NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The third stop of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series may offer a special chance for some drivers to win three times during the course of the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park.

The weekend will include the conclusion of the rain-delayed Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals with a trio of final rounds, plus the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge from Pomona, and, of course, the NHRA Arizona Nationals itself.

The opening round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, featuring the four Winternationals semifinalists in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock will take place during Friday’s qualifying session that begins at 4 p.m. PT. The finals of the bonus event follows during the second round of qualifying at 11:30 a.m. PT on Saturday.
 
The Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge will have first-round match-ups of Justin Ashley racing Brittany Force and Tony Schumacher rematching Billy Torrence in Top Fuel. In Funny Car, John Force and Ron Capps will meet up as well as reigning champ Matt Hagan taking on Gainesville winner J.R. Todd. Finally, in Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn will take on Aaron Stanfield, while longtime rivals Erica Enders and Greg Anderson will meet up once more.

That sets up a marquee finish to the day on Saturday, with the final rounds in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals taking place as part of final qualifying, which begins at 2 p.m.: Justin Ashley vs. Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan vs. John Force in Funny Car; and Erica Enders vs. Dallas Glenn in Pro Stock. Any of those six drivers could leave Phoenix with a trio of hardware if they’re successful in all three of their weekend finals. Additionally, both Hagan and Enders are each looking for a 50th career win.

Ashley is also the two-time and defending Winternationals and last year’s Arizona Nationals Top Fuel champ, and he’ll be looking to extend that dominance in both races in Phoenix.

Defending Funny Car event winner Robert Hight remains sidelined with medical issues, but his replacement, Austin Prock, could well continue the team’s success as he’s already been runner-up at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals this season while last year’s Pro Stock champ, Camrie Caruso, will look to add to her growing résumé with another event victory.

2023 EVENT WINNERS 

Justin Ashley, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Camrie Caruso, Pro Stock

MOST EVENT VICTORIES

Tony Schumacher, 5, TF; John Force, 8, FC; Bob Glidden, 5, PS.

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.643 seconds by Brittany Force, Feb. '20; 337.92 mph by  Force, Feb., ‘20.
Funny Car - 3.823 seconds by Matt Hagan, Feb. '22; 337.16 mph by Courtney Force, Feb. '18.
Pro Stock - 6.498 seconds by Mike Edwards, Feb. '13; 213.77 mph by Mike Edwards, Feb. '13.

NATIONAL RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. ‘19, Reading, Pa.; 338.94 mph by B. Force, Nov. ‘22, Pomona.
Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd, Minn.; 339.87 mph by Hight, July ’17, Sonoma, Calif.
Pro Stock - 6.450 sec. by Erica Enders, Mar. ’22, Gainesville, Fla.; 215.55 mph by Enders, May ’14, Englishtown N.J.

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, April 5: Lucas Oil Series qualifying and time trials at 8 a.m.; Pro Stock qualifying at 4 p.m.; Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying at 4:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, April 6: Lucas Oil Series eliminations at 8 a.m.; Pro Stock qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying at noon and 2:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, April 7: Pre-race ceremony, 10 a.m.; eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION

FRIDAY, April 5: FS1 will televise one and half hours of qualifying highlights at 9:30 p.m. (ET)
SATURDAY, April 6: FS1 will a half-hour recap of the Winternationals completion at 10 p.m. (ET)
SUNDAY, April 7: FS1 will televise one and half hours of qualifying highlights at 10:30 a.m. (ET)
SUNDAY, April 7:  FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage at 6:30 p.m. (ET)