After one of the most upside-down seasons in NHRA history, they will finally crown champions Sunday. It wasn’t the original Finals that were to be held in Pomona, CA. Instead a trip to Las Vegas to close out the year will have to do.
This season has been no where near what was expected going into 2020. First the COVID-19 pandemic brought the series to a halt. Then, John Force decided to sit his teams out for the remainder of the 2020 season. Now, finally we close out the year after a revamped schedule all year long.
Four champions will be crowned in Sin City on Sunday. In a normal season, the final few races of the year would be consider the ‘Countdown to the Championship’ where the points reset for the top 10. Those ten then run the final races in hopes for a championship. This season its back to traditional points where every round counts and everyone is still in the running.
Torrence Takeover
Out of all the championship hunts, Top Fuel looks to be the least exciting one.
For the fourth straight year, Steve Torrence is in the running for a Top Fuel championship. In 2017, Torrence dominated the series but fell short of a title. He came back with a vengeance in 2018 and won every countdown race en route to a title. He backed it up in 2019. Now he puts himself in position to win another.
The two-time defending champion from Texas leads the Top Fuel points over Doug Kalitta by 101 points. Kalitta can only gain a total of 183 points in Vegas this weekend. This means Torrence has to do a little more than qualify for the event. He could lock it up, though, before even running a round on Sunday.
Kalitta, nephew of the famed Connie Kalitta, has never won a championship but finished second five times in his long career. This season Kalitta has won twice but is chasing Torrence for the season crown. He will need A LOT of help to get his first title in his 22nd season.
Steve’s father Billy Torrence currently sits in third place in points and is all but mathematically eliminated from contention. He could be used as a blocker car for his son in qualifying.
Here is the complete Top Fuel Points Standings heading into Las Vegas.
Which DSR Car Takes It
With the absence of John Force Racing this year, Don Schumacher Racing has owned the Funny Car category. They will win another Funny Car title on Sunday but it comes down to who will be the one presenting it to Don himself. It’s a three-way race for the crown, who holds the edge and will come out on top?
Following Sunday’s wild race in Houston, Tommy Johnson, Jr. put himself in a great position to win his first ever title. The Ottumwa, Iowa native trails teammate Matt Hagan by a mere 42 points. Johnson took the race win in Houston this past weekend which helped him out. He will need some help on Sunday to go a couple rounds further than Hagan. For TJ to win the crown he will need to have a great qualifying day on Saturday and let it ride in Vegas. With his future up in the air as his car will be without sponsorship as of right now in 2021, this may be Johnson’s best chance.
A semi-final trip for Hagan will seal his third Funny Car title, all coming with DSR. He’s been consistent all year long and hasn’t had a major mistake that’s hindered his chance like in years past. Over the course of the year Hagan has put himself in great spots even without winning. Finals trips and semi-final appearances have helped the cattle-farmer from Virginia get back into another championship hunt.
Jack Beckman made his chance at a second title much more difficult on Sunday. Beckman was the No. 1 qualifier and entered the event only four points out of first but saw his first round chances go up in smoke. Right off the line in Houston, Beckman smoked the tires and now puts him 43 points out of first place with one race to go. Like Johnson, Beckman puts himself in a must win situation as his future hangs up as well.
Every year there is dramatics in the Funny Car finals, expect this year to be just as dramatic. It will just be amongst teammates.
Here are the complete Funny Car Points Standings heading into Las Vegas.
3-Time Champ Vs. 2 Swan Songs
At the beginning of 2020, Jason Line and Jeg Coughlin, Jr. announced they both were retiring from driving at the end of the year. As the season goes on, they both find themselves in a situation where they can win another title and close the book on their illustrious careers.
There’s only one problem with all of that. Three-time Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders stands in the way. Enders had a dominant season once again and holds a 55 point advantage over Coughlin and Line. She won the title last season which was her third in her Pro Stock career. Now she holds the strong hand heading into Las Vegas, a place she’s been great at, with a chance at title No. 4 on the line.
Speaking of Line, Jason Line is wanting to leave the NHRA with a bang. Right now he sits a couple rounds out of championship heading to Vegas. Line was closing in on the title lead heading to Sunday but a first round loss set him back. Could that be the breaking blow to Line? It certainly has that feel as he will be in a must win situation going to Vegas.
Coughlin, tied with Line at -55, kept his title hopes alive with a finals appearance in Houston. Obviously, a victory would have made his final event that much more interesting but he fell just short to Aaron Stanfield in the finals. A five-time winner in the Pro Stock division goes into Vegas with the same mindset as Line, must win and hope for some help.
No matter what happens in Vegas Sunday, how cool is that? Two legends of the Pro Stock category going out with a chance a title on the line.
Here are the complete Pro Stock Points Standings heading into Las Vegas.
Smith’s to Win
Similar to Top Fuel this title is all but wrapped up. Saying that barring anything drastically going wrong for the leader with two driver at 78 points back.
We head to another season ending race and Matt Smith finds himself in the hunt for a Pro Stock Motorcycle championship. Smith has done everything right this season and looks to seal up his fourth championship. After a dramatic championship run in 2013 and 2018, Smith is trying to make this a little less interesting. For him it’s simply a round win and consistency throughout the day and the title is his.
He does find himself with a couple guys trying to chase him down. Last week’s winner Eddie Krawiec rode his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle to victory for the first time in two years. Not only did the win break a drought but also puts him in a chance to win another title. Despite not winning, Krawiec has been in finals and semi-finals. Plus consistent qualifying efforts have helped get him in position. Now he will need some help and a walk off win to unseat Smith from the top of the standings.
The surprise run by Scotty Pollacheck shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Pollacheck rides a Matt Smith owned bike and has been just as good as his boss all year. Hence why he is in a chance at a title. It will take a fumble by Smith, though, for Pollacheck to get the job done. Obviously, it’s not out of the realm but Pollacheck will need it to happen early if it does.
Andrew Hines does lurk 86 points out of the title hunt. His seems like a much tougher challenge because it is. Hines will need to see some of the bottom half of the field riders take out the contenders and he’ll also need to qualify No. 1 to get the extra points.
Here are the complete Pro Stock Motorcycle Points Standings heading into Las Vegas.
One thing about it, no matter what class you watch there will be storyline and it will indeed be a fun final race as usual in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Finals on Sunday.
