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Race report

Kalitta, Beckman, Coughlin win at 60th NHRA Winternationals

Doug Kalitta won the Top Fuel category at the 60th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com, with Jack Beckman and Jeg Coughlin clinching Funny Car and Pro Stock classes.

Doug Kalitta

Doug Kalitta

NHRA

Kalitta went 3.698-seconds at 330.23 mph in his Mac Tools dragster to defeat John Force Racing’s Austin Prock in the final round at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Kalitta has won four of the last five races at the track, and it marked his 48th career win, placing him fifth on the all-time Top Fuel list.

Kalitta defeated Brandon Welch, Justin Ashley and former world champion Brittany Force to advance to the finals on Sunday.

“It’s been an interesting day for sure, a lot of close racing,” said Kalitta. “We have people up there trying to tear the tree down on you so you’re a little nervous about all that. It worked out well though.

“I’m just really proud of my guys. They busted their tails today. We tore up a little bit of parts here, but it was all good.

“The 60th is pretty special. Connie was here at the first one. I couldn’t be happier for him and the family and the legacy that’s been created out here. I’m just glad this is one of our better tracks.”

In Funny Car, Beckman picked up a win after going 3.837-seconds at 333.33 in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Beckman defeated Steven Densham, Ron Capps and Alexis DeJoria to advance to the final round, where he took the win over Funny Car legend John Force.

Beckman captured his first ever career win at the Winternationals in 1998 in Super Comp. Sunday’s win marks Beckman’s 31st career Funny Car win, tying Del Worsham for eighth in FC history. 

“To beat John Force in the final, it's a pretty cool weekend,” said Beckman. “It’s my home track. I’ve probably spent more time down there on the starting line than anybody else. I feel comfortable here.

“This a perfect storm. I had never won a nitro title at Pomona up until November last year and now I got two in a row. It’s beyond magical. You don’t know if your last win is your last win. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this isn’t our last win.

“The Infinite Hero team has been amazing. We were top two every run in qualifying, except for the first round. Our car was just absolutely amazing. As a driver, you don’t want to limp your way into the winner’s circle. It was awesome for us.”

Coughlin kicked off his “Breaking Barriers 2020” retirement tour with a bang, taking home the Pro Stock event win with a 6.522-second pass at 210.80. Earlier in the weekend, Coughlin announced that he would be stepping down from professional Pro Stock racing at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

He beat out Jason Line for the event win, who also announced that 2020 would be his final professional season. Coughlin defeated Joey Grose, Chris McGaha and Kenny Delco to advance to the final round at the 2020 Winternationals.

Sunday’s win broke Coughlin’s 20 year win drought at the race, bringing him his 64th career Pro Stock win, placing him fourth on the all-time list.

Said Coughlin: “Ricky Jones and Richard Freeman, the whole Elite team did a fantastic job over the winter. Today’s race was outstanding. I can’t recall a time in my 20-plus year career in Pro Stock that I was low for each and every one of the sessions and won the race. That’s quite a testament to the team.

“Hopefully it’s something we can hold on to for a little bit. It looks like we have a bit of a performance advantage here at Pomona and we were able to capitalize on it.”

Final order at 60th Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona

TOP FUEL: 1. Doug Kalitta; 2. Austin Prock; 3. Brittany Force; 4. Leah Pruett; 5. Clay Millican; 6. Justin Ashley; 7. Shawn Reed; 8. Jim Maroney; 9. Terry McMillen; 10. Cameron Ferre; 11. Antron Brown; 12. Shawn Langdon; 13. Brandon Welch. 
Final: Doug Kalitta, 3.698 seconds, 330.23 mph def. Austin Prock, 10.939 seconds, 80.31 mph. 

FUNNY CAR: 1. Jack Beckman; 2. John Force; 3. Matt Hagan; 4. Alexis DeJoria; 5. Ron Capps; 6. Tim Wilkerson; 7. Tommy Johnson Jr.; 8. Robert Hight; 9. Paul Lee; 10. Cruz Pedregon; 11. Alex Miladinovich; 12. J.R. Todd; 13. Steven Densham; 14. Bob Tasca III; 15. Bob Bode; 16. Terry Haddock.
Final: Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.837, 333.33 def. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.897, 332.34. 

PRO STOCK: 1. Jeg Coughlin; 2. Jason Line; 3. Erica Enders; 4. Kenny Delco; 5. Chris McGaha; 6. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; 7. Steve Graham; 8. Matt Hartford; 9. Alex Laughlin; 10. Aaron Stanfield; 11. Val Smeland; 12. Joey Grose; 13. Greg Anderson; 14. Bo Butner; 15. Deric Kramer; 16. Cristian Cuadra. 
Final: Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.522, 210.80 def. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.565, 209.56. 

Point standings after 1 of 24 rounds in the 2020 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series

TOP FUEL: 1. Doug Kalitta, 117; 2. Austin Prock, 99; 3. Brittany Force, 87; 4. Leah Pruett, 80; 5. Clay Millican, 53; 6. Justin Ashley, 52; 7. Shawn Reed, 51; 8. Shawn Langdon, 38; 9. Terry McMillen, 34; 10. Antron Brown, 32.

FUNNY CAR: 1. Jack Beckman, 126; 2. John Force, 94; 3. Matt Hagan, 86; 4. Alexis DeJoria, 67; 5. Robert Hight, 61; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., 56; 7. Ron Capps, 54; 8. Tim Wilkerson, 52; 9. Paul Lee, 34; 10. J.R. Todd, 33.

PRO STOCK: 1. Jeg Coughlin, 130; 2. Jason Line, 94; 3. Erica Enders, 80; 4. Kenny Delco, 77; 5. (tie) Steve Graham, 52; Matt Hartford, 52; Chris McGaha, 52; 8. Fernando Cuadra Jr., 51; 9. Deric Kramer, 40; 10. Bo Butner, 36.

 

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