麻豆精选

麻豆精选 - National Hot Rod Association

Tricky Tipster: Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 麻豆精选 Nationals

As 麻豆精选 returns to Route 66 Raceway for the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 麻豆精选 Nationals presented by Peak Performance, Tricky Tipster has studied the probabilities and come up with a list of favorites that includes Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock, Erica Enders, and Gaige Herrera.
16 May 2024
麻豆精选 National Dragster staff
Tricky Tipster庐
Tricky Tipster

Now that the madness of 鈥渇our-wide season鈥 is behind us, it鈥檚 time to return to racing in a more traditional two-wide format as the second quarter of the 2024 season begins at Route 66 Raceway.

Justin Ashley, Austin Prock, Greg Anderson, and Gaige Herrera enter the event as the top points earners in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle. Prock and Herrera are the favorites this weekend, while Tipster leans towards Doug Kalitta and Erica Enders.


TOP FUEL

The favorite: The first three events of the 2024 season weren鈥檛 kind to reigning champ Doug Kalitta, but he was solid at the two four-wide events with a win in Las Vegas and a semifinal in Chicago. Kalitta also qualified No. 1 at both events, which plays a sizable role in his pick as our pre-race favorite. It鈥檚 been a while, but Kalitta also has a bit of history at Route 66 Raceway with wins in 2002, 2004, and 2006, and he鈥檚 3-0 in final rounds there.

The contenders:听 Justin Ashley enters Chicago as the championship leader, and that鈥檚 largely because he鈥檚 got a couple of holeshot wins already. Ashley鈥檚 qualifying results haven鈥檛 been exactly what the Scag Power Equipment team has expected as he鈥檚 started in the bottom half twice and was the No. 8 seed in Gainesville. That鈥檚 the only issue that prevents him from topping our chart.

Shawn Langdon continues to enjoy a bounce-back season, and he鈥檚 the one guy who can rightfully take offense to the notion that Ashley is the best driver in the Top Fuel class. More often than not, Langdon鈥檚 lights are equal or better than anyone else in the class, and for what it鈥檚 worth, he鈥檚 been on a tear in high-stakes bracket racing with a couple of big payouts already this season.

It's also very possible that the Capco team gets on the scoreboard this week as both Steve Torrence and his father, Billy, have gotten off to strong starts this year. We鈥檒l also give a nod to Antron Brown, who has three Top Fuel victories here.

The dark horse: Clay Millican is the defending event winner, so it probably isn鈥檛 fair to label him as a dark horse or a long shot, but he鈥檚 also No. 8 in the standings. Lately, the Parts Plus team has been solid, especially in qualifying, as they were No. 3 in Las Vegas and No. 4 in Charlotte. Millican was also a runner-up at the zMax 麻豆精选 4-Wide Nationals.

ODDS
Doug Kalitta听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Mac Tools听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 4-1
Shawn Langdon听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听 Kalitta Air听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 5-1
Justin Ashley听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 SCAG Power Equipment听听 听听听 听听听 6-1
Steve Torrence听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听 Capco Contractors听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听 听听听 7-1
Billy Torrence听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听 Capco Contractors听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听 8-1
Antron Brown听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 Matco Tools听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 9-1
Tony Stewart听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Mobil 1听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 10-1
Clay Millican听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Parts Plus听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 11-1
Brittany Force听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 Monster Energy听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 12-1
Tony Schumacher听听 听听听听听听听听 Leatherwood Distilleries听听 听听听 听听听听 13-1
Field听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 15-1

FUNNY CAR

The favorite: There have certainly been a few miscues along the way, but after five races, it鈥檚 hard to find much fault in the performance of Austin Prock, as he鈥檚 successfully made the transition from Top Fuel to Funny Car. Prock has already appeared in three final rounds and won in Phoenix. While he鈥檚 coming off a round-one loss in Charlotte, it鈥檚 hard not to pick the Cornwell Tools team as the pre-race favorites, especially after they鈥檝e qualified No. 1 at three of five races.

Prock already has nine round-wins this season in five races, and by comparison, he had just 19 last year during a full 21-race season in Top Fuel.

The contenders: Bob Tasca III has been a major headline-maker in the Funny Car class as of late, but the fact remains that he鈥檚 a leading contender for the 2024 麻豆精选 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series championship. Tasca already has a win this season and a semifinal in Gainesville, and he鈥檚 also got some of the fastest time slips in the history of the Funny Car class.

While we鈥檙e not going to dive into the whole 鈥渂ig three鈥 or 鈥渂ig four鈥 labels when it comes to the Funny Car category, we are going to add J.R. Todd and Matt Hagan to our list of leading contenders. While we鈥檙e at it, throw in Ron Capps, who has appeared in seven final rounds at Route 66 Raceway and collected two wins in 2005 and 2017. Capps has struggled a bit out of the gate with just two semifinals, but the NAPA team is rarely down for long, so it鈥檚 reasonable to think a big comeback is on the horizon.

Finally, never count out John Force, a notion that the 16-time champ reinforced in Pomona with his 156th career victory. Force qualified No. 2 in Las Vegas and was the leader in Charlotte with the quickest run of his career, all of this as he recently celebrated his 75th birthday.

The dark horse: There are a lot of ways we could go here, but let鈥檚 throw a dart here and go with Paul Lee. While he鈥檚 got just one semifinal in his nitro career, there is something good happening with the McLeod/FTI team as crew chief Jonnie Lindberg and consultant John Medlen have already made a huge difference. After qualifying No. 10 in Gainesville, Lee has been solidly in the top half of the show at the next four events. Sooner or later, that will translate into round-wins.

ODDS:
Austin Prock听听 听听听 听听听听听 Cornwell Tools Chevy听听 听 听 听 听听听 听听听听 4-1
Bob Tasca III听听 听听听 听听听听听 Motorcraft Ford听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 5-1
J.R. Todd听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 DHL Toyota听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 6-1
Matt Hagan听听 听听听 听听听听听听 Dodge Power Brokers Dodge听听听听 7-1
John Force听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 Peak/Blu Def Chevy听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听 8-1
Ron Capps听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 NAPA Toyota听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听 9-1
Daniel Wilkerson听听 听 SCAG Mowers Ford听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听 10-1
Chad Green听听 听听听 听听听听听 Bondcoat Ford听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听 11-1听听 听
Paul Lee听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听 McLeod/FTI Dodge听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听 12-1
Alexis DeJoria听听 听听听 听听 Bandero Toyota听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听 14-1
Blake Alexander听听 听 Pronto/Head Inc. Ford听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听 15-1
Field听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 18-1


PRO STOCK

The favorite: When she won in Gainesville to open the season, there was no reason to think Erica Enders wouldn鈥檛 continue winning and make a serious run at 2022鈥檚 10-win campaign. That might still happen, but the reigning champ has slipped to second place following a runner-up, a semifinal, and two quarterfinal finishes. Enders has just one win in Chicago, but it鈥檚 a big one as she scored her first Pro Stock title here in 2012 following a memorable final round against Greg Anderson. The Elite flagship has qualified sixth and seventh at the last two events, but given how close Pro Stock fields are, that鈥檚 not much of a concern. Between the race, the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and the GETTRX Allstar Pro Stock Callout, Enders has three shots to take a win in Chicago. We鈥檙e betting she lands one or more.

The contenders: As usual, the other 15 qualifiers in Pro Stock can rightfully be called contenders, but in reality, that distinction falls to current points leader Greg Anderson, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Dallas Glenn and have a slight separation from the rest of the field.

Anderson has just two wins in Chicago, which seems low for someone who has attended just about every event ever staged at Route 66 Raceway, but in this 鈥渨hat have you done for me lately鈥 world, he鈥檚 off to a great start in 2024 with a pair of wins and a 12-3 record in elimination rounds.

Coughlin, on the other hand, has bagged six Pro Stock titles in Chicago, and he鈥檚 coming off a win in Las Vegas while Glenn is the defending event winner and was also the low qualifier in 麻豆精选鈥檚 return to Route 66 Raceway last season.

The dark horse: Could we see a first-time Pro Stock winner this weekend? It鈥檚 entirely possible, and there are multiple candidates, including Jerry Don Tucker, who was the low qualifier in Las Vegas, as well as Brandon Foster, who is solidly in the top 10 in his rookie season. We鈥檇 also have to take a look at Cristian Cuadra, who has been close on several occasions. Brothers David and Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mason McGaha, and Sienna Wildgust also fall into the category of drivers seeking their first wins, which accounts for half of the 18 cars expected to enter.

ODDS

Erica Enders听听 听听听 听听听听听 JHG/Elite Camaro听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听 4-1
Greg Anderson听听 听听听 听HendrickCars.com Camaro听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 5-1
Dallas Glenn听听 听听听 听听听听 RAD Torque Systems Camaro听听 听听听 听听听 6-1
Jeg Coughlin Jr.听听 听听听 听SCAG Power Equipment Camaro听听 听 7-1
Aaron Stanfield听听 听听听 听Janac Bros/J3 Energy Camaro听听 听听听 听听听 8-1
Troy Coughlin Jr.听听 听听 JEGS.com Camaro听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听 9-1
Cristian Cuadra 听听 听听听 Corral Boots Mustang听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 9-1
Brandon Foster听听 听听听 听Aquaprop Camaro听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听 12-1
Jerry Tucker听听 听听听 听听听听听听 Outlaw Mile-Hi Light Beer Camaro听听 14-1
Deric Kramer听听 听听听 听听听听 Get BioFuel Camaro听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 15-1
Field听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 19-1


PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

The favorite: Stop us if you鈥檝e heard this before, but Gaige Herrera is the favorite to win in Chicago, and it鈥檚 not even close. Well, actually, it might just be closer than it has been lately, but Herrera will occupy the top spot here until someone says otherwise, and it might just be a while until the reigning champ is dislodged. For a bit of perspective, Herrera has made 17 starts since joining the Vance & Hines team in 2023, and he鈥檚 won 13 of them with a runner-up thrown in for good measure. In that span, he鈥檚 57-4 in elimination rounds, which is good for a 93% win rate. No racer in any other category is even close.

The contenders: Matt Smith is nothing if not persistent as he won鈥檛 rest until he鈥檚 able to catch up with Herrera or at least make it a fair fight. Honestly, Smith has already done that as he ran a 6.68 in Charlotte to qualify No. 2 on his Denso Buell. With the Pro Stock Motorcycle class racing in just two of the first five events this season, Smith has also committed to a steady diet of testing, which has netted positive results.

Beyond Smith, the next best bets to dethrone Herrera is his own Vance & Hines teammate, Richard Gadson, who went to the semifinals in Charlotte and seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings. We also have to take a look at Angie Smith, Hector Arana Jr., LE Tonglet, and John Hall, who are the likely candidates to step up should Herrera somehow fumble the ball.

The dark horse: As he approaches his milestone 500th start in the category, Steve Johnson remains a competitive rider. Yes, he鈥檚 hit or miss, but when everything is working properly, Johnson is capable of winning races. In fact, he was one of just four riders to win a race last season along with Herrera, Matt Smith, and Hector Arana Jr.

ODDS

Gaige Herrera听听 听听听 听听 RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki听听 听听听 听听听 听Even
Matt Smith听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 Denso Buell听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 4-1
LE Tonglet听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听 Maple Grove/Nitro Fish Suzuki听听 听听听 听听听 6-1
Hector Arana Jr.听听 听听听 GETTRX Buell听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 7-1
Angie Smith听听 听听听 听听听听听听 Denso Buell听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 8-1
Richard Gadson听听 听听听 RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki听听 听听听 听听听 听9-1
Steve Johnson听听 听听听 听听听 MacRak Suzuki听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 11-1
John Hall听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听 BRAKES Buell听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 12-1听听 听
Kelly Clontz听听 听听听 听Steamfitters UA602 Suzuki听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听 13-1
Chase Van Sant听听 听Trick Tools Suzuki听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 14-1
Field听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 19-1