Class Ceiling
Recap of the four-lane NHRA race at Concord, North Carolina
Tery Red ( Crew Chief for Mr. Mad /RigTech Motorsports)
May 1, 2018, 5:00 am
Welcome to Femmefanaticsports recap of the Four Wide Concord, N. Carolina.
First Lady of Drag Racing? Winningest Female in professional Motorsports history? First woman to Win the highly coveted Wally? (Danica Patrick and Christmas Abbott are favorites too, but this article is speaking exclusively on Class Ceiling Contenders in the NHRA).
The answer to most of these questions is deeply embedded in the events that unfolded this past weekend at the Four Wide Nationals in North Carolina at the zMAX Dragway.
It's the reason Audrey Worm made a successful debut at Reading and even though considered a part time rookie , is making waves with the goal of eight events this year. It's the reason Erica Enders is hard to beat on the tree. It's the reason Courtney, Brittany and Ashley Force are so stoked for each race. (Makes for a proud Pappa, John Force.) It's the reason Leah Pritchett is relentless and refuses to give up.
So Crew Chief for Cruz Pedregon Aaron Brooks agrees that running on the 1st Four Wide Novelty track is indeed a daunting task. (Way to go Cruz for ruling the roost!)
Steve Torrence, Terry MacMillen and Clay Millican can also attest to the fact that getting your team, your setup and your car on the same page to run on any official NHRA two-lane track is in itself a challenge. (Matt Hagan knows this all too well as he set records but destroyed a Mopar body this weekend).
Now to bring home the point, the first woman to win a Wally (NHRA'S Most Prestigious Award) was Shirley "the Drag-On Lady" Shahan. She was also the first woman to win an NHRA Pro event. A real class act.
Then there's Shirley "ChaCha" Muldowney . She mastered the two-lane in her top Fuel Dragster racing with the likes of Connie Kalitta, Don Prudhomme, and Jungle Jim Liberman, young people everywhere were mesmerized! Moms, grandmas, wives, aunts and sisters all over were abuzz! She is the classy First Lady of Drag Racing as she paved the way for Angelle Savoie ( Most winningest female in motor sports, hands down). Megan Meyer, (who is a tw0 time winner at this track, but not to be confused with Rocker Meg Myers-Sorry), Annie Whiteley (Come on, she drives a Top Alcohol Funny Car Chevy Camaro, Seriously) to name a few. The latter were schooled in the Class of Four Wide in Concord, North Carolina and came off victorious!
We are just scratching the surface here, to be sure , but what I appreciate about this trip down drag racing memory lane is how important coed is. Teamwork is crucial for growth and stability. Role models are vital. To have stable, secure leadership where each team member is acknowledged and appreciated for their input and hard work is a must for successful families and communities. This makes for a happy, content, right wise society.
(NHRA Photo)
Check out the results of NHRA'S Mello Yello Drag Racing Series /@ the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway. Concord, North Carolina below:
CONCORD, N.C. -- Sunday's final results from the ninth annual NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the sixth of 24 in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Steve Torrence, 3.813 seconds, 326.56 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.010 seconds, 278.12 mph and Terry McMillen, 4.361 seconds, 235.72 mph and Clay Millican, 5.295 seconds, 129.97 mph;
Funny Car -- Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 4.059, 310.84 def. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.098, 307.93 and Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 4.143, 275.39 and Courtney Force, Camaro, 6.215, 114.46;
Pro Stock -- Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.535, 212.73 def. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.520, 212.69 and Chris McGaha, Camaro, 8.237, 118.82 and Drew Skillman, Camaro, 18.515, 43.69;
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.784, 195.73 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.873, 197.05 and Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.865, 193.79 and Matt Smith, Victory, DQ;
Pro Modified -- Jose Gonzalez, Chevy Camaro, 5.743, 254.09 def. Steve Jackson, Camaro, 5.763, 243.68 and Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.775, 250.74 and Brandon Snider, Chevy Corvette, 6.393, 162.10;
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Megan Meyer, 5.192, 276.29 def. Dan Page, 5.250, 276.97.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Annie Whiteley, Chevy Camaro, 5.467, 267.59 def. DJ Cox Jr., Camaro, 6.296, 177.77.
Competition Eliminator -- Frank Aragona, Dragster, 7.378, 172.83 def. Al Ackerman, Dragster, 7.983, 151.39.
Super Stock -- Anthony Bertozzi, Pontiac Grand Am, 9.411, 110.71 def. Bryan Worner, Chevrolet, Foul - Red Light.
Stock Eliminator -- Thomas Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 10.228, 117.67 def. James Williamson, Camaro, 11.485, 113.49.
Super Comp -- Jonathan Anderson, Dragster, 8.891, 162.78 def. Sherman Adcock, Dragster, 8.880, 166.91.
Super Gas -- Ken Griffiths, Chevy Corvette, 9.884, 152.68 def. Steve Furr, Chevy Camaro, Foul - Red Light
Stay tuned !
WHEN: MAY 4-6 ,2018.
WHAT: NHRA Southern Nationals Powered by Mello Yello
WHERE: Atlanta Dragway, 500 E RIDGEWAY RD COMMERCE, GA 30529 -
Houston center fielder Jake Meyers was removed from Wednesday night’s game against Cleveland during pregame warmups because of right calf tightness.
Meyers, who had missed the last two games with a right calf injury, jogged onto the field before the game but soon summoned the training staff, who joined him on the field to tend to him. He remained on the field on one knee as manager Joe Espada joined the group. After a couple minutes, Meyers got up and was helped off the field and to the tunnel in right field by a trainer.
Mauricio Dubón moved from shortstop to center field and Zack Short entered the game to replace Dubón at shortstop.
Meyers is batting .308 with three homers and 21 RBIs this season.
After the game, Meyers met with the media and spoke about the injury. Meyers declined to answer when asked if the latest injury feels worse than the one he sustained Sunday. Wow, that is not a good sign.
Asked if this calf injury feels worse than the one he sustained on Sunday, Jake Meyers looked toward a team spokesman and asked "do I have to answer that?" He did not and then politely ended the interview.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) July 10, 2025
Lack of imaging strikes again!
The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported on Thursday that the Astros didn't do any imaging on Meyers after the initial injury. You can't make this stuff up. This is exactly the kind of thing that has the Astros return-to-play policy under constant scrutiny.
The All-Star break is right around the corner, why take the risk in playing Meyers after missing just two games with calf discomfort? The guy literally fell to the ground running out to his position before the game started. The people that make these risk vs. reward assessments clearly are making some serious mistakes.
The question remains: will the Astros finally do something about it?