{"id":37070,"date":"2022-02-19T21:40:47","date_gmt":"2022-02-20T03:40:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=37070"},"modified":"2022-02-20T13:28:21","modified_gmt":"2022-02-20T19:28:21","slug":"brittany-force-ron-capps-and-erica-enders-qualify-no-1-at-lucas-oil-nhra-winternationals-at-pomona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/19\/brittany-force-ron-capps-and-erica-enders-qualify-no-1-at-lucas-oil-nhra-winternationals-at-pomona\/","title":{"rendered":"Brittany Force, Ron Capps and Erica Enders qualify No. 1 at Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at Pomona"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA<\/em><\/p>\n

POMONA, Calif. \u2013 Following a dominant performance in qualifying throughout 2021, Brittany Force added another to start her 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, rolling to the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel on Saturday at the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Brittany Force. Photo courtesy of the NHRA<\/p><\/div>\n

Ron Capps (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the first of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.<\/p>\n

Force powered to the top with a run of 3.661-seconds at 333.91 mph in the final qualifying session, giving her 33 career No. 1 qualifiers in her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster. She drove to 12 No. 1 positions a year ago and is now seeking her first career Winternationals victory as she looks to begin the 2022 campaign on an impressive note. Force will take on Ron August in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels awesome to be back out here at my home track and starting a new season,\u201d Force said. \u201cI\u2019m glad to be back, doing what we love and it\u2019s even better to go No. 1 at the first race of the season. It pumps all of us up. We\u2019re excited to get going and see what we can do this season. It felt good to have a solid pass going into race day. A 3.66, that\u2019s pretty outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justin Ashley, who was the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday, took second with a run of 3.676 at 331.45 and Mike Salinas was right behind thanks to his 3.677 at 329.02 from Friday. Austin Prock jumped to fourth on Saturday with his pass of 3.711 at 331.85.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ron Capps. Photo courtesy of the NHRA<\/p><\/div>\n

Capps, the reigning Funny Car world champ, closed out qualifying with an outstanding performance, slipping past Robert Hight with his run of 3.857 at 332.43 in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Funny Car. After moving into a team ownership role for the first time and forming Ron Capps Motorsports in the off-season, it was also an ideal start for the veteran. In a thrilling, must-see first-round matchup to open eliminations, Capps will take on longtime rival and 16-time world champ John Force.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went up there to run an .83. That\u2019s what Guido (crew chief, Dean Antonelli) put in it,\u201d Capps said. \u201cIt started cooling off, so we came back and made some changes. That thing was a rocket ship. I could hear (Robert) Hight over there but I couldn\u2019t see him, but I knew he was right there. That means if you\u2019re running with (tuner) Jimmy Prock, you\u2019re running pretty good. This No. 1 qualifier hat right here, means a lot. To start off as a team owner and have all the people who have helped throughout the off-season, it\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hight took the second spot with his pass of 3.861 at 331.36, while Matt Hagan is third with a 3.886 at 329.34.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Erica Enders. Photo courtesy of the NHRA<\/p><\/div>\n

Looking for her first career Winternationals victory in her storied career, Enders moved a step closer by starting her 2022 with a No. 1 qualifier thanks to her run of 6.521 at 210.44 in her Melling Performance\/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. It gives Enders, a four-time world champ, her 24th career No. 1 qualifier. She will open eliminations against Cristian Cuadra and the standout is focused on picking up her first win in the event in what is Pro Stock\u2019s 900th career race. Sunday\u2019s winner will also receive a special trophy along with the Wally to commemorate the 900th event in class history.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like this is the best race car we\u2019ve had in a long time,\u201d Enders said. \u201cWe had a goal in the off-season to come out swinging. I feel like we have something to prove and the guys went to work hard in the engine shop. To lay down three consistent runs like that during the three qualifying sessions gives you confidence heading into race day. Tomorrow is very exciting and I just try to focus on keeping it as a normal race. I just go up and try to control every aspect in my lane with my race car. We\u2019ve been fortunate enough to battle it out for a lot of really cool awards and this 900th event for Pro Stock, it would definitely mean a lot to take that bad boy home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defending event winner Aaron Stanfield qualified second thanks to his run of 6.527 at 210.37 and Kyle Koretsky qualified third thanks to his Friday run of 6.528 at 209.20. Greg Anderson, the defending world champ, qualified fourth and will be seeking his 100th career victory on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Eliminations for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday. Television coverage includes eliminations action beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 (FS1)<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Brittany Force \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/BrittanyForce.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ron Capps \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Capps.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Erica Enders \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/EricaEnders-1.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

POMONA, Calif. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the first of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.<\/p>\n

Top Fuel — 1. Brittany Force, 3.661 seconds, 333.91 mph vs. 16. Ron August, 4.375, 194.74; 2. Justin Ashley, 3.676, 331.45 vs. 15. Jim Maroney, 3.960, 294.24; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.677, 329.02 vs. 14. Buddy Hull, 3.905, 288.95; 4. Austin Prock, 3.711, 331.85 vs. 13. Clay Millican, 3.789, 317.12; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.720, 324.90 vs. 12. Tony Schumacher, 3.787, 315.86; 6. Steve Torrence, 3.725, 315.34 vs. 11. Doug Foley, 3.771, 311.63; 7. Leah Pruett, 3.726, 328.54 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.756, 324.83; 8. Shawn Langdon, 3.740, 325.22 vs. 9. Josh Hart, 3.755, 323.19.<\/p>\n

Did Not Qualify: 17. Scott Farley, 5.728, 117.29.<\/p>\n

Funny Car — 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.857, 332.43 vs. 16. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.240, 216.45; 2. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.861, 331.36 vs. 15. Jason Rupert, Ford Mustang, 4.237, 304.53; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.886, 329.34 vs. 14. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.147, 295.08; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.906, 325.22 vs. 13. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.115, 306.81; 5. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Supra, 3.945, 326.95 vs. 12. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.105, 305.29; 6. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.956, 327.43 vs. 11. Jeff Arend, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.092, 287.23; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.962, 325.37 vs. 10. Tony Jurado, Mustang, 4.044, 314.46; 8. J.R. Todd, Supra, 3.985, 324.59 vs. 9. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.993, 291.07.<\/p>\n

Did Not Qualify: 17. Jeff Diehl, 4.592, 190.92; 18. Paul Lee, 5.435, 148.09; 19. Gary Densham, 5.600, 145.30; 20. Alex Miladinovich, 6.471, 92.51.<\/p>\n

Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.521, 210.44 vs. 16. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.599, 209.20; 2. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.527, 210.37 vs. 15. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.592, 209.43; 3. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.528, 209.20 vs. 14. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.581, 208.68; 4. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.536, 209.59 vs. 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.577, 209.65; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.547, 209.01 vs. 12. John Cerbone, Camaro, 6.575, 209.79; 6. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.551, 210.11 vs. 11. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.573, 208.14; 7. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.553, 207.43 vs. 10. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.573, 208.65; 8. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.555, 208.23 vs. 9. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.563, 209.14.<\/p>\n

Did Not Qualify: 17. Alan Prusiensky, 6.622, 207.56; 18. Steve Graham, 6.675, 208.36; 19. Fernando Cuadra, 6.865, 203.00; 20. Alex Laughlin, 8.964, 106.87.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA POMONA, Calif. \u2013 Following a dominant performance in qualifying throughout 2021, Brittany Force added another to start her 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, rolling to the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel on Saturday at the 62nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":37076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[376,117,46,539,6,108],"class_list":["post-37070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-auto-club-raceway","tag-brittany-force","tag-erica-enders","tag-lucas-oil-nhra-winternationals","tag-nhra","tag-ron-capps"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Force_MG.jpg?fit=1024%2C682","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-9DU","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37077,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37070\/revisions\/37077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}