Mother Nature, it seems, wasn’t in the mood for drag racing at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals on Sunday. Rain pounded Maple Grove Raceway throughout the day, resulting in an extensive delay and ultimately pushing the conclusion of the event to Monday. But that weather hiccup didn’t stop us from watching some racers hit significant milestones in the first event of the NHRA’s 2023 Countdown to the Championship.
So let’s dry out our socks and hop to it in this week’s NHRA Wrap-Up.
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2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Pro Stock Results
Fresh off an appendectomy procedure on Thursday and an ominous 13th qualifying position, Matt Hartford eventually found himself lifting his second Wally in so many races, repeating his winning ways from the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend. Facing his KB Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky in the finals on Monday, Koretsky hit bad tire shake early and let off, allowing Hartford to dash to a 6.532 second, 208.91 mph pass.
If that wasn’t enough, it was Hartford’s third victory of the season and it earned him his first-ever points lead, plunking him at number one in the Pro Stock playoff points standings.
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2023 NHRA U.S. Nationals Top Fuel Results
Doug Kalitta’s weekend was, in a word, a pendulum.
From an almost disastrous round of qualifying (complete with a blown tire), Kalitta notched his fastest-ever run (3.662 seconds @ 336.99 mph) in the finals on his way to the 50th Wally of his career.
While Kalitta’s incredible final round performance bested Steve Torrence’s 3.695@332, Torrrence’s strong qualifying effort puts him atop the initial Top Fuel playoff points standings.
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2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Funny Car Results
Robert Hight picked up his third Wally of the season and planted himself in the number one slot in the initial 2023 Funny Car playoff race with his performance over the weekend. After an impressive run through qualifying matchups, Hight faced Chad Green on Monday. Hight cut the quicker light and never looked back as he raced to a 3.854 second, 330.39 mph victory—narrowly edging out Green’s 3.928@327.27 effort.
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2023 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals Pro Stock Motorcycle Results
Matt Smith is hitting his stride at the perfect time. Picking up after his win in Indianapolis over Labor Day weekend, Smith was back in the finals on Monday. Facing a hard-charging Chip Ellis, Smith blasted off the line first, dashing to a 6.807 second, 198.50 run, which narrowly edged out a strong 6.727@199.37 from Ellis—which marked Ellis’ quickest career pass.
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THE 2023 NHRA SEASON CONTINUES WITH THE NHRA Carolina Nationals SEP. 22 – 24 AT zMAX Dragway in Concord, NC.
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Current 2023 NHRA Championship Points Standings
PRO STOCK
- Matt Hartford, 2,194
- Erica Enders, 2,164
- Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,149
- Dallas Glenn, 2,141
- Kyle Koretsky, 2,118
- Aaron Stanfield, 2,108
- Deric Kramer, 2,091
- Greg Anderson, 2,073
- Camrie Caruso, 2,063
- Christian Cuadra, 2,053
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TOP FUEL
- Steve Torrence, 2,189
- Justin Ashley, 2,182
- Doug Kalitta, 2,163
- Leah Pruett, 2,135
- Antron Brown, 2,133
- Brittany Force, 2,118
- Mike Salinas, 2,064
- Austin Prock, 2,058
- Tony Schumacher, 2,055
- Clay Millican, 2,055
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FUNNY CAR
- Robert Hight, 2,197
- Ron Capps, 2,194
- Bob Tasca III, 2,155
- Matt Hagan, 2,146
- Chad Green, 2,132
- Alexis DeJoria, 2,100
- J.R. Todd, 2,090
- Tim Wilkerson, 2,076
- John Force, 2,068
- Cruz Pedregon, 2,032
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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
- Matt Smith, 2,200
- Gaige Herrera, 2,183
- Hector Arana Jr., 2,156
- Eddie Krawiec, 2,116
- Angie Smith, 2,112
- Jianna Evaristo, 2,083
- Steve Johnson, 2,075
- Marc Ingwersen, 2,072
- Chase Van Sant, 2,067
- Kelly Clontz, 2,032
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