Oreovicz: NHRA starts with a bang
Funny Car winner Courtney Force was the star of the show at Pomona. But much of the buzz surrounded Antron Brown's Top Fuel dragster exploding into a ball of fire, John Oreovicz writes. Story
POMONA, Calif. -- Courtney Force raced to victory in Funny Car at the NHRA Winternationals and defending Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown walked away from a fiery crash with only minor injuries on Sunday.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) were also winners at the Drag Racing Series season opener at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Force powered her Ford Mustang past Ron Capps' Dodge Charger with a pass of 4.025 seconds at 317.12 mph to claim her second career victory.
The race was delayed for approximately 90 minutes for track cleanup after Brown's dragster went out of control and crashed after crossing the finish line in the second round of eliminations. The car's engine seemed to burst into flames and the dragster slid into a retaining wall.
Brown managed to get out of the wreck under his own power.
