Photos from the 2023 NHRA Texas Fallnationals held at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. All photos are courtesy of Michael Haag.
Author: Michael Haag
Michael Haag
Michael Haag is a Journalism student at Baylor University in Waco, TX. He is also Sports Editor for the school's student newspaper, the Baylor Lariat. He has covered the 2022 Allstate Sugar Bowl and multiple Texas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the site in Waco. Michael has covered Baylor football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and more for the Baylor Lariat. He plans to finish in the spring of 2025 with a bachelor's degree in news-editorial journalism.
By Michael Haag, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas – Even qualifying third couldn’t keep Pro Stock’s Erica Enders out of the winner’s circle, as she cruised her way to becoming the winningest female in NHRA history Sunday evening at the 38th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex. Enders secured her 47th career national event victory, topping former Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Angelle Sampey’s mark of 46 wins. The reigning and five-time world champion went 6.469 seconds at 211.15 to notch her second straight win in the Lone Star State. Enders defeated arch-rival Greg Anderson on Oct. 16, 2022, at…
By Michael Haag, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas — Pro Stock Motorcycle points leader Gaige Herrera made history on Saturday at the Texas Motorplex, but it happened so quickly that you almost couldn’t blink. Herrera produced the fastest run in class history, a 6.627-second blast at 204.16 mph, in front of a near-capacity crowd at the 38th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. He set the national record and also broke the category mark for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season, previously held by three-time world champion Matt Hines. The Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki driver bested Karen Stoffer’s…
Photos from Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. All photos are provided by Michael Haag, Raceday San Antonio. Click on the photo below and then click the arrows to scroll through the photos.
By Michael Haag and Mike Haag FORT WORTH, Texas – The racing action at the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday provided plenty of excitement and drama during the fourth race of the 10-race playoff slate. Here are five takeaways from the 267-lap, 400-mile race at the 1.5-mile track near Fort Worth, Texas: Sun-cooked September It was 101 degrees when the first green flag was waved for Sunday’s race at TMS. That sizzling triple-digit heat marked a track record, and it came just a day after the official start of fall. The NBC broadcast…
By Michael Haag FORT WORTH, Texas — It may have taken a few years for it to come to fruition, but Sunday’s PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway will probably go down as one of the best NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in that venue in recent memory. From the drivers perspective, Sunday’s race was described as “beautiful chaos,” by fourth-place finisher David Malukasor, and as Pato O’Ward — who finished in second place — put it: “It was freaking awesome.” Josef Newgarden took his No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet past O’Ward’s No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the…
By Michael Haag AUSTIN, Texas — When NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron saw Tyler Reddick post a scorching time of 130.305 in the opening qualifying on Saturday, Byron figured he would have to claw his way into the top three, at best. Byron (130.760) wound up besting Reddick (130.898) in the final round of qualifying to secure his first pole position of the year, as he will start out in front of the field for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas road course. The 25-year-old topped Reddick by a mere .138 seconds on the…
By Michael Haag ENNIS, Texas — Coming into the Stampede of Speed Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley held a narrow 14-point edge over his competition. After qualifying with the 10th best time of 3.766, Ashley bulldozed through Sunday’s bracket and knocked off top qualifier Austin Prock for the overall victory. It was a battle between the two youngsters, as the two 27-year-olds duked it out in the final round for the third time of the 2022 season. Ashley cruised to victory, clocking 3.688 seconds at 329.24 miles per hour. The Plainview, N.Y.…
By Michael Haag ENNIS, Texas — Before qualifying began on Friday, NHRA’s youngest Top Fuel driver Austin Prock said it would take a run of 3.68 or 3.67 seconds to put himself in a good position at the Texas NHRA FallNationals. The field was competing for $15,000 on Friday, and Prock was no favorite to win it by any means. If anything, fellow teammate Brittany Force was in the mix for who would remain on the saddle at the end of the night. Slated as the second-to-last matchup, the ultimate moment came when the John Force Racing teammates Prock…
By Michael Haag ENNIS, Texas — Despite being the youngest driver competing in NHRA’s premier Top Fuel Dragster category, Justin Ashley has proved his name to be among the best. Ashley sits atop the standings ahead of the NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. The 27-year-old holds a 14-point lead over 2021 Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence. Ashley is pleased with his performance to this point, but said the pressure amps up in the postseason. “Really happy with how things went, but once we get to the Countdown, everything kind of shifts,” Ashley said. “There’s a little bit of that…