Steve Torrence defeated Shawn Langdon in the Top Fuel final of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Park, continuing his recent surge less than two weeks after a win in Bristol.
Daniel Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Brayden Davis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also secured wins in the NHRA specialty event, held during the fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals.
Torrence posted a 3.877-second run at 324.28 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to edge Langdon’s 3.927 at 325.45. It marked Torrence’s first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of the season.
The four-time Top Fuel champion is seeking his first back-to-back race wins since 2021. He ended a prolonged winless stretch in Bristol and appears poised for another strong outing on Sunday.
“We’re just going to keep on doing what we’re doing,” Torrence said. “The consistency of the car has not been there, and so we need to work on that.”
“That’s been the main focus for the last few years, and we’ve lost that, and it seems to be coming back around right now, with three good runs on a very tricky racetrack,” he added. “We carried over some of the momentum from Bristol to the same conditions here.”
Torrence also emphasized the importance of the bonus points earned in the Mission Challenge, particularly with the Countdown to the Championship ahead. “We’re going to try to gain as many points as possible after skipping the race at Phoenix and not doing well at the first of the year,” he said.
In Funny Car, Wilkerson recorded a 4.038-second pass at 320.74 mph in his Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang, holding off Ron Capps’ 4.063. It was Wilkerson’s first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win and his second final-round appearance this year.
Wilkerson advanced past Paul Lee in the opening round before defeating Capps in a wire-to-wire effort. He credited his crew for the win and expressed confidence heading into Sunday eliminations.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure winning would mean this much until it did,” Wilkerson said. “I feel like I let the team down a couple times this year and last, and to not mess it up this time — that was really the most important part for me.”
“There are a lot of people that work on these cars out here on a rough track or hot track,” he added. “Tim [Wilkerson] is my choice.”
Davis, in just his third career Pro Stock Motorcycle start, defeated teammate Richard Gadson to claim his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory. Davis went 6.772 seconds at 198.70 mph to beat Gadson, who captured the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol.
Davis, in just his third career Pro Stock Motorcycle start, defeated teammate Richard Gadson to claim his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory. Davis went 6.772 seconds at 198.70 mph to beat Gadson, who captured the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol.
Davis also secured the No. 1 qualifying spot earlier in the day with a 6.757-second run at 198.65 mph. His rapid rise has made him a contender in the class.
“When you race for the Vance & Hines team you know, you have top-notch equipment,” Davis said. “With Andrew (Hines) on the keyboard, when he says it’s going to do something, it’s going to do it.
“It’s proved it every pass this weekend,” Davis added. “You never go up there with any doubt, and it’s left up to you, and if you get beat, then it just wasn’t your day.”
