Larry Dixon wins rain-delayed Route 66 NHRA Nationals, beating Schumacher in Top Fuel final

Larry Dixon wins Route 66 NHRA Nationals

JOLIET, Ill. — Larry Dixon beat defending Top Fuel series champion Tony Schumacher on Sunday night in the rain-delayed Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

Matt Hagan, Mike Edwards and LE Tonglet also won their divisions in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event at Route 66 Raceway.

Dixon drove his dragster to a 3.823-second run at 323.12 mph to edge Schumacher for his fifth win of the season and 53rd of his career. It also was the sixth time this season that Dixon and Schumacher have met during eliminations.

With his final-round appearance, Schumacher was able to move from third to second in the season standings, just behind first-place Dixon.

In Funny Car, Hagan not only stopped runner-up finisher Robert Hight’s winning streak, but set the national record for time in the process.

Hagan drove his Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.035 at 312.78, which was just enough to back up his semifinal time of 4.022 seconds to set the national record and pick up 20 extra points in the process. It was Hagan’s second career win.

While his three-race winning streak came to an end, Hight did take the points lead from team owner John Force with his final-round appearance.

In Pro Stock, Edwards continued his dominance over the class and followed up his win in Topeka with his sixth victory of the season. Edwards drove his Pontiac GXP to a 6.594 at 208.49 to beat Jason Line in the final.

Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Tonglet held off Steve Johnson for his first career NHRA win. Tonglet rode his Suzuki to a 6.935 at 190.38.