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For the second and final time this season, side-by-side-by-side-by-side racing will return to the Camping World NHRA Drag Racing series with the Circle K Four Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway. This is the sixth event in the 22 race Camping World NHRA Drag Racing Series.

The most recent Four Wide event was last month in Las Vegas where Brittany Force and Ron Capps captured nitro titles and those two will be among the favorites as the series shifts east to zMax Dragway.

Force’s performance is especially noteworthy as she followed her Las Vegas win with another victory last weekend in Houston. Force, not only won the SpringNationals title, but she did so in an impressive fashion with a holeshot victory against Justin Ashley in the final round. Force also won the Charlotte Four Wide race in 2016 and she’s the current zMAx Dragway track record holder which helps make the Monster Energy team one of the favorites this season.

Force’s performance aside, reigning champ Steve Torrence is generally regarded as one of the best when it comes to four wide racing and he’s a six-time Charlotte champ. Torrence hasn’t won this season in his first five starts, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been very competitive at each race. It’s just a matter of time before the Capco car finds the winner’s circle and it could easily happen this weekend.

On more thing that bears watching is the battle for the bump spot in Top Fuel. The record bump is 3.77 and with 18 cars scheduled to compete in Charlotte and four qualifying rounds, it’s entirely possible that mark falls by the wayside.

A week ago, Matt Hagan won his 41st Funny Car title and his second of the season. The Dodge Power Brokers team has also had much success in Charlotte with three prior victories.

In addition to Hagan, Ron Capps and Robert Hight have also won races this season. Capps has already made headlines this weekend by announcing his new association with Toyota. His NAPA Auto Parts entry will be cloaked in a Toyota Supra body from this point forward.

Hight has also enjoyed considerable success at zMax Dragway with six victories including Four Wide wins in 2012 and 2014.

If you’re looking for a new winner to emerge this season, there are many possible candidates including Bob Tasca III, John Force, J.R. Todd, Tim Wilkerson, Cruz Pedregon, or Alexis DeJoria just to name a few.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class put on an amazing show last weekend in Houston where Steve Johnson won with a string of low 6.7-second runs on his Suzuki Johnson also happens to be the defending Charlotte champ so he’s got plenty of reasons for optimism.

Matt Smith made headlines last week when he switched from a Suzuki to his championship winning Buell before his final round showdown with Johnson. Smith will almost certainly continue to race the Buell this weekend, especially after a mid-week rules adjustment gave that combination a 10-pound weight reduction.

Gainesville winner Karen Stoffer was also solid in Houston and has arguably the best bike in the field while Vance & Hines teammates Eddie Krawiec and Angelle Sampey have made steady progress with their Suzuki entries.

Angie Smith is also worth watching as the North Carolina native also rides a Buell V-twin entry so she’ll also be able to remove 10-pounds for this week’s race.

Also on tap this weekend is the return of the FuelTech Pro Mod Series and Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown as well as a full compliment of Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series sportsman categories.

You can catch the action all weekend on FOX Sports 1 and NHRA.tv.

You can follow NHRA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to get a closer look at the action.

2021 EVENT WINNERS

Steve Torrence, Top Fuel; John Force, Funny Car; Steve Johnson, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

TRACK RECORDS:

TOP FUEL
3.662 seconds by Brittany Force, May 2021; 332.18 mph by Brittany Force, April, 2019
FUNNY CAR
3.851 seconds by Courtney Force, April 2017; 334.07 mph by Jack Beckman, Oct. 2019.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
6.729 seconds by Steve Johnson, May 2021; 203.49 mph by Eddie Krawiec, May 2021

SCHEDULE:

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, April 29, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, April 30 at 1 and 4:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for noon on Sunday, May 1.

TV SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, April 29, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of qualifying at 7 p.m. (ET)
SUNDAY May 1, FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 11:00 a.m. (ET)
SUNDAY, May 1 FS1 will televise 3 hours of finals coverage at 7:00 p.m. (ET)