Mon, 08 Sep 2014, 13:31 PM NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship Sure To Be Intense

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Photo copyright 2014 Auto Imagery, Inc. When Playoffs Reach Halfway Mark at Gateway Motorsports Park

MADISON, Ill. -- The stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will thunder into Gateway Motorsports Park, Sept. 26-28, for the third race of the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship at the third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

The best in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will all compete for coveted Wally trophies at the popular race track located just across the Mississippi River in Illinois from downtown St. Louis. Antron Brown (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Erica Enders-Stevens (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year's winners of the event that will once again be televised nationally on ESPN2.

Gateway Motorsports Park is one of the premier motorsports facilities in the Midwest and has featured its share of the most intense action in NHRA drag racing over the years. The motorsports complex hosts the only Countdown to the Championship playoff round in the Midwest.

The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals is a vital stop for the teams in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series as they reach the halfway point of the six-race Countdown playoff. The contenders will be separated from the pretenders as the Mello Yello Series completes its third of four straight race weekends.

Top Fuel pilot Antron Brown, the 2012 world champ, is the two-time defending winner of the St. Louis event and he will be looking to arrive at the track in the thick of the championship hunt. Brown's Matco Tools dragster has five wins on the season and he has been locked in a tough points battle with Doug Kalitta. Both Brown and Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools dragster, are three-time winners at Gateway Motorsports Park and if one of them can win the event, it would certainly bolster their 2014 championship hopes. Kalitta, the winningest Top Fuel driver to have never won a championship, has led the points for most of the season.

Brown, Enders-Stevens, Smith and Force won in St. Louis last year.

Seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher has two career victories at St. Louis with his most recent coming in 2010. Schumacher's U.S. Army dragster has hovered in the top five in points all season long and he plans to be a major contender for the Top Fuel championship.

Shawn Langdon, the reigning Top Fuel world champ, raced to his first win of the year at Bristol and will be chasing his first win at Gateway Motorsports Park. Others to watch in the Top Fuel field include Atlanta and Topeka winner Spencer Massey, reigning Auto Club of Southern California Road the Future Award winner Brittany Force, Pomona and Sonoma winner Khalid alBalooshi, most recent winner at Indianapolis Richie Crampton and Denver winner J.R. Todd.

In Funny Car, 16-time world champ Force used St. Louis as a springboard to his 2013 world championship. Force's Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang has been one of most consistent cars so far this season and he is hoping to arrive at the halfway point of the Countdown in position to grab another title. Force has three wins at the facility and a fourth could push him towards a 17th world championship.

Ron Capps, the winningest Funny Car driver to have never won a championship, also has three victories at St. Louis. Capps' NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger has maintained a top five points position for most of the season and he is always a major threat to win his first title.

Robert Hight

John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight has had one of the most dominant cars in the Funny Car field this season and he is seeking his second championship. Hight, the 2009 world champ, has five wins this season in seven final round appearances and his Auto Club Ford Mustang visited the St. Louis winner's circle in 2010.

Others pre-race favorites include two-time season winner Courtney Force, 2011 world champ and last season's runner-up Matt Hagan, three-time season winner Alexis DeJoria, Bristol winner Tommy Johnson Jr., 2012 winner Jack Beckman, 2008 winner Tim Wilkerson and two-time event winner Tony Pedregon.

In Pro Stock, Enders-Stevens outran Mike Edwards to win the event last season. Enders-Stevens returns to Gateway Motorsports Park as one of the top contenders for the Pro Stock championship in her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro. Enders-Stevens, the two-time defending race winner, has four wins on the season and has driven one of the most steady cars on the Pro Stock circuit.

Reigning Pro Stock world champ Jeg Coughlin has two wins at the facility with his most recent coming in 2009. Coughlin's JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Dart has wins at Atlanta and Englishtown this season.

Coughlin's Dodge teammate Allen Johnson is the 2012 world champ but he is yet to record a victory at St. Louis. Jason Line, a two-time world champ, is the current Pro Stock points leader but he also has not won at Gateway Motorsports Park. Past event winner Dave Connolly, 2004 winner Greg Anderson, Chicago winner Vincent Nobile, Shane Gray, two-time runner-up Jonathan Gray, V. Gaines and Chris McGaha are just a few of the drivers who will be looking for a positive performance at the halfway mark of the Countdown in the 200-mph factory hot rod class.

Smith was victorious in Pro Stock Motorcycle last season en route to his second championship. Smith has not visited victory lane in 2014 and will be looking to turn that fortune around in the Countdown. Smith's wife Angie has the lone Matt Smith Racing win in 2014, coming at Epping, N.H. when she beat Matt in the final.

Hines vs. Krawiec

Screamin' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec have been the class of the Pro Stock Motorcycle field during the regular season. Hines won the event in 2008 while Krawiec has two wins (2012 and 2009). Hector Arana Jr. and Hector Arana have been nipping at the heels of the Harley-Davidsons and they both will be ready for the Countdown. Both riders are looking for their first Gateway victories.

Veteran rider Steve Johnson, who won this event in 2004, Michael Ray and Scotty Pollacheck are a few of the Pro Stock Motorcycle riders who will attempt to take home a victory in the two-wheel category.

As always, fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers as they're granted an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. This unique opportunity in motorsports gives fans direct access to the teams, allowing them to see firsthand the highly-skilled mechanics service their hot rods between rounds, and enjoy some cherished face time and get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers.

Fans also will want to visit NHRA's popular Nitro Alley and Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create a carnival atmosphere, with interactive displays, simulated competitions, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.

The event will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Sept. 26, with sessions at 2:15 and 4:45 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1:15 and 3:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28.

To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call Gateway Motorsports Park at (855) RACE-TIK (722-3845) or visit www.gatewaymsp.com.

Before the NHRA Mello Yello Series arrives in Illinois for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, the circuit will visit zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 12-14, for the Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals and the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, Sept. 18-21, for the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals. Keep up with all the action on ESPN2.

NHRA: 10 Most Recent Entries [ top ]

Oct 22- NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Awards Ceremony Returns to Pechanga Resort Casino
Oct 22- NHRA Breakfast at 2026 SEMA Show Features Legends, Champs & A Rookie Talking Funny Car Showdown
Oct 22- DALLAS - Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Wrap Up
Oct 22- Five NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Drivers Currently Eligible for 2026 Rookie of the Year
Oct 22- Lucas Oil and NHRA Celebrate 25-Year Partnership with Multi-Year Extension
Oct 19- DALLAS - Sunday Video
Oct 18- DALLAS - Sunday Wrap Up
Oct 18- DALLAS - Summary of Eliminations in Super Stock
Oct 18- DALLAS - Summary of Eliminations in Competition Eliminator
Oct 18- DALLAS - Summary of Eliminations in Top Fuel