2022 NHRA SpringNationals Sportsman Preview
2022 NHRA SpringNationals Sportsman Preview from Houston Raceway Park in Houston, Texas
Cover photo courtesy of Emmons Motorsports
HOUSTON – The NHRA tours heads to the Lone Star state this week for the last ever national event at Houston Raceway Park. With the track sold and shutting down soon, the 2022 SpringNationals will be the final national event held at the famed facility. Racers will battle for the final SpringNationals Wally in hopes of adding the special trophy to their collection.
The NHRA SpringNationals will showcase over 285 Lucas Oil sportsman racers competing in eight different classes. The schedule includes Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.
Before we look ahead to the 2022 NHRA SpringNationals, let’s look back at the 2021 event champions.
2021 NHRA SpringNationals Champions
Competition Eliminator – Chase Williams
Super Stock – Harvey Emmons III
Stock Eliminator – Jerry Emmons
Super Comp – Christopher Dodd
Super Gas – Jerry DeBusk
Top Sportsman – Darian Boesch
Top Dragster – Ross Laris
2022 NHRA SpringNationals Predictions
With each NHRA national event DragChamp’s sportsman preview includes an overview of each class. In addition, we select the DragChamp Picks to win the race. Here are this week’s picks.
Comp Eliminator – 23 Car Field
The 23 car field this week is one of the largest Comp fields we’ve seen in a while. A lot of the credit for that goes to Roger Brogdon who has single-handedly pumped tens of thousands of dollars into the class for Division 4 racers. Although there are a number of D4 hitters in the field, look for an out-of-division racer to snag the final SpringNationals Wally this week.
DragChamp picks to win:
Greg Kamplain – Top 5 national runner from last season has the power and talent to outlast the field this week.
Super Stock – 42 Car Field
The Super Stock entry list includes a who’s who of D4’s finest class racers. Families such as the Emmons’, Candies’, and Mawhee’s stand out along with Kevin Helms, Cooter Hidalgo, and 2021 World Champ Greg Stanfield.
DragChamp picks to win:
Emmons Bros. – Taking the home town favorites against the field this week. Their track record at Houston Raceway speaks for itself.
Stock Eliminator – 53 Car Field
Much like the Super Stock field, the Stock class is heavy on talent and experience. While the Emmons clan will look to go back-to-back, there’s plenty of talented competitors looking to keep that from happening.
DragChamp picks to win:
Wes Neely – Has been a big player in the class for several years now. Has a knack for finding himself in the final round.
Jeff Lopez – Although he doesn’t race as much as in the past, Lopez has a great track record in Houston and is always a threat to win.
Super Comp – 50 Car Field
While class champ Christopher Dodd looks for a repeat performance of last season’s victory, Austin Williams, Dan Foley, and a host of talented .90 racers look to snag the final Wally at Houston Raceway.
DragChamp picks to win:
Koy Collier – Talented Louisiana runner has enjoyed plenty of success in Houston.
Nick Brener – Another top-notch Louisiana racer that is a win waiting to happen. Look for a breakout victory this weekend.
Super Gas – 43 Car Field
Jerry DeBusk and Austin Williams put on a show at the rain delayed SpringNationals last fall. They both reached the finals of the SpringNationals and the Fall Nationals held in the same week in Dallas last October. DeBusk won the SpringNationals final will Williams grabbed the Fall Nationals title.
DragChamp picks to win:
Austin Wiliams – A-dub has been hard to beat in his Camaro roadster for over a year now. I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Clark Mundt – D4 Super Gas veteran has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Continues to turn on win lights on a regular basis.
Super Street – 28 Car Field
The 10.90 class is always a lot tougher to pick since there are so few nationals each year for the class. A few names stand out looking at the entry list. This includes Ray Dew, Ray Todd, John Leibham, Jay Bunce, Cole Cummings, and more.
DragChamp picks to win:
Ray Dew – D4 veteran and multi-time division champ is always one to watch.
Jay Bunce – Although he’s always in a different car, this dude knows how to turn on win lights.
Top Sportsman – 21 Car Field
Three of the baddest Top Sportsman racers on the planet will be racing this weekend. They include 2021 World Champ Jimmy Lewis, 2020 World Champ Darian Boesch, and perennial Top 5 contender Allen Firestone. Should make for some exciting racing.
DragChamp pick to win:
Darian Boesch – Former class champ has great equipment and tons of driving talent.
Top Dragster – 28 Car Field
The Laris family has enjoyed tremendous success at Houston Raceway but will not be in attendance this week as Holden is getting married. That leaves the field open to talented class veterans Danny Nelson, Darian Boesch, JR Baxter, and Aaron Stanfield.
DragChamp pick to win:
Aaron Stanfield – With no Factory Stock cars to distract him, A-Aron should be a handful with his focus geared 100% towards his dragster this week.
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