Drew Skillman won Pro Stock at the Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N | NHRA Pro Stock driver Drew Skillman joined the club. He is the ninth NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series driver to win a Pro Stock event. He won the Pro Stock portion of the races at the 20th annual Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N Filters at Route 66 Raceway. “We’ve struggled all year,” Skillman said. “Had a lot better car than I’ve been driving. Finally put everything together and just got my head right.”Steve Torrence won in Top Fuel, Ron Capps won in Funny Car, and LE Tonglet won in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by K&N Filters. Skillman became the ninth different driver in Pro Stock to win in 13 events this season. Skillman won his first event of the season, defeating two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders in the final. It was Skillman’s fourth career NHRA victory. “Pro Stock’s so close right now,” Skillman said after the races. “That’s how it used to be. That’s how it should be. We’re all in the group now. Some cars just pick up for no reason. We’ve been pretty steady. We finally got what we deserved.” 
Drew Skillman defeated Erica Enders to come away with the win at the Route 66 Nationals | Skillman qualified third and defeated Shane Tucker, Tanner Gray, and Bo Butner, the leader in the Pro Stock standings, on his way to the final. Enders reached the final for the third time this season, beating Chris McGaha, Greg Anderson, and Jason Line in the elimination rounds.Skillman is in eighth place in the Pro Stock standings after winning at Route 66 Raceway. Enders is sixth after her runner-up performance. It was an emotional weekend at Route 66 Raceway because of the passing of Terry Chandler. She was a longtime supporter of NHRA drag racing and funded a two-car Funny Car team. One of the cars, which carries the Make-A-Wish Foundation driven by Tommy Johnson Jr., reached the final in Funny Car at Route 66 Raceway. 
Ron Capps Victory Race | Ron Capps beat Johnson in the final. Capps said afterward he was in a no-lose situation. He would have been happy for Chandler and her team if Johnson won the final race. “You already knew she was loved,” Capps said. “But people that had never met her before wanted to give their respects. Then to be lined up with one of her cars, it was a strange race. I never did see TJ. We knew it was going to be a good race.” Capps won his sixth NHRA Funny Car event of the year, a career high. He reached the final for the third time in the past four races, winning two of those events. But Route 66 Raceway had its challenges. Capps had to battle windy conditions and a poor qualifying effort to win races at Route 66 Raceway. “This weekend was just a bizarre weekend for us,” Capps said. “We didn’t qualify in the top half. And that was because we couldn’t keep the car in a groove Friday night and then the second run on Saturday. We saw a lot of people having problems, dragsters as well. It’s not an easy track to drive. It demands a lot out of you. There’s a lot of crosswind. A side wind will blow you over 10 or 15 feet.” Capps has a 200-point lead over Matt Hagan in second, and Jack Beckman is third in the Funny Car standings. 
LE Tonglet Pro Stock Motorcycle | Torrence won his fifth NHRA Top Fuel event of the season. He beat his nemesis and top rival Antron Brown in the final. The rivalry favors Brown over their careers, but Torrence has been finishing on top lately. There was a time Torrence said he had a “mental block” when facing Brown on the drag strip. “I sent him a photo of a voodoo doll and asked him if he had one with my face on it,” Torrence joked after the races. Torrence won his 13th career NHRA Top Fuel event and his third in the past four events. But Torrence sang Brown’s praises after the race at Route 66 Raceway. “That guy’s the best,” Torrence said. “I put him at the pinnacle of our sport. He’s got the all-around package. If I was going to say I am trying to emulate anybody, it would be Antron Brown. The guy’s always on his game.” Torrence leads the Top Fuel standings by 101 points over Leah Pritchett, who reached the quarterfinals at Route 66 Raceway. Brown is in third place, 103 points behind Torrence. 
The Winners Circle LE Tonglet, Drew Skillman, Ron Capps, Steve Torrence | Tonglet won for the fourth time in six NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle events. He defeated Hector Arana Jr. in the final round. Tonglet has reached the finals four times and is undefeated he does. “We knew we would be good, just not this early in the year,” Tonglet said. “We had three test sessions before Gainesville. That’s really where it all paid off.”Tonglet leads the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings. Eddie Krawiec, who reached the semifinals, is second in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings, followed by Arana in third. “It’s a lot more serious,” Tonglet said. “Qualifying you have one goal and that’s to make a perfect run, be low ET. On Sunday, the one goal is just to get win lights. It’s a different mindset and you got to stay calm and stay focused on what’s going on.” The next NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event is at Bandimere Speedway in Colorado. |
