Ashley, Capps, Enders, Arano, Jr. get important NHRA Texas Nationals wins

Justin Ashley and Erika Enders extended their points lead with wins in Top Fuel and Pro Stock, while Funny Car winner Ron Capps pulled closer to points leader Robert Hite with another win and Hector Arano Jr. looked like a season regular in the win Pro Stock Motorcycle to bring the Texas NHRA FallNationals to a roaring close.

The finals started more than two hours late after morning rain, but fans who stuck around to watch the final heats under the lights at the Texas Motorplex won’t soon forget the race.

Ashley extended his points lead to 82 with just two events remaining in the season with a tire-smoking Austin Prock victory in the final round to claim his third win of the season, fifth in Top Fuel and seventh overall.

Ashley, who led the points after the opening win at Pomona and fell to fourth place all season long before regaining the lead after winning the playoff opener at Reading, came into the tournament after a stunning first-round loss last weekend at St. -Louis, but bounced back well with his Mike Green tuned Phillips Connect dragster.

Ashley beat Doug Kalita, Kebin Kinsley and Sean Langdon to reach the finals, the 11th of his career.

Proc, who opened the countdown playoffs at Reading with a big win after a lackluster summer, showed signs of new life by putting the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster spun by Joe Ballram and Ron Tobler to the top spot in qualifying. for the first time in his young career. After a pair of 3.73s to beat Alex Loughlin and Leah Pruett, Prock took the lane in the final round with a 3.681s to beat Antron Brown’s 3.689s right there and advance to his fifth career final.

Capps and Matt Hagan took advantage of points leader Robert Hite’s semi-final exit to gain positions on the Auto Club team, but it was Capps who made the biggest move by defeating Hagan in the final. 3.91s to 3.92s to move 10 points off the lead for Hite with career win No. 73 and his fifth of the season.

Capps, the defending champion, made his third straight Countdown final round with three high-speed 3.8s Toyota Auto Parts NAPA-tuned Dean Antonelli and John Medlen passes over Jeff Diehl, John Force and Hite. finals appearance, 139th of career.

Hagan, winless in nine races since his last win at New England, drove the Dickie Venables-tuned No. 78 Dodge Power Brokers from the top spot, beating Terry Haddock, Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tusk III with a 3.87 s, 3.88 s and 3.89 s. The win over Tusco was particularly impressive as he ran 338.02 mph, the 10th fastest in class history and the fastest in three years since Capps ran 339.28 mph at Reading in in 2019.

Enders won for the third time in the four races of the countdown – her only miss was the semifinal at Charlotte – and extended her points lead to a whopping 166 with two races left in the season.

The victory, her ninth of the season, tying her career record from the 2015 season, and her 42nd in the class, came over long-time rival Greg Anderson, 6.537s to 6.547s. The win also completed a Lone Star State win for the Texan native, who won in Houston earlier this season.

Enders, who dominated qualifying with the best run in each session in his Melling/Elite Performance Camaro, was fastest in all four of Sunday’s heats, easily edging Fernando Cuadro Jr., Matt Hartford, Troy Coughlin Jr. in the preliminary rounds with heats 6, 53s, 6.54s and 6.59s to advance to his 72nd career Pro Stock final.

Defending champion, Anderson reached his 171st career final round, beating a trio of second-generation pro riders in Mason McGaughey, Christian Quadra and Aaron Stanfield, and did so with a consistent trio of 6.56s, separated by just 0.003 s. Anderson’s outstanding race day results in the HendrickCars.com Camaro moved him from fifth to third in the standings.

Competing in just his fifth race of the year, Arano Jr. – the first Pro Stock Motorcycle rider to break 200 mph – looked like a regular all season en route to his 16th career victory, edging her in the final round. over Jerry Savoy, 6.82-6.89 p. Aran’s last win was in Las Vegas in 2019.

Aboard his Lucas Oil Buell, Arana edged Chip Ellis and Angie Smith who crossed the center line with times of 6.91s and 6.92s, then advanced to the semifinals in 6.88s, upsetting points leader Matt Smith. who, like his wife a round earlier, had handling problems and had to slide off the throttle. The win avenged Arana’s loss to Smith in last year’s final here.

Former World Champion Savoy made it to the FallNationals Pro Stock Motorcycle Finals for the seventh time in the last eight years. Savoia, who won in 2015, 2019 and 2020 and was runner-up three times in 2016-18, rode his White Alligator Suzuki from 9th in qualifying, ahead of Mark Ingwersen, Ryan Oler and Steve Johnson with a 6.86 s and a par of 6.87s to reach his 33rd career final. Savoie’s win over Oehler in the second round came after underqualified Angel Sempey crossed the center line against Oehler in the first round.