Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Prock, Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) remained atop their respective fields heading into Sunday’s final eliminations at the NHRA Northwest Nationals outside of Seattle, WA.. 

Torrence’s 3.688 elapsed time at a track-record 335.32 was untouchable on Saturday. He now has two No. 1 qualifiers this season and 39 for his career. 

Torrence is the defending event champion, and the 2023 victory marks his last race win.

Top Fuel star Steve Torrence knows all about winning races and world championships.

The Kilgore, Texas, driver has earned 54 Wallys, and he notched four world titles from 2018-21.

Yet, it has been a year since Torrence has been in the winner’s circle, and he’s trying to return to glory at the Northwest Nationals this weekend in Seattle.

Torrence took a positive step in reaching that goal by capturing the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot with a stout 3.688-second elapsed time in a track-record speed of 335.32 mph at Pacific Raceways.

It has been a case of rinse and repeat for NHRA nitro Funny Car driver Austin Prock this season – especially in qualifying.

Prock put himself in position to claim his eighth No. 1 qualifying spot in 11 races by taking the provisional No. 1 position at the Northwest Nationals late Friday night.

Prock, in Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS for John Force Racing, clocked a 3.838-second run at 328.62 mph to rocket to the top of the qualifying board in the first night-time qualifying session in the history of Pacific Raceways.

“That was cool. It was the coolest for the fans. These fans here have never seen nitro cars, header flames under the lights, so I definitely could tell everyone had a great time" Friday night, Prock said. “So yeah, another great day for this Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS. These guys are just animals. I keep saying it, but I mean they have impressed me every weekend, and they were making adjustments up until we fired the race car in the water box. They were just fine tuning this, saying, 'Read the racetrack, read the competition,' and they made some obviously really good calls, but that thing got away from me down there.”

Well, that worked as planned.

For the first time in Pacific Raceways history, drag racing under the lights was expected to yield record-setting performances at the NHRA Northwest Nationals.

Four-time Fuel champion Steve Torrence thrilled the Seattle race fans with the fastest run in the track's history, which also helped him secure the provisional No. 1 qualifying position. 

Four-time Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence made the fastest run in Pacific Raceways history on Friday, powering to the provisional No. 1 position at the 35th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals.

When Sienna Wildgust announced she was leaving KB Racing to join rival Elite Motorsports, she planned to debut at the NHRA Northwest Nationals outside Seattle, WA. There is no more planning to be done as it is now time for the rubber to meet the road, or in this case, to hit the track at Pacific Raceways. 

“I am feeling very excited and blessed for my first race with Elite,” Wildgust said. “I am excited to work with everyone and thankful for Erica’s help in the whole process. We haven’t gone testing yet, so we are excited to see what the car will do during that first session.”

With the NHRA’s replacement driver rule maxed out at eight events, there’s a likelihood that John Force’s Funny Car hasn’t come out to this point because John Force Racing is waiting for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minn., which represents the first of eight events before the season ends. 

Until then, the team is expected to bring out the Force car at the 47th annual Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire, August 2-3, in Norwalk, Ohio. Force was to race against Funny Car rivals Ron Capps, Cruz Pedregon, and Dale Creasy Jr. as part of a booked-in show.

Austin Prock is driving the only Funny Car out of John Force Racing. But that’s not the most significant challenge he faces in this weekend’s NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways outside Seattle, WA.

Prock enters the first of the two-race Western Swing with a chance to join Ron Capps and Del Worsham in the history books as the only drivers to win the historic event in both a Top Fuel dragster and a Funny Car. 

But the milestone is not foremost on his mind; he’s honoring those who helped him get there. In 2019, Prock’s dragster was sponsored by Rocky Mountain Twist, one of several companies owned by the late Frank Tiegs and his family. In fact, another Tiegs company, Flav-R-Pac frozen vegetables, returns this week as a sponsor of Brittany Force’s national record-holding dragster.

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The last time Brittany Force thundered down the dragstrip, a dark cloud floated over her head. Her father, John Force, had crashed his Funny Car in round one of the NHRA Virginia Nationals. She had won the first round, and even though she was slightly quicker than Tony Stewart in the second round, he drove past her at the finish line for the win. 

Force had grown up watching her Dad experience some hideous crashes; this one was different and ratcheted up to a level not even matched by his 2007 Dallas accident, which left him severely injured. Doctors were forced to heavily sedate Force as he healed from injuries sustained, including a Traumatic Brain Injury [TBI].

If anyone knows a good time at or away from the dragstrip, it’s Ron Capps. The three-time champion will be racing at Pacific Raceways this weekend at the NHRA Northwest Nationals, and after racing hours, he’ll be at Muckleshoot Casino Resort as part of a week-long partnership.  
 
The Muckleshoot Casino Resort  is in nearby Auburn, WA., and features an array of entertainment and gaming options, luxurious accommodations, and a diverse offering of on-site dining establishments. 
 
“I always love going up to the Pacific Northwest. That area holds so many great memories for me as a driver, but our NAPA team is especially excited about returning to Seattle this year because we get to call the Muckleshoot Casino Resort home for the weekend,” said Capps, who returns to the Pacific Northwest after having advanced to the final round in Norwalk, Ohio at the most recent event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour.