STEVE TORRENCE – NHRA PHOTO
TORRENCE, LEE AND ANDERSON ROLL TO PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT NHRA 4-WIDE NATIONALS
LAS VEGAS (April 11, 2025) – Four-time Top Fuel world champion Steve
Torrence powered to the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday at The
Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as he looks for his first top
position of the year at the 25th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.
Paul Lee (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the
provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the fourth of 20 races during the 2025
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Torrence went 3.840-seconds at 320.81 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco
Contractors dragster, one of just two drivers to reach the 3.80s on a
warm day in Las Vegas. If it holds, Torrence, who has five career wins
in Las Vegas, would earn his 41st career No. 1 qualifier.
“When you come to Vegas, you come here with expectations, and it could
be like this, or it could be cold. It could be Candy Land, or it could
be tricky and tough to navigate, and this is what we got today,”
Torrence said. “It looks like we’ll have that for the rest of the
weekend. We had a little bit of luck on the first run, but it went 900
of the 1,000 feet on seven cylinders and it went down through there
pretty quick.”
Justin Ashley was the other driver to hit the 3.80s, going to second
with a 3.892 at 315.27. Tony Stewart is currently qualified third thanks
to his 3.904 at 319.45.
In Funny Car, Paul Lee showed his team is more than capable of running
in the heat, pulling off a strong run of 3.940 at 326.08 in his
11,000-horsepower McLeod/FTI Performance Dodge Charger SRT. Lee
continues to perform at a high level, in line for his second career No.
1 qualifier just two races after winning his first career Funny Car race
in Phoenix.
The momentum continues to be with the team and Lee has always enjoyed
racing in Vegas. Friday presented plenty of challenges with the heat,
but Lee came away impressed with the work of his team.
“I mean, it’s 135 degrees [on the track] and we were hoping to run
like a 3.97 or 3.98 because we saw that it was out there,” Lee said.
“Jonnie (Lindberg, crew chief), you know, he’s an aggressive guy and
he thought it could hold a little bit more, so he put some extra nuts on
the clutch and I went and it held.
“That was close to the limit. It chattered pretty good and tried to
break the tires loose, but I just kept going and it held.”
Rookie Spencer Hyde is second with a 3.965 at 320.20 and J.R. Todd is
right behind after going 3.970 at 323.66.
No matter the conditions, there appears to be no stopping Pro Stock
points leader Greg Anderson, as the defending world champion rolled to
the No. 1 position on Friday with a 6.637 at 205.32 in his
HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson is after his third No. 1
qualifier in four races and has also won two consecutive races. He’s
on track to contend for a third as he’s enjoying one of the best
recent stretches in his standout career.
He’s been to five straight final rounds and Las Vegas has always treated
the six-time champion well. Anderson has won eight times at The Strip at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, putting him only behind Erica Enders’ 10 at
the facility.
“This is Las Vegas and being the four-wide event we know anything can
happen,” Anderson said. “You’ve got a hot racetrack, so you have to
give it as much gear as possible to make the motor think it’s got power.
You got to trick it with gear ratio, but we went over the edge.
“My guys are doing well, but we went over the edge a little bit on the
second run. We spun the tires and it shook and I had to lift. It teaches
them hopefully where the line is, where the limit is, and that’s great
for us tomorrow because it will be very similar conditions.”
Matt Hartford is currently second with a strong 6.646 at 204.08 in the
second session, while Cory Reed is third after going 6.655 at 205.32.
Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday at the NHRA 4-Wide
Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
***
LAS VEGAS — Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of
qualifying for the 25th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, fourth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods
Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final
eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.840 seconds, 320.81 mph; 2. Justin
Ashley, 3.892, 315.27; 3. Tony Stewart, 3.904, 319.45; 4. Antron Brown,
3.916, 312.35; 5. Josh Hart, 3.918, 310.20; 6. Shawn Reed, 3.953,
309.77; 7. Doug Kalitta, 4.084, 243.94; 8. Jasmine Salinas, 4.372,
190.94; 9. Clay Millican, 4.692, 163.61; 10. Rob Passey, 4.800, 237.13;
11. Shawn Langdon, 4.846, 152.26; 12. Scott Palmer, 5.410, 115.49; 13.
Brittany Force, 6.725, 89.46.
Funny Car — 1. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.940, 326.08; 2. Spencer Hyde,
Ford Mustang, 3.965, 320.20; 3. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.970,
323.66; 4. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.972, 325.22; 5. Jack Beckman,
Camaro, 3.972, 321.50; 6. Hunter Green, Charger, 3.980, 322.42; 7.
Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.011, 324.51; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang,
4.023, 315.05; 9. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.034, 316.08; 10. Matt Hagan,
Charger, 4.071, 315.19; 11. Bobby Bode, GR Supra, 4.102, 305.84; 12.
Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.118, 279.15; 13. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.173,
278.00; 14. Dylan Winefsky, Charger, 4.271, 284.15; 15. Chad Green,
Mustang, 4.518, 192.08; 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 4.620, 190.78. Not
Qualified: 17. Jason Rupert, 4.674, 188.94; 18. Alexis DeJoria, 4.920,
163.39; 19. Ron Capps, 7.018, 102.31.
Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.637, 205.32; 2. Matt
Hartford, Camaro, 6.646, 206.16; 3. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.655, 205.32; 4.
Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.659, 206.07; 5. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.671,
205.79; 6. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.671, 206.16; 7. Brandon Foster,
Camaro, 6.671, 205.04; 8. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.677, 205.54; 9. Jeg
Coughlin, Camaro, 6.696, 205.44; 10. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang,
6.702, 204.54; 11. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.705, 203.40; 12. Aaron
Stanfield, Camaro, 6.714, 204.39; 13. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.716,
205.13; 14. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.724, 204.54; 15. David Cuadra,
Camaro, 6.724, 203.68; 16. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.726, 204.32. Not
Qualified: 17. Eric Latino, 6.730, 203.68; 18. Erica Enders, 6.736,
205.88; 19. Fernando Cuadra Jr., 6.748, 204.35; 20. Kenny Delco, 6.754,
204.45; 21. Troy Coughlin Jr., 6.808, 180.86; 22. Joey Grose, 12.851,
121.16.
-NHRA-