TOP FUEL

On Sunday evening, it was mission accomplished when the Red Fuel team with driver Spencer Massey and crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler scored their third victory of the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and the 239th for the Don Schumacher Racing organization, the winningest team in the NHRA series.

Coming off their best run of the season in qualifying, a 3.744-second lap at 330 mph that placed them second for Sunday's 16-car eliminations, Spencer and the team ousted Terry McMillen, Shawn Langdon, Leah Pritchett and J.R. Todd to move into second place in NHRA Countdown to the Championship points standings after entering the event in seventh.

"It's huge going into the last race of the season off of a win," Spencer said. "We always do well here in Vegas but this makes it so much better because we've been in a slump. To walk away with a Wally in Vegas, it's huge. We moved from seventh in the points to second, that's just awesome."

The slump Spencer is referring to is the stretch of 10 races from the Englishtown, N.J., event in June to the September U.S. Nationals where the team did not advance past the second round of eliminations.

"It'll be tough to catch Tony," he said. "Mathematically it's possible but let me tell you that U.S. Army car is going to be tough in Pomona. We're going after the win there. I want to win four races this season because we've done that the past few years and we don't want to fall short of that goal.”

Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing, was in position to clinch his record eighth career NHRA Top Fuel world championship, but it was not to be.

After making a surprising exit in the first round of eliminations Sunday against part-time series competitor Billy Torrence, Schumacher still left The Strip with a hefty 109-point lead over DSR teammate Massey.

Billy Torrence (near lane) knocked out Richie Crampton in the second round, 3.808/324.36 to 3.868/293.09.

Billy Torrence, racing in support of son Steve's bid for the 2014 championship, upset likely world champion Tony Schumacher before dropping a narrow decision in the semifinals of the Nov. 2 NHRA Toyota Nationals at Las Vegas. In addition to reaching the semifinals, the Capco Contractors founder recorded career best performances for both 1,000-foot time and speed at 3.769 seconds and 329.10 mph.

It was the best performance of the 53-year-old's pro career.  Unfortunately, the younger Torrence was not able to capitalize and will move on to Pomona for the season-ending Auto Club Finals with a chance to earn a top five finish, the highest of his career.