Bob Tasca III races to 2nd straight NHRA Funny Car victory

NORWALK, Ohio (AP) — Bob Tasca III won consecutive Funny Car events for the first time in his career, beating Jack Beckman in the final round of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday.

A week after winning in Bristol, Tennessee, for his first victory in nearly seven years, Tasca edged Beckman with a 4.383-second pass at 245.09 mph in a Ford Mustang for his sixth career win.

“I never gave up and I thank the people that never gave up on me,” Tasca said. “I always knew if I could get the right car under me we could do great things. I woke up this morning and was as confident as I ever was, and when you make four runs in the 3.00s in very challenging conditions, there was no reason why we couldn’t have won. I’m glad we got it done.”

Steve Torrence won in Top Fuel, Chris McGaha in Pro Stock and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Torrence, the defending season champion and current points leader, powered to his sixth win in the last seven races and 33rd in his career. He beat Pat Dakin with a 3.832 at 323.27.

McGaha raced to his first win of the year and eighth overall, topping Alex Laughlin with a 6.620 at 210.11 in a Chevrolet Camaro.

Hines, the five-time season champion and points leader, rolled to his fifth victory of the year and class-best 53rd overall. He beat Eddie Krawiec with a 6.895 at 196.99 on a Harley-Davidson.