People Places & Racing News

Racing News: Enders, S. Torrence, Tasca III and Oehler Pick Up Wins at DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

Compiled by SEMA Editors

Erica Enders
Erica Enders picked up her 30th career win by going 6.656 seconds
at 205.88 mph in the final round in her Melling Performance/Elite
Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

Enders, S. Torrence, Tasca III and Oehler Pick Up Wins at DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas

Back-to-back world champ Erica Enders went from nearly not qualifying to collecting her first victory of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, grabbing the Pro Stock win on Sunday at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Ryan Oehler (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in their respective categories at the second race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

In her 300th career start, Enders, a four-time world champ, picked up her 30th career win by going 6.656 seconds at 205.88 mph in the final round in her Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to beat teammate Aaron Stanfield, Deric Kramer and Mason McGaha.

In Top Fuel, Torrence capped off a memorable stretch with his fifth four-wide victory, going 3.823 at 321.73 in his 11,000-hp Capco Contractors dragster in the final round to beat Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican and Antron Brown. It gives Torrence his first victory of 2021 and 41st in his career.

Tasca III picked up his first Funny Car victory in nearly two years and his seventh overall thanks to a run of 3.938 at 328.46 in his 11,000 hp Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang in the finals. In a loaded Funny Car final, Tasca outlasted defending world champ Matt Hagan, Tim Wilkerson and Ron Capps, narrowly slipping past Hagan at the finish line.

Oehler earned his second career Pro Stock Motorcycle victory on his Flyin’ Ryan Racing EBR, going 6.911 at 194.83 in the final round to beat Cory Reed, Steve Johnson and a red-lighting Scotty Pollacheck.

The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returns to action April 30-May 2, with the Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, marking the final event at the facility.

Permatex
Permatex will be a primary sponsor for the Permatex StarCom 00
Camaro, helmed for the second straight year by driver Quin Houff.

Permatex Kicks off 2021 NASCAR Season with StarCom Racing Sponsorship

Permatex has announced that the company will continue its sponsorship of the StarCom Racing Team for two key races during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series. This marks the third consecutive season that Permatex will be a primary sponsor for the Permatex StarCom 00 Camaro, helmed for the second straight year by driver Quin Houff. Permatex will sponsor the StarCom Racing team for the first race of the year during the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25. The second fight for the checkered flag will be during the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 18. The race at New Hampshire represents a special milestone in the track’s history, serving as the 50th visit by NASCAR’s premier series to “The Magic Mile.”

F1F1 Announces 2022 Miami Grand Prix

Formula 1 has announced that the brand-new Miami Grand Prix will join the F1 calendar in 2022. The race—set to be the first one hosted in Florida since 1959 —will be held on a new layout at the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins franchise. The 2022 event date, the first race in a 10-year deal, will be announced later. Miami will be the 11th location Formula 1 has raced at in the United States since the Championship began in 1950, following Indianapolis, Sebring, Riverside, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and Circuit of The Americas in Austin.

For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) website.