High Gasoline’s Justin Ashley clinched his first No. 1 qualifier of the season on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway, taking the highest spot in entrance of a sellout crowd on the thirty ninth annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals.
Austin Prock (Humorous Automotive), Dallas Glenn (Professional Inventory) and Gaige Herrera (Professional Inventory Bike) additionally certified No. 1 on the fifteenth of 20 races in the course of the 2024 NHRA Mission Meals Drag Racing Collection season. It’s the first of six races within the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Ashley’s run of three.713s at 333.49mph from Friday in his Scag Energy Tools/Toyota dragster stayed atop the sphere, giving the previous NHRA Rookie of the Yr his sixth profession No. 1 qualifier and second straight at Maple Grove Raceway. Presently second in factors, Ashley additionally made the quickest run to shut out qualifying on Saturday and can open eliminations in opposition to Smax Smith, in search of his first profession win at his house monitor.
“For probably the most half, at the moment’s focus was going to be on preparing for race day and accumulating these bonus factors. What we noticed at the moment was most likely comparable situations to what we’ll see tomorrow,” Ashley mentioned. “I feel the workforce discovered rather a lot, they did an awesome job to have the ability to accumulate a complete of 5 bonus factors at the moment was vital for us. Tomorrow is a model new day. It’s actually essential to qualify No. 1, however on the identical time the competitors is simply so good proper now, something can occur.
“These bonus factors are essential. It’s not all the pieces, however it does add up. You accumulate a degree right here and there and collectively, they might imply rather a lot.”
Tony Schumacher certified second with a 3.733s at 328.70mph and factors chief Doug Kalitta completed within the third spot after going 3.733s at 328.70mph.
In Humorous Automotive, factors chief Austin Prock continued his unimaginable qualifying run, securing his eleventh No. 1 qualifier in 15 races because of Friday’s spectacular move of three.849s at 338.43mph in his Cornwell Instruments Chevrolet Camaro SS. He’s now solely two No. 1 qualifiers away from tying John Pressure and Tony Schumacher for probably the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season within the nitro classes in NHRA historical past. He additionally added a powerful run in entrance of the capability crowd to shut out qualifying and Prock, who gained at Maple Grove Raceway in 2022 in High Gasoline, opens eliminations in opposition to Mike Smith, in search of his sixth victory of the season.
“These guys are giving me an excellent automobile,” Prock mentioned. “All I can do is screw up qualifying and I’ve been doing an okay job of not doing that. My dad, Thomas, Nate, this entire Cornwell Instruments workforce are fairly unimaginable this season.
“We simply should do what we’ve been doing all yr lengthy. We now have to execute precisely how we did all season lengthy, change nothing and see how the playing cards fall. We’re racing lights out proper now and I really feel like we’re making the most effective runs we’re able to making persistently. If all of us do our greatest, that must be adequate to win.”
Alexis DeJoria certified second with a 3.867s at 336.40mph, whereas Prock’s JFR teammate, Jack Beckman, took third after his move of three.869s at 330.80mph.
Professional Inventory factors chief Dallas Glenn impressed the sellout crowd on Saturday in Studying, making an enormous run of 6.530s at 209.43mph in his RAD Torque Programs Chevrolet Camaro, choosing up the No. 1 spot for the second time this season and the sixth time in his profession. Glenn made the largest bounce of the day, giving him loads of momentum heading into eliminations, the place he’ll open race day in opposition to Kenny Delco. After struggling within the Countdown to the Championship final yr, Glenn is keen to try to have some early playoff success.
“Yesterday, I didn’t really feel like we made that nice of runs despite the fact that we had been close to the highest and obtained bonus factors. They had been respectable runs, the engine was operating good and all the pieces, however we had been struggling in 60-feet. I knew if we discovered that out, we’d be good,” Glenn mentioned. “At this time, when the monitor is a bit of worse and the air is only a contact worse, you go up there and so long as it 60-foots, we should always be capable of be actually near it. We went up there and made a very nice run.
“I really feel like all people counts all of the little factors, particularly if you reset them with six races to go and you’ve got this mad rush to attempt to go rounds and get wins. It actually issues if you’re within the playoffs. It’s actually essential right here on the finish of the season that we do nicely, so I’m going to attempt to keep further targeted, attempt to simply kick it up and seize that little bit of additional gear that I really feel like now we have, focus a bit of bit more durable, and see if we are able to squeeze a pair wins right here within the final six races.”
Defending world champion Erica Enders completed within the second spot with a run of 6.535s at 210.34mph and Greg Anderson took third with a move of 6.537s at 209.23mph.
In Professional Inventory Bike, Gaige Herrera placed on a powerful present to open qualifying on Saturday, delivering a stellar run of 6.743s at 200.20mph on his RevZilla/Mission Meals/Vance & Hines Suzuki, racing his approach to the No. 1 place. It’s the sixth prime qualifier of the season for the defending world champ and factors chief and the twentieth in his profession, and Herrera was thrilled with changes his workforce made heading into Saturday. It paid off in a giant approach as solely certainly one of two riders to dip into the 6.70s, positioning Herrera nicely for eliminations. He’ll begin race day in opposition to Kelly Clontz, seeking to win at Maple Grove Raceway for the primary time. It’s additionally the one monitor on the PSM circuit the place Herrera hasn’t gained.
“We had been very happy with that. We’re proud of that going into tomorrow,” Herrera mentioned. “Situations might be just about the identical, perhaps a bit of cooler. I’m glad to get No. 1 qualifying spot. We’re making an attempt to get as many factors as we are able to as a result of now it’s going to be rather a lot tighter.
“Final night time we stayed and checked out information for bit and got here up with a recreation plan for at the moment and it paid off. We form of threw the kitchen sink at it, and it labored. That doesn’t at all times work, in order that gave me confidence within the machine. It’s going to be good for racing tomorrow, and hopefully I’ve a really quick and constant motorbike all day.”
Defending occasion winner Matt Smith completed second, going 6.795s at 200.50mph to shut out qualifying, whereas Richard Gadson’s 6.806s at 198.35mph places him third.
Eliminations for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals start at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway.
