Humorous Automotive factors chief Austin Prock made the quickest run in his profession on Friday at Maple Grove Raceway, powering to the provisional No. 1 spot for John Drive Racing on the thirty ninth annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals.
Justin Ashley (Prime Gas), Erica Enders (Professional Inventory) and Matt Smith (Professional Inventory Bike) are additionally the provisional No. 1 qualifiers on the fifteenth of 20 races in the course of the 2024 NHRA Mission Meals Drag Racing Collection season. Additionally it is the primary of six races within the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Prock, who has been the No. 1 qualifier 10 occasions within the first 14 races this season, went 3.849s at 338.43mph in his Cornwell Instruments Chevrolet Camaro SS, posting a career-best pace and simply lacking out on the observe document. Prock opens the Countdown to the Championship playoffs within the factors lead, searching for his sixth win of the season. He is available in on a very good observe after profitable the U.S. Nationals in Indy and placed on a spectacular present on Friday at Maple Grove Raceway.
“That was some basic Studying drag racing proper there,” Prock mentioned. “This place is all the time quick, lot of bushes round right here, the air is all the time fairly [good] they usually gave us an incredible racetrack tonight. That was fairly stout to go No. 1 once more and run a career-best pace. It positively bought all of it. I’m actually pleased with this staff, and it was a heck of a strategy to begin the playoffs immediately.
“I knew it left exhausting, and simply previous the Christmas tree I felt the tire only a hair and it cleared up. I most likely bought about 200 toes out and I began feeling it attempting to make that transfer inside and I had fairly a little bit of wheel turning left all the best way down the [track]. After I tossed the laundry, my brother (Thomas) bought on the radio, they had been going nuts and that was actually particular. It was nice to listen to and the staff is absolutely pleased with that immediately.”
Alexis DeJoria loved a robust pair of qualifying classes, qualifying second with a 3.867s at 336.40mph, whereas Prock’s JFR teammate, Jack Beckman, is third after his cross of three.869s at 330.80mph.
Racing near dwelling, Prime Gas’s Justin Ashley placed on a powerful present below the lights on Friday, bolting to the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of three.713s at 333.49mph in his Scag Energy Tools/Toyota dragster. If that holds, it could be Ashley’s first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the sixth in his profession. Ashley enters the Countdown to the Championship second in factors and with loads of momentum, profitable just lately in Brainerd. He’s additionally desperate to push on a present this weekend in entrance of loads of household and pals.
“I feel we did a very good job throughout Q1 of positioning ourselves to a degree the place we may very well be a bit of extra aggressive in Q2. That was the important thing,” Ashley mentioned. “If you go on the market that first run, you need to set that baseline so you will have the flexibility to be a bit of extra aggressive and go after that No. 1 spot. We stayed after Indy, we did some testing; we did some testing after Brainerd.
“The entire staff has simply been chipping away at it because of this, for this very second. We need to make certain we’re ready when the Countdown comes. It’s day one of many Countdown, however we be ok with the place we’re at with every thing. Possibly it’s going to maintain tomorrow, possibly it received’t, however these three bonus factors had been vital.”
Tony Schumacher made a giant leap to second after going 3.733s at 328.70mph and factors chief Doug Kalitta is third with a run of three.736s at 335.73mph.
In Professional Inventory, Erica Enders made a robust opening assertion at Maple Grove Raceway, taking the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.535s at 210.34mph in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Storage/Melling Efficiency/Scag Energy Tools automotive. The defending world champion is after her sixth No. 1 qualifier this season and the fortieth in her profession, however Enders, a six-time world champ, has her eyes on the larger prize. She’s after her first victory of the season because the opener in Gainesville – which might even be her fiftieth nationwide occasion win – as Enders goals to win a seventh world title and third in a row.
“I’m feeling assured after Indy final week. We didn’t win. Our staff went to the finals and raced one another, I misplaced within the semis and I used to be 0.014s on the tree,” Enders mentioned. “I really feel like my driving has been so much higher and we have now an incredible race automotive. We’ve had one all 12 months.
“We put a brand new bullet in for immediately and we went proper to the highest proper off the trailer, and it held by way of the second session. That’s extraordinarily encouraging. All people desires to begin the Countdown off on the correct foot. For those who get in too large of a gap it’s exhausting to dig your self out. There’s lots of racing to go, lots of factors to build up, and lots of robust competitors, however positively [on] the correct foot and I’m proud to be there.”
Greg Anderson moved to second with a run of 6.537s at 209.23mph and factors chief Dallas Glenn went to 3rd after going 6.540s at 208.91mph.
A 12 months after profitable at Maple Grove Raceway to open the playoffs, Professional Inventory Bike’s Matt Smith is off to a robust begin this 12 months, going 6.801s on each passes and posting a high pace of 199.49mph on his Denso Auto Elements Buell. That places him within the provisional No. 1 place because the six-time world champion appears to assert his fifth No. 1 spot this season. Smith, who has three profession wins at Studying, has come on sturdy at a key time within the season, profitable in Sonoma, and was happy along with his first runs within the Countdown to the Championship on Friday.
“The primary run was fairly good and the second run, we must always have run 6.79s, possibly a excessive 6.78s however the bike bought caught in fourth gear on the market,” Smith mentioned. “All in all, we had an incredible run and I can’t say sufficient. We bought every thing turned up. We bought the high-side rev limiter turned means up or I’d have hit the limiter there. It’s one in every of them offers, it’s the Countdown. We’re going for seven [championships], and we’ve bought to throw every thing we’ve bought at it.
“We introduced every thing we’ve bought for our Denso Buell and we’re going to maintain digging, attempt to hold going, and we’ll see. I feel we would put one other motor in for tomorrow. We’ve got a brand-new piece that’s actually, actually good on the dyno and I must get some tune-ups on it and attempt to get it proper for the Countdown.”
Factors chief and defending world champion Gaige Herrera is at present second after going 6.804s at 198.55mph and his teammate, Richard Gadson, is in third with a run of 6.807s at 197.45mph.
Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday on the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
