In Front of Sellout Crowd, J. Force, Kalitta and T. Coughlin Jr. Win NHRA New England Nationals

EPPING, NH – June 3, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – John Force finished off an impressive double-up weekend in front of another sellout crowd on Sunday at New England Dragway, as the 16-time Funny Car world champion outran teammate Austin Prock in the final round of the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) also won the seventh of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. It was the second straight sellout for the NHRA this weekend.

In an all-John Force Racing Funny Car final round, Force went 4.081-seconds at 319.29 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS in the finals to slip past Prock’s 4.096 at 316.38. It gave the legendary driver his second victory of the season, third at New England Dragway and 157th in his career.

He reached the finals by defeating Buddy Hull, Blake Alexander and J.R. Todd, holding off Prock in a thrilling side-by-side duel. Force also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, with Sunday’s double-up victory pushing him to second in points in what has truly been a remarkable season for the longtime star.

“I love the crowds. For three days they packed them in. I came here 40-something years ago and this place is special,” Force said. “We had a good race car and what keeps me alive is driving this hotrod and all these fans.

“I’m down right now because don’t like beating my teammate in the final. He is the future. I love that kid. He’s going to be here for a long time and Robert [Hight] will be coming back. I’m not being dramatic, but my time is up. It was up when I was 65. Hell, it was up when I turned 50. The world is changing for me and I’ve got to do some real thinking. I’m not quitting today. I’m going to Bristol, but I just know I’m not what I used to be.”

Prock, who jumped back into the points lead in the category and was also the No. 1 qualifier, went to the championship round for the fourth time in 2024 and 12th time overall with wins over Mike Smith, Chad Green and Daniel Wilkerson.

In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta enjoyed his own special moment on Sunday at New England Dragway, defeating Tony Schumacher in the final round with a pass of 3.802 at 332.92 in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools/Toyota dragster. The victory clinched an impressive mark for the reigning world champ, as Kalitta now has a win at every track on the NHRA circuit. It’s another remarkable achievement for…