NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Pro Stock Motorcycle Q1

The time has come! It has been a blazingly hot and humid day here at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA Nationals, but this late in the evening, at least the sun isn't burning its fiery rays into the racing surface anymore. That being said, this day was projected to be the warmest of the weekend, so what happens tonight may not hold tomorrow. In fact, it's highly likely that tonight's low qualifiers will have to work extra hard to protect their position through the rest of the weekend before the fields are set for Labor Day Monday eliminations.

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This is a sight we haven't seen in quite a while. Former world champion Geno Scali makes his first pass aboard the Vance & Hines Suzuki that L.E. Tonglet was racing earlier this year and puts a 7.134 on the scoreboard next to Wesley Wells, who went 7.49.

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Ryan Oehler, who won at this racetrack in 2020, goes 7.097, and Marc Ingwersen betters it with a 7.055 in the next pair, despite inching to the outside of the groove and getting a bit wiggly. Chris Bostick's 7.001 pushes to the front, but then it's Jianna Evaristo taking her Scrappers Racing Buell to a 6.939 as she battles to keep it in the groove.

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Chase Van Sant tested a bunch ahead of this race, and he goes 6.970, but Angie Smith smashes in with a 6.883 aboard her Denso Buell. Matt Smith Racing teammate John Hall cannot get his motorcycle to fire, and he climbs off. He's third in the points entering this event, so this is a hit.

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Hector Arana Jr. was runner-up here last season, and he won this race in 2011 (his dad, Hector Sr., did it first in 2009). He clocks a 7.032 out of the gate.

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The Vance & Hines team has plentiful history here. In 1985 and 1986, Terry Vance won the Pro Stock Motorcycle trophy here at the U.S. Nationals with a final-round victory over Mike Keyte, adding a second Indy trophy to his collection after winning Top Fuel Bike at the prestigious event in 1981. Vance's longtime business partner, Byron Hines, saw sons Matt and Andrew score two-a-piece wins here, and rider-turned-crew chief Eddie Krawiec has three wins aboard a V&H Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Here, Vance & Hines Revzilla Suzuki rider Richard Gadson clocks a 6.964, and then it's back-to-back Indy winner Matt Smith and Gaige Herrera on the starting line, and you can feel the intensity as the riders who are No. 1 and No. 2 in the points go head-to-head. Herrera's 6.929 is overcome by Smith's 6.895, so at the end of the first day of qualifying, Angie Smith stands at the top, husband Matt is No. 2, and Herrera No. 3. Angie is No. 1, Matt No. 2.

"This is a great way to start off qualifying, let me just tell you – these boys in this shop and everybody on my team, they've worked countless hours to build a brand-new bike in 10 days," said Angie. "I've had such a slump going on, but this is what teamwork is all about."

Pro Stock Q1

Pro Stock newcomer Derrick Reese is up first in his Kenny Delco Racing Mustang. The former Mountain Motor Pro Stock racer is adjusting quickly in the car formerly piloted by Cristian Cuadra after making his Sonoma debut. On a solo, he goes 6.738.

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Camrie Caruso, using KB Titan Racing power, makes her return to Pro Stock here after a crash earlier this season in Phoenix. She's on the chip way early next to 1989 Indy winner Larry Morgan, and then the two head out. Caruso goes 6.689, Morgan betters Reese's run with a 6.733.

"I made a rookie mistake going to the floor way too soon," admitted Caruso at the top end, who was subjected to a ton of test runs ahead of this race (approximately 20). "But I'm going to do better, and my guys got me a really good car. I'm excited to be back; it's going to be a great weekend."

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Another pair of Pro Stock rookies head to the starting line, J&A Service-backed Cory Reed with KB Titan power and Sienna Wildgust, formerly of KBT, wielding Elite Motorsports hp under the hood of her Team Wildgust Real Estate Chevrolet. Wildgust makes one of her best runs of the season with a 6.678, while Reed gets a bit loose early in the run for a 6.710.

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The Corral Boots entry driven by second-generation Pro Stock racer Fernando Cuadra Jr. is on a good one, and he wheels his way to a 6.654 next to veteran racer Kenny Delco's 6.724.

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In the next pair, 2016 Indy winner Chris McGaha is aiming high, but loses an oil pump belt and has to shut it off. David Cuadra powers his Corral Boots machine to a 6.710.

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This next pair is a good one to watch – Mason McGaha and his Harlow Sammons Racing Chevy were in the final round in Brainerd, and last year, Matt Hartford and his GETTRX Chevy swept the event with a start from the No. 1 spot and a coveted Indy win. McGaha makes a solid run, his 6.663 sends him up to the No. 2 spot for now, but there are some pretty heavy hitters coming up. Hartford is out of it early.

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Fernando Cuadra Jr. and fellow Pro Stock driving twin brothers Cristian and David have been kept away from several races this year while they attend to the family business.

"It's really tough, but we enjoy so much racing," said the driver who proudly flies the flag of Mexico on his Pro Stocker. "It's more pressure to drive the car perfect, but in some ways, [racing] relieves the pressure of work."

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Identical 6.685's appear on the scoreboards for Deric Kramer and Eric Latino, then Brainerd No. 1 qualifier Jerry Tucker pulls to the starting line next to Cristian Cuadra, who is residing in the No. 8 position in the points despite missing a handful of races. He'll need to gather as many points as possible here in order to earn a spot in the Countdown to the Championship. Cristian vaults to No. 2 on a 6.657, Tucker is No. 4 on a 6.665.

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It's a Coughlin family meeting here as Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his Scag Power Equipment Chevy lines up next to Troy Coughlin Jr. and the Jegs/White Castle entry. Uncle Jeg throws down a big number, 6.647 to move to No. 1 for now. Nephew Troy is 6.657 at the final stripe.

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The Elite Motorsports Johnson's Horsepowered Garage Chevrolets are next, and defending Pro Stock champion Erica Enders wheels her JHG/Melling machine to a 6.621 to go No. 1. Aaron Stanfield and his matte-black version powers to a 6.630 to get the No. 2 spot for the moment.

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Points leader Dallas Glenn and his RAD Torque Systems Camaro clocks a 6.639 next to the driver who is No. 2 in the points – his boss, Greg Anderson, who puts up a quick 6.621 that tops Enders' number on speed. The HendrickCars.com Chevrolet is on top for tonight.

Enders is No. 2, Stanfield is No. 3, Glenn is No. 4.

Funny Car Q1

Funny Car qualifying kicks off with Dale Creasy Jr., who is making his first national event appearance since a nasty two-car tangle with Dave Richards last October in Dallas, taking om Justin Schriefer. Creasy run 4.05, a few tick off the 3.97 he ran here last year, while Schriefer shuts off early.

The Creasy team bought a chassis from John Force Racing for their comeback and enter the event on a little hot streak after two recent match-race wins. Look for a feature story on Creasy’s comeback tomorrow on NHRA.com.

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Chicago firefighter Chris King makes a career-best pass of 4.079 o open his Indy account on an especially hot note alongside second-generation Funny Car racer Bobby Bode, who takes the provisional pole with a 3.986.

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Dave Richards, now 14 races into his first full season, rolls into the beams along Funny Car rookie Buddy Hull, who’s still looking for his first career round win. Hull, who failed to qualify the Jim Dunn Racing entry two weeks ago in Brainerd, takes a step to make sure there’s no repeat of that with a  solid opening 4.14 alongside Richards’ early-lifting 4.50.

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Three-time Indy winner Cruz Pedregon takes on one-time Big Go champ Alexis DeJoria on the world’s most famous dragstrip. DeJoria is debuting a new paint scheme here that she will carry on her GR Supra through the remainder of the season, that being Bandero Premium Tequila’s latest offering, Bandero Café, “a smooth liqueur, with notes of fresh roasted coffee, chocolate and vanilla.”

Pedregon takes the No. 1 spot with a 3.901 with DeJoria joining her in the threes with a 3.987.

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Paul Lee, who will take part in Sunday’s Pep Boys All-Star Callout for the first time, and Chad Green, who also is in the Callout, are up next and post respective runs of 4.00 and 4.02.

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Recent Brainerd winner and new father Blake Alexander looks to continue that hot streak alongside Daniel Wilkerson, whose dad, Tim, has won this event twice. Alexander takes over the No. 1 spot with the first 3.8-second pass of the weekend, 3.890, alongside Wilkerson’s 4.026.

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The last time Jack Beckman ran at the U.S. Nationals, in 2020, he walked away the winner, and he’s suited up here again now carrying the flag and points-earning potential for injured John Force.

In the other lane is the event’s early highlight, Ron Capps, in the spectacular Don Prudhomme U.S. Army tribute car.

Beckman races to a 3.903 to give him the No. 3 spot while Capps’ red, white, and blue Toyota has the parachute fall out early and he nonetheless tows in through to a 3.997, a run that crew chief Dean Antonelli thinks would have been a 3.92 or 3.93.

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J.R. Todd, who won this event back-to-back in 2017 and ’18, and 2016 Indy winner Matt Hagan square off next. Hanag, like Capps, is rocking tri colors to celebrate the 50th anniversary of sponsor Direct Connection. Todd, whose DHL team damaged two bodies in Brainerd, goes to No. 4 with a 3.969 while Hagan is off the gas early.

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The two frontrunners in the points, Austin Prock and Bob Tasca III, will round out the session. Prock can only muster a 3.92 while Tasca is out of it early, so for the second straight race, Blake Alexander is the low qualifier after Friday night qualifying.

Top Fuel Q1

It’s an all-international matchup of former FIA world champions to kick off Top Fuel with Lex Joon, who with his wife Gerda, came to the United States from Netherlands in 2013, and Swedish rookie Ida Zetterström, who moved to the United States from the Aland Islands in February to drive the JCM entry.

Zetterström, who reached the semifinals in her NHRA debut in Brainerd, clocks a solid 3.80 against Joon’s early-shutoff 4.02.

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Tripp Tatum, making just his third start of the season and his first since Norwalk, while third-generation Top Fuel driver Krista Baldwin is making her first start since the Chicago event. Baldwin puts up a strong 3.86 that will put her deep into the field for now while Tatum slows to a 4.47.

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TJ Zizzo, who notched his first career No. 1 qualifying spot earlier this season in Chicago, lines up alongside Doug Foley, also making his first start since the Windy City race. Zizzo loses the blower belt downtrack and still runs 3.902; Foley is out of it early.

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Canadian Dan Mercier, who would love to become the first Maple Leaf representative to win Top Fuel at Indy since Terry Capp in 1980 (Gary Beck was from Seattle, not Canada, as long believed),

Rookie of the year candidate Jasmine Salinas is in the other lane and clocks a 3.814 to Mercier’s stout 3.847

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Shawn Reed, flying the colors of Star Racer Belts, of which his crew chief, Rob Wendland, is the owner, takes over the No. 1 spot with a 3.795 alongside two-time U.S. Nationals Top Alcohol Dragster winner Josh Hart, who runs a disappointing 5.50.

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Brittany Force needs a big weekend as she’s clinging to the 10th spot in a bid for the Countdown to the Championship and, after skipping the Norwalk event, needs to make it solely on points. This is a good start with a field-leading  3.704 that will definitely qualify them and allows the Chevrolet Accessories team to work on a raceday tune-up over the next two days,

Billy Torrence, who has won at this track, but not the U.S. Nationals during the three races here that followed the COVID-19 shutdown in the spring of 2020, is right there with a 3.792, good for the No. 1 spot.

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Ten-time U.S. Nationals champ Tony Schumacher is one-half of an all-TS pairing alongside Tony Stewart, who has had good success on the oval track here at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Stewart runs 3.839 while Schumacher coasts to a 4.89.

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Clay Millican, flying the colors of Arby’s at this event, takes on two-time defending U.S. Nationals champ Antron Brown. A.B. goes A-to-B with a 3.759 to grab the No. 2 spot while Millican orders up a 3.816, currently good for the No. 7 spot.

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Steve Torrence, who’s won this event in both Top Fuel and Top Alcohol Dragster, lines up alongside Brainerd winner Justin Ashley but both are un in smoke early and will finish the day outside the quick 16,

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Teammates Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon, No. 1 and 2 in points, will close out the night and, like the pair ahead of them, don’t make it to halftrack under power.

Brittany Force sits atop the field with Tony Schumacher on the bump with a 4.896 and Josh Hart, Doug Foley, Steve Torrence, and Justin Ashley on the outside looking in.