Chad Green competing in the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona Dragstrip (Photo: NHRA Media)
POMONA, Calif. — The NHRA Winternationals got off to a rough start at Pomona Dragstrip due to rainfall and the track having to be dried out. Once that got taken care of, the Funny Cars took to the strip.
The first qualifying session was an absolute nightmare for the drivers. None of them could seem to get a good grip on the newly prepared racing surface. During the race between Alexis DeJoria and John Force, Force crossed the centerline and DeJoria fishtailed and lightly tagged the wall at the same time, but both were able to save their cars from big-time wreckage. Unfortunately, the mishaps made it so neither driver qualified for session one.
Before the second qualifying session took place, the first 2Fast2Tasty Challenge of 2024 began. In this challenge, the top four finishers from the prior race battle it out in two races to see who the top dog is. For Funny Cars, those four competitors were JR Todd, Bob Tasca III, Austin Prock and Chad Green.
The semifinals began with Todd and Tasca sitting side-by-side on the track. Todd took the win with a reaction time of .057 seconds, an elapsed time of 4.287 seconds and a final speed of 223.00 miles per hour. Tasca had a reaction time of .095 seconds, an elapsed time of 6.366 seconds and a final speed of 104.40 miles per hour. Both drivers smoked their tires, but Tasca did so first, setting him back at the beginning of the pass.
The next round of semifinals for the challenge was between Prock and Green. Both drivers spun tires, but Prock feathered the throttle and limped his car inch-by-inch down the strip to take the win. Prock had a reaction time of .044, an elapsed time of 5.466 seconds and a final speed of 182.97. Green had the quicker reaction time with .059, but a much slower elapsed time of 6.565 and final speed of 97.79.
Qualifying session two began with Chris Morel and Force going head-to-head. Force ended as the victor with both the fastest reaction time and final speed, 3.996 seconds and 318.99, respectively, earning the number one qualifying position. Morel pedaled too early in the run, resulting in a reaction time of 6.717 seconds and a final speed of 98.65.
John Force being interviewed about his performance at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona Dragstrip (Photo: NHRA Media)
Jim Campbell and Jason Rupert were up next. Campbell took the victory, but not after getting squirrelly. Rupert slid near the wall and saved it, but somehow managed to pull off an elapsed time of 6.283 seconds and a final speed of 106.46. Campbell raced with an elapsed time of 4.162 seconds and a final speed of 275.45.
Cruz Pedregon and DeJoria went head-to-head in the next round of session two. Pedregon took the first-place qualifying position away from Force with an elapsed time of 3.982 seconds and a final speed of 309.27. This bumped Pedregon up 16 spots. DeJoria, on the other hand, only had an elapsed time of 5.477 seconds and a final speed of 185.77.
The next round was between Buddy Hull and Steven Densham. Hull took the win with an elapsed time of 4.823 seconds and a final speed of 173.38, but he ended up coasting to the finish line. Densham did not get very far due to engine trouble, but he managed to complete his pass with an elapsed time of 7.130 seconds and a final speed of 93.50.
Ron Capps and Paul Lee raced next. Capps won with an elapsed time of 3.893 seconds and a final speed of 326.71, taking the first-place qualifying position away from Pedregon and moving up 13 spots. Lee finished with an elapsed time of 3.992 seconds and a final speed of 321.42 to move up 14 spots into the third position. This race also bumped DeJoria out of the running for the elimination process.
The next round had a different flair to it as both drivers won in a sense. Bobby Bode and Terry Haddock found themselves next to each other. Bode had the superior elapsed time of 3.972 seconds while Haddock took 3.999 seconds to make his pass. However, Haddock ended up with the faster final speed of 308.50 while Bode finished at 292.96. This bumped Bode up 14 positions into the second spot and Haddock rose seven positions into the sixth spot.
The last round was between a man and himself: Matt Hagan. Hagan went down the track by himself to tie for first place with Capps with an elapsed time of 3.893 seconds and a final speed of 330.15. This bumped Hagan up eleven positions.
The Funny Car drivers continue their adventures at Pomona Dragstrip on Sunday afternoon. Tune into FS1 at 7:00 p.m. EST to see who will end the weekend as the victor.
