NHRA Carolina Nationals 2015 Results: Winner, Times and Reaction
The NHRA Carolina Nationals wrapped up on Sunday, as the biggest names in drag racing got behind the wheel at thrilling speeds to dazzle the crowds gathered at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
In the Funny Car finals, No. 1 qualifying seed Tommy Johnson Jr. survived the gauntlet and lived up to his billing as the favorite to set up a showdown with Del Worsham. Although Johnson did well to thrive until the finale, 2011 Top Fuel world champion Worsham proved to be too much on the run that counted most.
Here is a look at the times for Worsham and Johnson along with all the other winners and head-to-head battles that unfolded to conclude Sunday's Carolina Nationals, courtesy of NHRA.net:
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| Antron Brown | 0.037; 3.832 | J.R. Todd | 0.044; 4.063 |
| Del Worsham | 0.056; 4.086 | Tommy Johnson Jr. | 0.058; 4.119 |
| Erica Enders-Stevens | 0.012; 6.581 | Vincent Nobile | 0.022; 6.575 |
| Andrew Hines | 0.007; 6.880 | Matt Smith | 0.150; 6.910 |
| Chuck Gallagher | 0.014; 8.251 | Brian Martel | 0.049; 9.477 |
| Brad Plourd | 0.028; 12.287 | Kevin Helms | 0.043; 9.155 |
| Frank Aragona Jr. | 0.008; 8.924 | Scott Albrecht | 0.022; 8.930 |
| Mike Sawyer | 0.015; 9.975 | Jeff Burns | 0.011; 9.989 |
The following is an image of all of Sunday's champions, courtesy of zMAX Dragway:
Worsham had defeated the legendary John Force in the Funny Car semifinals, yet he managed to avoid a letdown and remained fixed on the grand prize in the next stage against Johnson.
NHRA vice president of public relations and communications Terry Blount referenced the history Worsham made in defeating Johnson:
A classy gesture came from Force's car as he paid tribute to retiring NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon with a No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports-inspired design:
Reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders-Stevens was the top qualifier in her division and also progressed to the finals in the elimination round. Her last opponent was Vincent Nobile, who was seeking to play spoiler but wound up losing out by the slimmest of margins, as Enders-Stevens' official Twitter feed reported:
The Independent Tribune's David Exum alluded to how stellar of a 2015 campaign the new Carolina Nationals Pro Stock winner has had:
"@erica_enders has now won her 7th Wally of season and heads out of Charlotte leading the Countdown for the Championship standings. @NHRA
— David Exum (@dexum66) September 20, 2015"
Team Kalitta's J.R. Todd made a magnificent run to the Top Fuel final to square off with Antron Brown. Blount highlighted how historic the duel was between the two standout drivers:
It was evident Brown was on a mission to reach the finals earlier in the day, per Don Schumacher Racing's official Twitter feed:
Brown, the 2012 world champion, got the job done in his Matco Tools Toyota speedster on the zMAX Dragway with yet another exceptional performance. His team was proud and noted how significant Brown's latest exploits were:
The win improved Brown to 9-1 against Todd in head-to-head encounters.
Andrew Hines picked up his 40th career win with a finals triumph in a Pro Stock Motorcycle matchup with Matt Smith. That was the last of the marquee NHRA racers who were in action Sunday.
Among those aforementioned four who finished first, only Enders-Stevens entered the Carolina Nationals with a lead in points in her division. Hines entered in third, while Brown ascended to first from second place, and Worsham was previously fourth.
Nobile made the most notable move to challenge Enders and significantly improve his prior ninth-place standing in points.
These Carolina Nationals events can be used as a springboard for the remainder of 2015, especially for Brown in light of the history he made at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Next week's NHRA showcase picks up in St. Louis with the Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.
Note: Stats and information courtesy of NHRA.net unless otherwise indicated.
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