ENNIS, TEXAS – October 7, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – The second annual Stampede of Speed concludes at Texas Motorplex with the main event, the 37th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals on Oct. 13-16, promising fans an incredible weekend of thrills and action, right in the heart of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
It is the 20th event of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and the fourth stop in the six-race NHRA playoffs and the event looks to be bigger and better than ever. Starting with qualifying under the lights during “Friday Night Live,” which offers more than $40,000 in bonus money, a spectacular performance from Grace Good, a world-renowned fire dancer and aerial performance, the weekend opens with a bang.
The quickest pass under the lights on Friday night at the famed Texas Motorplex will net Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the quickest run Friday night in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle. That leads into final qualifying on Saturday and championship Sunday, where champions will be crowned at the legendary facility to close out a memorable weekend of adrenaline-filled action.
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won last year’s playoff race and this season’s event will also be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) as the playoffs head to crunch time in Dallas.
Rising Top Fuel star Justin Ashley denied Texan and four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence his second straight Dallas victory, winning a thrilling final round duel. Ashley is now the points leader in the star-studded Top Fuel ranks, but Torrence trails by just 14 points in what’s setting up to be an epic duel. Brittany Force, who has four wins in 2022, is just 30 points back, while Mike Salinas and Indy winner Antron Brown trail by only 35 and 43 points, respectively. That raises the stakes in Dallas, while other top contenders include Josh Hart, who is 64 back of Ashley, Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican, Shawn Langdon, Leah Pruett, Austin Prock and Tony Schumacher.
Ron Capps went 23 years between Dallas wins in Funny Car, but he came through last year, slipping past Matt Hagan to win for the second time at Texas Motorplex. He used that momentum to claim his second world title and he’s within range of another if he can track down Robert Hight, who has eight wins this year and is the current points leader. But…
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