What's ten minutes southeast of Waxahachie TX? Locals and E3 Spark Plug drag racing fans know that it is Texas Motorplex, home to the quickest and fastest form of motorsports. Drivers, teams and sponsors have looked forward to the NHRA Nationals at the all-concrete facility for more than three decades of racing. Opened in 1986, it was the first super-stadium built specifically for drag racing and has seen all the great names in the sport burn rubber in championship-clinching performances at the historic track.
With drivers hitting 0 to 100 mph in less than half a second, it all happens in the blink of an eye at the 32nd Annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals. This year's fourth round in the Countdown to the Championship was no exception. On Friday the 13th, Texan Steve Torrence showed why he came home leading the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship when he tied the track record in qualifying. But, things got a lot more exciting for the Kilgore-native as he continued his search for his first Top Fuel win at his home track.
On Sunday, Torrence took a wild ride after winning the second round of eliminations when his CAPCO Contractors Top Fuel dragster dropped a left rear tire at the finish. The scary crash destroyed his primary ride putting the Richard Hogan-led team on the clock for the semi-finals. With crewmembers from other teams helping, the CAPCO team rolled a brand-new Morgan Lucas Racing chassis off the truck but lost the round to eventual winner Brittany Force. Her third victory of the 2017 season vaulted the John Force Racing Top Fuel driver into second place in the points for the Countdown to the Championship behind Torrence.
In Funny Car, John Force Racing's Robert Hight posted a 332.34 mph pass in his AAA of Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS to defeat reigning world champion and Funny Car points leader Ron Capps in the final. It was the fourth win of the season and 41st of Hight's career. He leaves Texas in second place in the points for the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Countdown. Hight trails Capps by just 24 points as the Championship continues to head west for the penultimate round at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 26-29.
