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MOHNTON, Pa. --
The best in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will all compete for coveted Wally trophies at one of the quickest and fastest drag strips on the NHRA circuit. Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (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. Maple Grove Raceway annually hosts some of the most intense racing action and the facility hosts the only NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoff event in the Northeast. The NHRA Nationals will mark the fourth straight weekend of racing in the Countdown playoffs and the top contenders will work hard at the event to continue to separate themselves from the pack. Maple Grove Raceway is an important stop for NHRA drivers: following this race only two playoff races remain and drivers are looking to solidify their points positions to make a championship run. Top Fuel pilot Shawn Langdon won in Reading on his way to his first world championship last season. Langdon, driver of the Al-Anabi Racing dragster, enters the Countdown as the No. 3 seed but his success in the Countdown races last season will have him confident for the six-race stretch this season. Seven-time world champion Tony Schumacher is the winningest Top Fuel driver with four wins at Maple Grove Raceway. His U.S. Army dragster team has momentum, following a semifinal finish at Indianapolis and a victory in the Traxxas Nitro Shootout bonus race. His last Reading win came in 2008.
In Funny Car one year ago, Force followed up his St. Louis victory with a win at Reading, and set the stage for him to claim his 16th world championship title. Force's Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang has raced to seven career victories at Maple Grove Raceway, most all-time for a driver in any professional class. His runner-up performance at the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis secured him the No. 1 seed and he will be dangerous once again during the Countdown. Force's teammate, Robert Hight, is a close No. 2 to Force this season and he has had success at Reading before. Hight's Auto Club Ford Mustang took the victory in 2011 and he is looking to repeat that success in 2014. Hight is confident that he can enter the second half of the Countdown playoffs in championship contention after claiming five wins during the regular season. Others pre-race favorites include two-time season winner Courtney Force, 2011 world champ and last season's runner-up Matt Hagan, two-time season winner Ron Capps, three-time season winner Alexis DeJoria, two-time event winner Cruz Pedregon, 1999 winner Tommy Johnson Jr., 2012 winner Jack Beckman, 2003 winner Tim Wilkerson and three-time event winner Tony Pedregon.
Jason Line, a two-time world champ, is the current Pro Stock No. 1 seed and has had success at Reading before with two victories. Dave Connolly returned to Pro Stock action full-time in 2014 and also has two wins at the track. Johnson, the 2012 world champ, has yet to record a victory at Reading. Four-time season winner Erica Enders-Stevens, Chicago winner Vincent Nobile, Indy winner 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 critical Countdown event in the 200-mph factory hot rod class. Smith was victorious at Reading in Pro Stock Motorcycle last season en route to his second championship. It was his second victory at Maple Grove Raceway. 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 defeated her husband in the final. 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 2010 and is the playoff top seed in the two-wheel category, while recent U.S. Nationals winner Krawiec has two wins (2012 and 2009).
Michael Ray, Scotty Pollacheck, John Hall and veteran rider Steve Johnson are also among the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors who will attempt to take home a victory in the two-wheel category in Pennsylvania. 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. Mello Yello Drag Racing Series qualifying begins Friday, Oct. 3, with sessions at 1:15 and 4:15 p.m. The final two qualifying sessions will take place Saturday, Oct. 4, at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5. To purchase general-admission or reserved seats, call Gateway Motorsports Park at (610) 856-7200 or visit www.maplegroveraceway.com. Before the NHRA Mello Yello Series arrives in Pennsylvania for the NHRA Nationals, the circuit will visit zMAX Dragway in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 12-14, for the NHRA Carolina Nationals, the Texas Motorplex near Dallas, Sept. 18-21, for the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals and Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis, Sept. 26-28, for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. Keep up with all the action on ESPN2.
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