CHANDLER, Ariz. -- Leah Pritchett raced to her first Top Fuel victory Sunday at the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.
Pritchett used a quicker reaction time and a performance of 3.775 seconds at 323.12 mph in her Bob Vandergriff Racing dragster to finish in front of Brittany Force's 3.774 at 321.35 in her John Force Racing dragster. It was the first all-female Top Fuel final since Shirley Muldowney defeated Lucille Lee in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio.
Pritchett outran J.R. Todd, Clay Millican and Antron Brown in the first three rounds before beating Force in the final. She is the 16th woman to win a Mello Yello Series race and the eighth to win in the Top Fuel category.
"It is the happiest day of my life, besides getting married, of course," Pritchett said. "This is what dreams are made of."
Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) also picked up victories at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.
In Funny Car, Wilkerson earned his 19th career victory and first at Phoenix by taking out longtime rival John Force with a run of 3.937 at 320.43 in a Ford Shelby Mustang.
Line beat Chris McGaha with a 6.666 at 205.16 in a Chevrolet Camaro for his 38th Pro Stock victory. It was Line's second consecutive final-round appearance of the season, and the two-time world champ takes over the series points lead.
