BRISTOL, Tenn. — Back in its traditional and popular spot on Father’s Day Weekend, the NHRA Camping World Series is set to return to one of the ultimate destinations in drag racing for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at picturesque Bristol Dragway on June 17-19.
The race in Bristol is the ninth of 22 races this season and marks the first time that all four NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series classes have appeared together at Thunder Valley during the same weekend.
Pro Stock Motorcycle debuted last year to rave reviews at the fan-favorite facility located in the Tennessee mountains, while Pro Stock is back at Bristol for the first time since 2018.
Combined with action brought by the 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph nitro machines in Top Fuel and Funny Car, qualifying sessions under the lights on Friday and during the day on Saturday, and competitive Sunday eliminations, it’s shaping up to be an action-packed Father’s Day Weekend.
All the top stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be on hand to try and pick up a win on Father’s Day as the season approaches the halfway mark.
Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all picked up wins last year in Bristol.
Salinas has felt perfectly at home at Bristol in recent seasons in Top Fuel, advancing to the final round at the last three events and winning the last two. He’ll look to keep that going during this year’s series visit to Thunder Valley, with a pair of wins this season already under his belt.
But, like everyone in the class, he’s trying to track down points leader Brittany Force, who has been incredible to open the year. Force has won three races and set multiple track records, making her the driver to beat.
The Top Fuel class is filled with talent, though, including four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence, Pomona winner Justin Ashley, Austin Prock, Clay Millican, Leah Pruett and Antron Brown.
Alexis DeJoria picked up a big-time Funny Car win a year ago, qualifying No. 1 and driving past J.R. Todd in the final round. It gave DeJoria her first win since returning to the sport in 2017 and another great Bristol memory.
She’ll look to get her season on track over Father’s Day weekend, especially with points leader Matt Hagan and Robert Hight dominating the early part of the series. The duo has combined for five wins thus far, including three by Hight.
The star-studded class also features 16-time world champ John Force, Bob Tasca III, Cruz Pedregon and Ron Capps, whose five wins at Bristol leads all Funny Car drivers.
Pro Stock will make its first appearance at Thunder Valley since 2018. The last time a current driver in the category won in Bristol came in 2015 when Erica Enders picked up the victory.
Enders, a four-time world champion, has had a terrific start to this year’s campaign, picking up three wins thus far and enjoying the points lead in the loaded class. But plenty of top competitors will try to get the win at Bristol, including defending world champion Greg Anderson, Aaron Stanfield, standout rookie Camrie Caruso, Kyle Koretsky and Mason McGaha.
Pro Stock Motorcycle made its official debut at Bristol last year and put on an impressive show, with Angelle Sampey and Karen Stoffer facing off in a thrilling final round. In the end, it was Sampey who prevailed to become the first winner in the two-wheeled category at the facility.
Sampey has been close to a win, but she’ll try to close the job in Bristol and make a leap in the points standings as well. Everyone is chasing Steve Johnson at the moment, as the veteran already has two wins this year. Others to watch include defending world champ Matt Smith, Eddie Krawiec, Angie Smith, Joey Gladstone and Jimmy Underdahl.
The event also will feature competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which features some of the sport’s top drivers, as well as the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown category.