Four-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence asserted his dominance at Pacific Raceways on Sunday, securing his first win of the 2023 season and taking over the points lead. Torrence surged past Doug Kalitta in the final round of the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals.

Joining Torrence in victory were Tim Wilkerson in Funny Car and Gaige Herrera in Pro Stock Motorcycle. These triumphs marked the 11th race out of 21 in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Torrence clinched his 54th career win, turning in a 3.940 second elapsed time at only 289.26 mph in his Capco Contractors/Toyota dragster. This win denied Kalitta his 50th overall victory and marked a milestone for Toyota, as it commemorated the automaker's 200th overall NHRA win.

Point standings (top 10) following the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 11th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series - 

Final round-by-round results from the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, the 11th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

The legend who is John Force is still alive and well.

Force, a 16-time NHRA nitro Funny Car world champ, captured his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway in Seattle.

Force clocked a 3.915-second elapsed time at 327.35 mph in Q4 in his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS to grab the No. 1 spot.

It’s Force’s 166th career No. 1 qualifier, and he’s trying to add his NHRA nitro Funny Car record 155 national event wins. Force received a first-round bye and will face the winner of Chad Green vs. Alexis DeJoria in round two.

Mike Salinas has had a solid season.

The Top Fuel owner/driver has one win at the season-opening race in Gainesville, Fla., and he has an elimination-round record of 11-9.

Salinas arrived at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway in Seattle this weekend seventh in the points standings.

Salinas did turn some heads Saturday when he grabbed the No. 1 qualifying spot with his 3.743-second elapsed time at 329.02 mph in Q2.

The third annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars race was forced to end prematurely on Saturday night at Virginia Motorsports Park due to a timing system malfunction during the Top Fuel final round. The malfunction prevented the completion of the remaining final rounds. As a result, the finalists in all PDRA classes split the winner-take-all payouts, and they will have the opportunity to compete for the event trophy at the next PDRA race set to take place from August 3-5.

Tyler Crossnoe, PDRA series director and vice president of Virginia Motorsports Park, expressed disappointment over the timing system failure.

"An unfortunate series of events caused a catastrophic timing system failure that could not be repaired in time to complete the final rounds," Crossnoe said. "We exhausted every available resource and potential solutions in an effort to repair the system so we could wrap up what was an incredible show for the fans all day long, as well as crown ProStars champions."

The debut season for Gaige Herrera with the powerhouse team Vance & Hines has been nothing short of fantastic.

Herrera won the first three events on his Suzuki in Gainesville, Fla., Charlotte, N.C., and Chicago before losing in the final round in Bristol, Tenn. He was then tripped up in the second round in Norwalk, Ohio, and
rebounded by winning in Denver on July 16.

Herrera’s trend of success has carried over to the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway in Seattle Saturday.

Defending NHRA Funny Car world champion Ron Capps celebrated his third win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge bonus race at the Pacific Raceways on Saturday. The victory came after he defeated J.R. Todd in the final round of the event, which is part of the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals.

In the other divisions, Steve Torrence emerged victorious in Top Fuel, and Gaige Herrera claimed the victory in Pro Stock Motorcycle in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge held in Seattle. 

Capps, driving his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, completed the race in 3.951 seconds at 322.65 mph, surpassing Todd's run of 3.967 at 323.81 mph. With this win, Capps has now secured three specialty event victories in the last four races. Looking ahead to Sunday's race in Seattle, the two-time world champ aims to achieve his first double-up weekend of the year. Capps has already claimed two career event wins at this location.

John Force emerged as the dominant driver in Funny Car qualifying at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals, claiming the No. 1 spot for the first time this season. The Funny Car legend stole the show at Pacific Raceways with a blistering run of 3.915 at 327.35 in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Force's impressive performance marked his 166th career No. 1 qualifier, further solidifying his status as a 16-time world champion. The racing veteran expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming race.

"We have a race to win tomorrow, our cars are good, some are a little bit off, some are hot," Force said. "I didn't think we'd be that fast. But like Danny [Hood, crew chief] said, 'Hang on.' So when he does that, I know he's pushing it. So I'm excited and I love Seattle."