The world’s quickest and fastest race cars traveled west to the World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis for the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Midwest Nationals. On tap were the premier Nitro classes for Top Fuel and Funny Car. Powered by 11,000-horsepower engines both classes go from zero to more than 330 mph over 1,000 feet in less than four seconds.
Drag racing legend and 16-time Funny Car champion John Force is one of the most popular and well-known drivers on the NHRA circuit. In 2008 at the NHRA Midwest Nationals event (at then Gateway Motorsports Park) Force secured his 1,000th competitive round win by defeating Ron Capps in the first round. Force accomplished the milestone while celebrating his 59th birthday.
After a runner-up finish last weekend in Charlotte at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS team moved to fourth in the Camping World Drag Racing Series points heading into the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway and the halfway mark of the Countdown to the Championship
Robert Hight Wins Funny Car at World Wide Technology Raceway
To say Robert Hight unloaded fast is an understatement. Behind the wheel of the JFR Chevrolet Camaro SS, Hight posted a 3.853 ET at 336.32 mph on Friday to earn the three-time world champion his fifth Number One qualifier of the 2022 NHRA Funny Car season. His boss, the legendary John Force, matched Hight’s 3.853 ET but was tick slower at 334.15 mph. Hight eliminated Tim Wilkerson and Matt Hagan (pictured above at Gatornationals) in his MOPAR Dodge SRT to set the stage for a Final Round elimination against his longtime rival, Ron Capps.
Capps entered Round One as the third fastest qualifier and eliminated Dan Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon, and John Force while surviving some of the day’s closest contests. In the Final, Hight was off the tree with .041 reaction time just a tick ahead of Capps with a .059 RT. But, Capps reeled in Hight’s Auto Club Camaro to get within .004 at the 330-foot mark but the NAPA Toyota started to wiggle causing him to come up approximately seven feet short at the line. It was the 61st Funny Car win for three-time NHRA Camping World champion.
Steve Torrence Claims Top Fuel Wally at NHRA Midwest Nationals
Steve Torrence arrived at World Wide Technology Raceway knowing that he and his Capco Contractors drag racing team needed a win. He started the weekend off right with a season-best run of 3.665 ET at 327.43 mph. On Sunday, Torrence eliminated Buddy Hull, Clay Millican, and Doug Kalitta to earn his spot in the Final. Josh Hart had posted a 3.667 elapsed time on Saturday to earn his spot as second in qualifying at 329.02 mph.
Hart had back-to-back holeshots and posted wins over Scott Palmer and Mike Salinas before a semifinal match with Shawn Langdon. Although Langdon got the jump, Hart took the win with a quicker ET and faster top speed. In the Final, Torrence had a .027 reaction time enroute to his second Wally of the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and his 53rd victory in Top Fuel. The win moved the four-time defending world champion into second place just fourteen points behind Justin Ashley.
UP COMING:
Texas NHRA FallNationals
Stampede of Speed is a ten-day festival of music, drag racing and amazing fan experiences on Oct. 7 through Oct. 16 leading up to the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals hosted at the historic Texas Motorplex on Oct. 13-16 in Ennis, TX.
