51st Auto Club NHRA Finals

Auto Club Raceway at Pomona

Pomona, CA.

Nov 12-15, ‘15

Story and Photographs by Roger Rohrdanz

   On November 12 thru 15, 2015 the 51st Annual NHRA Finals were contested at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, CA. The racing season began at this same track in February and after 24 races over a ten month time span the championship for the “Pro” classes came down to this last exciting race. This event saw Champions crowned in 11 classes including the 4 “Pro” classes of the NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Series, 6 classes of the 2014 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series an 4 classes of the Summit Racing Series.  Over 500 racers came from 7 geographical divisions around the United States.  They were competing not only for a “Finals” event win, but also for the NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Series Championship.  The weather was perfect, temperatures in the mid to high 70’s with evenings cooling off to mid 60’s producing a very fast track.

   This was also the 51st Anniversary of the Finals, first held in 1965. The Hot Rod Junction area was filled with restored historic front engined dragsters and beautiful nostalgia funny cars that did a “Cacklefest” twice a day.  Brett Harrell was the DJ in the nostalgia area and he played period music from the 1950’s and ‘60’s and kept up a lively banter that informed fans and spectators of who was around and where they could be found.  Also in the pits was “Nitro Alley” packed with rows and rows of vendors showing their wares.  Rows and rows of stands served all kinds of food.

    The exciting and historic finish to the 2015 NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Season included

   Prior to this event, Erica Enders-Stevens had won the season Pro Stock championship.  This Finals Pro Stock event was won by Allen Johnson.  The Pro Stock Motorcycle season championship was won by Andrew Hines.  His teammate Eddie Krawiec took this Finals event win.      Del Worsham claimed both the season Funny Car championship and the Finals victory over rival Jack Beckman.  That win makes him the third driver in NHRA history to win world championships in both nitro classes.  The other two were Kenny Bernstein and Gary Seclzi.  For the Top Fuel class, Antron Brown had won the season Top Fuel championship he was simply too good and too powerful, but there was still a Wally to be won.  Shawn Langdon plowed through the early rounds and right up into the final race, where he faced Antron Brown.  Brown and Langdon staged and in a powerful last race of the last meet of the season, the young Langdon powered his way to victory over Brown.  With the last race of the year in the books, the fans poured out of the stands to participate in a huge celebration and talk to their favorite drivers and team.  The track was sticky, the crowds were happy, the music blared, camera lights flashed and a certain nostalgia and yearning for more racing was met by total exhaustion from all the race teams.  They had a banquet to attend and awards to reap, and then a short vacation before the NHRA season starts all over again.

* Since the NHRA 2009 season, Top Fuel Dragsters & Top Fuel Funny Cars have run on a 1000 foot track, not a quarter mile track. Since then the winners and record holders in those classes are champions at the current 1000 foot distance.  Quarter mile elapsed time and speed records can only be challenged on a quarter mile track.

   Shawn Langdon, Brandon Bernstein, Cruz Pedregon, Antron Brown, Jack Beckman, Del Worsham, Matt Hagan, Larry Dixon, John Force, Robert Hight, Tony Schumacher, Morgan Lucas and are the only NHRA Drag Racing Series Champions at the 1000 foot distance.

Thanks for the Show!!

NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Finals winners are,

Top Alcohol Dragster – Joey Severance, 5.278, 271.84 def. David Sheetz, 6.567,

128.98.
Top Alcohol Funny Car – John Lombardo Jr. Chevy Camaro, 5.445, 273.05 def. Jonnie

Lindberg, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.439, 267.22.
Comp Eliminator – Tony Mandella, Chevy S-10, 8.351, 153.44 def. Joshua Lee, Bantam Roadster,

8.867, 134.86.
Super Comp – Gary Stinnett, Dragster, 9.192, 149.07 def. Prescott Dean, Dragster, 10.078, 93.96.
Super Stock – Jeff Adkinson, Pontiac Sunfire, 9.746, 133.50 def. Brian McClanahan, Chevy

Camaro, 8.801, 146.50.
Super Gas – Marko Perivolaris, Chevy Camaro, 9.918, 170.75 def. Trevor Larson, Chevy

Corvette, 9.891, 168.24.
Stock Eliminator – Leo Glasbrenner,  Pontiac Firebird, 10.570, 122.06 def. Ryan

McClanahan, Chevy Camaro, 9.706, 135.43.
Summit Super Pro – Todd Piper, Dragster, 7.182, 179.04 def. Chris Bear, Dragster, 7.449, 181.25.
Summit Pro – Robert Steffen, 0891, Chevy Nova, 10.564, 125.30 def. Brock Moshier, Chevy Vega,

9.107, 137.18.
Summit Bike – Mark Schwalm, Kawasaki, 7.714, 167.51 def. Rick Poole, Suzuki, 8.393, 149.83.
Summit Sportsman – Nick Hastings, Ford Mustang, 12.874, 80.84 def. Adam Tabor, Chevy Nova,

foul.