The NHRA Northwest Nationals kicked off Friday afternoon at Pacific Raceway’s to track record breaking eta’s and mph in all three national classes.

The national event wraps up the Mellow Yellow West Coast Swing following events in Denver Colorado and Sonoma California before ending up in Seattle Washington for the final event.

It all got started off in Pro Stock when veteran Jeg Coughlin Jr. ripped off a 6.501 run in the second round of pro stock qualifying. While at the time he also broke the track speed record with a 212.59 eclipsing the previous record of 212.39 that had been previously set in the first round of qualifying by Bo Butner.

However he was only able to hold onto that record for a mere minute before the defending event runner up and current points leader Greg Anderson passed the line at a speed of 212.76 mph but .006 seconds too slow to tie Coughlin Jr for the top of the leader board.

Pro Stock Final Results Following Both Sessions-

Place Driver Name Time (Seconds) Speed (MPH)
1 Jeg Coughlin Jr 6.501 212.59
2 Johnathan Gray 6.505 212.13
3 Greg Anderson 6.507 212.76
4 Allen Johnson 6.508 212.59
5 Jason Line 6.509 212.06
6 Erica Enders 6.511 212.69
7 Shane Gray 6.512 212.63
8 Larry Morgan 6.523 212.46
9 Bo Butner 6.523 212.33
10 Chris McGaha 6.529 212.49
11 Vincent Nobile 6.539 211.73
12 V. Gaines 6.560 211.36

Following the pro stock class it was time for the funny car series to take to the track for the second time of the day and to no surprise, neither track record held up and Jack Beckman in the Infinite Hero Charger busted out a 3.997 second run at 314.17 mph. The next closest competitor was Tommy Johnson Jr. who ran a 4.036 in 308.00 mph.

Round two wouldn't end without some drama in the last pair, round one fastest qualifier Alexis DeJoria was about to cross the finish line when suddenly her body disintegrated into a thousand pieces all over the track before she was able to complete her run to see where she was going to move up on the list.

Funny Car Final Results Following Both Sessions-

Place Driver Name Time (Seconds) Speed (MPH)
1 Jack Bechman 3.997 314.17
2 Tommy Johnson Jr 4.036 308.00
3 Tim Wilkerson 4.038 311.85
4 Matt Hagan 4.059 307.58
5 Courtney Force 4.063 306.40
6 Del Worsham 4.067 310.98
7 Ron Capps 4.084 305.97
8 John Force 4.084 304.74
9 Alexis DeJoria 4.088 299.20
10 Robert Hight 4.093 310.91
11 Paul Lee 4.095 294.95
12 Cruz Pedregon 4.102 297.42

After funny cars it was time for the Top Fuel to take to the track. Dave Connolly managed to eclipse both track records on his run with a time of 3.751 and a speed of 327.19. Two runs following his one of the cars busted spilling liquids all over the trach and the NHRA Safety Safari gave it a valiant effort to eventually get the track clear but not before the sun got too low to cause a hour long delay for the next four pairs who were anxiety awaiting on the starting line.

After the sun finally dipped below the horizon we were left with 8 racers including Ashley Force and Tony Schumacher, it seemed as though with the cooler temperatures and sun no longer playing a factor on the track that the new track record would fall even lower, however Schumacher would get the closest with a 3.761 at 320.74 mph but it wouldn’t be enough to take down Connolly's earlier run.

Top Fuel Final Results Following Both Sessions-

Place Driver Name Time (Seconds) Speed (MPH)
1 Dave Connolly 3.751 327.19
2 Tony Schumacher 3.761 320.74
3 Richie Crampton 3.765 320.43
4 Antron Brown 3.772 314.39
5 Shawn Langdon 3.773 316.52
6 Spencer Massey 3.793 317.05
7 Steve Torrence 3.803 308.07
8 J.R. Todd 3.808 320.43
9 Brittany Force 3.809 320.13
10 Larry Dixon 3.840 311.41
11 Troy Buff 293.28 293.28
12 Doug Kalitta 3.870 308.50

Stay tuned for Round three and four coverage tomorrow as we will be on hand to bring you all the action and several exclusive interviews from multiple classes.

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About the author
Brandon Farris
Brandon Farris is a Seattle Correspondent helping cover the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers as a staff photographer and reporter.