NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Steve Torrence held onto the No. 1 spot for his fourth pole of the season and the 23rd of his career as no one was able to better his Friday best of 3.711, though several people came close, including Leah Pritchett, who clocked a 3.714 in Q4.

“We went out for Q3 and didn’t make it down; we were a little aggressive and tried to spin the tire and put a hole out," said Torrence. "[For Q4] we went out and ran 3.727 which was second-quick behind that blue car of Schumacher’s [Pritchett] that ran pretty quick so we weren’t able to go the top there, but we did run really good [Friday] night with a 3.71 when the next best car was 3.74, so we’re proud of that. We know we have good data going into raceday; we know we might have some precipitation – we’re not going to use that four-letter word that starts with an R – but we’ll just be ready and know there’s going to be quick and fast times.”

Brainerd champ Pritchett, who struggled through a painful Friday that included a double-step throttle miscue in Q1, made two solid runs Saturday, a 3.766 and a final blast of 3.714 to move the Okuma dragster to the No. 2 spot. 

Brittany Force looked strong, too, racing the Advance Auto Parts dragster to a 3.730 for the No. 3 position while Reading winner Richie Crampton continued to flash championship potential with a 3.73 after a Friday 3.74.

Eleven drivers qualified in the 3.7-second range, from Torrence’s field-leading 3.711 to veteran Pat Dakin’s 3.798.

Rookie Justin Ashley qualified in his debut in his and Dustin Davis’ Influencer entry, charting a 3.83 for the No. 12 spot. He’ll take on Mike Salinas in round one.

Dutchman Lex “Never Quit” Joon moved into the field from outside in Q3 with a 4.47 that was punctuated by a top-end fireball, but the run held up to be the bump spot and earn his a first-round date with Torrence.