NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q1

Friday's first Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying round opened with sunny but windy conditions. Wesley Wells was the first one down the track and showed that the crosswinds from the Windy City would affect some of the riders in the session.

Kelly Clontz was one of the first riders to make a decent pass down the track, with a 6.863.

However, the wind got the best of hometown rider "Flyin' Ryan" Oehler as he drifted towards the center line and had to let off the throttle.

Chase Van Sant also made a solid pass at 6.846 for White Alligator Racing. He prepared for the wind that was down track and lined up on the right side of the track, and ended up toward the left.

Angie Smith was the first rider to clip 200 mph - 200.17 to be exact, which landed her in the provisional No. 1 position. Angie outran her husband, Matt Smith, who shut off early to a 6.813,  a far cry from the 6.6s he ran at the last event in Georgia.

The final two pair to go down the track were reigning world champion Rirchard Gadson, who was the second to make a 200 mph pass, and his teammate, two-time Pro Stock World Champion Gaige Herrera. Gadson was the better of the two Vance & Hines riders, landing them in No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

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PRO STOCK Q1

Round one of Pro Stock qualifying proved to be an interesting session with Team Elite Motorsports owning most of the top half of the qualifying sheets, while reigning world champ Dallas Glenn and six-time world champ Greg Anderson floated to the No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. 

"It looks like we all came up here and forgot how to race," Anderson said following the session. "We underestimated the track, and when I let the clutch out, I just said, "Uncle."

Troy Coughlin Jr., who was the NHRA Southern Nationals runner-up, continued his momentum and laid down a 6.558 to put in the top half of the field at No. 3. Coughlin is looking for his first win since the 2024 Epping event.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. stepped up with a 6.546, and took over the provisional No. 1 spot. He said this is a real nice way to start at the top end once he hopped out of his JEGS Pro Stock machine.

Greg Stanfield, who has been one of the better-performing Elite Motorsports cars this year, clocked a 6.549 to land him in the provisional No. 2. 

Matt Latino currently sits in No. 4 with his 6.562, the only KB Titan car in the five.

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FUNNY CAR Q1

It didn’t take long for the first Funny Car session to get exciting as Justin Schriefer scraped his headers against the wall in the opening pair while Chris King posted a respectable 4.142 at just 266-mph after an early wheelstand.

Jeff Arend has been a positive addition to Jim Dunn’s team and that continued in Q1 when he drove to a 4.050 to provide a solid baseline run for the rest of the weekend.

Cruz Pedregon produced the first three second run of the weekend with a 3.984 in his Snap-on Tools Dodge. Pedregon noted that his team has worked hard to improve consistency, and that has been evident in the team’s performance.

Dave Richards made a move towards the wall at the end of a 4.010 run, but that puts the Bluebird Turf team into the middle of the field.

The top spot changed hands when Jack Beckman drove the PEAK Camaro to a 3.957 to dislodge Cruz Pedregon from the pole. Beckman also set top speed, at least temporarily at 324.48 mph.

“It’s amazing what a piece of paper can do for you,” said Beckman, starting at his time slip.

Valdosta winner Jordan Vandergriff knocked the tires off early in the run while Matt Hagan had no such issues with a 3.964 at 330.55 mph, the fastest run of the event so far.

J.R. Todd, runner-up in Valdosta, moved to the top of the qualifying chart in the final pair with a 3.942 in the DHL Toyota.

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TOP FUEL Q1

After early shut off runs by Krista Baldwin, T.J. Zizzo, and Will Smith, the Top Fuel class got down to business with a 3.830, 328.70 run in his ACC entry, which is flying the pink colors of Oaha Beauty this weekend.

Clay Millican joined his teammate Tony Schumacher at the top of the chart with a 3.831 and then the real fireworks began when Justin Ashley detonated a supercharger early in the run in his SCAG Power Equipment dragster. Ashley’s explosion distracted attention from the left lane, where Billy Torrence was busy running a 3.801 to move to the front.

“It got out there and I sort of felt it layover early in the run and then it just let go,” said Ashley. “I’m okay. These things happen. I just hate to hold up the shot for all these fans.”

Maddi Gordon’s first appearance as a pro at Route 66 Raceway went well with a 3.779, 335.32 run next to Josh Hart, who rattled the tires.

Doug Kalitta also ran a 3.779 run in his Mac Tools entry, but with a 321.50 mph speed, he fell second in line behind Gordon, who took the top spot based on a faster speed.

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q2

Brayden Davis improved from round one of qualifying and moved up on the ladder with a 6.956. His teammate Ryan Oehler drifted towards the wall but used his body english in order to stay in the throttle to better his time, a 6.787 from the previous session.

Wesley Wells, one of the most competitive bracket racers at Lucas Oil Raceway, dipped into the 6s, and laid down his best run of the day with a 6.999 at 190.06.

Jianno Evaristo made a big move from the bottom half of the ladder to the top half with a 6.847 to land in the 

Kelly Clontz laid down a respectable 6.878, but meanwhile in the left lane, Clayton Howey drifted towards the wall, and just brushed it right after recording a 6.884.  

The wind pushed Matt Smith towards the right side wall, forcing him to abort the run and stand on his e.t. from round one of qualifying as we head into Saturday. Gaige Herrera also made an uncharacteristic 8.920 and again, was a victim of the crosswind that continued to plague the riders as the day moved on. 

Angie Smith held onto the No. 1 qualifying position after two rounds of qualifying. In this session, Smith made a clean run from A to B and recorded a 6.775. In the opposing lane, Richard Gadson will rely on his time from the previous round, as he slowed by two-thousandths of a second to a 6.793.

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PRO STOCK Q2

Starting off the session, Eric Latino made a single pass and improved from his 11-second e.t. to a 6.593.

Joseph Wilczek, who made his NHRA Pro Stock debut in 2025, improved from a 9.041 to a 6.985. Kenny Delco was in the other lane, and he slowed from the earlier sessions to a 6.636.

Team Elite Motorsports Erica Enders went from No. 15 to provisional No. 1 after she powered her JHG/Melling/Scag Pro Stock Camaro to a 6.542. She will claim the three bonus points at the track where she scored her first win.

Matt Hartford showed improvement with his e.t. in this session, a 6.575, and will most definitely be looking for his third win this season.

Pro Stock newcomer Cody Anderson was off the throttle again and coasted to a 7.696.

Dallas Glenn didn't improve and moved down from No. 6 to No. 10. However, Greg Anderson picked up some performance and moved up to the No. 4 spot after his 6.533 pass.

The last pair featured a pair of JEGS cars driven by the uncle and nephew duo of Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. Jeg made his best run of the day with a 6.543, but moved to the No. 2 position as he is just one thousandth of a second behind Enders. but made his best run of the day. Troy also clocked his best time out of the two qualifying sessions with a 6.566 to land in the sixth qualifying spot.

FUNNY CAR Q2

As expected, there was a dramatic improvement almost across the board in Funny Car where several drivers who did not get down the tarack in Q1 made full pulls in Q2.

Jordan Vandergriff was one of the most prominent as he went to the top (temporarily) with a 3.941 while Chad Green also put his Bond Coat Ford into the mix with a competitive 3.960. Vandergriff’s run was disallowed a short time later due to a technical infraction.

The three-second runs continued to flow freely with Spencer Hyde and Blake Alexander joining in with runs of 3.962 and 3.961, respectively.

Daniel Wilkerson ran 3.998 in the SCAG entry, and it’s a good thing because he was safely down track when Justin Schriefer made a quick left turn and crossed the center line behind him.

Austin Prock took another step forward in his adjustment to the Tasca Racing entry with a solid 3.951 to put the Motorcraft Ford solidly into the top half of the field.

The lead changed hands again when Ron Capps put some daylight between himself and the rest of the field with a 3.916 at over 330-mph. Ironically, just one of Capps’ 79 pro wins has come in Chicago as he defeated Tommy Johnson Jr. in the 2017 final.

In the final pair of the round, J.R. Todd ran 3.957 but Jack Beckman stole the spotlight with a 3.913 to finish the day as the provisional No. 1 qualifier. 
 

TOP FUEL Q2

The session opened with a 3.846 by Josh Hart in the Speed Master entry that ended with a flash of fire just before the finish line.

Shawn Reed made a very solid run with a 3.763 to take over the top spot while Justin Ashley bounced back from his earlier engine explosion to log a 3.797 in the SCAG entry.

T.J. Zizzo, making his first appearance of the season, did not make a clean run but it was quick enough to move into the top half of the field with a 3.774.

Tony Stewart and is wife, Leah Pruett put on a great side-by-side show for the Joliet fans. Stewart, the defending event winner, ran 3.754 to move into the top spot while Pruett was just a thousandth of a second behind with a3.756.

Stewart’s time at the top of the chart lasted just one pair as Billy Torrence continued the game of musical chairs with a 3.746, 336.32. One pair later, Doug Kalitta upped the ante with a 3.720. Kalitta was the low qualifier in Valdosta and has not been ranked lower than sixth at any event this year. Kalitta held on to the lead although Maddi Gordon cam close with a 3.738.