Todd, Ashley and Herrera get Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Wins in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL – May 19, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – For the second time this season, Funny Car’s J.R. Todd picked up a win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, defeating reigning world champion Matt Hagan in the final round on Saturday at Route 66 Raceway as part of this weekend’s 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the sixth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Todd went 4.040-seconds at 316.52 mph in his 11,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra, holding off Hagan to get his third career victory in the specialty race. Warmer conditions posed a challenge on Saturday, but Todd performed well, knocking off John Force in the semifinals before getting past Hagan. The solid back-to-back runs also give Todd confidence heading into tomorrow, where he’ll have the chance to become the first two-time Funny Car winner in 2024.

“This is extremely rewarding and a lot of that is because these are race conditions,” Todd said. “Tomorrow, it might be even warmer. In Q3, a lot of cars weren’t getting down the track and we did against John [Force]. Tomorrow, I’m not sure how important lane choice will be, but I feel like no matter what, we’re good in the heat. The teams that put up numbers sometimes struggle in the heat when they have to pull back.

“I love days like this when conditions are tough. I’m not saying I’m the best at it, but I love the thought of trying to tame 11,000 horsepower.”

In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley put together his best run of the weekend, going 3.831 at 320.05 in his 11,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment/Toyota dragster to knock off Clay Millican. It’s his second victory in the specialty race for the points leader and the eighth overall win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, as it’s become an area where Ashley has thrived. The run in the final was his best of the weekend as well, providing some solid momentum going into eliminations.

“This feels great but it’s tough to pinpoint one thing that we did to make this happen today,” Ashley said. “I just know it helps to get us in raceday mode. In these races, I’m not necessarily trying to race the other person, just trying to make the best run I can make. As a team, we keep chipping away at it. We struggled a bit at the start of the year but we’re better and this was a fun one today.

“When we ran that 3.83 in the final I felt better because that’s similar conditions than what we’re going to face tomorrow. I assume there will be a lot of shaking and spinning and we need to be ready for it.”

Defending Pro Stock Motorcycle Gaige Herrera stayed perfect in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in 2024, winning for the third straight time with a run of 6.733 at 201.16 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. The victory came against teammate Richard Gadson, making it a win-win for the team, but Herrera has been nearly impossible to beat since last year. He’ll look for yet another double-up weekend on Sunday, pleased with how the bike ran in the heat on Saturday at Route 66 Raceway.

“I knew that it was going to be a tough race with Richard because he’s my teammate. He’s new but he’s competitive and he’s learning quickly,” Herrera said. “He left on me, but we had enough to get around him. The good thing about these [Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge] races is that you get in a routine on Saturday and that helps make you a better racer on Sunday. Right now, the parity in this class is close, and that’s what this class needs.”

Eliminations for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday at Route 66 Raceway.

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JOLIET, IL — Saturday’s final results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Top Fuel Challenge — Justin Ashley, 3.831 seconds, 320.05 mph def. Clay Millican, 6.120 seconds, 102.22 mph.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Funny Car Challenge — J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.040, 316.52 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.104, 317.64.

Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.733, 201.16 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.795, 200.00.

JOLIET, IL — Final round-by-round results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at 24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway,.

Mission-Ashley

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Justin Ashley, 3.942, 296.37 def. Antron Brown, 4.082, 258.42; Clay Millican, 3.951, 253.14 def. Doug Kalitta, 8.748, 81.78;

FINAL –– J. Ashley, 3.831, 320.05 def. C. Millican, 6.120, 102.22.

Mission-Todd

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 10.714, 78.83 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, Foul – Red Light; J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.076, 306.74 def. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.678, 181.01;

FINAL — J. Todd, 4.040, 316.52 def. M. Hagan, 4.104, 317.64.

Mission-Gaige

MISSION #2FAST2TASTY NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.829, 200.41 def. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.819, 199.52; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.744, 200.62 def. John Hall, 6.811, 198.50;

FINAL — G. Herrera, 6.733, 201.16 def. R. Gadson, 6.795, 200.00.

To purchase tickets to the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance on May 17-19 at Route 66 Raceway, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

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