It’s been over a month since the NHRA has competed in the opener in Gainesville. That hiatus comes to a close this weekend when the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series heads to Las Vegas for the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
With restrictions still in place in the state of California, the series decided to postpone the trip to Pomona. This is what put the series on hold for an entire month. Now when they return it will be at the first of two four-wide events. A unique event in drag racing takes place in one of the most unique cities in the United States.
The Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas has been run two times prior, last year’s event was not held. For those new to drag racing or the four-wide setup, instead of four rounds of racing this weekend there will only be three with groups of four in each round. Finish first or second in the first two rounds and you advance to the next round. Finish first in the third round and you are the race winner.
Todd Four-Wide Success
One driver not new to the Four-Wide setup is J.R. Todd. He has owned this event in particular winning the two previous times it was held. Last year was a struggle for the 2018 World Funny Car Champion. He went winless during the season but ended the streak quickly in Gainesville.
“It was nice to start the year fresh and in the winner’s circle, and I’m hoping we can keep riding that wave,” Todd said in a release. “Todd (Smith) and Jon O(Oberhofer) have a good handle on that track whether we’re running two or four-wide. Hopefully, we can get back there and have another good weekend.”
Todd won the Gatornationals to open 2021 and looks to ride that momentum into the Four-Wide weekend. Las Vegas has been good to Todd during his Funny Car career but even more so at the Four-Wide event. With the last two Four-Wide wins at Vegas in his back pocket, Todd hopes to double up to start the new season.
We’re throwing it back to the last #Vegas4WideNats in 2019 when @JRTodd373 picked up his second 4-wide WIN in a row!
Can he take home another Wally from @LVMotorSpeedway?!
Watch @FS1 to find out!
Qualifying: Friday 7p ET & Sunday 10a ET
Eliminations: Sunday 8p ET pic.twitter.com/KfZ5qlfbno— #NHRA (@NHRA) April 15, 2021
Funny Car Battles Are Back
Last season in the Funny Car ranks, only one team went to victory lane. Don Schumacher Racing was the lone Funny Car team to find the winner’s circle last year. With the absence of John Force Racing and drivers like Todd not finding a win, DSR swept the shortened season.
Matt Hagan would hold off his teammates to win the title. All four of the Schumacher’s team cars found the winner circle last year and Hagan was the one to capitalize and win the Funny Car World Title. Now with Force’s teams back, they have already made their mark.
It’s one of the biggest rivalries in all of motorsports and many know the history between Force and Schumacher themselves. With the Force teams back in action, Robert Hight has already made a final round this season. Hight drives for John Force and picked up right where he left off. He has won two of the last four championships in Funny Car.
Force himself is back in the driver’s seat as well. He lost to Hight in the second round of the Gatornationals but better believe that he won’t be backing down. The 16-time Funny Car champion has won over 150 times in his illustrious career now prepares for the Four-Wide race once again. Force was the winner of the Four-Wide race held in Charlotte back in 2010.
Ron Capps also looks to rebound from what was a short outing in Florida his last time out. New crew chiefs for Capps will take some time getting to mesh but look for the NAPA Dodge to be back in the running as the Four-Wide Nationals begin.
Each class we will look at a darkhorse and in this event there is always going to be someone who surprises the field. Blake Alexander looks to be the dark horse in the stacked Funny Car field. In a partnership with legend Jim Head, Alexander has a shot to win in both Funny Car and Top Fuel, as he did two seasons ago.
Top Fuel Showdown
A class that has been dominated by the ‘CAPCO boys’, Steve Torrence and his father Billy Torrence looks to see who can slow down the duo this year. Steve has won the last three NHRA Top Fuel Championships and a lot of races in recent years.
However, he didn’t start out the season with a win. In fact, neither Steve nor Billy made the semi-finals in Gainesville, which is unheard of. With that in mind they will be on the tear when the series picks up in Vegas.
Tennessee native, Clay Millican has had a lot of Four-Wide Nationals success. Even in his part time years running at Charlotte, Millican would be in the finals on a regular basis. That Four-Wide win, though, sits out there for him to get. He’s been so close as to being runner up in many different Four-Wide events but never the victor.
A six-time IHRA champion, Millican, has won nearly everything there was in the sport. He’s been at it for a long time and doesn’t appear to be slowing any time soon. Sunday, the likable driver looks for his first Four-Wide win and third victory of his career.
Doug Kalitta has been close to winning the Top Fuel title so many times that it takes two hands to count. He’s been runner up in the final standings many times but never has he been the champion. Last year was once again that case as he ran runner-up to Torrence in the title race. Kalitta looks to get 2021 jumped started with a Four-Wide win in Vegas. Also look out for his teammate Shawn Langdon who has been good in Four-Wide events throughout his career.
The dark horse to win the Top Fuel class this weekend will have to be Justin Ashley. Last year’s seventh place finisher in the standings looks to be this weekend’s dark horse when the series heads to Las Vegas.
Pro Stock Depth
Like many years in the past, this season’s Pro Stock field is deep with talent and anyone can win at any time. That comes even with the retirement of longtime drivers Jeg Coughlin and Jason Line. Their shoes won’t be filled by any means but the talent level is there to see who might come close.
A racetrack and race event that has been so good to defending series champion Erica Enders will be the place she returns to looking to pick up another win. Enders has been so good in Las Vegas over the years. She sealed her 2015 and 2020 championships in Vegas as well as winning many events at ‘The Strip.’
Enders will have to battle longtime competitor, Greg Anderson. Anderson is in a resurgence during the final years of his career as he won the season opener at Gainesville. The driver of the Summit Camaro will look to double up in Vegas. Also a place that has been kind to the former champion. Anderson’s team owner, Ken Black, is from Las Vegas and the Summit cars have been good over the years in desert.
Jeg Coughlin’s nephew, Troy Coughlin, Jr. made his return to the professional ranks but this time in Pro Stock. Coughlin was a Top Fuel rookie a couple of seasons ago but never finished the year in his ride after a year full of struggles. He’s already taken to Pro Stock much better than he did the Top Fuel car. Considering the family genes, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone as Coughlin looks for his first win in the Vegas Four-Wide event. Consider him your dark horse for the upcoming weekend.
No question about it, this is the deepest field in all of professional drag racing right now. Pro Stock will put on shows each and every event out.
Motorcycle Battle Awaits
After winning the title and opening event of the season, Matt Smith looks to take the first two races of the year when the Pro Stock Motorcycles hit the Four-Wide in Vegas. Smith won the title last season and opened the new year with a victory in Gainesville to pick up right where he left off. His and wife, Angie Smith’s, sponsor is Denso Spark Plugs. They are the title sponsor for the Four-Wide Nationals this weekend in Vegas. They both know what it means to have a special part in the race.
“It’s a very cool feeling that this is the Denso race,” Angie Smith said in a release. “We won in Vegas last year, and, of course, we want to put our bikes in the winner’s circle and add to our résumé that we won our title sponsor’s race. It’s just an added bonus to win your sponsor’s race, and it’s very exciting to get back there. We’re always eager to race in Vegas.”
With the absence of Harley Davidson this year that means there is no Eddie Krawick and no Andrew Hines. That opens things up for the rest of the bikes class this year. This means riders like Chip Ellis or Steve Johnson, both trying revive their careers, will look to be in the mix and both have bikes capable of doing that. This is an event that will bring someone unexpected out and why not see what these two riders can do.
Jerry Savoie is going to be in the mix this year as well. He will definitely be a part of the event in Vegas this weekend as he generally is. Not just be a part but be in the finals and looking for race wins. Savoie, the alligator man from Louisiana, looks to pick back up from where he was when he won his only Motorcycle title a few seasons ago.
The dark horse for this event would be Karen Stoffer. A former race winner is back on tour and still is in competition to win every time out. Look for Stoffer to be on the lights as that is how she made a name for herself early in her career.
This weekend will definitely be exciting to see the Four-Wide race in action once again but even more so getting the NHRA back on tour after the month away.
Racing begins on FS1 at 8pm ET/ 7pm CT on Sunday.
