Yahoo Autos NHRA U.S Nationals Saturday Qualifying; Steve Torrence Wins Top Fuel Callout
Top Fuel’s Steve Torrence put together a pair of impressive runs on Saturday, rolling to the victory in the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout specialty race at Lucas Oil Raceway as part of this weekend’s prestigious 68th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the current No. 1 qualifiers at the 16th of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the final event of the regular season.
Top Fuel Callout
In the final round of the specialty event with a total purse of $130,000, Torrence, the four-time defending world champion, went 3.692-seconds at 329.02 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster to slip past points leader Brittany Force, who had a run of 3.704 at 330.31.
Torrence beat Justin Ashley in the semifinals, while Force advanced to the final with a victory against Mike Salinas. It continues the strong momentum for Torrence, who won in Brainerd and was stellar on the starting line on Saturday to collect the $80,000 top prize.
“First, tons of respect for Brittany Force and that team because they've been bad to the bone, but them Capco boys have been bad to the bone for five years,” said Torrence, whose run also has him qualified second. “We didn't forget what we were doing, but you’ve got to persevere and stay with the boys who brought you there. I'll tell you what, we're standing proud. We don’t look stupid now because we're walking away with the cash. I'm only as good as the car that they give me, but when you're confident in it, you're confident in yourself.”
Justin Ashley Takes Top Fuel Lead
Ashley bounced back from his semifinal loss to Torrence by holding onto his provisional No. 1 spot in Top Fuel, doing so in impressive fashion with a spectacular run of 3.671 at 335.32 in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect dragster, breaking the track speed record in the process.
It keeps Ashley on track for his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and the young standout was thrilled to make an incredible run to stay at the top of a Top Fuel field that is already among the quickest in history.
“Obviously, we didn't accomplish what we wanted to and win the shootout, but we really went up there with a plan and we executed on it,” Ashley said. “To go out there tonight and run 335 miles per hour, that's the type of run where you’re really excited to see the time slip. I mean, 335 miles per hour at Indy, where there's so much history and strategy, it means so much to us. It's really an amazing feeling.”
Salinas is currently third with a run of 3.701 at 331.36, while Force’s run in the final puts her fourth.
Hight Holding on in Funny Car
Hight’s run of 3.870 at 331.94 in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS held up from Friday, as the Funny Car points leader also made a pair of strong runs on Friday. It puts him on track for his fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and 75th in his career, while his other highlight was calling out Bob Tasca III for his first-round matchup in the Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout.
Hight had the first pick and selected Tasca, who has won three of the past four races. The Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout will take place on Sunday and the rest of the first-round matchups include Ron Capps taking on defending Indy winner Tim Wilkerson, Matt Hagan facing off with Alexis DeJoria and Cruz Pedregon racing John Force.
“We had three runs in a row that this Auto Club Chevy made respectable runs and that’s what you have to do to win races, whether it’s a specialty race or on race day Monday,” Hight said. “As far as our selection, there’s no guarantees after first round you’re going to get lane choice. We thought originally it was going to be hotter, a little bit tougher conditions and that would have played into our hand. When the conditions changed, we didn’t change our minds. Why not get out there and have some fun? That’s what this is all about, creating excitement for the fans so why not have the two best cars in the country running against each other. It’s going to be an exciting day.”
Tasca’s 3.878 at 331.53 from Friday has him second, while Force’s 3.881 at 333.25 held up for the third spot.
