NHRA Carolina Nationals 2016 Results: Winner, Times and Reaction
Sunday marked the final day of the NHRA Carolina Nationals, which was the first event of the Countdown to the Championship in drag racing.
With a number different events being played out from the zMax Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina, here are the day's biggest results:
| Bob Rahaim | 6.349 | Mike Castellana | 9.322 |
| D.J. Cox Jr. | 5.539 | Ulf Leanders | 5.605 |
| Jason Line | 6.621 | Greg Anderson | 6.639 |
| Antron Brown | 3.736 | Doug Kalitta | 3.811 |
| John Force | 3.946 | Tommy Johnson Jr. | 3.987 |
With the Pro Stock division as the headliner of the day, there was a noticeable absence on Sunday.
Two-time defending Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, who also won the NHRA Carolina Nationals last year, failed to qualify for the elimination rounds since 2010, per Autoweek.com.
It left the door open for Jason Line and Greg Anderson, who were the top two qualifiers and teammates for KB Racing to get to the finals, where Line would reign supreme.
zMax Raceway showed Line and his team in Victory Lane:
Not only does Line get the title, but he was also able to extend his points lead over Anderson as the countdown gets underway.
Over in funny car, 16-time NHRA champion John Force continued to set the bar high for his division of racing, taking down Tommy Johnson Jr. in the finals.
The NHRA showed his celebrations:
Among other notable winners on Sunday, the first champion of the day was D.J. Cox Jr. in Top Alcohol Funny Car as he edged Ulf Leanders by almost 0.07 seconds.
Hitting a top speed of 266.53 miles per hour, Cox actually had the slower start, but was able to grab the lead by the Christmas tree.
In what was his quickest run of the season, Cox won his first event at the Carolina Nationals in his third attempt.
The NHRA's Mello Yello series and Countdown to the Championship continues on Sept. 23 when the AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals get underway from St. Louis.
Stats courtesy of NHRA.com.
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