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HIGHT, TORRENCE, KORETSKY AND M. SMITH QUALIFY NO. 1 IN FRONT OF SELLOUT ST. LOUIS CROWD

STEVE TORRENCE BLAZES TO TOP OF TOP FUEL LADDER IN ST. LOUIS

Steve Torrence isn’t pushing the panic button.

However, he knows his Capco team needs to step it up right now if he has any chance of winning his fifth-consecutive NHRA Top Fuel world championship.

ROBERT HIGHT TAKES PROVISIONAL NO. 1 IN FUNNY CAR AT ST LOUIS

The outstanding 2022 NHRA season for Robert Hight keeps adding new accomplishments.

Hight’s latest moment of glory came when captured the provisional pole with a 3.853-second lap at 336.32 mph at the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis Friday.

KYLE KORETSKY SNARES PRO STOCK NO. 1 QUALIFYING POSITION AT MIDWEST NATS

The competition in NHRA’s Pro Stock category is as tight as ever.

The qualifying ladder at the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis was proof.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS HAS SPECIAL MEANING FOR THIS CRUZ PEDREGON CREWMEMBER

 

Cruz Pedregon's annual Breast Cancer Awareness-themed Snap-on Tools Funny Car seems to be a trigger for Nathan Hamm, and not in a negative way. 

Hamm, who works the bottom end duties for the two-time NHRA champion, is reminded about his ties to Breast Cancer when he sees Pedregon's pink-themed race machine. 

Hamm's mother, Lynn, suffered from Stage 4 breast cancer while pregnant with him. She beat the diagnosis, only to have the cancer return and take her life two years ago. 

TORRENCE, HIGHT, KORETSKY AND M. SMITH LEAD QUALIFYING AT ST. LOUIS

Four-time defending Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence made his best run of the season on Friday at World Wide Technology Raceway, taking the provisional No. 1 qualifier to open the race weekend at the 11th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals. 

Robert Hight (Funny Car), Kyle Koretsky (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. 

DESTINY JOINED THEM; A SENSE OF FAMILY KEPT ANTRON BROWN'S TEAM TOGETHER

 

Antron Brown, 46, and Justin Ashley, 27, are considered quasi-teammates, sharing a hospitality trailer and technical data. This dynamic didn't happen overnight. Actually, the foundation was poured when the latter was only 14 years old. 

The year was 2009 when Ashley's father, Mike, purchased the assets of David Powers Motorsports Top Fuel team, where Brown had just been named the driver. Ashley made one significant change once the sale was complete; replacing veteran crew chief Lee Beard with the duo of Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald.

Ashley wasn't trying to build a team; he envisioned a family. 

ENCORE PRESENTATION: HOW GROWING UP AT GRANDMAS SET THE STAGE FOR ANTRON'S CHAMPIONSHIP CAREER

 

She might be gone from this world, but Antron Brown is still leery about stepping out of line, fearful Grandma Lossie might somehow "slap him upside his head."

When Brown turned off the track following the final round at zMax Dragway after winning the NHRA Carolina Nationals, he could envision her standing there. Grandma Lossie, who earned the nickname when she got lost in New York City when she was younger, passed away earlier this year.

"I can just remember her little face, and her little hands, and her arms," Brown said, fighting back emotion. "And she used to shake [her hands] like this, with both fists together. And she used to say, 'Y'all go get 'em boy. Y'all get 'em. Y'all get 'em."

THREE DRIVERS REMAIN IN CONTESTION FOR NHRA PRO MODIFIED CHAMPIONSHIP

 

There was a time when it appeared all but one racer in the NHRA FuelTech Pro Modified series was racing for second place in the championship battle. Thorne won three of the season’s first four events and held a 108-point lead over second-place Rickie Smith. 

With a few key losses in the next four, Thorne’s lead has dwindled down to just 46 points with Smith breathing down his back. Last weekend at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals, Thorne lost in the first round and Smith in the second. Third place in the points, Steve “Fast” Jackson, used the opportunity to make hay while the sun was out. 

TS RACER MILLS HAVING FUN AND MAKING HISTORY ALONG THE WAY

 

Vonnie Mills has an interesting scenario going on. The more she concentrates on racing and winning, the more history she makes. 

The professional hair stylist from Kennedysville, Md., won her first NHRA national event in 1987 when she took home the Super Gas title. Mills added to her legacy two weeks ago when she drove her Jerry Bickel Camaro to the Top Sportsman title at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. 

"We've been waiting for this day," Mills said. "We knew it was coming. We've got really close before. We've won Divisionals, and we won PDRA and IHRA. Winning the NHRA National is, it's just such a good feeling.

It's an even better one knowing she has a car capable of winning often. 

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