Justin Ashley
Justin Ashley
This weekend marks the finale for yet another NHRA racetrack as Houston Raceway Park hosts the Camping World Drag Racing Series for a 35th and last running of the NHRA SpringNationals. Houston’s demise comes a year after the series lost its Atlanta, GA home and a year before its Phoenix, AZ venue is shuttered.
With a full slate of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle in the professional ranks, the Camping World competitors will be joined by Lucas Oil stalwarts in Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car, Comp Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster racers.
It’s been a couple of weeks since NHRA has been in action and the Camping World Series full-timers are looking at a much different Top Fuel lineup – and recent results – than they’ve been accustomed to in quite a while. Like more than four years!
For starters, there have been a quartet of races thus far in the 22-race Camping World 2022 campaign, and not one has been taken by Steve Torrence, the four-time and reigning dragster champion. There hasn’t even been a repeat winner, as Justin Ashley (Pomona), Mike Salinas (Phoenix), Tripp Tatum III at the Gatornationals and Brittany Force’s win in the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals locked the Texan out of the winner’s circle.
Houston is one of two “home” races for the Kilgore, TX resident, but he’s not the only Top Fuel Texan on the entry list. Tony Schumacher, the eight-time champion is gunning to win on his home turf, too, and is a three-time winner at this race. Schumacher last won here as a part-timer in 2020 and defeated Steve Torrence in that race. In his 12 appearances at Houston Raceway Park, Torrence has a single victory, 2021, in four final rounds – and four No. 1 qualifiers.
“I’m never going to forget the 2020 Houston event when I raced Steve Torrence in the final, because I think the margin of victory was…
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