Ron Capps, Steve Torrence, Greg Anderson and Steve Johnson all earned their respective No. 1 qualifiers following three rounds of qualifying this weekend for the Summit Nationals.
Funny Car
Ron Capps currently has no wins through six races of the 2021 season but the Don Schumacher Racing driver is looking to change that on Sunday.
Capps powered the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge to a 3.888 seconds and 329.34 mph speed in the first round of qualifying Friday evening. The ET was relatively unchallenged and after Saturday’s runs, Capps won his second No. 1 qualifier of the 2021 season. He will be facing No. 16 qualifier Terry Haddock in the first round, who Capps lost to at the New England Nationals.
“It’s a great start with a great car,” Capps said. “Tomorrow is going to be warmer and it’s going to be tough conditions. We’re racing Terry Haddock again in the first round and like I said in Epping, you can’t take anyone lightly. We’ll be on our game and we’re going to go up and try to keep doing what we’ve been doing this weekend. We don’t want to change anything. The car’s running great and a Wally is coming.”
Top Fuel
The CAPCO boys just keep on rolling whether it’s father Billy or son Steve Torrence. A few weeks ago the win went to Billy who earned his sixth career victory at New England. But this time, it’s his son Steve who won his third No. 1 qualifier by posting an ET of 3.705 seconds and 324.83 mph on Friday evening. So far, Steve has won in three out of the six races this year.
“It gives you a lot of confidence as a driver to know you’ve got a car that was low every session, went A to B and had no hiccups,” Torrence said. “It definitely boosts your confidence, but tomorrow is going to be a lot hotter and track conditions are going to change a lot. We’ll go do the best we can and see if we can go four rounds tomorrow.”
As for Steve’s father Billy, he qualified third after posting a time of 3.724 and 325.37 mph rounding out the top three. Brittany Force is second after the John Force Racing driver went 3.722 seconds and 323.74 mph in her qualifying run.
Steve is scheduled to face Shawn Langdon in Round 1.
Pro Stock
For the 112th time in his legendary Pro Stock career, Greg Anderson set the pole in the Pro Stock category and is seeking to tie Warren Johnson on the all-time wins list with 97 career victories Sunday. Having a good run begins with qualifying and Anderson continued his No. 1 qualifier momentum after going 6.602 seconds and 206.54 mph in his respective qualifying run.
“It’s all about positivity and you’ve got to think positive if you want results. I’m going to think positive all day tomorrow and there’s a lot to be positive about,” Anderson said. “I’m racing here at a beautiful race track and the fans are excited, and everything’s great about that. It all comes down to execution on Sunday. I didn’t close the deal at the last race and I need to close the deal tomorrow. I’m having a blast. We’ve got a beautiful car, it’s fast and it’s a dream to drive. It’s all good.”
Anderson was runner-up at the New England Nationals a few weeks ago in a losing effort to Aaron Stanfield. He has two wins in six races with those victories coming at Gainesville and Atlanta, where Anderson also earned No. 1 qualifiers at those events. He will face Fernando Cuadra who qualified 16th.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
It’s been a few weeks since the Pro Stock Motorcycle category has competed on the NHRA circuit. In fact, the last Pro Stock Motorcycle event was at Charlotte. When the class returned Friday afternoon, a familiar name returned to the top of the board, Charlotte winner, Steve Johnson. Johnson gained his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and fifth of his career after going 6.789 and 198.44 mph in his Suzuki motorcycle.
“I’m just so proud. We just take all those tiny details and it’s all about this race team. It’s so good to get a yellow (No. 1 qualifier) hat,” Johnson said.
During the first round of qualifying Friday, there was a scary incident that involved veteran Kelly Clontz. After Clontz crossed the finish line, her bike began locking up, and eventually, Clontz fell off her bike and went for a small skid. Thankfully for Clontz, she walked away under her own power but failed to qualify as she was 18th on the board.
Along with Clontz, Ron Tornow and David Barron did not qualify for the event.
The full qualifying results are below for each class and how the first round will shake out. Live eliminations for the annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals will begin at 11 a.m. ET live on NHRA TV with a subscription and will be shown on FOX TV at 2 p.m. ET.
Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.705 seconds, 324.83 mph vs. 16. Shawn Langdon, 4.101, 227.08; 2. Brittany Force, 3.722, 323.74 vs. 15. Mike Bucher, 4.094, 280.19; 3. Billy Torrence, 3.724, 325.37 vs. 14. Joe Morrison, 4.089, 294.24; 4. Austin Prock, 3.764, 323.35 vs. 13. Krista Baldwin, 3.930, 313.66; 5. Mike Salinas, 3.776, 314.17 vs. 12. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.905, 298.14; 6. Antron Brown, 3.790, 317.87 vs. 11. Doug Kalitta, 3.864, 287.41; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.803, 317.87 vs. 10. Josh Hart, 3.840, 317.57; 8. Leah Pruett, 3.817, 314.90 vs. 9. Doug Foley, 3.824, 311.05. Did Not Qualify: 17. Buddy Hull, 9.702, 82.18; 18. Luigi Novelli, 14.541, 59.35.
Funny Car — 1. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.888, 329.34 vs. 16. Terry Haddock, Ford Mustang, 4.705, 211.03; 2. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.895, 327.59 vs. 15. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.456, 197.65; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.899, 327.82 vs. 14. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.203, no speed; 4. John Force, Camaro, 3.928, 326.71 vs. 13. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.090, 311.56; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.934, 323.74 vs. 12. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 4.037, 317.57; 6. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 3.936, 327.35 vs. 11. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.033, 295.27; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.959, 325.53 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.996, 320.36; 8. Mike McIntire, Camry, 3.984, 316.45 vs. 9. J.R. Todd, Camry, 3.986, 322.58. Did Not Qualify: 17. Chad Green, 7.494, 97.82.
Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.602, 206.54 vs. 16. Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.701, 206.73; 2. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.615, 206.57 vs. 15. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.699, 206.23; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.620, 206.83 vs. 14. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.685, 206.45; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.624, 206.70 vs. 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.683, 207.05; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.633, 207.72 vs. 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.652, 206.13; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.635, 205.47 vs. 11. Bruno Massel, Camaro, 6.649, 206.54; 7. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.638, 206.89 vs. 10. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.648, 206.13; 8. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.639, 207.08 vs. 9. Val Smeland, Camaro, 6.648, 207.43. Did Not Qualify: 17. Alan Prusiensky, 6.729, 205.88; 18. Richie Stevens, 6.736, 205.22; 19. John Gaydosh Jr, 6.760, 205.01; 20. Bob Tucker, 6.902, 183.69.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.789, 198.44 vs. 16. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 7.054, 193.18; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Buell, 6.807, 201.49 vs. 15. Marc Ingwersen, Buell, 7.021, 194.16; 3. Matt Smith, EBR, 6.815, 201.58 vs. 14. Jianna Salinas, Suzuki, 6.992, 191.38; 4. Andrew Hines, Buell, 6.831, 201.13 vs. 13. Cory Reed, Suzuki, 6.965, 195.45; 5. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.863, 197.91 vs. 12. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.957, 196.13; 6. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.878, 196.36 vs. 11. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.933, 196.19; 7. John Hall, Buell, 6.908, 195.90 vs. 10. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.915, 193.07; 8. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.913, 198.61 vs. 9. Scotty Pollacheck, EBR, 6.913, 194.44. Did Not Qualify: 17. Ron Tornow, 7.101, 190.24; 18. Kelly Clontz, 7.281, 178.02; 19. David Barron, broke.
