NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The 2025 NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway delivered the kind of drama only 12,000-horsepower nitro engines and five-speed 10,000-rpm big-blocks can provide. With track records shattered, rivalries renewed, and pedalfests aplenty, the weekend gave us a fresh reminder of why NHRA Drag Racing remains the most visceral, thunderous sport on the planet. Here are five big takeaways from a spectacular stop in Epping.

1. Brittany Force is a speed monster

When it comes to speed, Brittany Force isn’t just chasing numbers — she’s setting the standard. Already the fastest driver in drag racing history, Force used Epping’s cool air and tight prep to post a pair of 340-mph passes. They weren’t just record-breaking; they also reminded everyone that she’s still the woman to beat when conditions favor full send.

Just weeks earlier in Charlotte, Brittany reset the NHRA’s all-time speed record with a 341.59-mph blast at the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. That run made her the first Top Fuel driver to break the 340-mph barrier and extended her ownership of the top speed record at eight different tracks on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series calendar. 

“We weren’t chasing 340 mph. That wasn’t the goal,” Force said this weekend. “The goal was to turn on win lights. David Grubnic and John Collins had a solid plan, and this team has gelled so well — even with new faces this season.”

It’s not just raw velocity, it’s execution. Force's calm, locked-in focus pairs perfectly with her dragster’s chaotic speed. Her quiet confidence in the pits belies the violence of what she unleashes at the hit.

“When the car is running strong, it lifts everyone,” she added. “Even on the rough days, this team brings the energy.”

With momentum on her side, don’t be surprised if Force rockets into the Countdown to the Championship with a few more jaw-dropping mph before the season is out.

2. As far as you can get from Pomona, drag racing thrives in New England

Drag racing may have started on the dry lakes of SoCal, but when NHRA’s founder Wally Parks divided the country into regions, New England earned the badge of Division 1 — No. 1. That designation wasn’t just geographic, it was cultural. And in Epping, the New England pride runs deep. New England Dragway is a fan-favorite for a reason: loyal crowds, beautiful surroundings, and a stronghold of mechanical ingenuity. This is a region where rust and hot rods battle every winter, and that tension builds passion.

Case in point: Just 30 minutes from the track is a U.S. Navy facility that retrofits nuclear submarines, and one of this weekend’s standout Pro Stock drivers, Matt Hartford, once worked there. Now living in Arizona, Hartford reminisced about his time racing in Epping in everything from blown alcohol dragsters to bracket cars, showing just how much of a proving ground this track has been over the decades.

The “live free or die” spirit isn’t just a motto here, it’s a mindset.

3. Drag racing is a seven-days-a-week success story

By the time fans see a clean pass on Sunday, there’s been a week of controlled chaos behind it. This sport isn’t built on comfort, it's built on late-night thrashes, broken parts, last-minute fixes, and calculated risks. JR Todd’s DHL crew showed that clearly, staying at the track until midnight Saturday to sort issues from Q4. That Sunday comeback? A direct result of grit, not luck. Nowhere is this more obvious than with part-time teams, who often make do with less of everything — money, data, laps. They roll in with hope, hustle, and a whole lot of heart. In Epping, several of these teams showed they could hang with the best, and in some cases, outperform them. Drag racing doesn’t reward comfort, it rewards obsession.

4. Elite Motorsports has closed the gap with KB Titan — by half

The battle for Pro Stock supremacy has never been more compelling. KB Titan Racing has held the advantage for the better part of a year, but Epping showed that Elite Motorsports, like the Empire, is ready to strike back.

The latest duel between Erica Enders and Greg Anderson brought the crowd to their feet and set the tone for the second half of the season. Enders launched first, but tire spin opened the door, and Anderson’s record-setting blast sealed the win.

“She pushes me every time,” said Anderson. “We’ve been doing this a long time, and we’re still finding ways to go faster.”

Their rivalry isn’t just a clash of titans, it’s a masterclass in motivation, execution, and longevity. As one fan put it: “You never want to miss an Erica vs. Greg final.” 

5. Jack Beckman delivers the top-end soundbites in drag racing

Even when the run ends halfway down the track, "Fast Jack” Beckman delivers full throttle on the mic. His wild ride in Epping may not have ended in victory, but his post-run interview was gold. 

“It started to shake, I pedaled, and it was one of those deals where these things shake violently enough that your vision kind of shuts down for a second. As soon as I pedaled, it just hooked left — and at that point, you're a passenger.

"I’ve seen a lot of those, and I always wondered, you know, what I’d do. I mean, clearly, I’d like a redo on that — I wouldn’t have pedaled that way. But sometimes these things just do really unpredictable stuff out there, and that was one of them.

"It’s a shame. That was a great race car, and now it’s a lot of extra work for us, especially with our first back-to-back [race weekends] of the year. But we’ll unload our spare, which was last year’s race car, so we’ll be ready to go for Bristol.

"As a driver, this is the last thing you want to do. We had a car that could win the race. We struggled a little bit today, and that one, it kind of reared its head again and just lost traction. So, we’ll go to work. I’m glad I’m OK, and we’ll be back.

"And Bruno [Massel] ... I’m not gonna ask you for a kiss right now either.”

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