Vincent Nobile scored his second consecutive win in Pro Stock Sunday at the 26th Annual National Hod Rod Association’s Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways near Covington.
All three professional class winners won at the track for the first time.
Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan picked up his fourth Wally of the season with his win over Bob Tasca III in the final round while scoring his first win at the Seattle event, which capped off the three-race Western Swing.
Meanwhile, Morgan Lucas was emotional in the winner’s circle after he defeated David Grubnic in the Top Fuel final. Lucas not only picked up his first win of the season but the first Wally since he found out his wife, Katie, is expecting a baby in mid-December, a little boy they plan to name Hunter.
“Realistically, to win here in front of these fans with the amazing team that I have — and the fact that this is the first win since my wife and I found out we’re pregnant — is probably as cool and as big as any win I’ve ever had,” Lucas said in a release. “I wish my mom and dad could be here to experience it. I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am of my team.”
Seattle is a special place for Lucas to race already. He made his national event debut here in Super Comp in the sportsman ranks in 2000. Two years later he made his debut in Top Alcohol Dragster at Pacific Raceways, known then as Seattle International Raceways.
This was Lucas’ second straight final round appearance. He lost to Shawn Langdon in Sonoma July 28. Lucas is solidly in seventh place right now and in position to make a run in post-season races.
On his way to the event win, Lucas defeated the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 qualifiers for his first trip to the winner’s circle since scoring a victory at Brainerd, Minn., in August 2012. That track is where the NHRA heads next, in fact, the weekend of Aug. 16-18.
The win was significant for Hagan, too, in that he clinched a spot in the NHRA’s post-season, the Countdown for the Championship, which begins in two races. The top 10 drivers in each of the pro classes — Funny Car, Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle — make the cut and have six races to compete for the 2013 crown before it all wraps up in Pomona, Calif., in November.
“It’s a huge deal for us to get locked into the Countdown,” Hagan said in a release. “(Ron) Capps didn’t qualify, and now we have a whole race worth of points on him. We’re out there to win championships. We can be buddies later, but right now, we have one goal: pull on the helmet, get focused, get up on the wheel, and turn on four win lights. We just have to dig deep, work hard, and make it happen.”
Hagan has a significant lead over Cruz Pedregon, who moved into second place, while Capps dropped to third in Funny Car after failing to qualify in a rain-shortened weekend — a persistent mist Friday afternoon washed out the two rounds of qualifying scheduled.
The NHRA takes the week off before heading to Minnesota Aug. 16-18.
