NHRA Summernationals in Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey
- Jun 19, 2017
Torrence won the Top Fuel title at the 48th annual NHRA Summernationals, his third win of the season and the fifth time he has reached the finals in the past six events. He won for the third time in his career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Jack Beckman won in Funny Car, Greg Anderson won in Pro Stock, and Jerry Savoie won in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Anderson won his second Pro Stock title of the season and his first since the races at Phoenix in February.
Anderson beat Vincent Nobile in the final round by a fraction of a second. Anderson’s run was at 6.613 seconds and 210.44 mph to Nobile’s 6.665 seconds and 210.21 mph. Anderson qualified fifth in the Pro Stock ladder and knocked out Kenny Delco, Allen Johnson, and Bo Butner on his way to the final round. Anderson also took a chunk out of Butner’s lead in the Pro Stock standings after 10 events. Anderson is 40 points behind Butner. The two Pro Stock drivers met in the semifinals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. Nobile is in seventh place in the Pro Stock standings, 275 point behind Butner. Torrence beat Antron Brown in the Top Fuel final. Torrence has raced Brown in 24 finals and this was his second career win against Brown in a Top Fuel final.
Torrence won back-to-back events in Charlotte and Atlanta six weeks ago. He was the second fastest qualifier at New Jersey and beat Smax Smith, Clay Millican, and Doug Kalitta before meeting Brown in the final. Brown, the No. 1 qualifier, reached the final round for the fifth time this season. Brown moved into first place in the NHRA Top Fuel standings. He has a seven-point lead over Torrence after 10 events. Leah Pritchett, who came into the races at New Jersey as the leader in the Top Fuel standings, fell to third after a first-round exit. Beckman earned the 25th victory of his NHRA career and his first of the season with a 4.100-second run at 312.42 mph defeating Ron Capps to a 4.143-second run at 299.66 mph. This was Beckman’s first final-round appearance since St. Louis in 2016. Capps, Beckman’s teammate and reigning Funny Car champion, reached his sixth final round of the year after beating Del Worsham, Alexis DeJoria, and Robert Hight.
Savoie won his first event of the season, defeating Hector Arana Jr. in the final. Savoie, the reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, moved up to third-place in the standings. He is 36 points behind Eddie Krawiec, the leader in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings. LE Tonglet is second in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, two points behind Krawiec. Savoie is the third different winner in Pro Stock Motorcycle this year. The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season continues with the 17th NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. | ||||
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