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  Brainerd Friday Results BRAINERD, Minn. (August 18, 2023)
Defending Funny Car world champion Ron Capps powered to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday at Brainerd International Raceway as he looks to win the 41st annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals for a seventh time. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 14th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. Capps went 3.894-seconds at 330.23 mph in his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra, putting the back-to-back Funny Car champ in the No. 1 position after two qualifying sessions. If it holds, it would give Capps his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 38th in his career. Only John Force has won at Brainerd more than Capps, who will look add to his success this weekend at a track that means a great deal to him. “It's hard to explain, but I love this place, a lot of great memories,” Capps said. “That was just another version of it. We had to shut the car off in the first run, and I sat there at the starting line and watched (Matt) Hagan go low E.T. “(Crew chief) Guido (Dean Antonelli) and I had a talk [before the later session] and he said, 'It's going to be hot tomorrow, and I don't want to not be in the top half – but we can't improve. I don't want to throw down and miss it and smoke the tires. There are 17 cars.’ But I just looked at him and said, 'Dude, go for it. Throw down.' He just smiled. He didn't throw down as much, but it was enough.” J.R. Todd is currently second with his run of 3.907 at 327.98 and points leader Matt Hagan is third after going 3.910 at 328.06. In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta made the quickest run in the opening session, going 3.757 at 330.31 in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster. The second session was cancelled due to a lack of daylight, but Kalitta made the most of the first run, putting together a strong run that he hopes sets him up for a strong weekend. He’s in line for his second No. 1 qualifier this season and 52nd in his career, but what would really make the veteran happy is a 50th career victory. The team has been trending in the right direction and a third career win at Brainerd International Raceway could be in store this weekend. “That was good. You never can tell really, but this track is usually really good, so I was hopeful we could get down,” Kalitta said. “I'm real proud of my guys and I can't wait to see how it holds up for tomorrow. I'm happy for today, for sure. They do an awesome job on the track and I'm pretty confident we'll have two good lanes for tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to it. “We're definitely hungry for a win but just making it to the final – if you can get to the final at every race, you can keep your points going. Hopefully, we'll fall into that win category again, and this would be a great place to do it. I love coming to Brainerd. It's always great coming back and seeing what we can do.” Steve Torrence’s 3.758 at 328.54 has him second, while reigning world champion Brittany Force went 3.762 at 331.45. That has her third and points leader Justin Ashley is sixth. In Pro Stock’s first appearance at Brainerd since 2019, it was the hometown guy who stole the show on Friday, as Duluth native Greg Anderson grabbed the provisional No. 1 position with a run of 6.597 at 205.79 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Coming off a strong showing last weekend in Topeka when Anderson raced to his first final round of the 2023 campaign, the five-time world champ kept rolling on Friday, making the quickest run in both sessions. If that holds, Anderson would pick up his first No. 1 of the season and the 122nd in his standout career. Hoping to make a big run with the Countdown to the Championship approaching, a good weekend in Brainerd would be huge for Anderson. “Being back home is cool,” Anderson said. “This is where I grew up, where it all started for me. It's pretty darn cool to come back after a long four years. The facility is wonderful, the racetrack is great, the weather is great – it's just like I remember it. It's been a really good Friday, and we got all the points that they had to give today with two pretty much flawless runs. “They were absolutely right on par, and I couldn't be prouder of the guys that work on these KB Titan Chevys back here. They're impressive. It’s time to win a race before we get into the Countdown. You have to peak at the right time, and it's the right time going into Indy and the playoffs, and here at my home track.” Matt Hartford jumped to second with a stout run of 6.598 at 205.54, while defending world champ Erica Enders, who won last weekend in Topeka, is currently third thanks to her 6.603 at 207.27. Qualifying continues at 12:45 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Brainerd Friday Results
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TOP FUEL (Session #2 called due to lack of daylight)
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Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 10 Doug Kalitta, Saline MI, Kalitta-AJPE 3.757 330.31 330.31
2 6 Steve Torrence, Kilgore TX, MLR-TFX 3.758 328.54 328.54
3 1 Brittany Force, Yorba Linda CA, JFR Fam-JFR 3.762 331.45 331.45
4 777 Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City AZ, DSR-DSM 3.777 327.35 327.35
5 2 Antron Brown, Pittsboro IN, DSR-DSM 3.780 327.27 327.27
6 4 Justin Ashley, Farmingdale NY, DSR-AJPE 3.780 324.05 324.05
7 7211 Mike Salinas, San Jose CA, MLR-TFX 3.784 330.07 330.07
8 3 Austin Prock, Pittsboro IN, JFR Fam-JFR 3.795 321.12 321.12
9 356 Tony Schumacher, Lakeway TX, DSR-DSM 3.828 322.34 322.34
10 51 Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, DSR-AJPE 3.832 276.75 276.75
11 386 Kyle Wurtzel, Warsaw IN, MLR-AJPE 3.853 310.84 310.84
12 565 Terry Totten, Gretna NE, Hadman-JFR 4.128 302.35 302.35
13 9 Shawn Langdon, Danville IN, Kalitta-AJPE 4.291 190.43 190.43
14 7 Josh Hart, Ocala FL, MLR-AJPE 4.431 180.24 180.24
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FUNNY CAR
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1 1 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, '22 Supra 3.894 330.23 330.23
2 373 J.R. Todd, Jupiter FL, '22 Supra 3.907 327.98 327.98
3 14 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, '23 Charger 3.910 328.06 328.06
4 4 Bob Tasca III, Cranston RI, '23 Mustang 3.915 327.59 327.59
5 6 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, '22 Charger 3.934 319.67 319.67
6 2 Robert Hight, Yorba Linda CA, '23 Camaro 3.942 321.73 321.73
7 5 John Force, Yorba Linda CA, '22 Camaro 3.943 322.73 322.73
8 7 Alexis DeJoria, Austin TX, '22 Supra 3.960 324.90 324.90
9 473 Chad Green, Midland TX, '19 Mustang 3.977 323.58 323.58
10 3095 Bobby Bode, Deer Park IL, '18 Mustang 4.035 285.23 285.23
11 40 Alex Laughlin, Bluff Dale TX, '22 Charger 4.147 266.74 266.74
12 9 Tim Wilkerson, Springfield IL, '18 Mustang 4.293 219.12 219.12
13 139 Dave Richards, Wellington FL, '18 Mustang 4.358 213.23 213.23
14 302 Dale Creasy Jr., Beecher IL, '18 Charger 4.396 213.16 213.16
15 703 Jim Campbell, Long Beach CA, '05 Monte Carlo 4.596 284.33 284.33
16 343 Chris King, Chicago IL, '16 Charger 4.701 248.34 248.34
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 256 Blake Alexander, Charlotte NC, '19 Mustang 7.039 87.10 87.10
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PRO STOCK
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1 2 Greg Anderson, Mooresville NC, '22 Camaro 6.597 205.79 207.88
2 6 Matt Hartford, Phoenix AZ, '16 Camaro 6.598 205.54 206.67
3 1 Erica Enders, Houston TX, '21 Camaro 6.603 207.27 207.88
4 8 Cristian Cuadra, Leon MX, '23 Mustang 6.606 206.70 206.73
5 52 Deric Kramer, Parker CO, '20 Camaro 6.606 206.01 206.01
6 7 Dallas Glenn, Mooresville NC, '22 Camaro 6.613 207.05 207.05
7 3 Aaron Stanfield, Bossier City LA, '22 Camaro 6.623 206.86 206.86
8 5 Kyle Koretsky, Fairless Hill PA, '22 Camaro 6.623 205.07 206.76
9 14 Camrie Caruso, Denver NC, '13 Camaro 6.631 206.13 206.70
10 9 Bo Butner, Floyd Knobs IN, '22 Camaro 6.632 206.76 206.76
11 494 Jerry Tucker, Lindsay OK, '20 Camaro 6.635 206.92 207.27
12 4 Troy Coughlin Jr., Delaware OH, '22 Camaro 6.636 206.64 206.80
13 4264 Chris McGaha, Odessa TX, '22 Camaro 6.668 206.67 206.67
14 400 Mason McGaha, Odessa TX, '21 Camaro 6.687 205.35 205.44
15 406M Fernando Cuadra Jr., Leon MX, '21 Mustang 6.700 205.16 205.16
16 411M David Cuadra, Leon MX, '20 Mustang 6.702 205.47 205.47
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 410M Fernando Cuadra, Leon MX, '21 Mustang 6.716 204.94 204.94
18 508R Robert River, Maquoketa IA, '10 Cobalt 7.227 191.81 191.81
19 106 Alan Prusiensky, Rockaway NJ, '16 Dart 8.739 104.88 104.88
w/ NHRA Communications |
