B. Force, Beckman and Davis all qualify No. 1 at Virginia Motorsports Park

Courtesy NHRA Communications Images Geoff Sculley

DINWIDDIE, Va. (June 21, 2025) – Less than two weeks after winning in Bristol, Top Fuel standout Steve Torrence continued to roll on Saturday at Virginia Motorsports Park, defeating Shawn Langdon in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge as part of the fifth annual American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals.

Daniel Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Brayden Davis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, while Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Davis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) qualified No. 1 at the ninth of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In the heat, Torrence made a strong run during all three qualifying sessions on Saturday, finishing it off with a run of 3.877-seconds at 324.28 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Capco Contractors dragster to slip past Langdon’s 3.927 at 325.45 and earn his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the year.

Torrence broke a long winless streak in Bristol and he followed it up with a fantastic Saturday in Richmond, which could bode well for raceday as the four-time champion looks to win back-to-back races for the first time since 2021.

“We’re just going to keep on doing what we’re doing,” Torrence said. “The consistency of the car has not been there, and so we need to work on that. That’s been the main focus for the last few years, and we’ve lost that, and it seems to be coming back around right now, with three good runs on a very tricky racetrack. We carried over some of the momentum from Bristol to the same conditions here. 

“The points we get here (in the Mission Challenge) will help after the Countdown resets that that’s something that could be a huge benefit. We’re going to try to gain as many points as possible after skipping the race at Phoenix and not doing well at the first of the year, which has kind of put us far back in points.”

Force, meanwhile, took the No. 1 qualifier for the second time this season and the 54th time in her career after an impressive 3.839 at 327.98 in her 12,000-horsepower Chevrolet dragster. It was a standout run in the heat, as Force made two solid passes on Saturday. She’s after her second victory this season and at Virginia Motorsports Park, looking for the win at a track where her father, legendary driver John Force, was involved in a massive crash a year ago.

She’ll open eliminations against points leader Tony Stewart, who struggled during all three qualifying sessions on Saturday.

“It’s definitely tough coming back to this racetrack with the memories I have from this place,” Force said. “We won here in ’22 and won the [Mission Challenge] here last season, and it’s all kind of forgotten. It’s like the only thing I really remember is Sunday last year when my dad wrecked and everything that came with that. It is tough to come out here. I’m glad he’s out here with me, but it’s everywhere I look, I see something that reminds me of that day.”

Clay Millican qualified second with a 3.864 at 324.90 and Torrence is in the third spot thanks to his winning run in the specialty race.

In Funny Car, Daniel Wilkerson inched closer to the biggest weekend in his racing career, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the first time after going 4.038 at 320.74 in his 12,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang to hold off Ron Capps’ 4.063. Wilkerson had advanced to a final round earlier this year, finishing as the runner-up in Pomona, and took another step on Saturday with the specialty event win.

He defeated Paul Lee earlier in the day and then led wire-to-wire against Capps en route to the victory. Wilkerson was thrilled with Saturday’s results and is hopeful it will lead to something even bigger on Sunday.

“Honestly, I wasn’t sure winning would mean this much until it did. I feel like I let the team down a couple times this year and last, and to not mess it up this time,” Wilkerson said. “That was really the most important part for me. I like winning and everything, but I feel like I let 10 guys down a couple times, and to be able to be able to make something happen for them, I’m very proud.

“There are a lot of people that work on these cars out here on a rough track or hot track, Tim (Wilkerson, crew chief and father) is my choice.”

Driving Force’s 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS, Beckman took the No. 1 qualifying spot with a run of 3.988 at 320.51. It was the only three-second run on Saturday in the Funny Car ranks, as the former world champion collected his third No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 31st in his career. He’ll open eliminations against Jim Campbell, looking to hand another win to Force in what has already been a banner year for the veteran.

“Our car is superb on cool racetracks with throwdown runs,” Beckman said. “I actually think our car is even better on hot race tracks and I think we’ve proven that a few times, but Richmond is the smoothest racetrack on tour.

“Our goal always is for Austin [Prock] and I to qualify on opposite sides of the ladder and our goal always is for Austin and I to race each other on race day. If we start from opposite sides of the ladder, that makes it a final, and if it gets to that point, John Force Racing has won.”

Points leader and defending event winner Austin Prock qualified second with a 4.004 at 320.36 and J.R. Todd’s 4.018 320.05 handed him the third spot.

The meteoric rise of Pro Stock Motorcycle rookie Brayden Davis continued on Saturday in Richmond, as he defeated teammate Richard Gadson in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and grabbed the No. 1 qualifier for the second straight race on his Powertrain/RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

Racing in his first NHRA specialty race, Davis went 6.772 at 198.70 to defeat Gadson, last week’s winner in Bristol, picking up his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory. Earlier in the day, Davis went 6.757 at 198.65 to claim the top spot for the second straight race. It is only Davis’ third career start in the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks, but he’s quickly proven to be a major factor in the class.

After another fantastic Saturday, he’ll open eliminations against Marc Ingwersen, looking for a clean sweep at Virginia Motorsports Park and his first career NHRA win as well.

“I’ve said a million times, but when you race for the Vance & Hines team you know, you have top-notch equipment, and with Andrew [Hines, crew chief] on the keyboard, when he says it’s going to do something, it’s going to do it,” Davis said. “It’s proved it every pass this weekend. You never go up there with any doubt, and it’s left up to you, and if you get beat, then it just wasn’t your day

  

“I’m enjoying the moment and the ride while I have it. I really feel like we have a good shot at it tomorrow. I had the bike to beat in Bristol and I just messed up. It’s going to be interesting, but I think if I stay .020 on the Tree, and the bike stays consistent and stays healthy, then we should make it an interesting day.”

Matt Smith is currently in the second spot after a run of 6.768 at 201.43 and John Hall’s 6.787 at 199.97 puts him third.

Eliminations for the American Rebel Light Virginia NHRA Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at Virginia Motorsports Park.