FUNNY CAR

Defending champion Del Worsham got his first win of the season. Worsham had a very busy weekend in Brainerd with the opportunity to earn two wins and a special milestone.

The special milestone, his 500th career race-day start, was clinched with a stellar 3.856-second pass in the first session of qualifying. That was part of Worsham's Friday that included earning five of six bonus points possible.

The rematch of the Seattle final did not go Worsham's way as the DHL Camry lost traction early, but the team did not get down and looked for another shot on Sunday.

Worsham got past Bob Bode and Tim Wilkerson to meet Courtney Force in the semifinal. That round win gave Worsham his first career Brainerd Nationals final round appearance and back-to-back finals for the first time since last season.

His opponent was Matt Hagan, who started from the No.1 qualifying spot on Sunday. Hagan and Worsham left together, but that was the last time they were side-by-side. Hagan lit the tires, and Worsham was right down the strip to score his first win of the season and first win in Brainerd. It is his 31st career Funny Car win and 39th overall in his career on his 500th career raceday start.

"What an incredible day. Being able to come back to win today is awesome. I am so proud of this DHL, Toyota, Red Line Oil team. They worked incredibly hard this weekend. Brainerd is one of my favorite races, and to be able to finally get a win here is perfect. We are getting a good handle on this DHL Toyota Camry and I am really excited for the Countdown."

Matt Hagan's first and last runs in the Rocky Boots/Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car at Brainerd International Raceway are two he'd like to forget. But the six runs between will be used for important data and fond memories in the bank for Hagan, crew chief Dickie Venables, assistant Michael Knudsen and the Rocky Boots team.

The best and most memorable run will be the 3.822 world record run at a track speed record 333.47 that placed them No. 1 for Sunday's championship eliminations in northern Minnesota. But crew chief Venables again came out swinging on race day and posted three consecutive 3.8-second runs before slowing in the final where opponent Del Worsham went on to win.

"We had a great weekend here at BIR," said Hagan of his runner-up finish. "We qualified No. 1 and set a national record. The car was on a string pretty much all day long, we just came up a little short in the final. All in all, it was a good points day for us, and I'm sure we helped ourselves a little bit there.

It was the fourth final round appearance of the season for Hagan and the Rocky Boots team that has won two event titles.

On Saturday Capps won the rain delayed final from Seattle, his 50th NHRA nitro career win.

Ron Capps and the NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger R/T team led by crew chief Rahn Tobler and assistant Eric Lane clinched the No. 1 seed for the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoff that begins after the NHRA U.S. Nationals over Labor Day Weekend near Indianapolis.

That ensured that Capps will start the Countdown with a 30-point lead over the second-ranked team in the Countdown when championship points are reset in two weeks after Indy.