Brittany Force needed 75 races to secure her first NHRA Top Fuel victory, but it took only one month to claim her second as on Sunday at zMAX Dragway, Force prevailed in a historic conclusion to the exhilarating NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods, the only four-wide race on the NHRA schedule.
Force posted a 3.764-second pass at 319.98 mph to edge two-time and defending event winner Antron Brown by .015 seconds in a gripping final round of fire-flying Top Fuel action to become the first female to win a four-wide nitro event.
"It worked out for us," Force said. "Standing behind my team, they're capable of doing anything. They put together a car that just ran consistently every single run, and I'm so proud of all of them for doing that."
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Tim Wilkerson used a 315.56-mph pass in 3.967 seconds to top Cruz Pedregon by a scant .028 seconds to score his 20th career Funny Car victory.
"We were actually the fastest car every round, and I'm proud of that," Wilkerson said. "We were fortunate to get down that lane that quickly, but I had a good car."
Jason Line broke out of the four-wide final round fight to claim his 40th career Pro Stock win and his first four-wide Wally with a 6.565-second, 211.33-mph run that edged Bo Butner by .026 seconds.
"This race has always been pretty tough for me," Line said. "To win here is pretty gratifying."
Few were more excited than Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Andrew Hines, who rocketed to his third consecutive four-wide triumph with an incredible .002-second reaction time that propelled the veteran to a 6.844-second, 195.42-mph pass. Hines held off No. 1 qualifier Eddie Krawiec by .005 seconds.
"I was trying my best. I told my guys that I was going to shoot for a .015 (reaction time)," said Hines, who landed his 43rd career victory. "You move one knuckle and it can be a couple hundredths on a reaction time. We got better and better and in the final round, I took a shot."
TICKETS:
To purchase ticket packages, suites, camping and race-day upgrades for the next zMAX Dragway showcase of nitro-fueled madness, the Sept. 16-18 NHRA Carolina Nationals, call the Charlotte Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
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