NHRA Mutiny in Minnesota: Top Fuel Drivers Walk Out over Track Conditions at Brainerd

Call it the Minnesota Mutiny.

The NHRA’s Top Fuel class sacrificed the best qualifying conditions of the Lucas Oil Nationals weekend and collectively decided not to run the Friday night session at Minnesota’s Brainerd International Raceway, citing unsafe conditions and unresponsiveness from officials of the sanctioning body.

The trouble started early in the second session of Funny Car qualifying, when Blake Alexander’s car broke and dumped oil on the track. A 50-minute clean-up robbed both nitro classes of precious daylight and the best racing surface. Seven more Funny Car pairs made runs, and most lost traction.

Josh Hart, owner-driver of the R+L Carriers Dragster, said, “It was a terrible situation for the Safety Safari. The clean-up effort unfortunately was not suitable for either Funny Car or Top Fuel. The action should have been stopped as soon as NHRA realized Funny Cars couldn't make it down (the rack). Instead, NHRA tried to rush the class and wasted money, effort, and almost cost a couple people their cars, because the sun was going down and the track was a Slip ’n’ Slide. Whatever the motivation was for this decision did not have our safety in mind at all.

“Most all crew chiefs and owners tried to call NHRA, and the phone was not answered,” he said. “So we collaborated on the decision not to even start any Top Fuel car.”

Brittany Force posted a No. 3 elapsed time in the Top Fuel’s first qualifying session, and she said, “Unfortunately, because of uneven lanes and lack of light with the sun going down, we lost our second qualifying pass, which is really disappointing,” Force said. “After that first solid run, we were really going to step it up and push this car in the best conditions we would have all weekend. That’s the way the game is played. Everyone else had to follow the same rules, so we’ll pick up where we left off.”

The only racer probably not unhappy with the situation was Doug Kalitta, who had taken the provisional No. 1 position in opening session.

All classes were scheduled to run two more qualifying chances Saturday. Eliminations will be Sunday.