NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

TOP FUEL Q3/MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1

With the air temp a cool 66 degrees and the track at just 94 degrees, we're expecting great things in this session, and we got them.

Friday low qualifier Jasmine Salinas' prediction that her 3.794 would not remain No. 1 through today came true early as Justin Ashley's Scag dragster raced to a 3.752, followed quickly by Josh Hart's 3.719 in the Speedmaster entry. It was a get-well moment for Ashley, who's only qualified in the top half of the field three times in the season's first 11 events, and it was Hart's best qualifying e.t. since he qualified No. 1 at the season opener in Gainesville.

Clay Millican made his best run of the season and exactly matched Hart's 3.719, but Millican "stomped on that loud pedal" a little deeper with a speed of 336.74 to Hart's 335.07 to give him the higher spot. Billy Torrence then ran his season-best pass, a 3.706, to take over the top spot from Millican,  but the run was later DQ'd due to a timing issue. Shawn Langdon then took over the vacated No. 1 spot with a 3.707

In the opening pair of the Mission Challenge, Antron Brown beat Doug Kalitta in a pedalfest, 4.08 to 6.05, avenging his semifinal loss to Kalitta in Sonoma while Salinas repeated her win over Leah Pruett in a great race,  3.741 to 3.762, to earn lane choice in the Mission Challenge final against Brown. With Kalitta's loss, it will be just the second time this season that a Kalitta Motorsports machine does not win the Mission Challenge; the only exception was the four-wide event in Charlotte, which Millican won.

Only two drivers (Salinas and Brown) ran in the 3.70s on Friday, and nine did it in this session alone.

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FUNNY CAR Q3/MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1

Austin Prock, who has won this event in Top Fuel (2019) and Funny Car (2024) will race in the final of the Mission Challenge after beating the guy who took over his seat in the Cornwell Chevy, Sonoma winner Jordan Vandergriff. Prock will take on Daniel Wilkerson, hot off of his runner-up to Vandergriff in Sonoma last weekend, also made it to the Mission Challenge final, winning a tire-smoking duel with Jack Beckman, 4.85 to 6.87.

J.R. Todd and "the yella fellas" with the DHL Toyota took over the No. 1 qualifying spot with the field's only 3.8-second pass, a 3.885. Only two other drivers ran in the threes, with Chad Green moving to No. 2 on the ladder with a solid 3.908 and Spencer Hyde, who jumped Jim Head's machine all the way to the No. 4 spot, just behind Friday leaders Cruz Pedregon's 3.926.

Ron Capps, who owns four wins here — including the first of his 80, in Top Fuel at the 1995 event — continued to be stymied with a run of just 4.11 after getting loose downtrack. He ends the session in the No. 14 spot. Vandergriff is also struggling as he's 15th with a 4.49 best with Tim Gibbons on the bump in Gary Densham's car.

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PRO STOCK Q3/MISSION CHALLENGE ROUND 1

Erica Enders, who entered the day in the No. 17 spot outside the field, quickly rectified that with a 6.505 in the Mission Challenge to edge Elite teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. by .008-second and jump ot the No. 9 spot and into the Mission Challenge final where he will take on Greg Stanfield in a rematch of their Sonoma final, where Stanfield got the win. Stanfield had to drive around Jeg Coughlin Jr.'s 004 light to the win.

With the great atmospheric conditions, the Pro Stock qualifying lead predictably changed hands a number of times from Dallas Glenn's 6.527 Friday lead but the world champ and track-record holder (6.44 last year) ended up back on top with a 6.471 with a backup engine.

"We were looking real good yesterday until we had to swap engines last night, but thankfully all the guys at KB Titan work really hard, and all the engines we have in the trailer; they're all pretty stout," said Glenn. Twelve of the 17 drivers bettered Glenn's Friday best.

2019 Seattle winner Matt Hartford clicked off a 6.477, also with a backup engine after wounding his No. 1 bullet in Friday's action, to grab the No. 2 spot with Cody Anderson just a tick behind at 6.478.