Matt Smith, Greg Anderson, Ron Capps and Steve Torrence. NHRA photo

Courtesy of the NHRA

POMONA, Calif. – Steve Torrence, Greg Anderson and Matt Smith all wrapped up their championship seasons in impressive fashion, racing to a world title and the event victory on Sunday at the season finale, the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Steve Torrence. NHRA photo

All four points leaders entering the race also claimed world titles, as Torrence clinched his fourth straight world title in Top Fuel, Anderson and Smith each won their fifth championship in Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, respectively, and Ron Capps picked up his second career world title in Funny Car.

Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) also picked up a win at the final race of the Countdown to the Championship and the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Steve Torrence. NHRA photo

Torrence continued his incredible reign of dominance and secured the world title for a fourth consecutive year with a win in the first round in his 11,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster. He wasn’t done there, either, and powered to the victory, going 3.759-seconds at 317.12 in the final round against Antron Brown. It capped off another dominant season, as he picked up his 11th victory of the season and 51st in his career.

“I just have all the confidence in the world in that race car,” Torrence said. “I don’t know how we’ve accomplished what we have other than hard work and great support, but this is what all the guys on this team have dedicated their lives to. At the level we’re at, it takes a team that’s willing to go the extra mile. When you have people where winning is the only option, you’re willing to go the extra mile and that’s what these guys do.”

Steve Torrence. NHRA photo

Brown reached the final round for the second time this year and 125th time in his career by beating Justin Ashley, Billy Torrence and Tripp Tatum. Torrence advanced to his 76th career final round thanks to round wins against Brandon Welch, Doug Kalitta and Cameron Ferre, and then wrapped off a truly memorable 2021 season by chasing down Brown in the finals.

“Over the last four years I’ve been able to be in a lot of high-pressure situations and it prepares you,” Torrence said. “It trains you and conditions you to be a machine in those situations. I’m telling myself to do what you do and (my team) has my back. In the finals, I went up and did my job and the outcome fell our way. We’ve got a target on our back and each year it gets bigger, so we’ve got to continue to up our game.”

Ron Capps. NHRA photo

Capps won his second world title when defending world champ Matt Hagan lost in the semifinals. The Funny Car veteran won his first title in 2016 and was helped by a first round win against Terry Haddock on Sunday in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Capps’ championship season included a pair of victories and five final round appearances, advancing to the championship round in two of the previous three races to take command in the points race against his Don Schumacher Racing teammate. Capps lauded the competition in the class in 2021, relying on a team that gave him a strong car in crunch time.

“I figured there was no way this was going to be easy,” Capps said. “It’s been so fun to work with these guys and this team, and to win another championship, you couldn’t have scripted it any better. I’m just so happy to be able to work with these guys. I always approach it like I’m trying to win another championship and Funny Car is just so tough. I’ve just had to chug along with a lot of great people around me and just do our thing. To have a second championship, it validates it all a little bit more.”

Bob Tasca III. NHRA photo

Tasca led the points for eight straight races in the early portion of the season and while he wasn’t in the title mix at the end of the year, he finished on a huge strong note, going 3.955 at 321.65 in his 11,000-horsepower Mustang to defeat Alexis DeJoria’s 3.974. It is Tasca’s third win this season and ninth in his career and it came after knocking off J.R. Todd, Jim Campbell and John Force to reach the final round. DeJoria advanced to her third final round this season thanks to wins against Bobby Bode, Tim Wilkerson and Hagan, but Tasca led wire-to-wire in the finals and finished a career-best third in points.

“I’ve been chasing a Pomona Wally for a long time,” Tasca said. “I remember being out here as a kid with my dad and I’ve always wanted to win here. It’s just a special day for my family, for sure. I just knew we were going to have a great weekend and we’ve got a great team. Everyone’s coming back next year and it was a fun way to end the year.”

Greg Anderson. NHRA photo

An absolute dream season for Anderson ended with a fifth world championship in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro when he slipped past defending world champ Erica Enders in the semifinals. The all-time wins leader in Pro Stock history then rolled to his 99th career win, going 6.574 at 208.23 in the final round, defeating KB Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky on a holeshot.

“That is the meanest race car in all the years I’ve raced,” Anderson said. “It was fast right off the trailer and it never skipped a beat. I’m very proud of everyone on the race team this weekend and we definitely came prepared to race. I love the competition in the class and we had a great, great day. I really believe I had the best race car all year and we got it done. It was a pretty neat day.”

Greg Anderson. NHRA photo

Koretsky reached the final round for the fourth time this year after beating Troy Coughlin Jr., Aaron Stanfield and rookie Dallas Glenn. But there was no stopping Anderson in 2021, as he beat Mike Callahan, Deric Kramer and then Enders in a thriller to advance to the final. In a year where he became the all-time wins leader in the class and also qualified No. 1 at 12 different races, Anderson finished it off with his fifth win this season.

“In the final round, all the pressure and tension was off,” Anderson said. “It was fun. There’s a lot of pressure in these races. To finish the season and get a 99th win, we can’t quit now. We’ve got to keep digging and I still feel like I can win races and win championships. I’m having a ball and I think I had more fun racing this year than a lot of years.”

Matt Smith. NHRA photo

Smith wrapped up his second straight world championship and fifth overall by winning in the second round on his Denso Auto Parts/Stockseth/Matt Smith Racing EBR against three-time world champion Angelle Sampey. Smith was first off the starting line in the pivotal matchup to pull off the holeshot victory and replicated that in the final round, going 6.817 at 200.74 to beat Karen Stoffer on a holeshot. That gave Smith six victories during his championship season.

“The goal was to at least get three round wins today,” Smith said. “When we beat Angelle and Steve (Johnson) lost right in front of us, I knew we were champs. Everything worked out for the best. I knew we were going to have a tough race with Karen, but I hit the Tree as hard as I could and had the best light of the weekend for me. We just made it work and performed well on the starting line.”

Matt Smith. NHRA photo

Stoffer, who also qualified No. 1 and made her first career 200-mph run this weekend, advanced to her third straight final to close the year, knocking off Kelly Clontz and Scotty Pollacheck. Smith, though, was brilliant the entire season, knocking off Ryan Oehler, Sampey and Eddie Krawiec on Sunday to reach the final round en route to his 32nd career win.

The 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series begins Feb. 17-20 with the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by ProtectTheHarvest.com at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Interviews:

Steve Torrence – 

Ron Capps – 

Greg Anderson – 

Matt Smith – 

Bob Tasca III – 

POMONA, Calif. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 56th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1. Steve Torrence; 2. Antron Brown; 3. Cameron Ferre; 4. Tripp Tatum; 5. Billy Torrence; 6. Doug Kalitta; 7. Clay Millican; 8. Mike Salinas; 9. Justin Ashley; 10. Alex Laughlin; 11. Brandon Welch; 12. Steven Chrisman; 13. Josh Hart; 14. Shawn Langdon; 15. Leah Pruett; 16. Brittany Force.

FUNNY CAR:

1. Bob Tasca III; 2. Alexis DeJoria; 3. Matt Hagan; 4. John Force; 5. Ron Capps; 6. Tim Wilkerson; 7. Jim Campbell; 8. Paul Lee; 9. Tony Jurado; 10. Chad Green; 11. J.R. Todd; 12. Terry Haddock; 13. Cruz Pedregon; 14. Bobby Bode; 15. Robert Hight; 16. Jeff Diehl.

PRO STOCK:

1. Greg Anderson; 2. Kyle Koretsky; 3. Erica Enders; 4. Dallas Glenn; 5. Mason McGaha; 6. Aaron Stanfield; 7. Deric Kramer; 8. Matt Hartford; 9. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 10. Kenny Delco; 11. Alan Prusiensky; 12. John Callahan; 13. Cristian Cuadra; 14. Steve Graham; 15. Chris McGaha; 16. Bo Butner.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1. Matt Smith; 2. Karen Stoffer; 3. Eddie Krawiec; 4. Angelle Sampey; 5. Steve Johnson; 6. Scotty Pollacheck; 7. Chris Bostick; 8. Angie Smith; 9. Freddie Camarena; 10. Andrew Hines; 11. Ryan Oehler; 12. Kelly Clontz.

POMONA, Calif. — Sunday’s final results from the 56th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 20 in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Steve Torrence, 3.759 seconds, 317.12 mph def. Antron Brown, 3.803 seconds, 312.21 mph.

Funny Car — Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.955, 321.65 def. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 3.974, 322.58.

Pro Stock — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.574, 208.23 def. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.567, 209.56.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, EBR, 6.817, 200.74 def. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.766, 198.47.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Rich McPhillips Jr., 5.138, 278.81 def. Julie Nataas, 5.173, 276.58.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.465, 266.32 def. Doug Gordon, Camaro, 5.483, 268.33.

Competition Eliminator — Ryan Warter, Chevy Camaro, 8.749, 159.89 def. Scott McClay, Dragster, 7.329, 179.97.

Super Stock — Jimmy DeFrank, Chevy Cobalt, 9.179, 150.93 def. Angelo DeCarlo, Chevy Corvette, 9.658, 134.74.

Stock Eliminator — Jeff Taylor, Chevy Camaro, 9.422, 132.06 def. Randi Shipp, Pontiac Firebird, 10.990, 112.01.

Super Comp — Cody Perkins, Dragster, 8.904, 151.61 def. Ken Mostowich, Chevy Camaro, 8.908, 188.23.

Super Gas — Steve Williams, Chevy Corvette, 9.877, 164.19 def. Roger Kato, Chevy Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers — Jeff Gillette, Pontiac GTO, 6.957, 199.35 def. Ryan Priddy, Chevy Camaro, 6.617, 209.23.

Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers — Parker Theobald, Dragster, 7.498, 164.89 def. Jennifer Wiens, Dragster, 6.725, 175.80.

POMONA, Calif. — Final round-by-round results from the 56th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Doug Kalitta, 3.709, 327.66 def. Josh Hart, 4.391, 181.03; Clay Millican, 3.736, 324.67 def. Alex Laughlin, 3.764, 321.04; Antron Brown, 3.717, 328.94 def. Justin Ashley, 3.713, 329.42; Mike Salinas, 3.745, 327.98 def. Steven Chrisman, 4.125, 272.94; Cameron Ferre, 3.796, 319.75 def. Leah Pruett, 5.053, 189.71; Steve Torrence, 3.769, 326.00 def. Brandon Welch, 3.877, 309.13; Tripp Tatum, 3.704, 327.51 def. Shawn Langdon, 4.525, 191.78; Billy Torrence, 3.730, 328.30 def. Brittany Force, 10.704, 74.05;

QUARTERFINALS — Brown, 3.747, 327.35 def. B. Torrence, 3.730, 328.46; S. Torrence, 4.253, 200.89 def. Kalitta, 5.456, 121.55; Ferre, 3.889, 304.19 def. Millican, 10.161, 82.40; Tatum, 5.980, 188.31 def. Salinas, Foul – Centerline;

SEMIFINALS — S. Torrence, 3.813, 283.07 def. Ferre, 3.831, 313.37; Brown, 3.794, 324.98 def. Tatum, 3.915, 246.57;

FINAL — S. Torrence, 3.759, 317.12 def. Brown, 3.803, 312.21.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.908, 327.98 def. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 9.439, 96.13; Jim Campbell, Charger, 5.403, 184.57 def. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 6.034, 253.56; Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.936, 327.66 def. Bobby Bode, Ford Mustang, 5.189, 142.91; Ron Capps, Charger, 3.908, 325.06 def. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.708, 178.07; John Force, Camaro, 3.938, 329.75 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.986, 319.37; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.935, 323.04 def. Tony Jurado, Mustang, 3.973, 322.34; Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.922, 325.30 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.808, 170.58; Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.955, 321.65 def. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.095, 251.67;

QUARTERFINALS — Tasca III, 3.946, 323.50 def. Campbell, 4.792, 184.30; Force, 4.038, 313.37 def. Lee, 6.593, 98.59; Hagan, 3.948, 322.34 def. Capps, 3.995, 319.45; DeJoria, 3.988, 318.92 def. Wilkerson, 4.268, 227.42;

SEMIFINALS — DeJoria, 3.940, 321.04 def. Hagan, 3.975, 317.79; Tasca III, 3.950, 322.58 def. Force, 3.982, 323.58;

FINAL — Tasca III, 3.955, 321.65 def. DeJoria, 3.974, 322.58.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Deric Kramer, Chevy Camaro, 6.596, 208.52 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.619, 209.30; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.588, 208.33 def. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 13.755, 55.59; Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.586, 208.39 def. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 16.067, 53.94; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.576, 209.10 def. Steve Graham, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.587, 209.59 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 22.094, 37.60; Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.566, 208.71 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.603, 207.91; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.549, 208.68 def. John Callahan, Dodge Dart, Foul – Red Light; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.572, 207.85 def. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, Foul – Red Light;

QUARTERFINALS — Enders, 6.638, 208.10 def. Hartford, 8.456, 136.66; Glenn, 6.615, 207.59 def. M. McGaha, 6.610, 209.04; Koretsky, 6.582, 208.91 def. Stanfield, 6.634, 208.01; Anderson, 6.569, 208.10 def. Kramer, 6.661, 206.64;

SEMIFINALS — Koretsky, 6.601, 208.71 def. Glenn, 20.525, 40.68; Anderson, 6.578, 208.23 def. Enders, 6.742, 206.92;

FINAL — Anderson, 6.574, 208.23 def. Koretsky, 6.567, 209.56.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Scotty Pollacheck, 6.857, 197.80 def. Andrew Hines, Buell, 7.014, 173.52; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.812, 183.22 def. Angie Smith, Foul – Red Light; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.801, 197.86 def. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, 6.969, 195.39; Eddie Krawiec, Buell, 6.843, 199.64 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Matt Smith, 6.779, 201.85 def. Ryan Oehler, 7.030, 194.07; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.741, 200.26 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 9.257, 95.50;

QUARTERFINALS — Krawiec, 6.876, 199.32 def. Johnson, 6.859, 196.42; M. Smith, 6.808, 199.85 def. Sampey, 6.771, 198.52; Stoffer, 6.796, 198.12 def. Pollacheck, 6.933, 193.57;

SEMIFINALS — M. Smith, 6.818, 200.50 def. Krawiec, 6.882, 198.38; Stoffer, 6.780, 198.35 was unopposed;

FINAL — M. Smith, 6.817, 200.74 def. Stoffer, 6.766, 198.47.

POMONA, Calif. — Point standings (top 10) following the 56th annual Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 20 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

1. Steve Torrence, 2,873; 2. Brittany Force, 2,637; 3. Mike Salinas, 2,614; 4. Justin Ashley, 2,556; 5. Billy Torrence, 2,498; 6. Antron Brown, 2,427; 7. Leah Pruett, 2,401; 8. Clay Millican, 2,384; 9. Shawn Langdon, 2,310; 10. Doug Kalitta, 2,290.

Funny Car

1. Ron Capps, 2,676; 2. Matt Hagan, 2,639; 3. Bob Tasca III, 2,586; 4. Cruz Pedregon, 2,555; 5. John Force, 2,543; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 2,526; 7. J.R. Todd, 2,498; 8. Robert Hight, 2,478; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 2,361; 10. Jim Campbell, 2,238.

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson, 2,752; 2. Erica Enders, 2,645; 3. Dallas Glenn, 2,575; 4. Kyle Koretsky, 2,532; 5. Aaron Stanfield, 2,415; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., 2,393; 7. Mason McGaha, 2,378; 8. Chris McGaha, 2,361; 9. Matt Hartford, 2,353; 10. Deric Kramer, 2,311.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Matt Smith, 2,721; 2. Angelle Sampey, 2,590; 3. Steve Johnson, 2,586; 4. Eddie Krawiec, 2,511; 5. Karen Stoffer, 2,499; 6. Scotty Pollacheck, 2,407; 7. Angie Smith, 2,327; 8. Joey Gladstone, 2,267; 9. Andrew Hines, 2,259; 10. Ryan Oehler, 2,230.