NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series: NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals

Photo Credit: Richard H Shute/Auto Imagery Inc./Stellantis

While there was plenty of action at this weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals among several classes at Brainard International Raceway, the major drag racing sanctioning body’s elite categories were represented only by Top Fuel and Funny Car.

The Top Fuel contest was decided by what would be fantastically close final round elimination between Steve Torrence and Clay Millican that lasted less than four seconds. Millican secured his second consecutive final round appearance by beating Brittany Force in what was a rematch and reversal of last weekend’s match at Heartland Motorsports Park. Torrance entered Brainard as the point leader in the Top Fuel class but had missed the finals in the previous two events. The two determined competitors launched their dragster’s away from the Christmas tree at almost identical reaction times and maintained a tight side-by-side battle until the finish line where Steve Torrence took the victory. Torrence and his Capco Racing dragster recorded a 3.712-second ET compared to Clay Millican’s 3.729-second ET.

In the Funny Car final round match at the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals, Matt Hagan and Cruz Pedregon were each looking to capture their second win of the 2021 season. Hagan’s Mopar-sponsored machine rocketed at the start with a superior reaction time but the Snap-On Tools dragster of Pedregon valiantly gave chase. At the end, the start from the lights was enough for Matt Hagan to take the win. Hagan’s victorious pass in the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car involved a 3.923-second ET and a 327.98-mile per hour top speed.

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