Steve Torrence continues on NHRA Top Fuel roll, captures Carolina Nationals

Steve Torrence continued his powerful and speedy march toward a National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel Dragster championship Sunday, winning the Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Torrence blitzed reigning champion Brittany Force in the finals, capping a day that also included winners Ron Capps (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycles).

Torrence, who hasn’t lost yet through four races of the six-race Countdown To The Championship (the first time that’s happened), was the only points leader in the three divisions to win at the Concord track.

Here’s a look at each division:

Top Fuel

Torrence has nine victories this season and is 9-0 in final rounds. That’s pure domination. He also doesn’t want his Torrence Racing team to take that for granted.

“We had a team meeting (Saturday) and I told them not to let this moment pass us by,” said Torrence. “Look at what we’ve accomplished as a team. But we’re right in the middle of this thing and it’s truly remarkable what we’ve done.”

The final pitted the top two qualifiers from the weekend and, in Torrence, the points leader. But Force qualified first after Saturday’s action and beat Audrey Worm, Dom Lagana and Mike Salinas to reach the final. Torrence, who held a 103-point lead over Clay Millican entering the weekend, beat Chris Karamesines in the round of 16, then got past Don Schumacher Racing teammates Leah Pritchett and Don Schumacher.

Torrence had an elapsed time of 3.703 seconds (329.67 mph) to beat Force. He’s got what could be an insurmountable lead of 159 points now over Millican entering the final two races of the year at Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif. (where points-and-a-half are awarded)

Funny Car

Capps tightened up the Funny Car standings with his victory against J.R. Todd in the finals. Points leader Robert Hight went out in the the second round to Capps and now has an 11-point lead over Todd. Capps is in third place, 109 points behind Hight.

“It’s not over,” said Capps. “It’s points-and-a-half at Pomona, so unless you’re Steve Torrence, it’s not over.”

Tommy Johnson was the top qualifier but didn’t make it out of the first round, falling to Dave Richards. Capps, who qualified second, got past Dale Creasy Jr., before beating Hight in the second round. He took care of Tim Wilkinson in the semifinals before a pass of 331.20 mph was too much for Todd in the finals.

Capps knows he’s got a long way to go to catch Hight, and he’s not sure his victory Sunday sent any kind of message to the leader.

“I don’t feel like you need to make statements,” Capps said. “If you do, that’s bad karma.”

Pro Stock

The Pro Stock finals matched two drivers from Mooresville: No. 5 qualifer Line and points leader and No. 1 qualifier Tanner Gray. Line, a three-time champion, was a surprise winner over Gray, who is the points leader and has won seven times this season.

It was Line’s first victory of the season and 50th of his career. Line, who hadn’t been to the final round since finishing second behind in Denver earlier this season, is mathematically eliminated from winning the championship. But he’s now won at least won one race in 15 consecutive seasons, an NHRA record.

Gray, who is leaving the NHRA after this season for NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series East, had won the two previous countdown races and has seven overall victories this season. He still has a comfortable (130 points) lead over Jeg Coughlin.

“I looked over in high gear and didnt’ see him,” Line said of Gray. “I was pleasantly surprised. I did a good enough job with my left foot to get it done.”

Pro Stock Motorcycle

Smith retook the points lead with his victory against Chip Ellis in the finals. Smith, who qualified fourth, had a better reaction time than Ellis and won with an ET of 6.830 (196.64 mph). It was a tough weekend for LE Tonglet, who entered as the points leader but qualified ninth and then lost in the first round to Angelle Sampley. Smith takes a 41-point lead over Tonglet to Las Vegas.

“The last three races have been first-round upsets,” said Smith, who lost his points lead during the last race at Dallas. “We had the best bike coming into the countdown, but we can’t have another first-round meltdown. If you’ve got the points lead, it’s not a good thing..”

That wasn’t the case Sunday for Smith, who won for the third time this season.