NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The first trip to zMAX Dragway since 2019 was a strong reminder there are not many places that do it better than the Bellagio of dragstrips. The birthplace of the four-wide race didn’t disappoint in 2021, with the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals producing several special and historic moments throughout the weekend.

It also gave a few indicators for what we might see this summer and the rest of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Here are five things we learned from the event:

TORRENCE TAILOR-MADE FOR FOUR-WIDE

It may simply come down to having a dragster that is bad to the bone, but racing in the four-wide event continues to bring out something special in Top Fuel’s Steve Torrence.

The three-time defending world champ was admittedly not a fan of the unique spectacle once upon a time, but he’s grown to like it and with that has come an unprecedented run.

He’s won four straight four-wide events at zMAX Dragway and six of the last seven four-wide events when you throw in Las Vegas. Torrence added that one reason he now likes four-wide racing is the added responsibility it puts in the hands of the driver. The added chaos of staging four cars while still getting locked in to drive an 11,000-hp nitro dragster has brought out the best in Torrence, who was impressive on the starting line in a loaded final round.

It further emphasized just how good Torrence is when he’s locked in. He’s swept both four-wide races in 2021, and when it comes down to it, it’s almost foolhardy to bet against this team when it comes to winning time.

As a quick side note, that final round was something special and featured four drivers having a whale of a start to the season. Brittany Force, after being away for a year, keeps improving each race in a dragster loaded with power. Antron Brown advanced to his third straight final to keep rolling along and rookie Josh Hart now has two final rounds in three career races, and at least one round-win at each race he’s attended in 2021.

THE FORCE IS STILL STRONG

This much was obvious after Atlanta when John Force advanced to the final round before losing a close battle with Bob Tasca III. It only continued in Charlotte, where Force had the best car of anyone. He put up two great qualifying runs on Saturday to take the No. 1 spot and then rolled through eliminations with three stellar runs.

The car was undoubtedly in prime form, and if that’s the case, Force can expect to be in title contention all year. That’s great for the sport and the class, and Force was his typical energetic, off-the-wall self in his post-race interview. He may be a tick behind on the starting line going against standouts like J.R. Todd, Tasca, Robert Hight, Matt Hagan, and others, but if he’s respectable with a car like he had last weekend, then Sunday certainly won’t be the only winner’s circle interview he has in 2021.

He more than held his own in a final-round quad that featured Todd, Cruz Pedregon, and Alexis DeJoria, and had a car that was a step ahead of everyone. Force credited Daniel Hood and Tim Fabrisi for that, and if that team is in sync, we’ve got an enjoyable Funny Car season ahead of us.

THE YOUNG GUNS ARE HERE

The Pro Stock final quad featured a 19-year-old driver, a rookie making his fourth career start, another driver making just his 12th career start in the class, and a 25-year-old making his first final-round appearance.

If that’s not a firm indication of an exciting youth movement in the class, nothing could convince you.

It’s a thrilling time to be a Pro Stock fan these days, and they were treated to an entertaining final round between rookie Dallas Glenn, Mason McGaha, Troy Coughlin Jr., and Fernando Cuadra Jr. Glenn got the moment of a lifetime, earning the victory in his first final and fourth career start, as all four drivers were seeking their first career victory.

Add in further young standouts like Aaron Stanfield, Kyle Koretsky, and Cristian Cuadra, and you’ve got seven drivers who are 30 or younger. It speaks well for the future of the class, but also provides a firm indicator that the future is now in the class. Sunday was the latest example of that, with all showcasing a considerable amount of driving talent.

All have been impressive in their young careers, with McGaha putting on a show on the starting line on Sunday, advancing to his second four-wide final quad in 2021.

Glenn enjoyed the sweetest moment in becoming the 69th different Pro Stock winner, but with the amount of young talent in the class, it won’t be surprising to see a few more first-time winners in 2021.

A 200-MPH NORM

An amazing thing happened on Saturday in Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying, as 200-mph runs suddenly became the norm for the terrific standouts in the two-wheeled category.

It started with Hector Arana’s 201.79 in the second quad of the second session on Saturday, and a dizzying blur of spectacular passes followed, including a record pass of 203.49 mph from Eddie Krawiec in the final qualifying session. The first 202- and 203-mph passes came in a blink of an eye, laying to waste the record books and raising the bar in the class. In all, nine of the 10 fastest speeds in class history all came this weekend, and while weather conditions will certainly play a factor, it seems safe to say 200-mph runs will be here on the regular in the class.

Not to be outdone was Steve Johnson making an emphatic statement that he’s a contender in 2021. His four-valve Suzuki looked mean, making the third-quickest run in class history in the final round, as his 6.729 crushed the track record en route to the win. It also was the quickest run ever on a Suzuki, and Johnson may just be getting started with his new bike.

FOUR-WIDE RACING: WHERE ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN

This isn’t something new, so maybe this is something we re-learned, but this weekend was just a further example of how anything can happen in four-wide racing.

It’s what has made it such a thrill for fans and racers alike, and the 11th running of this gem of an idea included plenty of wild action. Sunday’s four-wide madness included double holeshots galore in Pro Stock, a rookie winning in the same class, record runs in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and a flurry of upsets in the nitro ranks.

There was Krista Baldwin earning her first career round-win in a loaded quad that included the likes of Brown, Shawn Langdon, and Leah Pruett, Mike McIntire earning his first-ever trip to the second (and semifinal) round, and Terry Haddock picking up his first round win in 63 events.

Aaron Strong also earned his first round win in five years, and Karen Stoffer reached her first final in nearly two years, and Johnson won for the first time in more than seven years. In the final way of emphasizing “anything can happen in four-wide racing,” five competitors were vying for their first victory in the final round on Sunday.

We love the unpredictability of drag racing and four-wide racing may just be the epitome of that.