Champions Crowned In NHRA Finals At Pomona

Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) claimed NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championships Sunday at the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Line clinched his third Pro Stock world championship after he raced to victory in the semifinal round, putting the points out of reach for teammate Greg Anderson.

“It’s been a great year and thanks to all of our competitors. They kept us honest and made us work hard right to the end,” said Line. “I have to thank all the Summit guys, Ken Black, and all of them. It has been an incredible season and I can’t believe I didn’t actually mess it up. It is such an honor to be up here. We have had a great car all year. Greg (Anderson) and I have had probably the two best cars all year. If it had ended any other way, I would have been disappointed.”

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Savoie earned his first career world championship after he advanced to the semifinals while his nearest contenders, Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines, were knocked out in the quarterfinals. Savoie never led the points standings until he secured the title.

“To only dream of winning one race and to come out here and put a deal together with the support of Vance & Hines and my crew and to win the championship is amazing,” said Savoie. “I went to church this morning and the word was encouragement and to get encouraged from the people that inspire you. I want to thank everybody, especially the fans. Without these guys, this would not be possible; you make our dreams come true, and those guys are my family.”

In other action, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Tommy Johnson, Jr. (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were victorious in their respective categories.

Kalitta powered to a holeshot victory with a 3.745-second pass at 326.63 mph to defeat J.R. Todd’s 3.704 at 327.90 in the Top Fuel final. Kalitta sprinted past Shawn Reed, Tony Schumacher and Shawn Landon in the earlier rounds. The win moved him to second in points, where he will finish for the fourth time in his career.

“I’ve been trying to win this last race for a long time,” said Kalitta. “The history here, for me, growing up watching Connie (Kalitta) race over the years and to be able to win today was huge for me and for everybody on the team. It was very cool that (J.R. Todd) and I were both in the final and got to run for the money there. It will be good momentum for all of our teams and we finished off the season with some good runs.”

Todd knocked down Troy Buff, Richie Crampton and Top Fuel champion Antron Brown en route to the final round.

In Funny Car, Johnson notched a 3.918 at 320.51 to outlast John Force’s 3.918 at 321.81 on a holeshot in the final. He beat Dave Richards, Robert Hight and Courtney Force in the earlier rounds.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t win the championship,” said Johnson, Jr. “It’s so important to do well. You have six races to really make no mistakes and we had a bad race or two there towards the middle of the Countdown. It was a little frustrating because we knew we were better than that. We had fallen down to third and we came here and knew we wanted to get back to second. We knew we could do that. You want to finish strong and show you are there to contend. You want to end on a high note because it kind of sets the tone for next season.”

Force outlasted Cruz Pedregon, Funny Car champion Ron Capps and No. 1 qualifier Jack Beckman before losing to Johnson, Jr. in the final.

Anderson was able to beat his teammate and series champion Line on a holeshot in the Pro Stock final round by powering to a 6.580 at 210.24, bettering Line’s 6.570 at 211.43.

“Great day, I can’t cry,” said Anderson. “I did all I could do today, I did everything I could possibly do today. The only thing I can kick stones about is that I didn’t do a great job on qualifying on Friday. I lost three points to Jason and those three points are a big three points. You do the best you can and sometimes you make a mistake and I did on Friday and it cost me and that was the decider. Still a great fight. Great fight all year. We had some great battles. During the last half of the year the rest of the class got in and we had some great battles with them. We overachieved this year and we’re leaving here happy.”

Line raced past Alan Prusiensky, Chris McGaha and Erica Enders before finding Anderson in the final.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith rode to an 8.044 at 117.34 to beat Angelle Sampey, who left the line early to red-light in the final. The victory moved him to sixth in the points standings.

“We haven’t had the best season in the world,” said Smith. “We’ve had a fast bike but we’ve had a lot of electrical problems and transmission issues. We finally solved that about four races ago and it was good for us to run as good as we have. It struggled in qualifying but it came around today. To give Victory their first win is huge. I’m so glad I was able to get it done for them. We have big plans for next year and hopefully you’ll see us a lot more next year.”

Sampey beat Scotty Pollacheck, Andrew Hines and Savoie in the earlier rounds.

The 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will begin at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona with the Circle K NHRA Winternationals, Feb. 9-12.

NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
Auto Club Raceway – Pomona, CA
Auto Club NHRA Finals – Nov. 13, 2016

Final Finish Order (1-16)

TOP FUEL
1. Doug Kalitta; 2. J.R. Todd; 3. Shawn Langdon; 4. Antron Brown; 5. Leah Pritchett; 6. Tony Schumacher; 7. Steve Torrence; 8. Richie Crampton; 9. Wayne Newby; 10. Morgan Lucas; 11. Tripp Tatum; 12. Terry McMillen; 13. Shawn Reed; 14. Clay Millican; 15. Brittany Force; 16. Troy Buff.

FUNNY CAR
1. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 2. John Force; 3. Courtney Force; 4. Jack Beckman; 5. Robert Hight; 6. Ron Capps; 7. Jeff Arend; 8. Tim Wilkerson; 9. Cruz Pedregon; 10. Paul Lee; 11. Del Worsham; 12. Dave Richards; 13. Matt Hagan; 14. Jim Campbell; 15. Chad Head; 16. John Bojec.
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PRO STOCK
1. Greg Anderson; 2. Jason Line; 3. Bo Butner; 4. Erica Enders; 5. Shane Gray; 6. Chris McGaha; 7. Drew Skillman; 8. Vincent Nobile; 9. Alex Laughlin; 10. Jeg Coughlin; 11. Matt Hartford; 12. Aaron Strong; 13. Alan Prusiensky; 14. Allen Johnson; 15. Deric Kramer; 16. Kenny Delco.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
1. Matt Smith; 2. Angelle Sampey; 3. Jerry Savoie; 4. Hector Arana Jr; 5. Eddie Krawiec; 6. Steve Johnson; 7. Andrew Hines; 8. Chip Ellis; 9. Melissa Surber; 10. Hector Arana; 11. Angie Smith; 12. Freddie Camarena; 13. LE Tonglet; 14. Cory Reed; 15. Shawn Gann; 16. Scotty Pollacheck.

Sunday’s Final Results

Top Fuel — Doug Kalitta, 3.745 seconds, 326.63 mph def. J.R. Todd, 3.704 seconds, 327.90 mph.

Funny Car — Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 3.918, 320.51 def. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.918, 321.81.

Pro Stock — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.580, 210.24 def. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.570, 211.43.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, Victory, 8.044, 117.34 def. Angelle Sampey, Buell, Foul – Red Light.

Final Round-By-Round Results

TOP FUEL

ROUND ONE — Richie Crampton, 3.771, 316.52 def. Brittany Force, 5.890, 111.78; Tony Schumacher, 4.920, 288.77 def. Clay Millican, 4.945, 139.76; Antron Brown, 3.768, 321.35 def. Morgan Lucas, 3.789, 323.27; Shawn Langdon, 3.769, 321.42 def. Tripp Tatum, 3.815, 320.89; Doug Kalitta, 3.755, 326.40 def. Shawn Reed, 4.774, 157.04; J.R. Todd, 3.811, 308.43 def. Troy Buff, Foul – Red Light; Leah Pritchett, 3.766, 321.96 def. Terry McMillen, 3.872, 275.96; Steve Torrence, 3.739, 324.12 def. Wayne Newby, 3.779, 324.44; QUARTERFINALS — Todd, 3.762, 316.90 def. Crampton, Foul – Red Light; Brown, 3.756, 320.97 def. Pritchett, 3.760, 326.87; Kalitta, 3.742, 328.86 def. Schumacher, 3.778, 324.90; Langdon, 3.789, 325.06 def. Torrence, 5.068, 167.45; SEMIFINALS — Todd, 3.708, 329.26 def. Brown, 3.765, 324.44; Kalitta, 3.734, 326.95 def. Langdon, 3.747, 325.53; FINAL — Kalitta, 3.745, 326.63 def. Todd, 3.704, 327.90.

FUNNY CAR

ROUND ONE — John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.964, 327.98 def. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, Foul – Red Light; Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, Broke def. John Bojec, Camry, Broke – No Show; Courtney Force, Camaro, 4.137, 260.56 def. Jim Campbell, Charger, Foul – Red Light; Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.373, 235.23 def. Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 6.365, 112.99; Ron Capps, Charger, 4.140, 234.90 def. Chad Head, Camry, 8.634, 70.32; Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.929, 326.40 def. Paul Lee, Camry, 4.460, 195.28; Jeff Arend, Camry, 3.971, 314.97 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 6.367, 118.41; Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.922, 325.77 def. Del Worsham, Camry, 6.290, 108.28; QUARTERFINALS — J. Force, 3.940, 324.44 def. R. Capps, 3.938, 324.67; C. Force, 3.922, 319.75 def. Arend, 3.979, 323.97; Johnson Jr., 3.897, 325.37 def. Hight, 3.921, 330.96; Beckman, 3.910, 327.82 def. Wilkerson, 4.007, 276.69; SEMIFINALS — J. Force, 3.932, 326.00 def. Beckman, 9.012, 82.04; Johnson Jr., 3.929, 297.09 def. C. Force, 3.916, 327.74; FINAL — Johnson Jr., 3.918, 320.51 def. J. Force, 3.918, 321.81.

PRO STOCK

ROUND ONE — Chris McGaha, Chevy Camaro, 7.461, 201.61 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.594, 210.14 def. Allen Johnson, Dodge Dart, 6.659, 208.36; Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.582, 210.93 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.631, 209.49; Erica Enders, Dart, 6.623, 209.33 def. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.596, 209.82; Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.600, 209.95 def. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.626, 209.14; Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.598, 209.79 def. Deric Kramer, Dart, Foul – Red Light; Jason Line, Camaro, 6.560, 211.13 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, 6.657, 208.14; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.576, 210.80 def. Aaron Strong, Camaro, 6.633, 208.78; QUARTERFINALS — Enders, 6.649, 208.91 def. Nobile, 15.635, 47.85; Butner, 6.605, 209.82 def. Skillman, 6.631, 210.18; Anderson, 6.592, 210.37 def. Gray, 6.596, 210.47; Line, 6.605, 209.33 def. McGaha, 6.607, 209.43; SEMIFINALS — Line, 6.590, 210.54 def. Enders, 13.902, 63.67; Anderson, 6.596, 210.54 def. Butner, 6.630, 210.41; FINAL — Anderson, 6.580, 210.24 def. Line, 6.570, 211.43.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

ROUND ONE — Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.879, 194.88 def. Angie Smith, 6.972, 190.51; Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.899, 194.86 def. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, 6.977, 192.69; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.930, 192.93 def. Melissa Surber, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.865, 194.44 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.980, 192.93; Matt Smith, 6.916, 193.35 def. Hector Arana, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.880, 194.52 def. Cory Reed, Buell, 7.152, 188.10; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.850, 195.56 def. Shawn Gann, Buell, Foul – Red Light; Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.882, 195.42 def. Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 32.616, 276.86; QUARTERFINALS — Savoie, 6.897, 196.02 def. Johnson, 6.890, 193.65; Arana Jr, 6.945, 191.59 def. Ellis, Broke – No Show; Sampey, 6.879, 193.93 def. Hines, 6.912, 193.85; M. Smith, 6.904, 192.99 def. Krawiec, 6.871, 195.31; SEMIFINALS — M. Smith, 6.946, 192.44 def. Arana Jr, 7.569, 134.10; Sampey, 6.900, 194.24 def. Savoie, 6.948, 193.85; FINAL — M. Smith, 8.044, 117.34 def. Sampey, Foul – Red Light.

Point Standings (Top 10)

Top Fuel
1. Antron Brown, 2,663; 2. Doug Kalitta, 2,533; 3. Steve Torrence, 2,482; 4. J.R. Todd, 2,455; 5. Shawn Langdon, 2,443; 6. Brittany Force, 2,399; 7. Leah Pritchett, 2,389; 8. Tony Schumacher, 2,387; 9. Richie Crampton, 2,279; 10. Clay Millican, 2,264.

Funny Car
1. Ron Capps, 2,605; 2. Tommy Johnson Jr., 2,553; 3. Matt Hagan, 2,493; 4. John Force, 2,486; 5. Jack Beckman, 2,480; 6. Courtney Force, 2,414; 7. Del Worsham, 2,406; 8. Robert Hight, 2,368; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 2,314; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,184.

Pro Stock
1. Jason Line, 2,639; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,636; 3. Shane Gray, 2,492; 4. Bo Butner, 2,453; 5. Vincent Nobile, 2,449; 6. Drew Skillman, 2,424; 7. Chris McGaha, 2,327; 8. Allen Johnson, 2,277; 9. Erica Enders, 2,239; 10. Jeg Coughlin, 2,208.

Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Jerry Savoie, 2,595; 2. Eddie Krawiec, 2,571; 3. Andrew Hines, 2,564; 4. Angelle Sampey, 2,495; 5. Chip Ellis, 2,415; 6. Matt Smith, 2,389; 7. LE Tonglet, 2,372; 8. Hector Arana Jr, 2,315; 9. Cory Reed, 2,312; 10. Hector Arana, 2,279.