NHRA's recent happenings have been quite varied. Erica Enders has won the K&N Horsepower Challenge Fan Vote. Toyota has extended its agreement to be the official car of NHRA. Tony Schumacher, John Force and Shane Gray took home wins in the 48th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
Boasting back-to-back wins in the Pro Stock event in 2014 and 2015, Enders will make her seventh start in 2017. She’ll be competing against defending Pro Stock world champion, and last year’s runner-up, Jason Line. The 33rd annual K&N Horsepower Challenge will occur during the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals on Saturday, April 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Toyota will have a season-long presence at NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events and on television broadcasts due to their status as the official car of NHRA. In addition to its partnership with NHRA, Toyota supports seven race teams, including Antron Brown from Don Schumacher racing, Alexis DeJoria, Doug Kalitta, Troy Coughlin Jr. and J.R. Todd who race for Kalitta Motorsports, Cruz Pedregon of Cruz Pedregon Racing and Del Worsham who races for Worsham-Fink Racing.
After securing the number one qualifying position with a track elapsed time record pass of 3.682 seconds at 328.22 MPH, to earn his 81st career No. 1 qualifier in the second qualifying session on Saturday, Tony Schumacher continued to dominate on Sunday after defeating Smax Smith, Clay Millican and Steve Torrence to take on reigning world champion Antron Brown in the finals.
World Champion Funny Car driver and the winningest driver in NHRA history, John Force, would once again find himself on the podium following Sunday’s final round. After picking up a number one qualifying position during Saturday’s qualifying rounds, Force would move on to race past Del Worsham, Jack Beckman and Tommy Johnson Jr. during Sunday’s elimination races to take rookie Jonnie Lindberg in the finals.
Shane Gray turned on win lights against Allen Johnson, Erica Enders and Chris McGaha in Sunday’s elimination rounds before taking on Greg Anderson and his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro in the finals. Gray would defeat the four-time champion with a 6.535 second pass at 212.96 MPH in his Gray Motorsports Chevy Camaro for his sixth victory of his career.