NHRA Arizona Nationals return one final time at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park

This weekend, a long-standing tradition of speed and prestige will come to an end. Like the plague claiming countless racing facilities across Arizona in recent years, Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park will meet an untimely demise courtesy of a proposed 3,300-acre development project — but not without one more barrage of adrenaline.

Since 1985, the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series has been a staple in Phoenix, supplying spectators with an all-out assault on the senses. Fans will have the chance to experience the speed one final time as the world’s best dragsters take on the Arizona Nationals and look to cement their name in history.

Entering the three-day event, the Top Fuel class will be chasing Mike Salinas, who won the season opener in Gainesville (and won in Chandler last year). Meanwhile, Matt Hagan — also a former winner at Wild Horse Pass — and Troy Coughlin Jr. will look to keep things rolling in the Funny Car and Pro Stock classes, respectively.

When talking NHRA, there’s arguably no more recognizable name in the sport than Force. Coming off her second Top Fuel world title, which spawned five victories and 16 track records, Brittany Force is seeking to add to her familial lineage by joining her father, John, and sister, Courtney, as a winner in Phoenix.

In an effort to evolve with her competition, Force enters the Arizona Nationals during what she calls an “experimental phase.” While her championship-winning team is still intact, each individual is taking initiative by stepping out of their comfort zone and moving to a different area of the car in order to be more well rounded – which will take time.

“We always come into every season, every race, and we have goals we try to achieve,” Force said. “This year, we’re going to step it up. Our goal coming into last season was, ‘let’s not focus so much on those No. 1 qualifiers. Let’s focus on race day.’

“Now (2023) is going to be a combination of both; No. 1 qualifiers and more wins. We were in a lot of finals last year, but we want to take it all the way and bring on those wins.”

Headlining the Pro Stock class is none other than Erica Enders, who pulled off an “absolute dream season” in 2022 by notching her fifth championship and 10 victories.

For Enders, NHRA’s final trip to Phoenix hits a little closer to home. In addition to having relatives who live in Arizona, her father Gregg used to race sprint cars at Manzanita Speedway and actually helped dig the 2.4-mile lake that hosts boat races at Wild Horse Pass.

Enders’ actual home track, Houston Raceway Park, hosted its final NHRA event last year, in which she wound up in the winner’s circle. She’s hoping the same trend follows into Phoenix’s swan-song event.

“I’ve been racing for a really long time and everytime we set new records and raise the bar, it always crosses your mind, ‘how do we even top what we just accomplished?’ But that’s our goal,” Enders said. “Being that we won our fifth title, it definitely comes with a huge target on our backs. They’re all gunning for us and I think that’s pretty cool.

“We feel like we win races before we even leave the shop with how prepared we are and how hard we work. I feel like the sky's the limit with this group, and being able to come back to Phoenix, it’s a second home for me. ”

Going into the final Arizona Nationals, it’s difficult not to reflect on the history surrounding the facility formerly known as Firebird International Raceway. Like when Top Fuel legend Tony Schumacher became the first NHRA driver to eclipse the 330-mph speed barrier in 1999, or when three-time Funny Car champion Ron Capps made his Top Fuel debut there in 1995.

“It’s bittersweet knowing that this is likely to be our last Arizona Nationals event,” Capps said. “I used to go to that track growing up as a crew member, working on several different alcohol dragsters. Phoenix has always been one of those events where we would take our family, and make a whole trip out of it, so it’s more than just a race for me, and we would love nothing more than to win the last Arizona Nationals this weekend.”

But with the departure of this sacred facility comes the dawn of a new era for the NHRA, and with that comes new contenders.

Near the top of this list has to be fourth-year driver-team owner Justin Ashley. The son of former Funny Car champion Mike Ashley finished No. 4 in the Top Fuel standings the past two seasons.

For the second-generation driver, consistency will be the model for success in 2023 following a career-best season in which he led the standings numerous times, including going into the final two races.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to put my heels down and the team down in history,” Ashley said. “I think it’s really important to put our best foot forward every weekend, but this (one) in particular – to be at the track for the last time in (Phoenix) really is a special opportunity that doesn’t come around too often.

“We want to do everything we can to take advantage of it and hopefully go down in history.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Bittersweet' end for NHRA this weekend at Wild Horse Pass Park