NHRA Brainerd Results, Updated Points: Plenty of Surprises as Countdown Nears

• J.R. Todd’s Funny Car win over dominator Austin Prock is costly, but help of friends is priceless

• Ida Zetterstöm makes stellar Top Fuel debut before fouling out.

• Jack Beckman earns points for sidelined John Force.

Some NHRA racers, including debuting Top Fuel import Ida Zetterström, Funny Car’s Countdown-minded Blake Alexander, and Pro Stock next-gen racer Mason McGaha, exceeded expectations during Sunday’s Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd, Minn.

Even more – such as No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence, Funny Car points leader Austin Prock, and key Prock rival J.R. Todd—finished with results they certainly weren’t expecting at all.

By the halfway point of the race, eight of the top 10 drivers in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock and seven of the top 10 Funny Car drivers had been eliminated.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Blake Alexander (Funny Car), and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) won to move on to Indianapolis with momentum for the U.S. Nationals. There at Indianapolis Raceway Park, fields will be set for the Countdown to the Championship, Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge points factored in, and overall points adjusted.

J.R. Todd Gets a Little Help From His Friends

The quarterfinal pairing in Funny Car between J.R. Todd and Austin Prock ended with both drivers disgusted—and none of their dismay related at all to their minor disagreement about staging at the recent Seattle race.

Prock posted an uncharacteristically late (.116-second) reaction time and lost to Todd on a holeshot by six-thousandths of a second.

“I just flat-out looked like an absolute idiot,” Prock said. “It’s embarrassing. I’m pissed off right now at myself. They tell you a good-running race car is the hardest to drive, because all you can do is mess it up. I’ve been doing good not to do that, but I look like a frickin’ idiot right now.”

Todd, who had damaged a body and chassis during qualifying Friday, knocked off Prock, who has dominated competition all year. However, his victory came at a steep cost. At the finish line, the engine in his DHL Toyota Supra blew up and cracked the body. Todd said that result was “about as bad as it gets. That’s two chassis and two bodies, and we don’t have anything else to go. We’re out of cars.” Never mind that he didn’t have the luxury of beating Prock. “Those guys got the best car out here, and there’s nobody’s ass you want to kick more than his,” Todd said. “It sucks to be moving on – but we can’t.”

His Toyota colleagues immediately pitched in to help. Ron Capps loaned Todd a spare NAPA Toyota body and because the Supra chassis aren’t identical, the thrash was intense for crew members from Capps’ team, Del Worsham’s team, and Todd’s Kalitta team. Capps said, “Del said it best: ‘This is like old-school s---. This is Kenny Bernstein and the Blue Max and taping it all together to get back to the [starting line].’ We were just happy to help. When you’re Team Toyota, you do anything it takes. It was so fun to watch – and I felt like a proud owner watching that car go down there.”

Todd, who lost his semifinal match against Matt Hagan, thanked everyone who pitched in to help him make the run. “I thought we were dead after that semifinal,” he said. “I thought, ‘We’re screwed.’ That was awesome to drag it back up there. It’s almost like a victory in itself.”

Ida Zetterström’s NHRA Top Fuel Career Starts Strong

Reigning FIA European Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterström pulled off the upset of Sunday’s opening round of eliminations in her NHRA debut. The Swedish rookie, who claimed the No. 14 and final starting spot, defeated four-time champion and top qualifier Steve Torrence in her first round of competition.

That earned her a second-round bye into the semifinals. Then she had to face Shawn Langdon, who has won series crowns at three different levels of competition (Jr. Dragster, Super Comp, and Top Fuel).

She fouled out to end her day, and said, “Obviously, this is embarrassing. I’ve never red-lit in my life. My foot just went, but my brain didn’t tell it to go. I know I’m better than this. Our team is better than this.”

Jack Beckman Earns Points for sidelined John Force

Making his first start on behalf of injured 16-time Funny Car champion John Force, Jack Beckman – the 2012 Funny Car champion and sportsman-level national titlist himself – picked up a few points for the PEAK Chavy Camaro team.

Beckman won his Round 1 race, ironically, against Bobby Bode to record his first elimination victory since his Oct. 19, 2020, event triumph at Dallas. In 2010, when Bobby Bode was eight years old, his father, Bob Bode earned his lone Funny Car victory at Brainerd—at Beckman’s expense.

Beckman exited in the quarterfinals, losing to eventual winner Blake Alexander.

He’ll close out the final seven races of the year as a substitute for Force, who continues to recover at home in Southern California from a vicious racing accident this June near Richmond, Va.

“It's still John's car. Nobody's replacing John Force,” Beckman said. “I get to shoe this thing for now. We had a great hot rod. It still blew a spark plug out, but that's the best I've run in four years. That's a good feeling.

"John (Force) and I are different. I weigh more than him. We ride the clutch differently, backing up for the burnout. The guys are trying to figure out what the car wants to run quick down low with me, like it did with John. And we're still finding that stuff out," he said. "Every run we get, we're getting closer."

By the halfway point of this race Sunday, eight of the top 10 drivers from both the Top Fuel and Pro Stock classes and seven of the top 10 Funny Car drivers had been eliminated.

Mason McGaha Comes Alive to Advance to Pro Stock Final

In Pro Stock, Mason McGaha entered race day with just four round-wins and three DNQs in 12 races this season. Just 24 hours before the final round, the 22-year-old Odessa, Texas, college student wasn’t even qualified. He made the cut in his final qualifying chance, and he reached the third final of his 75-race career.

Dallas Glenn was making his 24th final-round appearance, and he earned his 11th career victory and third of the season.

Results, Updated Points Standing

Final finish order (1-16) at the 42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. The race is the 13th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1. Justin Ashley; 2. Shawn Langdon; 3. Ida Zetterstrom; 4. Josh Hart; 5. Clay Millican; 6. Doug Kalitta; 7. Tony Stewart; 8. Jasmine Salinas; 9. Steve Torrence; 10. Shawn Reed; 11. Brittany Force; 12. Tony Schumacher; 13. Antron Brown; 14. Billy Torrence.

FUNNY CAR:

1, Blake Alexander; 2. Matt Hagan; 3. J.R. Todd; 4. Chad Green; 5. Austin Prock; 6. JackBeckman; 7. Bob Tasca III; 8. Daniel Wilkerson; 9. Bobby Bode; 10. Ron Capps; 11. Paul Lee; 12. Dave Richards; 13. Alexis DeJoria; 14. Jim Campbell; 15. Jack Wyatt; 16. Cruz Pedregon.

PRO STOCK:

1. Dallas Glenn; 2. Mason McGaha; 3. Aaron Stanfield; 4. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; 5. Erica Enders; 6. David Cuadra; 7. Cristian Cuadra; 8. Jeg Coughlin; 9. Greg Anderson; 10. Cory Reed; 11. Jerry Tucker; 12. Matt Hartford; 13. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 14. Eric Latino; 15. Chris McGaha; 16. Deric Kramer.

Final Round Results

Sunday's final results from the 42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. The race is the 13th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel -- Justin Ashley, 3.745 seconds, 329.34 mph def. Shawn Langdon, 4.020 seconds, 261.32 mph.

Funny Car -- Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.927, 324.67 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, Foul - Red Light.

Pro Stock -- Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.613, 206.95 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 10.944, 82.27.

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Hunter Green, 5.251, 271.90 def. Madison Payne, 5.264, 276.86.

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Bob McCosh, Chevy Camaro, 5.515, 263.77 def. Sean Bellemeur, Camaro, 5.827, 261.07.

Competition Eliminator -- Bruno Massel, Chevy Cobalt, 6.986, 187.23 def. Travis Gusso, Cobalt, 8.450, 160.31.

Stock Eliminator -- Brian Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 10.330, 125.01 def. Johnny Diekema, Chevy Corvette, 10.055, 128.04.

Super Comp -- Michael Cheney, Dragster, 8.907, 164.23 def. Kris Whitfield, Dragster, Foul - Red Light.

Super Street -- Wayde Samuel, Chevelle, 10.888, 139.95 def. Steve Stockton, Nova, Foul - Red Light.

Factory Stock Showdown -- Scott Libersher, Chevy Camaro, 7.816, 172.04 def. David Janac, Ford Mustang, 7.909, 173.58.

Top Fuel Motorcycle -- Larry McBride, Suzuki, 4.854, 239.91 def. Mitch Brown, Suzuki, 5.205, 212.90.

Mountain Motor Pro Stock -- Brad Waddle, Ford Mustang, Foul - Red Light def. Dennis Firkus, Chevy Cobalt, Foul - Red Light.

Round-By-Round

Final round-by-round results from the 42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the 13th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Shawn Langdon, 3.774, 310.41 def. Shawn Reed, 3.755, 329.75; Doug Kalitta, 3.689, 331.20 def. Antron Brown, 5.720, 121.69; Clay Millican, 3.735, 332.51 def. Brittany Force, 3.756, 332.18; Tony Stewart, 3.724, 334.73 def. Tony Schumacher, 3.786, 327.11; Ida Zetterstrom, 3.773, 320.81 def. Steve Torrence, 3.750, 321.35; Josh Hart, 3.758, 331.04 def. Jasmine Salinas, 3.742, 330.96; Justin Ashley, 3.747, 331.69 def. Billy Torrence, 8.055, 116.88;

QUARTERFINALS -- Zetterstrom, 4.395, 180.48 was unopposed; Hart, 3.772, 330.39 def. Millican, 3.787, 308.99; Ashley, 3.763, 328.30 def. Stewart, 9.435, 78.54; Langdon, 3.970, 284.87 def. Kalitta, 4.378, 250.92;

SEMIFINALS -- Langdon, 16.584, 62.32 def. Zetterstrom, Foul - Red Light; Ashley, 3.754, 330.39 def. Hart, 4.135, 225.82;

FINAL -- Ashley, 3.745, 329.34 def. Langdon, 4.020, 261.32.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.956, 320.28 def. Jack Wyatt, Dodge Charger, 24.584, 21.08; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.872, 334.65 def. Jim Campbell, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.634, 235.39; Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.921, 325.37 def. Dave Richards, Toyota Camry, 4.118, 263.46; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.937, 329.26 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.913, 331.20; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.940, 327.11 def. Alexis DeJoria, GR Supra, 4.254, 218.55; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.885, 322.88 def. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.910, 330.39; Chad Green, Mustang, No Time Recorded def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, Foul - Centerline; J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.945, 328.70 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.015, 276.86;

QUARTERFINALS -- Hagan, 3.969, 324.05 def. Wilkerson, 10.218, 88.82; Todd, 4.012, 323.97 def. Prock, 3.917, 323.89; Alexander, 3.943, 317.05 def. Beckman, 3.945, 321.65; Green, 4.044, 309.20 def. Tasca III, 4.343, 222.58;

SEMIFINALS -- Alexander, 3.948, 320.51 def. Green, Foul - Red Light; Hagan, 3.965, 324.12 def. Todd, 4.075, 280.14;

FINAL -- Alexander, 3.927, 324.67 def. Hagan, Foul - Red Light.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- David Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.645, 206.45 def. Deric Kramer, Chevy Camaro, 7.114, 194.72; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.598, 208.10 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.649, 206.20; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.611, 204.05 def. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.609, 205.91; Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.651, 206.01 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.636, 206.57; Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.610, 206.42 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.640, 206.29; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.618, 204.94 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.603, 208.30; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.597, 206.73 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.650, 207.34; Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.641, 207.37 def. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.610, 207.62;

QUARTERFINALS -- M. McGaha, 6.655, 207.69 def. D. Cuadra, 6.652, 206.48; Stanfield, 6.629, 205.29 def. Coughlin, 6.691, 199.91; Cuadra Jr., 6.632, 206.42 def. C. Cuadra, 6.680, 198.03; Glenn, 6.623, 206.20 def. Enders, 6.622, 207.05;

SEMIFINALS -- M. McGaha, 6.672, 206.51 def. Cuadra Jr., 6.849, 206.13; Glenn, 6.616, 206.76 def. Stanfield, 6.620, 207.37;

FINAL -- Glenn, 6.613, 206.95 def. M. McGaha, 10.944, 82.27.

Updated Points Standings

Point standings (top 10) following the 42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, the 13th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Top Fuel

1. Doug Kalitta, 1,034; 2. Shawn Langdon, 950; 3. Justin Ashley, 929; 4. Steve Torrence, 861; 5. Antron Brown, 847; 6. Clay Millican, 683; 7. Tony Stewart, 677; 8. Tony Schumacher, 663; 9. Billy Torrence, 639; 10. Brittany Force, 583.

Funny Car

1. Austin Prock, 1,190; 2. Bob Tasca III, 972; 3. Matt Hagan, 960; 4. J.R. Todd, 891; 5. John Force, 749; 6. Ron Capps, 738; 7. Blake Alexander, 650; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, 637; 9. Chad Green, 606; 10. Paul Lee, 578.

Pro Stock

1. Dallas Glenn, 1,153; 2. Greg Anderson, 969; 3. Erica Enders, 947; 4. Aaron Stanfield, 941; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 849; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., 680; 7. Jerry Tucker, 648; 8. Cristian Cuadra, 512; 9. Deric Kramer, 490; 10. Eric Latino, 487.