The latest update as of March 23, 2024

64th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals
We're working through Friday's fotos, starting with the second - and what ultimately became - the final qualifying session for the Top Alcohol cars. With only eight Funny Cars on hand for a 16-car field, qualifying was guaranteed for everyone who made a qualifying attempt, while the dragsters had 17 cars to fill their 16-car field. And when the tire smoke cleared, there was one very big surprise on the list of non-qualifier(s). Occupying the ignominious #17 spot was multi-time world championship contender Shawn Cowie. Two tries, two immediate tire smoking results to leave him outside a national event field for the first time ever in a long career. However, the story doesn't end there, but you'll have to tune in to Tuesday's (March 26) update with the photos and descriptions from Sunday's eliminations to see how the Mundie's Towing team fared.
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #2 (FINAL)
We start our Winternationals coverage with the second, and what ultimately became the final qualifying session for Top Alcohol Funny Car. With just eight cars entered, it didn't take too long to get through this session.
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(LEFT) Making his first appearance in the Miner Brothers car, Alaska's Ray Martin was hoping to get a time on the board, after breaking on the burnout in the first session. He made good on his second try, ringing up a decent 5.609 - 263.46 to slot into the #6 spot on the ladder.
(RIGHT) In her national event debut, Madison (Maddi) Gordon wanted a much better result than her first run of the weekend, which saw the car get sideways early, and shut off to a 10-second clocking. She ran into more trouble on this run, as the car shook very hard on the launch, and she coasted down to a 8.815 - 100.03, that left her at the bottom of the field.
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(LEFT) With a new look to the car, and new sponsorship, Shane Westerfield fielded the Jackson family race car. He backed up his first session 5.60 pass with a consistent 5.636 - 262.85 flashing up on the scoreboard. That left him in the #5 spot in the field.
(RIGHT) Coming into the session in the #1 position, young Hunter Jones went slightly "over-center" and shook the tires hard. He still hung on to the top spot with his earlier 5.539 - 262.90 effort.
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER - Qualifying Session #2 (FINAL)
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(LEFT) With 17 cars in the pits, but only 16 recording a time in the first session, Mitch Myers was sitting on the bump spot with a 20-second elapsed time. He "improved" on that time with a tire smoking 8.471 - 117.01 to hang on to bump spot. The big news was that left Shawn Cowie (not shown, in the far lane) out of the field with an 11-second clocking, as he smoked the tires on the launch.
(RIGHT) Sporting a new look with major sponsorship, Trevor Larkin puffed the tires on the launch, pedalled and slowed to a 5.659 - 266.48, two tenth slower than his earlier 5.459 - 265.38. That left him in the bottom half of the field in the #9 position.
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(LEFT) The rookie Joe C. Maynard was up next, hoping to continue his winning streak after winning the "Baby Gators" and the Gatornationals. His first run was decent, but he was looking for a big improvement in this round of qualifying. It didn't happen though, as he shook the tires, pedalled, and stopped the clocks with a slower 5.646 - 237.21. He dropped one spot in the order, as his earlier 5.398 wasn't quick enough to stay in the fast half of the field.
(RIGHT) Following Maynard was veteran Joey Severance in his blown alky car, and he was looking for better numbers than his first session 5.378 e.t. He ' didn't improve, and slowed slightly to a decent 5.446 - 263.51 to hang on to the #8 spot on the laddedr.
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We're not really sure why these two photos snuck into our coverage, but they show the Chris Demke crew adjusting the wheelie bar, then intently watching the car stage before he launched.
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(LEFT)In the near lane, Chris Demke laid down a good 5.377 - 270.37 pass. It was half a tenth slower than his earlier effort, but he was solidly ensconced in the #4 position. In the far lane, Madison Payne in the Duane Shields entry, ran into traction trouble and was forced to shut off to a 6.20 - 165.82 to remain in the #7 spot in the field.
(RIGHT) Coming into the session at the top of the qualifying list with his first round 5.232 - 271.84 clocking, Mike Coughlin failed to improve. He launched well, but ran into traction problems before the 330' mark and slowed to an 8-second time. With a final qualifying session scheduled for Saturday morning, there was one last chance remaining for everyone to improve and change the 8.471 bump spot.
PRO STOCK - Qualifying Session #1
Leading off professional qualifying were the Pro Stock cars as there was no Pro Stock Bike class at this event. With 20 cars entered there was guaranteed to be at least a small amount of qualifying drama for drivers near - or below - the bump spot.
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(LEFT) Leading off with Pro Stock cars, Mason McGaha was at the head of the staging lanes. He was looking for a big improvement over his season opening Gainesville race, where he, and his father, both failed to qualify. His weekend here didn't start well as seriously nasty tire shake forced him to pedal the car to get it under control and contributed to a mediocre 6.847 - 207.88 timeslip.
(RIGHT) Following his son in the right lane, Chris McGaha was hoping he wouldn't be following in the "basket-balled" tire tracks of Mason. Instead of another shaky run, he laid down a smooth and fairly quick 6.585 - 210.83 performance to grab the top rung on the ladder for at least a few minutes.
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(LEFT) In a new car for the 2024 season, Camrie Caruso did not run well at the Gatornationals, but put down a solid 6.588 - 208.62 to slot into the #2 position behind Chris McGaha. A good start to the weekend following some testing between Gainesville and Pomona.
(RIGHT) Putting down a good smoky burnout, Jerry Don Tucker drove the "Outlaw" entry to a decent 6.670 - 209.01 that was only good for the #6 spot with 12 car remaining in the lanes. It was stgarting to look like an elapsed time in the 6.50's was going to be needed to qualify for the event.
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(LEFT) The first of the "Corral Boots" team cars was Fernando Caudra Jr. who put down a solid 6.637 - 209.14 in the Camaro entry. The rest of the team is still using Ford Mustangs.
(RIGHT) Very recognizable with the big "JEGS" banner on the door, Troy Coughlin Jr. broke into the 6.50's with a strong 6.595 - 210.87, that was good enough for the #4 spot on the ladder and currently the top speed recorded.
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(LEFT) The other Mustang-bodied entry from the Corral Boots team, with David Caudra driving put down a solid 6.606 - 209.88 to grab a temporary hold on the #6 spot, but with six strong runners still waiting to make a pass, it certainly wouldn't hold up for a top half position on the ladder.
(RIGHT) Running a full season in 2024 with SCAG Power Equipment backing, Jeg Coughlin Jr. started his weekend with a very strong 6.573 - 211.20 to grab the #2 spot and set top speed so far.
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(LEFT) After a semifinal performance at Gainesville, Dallas Glenn was expecting to be near the top of the list, but ran a so-so 6.608 - 208.29 that was only good enough for the #12 position on the ladder.
(RIGHT) The final pair of the session featured the finalists from the Gatornationals, and this was no contest as the points leader, and defending series champion Erica Enders laid down the low e.t. and top speed of the round at 6.556 - 211.69. In the other lane (not shown), Cristian Caudra lost traction and shut off to a 9-second clocking.
After the first session, the field ranged from Enders at 6.556 to Jerry Tucker at 6.670. Of the 20 cars that attempted a pass, 18 carded a 6-second e.t. and only one (Deric Kramer) failed to generate a timeslip.
FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #1
After a quick track prep, the nitro cars made their first appearance, with the Funny Cars leading the way. The qualifying math was simple: 16 spots open in the field and 21 cars in the lanes. With a few part time runners in attendance, it was most likely going to be the "usual suspects" running in eliminations on Sunday. But with threatening weather in the weekend forecast, it was imperative that everyone made a solid run in the first session.
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(LEFT) Making his first appearance in two years, after blowing up all his equipment at the 2022 Winternationals, So-Cal privateer Alex Miladinovich had the new "Hot 4 Teacher" flopper ready to rock but after rolling through the burnout box, lost fire before attempting his burnout.
(RIGHT) Another local-ish low-buck-ish racer, Chris Morel in the Reno-based "Little City Charger" got a little further than Miladinovich, by executing the burnout. But he had to be pushed back to the starting line, then was unable to move forward and was forced to shut off before staging. It was a tough start for Morel after sitting out two full seasons since his last appearance at the World Finals in 2021.
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(LEFT) Another local racer, Jason Rupert in the "Bays & Rupert" tribute entry, came up and did manage to stage the car, leave... then go up in smoke. At least he got a timeslip, but a 7.608 - 90.68 was far from what they were expecting.
(RIGHT) Two more California cars paired up, with Jeff Diehl (near lane) blasting out near career bests at 4.050 - 306.81 to take the early, and very provisional, pole position. In the far lane, Steven Densham in the Densham family hot rod, and sporting a FOR SALE sign on the front fender, went up in smoke instantly and shut off to an 11-second time.
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(LEFT) With some serious sponsorship behind them from "Versatrans", the Richards brothers, with Dave Richards driving and brother Paul tuning, are planning to run the entire Mission Foods Series in 2024. They had a tough time at the Gatornationals, not qualifying, but came into Pomona looking for much better results. After sitting at the starting line for quite a while after the ambers flashed, he launched and ran well to half track before shutting off to a 4.502 - 205.44 to grab a tenuous hold on the #2 spot on the ladder.
(RIGHT) The new season blues continued for Jim Campbell as the "Last Exit" car broke on the burnout and came to a locked up stop just past the Christmas tree. After he exited the car, the car in the other lane was able to make a run.
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(LEFT) The "car in the other lane" was none other than the Jim Dunn-owned and tuned "Mooneyes" Special, with Buddy Hull behind the wheel. While Buddy has some experience in Top Fuel, this is his first season driving a short wheelbase ill-handing Funny Car. He lost traction early and shut off to a 6-second clocking.
(RIGHT) Two series regulars with lots of experience came up next, with Paul Lee in the far lane, and Cruz Pedregon in the "Snap-On" Dodge in the near lane. You might expect to see side-by-side 3-second, 300+ mph passes from them, but when the timers finally stopped, they read 6-second at barely 100 mph for each of them, as they went into syncronized tire smoke before the 330' timers.
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(LEFT) With a well presented car and capable of running low 4.0 and high 3.9 elapsed times, Terry Haddock was looking for some solid performances in 2024. He ran a 3.989 at Gainesville and was looking for something similar here.
(RIGHT) Facing Haddock in the far lane was Daniel Wilkerson now taking over the driving chores in the Tim Wilkerson owned and tuned "SCAG" entry and he finally ousted Jeff Diehl from the top qualifying spot with a solid 4.014 - 314.31 pass. Haddock was right with him until about the 450' mark, before losing traction and banging the blower enroute to a 4.669 - 188.31 pass. With five pairs remaining in the lanes, that pass guaranteed Haddock a spot in the field after the first session.
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(LEFT) With the heavy hitters coming on deck, it was almost certain that we'd see a side-by-side 3-second race between John Force (near lane) and Alexis DeJoria in the far lane. However, it wasn't to be as both drivers got out of shape, DeJoria early, and Force a little later.
(RIGHT) Here's the Sunoco vision view of the two cars as Force (left side) crosses the centerline at the 660' mark, while DeJorias looks like her car is under control and pointed in a reasonably straight direction. However, a little further down track, she tagged the wall and disqualified her run. With both drivers DQ'd, there was still no ' bump spot and only ten drivers had received an elapsed time.
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(LEFT) Two more of the stronger cars in the field faced off next, with Ron Capps in the very familiar "NAPA" car in the near lane, and Matt Hagan in the "JHG" (Johnson's Horsepowered Garage) Dodge Charger Hellcat in the far lane. Both cars lost traction, but Capps did it first, and Hagan got to the finish line first with a slightly less than scintillating 4.454 - 195.59 to his credit.
(RIGHT) Another couple of Top Ten cars came up and while they both made it down the track without serious problems, neither was able to grab the top spot away from Dan Wilkerson. Chad Green (far lane) left second but finished first with a decent 4.110 - 302.96 for the #3 position, with Bob Tasca III (near lane) shut off early but still carded a 4.201 at only 247.93 for the #4 rung on the ladder.
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And then there were too, with rookie Funny Car driver Austin Prock in the far lane, facing J.R. Todd in the near lane. They both smoked the tires and pedalled to a 4.615 - 272.56 for the #7 position for Todd, and a slower 4.758 - 229.31 for young Mr. Prock. That left him in the #7 position after the first session of qualifying.
Of the 21 cars that attempted a pass, only 18 made it down the track, only 16 got a timelsip and the bump spot ended up at 11.841 (Steven Densham). On top was Dan Wilkerson at 4.014, and very surprisingly Jeff Diehl was #2 at 4.050, as the only other car in the 4.0's in the session.
TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #1
With only 15 cars entered, as long as the drivers could all light the stage bulbs and take the tree, they would be qualified for eliminations on Sunday. With the amount of freak breakage in the Funny Car session, it remained to be seen if the long skinny cars could live up their billing and put on a show for the fans that ventured out to In-N-Out Burger Dragstrip on Friday afternoon.
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(LEFT) Making her national event debut in Top Fuel was Jasmine Salinas. While it was planned for her to run a second "Scrappers Racing" entry this season, her father Mike stepped out of the cockpit of his car to deal with some health problems, leaving young Jasmine to take over the driving chores, at least temporarily. With three seasons of experience in an A/Fuel car in Top Alcohol Dragster, she wasn't exactly a rookie, but there were some very big shoes to fill in her father's car. She ran hard to the 660' timers before clicking it off to a 4.270 -201.22 timeslip.
(RIGHT) With a new look and new sponsor on his car, Nebraska's Terry Totten (near lane) faced off against Krista Baldwin (far lane), in the new to her ex-Pat Dakin car. Neither driver got the result they were looking for as Totten was up in smoke right off the line and Baldwin followed suit soon after. A 5.608 for Baldwin and 6.636 for Totten were nothing to get excited about.
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(LEFT) Two cars that usually run later in a qualifying session, but because they didn't do well at the Gators, ran early here, were Brittany Force in the near lane and Clay Millican in the far lane). They didn't disappoint, especially Ms. Force as she rocked the scoreboards with a great 3.783 - 330.39 to jump into the top qualifying spot. Staying with her until just past the 660's timing blocks, Millican broke into the 3's with a decent 3.902 at only 296.05 to slot in behind Force in the #2 spot. The bad news for Millican was a blown engine, a fireball and oil on the track - for the second time in two races - and a 10-point penalty.
(RIGHT) Top Fuel rookie Tony Stewart (near lane) faced off against Shawn Reed who is back on the tour on a full-time basis for 2024. Neither driver received the results they were looking for as Reed shut off early after puffing the tires early and stopped the timers at 6.656, while Stewart kept the tires hooked up for a little longer and broke into the 4's with a 4.839 - 148.95 set of times.
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(LEFT) Another pair, and nothing to write home about. In the near lane Josh Hart was only able to card a 6-second time in the "R+L Carriers" car, while in the far lane, Tony Schumacher went a little further before the "Leatherwood Distilleries" car lost traction and shut off to a 4.829 clocking. After nine cars went down the track, only two ran in the 3-second zone, and only one, Brittany Force made a full pass.
(RIGHT) Unbeliveably, two of the most consistent cars of the 2023 season both failed to get down the increasingly perplexing Pomona dragstrip. World Champion Doug Kalitta (near lane) and Justin Ashley (far lane) both lit the tires, Ashley instantly on the green, enroute to a 10-second pass, and Kalitta almost to the 330' mark before lighting them up and coasting to a 5-second time.
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(LEFT) With just two pairs left to run, and the shadows lengthening and the track cooling, everyone was hoping to see some seriously good side-by-side racing to close out the round. In the near lane, returning veteran Billy Torrence (back on the tour full time for the first time since 2021) made it look easy as he laid down a new low e.t. with a great 3.745 - 330.47 to set the top numbers for the category and take away the #1 qualifying spot from Brittany Force. Almost unnoticed in the far lane was Antron Brown who only fell back in the last few hundred feet before stopping the clocks with a very good 3.807 -322.11 for the #3 spot in the field.
(RIGHT) The final pair of the session tried hard but weren't able to bump "Captain CAPCO" (Billy Torrence) out of the top spot. Gainesville winner Shawn Langdon, in the near lane, ran hard until just before the finish line where he banged the blower and slowed to a 3.788 - 318.24 that landed him in the #4 spot. In the far lane, Steve Torrence kept it running on all cylinders right through the lights, with the scoreboard flashing up a 3.750 - 328.30 that placed him second on the ladder at the close of the session.
After a slow start to the session, four cars managed to drop into the 3.70's and two more landed in the 3-second zone. From there the e.t.'s plummeted all the way down to Justin Ashley's 10.560 for the 15th and final qualifying position. With a dire weather forecast on tap for Saturday it was looking like the numbers in this first session might be all we'd see until Sunday.
NOSTALGIA FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #1
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