NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

With a global audience watching the final rounds live on FOX television and a packed house at scenic Bandimere Speedway for three days, the annual NHRA Western Swing kicked off with what could easily be described as the best event of the season so far. Track records fell like dominoes, some win streaks ended while others continued, and two of NHRA’s most popular and successful drivers rallied to take long-overdue wins.

Both Tony Schumacher and John Force had gone more than a year without visiting the winner’s circle, and for two drivers who have a combined for 24 championships and more than 200 wins, that was unacceptable. Force got on the scoreboard with a thrilling holeshot victory over his daughter Courtney in the final round, ending a string of seven events where a Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car had earned a victory.

Coming into the event, Bandimere Speedway was the last track on the NHRA tour that did not have a three-second Funny Car run, but by the end of the weekend, the mark had been bettered numerous times, and Courtney Force had lowered the mark to a 3.917, a run that would be impressive at a sea-level track.

Schumacher qualified the U.S. Army Top Fueler in the No. 9 position, but that didn’t stop him from earning win No. 81 and the final spot in the upcoming NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout in Indy. Schumacher defeated points leader Doug Kalitta and low qualifier Steve Torrence before winning the final against teammate Antron Brown, who smoked the tires. It was Schumacher’s third win in Denver.

For the last decade, Allen Johnson has been the undisputed king of Bandimere Speedway, but the longtime Mopar driver admittedly had his hands full this year because the KB team had won each of the previous 13 events during the new fuel-injected Pro Stock era. Unfazed, Johnson wheeled his Marathon Petroleum Dodge to the final round in Denver for the 10th straight year and collected his seventh win when he defeated former teammate Vincent Nobile.

For the first time this season, none of the KB cars made it to the final. Anderson lost in the semi’s against Johnson’s Dodge, and Line followed with a red-light start against Nobile, who later admitted that his Mountain View Tire Camaro was broken.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle final was a rematch of the Chicago final two weeks ago, with Andrew Hines getting the best of his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson teammate, Eddie Krawiec. Hines set the track record in the final with a 7.134, barely holding off Krawiec’s 7.148. Hines now has 45 wins, making him the most successful rider in the history of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

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