Race Weekend Central

Torrence, DeJoria, Anderson and Krawiec Top Charts for 4-Wide Nationals

Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence got his 4-Wide weekend off to a strong start, topping the one and only qualifying session on a rainy Friday and holding on through two rounds on a sunny and warm Saturday to take home No. 1 qualifier honors for the NHRA’s most unique event of the season. Torrence posted a 3.736-second, 326.48 mph run on Friday to top the charts.

Alexis DeJoria, meanwhile, knocked Friday top qualifier Matt Hagan from his perch to earn the No. 1 spot in Funny Car with a track record ET of 3.934 seconds, although Hagan still came away with the track speed record of 323.50 mph posted Friday. DeJoria won the most recent event in Las Vegas and is looking to keep the momentum going after a disappointing 2015 season.

“The ups and downs that you go through as a team, as a driver, as a group in general, I think it’s good for you because it teaches you how to dig deep and it keeps you balanced,” said DeJoria. “It’s definitely time – we needed this boost. It’s incredible to go from not being able to make it down the track to winning, and now getting a No. 1 qualifier under our belt… it’s been a while since we’ve done that.”

A local favorite, Mooresville-based Greg Anderson continued the dominance of his KB Racing team by scoring the top spot in NHRA Pro Stock with a 6.576-second run. KB Racing has been dominating the category after getting a jump on the competition in figuring out the new electronic fuel injection for this division; however, Anderson noted several competitors seem to be closing that gap. Driving the point home, Drew Skillman slotted into the second spot, breaking a KB Racing stranglehold on the top-3 qualifying positions that’s been the norm this year.

Eddie Krawiec remains perfect in Pro Stock Motorcycle, staying atop the standings through all three rounds of qualifying for their 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte. Krawiec has now made it seven straight rounds atop the division as he held the top spot through all four rounds at the Gatornationals last month.

After battling rainy weather Friday, which resulted in canceling second round qualifying, Saturday was picture perfect. The weather produced a sold-out crowd at zMAX Dragway, one of the largest venues on the NHRA circuit for the sport’s unique event where four dragsters, not two compete side-by-side. It’s the second consecutive year day two of qualifying for the 4-Wide Nationals has boasted a capacity crowd.

The finals of the 4-Wide Nationals can be seen from 4:30 to 7:30 Eastern on FOX Sports 1. Frontstretch will also be providing live updates from the track on our Twitter feed.

About the author

A writer for Frontstretch since 2002, and editor since 2006, Toni heads up the NHRA coverage for the site. She’s responsible for post-race coverage in the weekly Pace Laps multi-series round-up along with the weekly Nitro Shots column featuring news and features from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. An award-winning former writer for the Presbyterian Church, Toni works in web design and freelances with writing in North Carolina.

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

Share via