Despite frequent weather issues – NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals manages partial conclusion…
3X world champion Ron Capps became the all-time wins leader at Bristol Dragway, snapping a 33-race winless streak by defeating Paul Lee in the final round of the 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the eighth of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Capps made the best run of his weekend in the finals, going 3.957-seconds at 328.06 mph in his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra to chase down Lee and win for the eighth time at Bristol Dragway, surpassing Tony Schumacher for the most in track history.
It also gave Capps a huge sigh of relief, snapping a long winless streak. His last victory before Sunday came at Indianapolis in 2023, but the veteran found his groove on Sunday in Thunder Valley, winning at the scenic track for the third time in four years. Capps knocked off Matt Hagan, Epping winner J.R. Todd and Dave Richards to reach the final, turning in a classic performance to get his 77th career win and moving to fourth in points.
Ron Capps ended a rather frustrating event winless streak — with a significant career score at Bristol Dragway.
“We’re a single car team, and we can’t lean on other teams so it’s been a little more difficult,” Capps said. “Even when we were struggling, I never once questioned Guido [crew chief Dean Antonelli]. I just knew we had to get better, and we stuck with the plan.
“I knew we’d have times when we’d struggle, but as an owner I’ve watched it and tried to handle it a certain way. This is a grueling track. To win more here more times than John Force says a lot. I’ve known for a long time that I’ll be No. 2 to John Force in everything but to have eight wins here is awesome. To win so many times at a track that is so demanding on a driver and crew chiefs, it makes you feel like you’ve won a championship.”
Lee reached the final round for the third time this season with wins against Chad Green, Buddy Hull and Daniel Wilkerson. He’s now second in points, while Austin Prock stayed in the points lead despite a second straight first-round loss.
In Top Fuel, four-time world champ Steve Torrence also got back in the win column for the first time in nearly a year, taking down Justin Ashley in the finals with a run of 4.022 at 325.37 in his Capco Contractors dragster. Torrence last found the winner’s circle last July in Seattle, struggling down the stretch. It wasn’t a banner start to 2025, either, but Torrence and his team undoubtedly turned the corner on Sunday in Bristol, winning for the second time in Thunder Valley.
Steve Torrence’s 56th career NHRA win did include this narrow first round win over Canada’s Daniel Mercier.
To reach the final, Torrence got past Dan Mercier, Clay Millican and points leader Tony Stewart, defeating Stewart by .002 in a thrilling side-by-side semifinal duel. After a lengthy rain delay before the final round, both Torrence and Ashley struggled off the starting line. But Torrence quickly recovered, powering down the track to win for the 56th time in his career and giving the Texan plenty of momentum in the process.
Torrence remained seventh in points, but showed on Sunday his team still has plenty of championship potential.
Ashley reached his third final round this season on the strength of round wins against Antron Brown, Epping winner Brittany Force and Shawn Langdon. Stewart remains in the points lead, 76 points ahead of Langdon.
On a historic day, Anderson earned his 1,000th round win in the Pro Stock semifinals and followed with his fourth win of the season, defeating teammate Dallas Glenn in the championship round with a weekend-best run of 6.623 at 205.91 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson now has 110 career wins and joins John Force as the only drivers in NHRA history win 1,000 career rounds wins.
It seemed fitting the milestone round win total came at the track where Anderson earned his first career Pro Stock victory in 2001, as Thunder Valley continued to be magical for the defending world champion and points leader. His car was the quickest during eliminations as he raced by Kenny Delco, Erica Enders and David Cuadra to reach the final round. Glenn went red in the final round, but it may not have mattered as Anderson made the quickest round of the weekend en route to the historic win.
Defending World Champion Greg Anderson earned his 1000th round career win light while prevailing in Pro Stock!
(Photo Courtesy of NHRA)
He celebrated the 1,000th win in the semifinals, but the victory made it a complete weekend for the veteran and Pro Stock’s all-time wins leader.
“This is pretty magical. I think I could call it a day and ride off into the sunset but I’m having too much damn fun right now. Our team is firing on all eight cylinders and it’s been fun,” Anderson said.
Glenn, who qualified No. 1, reached the finals for the sixth time in seven races in 2025, taking down Fernando Cuadra Jr., Matt Latino and Aaron Stanfield, staying second in points.
For the first time, Richard Gadson is a winner in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, defeating teammate Gaige Herrera in the final round, taking the holeshot victory on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki with a run of 6.884 at 196.30. Herrera went a quicker 6.882, but Gadson’s stout .014 reaction time proved to be the difference at the finish line.
Ricky Gadson earned his first/overdue career NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle event title.
Gadson had fallen short in four previous trips to the final round, including this year at the four-wide race in Charlotte, but Sunday in Bristol belonged to the standout second-year rider. He defeated Charles Poskey and Chase Van Sant to reach the final round, holding off Herrera to claim his first victory. He had found success in qualifying and in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and Gadson was thrilled to collect his first Wally.
“The first thing is I’m exhausted. This has been hands down the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done I always knew I could do it. I really needed to win this for me,” Gadson said.
Herrera reached the finals for the third time this year, thanks to round wins against Chris Bostick, Angie Smith and No. 1 qualifier Brayden Davis. Herrera also stayed in the points lead.
Saturday’s popular feature – the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge — featured another first for racing legend Tony Stewart. The Top Fuel points leader picked up his first career #2Fast#Tasty title while also earning his first No. 1 qualifier. Stewart ran a 3.803 secs at 324.05 mph to defeat Doug Kalitta in that final round.
Tony Stewart collected his first career Misson Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory.
J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge titles that day. In those finals JR Todd bested Jack Beckman, Aaron Stanfield won over Matt Hartford and Gaige Herrera defeated Steve Johnson.
For the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series race at Bristol it was J.R. Gray winning for the second time this season, defeating his Al-Anabi Performance teammate Mike Stavrinos in the final round.
JR Gray prevailed within a ferocious Pro Mod class at Bristol.
For more details on results from the 5th of 10 races for the 2025 NHRA Pro Mod season – link to our Smokies Garage Pro Mod Portal subsection post: HERE
The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series returns to action June 20-22 with the fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Va.
Sportsman Racing Deferral
Weather and rain played havoc with the event’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule. Sportsman racing was only partially completed — with none of the class eliminators advancing past round #1. NHRA has subsequently announced that it will thus complete/relocate the Thunder Valley Nationals event to the upcoming Jegs SPORTSnationals at SGMP – July 9-10.
The Bristol weekend race did however include the conclusion of three sportsman eliminators deferred by weather from the season opening NHRA Gatornationals event from March. That saw event titles wins go to Jason Dewitt (Super Gas), Robert Houston (Super Comp) and Wayne Brooks (Top Dragster).
Mountain Motor Cars – Round #3
The Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Pro Stock feature event at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals was won by John DeFlorian and his Total Seal Chevy Camaro.
Set to face Elijah Morton in the final round, DeFlorian ended up having a solo run after Morton’s Ford Mustang was unable to start. DeFlorian made a 6.384 secs pass at 220.22 mph to collect his NHRA Wally.
DeFlorian previously had wins in Mountain Motor Pro Stock when the class was still an exhibition category.
“This is huge. We have four little Wallys [exhibition wins], and I’m proud of those, but to get the big Wally is just extra special and sweet,” he said.
DeFlorian started eliminations from the No. 1 qualifying spot after running a 6.391 secs pass at 220.73 mph. In the 8-car competition he also defeated Dennis Firkus and Vincent Nobile.
JHG Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars continue their season next at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Ohio, June 26-29.
Defending Champ Prevalent
For reigning 2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world champion Mark Pawuk Bristol Dragway had been a tough place to race for over three decades. But at the 24th Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Pawuk, the No. 2 qualifier, raced to his first win of the season and moved into the Flexjet points lead.
Pawuk, racing in his ninth career Flexjet Factory Stock final round, took his fourth win light of the day when Jim Betz re-lit in the final round leaving the starting line early.
In the opening round Pawuk grabbed the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown $1,000 bounty when he defeated Chicago winner Jason Dietsch, who overpowered the track as soon as he left the starting line. Pawuk was first off the line with a .039 second reaction time in front of Dietsch’s .055. He never trailed in the race crossing the finish line with a strong 7.937 second pass at 175.30 mph. In the semifinals Pawuk was facing a tough competitor in David Janac and he was at the top of his game leaving the starting line with a .059 reaction time and he held the lead for the full quarter mile — the scoreboard lit up his elapsed time of 7.893 seconds at 175.34 mph was the quickest run of the day for the category.
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown title went to defending World Champion Mark Pawuk
Prior to that round Pawuk had his best reaction time of the day, .022 seconds, to get the win over David Davies II, a fellow Dodge competitor. This was Pawuk’s second final round appearance of the 2025 season — earlier this year he raced to a runner-up finish at the Carolina Four-Wide Nationals.
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will be back in action at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, in Norwalk, Ohio, June 27-29.
Posted with files by NHRA Communications, Elon Werner & Bruce Biegler
Photos by Dave DeAngelis
Link to LMLC Media event photo gallery from Bristol : HERE
