NHRA Mile-High Nationals Results: Clay Millican, Matt Hagan Win in the Mountains

• John Force has hard time saying goodbye to Thunder Mountain.

• Hagan gives Tony Stewart Racing its second Denver victory in a row.

• Millican, Hagan, and Herrera have a chance to sweep the Western Swing.

Every pro-class racer wanted to write his or her name in the Bandimere Speedway scrapbook as the winner of Sunday’s final race on Thunder Mountain at Morrison, Colo., just outside Denver.

But only Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) earned the distinction at the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals.

Millican, Hagan, and Herrera have a chance to sweep the Western Swing for the first time. The three-race NHRA version of a “Tough Mudder” course will continue this coming weekend at Pacific Raceways, near Seattle, then conclude at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California’s wine country the following weekend.

Here’s a peek at what happened when the NHRA turned the final page at the Denver race:

Sunday’s Pro Winners Bring Their Own History to Podium

It wasn’t Clay Millican’s beloved Rocky Top, where he recorded his über-emotional first victory at his home-state track at Bristol. But the popular Tennessee Top Fuel driver gave Rick Ware Racing its second victory of the season.

Millican denied final-round opponent Doug Kalitta his long-sought 50^th victory in registering his fifth.

Earlier in the day, Millican said Sunday marked only his second Round 1 victory in 10 races this year and noted that the other time he advanced, he won, at Joliet, Ill., in May. He said, “We’re going to step on that loud pedal three more times.” And he did, taking the Parts Plus Dragster to the winners circle for his first—and last—triumph at Bandimere Speedway.

Millican, son of grocery-store owners in Drummonds, Tenn., asked the crowd to give one last cheer to the Bandimeres, saying, “I grew up in a family business. You never have a day off. You never have a vacation.” And he saluted his crew, who he said doesn’t ever complain about “how much I screw up and how much I tear up. They just pat me on the back and say, ‘Go stomp on that loud pedal.’”

For Matt Hagan, his final-round romp over Alexis DeJoria was a fitting end: a Dodge car in the winners circle at a Dodge-sponsored event that after 35 years represented the longest-running event sponsorship in all of motorsports. (DeJoria was his final-round victim when he notched his first Denver victory in 2021.)

The Funny Car points leader truly was the king of this mountain this one last time. Hagan sealed the No. 1 qualifier position with his victory Saturday evening in the $10,000-to-win Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus race that gave him three more precious Countdown points. Then he claimed Tony Stewart Racing’s second straight victory at Bandimere Speedway. Top Fuel racer Leah Pruett, Stewart’s wife, won here last July.

Hagan had some sentimental incentives to win. He lost his mother about six months ago, and this is her birthday weekend. And he was hoping to win, too, for crew hand Josh, who suffered a broken sternum and some broken ribs in a highway accident in Indianapolis recently. Stewart flew in Sunday for the Camping World Drag Racing Series event following Saturday’s Kings Royal classic at his Eldora Speedway at Rossburg, Ohio.

Troy Coughlin Jr., like his uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr., can add a Pro Stock “Wally” trophy from Denver to the extensive collection at the family-run Jegs Mail Order headquarters at Delaware, Ohio. But he has one trophy none of his racing uncles, siblings, or cousins can contribute. Coughlin – like Millican, Hagan, and Herrera – received a specially designed trophy dubbed the “Johnny” for John Bandimere Jr., who commissioned it. (The traditional “Wally” statue is named in honor of NHRA founder Wally Parks.)

Bike sensation Gaige Herrera closed out a successful run for the Vance & Hines team at Denver with his fourth victory in the class’ six appearances on the schedule. Champion brothers Matt and Andrew Hines also have won at Bandimere Speedway, not far from where they operated their race shop for many years, at Trinidad, Colo., before relocating to Brownsburg, Ind.

John Force Has Hard Time Letting Go of Bandimere

Funny Car legend John Force, who in an emotional top-end interview Friday called Bandimere Speedway “Mount Rushmore” and “God’s gift” and said, ‘This is mythical shit – had more to say Sunday.

The eight-time winner here and 155-time winner overall said, “It ain’t over ‘til Bandimere says it’s over.”

Realizing that drivers in all classes are expressing sadness that this is the Camping World Drag Racing Series’ last stop here, Force said, “They all care about this mountain. We’ve got to fix it.”

Jim Oberhofer, Clay Millican’s crew chief for the Parts Plus Top Fuel Dragster, got rousing approval of the crowd Saturday when he said, “Let’s raise some money and give it to the Bandimeres so they can keep racing here. This place is awesome.”

Will they mount a campaign to talk the Bandimere family out of selling the land? John Bandimere Jr. said the issue is not money but space, elbow room to operate. He told the Denver Post in a Wednesday article that his family is scouting land nearby so it can build a new, considerably larger facility. He said the target date for a new NHRA national event here is 2025.

‘Out of the way!’: Funny Car Burnout Breaks Up Interview

Terry Haddock’s final Funny Car qualifying run Saturday ended with a massive engine explosion that blew out the side of his car’s carbon-fiber body. His crew and volunteer helpers from other teams worked until about 2:30 Sunday morning to prepare the Ford Mustang for eliminations. Haddock gave Ron Capps a noble challenge but bowed out in the opening round.

While McKailen Haddock, the driver’s teenage son, was praising his team and its friends for all of its hard work. Apparently he and interviewer Hannah Rickards were standing in the way of Alexis DeJoria as she was ready to perform her burnout. Someone from DeJoria’s crew literally shoved Haddock to the side of the track as he was speaking.

Following her successful run, DeJoria said, “I was getting a little heated on the starting line. Car started up, and my crew chief went out to pull me out to do my burnout. Haddock’s team was still out there, giving an interview. And man, I got kind of pissed. I get road rage when I’m in that car.”

McKailen Haddock, decidedly one of the politest and most respectful young men in the drag-racing community, later took blame for the problem.

“I had asked Hannah for the interview to shout out the guys and just wasn’t quick enough answering before the next pair,” he said. “All good!”

Antron Brown Makes Friday Top Fuel Pass Fit For a King

Antron Brown’s Friday-night pass that made him the Top Fuel class’ tentative No. 1 qualifier was fit for a king. The King of Speed – Kenny Bernstein – warmed up Brown’s Matco Tool Toyota Dragster in the pits earlier in the day.

“That was some pressure right there, having ‘the king’ come back out and sit in our car,” Brown said after covering the Morrison, Colo., 1,000-foot course in 3.783 seconds at a class-best 327.90-mph speed. “I’m glad we did a representative run for Kenny. He did that all the time.”

And according to Brown, Bernstein hasn’t missed beat since his retirement: “When he warmed that car up – people don’t realize – he went through all the motions without even thinking about it: put it in reverse, forward, smooth, not grinding the gears, trimming the fuel pump like he was there just yesterday.”

Brown called his visit with Bernstein “truly special” and said his run Friday evening was ‘something we can give back to Kenny for all he’s done for our sport. He’s definitely our hero at AB Motorsports.”

Results, Updated Standings

NHRA Mile-High Nationals

Sunday's final results from the 43rd annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. The race is the 10th of 21 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

Final Rounds