Class Ceiling

First quarter-season NHRA recap

First quarter-season NHRA recap
Fast Jack Beckman had a strong first quarter. NHRA.com

So what If the NHRA were the NFL? Yike,s that would  be crazy. Based on the opening Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, February 8-11,2018,  here is how the season recap would go: 

So go long! That was the scene at the  Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals /Pamona where Top Fuel Round 1 went more than an hour. Q.B  Brittany Force of the Monster Energy JFR team met with unnecessary roughness as she crossed the center line of scrimmage right across the middle and hit the wall on both sides of the track.  Safety Safari was all over it, with no Zebras in sight. No worries. Safety valve in place with family  on starting line. Whew. Our girl is  all right. Her Passer Rating has her returning with a vengeance.

Wide receiver Doug Kalitta blew a supercharger  round one but takes the finals against The Sarge and he scores! He goes on to become  the Top Fuel winner making this his 44th career win.

And what does Bo know? Defending Champion Bo Butner makes a real football move by winning the season opener making this his sixth win in Pro Stock putting him on an 8 round winning streak.

Touchdown! Matt Hagan lands on "snake eyes" as he brings home his second straight Winternationals Funny car title, against Robert Hight, (matching Don "The Snake" Prudhomme who won the Winternationals back to back 1976-1977)., in what  was dubbed the quickest side-by-side Funny Car race in NHRA history.

Perfect segue to the second event of the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, (Feb 23-25, 2018)the  34th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

This is where Courtney Force, blitzes the Funny Car  field as she was the No. 1 qualifier and goes on to keep control of the ball in her Chevy Camaro, with a 3.834, 337.16 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., in his Dodge Charger. 

A Hail Mary in Pro Stock as  Chris McGaha, in his Chevy Camaro,  runs a 6.529, at 211.59 mph  def. Jason Line, in his  Camaro.  McGaha is a one car team, a one man army and had to take down Tanner Gray, Erica Enders and Alex Laughlin for his first win this season.

In Top Fuel: Steve Torrence,takes down the Big Uglies  Steve Chrisman, Blake Alexander and his father, Billy Torrence, on his way in to the red zone. In the finals he runs a 3.729 seconds, 330.72 mph , def. Scott Palmer.

Fast Forward to the Amalie NHRA Gatornationals Gridiron  at Gainesville Raceway in Florida (March 15-18,2018)...Tailgating is in full effect and yes, there is some fumbling past the rumbling.

Welcome to the Gatornationals 2018  Where Any Given Sunday is March 18, the day of the underdog! It is the day the Play Makers Antron Brown, Leah Pritchett, Steve Torrence, Brittany Force and even Tony Schumacher were benched.

And the Wally goes to: In Top Fuel -- Richie Crampton. This player did not even have a car last year, and what an upset! He runs a 3.854 seconds, 314.90 mph def. Shawn Reed. 

In Funny Car... I'd like to refer to fast Jack Beckman, and his teammates as The Option. Fast Jack  gets his first Gainesville win in his Dodge Charger, 4.035, 323.58 defeating DSR mate Matt Hagan, in his Charger, Matt took one for the team! 

And last but not least is Pro Stock: Young Tanner Gray, in his Chevy Camaro, ran  6.588, 210.18 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, making this Tanners first  touchdown since last year in Charlotte. 

What an Option: With team DSR, you have Antron Brown, Leah Pritchett, Tony Schumacher, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Tommy Johnson Jr,   and Fast Jack Beckman.

As quick as the first half went by, that's what I call a no huddle offense! 

For more Femmefanaticsports  features from the 2018  NHRA  Mello Yello Drag Racing Series - Checkout our other articles  on SportsMap.com or reach out on twitter @red_tery.

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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