24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals

NOTE: Click on the thumbnails to display the full-size images

There were storylines galore at the penultimate race of the 2024 season, the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We start our coverage with the first qualifying session of the nitro burners, with Funny Car leading off, followed by the long skinny Top Fuel cars.

FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #1

A full field and then some were in evidence, as 21 cars filled the flopper pits at the start of qualifying.

(LEFT) First out of the lanes was a new car, the "Nitro Moose" entry of the Winefsky family. Slated to drive the car in 2025 is young Dylan Winefsky, but for this debut, they chose to put veteran John Hale in the seat as they work out the setup on the all-new car. Hale's first effort ended before it began as the idle stuck on the burnout, forcing him to shut the car off.

(RIGHT) Next up was seldom seen Tim Gibbons in the "Big Time" entry. It's Terry Haddock's car, with Gibbons leasing it for this event. He made a decent pass to start his weekend, dropping a cylinder early and slowly drifting to the right before crossing the finish line with a 4.245 - 238.85 coming up on the timing system.

(LEFT) Second generation nitro racer Steven Densham, with father Gary tuning laid down a blazing burnout before making a good pass at 4.017 - 291.19. He was running well until shortly before the finish line, when it started to labor and put out a big cloud of smoke in the shutdown area.

(RIGHT) A great shot of two second generation So-Cal nitro racers, as Steven Densham (near lane) faced Jason Rupert in the far lane. With some tuning help from Rahn Tobler, Rupert laid down the first 3-second pass of the event, with a very good 3.996 - 318.62 lighting up the scoreboard.

(LEFT) Running by himself when scheduled opponent Terry Haddock elected to sit out the session, the ever-popular Jeff Diehl in the "So-Cal Speed Shop" entry made a serious effort to get back into the 3-second zone, and just fell short when the car nosed over before the finish line. It still ran 4.049 - 289.45 and gave crew chief Tony Shortall something to work with in the next session.

(RIGHT) The next pair saw Paul Lee (near lane) pull into an immediate lead over slow-leaving Buddy Hull (far lane). The gap increased substantially as they moved down track, with Hull lifting before the finish line to record a 4.207 - 275.34. Lee, however, kept the hammer down all the way and took over the top spot on the ladder with a season best 3.879 - 333.49 timeslip.

(LEFT) Steadily improving the performance after a tough first half of the season, the Richards brothers, with Dave Richards at the controls, posted another 3-second pass, with a 3.970 - 317.27 glowing on the scoreboard.

(RIGHT) Pulling into an immediate lead over Chad Green in the far lane, the "Bandero Tequila" Toyota Supra of Alexis DeJoria blasted into the 3's with a strong 3.995 - 282.42 pass. The speed was down as the car drifted towards the wall late in the run, eventually scraping the wall with apparently minimal damage.

(LEFT) Joining the ever-growing group of 3-something e.t.'s, Daniel Wilkerson pushed the "Scag" entry to a 3.936 - 321.73 to slot into the #4 spot on the ladder. The car dropped a cylinder on the top end and slowed a little but it didn't affect the elapsed time.

(RIGHT) Running in the second to last pair of the round, Ron Capps took over the top spot in the field with a very strong 3.860 - 330.96 to knock Paul Lee off the top rung. It's been a tough season for Capps, as he's made it to five final rounds, but has yet to enter the winners circle and is out of contention for the championship.

The final pair featured the all-but-confirmed new world champion Austin Prock (not shown), and teammate Jack Beckman (aka: John Forcein the points stadndings). While Beckman ran quicker and faster than Capps, his 3.859 - 332.43 was only second best to Prock's 3.843 - 333.33. Watching it all unfold from behind the starting line was John Force as his team cars took the top two spots at the end of the first qualifying session.

TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #1

Similar to the Funny Cars, the Top Fuel field was oversubscribed with 19 cars on hand looking to grab one of the 16 spots available for eliminations.

(LEFT) You can't always tell a book by the cover, as the Krista Baldwin car, with backing from "McLeod Clutches" was being driven this weekend by veteran Spencer Massey. Following some updates to Massey's former ride, the ex-Pat Dakin car, the decision to put Massey in a familiar seat was an easy one. The car left strong but lit the tires before the 660' mark and slowed to a 4.485 - 175.90 clocking.

(RIGHT) Another driver in a different car was Will Smith in the Luigi Novelli-owned "National Machine Repair" entry. Following some extensive upgrades to the car by the Lagana brothers, and some recent health issues for Luigi, it was decided to put Smith in the hot seat. He double-stepped the launch, killing the early incrementals, but did keep the throttle open all the way to the finish line, stopping the timers with a 4.123 - 292.14 result.

(LEFT) Hard trier Lex Joon made his best pass in quite a while, nearly eclipsing his career best 3.85 e.t., with an excellent run to 800' before he was forced to shut off as the car started drifting towards the guardwall. His numbers came up as 3.902 at only 268.01 mph, indicating there was a competitive tuneup in the car.

(RIGHT) Another European import, Ida Zetterstrom from Finland, only started her NHRA career in August at Brainerd, and became competitive right away with a semifinal finish at her first national event. Since then the winlights haven't been turning on and her Vegas weekend didn't start well as the tires started smoking at the 330' mark, and a shutoff 6-second pass resulted.

(LEFT) Wearing new "GESI" livery, Shawn Reed looked to continue his ever-improving performance levels, starting with a strong burnout to open his event. He did just that, rocketing to the #1 spot with a great 3.751 - 324.75 pass.

(RIGHT) Running alongside Reed in the other lane, Josh Hart laid down a decent 3.852 - 326.08 set of numbers that showed horsepower on the big end, but a set of somewhat underwhelming early (60' to 330') numbers for the porovisional #2 spot in the field. With ten more cars waiting in the staging lanes, that e.t. certainly wouldn't hold up very long.

(LEFT) Not in contention for the championship in his "rookie" season in Top Fuel, Tony Stewart came into the event solidly in the Top Ten and hoping to move up a spot or more in the standings before the end of the season. He started his Vegas expedition with a strong burnout.

(RIGHT) When the ambers flashed, Stewart was off on a good pass, and kept all the cylinders lit all the way to the finish line. He stopped the timers with a solid 3.781 - 327.98 that slotted him into the #2 spot in the field, at least temporarily.

(LEFT) Hoping to find her way into a final round for the first time in 2024, Brittany Force staged up with her (rather) famous father John Force observing intently from behind. She lowered the boom on the field with the first 3.60 pass of the session, puting a "monster" (pun intended) run of 3.675 - 336.74 up on the scoreboard. That gave her the top spot on the ladder by nearly a tenth of a second.

(RIGHT) Wearing a "jazzed" up wrap, with Evel Knievel billboarded on the side, Clay Millican wanted to be spectacular, but in a good way, with a quick start to the event. Millican launched hard, kept it hooked uo all the way, finally carding a 3.738 - 331.52 to jump into the #2 spot and stake his claim for a good starting position going into eliminations.

(LEFT) The second to last pair of the session featured two of the heavy hitters, including the #3 in the standings, Shawn Langdon. The second member of the Kalitta Motorsports Team made a strong statement with his opening salvo of 3.706 - 333.74 jumping over everyone (except Force) to claim the #2 spot in the field.

(RIGHT) Running alongside Langdon was multi-time world champion Steve Torrence, currently in the #4 spot in the Top Fuel points. He was just a few ticks slower than Langdon on this run, ringing up an excellent 3.714 - 333.74 clocking that matched Langdon on speed, and only eight thousandths of a second slower in elapsed time.

(LEFT) The top two in the points standings closed out the first round of qualifying, with Justin Ashley leading the way. He made a good run, but not quite good enough as his 3.726 - 332.26 "only" placed him #4 on the qualifying list.

(RIGHT) In the other lane was #2 in the points, , and he failed to keep pace with Ashley from the 330' mark. As he neared the 660' clocks, a head gasket let go, slowing him to a 4.116 at only 213.91 mph. That placed him #12 of the 18 drivers that made the opening qualifying session.

FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #2

More than half (ten to be exact) the field was already in the 3-second zone after the first session, and some of the heavier hitters were well outside that area, so it was to be expected that the bump spot of 5.758, held down by Chris Morel would be quickly obliterated in the second stanza of Funny Car qualifying.

(LEFT) Back up to the starting line for another attempt to get the "Nitro Moose" down the track, John Hale failed to get to the 330' clocks before clicking it off. A cylinder dropped out on the launch and with the car obviously down on power, Hale did the smart thing and shut off it to an 8-second e.t.

(RIGHT) Also running on a solo, Tim Gibbons was looking to knock a few tenths of his first session 4.245 pass. It wasn't to be as the car started moving around early, then dropped a cylinder and shut off before the 660' mark. The end result was a slower timeslip at 4.780 - 170.95 mph. That left him in the #15 spot in the provisional field.

(LEFT) After limping across the finish line with an 8-second run in the first session, Chad Green was looking to get back into familiar, ie.t 3-second, territory in the second go-round. He warmed up the tires before getting ready to run. Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse as the car dropped a cylinder on the launch and shut off before the 330' mark to a 9-second elapsed time.

(RIGHT) Also looking for better performance after clocking in at 4.049 in the first session, Jeff "The Surfer" Diehl was on a strong pass until the car started drifting towards the centerline past the 660' timers, forcing him to click it off a little early, but still knocking off a bit of e.t. The result was a solid and consistent 4.039 - 273.61 to solidify his hold on the #12 spot in the field.

(LEFT) The Jim Head team, with Blake Alexander driving wanted to get back on track and into the qualified field that was currently bump spotted at 4.205. They did that, and a lot more, as Alexander laid down a great 3.887 - 322.42 to jump from the 18th spot to #5 and well into the top half of the field.

(RIGHT) With the sharpest looking "old skool" metalflake paint - not wrap - Reno's "Little City Charger" of Chris Morel wanted to get back into the field after being bumped out earlier in the session. It didn't work out well , as he shook the tires early, and pulled the plug before the 330' clocks, coasting to a 7-second time.

(LEFT) Needing to step up at least a little bit to get off the bump spot, Buddy Hull wanted to move up in the Jim Dunn owned and tuned entry. It didn't go according to plan as the tires lit up as soon as he hit the throttle, resulting in a 13-second e.t. at 67 mph. Despite that setback he was locked into the #16 spot until tomorrow's third round of qualifying.

(RIGHT) Not used to running this deep into a qualifying session, California's Jason Rupert was determined to back up his first session 3.996 effort. The body was looking a little barren, with only a few small sponsorships visible but the team was ready to run with the bigger dogs. The tires broke loose early and cut short the acceleration as Rupert slowed to a 6-second pass, leaving him in the #12 spot in the field.

(LEFT) Following his first session 3.904 clocking, Cruz Pedregon wanted to join the ever increasing - six to this point - crowd in the 3.80-zone. He ran well this time, but the performance fell off a little to a 3.991 - 316.75 as a dropped cylinder dashed his hopes. His earlier pass left him in the #8 spot, in the top half of the field.

(RIGHT) The two JFR cars met in the final pair of the session and it was expected to be a battle for the top spot in the field. However, it didn't turn out that way as both drivers lost traction early. Austin Prock (near lane) tried to pedal but gave it up before the 330' timing block, while Jack Beckman (far lane) didn't bother getting back on the throttle as they both coasted to 6-and 7-second clockings to close the second qualifying session.

TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #2

Only 18 of the 19 cars entered appeared for the first qualifying session, and there were some troubled runs from teams that usually run strong, resulting in a desultory 4.670 bump spot. With the sun setting and the air cooling, expectations were for some much quicker and faster runs in this session.

(LEFT) Opening the session on a solo run, Top Fuel rookie, and second generation nitro racer, Travis Shumake prepared to unleash the performance of his car that had been prepped by the Scrappers Racing team. Their work paid off handsomely as Shumake notched career best numbers of 3.8987 - 309.20 to vault all the way into the #10 spot. His speed was down a little as the car dropped a cylinder late in the run.

(RIGHT) After a less than satisfactory result (6.962) in the first round of qualifying, Tony Schumacher was looking for much better numbers in this session. It didn't happen as the tires broke loose before the 660' mark and despite knocking more than two seconds off his previous e.t., the 4.680 -161.81 result left him in the #19 spot going into Saturday's final two qualifying sessions.

(LEFT) Running in the second pair of the session after a poor result in the previous round, defending world champion Doug Kalitta launched hard with the header flames up as he rocketed to the #3 spot (from #18) by way off a 3.707 - 330.96 clocking. He was under 3-seconds at the 660' mark and on track to a 3.60 pass before the header flames started flickering on the top end.

(RIGHT) With help from Rodger Brogdon's RoofTec company, Scott Palmer entered the final two events of the season, looking to salvage something of a very tough year. He ran strong early numbers in the first session before fading to a 4.315 e.t. that had him in the #17 spot and he ran worse here as the car lit the tires instantly on the launch.

(LEFT) Running by himself as Lex Joon elected to sit out the session, Will Smith wanted to move up from the bump spot of 4.123. He did improve but a 4.053 - 285.65 wasn't enough to surpass the #15 qualfying mark of 3.943, held down by Jasmine Salinas.

(RIGHT) The call came out to "fire the next pair" and Clay Millican (far lane), and Shawn Reed in the near lane heeded the command. They both went up in smoke early and only Reed tried - and failed - to pedal the car to a decent run. The results were 7-something for Millican and 5.51 for Reed. Obviously, no help for either racer.

(LEFT) The #15 qualifier, Jasmine Salinas didn't improve on her earlier numbers, losing traction early and shutting off to a 6-second clocking.

(RIGHT) Joining the "busted run brigade" next was Tony Stewart, even though he looked good on the launch, before smoking the tires enroute to a 6-second e.t.

(LEFT) It got even worse for the next contestant as points leader Justin Ashley ignited the tires before the car moved six feet and simnply coasted down track to a 15-second elapsed time.

(RIGHT) After all the aborted runs as the faster cars seemed to all go "over center", hopes were riding on the #1 qualifier, Brittany Force, to save face for the Top Fuel contingent. Sadly, it wasn't to be as she got past the 60' mark, and a little bit, before going.... up in smoke and clicking it off to a 7.40 - 74.00 timeslip. That ended the second session with the final five pairs running a collective best of 5.500 - 130.86 (Shawn Reed).

TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #3

Entering the final day of qualifying the bump spot was still not in the 3-second zone. Will Smith held onto the #16 spot with his 4.053 in Friday's second session. Below him were three racers that had a serious shot at surpassing that number: Scott Palmer, Ida Zetterstrom, and Tony Schumacher. All 19 cars entered were in the staging lanes as the session started.

(LEFT) After sitting out the second session on Friday, Lex "NVR Quit" Joon launched well but dropped multiple cylinders at half track before the engine expired in a huge fireball at the finish line. The resulting 3.979 - 268.28 wasn't an improvement on his earlier 3.902, leaving him in the #1`4 position.

(RIGHT) Barely visible in the near lane is Josh Hart, running alongside Scott Palmer in the far lane. Both drivers made it to the finish line under power, with Hart getting there first with a 3.801 - 328.46 that was an improvmenet, but not enough to move up from the #12 spot. Palmer meanwhile had to fight the car from half track on, but managed to get into the show in the #13 position with a decent 3.889 - 270.59 timeslip.

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #4 (FINAL)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #4 (FINAL)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER - Eliminations Round ONE

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR Eliminations - Round TWO

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER Eliminations - Round TWO

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

TOP FUEL Eliminations - Round ONE

After the pre-race ceremonies, which included the inevitable track walk, professional driver introductions, the Raceers for Christ invocation and the National Anthem, it was time for the traditional "Let's Get Ready To Burn Some NITRO" invitation from Joe "WFO" Castello. And things started to happen QUICKLY!

(LEFT) The first pair out of the lanes are almost always the #8 and #9 qualifiers, and this battle saw the "out of nowhere" Travis Shumake (far lane) taking on Shawn Reed in the near lane. Shumake dropped a bomb on the field in qualifying, laying down career best numbers - by a TON - at 3.724 - 323.12, while Reed continued on his upward trajectory as crew chief Rob Wendland has pushed this car into contending status, as shown by a 3.715 - 327.74 best in qualifying. While Reed nearly matched his qualifying time with a great 3.726 - 320.58 for the win, Shumake slowed slightly but still posted a very good 3.798 - 324.20 that showed how far this new team has come in a very short time.

(RIGHT) Points leader Justin Ashley (near lane) only qualified in the #7 spot and drew a tough opponent, Spencer Massey (far lane) in the first round. Driving the Krista Baldwin car, Massey nearly matched his 3.728 qualifying best, carding an excellent 3.735 - 323.66. It wasn't quite enough to get past Ashley, who left first by nine thousandths, and ran a little quicker at 3.711 - 329.67 to take a less than a car length win and move into the next round.

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

FUNNY CAR Eliminations - Round ONE

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

TOP FUEL Eliminations - Round TWO

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

FUNNY CAR Eliminations - Round TWO

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

PRO MODIFIED - Eliminations Round THREE

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

LEGENDS NITRO FUNNY CAR - Eliminations Round TWO

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR - Eliminations Round THREE

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER - Eliminations Round THREE

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

TOP FUEL Eliminations - Round THREE

(LEFT)

(RIGHT)

Sunday's racing was halted, then postponed, due to the massive gear lube slick in the left lane when Doug Kalitta's rearend broke in the semifinal round. The Safety Safari completed their cleanup and track prep for Monday's Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals, and finals. Before the pros got to strut their stuff, the supporting cast ran their final rounds, starting with Pro Modified and the Mountain Motor Pro Stock races.

(LEFT) After wrapping up the 2024 Congruity Pro Modified World Championship with a win over former champion Kris Thorne in the semifinal round on Sunday, Jordan Lazic (far lane) made his quickest and fastest pass of the event in the final against Mike Janis (near lane). The win was his second national event win, after winning in his NHRA debut at St. Louis last year. Lazic ran 5.729 - 251.53 for the win, and set top speed of the event, while Janis redlighted by -.019 and shut down to a 9-second time.

(RIGHT) Taking the win in Mountain Motor Pro Stock category was Johnny Pluchino in his 2013 Mustang (near lane) over the 2022 Camaro of Randi Lyn Butner in the far lane. Pluchino set low e.t. of the meet in the final, with a 6.300 - 221.56 easily handling a slightly off-pace 6.437 - 220.15 of Butner. She had been in the low 6.30's up until the final, but had a little slip when it mattered the most.

(LEFT) The picture tells the story very graphically, as defending world champion Julie Nataas (near lane) saw her repeat championship aspirations literally go up in smoke in the final round against Shawn Cowie in the far lane. After setting low e.t. of the meet (5.211) in the semifinal, she lost traction instantly and could only watch Cowie fly away to the win while she limped to a 19-second 34-mph loss. Cowie ran into trouble down track, losing the engine at the 1000' mark and coasting across the finish line at 5.600 - 244.60. The event win virtually gave Cowie the world championship that he's been trying to capture for 17 years.

(RIGHT) Another picture that shows how Shane Westerfield (near lane), driving the Bucky Austin & Ed O'Brien-owned "Bardahl" car lost in the final round of the Legends of Nitro Funny Car category. Despite setting low e.t. and top speed of the meet in qualifying, and mowing down two opponents to reach the final, Shane lost traction and could only muster an 11-second clocking. Taking full advantage of Westerfield's plight was Tim Boychuk in his "Happy Hour" '69 Camaro as he pounded out a consistent 4.851 - 241.71 for the win on the 1000 ft track.

(LEFT Heavy favourite and almost certain to be the new world champion, Austin Prock faced the back-in-black Jim Head entry, driven by Blake Alexander. Prock left first by only a hundredth, but quickly stretched the lead when Alexander lost traction before the 60 ft clocks. From there to the finish line it was another consistent mid 3.80 pass for Prock, stopping the timers at 3.859 - 328.54 and advancing to his 11th final round of the season.

(RIGHT) The other semifinal pitted Jack Beckman, driving for John Force, in the near lane, against hard charging Paul Lee in the far lane. The "smart" money had Beckman favoured to take the win and face teammate Prock in the final, but Lee, with the tuning of Jonnie Lindberg, cranked out a career best 3.834 - 330.23 to take the holeshot win over Beckman's excellent 3.827 - 323.04 pass. Lee left first by a hundredth of a second and took the winlight by two thousandths. Incredibly close racing, and with the win Paul Lee took lane choice into the final against Prock.

(LEFT) You're not seeing double, but there are two Caudra brothers in the semifinals for the first time this season. In this photo, it's David Caudra (near lane) facing one of the Elite "dream team" Aaron Stanfield (far lane). Stanfield took the win when Caudra redlighted by .005, before both drivers experienced massive tire shake. The scoreboards read 32.755 seconds for Stanfield, while Caudra's came up 36.933. Obviously Stanfield would not be getting lane choice in the final round, but he did move into the points lead, passing Dallas Glenn who had held that honour for most of the season.

(RIGHT) In the other semifinal, Cristian Caudra (near lane) fell to Greg Anderson (far lane) in a much more convential race. Anderson put a six hundredths holeshot on Caudra, then dropped into the 6.50's with an excellent 6.599 - 207.37 to take a two car length win over Caudra's slowest pass of eliminations, a 6.648 - 205.66 in a losing cause. The win moved Anderson to within 32 points of Glenn and 36 points behind Stanfield.

(LEFT) The first final round, of the four-wheeled variety, featured the Pro Stock cars, with Greg Anderson in the near lane, and Aaron Stanfield on the far side. Anderson came into the final with lane choice - by a ton - but Stanfield took an early lead with a two hundredths quicker reaction time. His quick launch was just enough to hold off Anderson's quicker 6.591 - 206.39 effort, as Stanfield's 6.606 - 206.13 gave him the winlight by barely five thousandths of a second. The margin at the line was less than two feet in a super close race.

(RIGHT) In the Funny Car final, the #1 qualifier, Austin Prock, met up with #3 Paul Lee. Oddly enough, based on Prock's completely dominating season, Lee came into the match with lane choice, with a 3.834 in the semifinal bettering Prock's 3.859 pass. Prock took an immediate lead with a small holeshot, then extended the margin throughout the run, stopping the clocks with a very good 3.830 e.t. (There was no speed recorded on the run). Lee dropped a cylinder early in the run and slowed on the top end to a 3.982 - 297.94 as his hopes for a victory evaporated.

(LEFT) The event finished with the top qualifying Brittany Force facing the 2023 world champion Doug Kalitta. Force came into this event without a national event win for two full years, while Kalitta was hoping to close the gap to the points leaders going into the final event at Pomona. Force held lane choice with her 3.666 in the semifinal being low e.t. of eliminations, while Kalitta didn't receive an e.t. when teammate Shawn Langdon took out the finish line timing blocks.

(RIGHT) Kalitta left first by an .064 to .076 margin, but didn't make it to the 60' timers before the tires broke loose, slowing him to a 6.147 e.t., while Force ran away from him with a solid 3.703 - 332.59 for the well-deserved and long overdue victory.

In case you're wondering - as we were too - where the Top Alcohol Funny Cars were, the answer came shortly after the final rounds were completed. The racers, Sean Bellemeur and Maddi Gordon, decided to run their final round during qualifying at the season-ending In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at Pomona.