NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Sidnei Frigo made the best run of the third qualifying session of the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Services at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The Brazilian racer did not improve on his Q2 time, which already put him in the No. 2 position, but his 5.796 was the only run in the 5.7s and .017-second quicker than the second-best run of the session.

Todd Tutterow is still the polesitter with a 5.774-second pass at 248.66-mph but he made another strong run (5.828) alongside fellow AAP racer Mike Castellana (5.828) in the penultimate Pro Mod session. Castellana is qualified fourth with a 5.806 time. 

Khalid AlBalooshi also made a strong pass in warm conditions. He dashed to a 5.813 that bumped him into the field. The defending event winner is now qualified in the top half of the field (No. 6), just ahead of most-recent race winner, Stevie “Fast” Jackson. Jackson also improved by making a 5.820-second hit at 248.66 mph. 

The bump spot crept up yet again. Jose Gonzalez is on the bump again, despite improving by running a 5.858. He is keeping out Elite Motorsports racer Erica Enders, who had to get out of the throttle at half-track. Teammate Alex Laughlin is also not qualified, while Steve Matusek, the third Elite racer, is in the No. 14 spot with one session remaining. 

2018 world champion runner up Rickie Smith has also yet to qualify. He’s sitting in 20th with a 5.899-second mark. Clint Satterfield, Kris Thorne, Jim Whiteley, Harry Hruska, Dwayne Wolfe and Chip King will also try to bump their way back into the field with one session remaining. 

The dramatic final session is scheduled for 3 p.m. You can catch it on NHRA.tv and return to NHRA.com for more coverage.