Drew Skillman of Bargersville drove
to his first NHRA U.S. Nationals Pro Stock championship Monday at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Brownsburg.
Skillman, driving the Ray Skillman Chevrolet Camaro, defeated Greg Anderson of Charlotte, North Carolina, in the final for his fourth win of the season and seventh career Pro Stock victory in the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.
Anderson’s Summit Racing Equipment Camaro was actually slightly faster in the quarter-mile final, but Skillman took the win with a better starting line reaction time of .022 second to Anderson’s .050 second. Skillman’s Camaro covered the quarter-mile in 6.676 seconds at 206.61 mph to Anderson’s 6.66 seconds at 208.01 mph.
Skillman, 29, got to the final in the same fashion, defeating Tanner Gray of Mooresville, North Carolina, with a winning time of 6.692 seconds to Gray’s 6.689 seconds, with Skillman having an .044 second to .061 second advantage coming off the starting line.
The Pro Stock winner was one of four champions crowned in the professional categories, and three of them were first-time U.S. Nationals winners.
Steve Torrence of Kilgore, Texas, won the Top Fuel championship with a time of 3.757 seconds at 322.96 mph in the final, defeating Arlington, Texas, driver Kevin Kinsley, whose dragster lost traction off the starting line. It was Torrence’s first Nationals win and his seventh victory of 2017.
Lawrenceburg driver J.R. Todd won the Funny Car crown, defeating Ron Capps of Carlsbad, California, in the final with a time of 3.949 second and speed of 325.53 mph. It was Todd’s second win of the season and first triumph in the U.S. Nationals.
Eddie Krawiec of Avon won the Pro Stock Motorcycles championship.
