Celebrating 75 years of speed, power, and the world's fastest motorsport

2018

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2018 FUNNY CAR WORLD CHAMPION J.R. TODD

  • Won first world championship
  • Scored three wins in Countdown to the Championship playoffs
  • Tallied six wins and two runner-ups in the season
  • First Black racer to win the Funny Car championship
  • Drove for nitro-racing legend Connie Kalitta

Top Fuel world champion
Steve Torrence

Funny Car world champion
J.R. Todd

Pro Stock world champion
Tanner Gray

Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion
Matt Smith

Pro Mod world champion
Mike Janis

Top Alcohol Dragster world champion
Joey Severance

Top Alcohol Funny Car world champion
Sean Bellemeur

Comp eliminator world champion
Frank Aragona Jr.

Super Stock world champion
Justin Lamb

Stock eliminator world champion
Brian McClanahan

Factory Stock world champion
Leah Pritchett

Super Comp world champion
Steve Williams

Super Gas world champion
Devin Isenhower

Top Dragster world champion
Paul Nero

Top Sportsman world champion
Ronnie Proctor

Top Fuel Harley world champion
Tii Tharpe

2018

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

ARANA CRACKS 200

Hector Arana Jr. became the first rider in Pro Stock Motorcycle history to break the 200-mph barrier at the NHRA Gatornationals. His run of 200.23 earned him a bonus of $10,000 as the first racer in the Denso Spark Plugs 200-mph Club.

FOUR-WIDE COMES TO VEGAS

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway became the second facility on the NHRA tour to host a four-wide style event at their newly remodeled facility.

TORRENCE SWEEPS COUNTDOWN

Steve Torrence swept the six-race Countdown to the Championship for the first time in the history of the sport and in doing so won his first Top Fuel world championship.

GRAY YOUNGEST PRO CHAMP

Tanner Gray won his first Pro Stock world championship in his second season racing in the category. He became the youngest champion in the history of NHRA at 19 years, 6 months.

2018

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

2018 rookie

Bruce Litton

In Top Fuel, Litton raced in 13 events during the 2018 season in his Litton Financial dragster, defeating the likes of Tony Schumacher, Brittany Force, and Leah Pritchett along the way. Litton has three round-wins on the year, powering to a career-best time of 3.901 in Atlanta and a career-best speed of 318.17 in Dallas.

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