NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

It's "go big or go home" for some on the second day of qualifying at the NHRA Nevada Nationals, while others chase valuable bonus points as the fourth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship reaches the midway mark. Here's what to expect on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

The Top Fuel race for the championship saw the points lead change hands in Dallas, and Leah Pruett rocketed her way to the top spot with a win. She hovered four points above Doug Kalitta heading into the Las Vegas event — the second-to-last of the season — and in the first round of qualifying, Kalitta cut into that lead by earning three bonus points as the quickest of the session. Pruett answered back with a bonus point as third-quickest in Q2, while Mike Salinas outshined them all with a strong 3.699 to nab the provisional pole in his Valley Services dragster. Salinas, No. 6 in the championship points, has qualified at or very near to the top in each of the most recent events. 

Four-time Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence was in third place entering the event and just 13 points out of the lead, and he's been making a good case for a fifth title in the Countdown. Torrence, who is currently holding down the No. 7 qualifying position in Las Vegas, closed out the regular season with a No. 1 and a win at the U.S. Nationals, then reached the final round in the first race of the playoffs to move into the points lead. After a tough race in Charlotte, he rebounded with a semifinals finish in St. Louis and was back in good form in Dallas as the low qualifier and runner-up to Pruett. 

Josh Hart is on the bump in Top Fuel with a 4.522, while longtimer Luigi Novelli is still working to break into the field. 

Robert Hight led the Funny Car points after winning Reading, the first race of the Countdown, and finishing runner-up in Charlotte, but the last two events haven't produced the results he needed in his quest to win a fourth championship. In Las Vegas, he and tuner Jimmy Prock flipped the switch with the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro and came out on top on day one with a 3.881 and a 3.851 to claim max points in both sessions and the provisional pole. 

The top three drivers in the Funny Car standings were also the top three drivers on the qualifying sheet on Friday in Sin City to keep the Funny Car battle set to high heat; while Hight held down the top spot, Bob Tasca III — currently No. 2 in the points — settled into No. 2 on the sheet with a 3.853, and points leader Matt Hagan was just behind in the No. 3 spot with a 3.871. 

The most winning driver in NHRA drag racing and 16-time world champion John Force was fourth with a 3.887. He debuted a special reflective gold and black scheme on his PEAK Chevrolet in honor of the OWI's (Old World Industries, PEAK's parent company) 50th anniversary. The retro uniforms worn by Force and his crew replicate those worn by Kyle Petty's crew in Peak's first period of sponsorship. After a runner-up in Dallas that vaulted Force from ninth to fifth in the championship standings, Force entered the event 198 points out of first. 

Bump-sitter Blake Alexander will be looking to move up in the field, while Jeff Diehl will be seeking a run that will allow him to break in and race on Sunday. 

Incoming points leader and defending Pro Stock champion Erica Enders and her Johnson's Horsepowered Garage Chevrolet claimed the top spot on Friday with a run of 6.595 at 207.66. Although her second run was disallowed due to a technical violation, Enders was able to claim three valuable bonus points in the first qualifying round to stretch her 85-point lead over five-time champ Greg Anderson. Anderson was No. 6 on the qualifying sheet at the conclusion of day one in Las Vegas, while his KB Titan Racing teammate, Kyle Koretsky, made a strong run of 6.603 to slide into the No. 2 spot. Koretsky claimed five of the six bonus points available on Friday. 

Dallas Glenn, winner of the regular season, was 93 marks behind Enders entering the event and will be looking for some of those baby points and an elevated start for Sunday to cut into the gap. He is No. 4 in provisional qualifying behind No. 3 Matt Hartford, who led the points for the first two Countdown races but fell to fourth after tough races in St. Louis and Dallas. Hartford claimed a bonus point in the early session on Friday. 

With 22 cars vying for a spot in the 16-car field, the battle is brutal — and Chris McGaha, Eric Latino, Kenny Delco, Steve Graham, Joey Grose, and Alan Prusiensky are all looking to bust in. Fernando Cuadra is on the bump with a 6.657. Among those on the outside, Pro Stock veteran Delco's 206.16 mph pass shows available horsepower in his Frank Iaconio-powered Chevrolet, but any of these drivers are capable of making the field and ruining someone else's day. 

Gaige Herrera continued his mind-blowing season of dominance aboard the Vance & Hines Mission Suzuki and swept up six bonus points in early qualifying in his quest to secure the world championship in his first full season as an NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rider. Herrera reset the track record for elapsed time in the second session with a 6.760.

Herrera's performance was complemented by that of his teammate, Eddie Krawiec, who is in a heated battle with Matt Smith and Hector Arana Jr. in the championship standings. Krawiec, No. 2 in the points, was second-quickest behind Herrera in each of Friday's sessions for four bonus marks, while DENSO Suzuki rider Smith and Arana Jr. and his GETTRX Buell each gained an additional mark as third-quickest in session one and two, respectively. Smith is 18 marks behind Krawiec in the championship standings with Arana Jr. right on his tail just five points back.  

There have been 15 Pro Stock Motorcycles to so far show up in qualifying for the Nevada Nationals, but DENSO campaigner Angie Smith is planning her return on Saturday at The Strip to fill the field. She'll be back on the bike after a swift recovery and medical release following a stunning incident in St. Louis. 

2022 EVENT WINNERS

Brittany Force, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Erica Enders, Pro Stock and Hector Arana Jr., Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST EVENT VICTORIES

Tony Schumacher, 4, TF; John Force, 4, FC; Ron Capps, 4, FC; Matt Hagan, 4, FC; Greg Anderson, 5, PS; Andrew Hines, 5, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.652 sec. by Brittany Force, Nov. ’19; 338.17 mph by B. Force, Nov. ’19.
Funny Car - 3.835 sec. by Jack Beckman, Nov. ’19; 335.90 mph by Beckman, Nov. ’19.
Pro Stock - 6.559 seconds by Erica Enders, Oct. '15; 210.28 mph by Enders, Oct. '15.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.760 seconds by Gaige Herrera, Oct. '23; 202.27 mph by Matt Smith, Nov. '22

NATIONAL RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. ‘19, Reading, Pa.; 338.43 mph by Brittany Force, Oct. ‘22, St. Louis.
Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd, Minn.; 339.87 mph by Robert Hight, July ’17, Sonoma, Calif.
Pro Stock - 6.455 sec. by Jason Line, March ’15, Charlotte, N.C.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ’14, Englishtown N.J.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.627 sec. by Gaige Herrera, Oct. ’23, Ennis, Texas; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July ’21, Sonoma, Calif.

SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, Oct. 28: Lucas Oil Series eliminations at 8 a.m; Summit ET time trial at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying at noon and 3 p.m.; Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
SUNDAY, Oct. 29: Pre-race ceremony, 10 a.m.; Eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION

SUNDAY, Oct. 29, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying show 2 at 3 p.m. (ET)
SUNDAY, Oct. 29, FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage at 5 p.m. (ET)