 The final day of the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals began with the SealMaster NHRA Track Walk, which was led by grand marshals Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen and Linda Vaughn, who rode ahead in convertible Camaros. |
 |
 | |
 | The Bob Daniels Awards of Excellence, presented in honor of the late Division 3 director and Indy track manager, was awarded to Dan Duffy for his beautiful ’56 Chevy. Eileen Daniels made the presentation. |
 A large crowd gathered for the pre-race ceremony, where the legendary “Snake” and “Mongoose” were introduced as the grand marshals. |
 Tony Schumacher, who is gunning for what would be an NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series record 10th Indy win in Top Fuel, was introduced as the low qualifier. |
 In a surprise presentation, Courtney Force and her Traxxas crew were presented with special medallions from The Coca-Cola Company and Mello Yello in recognition of their win earlier this year in Topeka, which was the 100th NHRA Mello Yello win by a female racer. |
 The Top Fool Alcohol Crew had their traditional float on display. This year’s presentation saluted the 60th anniversary of the event and, with its oversized barber tools, saluted Don Garlits’ Sunday shave. |
 NHRA Members Bobby and Sharon Curtis and Greg, Marissa, and Morgan Meehan got to interact with their favorite drivers during the pre-race ceremony as winners of the National Dragster Backstage Pass. |
 Courtney and Brittany Force are gunning to become the first sisters to share the Indy winner’s circle, in Funny Car and Top Fuel, respectively. They’re no doubt fighting over who gets the day’s possession of their nephew, Jacob, who has been a good-luck charm for John Force Racing drivers this season. |
 | |
 | The opening round of Top Fuel was marked by a couple of upsets when No. 9 qualifier Dom Lagana (above) drove the Rapisarda Autosport entry past points leader Doug Kalitta, and Larry Dixon (left), the No. 10 qualifier, beat Brittany Force. Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Tony Schumacher vs. Lagana; Richie Crampton vs. Shawn Langdon; Steve Torrence vs. Dixon; Khalid alBalooshi vs. Bob Vandergriff Jr. |
 The upset theme continued in Funny Car where Blake Alexander (above) ended the Countdown hopes of No. 2 qualifier Jack Beckman by upsetting tire-smoking “Fast Jack” in round one with a 4.13. Points leader John Force (below) ran low e.t. of the round, 4.029, to defeat teammate Robert Hight. Second-round pairings (lane choice first): John Force vs. Matt Hagan; Del Worsham vs. Ron Capps; Alexis DeJoria vs. Alexander; Tommy Johnson Jr. vs. Courtney Force. |
 |
 And, naturally, the upset trend continued in Pro Stock and was focused around a pair of rookies. Jonathan Gray (above), who needs to reach the semifinals to knock Greg Anderson out of the top-10 Countdown playoff field, defeated Anderson in round one. Aaron Stanfield (below), who is making his national event debut, was the surprise winner over four-time U.S. Nationals champ Jeg Coughlin Jr., who unexpectedly red-lighted. Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Jason Line vs. Stanfield; Dave Connolly vs. Erica Enders-Stevens; Jonathan Gray vs. Vincent Nobile; Allen Johnson vs. Shane Gray. |
 |
 No. 2 qualifier Jerry Savoie (above), who entered the event 12th in points, kept alive his chances of making the Countdown playoffs in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a first-round victory over Chaz Kennedy combined with a first-round loss by 10th place Steve Johnson. Savoie can bump Johnson from the playoffs if he wins the event. Jim Underdahl (below) supplied the requisite first-round upset in the bike class when the No. 13 qualifier defeated No. 4 rider Michael Ray. Second-round pairings (lane choice first): Eddie Krawiec vs. Andrew Hines; Hector Arana Jr. vs. Underdahl; Savoie vs. John Hall; Matt Smith vs. Angie Smith. |
 |
 Detailed coverage and features from the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals can be found on NationalDragster.net. The site is open to all users throughout the event. |
 Rookie Richie Crampton (above) ran low e.t. of round two, a 3.769. to defeat defending event champ Shawn Langdon. His next opponent will no easier when he faces nine-time Indy winner Tony Schumacher (below), who was the low qualifier with a 3.748. Crampton has lane choice. The other semifinal will pit last year's runner-up, Steve Torrence, against Khalid alBalooshi; alBalooshi has lane choice. |
 |
 Ron Capps, who won the rain-delayed final round from the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals on Saturday, kept alive his hopes of a rare double when he has reached the semifinals of Funny Car. His opponent will be Sunday's NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout winner John Force, who's shooting for a double of his own. Capps has lane choice. (Below) Alexis DeJoria, right, and Courtney Force will square off in the other semifinal match; DeJoria has lane choice after a strong 4.03 in round two. |
 |
 Fans have packed Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis to watch champions crowned at the year's biggest race. |
 (Above) Jonathan Gray, left, and Greg Anderson, who were locked in a duel for the 10th and final spot in the Pro Stock playoffs, chatted before round one, where they raced. Eleventh-place Gray beat 10th-place Anderson, then needed to beat Vincent Nobile in round two to bump Anderson from the 10th spot and did so, on a holeshot in a race in which both drivers ran 6.639. Gray now faces his older brother, Shane, who has lane choice, in the semifinals. Dave Connolly (below) will have lane choice in the other semifinal against Jason Line. |
 |
 Eddie Krawiec (above), who has never won Indy, will have semifinal lane choice over Hector Arana Jr. after a second-round 6.89 blast. Husband and wife Matt and Angie Smith (below) raced in round two, with the win via holeshot going to Matt, in a reversal of their unforgettable final round earlier this year in Epping. Jerry Savoie, who needs to win the event to make the Countdown playoffs, holds semifinal lane choice over Smith. |
 |
 Steve Torrence (above), who won the U.S. Nationals Top Alcohol Dragster title in 2005 and was runner-up last year in Top Fuel, will get another shot at Top Fuel after beating Khalid alBalooshi in the semifinals. (Below) His opponent will be class rookie Richie Crampton, who ended Tony Schumacher's bid for a record 10th Indy win in the semifinals. Crampton earned lane choice by a hundredth of a second, 3.78 to 3.79. |
 |
 John Force (above) has reached his sixth straight final round this season and remained in the hunt to double up his Sunday Traxxas Nitro Shootout victory after beating Ron Capps in the semifinals. John Force Racing drivers have won the last six Indy Funny Car titles, even though Force himself was not among them; he hasn't won the Big Go since 2002. Force will have final-round lane choice over Alexis DeJoria (below), who's trying to win her third race of the season. |
 |
 Dave Connolly (above), a three-time U.S. Nationals Pro Stock champ (2007, 2008, and 2012) will have final-round lane choice when he takes on Shane Gray (below) for the Indy crown. Connolly beat points leader and low qualifier Jason Line while Gray beat his younger brother, Jonathan, to advance. |
 |
 Three-time world champ Eddie Krawiec (above) has reached the first Indy final of his career and holds lane choice over Jerry Savoie in what is a very important race for Savoie. If Savoie can beat the Harley rider in the final round, he will bump his way into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, displacing Steve Johnson. |
 |
