to tie Warren Johnson’s all-time win record. And Stanfield did it with a razor thin margin too. Paired against Anderson in the Finals, Stanfield ripped-off a 6.652-second, 207.69 mph pass to sneak past Anderson’s 6.660/207.08 effort.
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2021 NHRA Winternationals Top Fuel Results
Leah Pruett came tantalizingly close to notching her first win of the season in Sonoma last week, and her efforts carried over to a Wally in Pomona this weekend—which was also her second Winternationals victory too. Paired up against Justin Ashley in the final round, Ashley made the decision to exit the car during staging due to heat-related issues. Pruett’s solo effort resulted in a 4.021-second, 247.61 mph pass.
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2021 NHRA Winternationals Funny Car Results
All weekend long, the track conditions were throwing curveballs, which meant that racers and crews had to scramble to put together a winning recipe. Ron Capps and his crew figured it out, and emerged victorious on Sunday, blazing past a hard-charging J.R. Todd. In the end, it was Capp’s 4.151-second, 297.75 mph pass that edged out Todd’s 4.289/286.56 run.
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2021 NHRA Winternationals Pro Stock Motorcycle Results
For the first time, the Winternationals welcomed Pro Stock Motorcycle racing to the event lineup. And for the fourth time this season, Matt Smith grabbed the Wally. In the Finals, it was Angelle Samprey and Smith, but Smith’s 6.82-second, 199 mph pass helped him cross the beams ahead of Samprey, who notched a 6.91/173 pass.
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The Next Race in the NHRA Championship is the Menards NHRA Nationals in Topeka, Kansas Aug. 13 – 15.
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2021 NHRA Championship Points Standings Through Race 9
Pro Stock
- Greg Anderson, 835
- Aaron Stanfield, 709
- Erica Enders, 648
- Matt Hartford, 566
- Dallas Glenn, 524
- Kyle Koretsky, 521
- Mason McGaha, 518
- Troy Coughlin Jr., 488
- Deric Kramer, 487
- Chris McGaha, 357
Top Fuel
- Steve Torrence, 1014
- Antron Brown, 701
- Brittany Force, 625
- Leah Pruett, 579
- Shawn Langdon, 514
- Mike Salinas, 513
- Justin Ashley, 466
- Billy Torrence, 448
- Doug Kalitta, 439
- Clay Millican, 388
Funny Car
- Ron Capps, 734
- Bob Tasca III, 729
- John Force, 698
- Robert Hight, 697
- Matt Hagan, 689
- J.R. Todd, 677
- Alexis DeJoria, 632
- Tim Wilkerson, 552
- Cruz Pedregon, 537
- Blake Alexander, 343
Pro Stock Motorcycle
- Matt Smith, 813
- Steve Johnson, 551
- Scotty Pollacheck, 491
- Angelle Sampey, 443
- Ryan Oehler, 441
- Angie Smith, 429
- Karen Stoffer, 428
- Eddie Krawiec, 409
- Joey Gladstone, 389
- Andrew Hines. 381
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