The 2016 NHRA season kicked off with the Circle K Winternationals in Pomona, California on Valentine’s Day. After all the smoke had cleared, Funny Car driver Ron Capps and Top Fuel speedster Steve Torrence emerged victorious. Greg Anderson took home the glory in the Pro Stock division by outracing teammate Jason Line in the finals.
Funny Car Recap:
The 2015 defending Funny Car champion Del Worsham fell short by .0008 seconds in the finals, despite having a faster time, because of the quicker start off the line by the NAPA-sponsored Dodge Charger driven by Ron Capps.
Del Worsham’s DHL Toyota Camry flew down the quarter-mile in 3.962 seconds at 324.36 miles per hour, while Ron Capps clocked a 3.981 seconds at 324.28 miles per hour. The old adage, it ain’t how you start but how you finish, proved untrue.
Capp’s clutch foot was .25 seconds faster out of the gate and that was good enough to keep the hard charging Worsham at bay, giving Capps a hole-shot victory. A “hole-shot” win refers to a driver that runs a slower elapsed time (E.T.), but wins because of a faster reaction time at the start.
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The California native defeated fellow competitors Jeff Diehl, Chad Head and Robert Hight to earn his spot in the final. Winning the final ended a race drought that dated back to 2014 and gave Ron Capps his 46th victory. He will take a 22-point lead over Del Worsham heading into the NHRA CARQUEST Internationals at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix.
Top Fuel Recap:
The Top Fuel final was another photo finish as Steve Torrence and his Capco Contractors dragster squeaked pass NHRA legend Doug Kalitta’s MAC Tool hotrod by .004 seconds. Torrence ran a 3.735 second quarter-mile at 326.48 miles per hour, besting Kalitta’s 3.753 at 324.36 miles per hour.
Torrence outraced Stev Faria in round one, Morgan Lucas in round two and Richie Crampton in the semi-final to earn his spot against Kalitta. A career best run of 3.703 seconds, coupled with a 3.757 seconds average on eight trips down the track, was good enough to place the driver in the number one spot.
The Texan earned his sixth Top Fuel victory and sits 32 points atop the standing for the first time in his career. Torrence claimed the $500,000.00 prize and hopes to use this victory to string together another superb performance next week at Phoenix.
Pro Stock Recap:
The first ever winner of the Electronically Fueled Injector (EFI) Pro Stock era went to Greg Anderson. The Summit Racing Equipment competitor scored the second hole-shot victory of the day over teammate Jason Line. Anderson ran his souped-up Chevy Camaro down the quarter-mile track at 6.617 seconds and reached a top speed of 207.85 miles per hour. Line was faster at 209.82 mile an hour and covered the distance in 6.609 seconds.
Greg Anderson, a four-time world champion, defeated Matt Hartford in round one, then five-time world champion Jeg Caughlin Jr. in the second and Drew Skillman in the semi final round. Anderson stopped teammate Jason Line from winning his third straight NHRA Winternationals at Pomona.
Last year’s Pro Stock Championship runner-up was the top qualifier for this season’s opening event with a week-end best run of 6.585 seconds. “It was a fantastic team effort. Things just went so well all weekend and I felt so confident all day until the final round. I felt like the underdog there in the final. Apparently, it was my day. The sun is shining on me today,” said Anderson. The EFI Pro Stock class event marked the first time the cars went to the line without the trademark scoop on the hood.
2016 NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Standings:
Top Fuel points:
1. Steve Torrence – 126
2. Doug Kalitta – 94
3. Richie Crampton – 77
4. J.R. Todd – 72
5. Clay Millican – 57
6. Morgan Lucas – 52
7. Antron Brown – 48
8. Terry McMillen – 46
9. Tony Schumacher – 42
10. Brittany Force – 37
Funny Car points:
1. Ron Capps – 119
2. Del Worsham – 97
3. Robert Hight – 80
4. John Force – 69
5. Jack Beckman – 65
6. Courtney Force – 59
7. Alexis DeJoria – 55
8. Chad Head – 54
9. Tim Wilkerson – 33
10. Gary Densham – 32
10. Matt Hagan – 32
10. Cruz Pedregon – 32.
Pro Stock points:
1. Greg Anderson – 125
2. Jason Line – 105
3. Bo Butner – 84
4. Drew Skillman – 75
5. Vincent Nobile – 54
6. Jeg Coughlin – 53
7. Shane Gray – 52
7. Allen Johnson – 52
9. Chris McGaha – 35
10. Alex Laughlin – 33
The NHRA Drag Racing season will continue at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix, Arizona from February 26th-28th.
