The fifth NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series of the 2024 season is on the horizon, and racers across 15 categories will soon descend upon zMAX Dragway in Charlotte for the 14th annual Four-Wide Nationals. The Lucas Oil Series is bulging with competitors eager to chase trophies and glory at one of the most pristine facilities on the circuit. As always, stories abound in the Lucas Oil pits, and we’re going to spotlight just a few here.
Cool rides
Although the entry lists hadn’t closed at the time of this writing, the names already thrown into the hat are intriguing. Dawson Pauley was the first one to jump out because he’s entered in two categories with a couple of unique race cars: a 1980 Malibu wagon that he’ll drive in Stock Eliminator, and a nifty little 1978 Mazda RX7 he plans to wheel in Super Street. Pauley actually drove the RX7 to a win in Super Gas in Charlotte last fall, and he took that same car to the Carolina Dragway winner’s circle at the Super Gas Association Southeast opener last weekend. He’s warming up for Charlotte, along with many of his fellow competitors, at this coming weekend’s NHRA Southeast Division race at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Ga.
Daren Poole-Adams has made many a commitment to the sport of drag racing, whether it’s through his stable of well-performing COPO Camaros, through his encouragement of fellow racers in Lucas Oil categories or he and wife Veronica’s support of Jr. drag racers with their Rock-It Racing program. Poole-Adams, who is entered in Stock, won this race in 2022, and Steve Foley was runner-up at this event last season driving a Poole-Adams entry. Foley’s wife, Brooke Warren-Foley (yes, of the esteemed Warren racing family) will drive one of Poole-Adams’ entries this time around – she was runner-up at the fall race in Charlotte in 2019 in Top Dragster.
Robbie Butler, who scored his first Lucas Oil win at South Georgia Motorsports Park earlier this season driving Monty Bogan Jr.’s Stocker, is racing the ’98 Firebird at Charlotte in Super Stock for the Poole-Adams group.
Double, double toil and trouble
Listen, Shakespeare: This isn’t witchcraft, it’s skill (and maybe a little luck). One of the super-rare things to watch for at any national event is the elusive double, something only 30 racers have accomplished in the history of the sport. Lauren Freer became the first woman to accomplish the feat with her Super Gas and Super Comp triumph at Norwalk last season, and she’ll be after another at zMAX. She’s the most recent driver to reel in the two-for-one at a national event, but there are 48 drivers on the entry list (at the moment) with the potential to make it happen. The only person to pull off the double in the history of zMAX Dragway is John Labbous Jr., who won Super Comp and Super Gas at the spring event in 2017.
Division 6-turned-Division 2 racer “Bad” Brad Plourd is one of the fortunate 30 to have completed the double, and he did so in Seattle (his then-home race) in 2012 in Stock and Super Comp. Plourd has our attention because he’s a three-time winner in Charlotte in three different classes: Stock, Super Comp, and Super Gas. He’s on the entry list for two classes he *hasn’t* won in there yet: Top Dragster and Super Street. Plourd, an accomplished bracket racer and 22-time winner on the NHRA national event tour, has earned trophies in five different categories – but he hasn’t won yet in either of the ones he intends to race in Charlotte.
Family matters
There are also a variety of families with the opportunity to double that weekend, including Vincent Nobile – entered in Mountain Motor Pro Stock and Super Comp – and his wife, Taylor, who is entered in Super Street. Taylor’s sister, Tori Iacono, is also backed by Burnyzz and entered in Super Comp.
Ross and 2018 Top Dragster winner Holden Laris are each entered in Top Dragster and Super Comp; James Hinkle, who won the season-opener in Gainesville, is entered for Top Dragster and Top Sportsman while daughter Kelsea will be under the Hinkle Racing Enterprise awning with her Super Comp dragster; and the Houstons – Robert and Junior – will each be entered in two categories (Robert in Top Dragster and Super Comp, and Junior in Super Comp and Super Gas).
Brett and Paul Candies; Michael, Emily, and Mattie Volkman; Jeff, Jessica, and Josh Eastburn; and Frank Volpe and Frank Volpe Jr. will all be racing together for Wallys in their respective categories. One last familial note: Marion Stephenson won this race in 2021, and daughter Nichole was runner-up at the event last year.
The more the merrier
The Lucas Oil series driver who has raced to the most victories at zMAX Dragway is three-time Top Alcohol Funny Car champion Sean Bellemeur; he’s raked in seven Charlotte wins and just happened to be the winner of the four-wide race in Las Vegas last week. The same category is in the No. 2 spot in overall Lucas Oil series wins there, with legendary driver and tuner Frank Manzo owning six.
Tied with Manzo is six-time Charlotte trophy-grabber Dan Fletcher, who has won in three different categories at zMAX: Comp, Super Stock, and Stock. From the current entry lists, he’s planning to rock and roll in Stock and Super Stock. He’s won the spring race there in Super Stock and Comp.
Beloved and respected racer Frank Aragona Jr. will be sorely missed that weekend, as he is every day and at all races, and his race wins at zMAX will forever stand at 5. John Labbous Jr. also has five. Four-time winners abound, with Bill Reichert, Megan Meyer, Anthony Bertozzi, and Bryan Worner all tied, and Jerry Albert, Peter Biondo, Jonathan Anderson, and Jim Perry have three apiece.
Looping in the pros:
The most winning driver in the history of zMAX Dragway is Andrew Hines with eight, and former Vance & Hines co-rider Eddie Krawiec has three. They’ll both be working to get reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Gaige Herrera to a third Charlotte win – you already knew he won both of the Charlotte races last season, right?
Robert Hight – who has Austin Prock in the seat while he is addressing a medical issue – is tied with Bellemeur for second-most in Charlotte wins. Top Fuel’s Antron Brown and Steve Torrence each have six, and John Force, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson, and Jason Line all have four. Matt Hagan, Mike Edwards, Steve Johnson, and Steve Jackson are tied with three each.
Speaking of previous Charlotte winners, Joe Lisa is on the entry list for both Stock and Super Stock, both classes he’s won at zMAX Dragway. Lisa is surely hoping for a shorter span between victories there as his first win came in 2012 in Stock, and his second at Charlotte came a full decade later with a Super Stock victory in 2022.
Six-time Charlotte trophy-grabber Dan Fletcher has won in three different categories at zMAX, Comp, Super Stock, and Stock. From the current entry lists, he’s planning to rock and roll in Stock and Super Stock. He’s won the spring race there in Super Stock and Comp.
Defending event champions
Top Alcohol Dragster: Mike Coughlin
Top Alcohol Funny Car: Sean Bellemeur
Comp Eliminator: David Eaton
Super Stock: Monty Bogan
Stock Eliminator: Barry Parker
Super Comp: John Labbous Jr.
Super Gas: Sherman Adcock Jr.
Top Sportsman: Brandon Miller
Top Dragster: Scott Neal
Factory Stock: Lenny Lottig
2023 Charlotte Nationals (fall) winners
Top Alcohol Dragster: Julie Nataas
Top Alcohol Funny Car: Phil Esz
Comp Eliminator: Jared Kimbrough
Super Stock: Anthony Bertozzi
Stock Eliminator: Jeff Strickland
Super Comp: Junior Houston
Super Gas: Dawson Pauley
Top Sportsman: David Cuadra
Top Dragster: Casey Spradlin
Factory X: Greg Stanfield
The 14th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C., are scheduled to take place April 26-28, 2024. NHRA.tv subscribers can keep an eye on the Lucas Oil competitors as they go through qualifying, time trials, and elimination rounds. You can track detailed results at DragRaceCentral.com.
Author’s note: Hey! If you catch any errors or have anything you would like me to consider adding to this story, let me know. Here for it: kelly@winlightnews.com
