S. Torrence Sets Track Record, Hagan and Glenn also get Provisional No.1 Spots at NHRA New England Nationals

EPPING, NH – June 3, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Four-time Top Fuel defending world champion Steve Torrence made the quickest run in New England Dragway history, driving to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday at the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the eighth of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

In a thrilling side-by-side qualifying run with points leader Brittany Force, Torrence set the track E.T. record with a run of 3.664-seconds at 329.50 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster. After seven races, the four-time champ is still seeking his first win of the 2022 season and could also claim his second No. 1 qualifier this year. New England Dragway has also been good to the Torrence family, with Steve winning in back-to-back years before his father won last year. After Friday’s standout run, Steve also has the track record with his stellar blast to close out the day.

“There was so much emotion behind that run just because we’ve been working so hard and diligently to really make this car do that,” Torrence said. “(I) couldn’t be happier for every one of these guys on the team because it’s so much hard work and this is like seven or eight races now without us winning one and it’s all a sacrifice you have to make. You have to tear stuff down to build it back up stronger and that’s where we’re at. I’m not going to say that we’re there yet, but we’re definitely a step in the right direction. That’s a confidence booster for myself and for every one of the guys. That’s what we needed to do, and it came at the perfect time.”

Force finished in the second spot with the only other run in the 3.60s on Friday, going 3.687 at 329.50. She’s after her fourth win this season. Mike Salinas, who has two wins in 2022, is third with a run of 3.705 at 328.06.

Points leader Hagan continued to put together spectacular runs in Funny Car, delivering an impressive blast of 3.878 at 332.51 in his 11,000-horsepower Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat. Hagan’s knack for delivering a big run on Friday this year continued, helping him close in on his second straight No. 1 qualifier. If it holds, it will also give Hagan his 46th career No. 1 qualifier as he looks for his fourth career win at New England Dragway. Hagan won three straight years in Epping before his streak was snapped last year, and his bid for a third victory in 2022 for the first-year Tony Stewart Racing team took a good step on Friday.

“This Power Brokers Dodge is exciting to drive all the time,” Hagan said. “Having (crew chief) Dickie Venables under the hood is a godsend. These are Dickie’s conditions. The guy is just a mastermind, and I’m just trying to do a good job driving it. You see guys out there shaking the tires, smoking it, not making full pulls because the track is so good. A lot of crew chiefs underestimated it, but one thing about this team is they don’t underestimate anything. They go for the jugular, and they seem to hit it a lot. I think we’ll have to step up (on Saturday). If you get another day like today, you better put your mouthpiece in and hang on.”

Blake Alexander claimed the second spot thanks to a solid run of 3.911 at 325.22, while Jim Campbell’s career-best pass of 3.965 at 315.64 has him third after the opening run. Tim Wilkerson is right behind in fourth after going 3.966 at 320.66.

Glenn, the reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year, closed in on his first No. 1 qualifier of year, going 6.543 at 209.33 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. With Pro Stock making its first appearance since late April, it was Glenn who made the biggest impression on Friday. Racing for just the second time in Epping in his career, Glenn is after his second career No. 1 qualifier, as well as his second victory this season.

“We were pretty happy. I’m sure the crew chiefs probably feel like there’s more left in it, but to come out and put a nice solid lap down definitely shows we were working hard these past few weeks and that we’ve kind of stayed in the groove,” Glenn said We didn’t have too much rust to shake off. The run felt nice and smooth, it felt natural, and I’m just glad I didn’t make any mistakes on my part.

“Tomorrow is going to be good. I’d definitely like to stay in that No. 1 spot and see Greg [Anderson, KB Racing teammate] get down the track and make a good, solid run. Our ultimate goal for this team is one, two, and three, so that’s what I’d like to see. But with the field bunched up as tight as it is, you can see that the other teams have been working, too.”

Glenn’s KB Racing teammate, Kyle Koretsky, is right behind in second after going 6.544 at 209.95, while Aaron Stanfield, who has a pair of wins this year, is nearly as close in third with his 6.545 at 211.00.

Qualifying continues at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway.

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EPPING, NH — Friday’s results after the first one of three rounds of qualifying for the ninth annual NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway, eighth of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Steve Torrence, 3.664 seconds, 329.50 mph; 2. Brittany Force, 3.687, 329.50; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.705, 328.06; 4. Josh Hart, 3.745, 326.00; 5. Tony Schumacher, 3.745, 307.44; 6. Austin Prock, 3.749, 293.22; 7. Antron Brown, 3.809, 324.12; 8. Doug Kalitta, 6.845, 98.25; 9. Shawn Langdon, 7.188, 94.11; 10. Dan Mercier, 7.656, 92.15; 11. Scott Farley, 8.098, 81.22; 12. Clay Millican, 8.226, 77.70; 13. Leah Pruett, 8.255, 139.47; 14. Justin Ashley, 9.974, 72.98.

Funny Car — 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.878, 332.51; 2. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.911, 325.22; 3. Jim Campbell, Charger, 3.965, 315.64; 4. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.966, 320.66; 5. J.R. Todd, Toyota Supra, 4.460, 195.93; 6. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 5.835, 123.14; 7. Ron Capps, Supra, 7.749, 87.37; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 8.109, 79.11; 9. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 8.376, 84.48; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 9.875, 74.12; 11. Cory Lee, Mustang, broke; 12. Robert Hight, Camaro, broke. Not Qualified: 13. Dale Creasy Jr., broke.

Pro Stock — 1. Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.543, 209.33; 2. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.544, 209.95; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.545, 211.00; 4. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.547, 209.59; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.552, 209.52; 6. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.560, 210.80; 7. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.561, 209.52; 8. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Ford Mustang, 6.571, 209.49; 9. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.584, 210.28; 10. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.621, 209.04; 11. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.636, 209.30; 12. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.672, 209.30; 13. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.943, 206.54; 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 7.721, 173.41; 15. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 17.449, 50.13; 16. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 18.535, 55.76.

To purchase tickets to the NHRA New England Nationals, fans can visit NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission with the purchase of an adult ticket. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.

About Camping World Holdings, Inc.

Camping World Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, (together with its subsidiaries) is America’s largest retailer of RVs and related products and services. Our vision is to build a long-term legacy business that makes RVing fun and easy, and our Camping World and Good Sam brands have been serving RV consumers since 1966. We strive to build long-term value for our customers, employees, and shareholders by combining a unique and comprehensive assortment of RV products and services with a national network of RV dealerships, service centers and customer support centers along with the industry’s most extensive online presence and a highly trained and knowledgeable team of associates serving our customers, the RV lifestyle, and the communities in which we operate. We also believe that our Good Sam organization and family of programs and services uniquely enables us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With over 185 locations in 40 states, Camping World, and sister company Gander RV, have grown to become prime destinations for everything RV. For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com.

About NHRA

Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 22 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. With over 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association

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