NHRA NATIONALS RETURN
The 2023 NHRA Countdown to the Championship postseason begins at Maple Grove
The rumble returns to Maple Grove Raceway this weekend.
The quarter-mile dragstrip located in Brecknock Township will host the 38th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, which will open the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship postseason. The event begins Thursday at 8:45 a.m. with sportsman qualifying and will conclude with the finals on Sunday afternoon, with television coverage provided by FOX.
“We’re super excited,” Maple Grove co-owner Kyle Koretsky said. “This is the biggest race of the year (for us). This is where it all starts.”
Maple Grove is hosting event No. 1 of the six-race postseason, which will conclude in November in Pomona, Calif. Qualifying for the top four divisions — Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle — will begin on Friday at 2 p.m., while the finals for the four divisions are set for Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
“This isn’t like any other motor sports,” Koretsky said. “We want to give the fans and the racers the best experience. We want to be the best, and we’re going to keep striving until we are the best.”
With six wins in the regular season, Justin Ashley enters the weekend as the points leader in the Top Fuel division. Ashley finished second to Austin Prock last year at Maple Grove.
“I’m really excited,” Ashley said. “This has been my favorite race on the tour for a long time. I cannot wait to get to Maple Grove. This racetrack is going to be fast.”
Looking to capture his first NHRA title, Ashley will try to carry his success from the regular season into the postseason.
“With the intensity level being so high and with the competition level being so difficult, it’s going to be so important to maintain that consistency,” Ashley said. “Anything can happen at any race.”
In Funny Car, two-time defending series champion Ron Capps enters as the points leader as he strives for his third straight title. Capps is coming off a victory in the regular season finale in Indianapolis.
“We always look at Maple Grove as the kickoff,” Capps said. “You got to put the pressure on these teams because it’s the best teams in the world.”
A three-time series champion, Capps won three events in the regular season. Last year at Maple Grove, he reached the quarterfinals.
“We’ve got to be the best we can,” Capps said. “You cannot win the championship at Maple Grove, but you can surely put yourself in position to lose it, and that’s what you don’t want to do.”
In the Pro Stock division, Dallas Glenn leads the points after winning four races in the regular season. Glenn reached the quarterfinals last year at Maple Grove.
“We’ve managed to keep the momentum going,” Glenn said. “My car is still running really good. As long as I can keep doing my job, I think we can continue to make this a great show for the fans.”
In addition to being a coowner of the track, Koretsky sits in eighth in the Pro Stock standings, 84 points behind Glenn. The Fairless Hills, Bucks County, driver is still looking for his first win this season.
“Now’s when it really counts,” Koretsky said. “I have all the confidence in the world. We want to be No. 1 here and get the win at Maple Grove.”
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera enters as the points leader after winning six times in the regular season. Three-time defending series champion Matt Smith sits in second place, 29 points behind Herrera.
“I always love close competition, tough competition,” Herrera said. “I think it’s going to light a fire under me and get me to push a little harder. I’m definitely excited and looking forward to it.”