Remember those late night grudge races between car owners that actually started side-by-side racing? Well, Mission Foods is back as the co-sponsor of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge for 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. The opening round was staged over the weekend during Saturday qualifying at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals.
In 2024, the popular specialty event will be hosted at thirteen (13) regular season events by pitting the semi-finalists teams from the previous NHRA national against each other in a pair of rematches in Nitro and Stock classes. The semifinalist winners in each class matchup in Saturday’s final qualifying session at each of the selected events.
In addition to bragging rights, competitors put the pedal to the metal with a bonus purse and bonus Countdown to the Championship points on the line at the 64th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals hosted the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Although Pomona was the initial race for the 2024 season, there were already rivalries with Kalitta Motorsports winning both Nitro Classes at the opening round in Gainesville.
No One Wins Top Fuel Mission Race at Pomona
Shawn Langdon earned a spot in the first Mission Foods redemption race of the season with a spectacular victory in Top Fuel at Gainesville Raceway for 55th annual NHRA Gatornationals. The win was half of the historic first nitro-double-up for Kalitta Motorsports. After announcing plans to run the entire schedule in 2024, Billy Torrence was runner-up in Gainesville driving as teammate to his four-time world champion son, Steve Torrence.
Langdon was off the tree first in his match against Antron Brown and advanced when Brown smoked the tires. Race fans always crowd the grandstands whenever the father-and-son duo line the pair of CAPCO Contractors dragsters up for side-by-side racing at any NHRA event. This weekend was at Pomona dragstrip was no exception, as Steve advanced with a holeshot win over dad with a .066-seconds reaction time.
With dark clouds lingering in the San Gabriel Mountains overlooking the In-N-Out Pomona dragstrip and rain being forecast for mid-afternoon on Sunday, the Top Fuel Final Round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge will run in conjunction with the NHRA Arizona Nationals on April 4-7 at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, AZ. Steve Langdon will take on four-time Top Fuel World Champion in the Mission final at Firebird in two weeks.
No One Is Victorious in Funny Car Grudge Match
J.R. Todd claimed an unexpected in win at the 55th annual Gatornationals to setup the historic double-up for Kalitta Motorsports. Todd had knocked off Bob Tasca III, who earlier set a track record. Austin Prock moved from Top Fuel to fill-in for an ailing Robert Hight and was a finalist in the JFR Funny Car at Gainesville. As last year’s Funny Car winner of the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Chad Green was paired against Prock in the semifinals.
Todd relied on a holeshot to advance over Bob Tasca III. After both drivers turned sideways off the start and could look each other in the eye, Prock bounced to claim the win and advance.
With black clouds entrenched over Mount Baldy, which overlooks the In-N-Out Pomona dragstrip and rain in the forecast for Sunday afternoon, the Funny Car Final Round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge will run in conjunction with the NHRA Arizona Nationals on April 4-7 at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, AZ. J.R. Todd will be matched against Funny Car newcomer Austin Prock.
No One in Pro Stock Gets Redemption
Six-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Erica Enders won her way into the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge with her first victory of the year at the 55th annual Gatornationals by defeating five-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Greg Anderson. Cristian Cuadra eliminated Dallas Glenn on a .010 reaction time at the tree against Dallas Glenn driving the RAD Torque Systems/KB Chevrolet Camaro at Gainesville.
Dallas Glenn and Cristian Cuadra had watched dozens of competitors struggle to get and keep traction on Saturday’s tricky surface at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona dragstrip. Cuadra lost grip and Glenn advanced to the Final Round. Anderson, the winningest Pro Stock driver in history, nailed a .016-second reaction time but Enders had him covered. She posted a 6.547 elapsed time for a pass at 210.73 mph to advance to a final matchup against Glenn.
With storms lingering in the San Gabriel Mountains above the L.A. Fairgrounds, the Final Round for Pro Stock in the initial 2024 Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge will run in conjunction with the NHRA Arizona Nationals on April 4-7 at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, AZ. Erica Enders will be matched against rival Dallas Glenn.
Artwork courtesy of NHRA
UP COMING:
NHRA Arizona Nationals
Both Nitro and Stock teams have two weeks to prepare for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the NHRA Arizona Nationals on April 4-7 at Firebird Motorsports Park in Chandler, AZ. Race fans will once again have live side-by-side racing during Saturday’s final round of qualifying with Round One Finals of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge postponed at Pomona as well as the Finals for Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock.
