Looking to possibly jump back in the points lead on the strength of a big weekend at Brainerd International Raceway, standout Bob Tasca III started off strong on Friday, taking the provisional No. 1 spot in Funny Car at the 39th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

Mike Salinas (Top Fuel) is also a provisional No. 1 qualifier at the 12th race of the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Tasca, who was the points leader for an eight-race stretch earlier this year, powered to the No. 1 spot in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang with a run of 3.941-seconds at 326.63 mph. Tasca would claim the No. 1 spot for the second time this year and the seventh time in his career if it holds up.

Sitting just 50 points behind current points leader John Force, Tasca, who is currently fourth in points but just 21 out of second, has his sights on a major move this weekend. He’s picked up two victories this year and a third would be big heading into the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

“We came in here trying to run low 3.90s and the speed is good, and we knew we had to really step on it to make the power you need to go out here and run these numbers,” Tasca said. “Tomorrow is a whole different ballgame. The temperatures are going to drop and this Motorcraft car is going to have to go out there and run even harder tomorrow. But this is a good way to start the weekend.”

Alexis DeJoria, who won the race in 2017, is currently second in Funny Car with a strong run of 3.963 at 297.22. Remarkably, it would be the seventh race DeJoria has qualified No. 2 this year if it sticks and the fourth time in the past five races as she looks to continue her consistent season.

Points leader Force, who won last weekend in Topeka to move to the top of the standings for the first time since 2014 and is an 11-time Brainerd winner, is currently third after going 3.968 at 322.42. J.R. Todd, who was the runner-up last weekend, is fourth with a run of 3.970 at 321.73.

“Good day today. Avoided the rain, got the car down clean. It’s a great car. Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi have this PEAK Chevy under control. Now I just have to do my job,” Force said. “Loved seeing all the fans in the sands. It was a good session, pretty much everyone made it down, so we put on a show. We’ve got two more runs tomorrow to set us up for race day, so we’ll see how it goes.”

In Top Fuel, Mike Salinas went 3.752 at 326.08 in his 11,000-horsepower Scrappers Racing dragster to currently sit in the No. 1 spot. If it holds, it would be the first top spot of the year for Salinas and the seventh in his career. He has qualified second once in 2021 and third on four separate occasions, including three of the past four races, and Salinas is also chasing his first win of the season.

Salinas, who entered the weekend sixth in points but just 40 points out of fourth, advanced to the final round in Epping and will try to finish the job and earn his first win in Brainerd.

“It was windy but our guys know what they’re doing,” said Salinas, who has two career victories. “It was a nice, smooth, clean (run) and a good start to the weekend. I think we’ll be just fine. I think it has a lot more left in it, too. I think there’s a 3.72, 3.73 out there.”

Leah Pruett, who recently won in Pomona and has two Brainerd wins, is in second after the first round of qualifying thanks to her run of 3.789 at 319.90. She was the only other driver in the class to make a run in the 3.70s. Justin Ashley was close and currently is in third after going 3.807 at 323.74. Last week’s Topeka winner, Brittany Force, is right behind after going 3.813 at 286.98. She won at Brainerd in 2016.

Qualifying continues at 2:00 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

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TOP FUEL
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Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd

  1 7211 Mike Salinas, San Jose CA, MLR-TFX              3.752  326.08  326.08
  2  777 Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City AZ, DSR-DSM       3.789  319.90  319.90
  3    7 Justin Ashley, Farmington NY, DSR-AJPE          3.807  323.74  323.74
  4  745 Brittany Force, Yorba Linda CA, JFR-JFR         3.813  286.98  286.98
  5  333 Shawn Langdon, Danville IN, Kalitta-AJPE        3.851  298.01  298.01
  6  317 T.J. Zizzo, Lincolnshire IL, Dragster-TFX       3.861  317.87  317.87
  7    5 Antron Brown, Pittsboro IN, DSR-DSR             3.912  283.61  283.61
  8    2 Doug Kalitta, Saline MI, Kalitta-AJPE           4.258  199.14  199.14
  9    1 Steve Torrence, Kilgore TX, MLR-AJPE            4.751  149.91  149.91

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FUNNY CAR
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  1    5 Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, '19 Mustang         3.941  326.63  326.63
  2  771 Alexis DeJoria, Austin TX, '21 Camry            3.963  297.22  297.22
  3  723 John Force, Yorba Linda CA, '21 Camaro          3.968  322.42  322.42
  4  373 J.R. Todd, Indianapolis IN, '21 Camry           3.970  321.73  321.73
  5 7000 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '21 Camaro        3.971  307.72  307.72
  6   71 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '21 Charger       3.995  318.47  318.47
  7  256 Blake Alexander, Charlotte NC, '19 Mustang      3.995  315.18  315.18
  8  116 Paul Lee, Orange CA, '18 Charger                4.004  320.43  320.43
  9    7 Tim Wilkerson, Springfield IL, '19 Mustang      4.031  318.24  318.24
 10    1 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '21 Charger      4.173  237.67  237.67
 11  703 Jim Campbell, Long Beach CA, '21 Charger        4.230  238.38  238.38
 12  302 Dale Creasy Jr., Beecher IL, '18 Charger        4.241  251.20  251.20
 13   28 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, '21 Charger             4.385  202.15  202.15
 14  782 Gary Densham, Menifee CA, '14 Mustang          10.234   89.22   89.22


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PRO MOD 
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  1    2 Brandon Snider, Atmore AL, '16 Corvette         5.877  245.05  245.05
  2  203 Jose Gonzalez, Ball Ground GA, '17 Camaro       5.896  239.44  239.44
  3    1 Steve Jackson, Evans GA, '18 Camaro             5.929  241.89  241.89
  4 2105 Doug Winters, Pleasant Garden NC, '69 Chevelle  5.950  240.04  240.04
  5 6280 Justin Bond, Mission BC, '69 Camaro             5.953  239.74  239.74
  6    5 Chad Green, Midland TX, n'21 Camaro             6.064  235.31  235.31
  7 C270 JR Gray, Ridgeville SC, '21 Camaro              7.656  125.68  125.68

 n = Nitrous Engine

NHRA Communications & John Force Racing