The latest update as of October 23, 2020
Top Alcohol Dragster
And then there were two ... national events that is. With the 2020 NHRA Camping World schedule rapidly winding down, the championship battles are intensifying as literally "every round counts" at this point. That axiom is especially so in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, as Shawn Cowie lost his very short-lived lead in the point standings following a second-round loss at Dallas last weekend. Jumping back to the top was defending national champion Megan Meyer, who brought the hammer down hard in the final round, blasting out a 5.126 - 279.09 to obliterate first-time finalist, and worthy opponent, Aaron Cooper.
Meyer's performance nearly equalled her other-worldly dominance displayed at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals on Labor Day weekend. She rewrote the record books with a blistering 5.097 - 278.81 pass in the second-round, then followed it up with an even more amazing 5.090 - 280.54 effort in the semi-finals. It certainly looks like Team Meyer is on a mission to send her into "retirement" on a high note with back-to-back championships.
But the championship chase is not over yet, as Cowie is still within striking distance, just 32 points behind Meyer, with three points earnings events left on his schedule. And it could come down to the second Las Vegas Western Region race, happening the week following the Dodge NHRA Finals. If Cowie could win that event, he would gain 42 points that could ultimately decide the TAD champion. But to be in a position to capitalize on that last race of the year, he must keep pace with Meyer this weekend and next at Houston and Las Vegas. Even better, if he could close the gap during those two races, then the pressure on him to go for broke at the last race would be lessened somewhat.
First things first though, as qualifying starts later today at Houston, with a short 13-car field in Top Alcohol Dragster. The big bonus available for the low qualifier is a possible second round bye run directly into the semi-finals. Considering that the #1 qualifier gets to face the racer at the bottom of the field, there will be some very serious attempts to secure that spot. We'll bring the results as soon as they come in today, and throughout the weekend, so stay tuned to this space.
Top Alcohol Funny Car
The situation is much clearer on the flopper side of the alchohold pits. The current, and almost season-long points leader is Doug Gordon and he could clinch the championship if everything falls his way this weekend. He's got a 124 point lead over the #2 (and defending champion) Greg Bellemeur, and is 134 points in front of #3 Brian Hough, going into this weekend's race. If Gordon qualifies for eliminations, which is a foregone conclusion with only ten cars in the pits, then Bellemeur has to win the event to stay in contention for the championship. Even a runner-up finish would see the chase end on Sunday afternoon.
Hough's chances are even slimmer, as he needs to win both races and have Gordon fail to qualify at the Las Vegas event, which is not likely as there are only 15 cars on the pre-entry list at this time. So, for all intents and purposes, Hough is looking at a third place finish in the championship standings, a drop of one position from his #2 finish last season.