NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The winners have been crowned at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com, with Justin Ashley, Robert Hight, and Erica Enders starting the season with big wins, but they weren't alone in expressing confidence after the first race of the season. Here's a compilation of thoughts and notes from some of the other top teams, as compiled from team reports.

Steve Torrence, Capco Contractors Top Fueler

On defending his world championship:

“I told you they’d be coming after us. There’s going to be nothing easy about winning this championship. Justin [Ashley], Austin [Prock], and Josh Hart are all young and hungry.  Brittany [Force] will be in the hunt again along with Antron [Brown], Tony [Schumacher], Mike Salinas, Clay [Millican], Shawn Langdon, and Doug Kalitta. You can’t count anyone out at this point, but it’s hard not to be confident when you’re sitting in this Capco car.  It’ll be fun to say how it plays out.”

On his semifinal loss to Justin Ashley:

“They got us today. It was a good day overall; I haven't felt the best this weekend with some sinus issues, so my head wasn't the clearest. I went up there and was .50 on the Tree. He was .44. We just got outran. The car has done unbelievable. We're headed in the right direction. And we're working on some things to try to get quicker. We’ve got to try to go out there and throw down, but a great weekend for us, and we're looking forward to Phoenix."

Tony Schumacher, Maynard Family Racing Top Fueler

On his return to the cockpit:

“The team is really coming together, the tune-up is coming together; I’m pleased overall. I didn’t drive up to my abilities in that second round [loss to Austin Prock], and I think I’ve still got a lot of regrouping to do, but in the end, the car, the team, myself, we’re going to be a really good, really strong team this year."

On his second-round loss to Austin Prock: 

“You really couldn’t write a better script having to run Doug Kalitta and his new Alan Johnson-led team at the first race of the year, and my first race back. I drove well on that run, but I just didn’t pull my weight on that second run. We didn’t need to make a super ‘throw-down run’ in E2. Prock ran a 78. We just had to get it down with a .72 or .73 like we were trying to do, but it just didn’t happen; I squeezed the throttle a little bit. I need more time in the seat, and that’ll happen with us running a full program this season. I spent a long time away. I used to make 200 runs a year, and I need to get a couple of runs under my belt to get back to that spot. But, overall, I’m super proud of my guys.”

Antron Brown, Matco Tools/Lucas Oil/Toyota Top Fueler

 “We’re very happy that we came out and performed well this weekend in Pomona. We were looking to qualify a little bit better than No. 10, but we’ll work on that next weekend. Pomona is in the books. We had a tough second-round match-up with Justin Ashley and Mike Green and that group, and they dropped low e.t. on us. Our hat’s off to them. Now it’s time for us to go back and get ready for Phoenix and our first time back at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in two years.

“It’s been nonstop at the AB Motorsports shop since Jan. 3. We tested well and made strides, and we’re growing and learning, and I love the path that we’re on. We have a really competitive hot rod, and we’re only going to get better. I’m excited, and this team is really looking forward to Phoenix. We want to come out strong and have a good showing. We want to qualify well and get ourselves in that Pep Boys Call Out Challenge at Gainesville. Phoenix is the last race to earn points for that, and we want to have fun, like always, and throw down.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Power Brokers Top Fueler  

“If you would have told me three months ago that we would qualify the Dodge Power Brokers dragster No. 7 for the Winternationals, make it down the track nearly every time, have a healthy running engine combination with a reactive car, and a team that gels together very well, I would take that 10 out of 10 times. We are still sorting our power range and developing our baseline, and I am learning to race under different circumstances. I had a less than impressive start, very atypical of the consistent quick times I had in qualifying. I will be working on managing my happy throttle foot while we fine-tune our high Hemi horsepower performance.”

Brittany Force, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Top Fueler 

“This team is off to a great start. We ran well during qualifying, got the No. 1qualifier, and made a semifinal-round appearance. We have a great team around us with David Grubnic, Mac Savage, and all our guys with two new additions. We’re working well together, and I’m very proud of what we accomplished today. We have a really strong group, and I feel positive going into this season. Great start, and I’m excited to see what we can do in Phoenix next week. Coming into Pomona, I knew Austin [Prock], and I were going to line up. His first season out we paired up first round of the opening race in Pomona, so I knew it was going to happen. I would have preferred for it to be in the finals, but it’s just awesome to have him and his team out here. He’s pumped to be out here, and it’s cool to have him in the lane next to me. If anyone’s going to beat me, I want it to be him.”

Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Top Fueler

“Great start to the year. This team got put together about three to four weeks ago, and I thought we did an excellent job this weekend. No mistakes, and tuners were learning every run and improving the car. I’m really happy with how this year has started. It’s going to be a long, fun year, and I’m really looking forward to it. It was cool to go against [teammate] Brittany [Force] in the semi’s. From a team standpoint, when you race each other in the semi’s, it’s exciting because you know one of your cars is going to the final round. It was a great race. It was totally heads-up, and a lot of fun. I’m glad I came out on the good side of it this time. Obviously, we wanted to get the win tonight, especially with my dad winning. It would have been awfully cool to have a family double up. I’m just happy to be back. This is my dream to drive this race car, and to be back and doing what I love again, it’s a lot of fun.”

Josh Hart, R+L Carriers Top Fueler

“This is a new car for me, and I have learned a lot. When you see your guys come together like they did between rounds, it gives me a lot of confidence going forward. We will go on to the next one. Every person has their designated area of responsibility on the car. Driving is my area. I have to do whatever it takes to be sharper and faster. I will work on that. Something on the burnout [against Brittany Force in round two] was a little weirder than normal, and it threw me off my game a little bit. I have no excuses, she just outran us.”

On running in Phoenix the following weekend:

“Getting back in the car in four days will be priceless. Being able to test in Phoenix was good, and I am so thankful we did that. There were a lot of adjustments we needed to make inside the new car. This race is always monumental to get back in the car in competition to see all the fans and get all the first season opener butterflies out of the way. We are comfortable and looking forward to Phoenix.”

Doug Kalitta, Mac Tools Top Fueler

“We did a lot of things right this weekend, from qualifying to that first round. We made a solid run and just came up a little short at the finish line. This is a long season, and we will be back on the track in a couple of days in Phoenix."

Shawn Langdon, DHL Top Fueler

“This is going to be my fourth season with Connie [Kalitta], and I started working with Kurt [Elliott] when I was driving Funny Car. I am very familiar with them, and I raced with Jason [McCulloch] years ago. We have a really good chemistry, and we understand each other. We have a lot if similar philosophies, and our racing mentality is on the same path. This is a great group of guys, and we have a great DHL Kalitta Air team over here. This is a team that is ready to win. We just have to keep putting in the work.
 
“We have had a lot of changes this year, so we have been working on a lot of things in testing. We have some guys in new positions, so getting them acclimated has been a big focus for the team."

FUNNY CAR

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger

“To start our 2022 season as a new team, and with everything going on as a team owner, and knowing the competition is going to be so tough this year, and then to have a No. 1 qualifier, run top speed of the meet, and almost win the race was just a fantastic way to start. Obviously, we would have liked to win, but you couldn't script it much better. I'm very blessed to have a lot of good people around me, and the best part of this weekend in Pomona was the fact that we had all these wonderful NAPA Auto Parts people come out to the race and support us. 

“It's going to be a tough season, but I feel much better knowing that as a team owner, I’m able to get in the car, hit the gas, and put everything else aside for those few minutes while I’m in the car.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Dodge Charger

“Today is obviously not the result we wanted, getting eliminated in the semifinals. I know what we are capable of, and I know what we can do to get that fixed. We’ll go onto Phoenix and be just as strong there. I’m really proud of my lights, I was murdering the Tree all weekend. That gives me confidence as a driver, but it also gets in other drivers’ heads. We want to win every race we can, but I was pretty happy with this Dodge Power Brokers car for the first outing. You learn from your mistakes and move forward. Drag racing has the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. You lose more than you win, but when you win, it’s great. I’m looking forward to that first win with this team.”

Cruz Pedregon, Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger

“I’m happy with today’s semifinal performance. Semifinal finishes and runner-ups, we're going to have a few of those [this year]. It was some good competition, and [Ron] Capps had a really good car. [My crew chief John Collins], I could tell by the look on his face he was about to put it through there. What a great job these guys have done. We didn't quite have the performance these other guys did, but when it counted, we started to creep up on it. A little bit of glare out there. I missed the Tree a little tiny bit, and against guys like Capps, you can't miss the Tree at all. He was right there. For the Snap-on Tools Dodge team, Russells, Petroff, and everybody that helps us, the semifinals is a great start.”

Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Tequila/ROKit Toyota GR Supra

“It’s the first race of the new year, and we’ve got our new Toyota Supra body that we were able to put to the test in competition this weekend here in Pomona. We made a good pass on Friday night and qualified in the top five. Went out and won the first round of eliminations with an awesome 3.91. We had Cruz [Pedregon] in the next round, and I think we were being maybe just a little too cautious with our tune-up. We didn’t want to smoke the tires, and it ended up that we just got outrun. But, it was still a good race; we stayed close with him all the way down the track.”

J.R. Todd, DHL Toyota GR Supra

“This DHL Toyota GR Supra is a great race car, and we are going to have a lot of success this season. I can’t wait to get to Phoenix in five days. This DHL team is coming together, and we will be ready for the Arizona Nationals. It was great to win the first round and see that win light for this Supra Funny Car.

“There are a lot of good cars, and you really don’t know who is doing what. We have been making good runs, and this Supra is going down the track. That is encouraging and gives everybody confidence.”

PRO STOCK

Greg Anderson, HendrickCars.com Chevy Camaro

"We did OK, but that's not good enough. We have to go back to work. It's obvious that some of the other teams have gained on us. We can run as fast as anybody right now, but we can't run faster. We want to outrun everybody, like we did last year, so we have to get back to work and figure out how to find more power. The HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro is fast, and that's great. But we need it to be faster. That's what we're going to work on."

On almost crashing in his semifinal loss:
 
"The first two qualifying passes, the track was perfect. It seemed to get progressively worse each round today, and there it was particularly bad. It smoked the tires like a Top Fuel car at 1,000-foot. I thought I was a goner. I don't know how it [settled], but I'm sure glad it did."

Camrie Caruso, Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro

“I think when you look at this whole weekend, this Powerbuilt Tools team did really well. We made some big strides, and we just have to take the positive from this race to Phoenix and beyond. We made good runs every pass, and we made full runs. I think this team did a great job.
 
“Our biggest takeaway headed to Phoenix is we want to keep making good runs and just get that first win light in Arizona. We tested in Phoenix, but I think the national event will have a different feel. I am looking forward to getting back out there.”