NHRA Virginia Nationals eliminations set for Sunday in Dinwiddie
AUTO RACING
Championships are up for grabs Sunday in the National Hot Rod Association’s Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park, in Dinwiddie County. Some cars will be going over 300 mph on a quarter-mile strip that is generally considered one of the NHRA’s best surfaces.
The Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) first rounds are set for noon, with the Pro Stock (car and bike) first rounds at 1 p.m.
The quarterfinals are at 2:15 for Nitro and 2:45 for Pro Stock, with the semis at 3:50 and 4:10 and the championship rounds at 5:10.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) closed out qualifying with the quickest runs of the day on Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Park, taking the No. 1 spots in their brackets.
This is the ninth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
On a day where the NHRA pro categories all made three qualifying runs on a Saturday for the first time ever, Langdon went 3.872 seconds at 319.82 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster. He said the track temperature was about 150 degrees.
“This track is so good and so smooth that, unfortunately, these hot conditions don’t do this track much justice for how good it really is,” Langdon said on NHRA.com.
Reigning world champ and points leader Doug Kalitta qualified second with a 3.883 at 318.69. Former NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, in his debut season in Top Fuel, qualified third with a 3.885 at 317.79.
Tasca posted a 4.024 at 320.74. Enders, looking for 50th lifetime national event victory, had a 6.586 at 209.56.
Herrera (6.703 at 200.83) is tied with legendary Pro Stock driver Bob Glidden for the most consecutive event wins (9) and round wins (35) in NHRA history and can set those records Sunday.
LOCAL SOCCER
Lionsbridge moves into sole division lead
Lionsbridge FC moved into sole possession of first place in USL League Two’s Chesapeake Division, defeating Patuxent Football Athletics of Maryland 2-1 Saturday night at TowneBank Stadium in Newport News.
The Lions (9-1-2, 6-1-1 in the division) have 19 points from eight games, while Virginia Beach United has 16 points in seven games and the Charlottesville Blues have 16 from eight.
Sam Hall netted a penalty kick in the 24th minute for the Lions, his second goal of the season and his 17th all-time for Lionsbridge. That tied him with Travis Cooke (2018-20) for the Lions’ lifetime record.
Christian Hatley put Lionsbridge ahead 2-0 just before halftime, netting his third goal of the season, with an assist from Denis Krioutchenkov.
Patuxent scored in the 69th minute but couldn’t pull even.
It was Kick Out Hunger night, supporting the Peninsula Foodbank. Lionsbridge said the night generated 8,650 meals for area residents in need.
The Lions, last year’s national runners-up in USL League Two, will play a “friendly” against the pro Richmond Kickers of USL League One on Wednesday night at Richmond’s City Stadium.
VBCFC falls to Alexandria
In the National Premier Soccer League, Virginia Beach City FC lost 3-0 to the Alexandria Reds at Powhatan Field in Norfolk.
Thomas Woodings scored in the 13th and 40th minute to give the Reds a 2-0 halftime lead. The Northern Virginians, who have five wins, a loss and two draws this season, made it 3-0 when Jeffrey Aguilar netted a goal in the 46th minute.
VBCFC fell to 1-7 and is last in the seven-team Mid-Atlantic Division.
LOCAL SWIMMING
Tide swimmers compete in prelims at U.S. trials
Tide Swimming products continued to compete at the U.S. Olympic trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Friday, former Norfolk Academy and Georgia Bulldogs star Callie Dickinson was 37th in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:18.49. Meanwhile, First Colonial High alumna Sophia Knapp of UVA was 37th in the 800 freestyle in 8:53.69.
Saturday, in the men’s 1,500 freestyle, Tide swimmer Bobby DiNunzio, an Ocean Lakes High graduate with the Florida Gators, was 28th among 48 competitors in 15:36.35. Former William & Mary star Missy Cundiff, who grew up in Northern Virginia, tied for 36th among 42 entrants in the women’s 50 freestyle prelims with a 25.59 time.
Wednesday, in the 200 butterfly, Dickinson was 28th in 2:13.28 and Tide swimmer Maddy Hartley was 50th in 2:17.57. Hartley, from First Colonial, began competing in college for Arkansas but has transferred to Kentucky.
Meanwhile, Kate Douglass turned in another strong performance Friday in the semifinals of the women’s 200 individual medley.
She finished in 2:08.53 to edge her former UVA teammate Alex Walsh (2:08.74) for the top spot. Incoming freshman Leah Hayes gave UVA a third competitor in Saturday night’s final. She was fifth at 2:10.93.
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