By Roy J. Akers — www.skyviewsports.net
Indianapolis, Indiana (Compiled from NHRA.com)
NHRA Results
Saturday Highlights
Doug Kalitta, a four-time Mission Challenge winner this season, took on Jordan Vandergriff (who is replacing Brainerd semifinalist Billy Torrence, who is not in attendance) and roared to a 3.749 against Vandergriff’s tire-spinning 3.95 in Shawn Reed’s machine. Kalitta had already locked up the Mission Challenge “championchip” before the event, but he’s still stacking up points that will be awarded during the Countdown points reset.
Austin Prock
Funny Car points leader Austin Prock, winner of the Mission Challenge in Charlotte and Seattle, didn’t make it down the track Friday night but made up for it in the opening round of the Mission Challenge, powering to a 3.93 to beat Gatornationals champ Chad Green
J.R. Todd, who won the Bristol Mission Challenge, won a coasting race against three-time Challenge winner Jack Beckman as neither driver made it to the stripe under power.
Three-time Indy winner Cruz Pedregon and team rebounded from their fiery blower explosion last night and ran 3.957. Asked about the cause of the explosion, Pedregon said there were too many broken parts to figure out what caused what. “You want to know what happened?” he joked. “Watch the replay.”
Pro Stock
With the Mission Challenge championship at stake, Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson had a lot on the line in Q2. Spoilers, Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield could win the last Mission Challenge, but not the championship.
The semi-finals paired Glenn against Enders, two of the best leavers in the class. Enders grabbed a slight holeshot (.021 to .027) and out-powered Glenn, delivering a 6.525 to best Glenn’s 6.532. And with Glenn being the Mission points leader, it would be in Anderson’s hands to determine his own fate.
Fresh off a win in Brainerd, Anderson delivered a critical 6.535 to defeat Aaron Stanfield, giving the driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevy a chance at the Mission Challenge championship. To complete the task, Anderson will have to beat Enders, who ran low for the round in the final.
Anderson’s previous 6.491 keeps him atop the field and should he retain that spot, he would tie Warren Johnson with 138 pole positions. Anderson has topped a few WJ records, but he won’t likely best WJ for top speed, a feat “The Professor” has done 220 times! Greg has set Top Speed 136 times, second most in Pro Stock.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Q2
Hector Arana Jr. was looking to put his V-twin into the field during Saturday’s opening qualifying run, but it didn’t happen as the bike fell silent less than 100 feet off the starting line. There was room for improvement in both lanes as past Indy winner Steve Johnson picked up from last night’s 6.927 with a much improved 6.875.
Marc Ingwersen, in a battle with Brayden Davis to earn a berth in the Countdown to the Championship field, improved his odds of a Top 10 finish with a 6.883.
Chris Bostick and Kelly Clontz followed with a pair of solid runs as Clontz ran 6.876 while Bostick tallied a 6.901.
Chase Van Sant showed a four-hundredths improvement on his Trick Tools Suzuki with a 6.841 and was still outrun by Angie Smith, who backed up a previous 6.814-second run with a 6.837 on her Denso Buell.
