Thanks to Mission Foods’ broad support for the National Championship Drag Racing, this year’s event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana, also featured rounds of the sport’s newest specialty race. The Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge features semifinalist from the previous NHRA national event in a grudge match.
Redemption racing was scheduled to take place at 12 regular season two-wide NHRA National events with the first Mission Challenge competed for at the Arizona Nationals and the final event of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event at “The Big Go”. The heads-up racing is conducted during final rounds of qualifying to give fans side-by-side racing in nitro and stock classes.
For the Mission #2Fast2Tasty final event of the season, racers in Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle were looking for share of the Mission Foods’ event and year-end purse money as well as the final bonus points for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series “Countdown to the Championship”. The 2023 NHRA Championship begins on September 14-17 at Maple Grove Raceway.
Justin Ashely Winningest Driver in #2Fast2Tasty Challenge
Top Fuel points leader, Justin Ashley is a five-time Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge winner with six final round appearances in 2023. Tony Stewart Racing’s Leah Pruett has qualified for her fourth Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge driving the Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel dragster. Ashely and Pruett enter the semifinal 7-7 in all-time wins. Pruett got the jump was red by -.027-seconds giving Ashley a free pass to the Top Fuel final round.
Driver of the Valley Services Top Fuel dragster, Mike Salinas won the opening round of the NHRA championship at Gainesville for the 2023 Gatornationals. This is the third Mission Foods Challenge for Salinas. Antron Brown is having the kind of year you would expect for the savvy Top Fuel veteran. He doubled up at Brainerd winning the Mission Challenge as well as the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals. Salinas was late off the tree handing Brown a holeshot win with a slower ET.
The Top Fuel teammates have had 14 career matchups and entered the Mission final even at 7-7 all-time wins. Brown was trying to win consecutive redemption finals but Ashley finished off his season-long success in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge with his unprecedented sixth victory in heads-up Top Fuel competition. A 3.714 ET at 334.73 mph gave the Phillips Connect/Toyota driver the most Countdown bonus points for the 2023 season with twenty-one.
John Force Claims First Win in Mission Foods Challenge
The “God Father” of Nitro Funny Car, John Force has 155 Career NHRA National wins and 16 NHRA Funny Car world championships. Teammate to John Force, JFR driver Robert Hight won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in Brainerd at the last event and has 63 career wins in NHRA Funny Car. Hight holds a 36 to 31 all-time career. Force relied on a .062-second advantage off the tree to outrun the Cornwell Quality Tools Camaro to the finish with a slower elapsed time.
Ron Capps captured his 75th career Wally at Brainerd and took over the points lead in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Ford Motorcraft Mustang driver Bob Tasca III won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in Bristol at Thunder Mountain and captured the win at the NHRA Heartland Nationals at Topeka in August. Capps holds a 31-21 all-time wins advantage over Tasca. Both drivers were off the tree together but Tasca’s Mustang fell off at the end allowing Capps to advance.
In a pre-race interview, Force said it would be special to beat the Toyota GR Supra with Don Prudhome Hot Wheel-graphics of Capps in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS as part of the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. No doubt Force can still get up for special events as the winningest driver of all time posted a 3.989 ET to claim his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge win and the three Countdown to the Championship bonus points.
Aaron Stanfield Takes Holeshot Win at Indianapolis
Kyle Koretsky hasn’t had the season he was hoping for in 2023 but reached his second Mission event of the season and was the runner-up at the Pomona Challenge. The driver of the BioFuel Pro Stock Camaro and winner of the zMAX Four-Wide, Deric Kramer won the Norwalk #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and appears in his fourth Mission Event. Koretsky was off the tree first and posted a 6.603 ET on a hot 120-degree track to advance to the Pro Stock final.
Dallas Glenn is a racer’s racer and well known for working on the RAD Torque Systems Camaro, as one of the best clutch tuners. Glenn picked up this fourth national win of the year at Brainerd and won the Topeka Mission Challenge. Bristol Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge winner Aaron Stanfield is competing in his third Pro Stock specialty event of the season. Stanfield relied on a .014 RT for a holeshot victory with a 6.625 ET to Glenn’s slightly quicker 6.624 elapsed time.
Self-professed as a fan-favorite of Mission’s tortilla wraps and chips, Kyle Koretsky had one last shot at adding his name to the initial Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Trophy. Koretsky nailed a .024 RT to Stanfield’s .028-second reaction time but Stanfield managed a 6.630 elapsed time at 207.56 mph to Koretsky’s 6.644-seconds ET at 207.05 mph to claim his second Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. Stanfield tied Dallas Glenn with eight Mission Challenge bonus points.
Gaige Herrara Claims Fourth Mission Challenge Win
DENSO Suzuki rider Matt Smith is the defending and a six-time NHRA Camping World Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion. Smith was the PSM winner of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at Mile-High in Denver earlier this year. Aboard the Vance & Hines Mission Foods ride, Eddie Krawiec has 49 career Pro Stock Motorcycle wins and three-time NHRA PSM champion. Smith had a near-perfect .004 light but Krawiec ran around him with 6.800 ET to advance to the final.
Gaige Herrera has made a name for himself aboard the Vance & Hines Racing Suzuki with six national wins already during his rookie season and a three-time winner of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. DENSO rider Angie Smith has made two Mission Challenge final rounds this season and was the Norwalk Mission winner. Smith left early handing Herrera a redlight win but the phenom showed his muscle with a 6.760 elapsed time at 199.11 mph.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series for the U.S. Nationals saw Vance & Hines Mission Foods Suzukis of Gaige Herrera and Eddie Krawiec go head-to-head in PSM final round. Krawiec was seeking his first-ever win in the specialty event but is 0 and 3 against Herrera in heads-up competition. Herrera posted a 6.759 ET at 199.11 mph for his fourth Mission Challenge win and 8 Countdown bonus points.
Artwork courtesy of NHRA
UP COMING:
That’s all folks!
This was the twelfth and final round of the 2023 Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. E3 Spark Plug racing fans gives a “thumbs up” to Mission Foods, the world’s leading producer of tortilla food products, for stepping up as both as the event promoter as well as providing team sponsorships. We are certain the 36 points handed out for the NHRA Countdown to the Championship and the half million-dollar purse were also highly appreciated by teams and drivers.
