Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Presented by Pennzoil
Event No. 8 of 20
Bandimere Speedway
Morrison, Colo.
July 16-18, 2021
LEAH PRUETT
Driver of the Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster
Qualified: No. 11 (4.056 E.T. at 249.49 MPH)
The Results:
E1: 3.824 E.T. at 316.45 MPH defeated Doug Kalitta 7.384 E.T. at 108.12 MPH
E2: No Time; Oil leak after the burnout
Race Recap:
Leah Pruett started race day in the No. 11 seed facing heavy-hitter and fellow championship contender Doug Kalitta in round one. Pruett took advantage of Kalitta’s difficulties gaining traction off the start and, after wrangling her dragster slightly mid-track, crossed the finish line with a 3.824-second pass at 316.45 mph to advance. Armed with lane choice, Pruett lined up next to Joey Haas in E2, and was ready to continue her quest for a second Denver Top Fuel trophy, but an oil leak while backing up from her burnout caused her to be shut off on the line before having an opportunity to stage the car.
From Leah:
What a complex day of emotions, to say the least. Usually I like to reflect on my day thinking of Top Fuel and Factory Stock separately, but this weekend, it all runs together. I was going back-and-forth between the pits all weekend, up the stairs, down the stairs, warming up, just shifting gears all weekend long.
Winning first round of Top Fuel was great, and was what this team needed. We put down a really solid .82 run and we would’ve even had top speed if we had made it all the way down to the finish line. Our Dodge//SRT Top Fuel dragster was exactly on the path that we wanted. Unfortunately, second round, we had a valve cover leak and it spilled some of that good Pennzoil on the track during the burnout. Just very unfortunate, and not how we wanted to show out at our sponsor’s event. We could easily be discouraged, but we’ve done our due diligence and we’ll keep our heads up, and keep dotting our I’s and crossing our T’s. We are resilient and we will get out of this hole, and that starts in Sonoma.
Coming off of that Top Fuel disappointment, man, what a triumphant feeling to make it to the finals in Factory Stock. It’s been a small while since we visited the final round, and being competitive with the other manufacturers in our class, and the consistency that we had in eliminations today was so impressive. Testing last week was very important. We’ll continue to pick away at our sea-level tune-up, but to me, the most impressive thing is getting this new Drag Pak dialed-in and working very well. The car is responding, and it’s consistent. I haven’t been this excited about our program since we were so dominant in 2018. I had a ton of fun driving this Drag Pak this weekend. To go from such a disappointing second round exit in Top Fuel, to finding that inner strength, to wanting to chop the tree down, and the only thing I wanted to do was put on a win light, and I was able to do that with Factory Stock, it was a roller coaster of emotions. I’m very blessed to be able to run in both categories and compete with two different teams. The power is in the numbers so, we’re going to keep putting in the hours and chasing those win lights, and they will come.
LEAH PRUETT
Driver of the Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak
The Results:
E1: 8.344 E.T. at 166.25 MPH defeated Waldemar Rodriguez 8.502 E.T. at 162.61 MPH
E2: 8.290 E.T. at 166.05 MPH defeated John Cerbone; Foul, red light
E3: 8.259 E.T. at 166.54 MPH defeated Aaron Stanfield 13.604 E.T. at 63.74 MPH
E4: 8.265 E.T. at 166.48 MPH defeated by Stephen Bell 8.259 E.T. at 164.79 MPH
Race Recap:
For the first time in her career, Leah Pruett pulled double-duty at Bandimere Speedway, as the Factory Stock Showdown Series made its Denver debut during the Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil. After three sessions of gathering data, crew chief Kevin Helms tuned Pruett to a stout 8.261-second pass in the final session of qualifying, which placed Pruett in the No. 4 starting position to begin race day.
Pruett, the 2018 series champion, made two clean passes to defeat Waldemar Rodriguez and John Cerbone, earning a spot in the semifinal round where she faced reigning series champ and current point leader Aaron Stanfield. The two FSS heavyweights had gone head-to-head in competition twice prior with Pruett coming out on top both times. She successfully extended her round-win record to 3-0 on Sunday by driving her new Mopar-powered Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to an 8.259 E.T., advancing to the finals for the first time in 2021. In the final round, Pruett and Stephen Bell were nearly even leaving starting line. The pair charged hard racing neck-and-neck down the Bandimere track with Bell claiming the win with a narrow eight-thousandth of a second margin of victory.
Source: Don Schumacher Racing
