JOLIET, Ill. -- Tommy Johnson Jr. raced to his first Funny Car victory since the end of the 2017 season, beating Robert Hight in an explosive final round Sunday at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals.
Johnson's Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat had an engine explosion just before the finish line in a pass of 4.175 seconds at 229.86 mph. He won for the 16th time in his Funny Car career and for the second time at Route 66 Raceway.
"It felt good coming here," Johnson said. "This is a track where we've had a lot of success. I think we've been in the finals four out of the last six years here.