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  Chicago: Friday Results Chicago, IL (May 20, 2023)
On a day filled with tracks records, Robert Hight set two in Funny Car, powering to the provisional No. 1 position on Friday as the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returned to Route 66 Raceway for the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance. Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the sixth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Debuting a new look on his car, Hight made the quickest Funny Car run in 2023, going 3.831-seconds at 335.07 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools/Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS and shattering the previous track record he set in 2017. If it holds, it would be his first No. 1 qualifier this season and 78th in his career at the NHRA’s first race in Chicago since 2019. Coming off a victory at the most recent event in Charlotte, Hight turned in an incredible performance on Friday. “That actually surprised me,” Hight said. “(Crew chief Jimmy Prock) kept saying in Charlotte there was so much more left in this car and sure enough there was. It was such a smooth run and when it’s that smooth it doesn’t feel that fast. What’s amazing is to come back to a track we haven’t raced at in that many years and to pick up right like that is pretty impressive.” Cruz Pedregon’s 3.889 at 327.59 put him in the second spot and J.R. Todd’s 3.906 at 333.00 was third best of the session. Salinas dipped into the 3.60s to lead the way in Top Fuel, rolling to the No. 1 spot with a pass of 3.686 at 333.41 in his 11,000-horsepower Gerber Collision & Glass/Scrappers Racing dragster. If it holds, it would give Salinas his first No. 1 spot of the season. The veteran has enjoyed success at Chicago over the years, qualifying No. 1 at NHRA’s last appearance at the track in 2019 and also finishing as the runner-up. “It was really good. We’ve worked really hard on the car the last few weeks,” Salinas said. “The last time we raced here, we were the No. 1 qualifier and the run we made tonight, we did that three times in testing. We know we have a great car, and we just have to carry this over to tomorrow and then Sunday. I think there’s going to be some really good runs tomorrow because the track is really, really good.” Austin Prock went to second with a 3.694 at 331.20 and Justin Ashley’s 3.717 at 332.10 has him in the third position. Butner came into the weekend looking to turn around his 2023 Pro Stock season and the former world champion took a big step on Friday, going 6.522 at 207.94 in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Chevrolet Camaro. It set the track E.T. record and also puts Butner in line for his first No. 1 spot this season and 13th in his career. Currently ninth in points, Butner could make a big move if his weekend follows Friday’s performance. “This is one of my favorite tracks and it’s good to be back here,” Butner said. “I missed this place, and it didn’t miss a beat. We haven’t been on it in four years and to go out and get a track record, that was great. The Elite team worked really hard in testing this week and that really paid off. It was a great run, and we were excited about it. I think the team found something in the cars.” Cristian Cuadra is second after he went 6.529 at 210.31 and Stanfield’s 6.534 at 210.14 puts him third. Herrera laid waste to both ends of the track record in Chicago while also continuing his dominant season in Pro Stock Motorcycle, delivering a stunning run of 6.677 at 202.45 on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki. After winning the first two races of the season, Herrera kept up his torrid pace on Friday, just missing out on the quickest run in class history. But he stayed on track for his third straight No. 1 qualifier with an unbelievable run to kick off qualifying. “I live about an hour away from here, so this is my home track and it’s really cool to be back here in Joliet,” Herrera said. “I’ve got a lot of friends and family here, so to go out here and be No. 1, it means a lot to me. I’ve been here many times to watch, but that was my first pass down the track, so do that on my first run was pretty cool. The people at the shop put in a lot of work and I’m just glad to be part of it.” Chip Ellis is currently second with a 6.756 at 200.68 and Hector Arana Jr. took third after a run of 6.759 at 201.85. In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday, Herrera will take on Jianna Evaristo, while Angie Smith will race Chase Van Sant in the semifinal rematches from Gainesville. Qualifying continues at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.
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TOP FUEL
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1 7211 Mike Salinas, San Jose CA, MLR-TFX 3.686 333.41 333.41
2 3 Austin Prock, Pittsboro IN, Force-JFR 3.694 331.20 331.20
3 4 Justin Ashley, Farmingdale NY, DSR-AJPE 3.717 332.10 332.10
4 10 Doug Kalitta, Saline MI, Kalitta-AJPE 3.722 331.61 331.61
5 421 Spencer Massey, Fort Worth TX, Kalitta-TFX 3.722 326.95 326.95
6 9 Shawn Langdon, Danville IN, Kalitta-AJPE 3.745 331.12 331.12
7 777 Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City AZ, DSR-DSM 3.756 318.62 318.62
8 4632 Jacob McNeal, Gilmer TX, -AJ 3.774 318.54 318.54
9 200 Will Smith, Northport AL, Hadman-TFX 3.851 303.57 303.57
10 317 T.J. Zizzo, Lincolnshire IL, McKinney-TFX 4.178 208.62 208.62
11 2 Antron Brown, Pittsboro IN, DSR-DSM 4.207 201.37 201.37
12 7 Josh Hart, Ocala FL, MLR-AJPE 4.542 167.32 167.32
13 6 Steve Torrence, Kilgore TX, MLR-TFX 4.609 159.04 159.04
14 1301 Doug Foley, Mooresville NC, MLR-TFX 5.537 122.28 122.28
15 3113 Jacob Opatmy, McHenry IL, Hadman-AJPE 6.071 103.44 103.44
16 356 Tony Schumacher, Lakeway TX, DSR-DSM 6.117 102.45 102.45
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 323 Buddy Hull, Frisco TX, McKinney-TFX 7.310 95.32 95.32
18 222 Lex Joon, Indianapolis IN, McKinney-AJPE 7.796 90.77 90.77
19 1 Brittany Force, Yorba Linda CA, Force-JFR 8.067 78.10 78.10
20 51 Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, DSR-AJPE 8.290 83.85 83.85
21 386 Kyle Wurtzel, Warsaw IN, Agan-AJPE 8.348 83.22 83.22
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FUNNY CAR
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1 2 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '23 Camaro 3.831 335.07 335.07
2 6 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '22 Charger 3.889 327.59 327.59
3 373 J.R. Todd, Jupiter FL, '22 Supra 3.906 333.00 333.00
4 5 John Force, Yorba Linda CA, '22 Camaro 4.442 192.00 192.00
5 9 Tim Wilkerson, Springfield IL, '18 Mustang 5.323 173.90 173.90
6 121 Terry Haddock, Temple TX, '18 Mustang 6.960 95.24 95.24
7 14 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '23 Charger 7.133 91.63 91.63
8 473 Chad Green, Midland TX, '19 Mustang 7.396 104.21 104.21
9 343 Chris King, Chicago IL, '16 Charger 7.397 88.89 88.89
10 1 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, '22 Supra 7.746 88.62 88.62
11 3095 Bobby Bode, Deer Park IL, '18 Mustang 7.814 85.17 85.17
12 7 Alexis DeJoria, Austin TX, '22 Supra 7.916 92.63 92.63
13 302 Dale Creasy Jr., Beecher IL, '18 Charger 8.410 85.82 85.82
14 324 Mike McIntire, Chesterland OH, '17 Camry 8.440 80.73 80.73
15 40 Alex Laughlin, Bluff Dale TX, '22 Charger 8.548 73.32 73.32
16 256 Blake Alexander, Charlotte NC, '19 Mustang 11.716 54.98 54.98
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 3007 Justin Schriefer, Grant Park IL, '14 Charger 12.307 84.70 84.70
18 4 Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, '23 Mustang DQ
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PRO STOCK
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1 321 Jason Lee, Swanton OH, '18 Camaro 5.684 252.24 252.24
2 6280 Justin Bond, Misson BC, '69 Camaro 5.692 251.16 251.16
3 203 Jose Gonzalez, Ball Ground GA, '19 Camaro 5.760 247.70 247.70
4 225 Kevin Rivenbark, Wallace NC, '69 Camaro 5.768 248.57 248.57
5 288 Sidnei Frigo, San Paulo BZ, '69 Camaro 5.881 235.23 235.23
6 260 Paul Daigrepont, Statesville NC, '18 Camaro 6.141 225.15 225.15
7 269 Billy Banaka, Brandon MS, '68 Camaro 7.031 139.24 139.24
8 6911 Mike Thielen, Olympia WA, '18 Camaro 8.112 115.46 115.46
9 1 Kris Thorne, Mims FL, '21 Camaro 8.483 112.94 112.94
10 176M Manny Buginga, Bridgewater MA, '18 Camaro 8.893 101.90 101.90
11 9 Doug Winters, Pleasant Garden NC, '69 Chevelle 9.158 98.54 98.54
12 2051 Jerico Balduf, New Smyrna Beach FL, '69 Chevel 9.260 135.95 135.95
13 327 Khalid alBalooshi, Dubai AE, '21 Camaro 9.608 87.39 87.39
14 212 Stan Shelton, Albamarle NC, '19 Mustang 9.718 90.33 90.33
15 44 Mike Castellana, Muttontown NY, '69 Camaro 10.698 81.53 81.53
16 6 Lyle Barnett, Gastonia NC, '69 Camaro NT
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 4334 Mason Wright, Odessa TX, '20 Camaro DQ
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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
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1 79 Gaige Herrera, Brownsburg IN, Suzuki Hayabusa 6.677@ 202.45& 202.45
2 200 Chip Ellis, Mocksville NC, EBR 6.756 200.68 200.68
3 300 Hector Arana Jr, East Northport NY, EBR 6.759 201.85 201.85
4 1 Matt Smith, King NC, Suzuki 6.798 198.47 198.47
5 3 Angie Smith, King NC, EBR 6.800 201.43 201.43
6 554 Chase Van Sant, Pella IA, Suzuki TL 6.812 199.49 199.49
7 8 Marc Ingwersen, Findlay OH, EBR 6.866 193.99 193.99
8 1981 Kelly Clontz, Hughesville MD, Suzuki TL 6.885 190.89 190.89
9 17 Chris Bostick, Mount Juliet TN, EBR 6.915 194.63 194.63
10 2 Joey Gladstone, Maidens VA, Suzuki Hayabusa 6.927 174.10 174.10
11 1138 Ron Tornow, Pittsburgh PA, Victory 6.928 195.22 195.22
12 1628 John Hall, Hamden CT, Buell 6.948 195.48 195.48
13 499 Peggy Llewellyn, San Antonio TX, Suzuki TL1000 6.975 185.79 185.79
14 5 Steve Johnson, Birmingham AL, Suzuki TL1000 7.073 191.65 191.65
15 7 Eddie Krawiec, Brownsburg IN, Suzuki Hayabusa 9.371 96.34 96.34
16 371 Wesley Wells, Greenwood IN, Suzuki 10.537 166.56 166.56
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 15 Jianna Evaristo, San Jose CA, Suzuki 11.754 67.29 67.29
18 10 Ryan Oehler, Bloomington IL, EBR 15.052 51.74 51.74
@ = Track ET Record
& = Track Speed Record
w/ NHRA Communications |
