For the first time in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) history, all four event race winners at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona CA also won a 2018 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship in their respective class. Here's how it went for the NHRA's top teams at the Automobile Club of Southern California Finals over the weekend.
1 - PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE - Matt Smith saved his best runs for the Countdown to the Championship scoring three of his four season victories in final stages of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. This was Smith's third NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle World Championship. He powered his Elite Motorsports DENSO Auto Parts EBR to a national speed record pass at 201.22 mph in defeating defending champion Eddie Krawiec.
2 - PRO STOCK - Tanner Gray claimed the 13th Wally of his two-year career in Pro Stock with his eighth win of the 2018 Mello Yello Championship Season by defeating Drew Skillman with a pass at 211.86 mph to Skillman's (redlight) 211.03 mph. Gray drove the Gray Motorsports Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro past Shane Gray (his father), Erica Enders and Jason Line to reach the final round.
3 - FUNNY CAR - When the defending NHRA Funny Car champion, Rober Hight, smoked his tires against Bob Tasca III during the opening round of eliminations at the Auto Club Finals, the 2018 World Championship went to J.R. Todd. However, Todd never lifted and dominated the season ending event with a 329.10 mph at 3.872 ET to defeat Tommy Johnson Jr.'s Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T.
4 - TOP FUEL DRAGSTER - In Top Fuel, newly crowned World Champion Steve Torrence set some NHRA history of his own. Driving the Capco Contractors dragster swept all six (6) Countdown to the Championship playoff races during the 2018 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Torrence claimed his eleventh overall victory of the season with a holeshot win over Tony Schumacher, the NHRA's winningest Top Fuel driver of all time.
The 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season will kick off with the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Feb. 7-10 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
