EPPING, N.H. — John Force powered to the win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday at New England Dragway, claiming the bonus event win in front of a sellout crowd as part of this weekend’s 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals.
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at the seventh of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Force went 4.048 seconds at 320.81 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS to defeat Blake Alexander’s 3.994 at 320.51 on a holeshot in the final round, giving the 16-time world champion his first specialty event win of the season. It’s another impressive moment in what has been a standout season for Force, who is currently third in points. He’ll get a chance for an event win on Sunday and a double-up weekend, looking to continue his strong 2024 campaign.
“I love racing these kids,” Force said. “They make get me out of bed every day. I just know [car owner] Jim Head, he’s tricky and Alexander can drive so I rolled it in deep. I knew I needed to get a few inches on him and evidently it helped me. The numbers look deceiving, but it was a good race. Blake has a big future out here.
“So far, it’s been a good weekend, and it’s nice just to win. Tomorrow is a big day, so let’s go get some more tomorrow. I love being up here. The fans are great.”
Top Fuel’s Steve Torrence rolled to his first win of 2024 in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, taking down Dan Mercier in the final round with a run of 3.866 at 327.43 in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster. Mercier went 3.897 at 298.27, but Torrence led wire-to-wire en route to the victory, his fourth career win in the specialty race dating back to last year.
He knocked off Antron Brown earlier in the day, making a pair of solid runs in the 3.80s in the heat. That bodes well tomorrow for the four-time world champion, who is after his third career victory at New England Dragway.
“Our semifinal match-up with Antron Brown in Chicago was a great race and we had the same thing today. We also had a great race in the final with Mercier,” Torrence said. “Those guys have come out and started running well this year. I’m proud to see that. We need more guys like that out here. He’s a super nice guy and it’s an honor to race them in the final.
“Thanks to Mission Foods for all they do. It changes the way you look at qualifying and it adds something. Fans enjoy it when they get to see someone crowned as a champion. Mission is doing a lot of good for our spot and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn slipped by Aaron Stanfield in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, going 6.545 at 210.80 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to get the win over Stanfield’s 6.551 at 210.24. It’s Glenn’s first win in the bonus event this season and second in his career, and he was thrilled with how his car performed on Saturday in the heat. The Pro Stock points leader and former NHRA Rookie of the Year made a pair of strong runs, giving him plenty of momentum for what he hopes is his first career double-up weekend.
“It was a great preparation for tomorrow,” Glenn said. “I’m trying to stay a little more relaxed and it’s definitely helped. These are hard to come by. I don’t tend to do very well in bonus races, but we were able to get it done. We’ve got a great hot rod in the heat and it’s going to be warm tomorrow, so I feel like we’ve got something for them. We did a fantastic job today and I’ve got a good hot rod for tomorrow.
“I’m very happy with my Saturday. We got bonus points on both runs and I had two good races. We should have similar conditions for tomorrow so feel good that we can compete with anyone out there.”
Eliminations for the NHRA New England Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at New England Dragway.
