NHRA: C. Force, Kalitta, Anderson win at Houston

Courtney Force raced to her first Funny Car victory of the season Sunday at the NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway. It is the fifth consecutive NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event that has featured a female winner.

Force posted a 3.913-second pass at 327.90 mph in her Chevrolet Camaro to defeat No. 1 qualifier Tim Wilkerson, who powered his Ford Shelby Mustang to a 3.943 at 323.81. This is Force's eighth career win and first since 2014 in St. Louis. She now shares the Funny Car points lead with Wilkerson.

"It was a pretty amazing weekend for our Chevy Camaro team," Force said. "I was nervous going into the final against Wilkerson. I knew what kind of numbers he could put on the board and I knew I just had to be right there with him. We've been working really hard and I feel like this one felt even better than my first-ever career win. We wanted it more than anything."

The NHRA Mello Yello Series has now seen four different female winners in Nitro so far this season – the most in a single season in NHRA history.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also were winners at the sixth of 24 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event on the season.

Kalitta (left) is the first Top Fuel driver to win two in a row in Houston.

"We were really wanting that final ... couldn't be prouder of our guys," an emotional Kalitta said. "I really would like to dedicate this race here, I lost a good friend, Mary Spindler, today with cancer, and dedicate this to her, and couldn't be happier for this team and Connie and Red Line and Toyota and all the guys that support us here. We're happy to get the win."

With their respective victories, Kalitta and Force have earned berths in the Traxxas Nitro Shootouts to be held later this year.

Kalitta powered to his first victory of 2016 and third at the NHRA SpringNationals with a final round pass of 3.813 at 280.60 for a holeshot victory over No. 1 qualifier Steve Torrence. Torrence, a Kilgore, Texas, native, raced to a 3.810 at 306.81 but his slower reaction time proved to be the difference. Kalitta, the defending and three-time event winner, earned his 39th career victory to tie Antron Brown and Kenny Bernstein for fourth on the Top Fuel all-time wins list.

In Pro Stock, Anderson (right) won his third race of the season on a holeshot against teammate Jason Line. Anderson pushed his Chevy Camaro to a 6.630 at 209.43 to defeat points-leader Line's 6.597 at 209.95 in his Chevy Camaro. Anderson, who has three career wins at the SpringNationals, was also the No. 1 qualifier. The duo has combined to win the first six races of the 2016 season, sharing three victories apiece.

"At 55 years old, I guess you can still get it done once in awhile. But today I felt like 18. I felt like a kid today. I had a blast. ... I smoked the tires in low gear, I knew it was all over, and somehow, some way, the good Lord shined on me and my light came on at the final line on the scoreboard."

The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues May 13-15 with the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta.