The racing season began at the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, CA in February and after 24 races over a 10-month time span the championship for the “Pro” classes came down to this last exciting race. This event saw Champions crowned in 11 classes, including the four “Pro” classes of the NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Series, six classes of the 2014 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and four classes of the Summit Racing Series.

Over 500 racers came from seven geographical divisions around the United States.  They were competing not only for a “Finals” event win, but also for the NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Series Championship. The weather was perfect: temperatures were in the mid to high 70s with evenings cooling off to mid 60s, making for a very fast track.

“For the Top Fuel category, Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army dragster were simply too good and too powerful…”

In the Hot Rod Junction area you found a huge collection of restored historic front-engined dragsters, and beautiful nostalgia funny cars that did a “Cacklefest” twice a day.  Here, all the great legends of drag racing got together to sign autographs and talk to their fans.  Some of the racers included “TV Tommy” Ivo, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen, Kenny Bernstein, Art Chrisman, Ed “The Ace” McCulloch, Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney, Linda Vaughn and many more well-remembered people from the past.  Brett Harrell was the DJ in the nostalgia area and he played period music from the 1950s and ‘60s, keeping up a lively banter that informed fans and spectators of who was around and where they could be found. Also in the pits was “Nitro Alley,” packed with rows and rows of vendors showing their wares.

The exciting and historic finish to the 2014 NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Season saw­ Erica Enders-Stevens becoming the first women to win the Pro Stock championship when she defeated Jason Line in the final round.  If that wasn’t enough, three more “Pro” championships were decided. The Pro Stock Motorcycle championship was won by Andrew Hines.  Matt Hagan claimed both the season Funny Car championship and the Finals victory over rival John Force.

For the Top Fuel category, Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army dragster were simply too good and too powerful, but there was still a Wally to be won. Schumacher plowed through the early rounds and right up into the final race, where he faced Morgan Lucas in the Lucas Oil car. Schumacher and Lucas staged, and in a powerful last battle of the last meet of the season, the young Morgan powered his way to victory over Schumacher. Lucas had an ET of 3.704 at 325.14mph for the 11th Wally of his career, clearly putting the spotlight on himself as someone to watch again in 2015.  That day Morgan Lucas posted two of the top three quickest runs in history. Since the NHRA 2009 season, Top Fuel Dragsters & Top Fuel Funny Cars have run on a 1000 foot track, not a quarter mile track. Since then the winners and record holders in those classes are champions at the current 1000 foot distance.  Quarter mile elapsed time and speed records can only be challenged on a quarter mile track.

Shawn Langdon, Brandon Bernstein, Cruz Pedregon, Antron Brown, Jack Beckman, Del Worsham, Matt Hagan, Larry Dixon, John Force, Robert Hight, Tony Schumacher, Morgan Lucas and are the only NHRA Drag Racing Series Champions at the 1000 foot distance.

With the last race of the year in the books, the fans poured out of the stands to participate in a huge celebration, and talk to their favorite drivers and team. The track was sticky, the crowds were happy, the music blared, as camera lights flashed and a certain nostalgia and yearning for more racing was met by total exhaustion from all the race teams. They had a banquet to attend and awards to reap, and then a short vacation before the NHRA season starts all over again.

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