NHRA Standouts Set Sights on Championships at NHRA Carolina Nationals in Charlotte

CONCORD, NC – September 6, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – As the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads into its Countdown to the Championship playoffs, drivers and teams will be laser-focused on an NHRA world championship when it comes to the 16th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, which takes place on Sept. 20-22 at the Bellagio of dragstrips, zMAX Dragway.

The NHRA Carolina Nationals marks the second event of the six-race NHRA playoffs and the race will see competitors in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series taking to the track with championship dreams on their minds.

The intense, action-packed weekend will be filled with 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph excitement. The event features two qualifying runs on Friday, including a can’t-miss night session, two qualifying runs on Saturday and championship Sunday, where all the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will leave it all on the line for a playoff victory.

Last season, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all picked up wins at the fall race in Charlotte and this year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1.

The 2023 Countdown to the Championship was the turning point for Kalitta’s season. He kicked off the playoffs with a win in Reading before winning the NHRA Carolina Nationals. He then went onto win the NHRA Finals, in a winner-take-all final round against Leah Pruett, getting that elusive world championship for the first time. Kalitta currently leads the Top Fuel points, while the rest of the Top Fuel field will be ready for competition, including three-time 2023 winner Justin Ashley and former champs Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence, Brittany Force and Antron Brown, as well as U.S. Nationals winner Clay Millican and Top Fuel rookie Tony Stewart.

Funny Car’s Tasca is hungry for his first NHRA championship and enters the playoffs in the best position of his career. He has three wins on the 2024 season and currently sits in second behind Funny Car newcomer Austin Prock. Prock took over driving duties for Robert Hight at the start of the season and has impressed fans throughout the year, winning a stellar five races, including Indy. Tasca and Prock will need to stay atop their performance game with reigning champion Matt Hagan in third and former champs J.R. Todd and Ron Capps rounding out the top five. Jack Beckman is also back in the seat racing for John Force and opens…