What a final race to the NHRA 2014 season, with championships on the line and that of the Pro Stock category going down to the wire. To watch the race recap, click here.
In Top Fuel, Morgan Lucas took home his second victory this season and his 11th of his career by posting two of the top three quickest runs in category history. In the final round he bested newly crowned Top Fuel World Champion Tony Schumacher, who clinched a record eight championship at the end of qualifying on Saturday.
In Funny Car, a thriller showdown between Matt Hagan and 16 time world champion John Force, who were on opposite sides of the ladder, would go mano-a-mano all day long, Force would have an uphill battle though. First, in an uncharacteristic mistake his crew fired up the engine during a routine warm up without any engine oil. Then, Alexis DeJoria, who had run strong all day, tried to play the role of spoiler in the semis but ended up smoking the tires. And even though Force won that round, he did not set a backup record to earn him the necessary points to stay in contention for the championship, which went to Matt Hagan.
With the title lost, Force tried to win the race and deprive Hagan of the icing on the cake. And though Force seemed poised to win the finals, towards the finish he lost power leaving Hagan (pictured on the right) to blow by him and take the Wally. All in all, John Force put up a hell of a fight, as he usually does.Worth notable mention, Tommy Johnson Jr. won a drag race by the closest margin of victory in Funny Car history, a mere .0001 second or 1 inch/ 2.5 cm.
In Pro Stock, the lady and gentlemen drivers of this category put up an epic battle on Sunday. The title contenders Erica Enders-Stevens and Jason Line, on separate sides of the ladder, kept going round after round. Though Line was mowing down the tree, Erica was running consistently in the 49's, which was faster than anyone else. One major hurdle for Line came when he had to face Dave Connolly, who's moving next year to Top Fuel. But Line managed to dispose of Connolly is commanding fashion. In a script ending that could not have been written better by Hollywood, Erica and Line would meet in the final round of the race. Line knew he had to cut a great light for Erica had the horsepower to beat him. What nobody foresaw was that both would red light. Unfortunately, Line moved first giving the win light (of the race) and with it the Pro Stock World Championship to Erica Enders-Stevens.
This marks the first time a woman has taken the Pro Stock championship.Another notable mention, in the semi's between Erica and Jonathan Gray, both drivers had a reaction time of .000!!! Something that has never happened before, as far as I know. Incredible day of racing.
In Pro Stock bike, in what would become Adam Arana's last race as he will be joining the U.S. Coast Guard next year, his older brother maintained his families name in good standing. Hector Arana Jr. on his Buell outran newly crowned Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andres Hines, to take home the Wally.
Andrew Hines clinched his fourth Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship, his first since 2006, after his first round win over Angie Smith. Hines won a total of 6 races on his Screamin' Eagle Vance and Hines Harley-Davidson. Of course, the H-D high brass were on hand to enjoy the moment.The 2015 season begins Feb 5-7 at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif.
Update:
Below a picture of the stats of the Pro Stock drag race between Enders-Stevens and J. Gray. Just mind blowing for both drivers to get the perfect light. Thanks to MVM Motorsports for sharing.
Of course, when your daughter breaks down the barrier what happened in the photograph is understandable. Erica's mom jumps into the arms of her husband. Note the margin of error for both drivers!! Jason Line was way soon but Erica was pretty damn close to a perfect light..
NASCAR at Homestead, Florida:
One can imagine with all the rule changes in Nascar that the season finale would be intense. The race at Homestead saw for the greater part of the 400 mile race, the four remaining championship contenders running close together. These were Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Joey Logano. Unfortunately, the latter had some bad luck, first with a lug nut issue and later when his car slipped off the jack, leaving him outside of the running towards the end of the race.
As is often the case in Nascar racing, tire strategy played a critical role in deciding who would challenge for the lead at the white line. At what would be the final restart of the race, Hamlin opted not to come into the pits for tires (2 or 4). Newman came in and took only two tires, while Harvick took four tires which put him in twelfth position. However, now with fresh new rubber he was able to cut through the field like a knife through butter and crossed the line just half a second ahead of Newman. What a race to the finish line it was!
 |
| 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick |
"It didn't pan out real well there to be honest with you," Harvick admitted. "But that was the call that won us the race. We were able to go so hard on the restarts. [Crew chief] Rodney Childers isn't scared to make a call - he does what is right, and right or wrong we had to believe in what he did and kept going with it."
The top five of the race:
1. Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
2. Ryan Newman, Richard Childres Racing
3. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske
4. Paul Menard, Richard childres Racing
5. Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi.....
Pole sitter Jeff Gordon finished in tenth after he decided to pit while running in second place after an accident brought out the yellow on lap 255.
More on the meaning of Erica's win on a later date.
Photo credit: Getty Images/kshb.com, NHRA, Mark J. Rebilas,
No comments:
Post a Comment