The latest update as of September 11, 2023

Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Top Alcohol national championship standings

NOTE: To see a larger version, just click on the graphic. Points in RED have been waived. Event abbreviations in BOLD are races entered. Events that are XXX'd out are ones not possible for the racer to attend.

One thing that is almost certain in Top Alcohol Dragster is that defending - and five-time champion, Joey Severance will not be retaining his crown in 2023. The final nail in the coffin of their championship hopes came in the final qualifying session at Brainerd, when he broke the crankshaft, effectively wiping out the engine. With not enough parts in the trailer to put another one together, the Severance team withdrew from the event, and went home to lick their wounds. With no entries from them for at least the next two events, their championship hopes have all but evaporated.

At the top of the standings going into the U.S. Nationals, Shawn Cowie saw his tenuous lead go away very quickly following an untimely first round loss. After a great start to the season, with a regional win at Phoenix, and a runnerup at the Winternationals, Cowie hasn't gone past the second round at a national event since. That's six races with three first round exits, and three losses in the second round. Giving him any chance for a title this year is his three regional event wins, gaining the maximum points possible on that side of the ledger. With three national events left in the western half of the country (Dallas, Las Vegas & Pomona), all tracks that Cowie traditionally runs well at, he does have a viable chance to get back to the top of the list.

Holding down the top two spots on the leader board are perennial contender Julie Nataas, in the #1 spot with a slim 21-point lead over relative newcomer Tony Stewart. Both racers were in a virtual tie for second place until Indy, but Stewart's quarter-final loss, coupled with Julie's runnerup finish made for the current gap between them. While Stewart has entered the Reading and Charlotte races, there are no pre-entries on the docket for Nataas at this point. However, it looks probable that she will be at ZMax Dragway next week, otherwise she will miss a chance to maximize her points earnings possibilities with just three events remaining after Charlotte.

While no one in the Top Ten, and for that matter, only one racer, (Chris Demke), in the Top 20 mathematically eliminated, the hopes for the racers lower down in the Top Ten, Jasmine Salinas, and Cody Krohn are all but gone as neither racer has any pre-entries to their name. Further up the list, #5 Matt Cummings could gain some serious ground with a win at Reading in a "home track" race for the McPhillips Racing conglomerate. If he could take the event trophy, then a few more appearances could be in the offing for the hard running team.

Two contenders that have flown somewhat under the radar this season, at least until Indy, are Madison Payne and Mike Coughlin. Payne, in only her second full season on the national tour, took home the trophy at the U.S. nationals and moved into a contending position. While she is 170 points behind Nataas, she has one regional event remaining that could add 53 points to her current total, and she has entries in for the next three national events. With the momentum that the Indy win gave her, she has a real chance to move up the list in the coming weeks. She may just surprise a few folks along the way.

The other racer in that seventh place tie, is Mike Coughlin, who drives the Samsel Racing A/Fuel Dragster. Unfortunately, following his event win at the Charlotte 4-wides in the spring, and wins at regional events in Columbus, OH and Bowling Green, KY, Coughlin fell in the first round at Indy. That didn't put an end to his championship hopes, but with no pre-entries in his name at this point, time is rapidly running out for him to make a run for the top.

Following the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals we will update this story with the latest points totals and prognostications for the championship chase.

NOTE: To see a larger version, just click on the graphic. Points in RED have been waived. Event abbreviations in BOLD are races entered. Events that are XXX'd out are ones not possible for the racer to attend.

The situation is much simpler in Funny Car, as defending champion, Doug Gordon, has been atop the standings for most of the season, and with five national event wins, is in by far the strongest position to repeat as champion in his final season of driving. Three time champion, Sean Bellemeur, in the very potent "Killer B's" car is nearly 140 points behind Gordon, and needs to repeat his Indy win at Reading this week, and Charlotte next week, to have a chance to overtake the leader.

If Bellemeur can win the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals he would move to within 54 points of Gordon, and if he could three-peat at the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals next week, he would tie Gordon for the lead. However, that would leave Bellemeur with only two more national events to gain points, while Gordon will have three races remaining at that point. Additionally, Gordon has two regional events left on his ledger, while Bellemeur is down to one. It will be very interesting to see how the next 12 days play out in the championship chase.

Sitting in third place, Bob McCosh Jr., has had a very successful season, with one national event win in three final rounds, and two wins, and a runnerup at the regional level. He's slightly more than 200 points in arrears of Gordon at this point, but with entries in the next four national events, there's lots of room for him to augment his points total considerably. With only five national events attended, compared to Bellemeur's six, and Gordon's seven, McCosh is well positioned to start adding to his total this week at Reading. Stay tuned to this story as he is running well, and fresh off a regional win at Earlville yesterday. Momentum can be a powerful force and he definitely has it on his side. A real darkhorse pick but a viable one.

Two other longshots, Matt Gill, currently #5 in the standings, and Ulf Leanders, #7 have mathematical chances to overtake Gordon, but both must make the most of their chances at Reading. If either falls early, their championship aspirations could be finished. The #4 points holder, Brian Hough, hasn't entered Reading, and if he doesn't enter the Charlotte race, then he will be officially eliminated from championship contention.

Following the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals we will update this story with the latest points totals and prognostications for the championship chase.