- Beckman wins first FC race for John Force
- Schumacher rolls to first TF playoff win in 10 years
- Glenn holds off Stanfield for second straight PS race
- Herrera moves back into PSM lead
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 29, 2024) – Funny Car’s Jack Beckman picked up his first victory since taking over for legendary driver John Force, defeating Ron Capps in the final round of the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, also winning his first race in nearly four years on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Beckman went 3.856-seconds at 315.86 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS, holding off Capps’ 3.882 at 329.42 to record his 34th career win and first since 2020. Beckman was named the substitute driver for Force following Force’s crash in June, collecting points for the 16-time champ as Beckman attempts to win another title for the iconic Force.
To reach the final round, Beckman defeated J.R. Todd, Daniel Wilkerson, and points leader and teammate Austin Prock, snapping Prock’s streak of 14 straight round wins. Beckman moved into second in points and heads into the final three races trailing Prock by 105 points.
“The guys just kept making the right call,” Beckman said. “You have all the confidence in your crew that whatever they have to do, we can go drag that thing back up there and it’s going to go down the racetrack. We made a monster lap in the final round. That was fantastic to see our guys turn the screws up and get more aggressive with it because that comes from confidence.
“There is potential pressure but it’s a complete honor to drive this car. John Force has done everything and we may not have seen the last of him yet. He is by all metrics the greatest of all time and he’s also a friend of mine. He’s also John Force. He’s his own personality. I am absolutely fine with having an asterisk next to John Force’s 17th title out there, but we have Mount Austin and Jimmy (Prock) to continue to try to close that gap on.”
Capps, now fourth in points, reached the final round for the fourth time this season and the 151st time in his career after defeating Buddy Hull, Bobby Bode and Blake Alexander.
In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher and his team appear to be hitting their stride at an ideal time, as Schumacher won for the second time this season with a run of 3.718 at 329.42 in his 11,000-horsepower Leatherwood Distillery/Waltrip Brewing Co. dragster to defeat Steve Torrence in the championship round. Remarkably, it is Schumacher’s first victory in the Countdown to the Championship since 2014 (Reading), which was also the year of the most recent of the standout’s eight world championships.
To repeat that, Schumacher, who now has 88 career wins, will have to stay red-hot to track down Antron Brown, but he is 103 points behind in sixth with three races remaining. On Sunday, Schumacher got by Julie Nataas, who was making her Top Fuel debut, and then recorded a massive second-round win against Brown. He defeated Shawn Reed to reach the final round, quickly chasing down Torrence to pick up the memorable victory in St. Louis.
“It was a great day,” Schumacher said. “Running Antron Brown second round, we had to go after it. You look back on moments like that and we made the choice to go after this stuff and run well. I’m proud of the guys.
“I haven’t looked at the points, I don’t know how far back we are. We hurt ourselves early on, but at the end of the day, that’s racing. We won the race, we did a great job, we get points, we’re closer than we were the moment we started this morning. Whether we win a championship or not, we did a heck of a job going out there. Is there time to win a championship? I don’t know. Is there time to win a few more races and be great and do what we’re expected to do by our sponsors? Definitely.”
Torrence reached the final round for the third time in 2024 and 90th time in his career after defeating Ida Zetterstrom, No. 1 qualifier T.J. Zizzo and Justin Ashley, who remained second in points. Ashley is 34 points behind Brown, while Shawn Langdon is 60 points back in third.
The Pro Stock final featured another thrilling duel between Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield, and Glenn got the better of Stanfield for the second straight race, going 6.577 at 207.82 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to get past Stanfield’s 6.586 at 206.01. It strengthens Glenn’s points lead over Stanfield, as he now leads by 31 points as both young standouts attempt to win their first Pro Stock world championships, and also handed the 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year his fifth victory.
It’s his second straight playoff victory as well, as Glenn got the better of Camrie Caruso, Mason McGaha and KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson to reach the championship round. Glenn followed with a sterling .010 reaction time and rolled to the wire-to-wire victory against Stanfield, picking up his 13th career victory in the process.
“Wins in the Countdown are harder than wins during the regular season,” Glenn said. “Everybody steps up their game, the points matter more, everybody brings their best stuff. Everything just gets tighter and more difficult. Looking at it, I have two wins and a semi in the Countdown and I barely have a round and a half lead. It’s definitely a lot tighter than I would like right now, but Aaron does a fantastic job. He’s a great driver, and I’m sure he’s going to be real tough for the remainder of the Countdown.
“Coming into this weekend I was thinking, St. Louis is usually where stuff starts happening. The first two races, the who’s who of the Countdown starts to be established. Then the big moves really start being made, kind of like the deciding race as to who is really going to be in the Countdown chase and who’s not really starts in St. Louis. There are only three races left, and there just isn’t a lot of time to gain points, especially when you have the same four drivers in the semis the first three races in a row. It’s really hard to gain points on somebody when they’re right with you the whole way.”
To reach the final round for the ninth time this season and 24th time in his career, Stanfield got past David Cuadra, Matt Hartford and Erica Enders. Enders remained third in points and now trails Glenn by 90 points.
After failing to win in the first two Pro Stock Motorcycle playoff races, defending world champ Gaige Herrera got back on track on Sunday, moving back into the points lead and taking his eighth victory of the season after a run of 6.805 at 198.12 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Chase Van Sant’s 6.868. It was an impressive bounce back weekend for Herrera, who qualified No. 1 and ran between 6.797 and 6.813 during all four elimination rounds to win for the 19th time in his career and the second straight season in St. Louis.
To get there, Herrera cruised past John Hall and Reading winner Hector Arana Jr., setting up a rematch of the Seattle final round. Van Sant won that, snapping Herrera’s streak of 11 straight victories, but Herrera rode past Van Sant on Sunday. Back in the points lead, Herrera leads Matt Smith, who lost in the second round, by 34 points.
“This means a lot. St. Louis is the halfway point in the Countdown, and to leave here with the points lead and get the win just gives me and the whole team a big boost going into Dallas and the rest of the races,” Herrera said. “If you don’t do well here, it sets you back and puts you in a different mindset.
“We’re leaving with a lot of confidence. I’m glad to say my bike’s back, especially after the last couple of races. I had a red light and in Charlotte had a malfunction and lost a decent amount of points to Matt and he got the points lead. I’m glad to get that back. It brings me a lot of confidence and I’m looking forward to going to Dallas. It’s always a fun race. I’m glad I get to win in St. Louis, I’m not far from here and it’s a beautiful facility. I’m glad the rain was only Friday. It was a good day of racing.”
Van Sant knocked off Chris Bostick, Richard Gadson and Geno Scali to advance to the finals for the third time in 2024. Gadson is third in points, 65 behind his teammate.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Oct. 9-13 with the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex in Dallas.
ST. LOUIS — Final finish order (1-16) at the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
- Tony Schumacher; 2. Steve Torrence; 3. Shawn Reed; 4. Justin Ashley; 5. Shawn Langdon; 6. Antron Brown; 7. Brittany Force; 8. T.J. Zizzo; 9. Clay Millican; 10. Josh Hart; 11. Tony Stewart; 12. Ida Zetterstrom; 13. Billy Torrence; 14. Julie Nataas; 15. Doug Kalitta; 16. Jasmine Salinas.
FUNNY CAR:
- Jack Beckman; 2. Ron Capps; 3. Austin Prock; 4. Blake Alexander; 5. Bob Tasca III; 6. Bobby Bode; 7. Daniel Wilkerson; 8. Chad Green; 9. J.R. Todd; 10. Alexis DeJoria; 11. Cruz Pedregon; 12. Matt Hagan; 13. Dave Richards; 14. Buddy Hull; 15. Dale Creasy Jr..
PRO STOCK:
- Dallas Glenn; 2. Aaron Stanfield; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Erica Enders; 5. Jeg Coughlin; 6.
Mason McGaha; 7. Eric Latino; 8. Matt Hartford; 9. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 10. Camrie Caruso; 11. Cory Reed; 12. David Cuadra; 13. Jerry Tucker; 14. Chris McGaha; 15. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; 16. Cristian Cuadra.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
- Gaige Herrera; 2. Chase Van Sant; 3. Hector Arana Jr; 4. Geno Scali; 5. Angie Smith; 6.
Richard Gadson; 7. John Hall; 8. Matt Smith; 9. Jianna Evaristo; 10. Chris Bostick; 11. Marc Ingwersen; 12. Ryan Oehler; 13. Lance Bonham; 14. Wesley Wells; 15. Steve Johnson.
MADISON, Ill. — Sunday’s final results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. The race is the 17th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Tony Schumacher, 3.718 seconds, 329.42 mph def. Steve Torrence, 3.763 seconds, 316.90 mph.
Funny Car — Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.856, 315.86 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.882, 329.42.
Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.577, 207.82 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.586, 206.01.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.805, 198.12 def. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.868, 195.53.
Competition Eliminator — Ryan Warter, Pontiac Sunfire, 8.477, 160.71 def. Todd Frantz, Chevy Cobalt, 8.603, 154.42.
Super Stock — Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Pontiac Firebird, 9.814, 135.76 def. Ryan Montford, Chevy Camaro, 8.923, 142.07.
Stock Eliminator — Ross Ponville, Camaro, 10.444, 121.79 def. Joe Belanger, Chevy II Wagon, 11.462, 110.51.
Super Comp — Alison Prose, Dragster, 8.901, 184.88 def. Chris Vang, Dragster, 8.892, 181.59.
Super Gas — Kris Whitfield, ’27-T Ford, 9.912, 157.58 def. Luke Bogacki, Chevy Corvette, 9.926, 148.89.
Top Dragster — James Glenn, Dragster, 7.451, 167.76 def. Matt Woodard, Dragster, 7.016, 179.95.
Pro Modified — Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, 5.786, 245.58 def. Mason Wright, Chevy Camaro, 5.806, 234.66.
Factory X — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 7.155, 189.79 def. Rick Hord, Camaro, 7.241, 186.56.
Factory Stock Showdown — Mark Pawuk, Dodge Challenger, 7.792, 176.28 def. Jonathan Allegrucci, Ford Mustang, 7.833, 175.96.
MADISON, Ill. — Final round-by-round results from the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Steve Torrence, 3.726, 328.78 def. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.764, 321.42; Antron Brown, 3.715, 330.07 def. Jasmine Salinas, 10.365, 73.32; Brittany Force, 3.702, 324.98 def. Josh Hart, 3.745, 324.05; T.J. Zizzo, 3.718, 330.88 def. Billy Torrence, 3.812, 310.84; Tony Schumacher, 4.359, 303.09 def. Julie Nataas, 5.050, 191.16; Justin Ashley, 3.733, 325.53 def. Clay Millican, 3.712, 330.96; Shawn Langdon, 3.727, 323.89 def. Doug Kalitta, 5.399, 157.25; Shawn Reed, 3.773, 319.29 def. Tony Stewart, 3.755, 323.58;
QUARTERFINALS — Ashley, 3.721, 327.43 def. Langdon, 3.731, 320.81; S.
Torrence, 3.766, 315.49 def. Zizzo, 10.915, 73.35; Reed, 3.732, 318.02 def. Force, 10.819, 61.19; Schumacher, 3.746, 322.34 def. Brown, 3.759, 295.92;
SEMIFINALS — Schumacher, 3.724, 323.74 def. Reed, 3.766, 311.85; S. Torrence, 3.785, 321.50 def. Ashley, 5.618, 126.52;
FINAL — Schumacher, 3.718, 329.42 def. S. Torrence, 3.763, 316.90.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.814, 330.96 was unopposed; Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 3.933, 305.49 def. Dale Creasy Jr., Dodge Charger, 14.127, 70.04; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.878, 329.42 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.926, 326.63; Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.873, 329.18 def. Buddy Hull, Charger, 12.672, 75.09; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.901, 327.51 def. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 3.940, 325.22; Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.995, 322.50 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.045, 313.80; Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.920, 325.53 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.956, 318.17; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.913, 327.43 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.976, 297.55; QUARTERFINALS — Beckman, 3.887, 326.00 def. Wilkerson, 8.392, 84.04; Prock, 3.884, 316.67 def. Tasca III, 3.908, 409.58; Capps, 3.884, 322.58 def. Bode, 4.688, 178.54; Alexander, 3.889, 326.08 def. Green, Broke;
SEMIFINALS — Beckman, 3.877, 322.65 def. Prock, 8.266, 101.42; Capps, 3.868, 325.77 def. Alexander, 9.261, 68.29;
FINAL — Beckman, 3.856, 315.86 def. Capps, 3.882, 329.42.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Eric Latino, Chevy Camaro, 6.607, 206.10 def. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.671, 206.67; Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.588, 207.94 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.583, 208.14 def. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.608, 206.70; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.586, 208.49 def. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 18.665, 42.32; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.567, 208.39 def. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.600, 206.35; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.574, 207.66 def. David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.606, 207.05; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.570, 207.50 def. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.587, 206.35; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.552, 208.39 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.645, 206.83; QUARTERFINALS — Stanfield, 6.605, 207.15 def. Hartford, 6.648, 206.86; Glenn, 6.578, 207.82 def. M. McGaha, 6.597, 207.50; Anderson, 6.564, 208.46 def. Coughlin, 6.582, 207.56; Enders, 6.555, 208.39 def. Latino, 6.619, 205.98;
SEMIFINALS — Glenn, 6.604, 207.18 def. Anderson, 6.613, 208.17; Stanfield, 6.602, 206.92 def. Enders, 16.149, 50.20;
FINAL — Glenn, 6.577, 207.82 def. Stanfield, 6.586, 206.01.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE — John Hall, 6.868, 196.10 def. Marc Ingwersen, 6.939, 194.04; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.834, 198.32 def. Ryan Oehler, 7.054, 187.76; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.936, 193.29 def. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.866, 194.97 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.910, 194.24; Hector Arana Jr, 7.884, 157.80 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 12.282, 61.14; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.834, 196.04 def. Lance Bonham, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.815, 198.64 def. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.454, 178.73; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.808, 198.09 was unopposed;
QUARTERFINALS — Arana Jr, 6.870, 195.65 def. A. Smith, 6.840, 197.77; Van Sant, 6.887, 194.83 def. Gadson, 6.880, 193.99; Scali, 6.998, 193.10 def. M. Smith, 6.986, 195.79; Herrera, 6.797, 198.88 def. Hall, 6.925, 193.71;
SEMIFINALS — Van Sant, 6.939, 192.91 def. Scali, 6.945, 191.84; Herrera, 6.813, 197.74 def. Arana Jr, 6.839, 196.27;
FINAL — Herrera, 6.805, 198.12 def. Van Sant, 6.868, 195.53.
MADISON, Ill. — Point standings (top 10) following the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
- Antron Brown, 2,344; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,310; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,284; 4. Doug Kalitta, 2,257; 5. Steve Torrence, 2,256; 6. Tony Schumacher, 2,241; 7. Clay Millican, 2,211; 8. Brittany Force, 2,171; 9. Tony Stewart, 2,150; 10. Billy Torrence, 2,113.
Funny Car
- Austin Prock, 2,454; 2. John Force, 2,349; 3. Bob Tasca III, 2,295; 4. Ron Capps, 2,260; 5. Matt Hagan, 2,249; 6. J.R. Todd, 2,191; 7. Blake Alexander, 2,176; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,162; 9. Chad Green, 2,159; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,145.
Pro Stock
- Dallas Glenn, 2,437; 2. Aaron Stanfield, 2,406; 3. Erica Enders, 2,347; 4. Greg Anderson, 2,321; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 2,205; 6. Cristian Cuadra, 2,157; 7. Jerry Tucker, 2,150; 8. Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,143; 9. Matt Hartford, 2,142; 10. Eric Latino, 2,127.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
- Gaige Herrera, 2,404; 2. Matt Smith, 2,370; 3. Richard Gadson, 2,339; 4. Hector Arana Jr, 2,267; 5. Chase Van Sant, 2,248; 6. Angie Smith, 2,206; 7. John Hall, 2,205; 8. Jianna Evaristo, 2,170; 9. Steve Johnson, 2,127; 10. Chris Bostick, 2,096.
