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  Charlotte: Saturday Results Charlotte, NC (April 29, 2023)
Brittany Force made the quickest run in zMAX Dragway history on Saturday, as the defending Top Fuel world champion rocketed to the No. 1 spot at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the fifth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Force went 3.651-seconds at 336.32 mph in her 11,000-horsepower Flav-R-Pac dragster, breaking her own track record at Charlotte in the process. It gives the reigning champ her third No. 1 spot this year and the 45th in her career as she looks to pick up her first victory of the 2023 season. After struggling in the opening qualifying session, Force and her team responded with three strong runs, giving her plenty of momentum going into Sunday, where she’ll opening eliminations in a quad also featuring Doug Foley, Las Vegas four-wide winner Antron Brown and Clay Millican. "That was an incredible run, it was more than our team expected,” Force said. “Three of the four runs were solid, and hopefully, that will carry over and we'll go some rounds tomorrow. We've had success here in the past, and I've always loved this track – but four-wide is tricky. That's what makes it rewarding. "We were doing some testing and finished that up yesterday, and that was part of our game plan coming in. We kind of expected that it might not go down there that first run, but it got down there on the second run and today was a whole new set-up. Like Grubnic said, it flew. (Crew chief) David Grubnic always wants more. He expects the best and he pushes hard, and he wants to win them all. I think that motivates all of us, and we all want to win together." Justin Ashley qualified second with a 3.662 at 332.84 and Leah Pruett jumped to third with a 3.678 at 334.65 during the final qualifying session. In all, six drivers dipped into the 3.60s during qualifying. In Funny Car, Tasca showcased a strong performance on Saturday, vaulting to No. 1 in his 11,000-horsepower BG Products Ford Mustang with a run of 3.852 at 324.59. It’s the second No. 1 spot for Tasca already this season and the 11th in his career. After a tough loss in the opening quad in Las Vegas, Tasca is looking for redemption and his first victory of the 2023 campaign. Tasca's car has performed at a high level for most of the season, as Tasca also just missed out on a career-best pass and the track E.T. record. Still, he feels confident about his chances on Sunday, which starts with a quad that includes Dave Richards, Tim Wilkerson and defending world champ Ron Capps. “I said leaving Gainesville, the first five races of the season (will be) really critical to show performance,” Tasca said. “We've had two No. 1 qualifiers in the first five races, and we haven't won a race yet, but we've been working on getting this car to run really hard and compete. Come championship time, if you're not running mid- to low-3.80s, you're not running for a championship. That's just the hard reality out here. "That was the run we've been looking for since we put this together. We're five races in with a completely new team and complete new package, and we're racing against guys with thousands of runs and a plethora of data. We don't have that yet as a team, and yet we've still competed at a very high level. That gives a lot of confidence. To have this under our belt, I'm way ahead of where I was the last three years. I'm very pleased at this point, but I really want to get a win. My goal was to get a win in the first five races.” Cruz Pedregon jumped to No. 2 in the final session by going 3.859 at 330.23, just missing out on his third straight No. 1 qualifier, and Robert Hight is third with a 3.865 at 330.23. After car struggles before the second session on Friday, Hartford made a big move on Saturday, driving to the top spot in his Total Seal/CIP1/GETTRX Chevrolet Camaro with a run of 6.538 at 208.52. Not only was it a huge jump for Hartford, it also gave the veteran his second straight No. 1 qualifier and another huge opportunity to grab his first victory of the season. His opening round quad will feature David Cuadra, who is making his first Pro Stock start, Deric Kramer and Troy Coughlin Jr., with Hartford sweeping the No. 1 spot at both four-wide races this season. “Let me tell you, getting out of here late last night – none of us were in a good mood,” Hartford said. “We went to bed really disappointed, knowing that we had a car that could go to the pole. But luck was on our side last night, because if we had that failure past the finish-line we wouldn't be here for this. "But we regrouped. Coming out here, we were the first car out, which means we had to pull back some, but we made a good run. We came in this morning with the idea that we could go into the top five, and that if we made the right run, we could go No. 1. That's what we did. It's a rocket ship right now. This is the best car and the best team I've ever had, and we just have to capitalize on it." Points leader Dallas Glenn, who has back-to-back wins this season, qualified second with a 6.553 at 209.07 and Kyle Koretsky is third with a 6.557 at 208.52. Herrera’s dominant start to the 2023 season in Pro Stock Motorcycle took yet another impressive step, making two more great runs on Saturday, including a 6.735 at 201.52 on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki to secure his second straight No. 1 qualifier to open the year. His opening round quad includes Marcus Hylton, Ryan Oehler and Kelly Clontz, as Herrera looks to make it two straight wins to start 2023. The young standout has praised the performance of his team and a bike that has delivered incredible results thus far this season. "Just being part of this, I can't ask for anything better,” Herrera said. “You're always trying to improve, always trying to out-do yourself each round, and for us to make that big improvement – Andrew (Hines), our crew chief, has both bikes on rails, and it's showing. It makes me feel good, but it puts more pressure on my shoulders. It's exciting to know I have a top tier bike, and it's a lot of pressure on me. There is more pressure on me than there is on the bike. The whole team, they have a lot of confidence in their machine. At the end of the day, it's all on me.” Herrera’s Vance & Hines teammate, Eddie Krawiec, qualified second with a 6.765 at 197.77 and Steve Johnson, who has won the Charlotte four-wide race in back-to-back years, is third with his 6.804 at 196.27. Eliminations for the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals begin at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday at zMAX Dragway.
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TOP FUEL
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Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 1 Brittany Force, Yorba Linda CA, Force-JFR 3.651 336.32 336.32
2 4 Justin Ashley, Farmingdale NY, DSR-AJPE 3.662 332.84 332.84
3 777 Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City AZ, DSR-DSM 3.678 334.65 334.65
4 6 Steve Torrence, Kilgore TX, MLR-TFX 3.679 335.32 335.32
5 7 Josh Hart, Ocala FL, MLR-AJPE 3.689 328.38 329.75
6 10 Doug Kalitta, Saline MI, Kalitta-AJPE 3.699 328.30 331.69
7 3 Austin Prock, Pittsboro IN, Force-JFR 3.701 330.47 332.34
8 2 Antron Brown, Pittsboro IN, DSR-DSM 3.711 330.47 330.47
9 51 Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, DSR-AJPE 3.712 331.69 331.69
10 7211 Mike Salinas, San Jose CA, MLR-TFX 3.717 333.74 333.74
11 9 Shawn Langdon, Danville IN, Kalitta-AJPE 3.727 332.18 332.18
12 356 Tony Schumacher, Lakeway TX, DSR-DSM 3.741 323.12 326.79
13 182 Dan Mercier, St-Michel PQ, McKinney-TFX 3.752 315.34 318.09
14 303 Pat Dakin, Dayton OH, Kalitta-TFX 3.791 323.66 323.66
15 4632 Jacob McNeal, Gilmer TX, -AJ 3.793 320.81 320.81
16 1301 Doug Foley, Mooresville NC, MLR-TFX 3.803 323.89 323.89
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 222 Lex Joon, Indianapolis IN, McKinney-AJPE 3.918 265.12 265.12
18 355 Keith Murt, Paducha KY, DSR 4.057 240.94 309.84
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FUNNY CAR
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1 4 Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, '23 Mustang 3.852 324.59 324.59
2 6 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '22 Charger 3.859 330.23 330.23
3 2 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '23 Camaro 3.865 330.23 330.31
4 14 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '23 Charger 3.866 328.46 328.46
5 7 Alexis DeJoria, Austin TX, '22 Supra 3.876 333.08 334.65
6 373 J.R. Todd, Jupiter FL, '22 Supra 3.888 334.40 334.40
7 5 John Force, Yorba Linda CA, '22 Camaro 3.898 331.12 772.00
8 9 Tim Wilkerson, Springfield IL, '18 Mustang 3.899 330.55 330.55
9 1 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, '22 Supra 3.899 330.07 330.07
10 256 Blake Alexander, Charlotte NC, '19 Mustang 3.914 324.05 324.05
11 324 Mike McIntire, Chesterland OH, '17 Camry 3.981 318.54 318.54
12 473 Chad Green, Midland TX, '19 Mustang 4.011 312.13 313.95
13 302 Dale Creasy Jr., Beecher IL, '18 Charger 4.113 290.88 290.88
14 40 Alex Laughlin, Bluff Dale TX, '22 Charger 4.143 290.19 290.19
15 241 John Smith, Anderson SC, '21 Charger 6.695 104.71 104.71
16 139 Dave Richards, Wellington FL, '18 Mustang 7.537 87.71 87.71
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PRO STOCK
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1 6 Matt Hartford, Phoenix AZ, '16 Camaro 6.538 208.52 209.49
2 7 Dallas Glenn, Mooresville NC, '22 Camaro 6.553 209.07 209.20
3 5 Kyle Koretsky, Fairless Hill PA, '22 Camaro 6.557 208.52 208.52
4 8 Cristian Cuadra, McAllen TX, '23 Mustang 6.558 208.91 209.72
5 2 Greg Anderson, Mooresville NC, '22 Camaro 6.559 208.14 209.23
6 1 Erica Enders, Houston TX, '21 Camaro 6.560 208.71 208.91
7 14 Camrie Caruso, Denver NC, '13 Camaro 6.561 209.59 209.79
8 52 Deric Kramer, Sterling CO, '21 Camaro 6.566 208.46 209.95
9 4 Troy Coughlin Jr., Delaware OH, '22 Camaro 6.571 209.72 209.72
10 400 Mason McGaha, Odessa TX, '21 Camaro 6.574 209.04 209.04
11 9 Bo Butner, Floyd Knobs IN, '22 Camaro 6.576 207.85 209.14
12 4264 Chris McGaha, Odessa TX, '22 Camaro 6.582 207.05 209.62
13 3 Aaron Stanfield, Bossier LA, '22 Camaro 6.584 209.01 209.01
14 494 Jerry Tucker, Lindsay OK, '20 Camaro 6.589 207.72 208.97
15 406M Fernando Cuadra Jr., Leon MX, '21 Mustang 6.592 208.94 208.94
16 411M David Cuadra, McAllen TX, '20 Mustang 6.596 208.10 208.10
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 12 Shane Tucker, Statesville NC, '22 Camaro 6.598 208.68 208.68
18 410M Fernando Cuadra, McAllen TX, '21 Mustang 6.611 207.40 207.50
19 37 Larry Morgan, Newark OH, '19 Camaro 6.624 206.26 207.53
20 127 Val Smeland, Shirley NY, '16 Camaro 6.628 206.99 207.21
21 150 Kenny Delco, E. Setauket NY, '20 Camaro 6.646 207.18 208.01
22 106 Alan Prusiensky, Rockaway NJ, '16 Dart 6.674 204.54 206.10
23 168 Brandon Miller, Canterbury CT, '17 Dart 6.721 205.10 205.88
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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
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1 79 Gaige Herrera, Brownsburg IN, Suzuki Hayabusa 6.735 201.52 201.52
2 7 Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg IN, Suzuki Hayabusa 6.765 197.77 200.77
3 5 Steve Johnson, Birmingham AL, Suzuki TL 6.804 196.27 196.27
4 1 Matt Smith, King NC, Suzuki 6.806 199.26 199.26
5 554 Chase Van Sant, Pella IA, Suzuki TL 6.806 198.52 199.29
6 2 Joey Gladstone, Maidens VA, Suzuki Hayabusa 6.821 197.68 197.94
7 300 Hector Arana Jr, East Northport NY, EBR 6.825 200.80 200.80
8 10 Ryan Oehler, Bloomington IL, EBR 6.858 197.05 197.05
9 1981 Kelly Clontz, Hughesville MD, Suzuki TL 6.870 194.86 195.68
10 3 Angie Smith, King NC, EBR 6.874 198.00 198.00
11 15 Jianna Evaristo, San Jose CA, Suzuki 6.877 193.96 196.79
12 8 Marc Ingwersen, Findlay OH, EBR 6.901 195.03 195.03
13 4 Jerry Savoie, Cut Off LA, Suzuki 6.923 191.38 191.38
14 1628 John Hall, Hamden CT, Buell 6.949 195.22 195.22
15 1138 Ron Tornow, Pittsburgh PA, Victory 7.026 191.13 191.13
16 276 Marcus Hylton, Esen NC, Buell 7.109 187.63 187.63
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 17 Chris Bostick, Mount Juliet TN, Suzuki Hayabus 7.458 179.04 180.77
w/ NHRA Communications |
