CLASS CEILING

Femme Fanatic Sports: A look at motor sports from a female perspective -- the NHRA

Seth Livingston
Tery Red  (Crew Chief for Rig Tech Motorsports )
Apr 18, 2018, 8:22 pm
Vegas debuted a four-lane track. NHRA.COM

Welcome to Femmefanaticsports, which covers the feminine perspective of Motorsports, etc.

What readers should know

Four lane race debuts at  Las Vegas Strip

When: April 6-8, 2018
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada.
What: The NHRA  Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Debuted it's  first event on a Four Wide Lane!

One of my favorite things of all time is being at the Houston Zoo at feeding time to hear the thunderous roar of the majestic lion as he awaits his breakfast. The power of the vibrations rising from the waves sent from the ground, rattling my bones, readjusting my footing, Inciting my heart  to throbbing!

The next best thing I find that really gets the adrenaline going is being in the stands  at a Motorsports Park. In Belle Rose, Louisiana there is No Problem Raceway,  then there is Texas Motorplex in Ennis and of course Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, just to name a few.

These tracks are host  to some of the wildest rides in the 1/4 mile. You have the John Force Racing, Team which includes some of the fastest women on the track- Brittany Force with a 3.667 second- pass at 330.31 mph at Pomona Autoclub Raceway, the same track where now retired Alexis Dejoria was the first woman to break the 3 second Funny Car barrier. Wild, right?  When you consider that these ladies are contending with amazing male counterparts like John Force, Tony Schumacher  and Clay Millican, now that's very classy ladies, amazing feat indeed. The aforementioned are all traditional two-lane tracks.

So now to the point; each time the 11000 horsepower engines torpedoed off the starting  line, it was quadruple  the excitement.  This novelty track is the first of its kind on the West Coast.  

And the winner is: Steve Torrence took the win in Top Fuel in the four lane quad dual beating out  "The Sarge "(#1 Qualifier), 3× World Champion Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta. 

JR Todd took the win in Funny Car; Vincent  Nobile took the top in Pro Stock.

Houston's very own Erica Enders is a formidable contender as  2x  Pro Stock World Champion  in this circuit as well with Melling Performance as her Sponsor, as she has shown us before,  she is the one to watch.

Visiting a nearby track can be an  excellent time for family bonding. It makes for a thrilling field trip for the home school setting . It allows boys and girls to get a closer look at the mechanics of professional racing  teams and their garages on wheels.

All you gear heads can walk the pits to quench your quest for your inner machine head.  Don't forget earmuffs/plugs  for the little ones, seat cushions for the stands, sunscreen, sun visor/caps, comfortable walking shoes for your visit to the pits, And your need for speed!

Looking ahead

NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Series Enthusiasts  can get a taste of this excitement in our own backyard:

What: NHRA Spring Nationals,  Houston,Tx
When: April 20-22
Where: Royal Purple Raceway 2525 FM 565 Baytown,Tx 77523

SportsMap featured contenders

Pro stock: Houstons' very own Erica Enders-Stephens.

Top Fuel dragster: Leah Pritchett (Don SchumacherRacing). 

Top Fuel Dragster: Brittany Force (John Force Racing).

Funny car: Courtney Force (John Force Racing )

 

 

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Houston is now 25-25 on the year

Kyle Tucker provides the big hit as Astros get series win over Rangers

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

After dropping the middle game to the Rangers to split the first two games, the Astros looked for an improved offensive showing in the finale on Thursday night to take the series. Here is a rundown of the rubber game:

Final Score: Astros 2, Rangers 1.

Record: 25-25, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Framber Valdez (4-3, 3.82 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Jordan Lyles (1-5, 7.07 ERA).

Valdez another Houston pitcher to thrive against Rangers

Much like Jose Urquidy on Tuesday and Lance McCullers JR. on Wednesday, Framber Valdez put up an excellent pitching line on Thursday against the Rangers. After allowing two singles in the first and a single in the second, he would settle in and hold the Rangers to just one baserunner, which came via a walk through six frames.

He would try to get through the seventh, but after a long at-bat and one-out double, Dusty Baker would stop his night and go to the bullpen. Unfortunately, that double would end up scoring as Josh James would allow an RBI-single, charged to Valdez, before finishing the inning. Along the way, Valdez was able to ring up eleven Rangers. His final line: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 0 HR, 100 P.

Kyle Tucker gets the big hit of the night

Luckily, Houston was still in the lead after the Rangers' run, thanks to a big hit by Kyle Tucker back in the second inning. After Alex Bregman reached base on a walk to become the first runner for the Astros, Kyle Tucker would break out of his recent slump with a two-run home run, putting Houston ahead 2-0 at the time.

Jordan Lyles was otherwise handling the Astros just like Kyle Gibson the night prior, who threw a complete-game shutout. Other than the Tucker homer, Lyles allowed another hit in the second and one in the third before retiring the next 12 Astros in order before an error in the seventh broke that streak, giving Houston their first baserunner since two outs in the third.

Houston takes the series and moves back up to .500

Josh James returned to the mound to start the eighth, and he would get a 1-2-3 inning against the top of Texas' lineup, including back-to-back strikeouts to end it. After another scoreless inning by Houston at the plate, that would set up a save opportunity in the top of the ninth. The opportunity would go to Brooks Raley, and he would notch the save with a scoreless inning, giving Houston the series and moving them back up to .500 at 25-25.

Up Next: The Astros' final three regular-season games played at Minute Maid Park in 2020 are this weekend in a series against the Diamondbacks. In Friday's 7:10 PM opener, Zack Greinke (3-2, 3.77 ERA) will be on the mound for Houston while Zac Gallen (1-2, 3.15 ERA) will be the starter for Arizona.

astros recap astros vs rangers rangers recap mlb mlb recap kyle tucker framber valdez astros

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