BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: TOP FUEL\u2019S IDA ZETTERSTR\u00d6M AIMS FOR MORE SUCCESS AT LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS<\/strong><\/p>\nBRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 12, 2025) \u2013 Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m\u2019s NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series career officially kicked off a year ago when the former FIA European Top Fuel world champion debuted at Brainerd International Raceway.<\/p>\n
Back at the famed facility for this weekend\u2019s 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Zetterstr\u00f6m is thrilled to return to a track where she made her first NHRA start. It was a memorable one, too, as Zetterstr\u00f6m advanced to the semifinals before falling to current points leader Shawn Langdon.<\/p>\n
Racing in her 12,000-horsepower JCM Racing dragster, Zetterstr\u00f6m would love for this season\u2019s breakout performance to come in Brainerd while also sporting a look that is a nod to last year\u2019s official debut in Brainerd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited to get back to Brainerd,\u201d Zetterstr\u00f6m said. \u201cThe fans last year gave us an incredible welcome and I can\u2019t wait to see them all. For this race only, we\u2019re going to run the livery we debuted with. We got so much love for that scheme. It was part of our Rookie of the Year campaign, and I think the fans really enjoyed the red, white, and blue. So, it\u2019ll be nice to have a little memory from last season on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year, Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Blake Alexander (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) all won in Brainerd, while Antron Brown, Austin Prock and Greg Anderson took home Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge wins. The 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals is the 13th of 20 events in 2025 and the race will be broadcast on FS1 and FOX, with elimination coverage on FOX starting at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Friday kicks off in festive fashion with the introduction of the American Rebel Light Friday Night \u201cBattle for the Battle Axe.\u201d The Friday night qualifying session at Brainerd will award the low qualifier in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock a bonus, as well as a unique Rebel Axe trophy to kick off what will be another incredible weekend at Brainerd.<\/p>\n
The Rebel Axe trophy will be a fully functional electric cigar box guitar, custom-built in the shape of a 12-pack of American Rebel Light. Branded with the event and sponsor logos, the unique trophy also serves as a nod to Brainerd\u2019s rich heritage and roots to Paul Bunyan. The top qualifier in the three pro classes will sit on a special \u201cThrone of the North\u201d \u2013 made from American Rebel Light cases \u2013 until they are dethroned or they take the low qualifier of the session.<\/p>\n
Zetterstr\u00f6m would love to be the one to stay on the throne and earn the $4,000 bonus for Friday night, but success on Sunday is the ultimate goal, especially in the loaded Top Fuel ranks. Along with Langdon, racing legend Tony Stewart is second in points, while other standouts include Ashley, Brittany Force, Clay Millican and Doug Kalitta.<\/p>\n
Running a limited schedule, Zetterstr\u00f6m will be making her ninth start of the season, looking to build consistency and rhythm with her team. They\u2019ve shown potential, qualifying seventh at the most recent race in Sonoma, and Zetterstr\u00f6m hopes Brainerd yields a positive result for the second straight year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are excited to get back to a track where we\u2019ve had success. To this day, that was still our strongest showing and we look forward to capitalizing on the momentum of knowing it\u2019s a great track for us and knowing that we have the fans in our corner and that we can perform here,\u201d Zetterstr\u00f6m said. \u201cInitially, Brainerd wasn\u2019t on our schedule, but I\u2019m so glad we were able to add it and have the opportunity to be back and running where it all started for me here in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
This season, the Funny Car ranks have again been dominated by reigning Funny Car champion Prock, who leads the class with five wins on the season. Others to watch in Brainerd will be Jack Beckman, J.R. Todd, Paul Lee, Seattle winner Matt Hagan and Ron Capps, the winningest active driver at BIR with seven wins to his credit.<\/p>\n
Pro Stock\u2019s Glenn won his second consecutive Brainerd race last season and he leads the way in Pro Stock, holding a 37-point advantage over KB Titan Racing teammate and reigning world champion Anderson, who is a Duluth native. Greg Stanfield won the most recent event in Sonoma, snapping KB Titan\u2019s 11-race winning streak.<\/p>\n
The event will also feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as action in Johnson\u2019s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock and Pingel NHRA Top Fuel Motorcycle Series.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the second qualifying session leads right into Friday night\u2019s live music schedule at the Zoom entrance band shell, which kicks off at 8 p.m. and includes Andy Ross\u2019 headline set at 10 p.m. The Mud Rhythm Truck Series will be running in the famed \u201cZoo\u201d campground at the dirt track during the weekend, along with The Patriot monster truck and drift cars on display, cementing the track\u2019s status as a major multi-functional facility.<\/p>\n
Fans are invited to the Nitro Alley Stage, the entertainment hub in the pits, hosting Nitro School, meet and greets, music and more. Brainerd race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can\u2019t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner\u2019s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate event winners.<\/p>\n
As always, fans get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans get a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit Manufacturers Midway, an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.<\/p>\n
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying features two rounds at 4 and 6:15 p.m. CT on Friday, Aug. 15 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 17. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 p.m. ET on Friday and 7 p.m. ET on Saturday on FS1, and eliminations on FOX at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.<\/p>\n
To purchase tickets to the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, fans can visit www.birmn.com<\/a>. Tickets will also be available for purchase on the day of the event at the gate. For more information on the NHRA, please visit www.nhra.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n| <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
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<\/div>\n <\/span><\/p>\nThe post IDA ZETTERSTR\u00d6M AIMS FOR MORE SUCCESS AT NHRA BRAINERD<\/a> appeared first on Drag Racing List<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: TOP FUEL\u2019S IDA ZETTERSTR\u00d6M AIMS FOR MORE SUCCESS AT LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 12, 2025) \u2013 Ida Zetterstr\u00f6m\u2019s NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series career officially kicked off a year ago when the former FIA European Top Fuel world champion debuted at Brainerd International Raceway. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101953\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |
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