NHRA nitro teams took on the challenge of racing on two side-by-side lanes at the legendary four-wide facility at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Since its opening in 1996, has been the stage for incredible world championship events. The Strip is one of the most renowned drag strips in the country and was expanded from two to four lanes to allow the best drag racers to reach speeds exceeding 330 mph while racing four-wide.
Today, the state-of-the-art motorsports facility situated in Clark County is less than 30 minutes from the famous "Las Vegas Casino Strip" in Paradise. The Speedway is now under the ownership of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is based in Charlotte, NC. This motorsports investment group also owns the well-known NHRA two-wide/four-wide drag facility zMAX Raceway in Concorde, NC. Both were visionary projects of the late Bruton Smith.
The popular desert track hosts two NHRA national events annually, along with over 50 other racing events. In April 2023, Tony Stewart Racing made history at The Strip, as both Tony Stewart in Top Alcohol and Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan claimed victories in front of a packed crowd at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. Once again the fan-favorite facility is the backdrop for the midway point of NHRA Countdown for the Championship in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
Mike Salinas Wins Top Fuel at Las Vegas
Mike Salinas claimed the Number One qualifier in Top Fuel behind the wheel of the Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster in Saturday’s final run at 3.680-seconds. It was his fourth No. 1 of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series at the 23rd annual Nevada Nationals. Salinas defeated Rob Passey, Tony Schumacher, and Josh Hart enroute to the Final. Justin Ashley eliminated Dan Mercier, Austin Prock and four-time champion Steve Torrence to match up against Salinas.
In the Top Fuel Final, Ashley was off the tree first but struggled to get the Phillips Connect Toyota dragster to hook up. Meanwhile, Salinas nails a 3.673 at 333.16 mph for the victory at The Strip. After Leah Pruett lost in the opening round, it set the stage for a new points leader to emerge. After the top three drivers lost in successive rounds, Steve Torrence emerged on top with a fifteen point advantage of Doug Kalitta as Top Fuel teams head to Pomona for the finale of the 2023 NHRA Countdown to the Championship.
Robert Hight Wins Funny Car at Las Vegas
In nitro Funny Car, Robert Hight’s 3.851-seconds elapsed time from Friday’s qualifying held up to put the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS in the Number One spot for Sunday’s elimination rounds. Bob Tasca III was just .002 seconds behind with points leader and winner of the past two Countdown races, Matt Hagan, nailing down the third seed. Hight was on-point and eliminated Jeff Diehl, Alexis Dejoria and Blake Alexander enroute to the Funny Car Final.
Tasca was just as impressive with wins over Steven Densham, Cruz Pedregon, and Matt Hagan to punch his ticket to a final-round match against Hight. Tasca was off the tree first but the PPG Ford Mustang experienced tire shake causing him to lift early on. Hight cruised to the win. As the Funny Car teams head to Pomona for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Countdown to the Championship Finals, Matt Hagan holds a slim 15-point lead over Bob Tasca III with Robert Hight two points back in third place.
Artwork courtesy of NHRA
UP COMING:
In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals
Top Fuel and Funny Car teams will return to the famed Pomona Dragstrip for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Countdown to the Championship Finals on November 9-12. Drag racing fans can expect the intensity to be fever pitch amid the high-stakes, high-speed drama where the 2023 Nitro World Champions will be crowned.
