Cruz Pedregon leads a pack of Champions in hoisting Wally this weekend

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Another 4 Wide is in the books and it was a winner circle full of previous champions this time. Cruz, Erica, Torrence, and Jerry Savoie hoisting wallys this weekend.

For the first time in NHRA national competition we have competed in two 4 wide races in the same season. A few weeks ago it was Vegas that hosted their first 4 wide event since Bruton added an extra two lanes at the facility. This time it was Charlotte for the 4 Wide Nationals.

In Pro Stock Bike, it was the Alligator Man Jerry Savoie that took down Scotty Pollacheck, Andrew Hines, and Matt Smith. Andrew was the first to get off the line with an .016 light. Pollacheck was next with an .033, but at the finish line it was Jerry with a 6.784 at 195.73 that secured the victory. Andrew was the runner-up a 6.783 at 197.05. Matt was DQ’d for taking out a timing block and Scotty crossed the strip with a 6.865 at 193.79.

Rolling into Pro Stock we witnessed the 2X World Champion Erica Enders take the wally. Her final quad included teammate Vincent Noble, Chris McGaha, and Drew Skillman. Chris was the first to dump the clutch with a .009 but had issues early in the run. Drew squared up the tires at the hit, which left Vincent and Erica to fight it out at the top end. This weekend Erica was able to drive right down the track and take the win with a 6.535 at 212.73 to Vincent’s 6.520 at 212.69. The difference was in the lights, Erica had an .014 light to Vincent’s .095. This is the first win for Erica since last season, and shows her program is headed in the Championship direction again.

Steve Torrence was head of the class in Top Fuel this weekend. This was Steve’s third win this season in the Capco backed hotrod. It was also Steve’s third 4 Wide win. Steve had to outrun Doug Kalitta, Terry  McMillen, and Clay Millican. Steve’s .035 light put him out front for the entire final quad. Doug had a .043 light and finished as a runner-up today. Clay and Terry both fell off the pace. Terry crossed the stripe with a 4.361 and Clay crossed with a 5.295. Steve is well on his way to securing a spot in the countdown. Steve has won 50% of the races contested this season already.

Another World Champion got to hoist a wally for the first time since 2014. Cruz Pedregon is a 2x World Champion, and this weekend was time for the Snap-On backed Toyota Camry. Consistent passes all weekend secured the victory for Cruz. He faced off against the Force family and Tommy Johnson Jr. in the finals. Cruz had a stellar .032 light to put him out front and secure the victory. Next off the line was TJ with .084, but it was the 16x World Champion John Force that secured the runner-up spot. Cruz crossed the strip with a 4.059 and John was right behind him with a 4.098. Something to think about is that John Force didn’t even qualify for Houston last weekend. The win for Cruz helps him and the Snap-On team move closer to securing a position in the countdown later this season. This is Cruz’s 36th career F/C win and 82nd career final round.

A great weekend in Charlotte has come to a close, and the teams now look forward to loading up and heading down I85 to Commerce for the next stop on the Mello Yello NHRA tour. Watch for these Champions to shoot for another win when they get to Atlanta.