Top Fuel
Antron Brown secured the top spot in Top Fuel with a 3.697 second run. Brown also won the Wally today as he raced Steve Torrence in the delayed final from Seattle. The heavy-hitters all qualified in the top half of Sunday’s field. Doug Kalitta, Steve Torrence, Brittany Force, Tony Schumacher, and Shawn Langdon are all looking to gain some significant ground on Brown’s 100+ points lead before heading into the Countdown for the championship in two races.
Funny Car
Matt Hagan made the fastest run in NHRA Funny Car history with an impressive 3.822 @ 333.82 mph lap. This comes right on the heels of Del Worsham resetting the national ET record in Seattle two weeks ago. Drivers are no longer required to make backup runs in order to secure national records, but their time does have to stand until the end of the event. Despite having to wait through rain delays, the cool air seemed to be well worth the wait. Del Worsham currently sits in the number two spot while Hagan’s Don Schumacher Racing stablemates occupy the third through fifth qualifying spots going into raceday.
Pro Stock
Vincent Nobile received 2nd green hat of this season. He has back-to-back number one qualifiers, his first coming just two weeks ago in Seattle. It appears as though this might be a turning point for his team, Elite Motorsports. Elite has struggled with both their Chevrolet and Mopar programs. But Vincent’s 2 number one qualifying accomplishments as well as Elite having two cars in the final round in Seattle looks to be a glimmer of hope for the team. Vincent will have a by-run in the first round due to a 15 car field. All eyes will be on the Anderson v. Laughlin and Gray v. Enders. Laughlin and Enders are locked in tight points battle for the final spot in the Countdown. With two races left before the start of the Countdown and a measly 9 points separating the two, every run is absolutely crucial.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Angelle Sampey earned her 2nd number one qualifier of the year with a 6.830 @ 196.64 mph pass. The most decorated female racer in the sport already has a win on the season and will look to add a second Wally to her collection since returning to the sport last year. The Vance & Hines Harkey-Davidson riders, Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec, both got off to a slow start during Friday’s qualifying sessions. Hines will start from the second spot while his teammate, Krawiec will start from the number five position. Not to be missed this weekend is a heavy presence of women racing in the
two-wheel class. Five women took part in qualifying but only three, Angelle Sampey, Karen Stoffer, and Angie Smith, will take part in final eliminations on Sunday.
Final eliminations air LIVE Sunday at 2:00pm ET on FS1.
