Nineteen-year Funny Car veteran Whit Bazemore is turning out to be a quick study in Top Fuel as he raced to the provisional No. 1 spot in just his fourth race in the class, posting a 4.514 at 326.87 mph to lead qualifying at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil. Funny Car champ Cruz Pedregon, Pro Stock veteran Jeg Coughlin, and Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Matt Smith also lead at the midway point of time trials.

 Bazemore's run knocked teammate and current POWERade points leader "Hot Rod" Fuller of the pole after Fuller ran a 4.533 earlier in the day. Pedregon came from out of the field to the No. 1 position with his 4.796, while Coughlin had the quickest Pro Stock car of both Friday sessions. Smith was the quickest of three riders in the six-second range.

Whit Bazemore

After aborting his first run, Bazemore ran first in the evening session and quickly moved to the top slot with his 4.514 at 326.87 mph in the Matco Tools rail. Interestingly, no one else in the field managed to go any quicker, leaving him on top for the first time in his brief Top Fuel career.

"I'm surprised to be No. 1 to be honest," Bazemore said, "especially after struggling in Round 1 and being the first pair out. After we put that up there I was sure someone would step it up, especially my teammate Rod Fuller since they knew our tune-up, but it didn't happen. For that to hold through tomorrow we might need that rain everyone is talking about.

"We all came in here with so many emotions after what happened with Eric [Medlen]. We just have to own them and find a way past that and we do that in our racecars."

Melanie Troxel placed her Vietnam Veterans/POW-MIA dragster in between Bazemore and his David Powers Motorsports teammate Rod Fuller with a second-best 4.530 at 323.89 mph. Fuller's Caterpillar rail dropped to third on the grid with a best of 4.533.

Cory McClenathan's Fram dragster anchors the field with a 4.689 at 276.86 mph. Bob Vandergriff and Doug Herbert are not qualified.

Cruz Pedregon

Pedregon lived out the zero-to-hero axiom in one day, going from out of the field to the No. 1 spot with a 4.796 at 300.20 mph in his Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Monte Carlo in Round 2 after failing to get down the track under power in the opening session.

"Being No. 1 is great and it would be good to keep it through tomorrow but I'd trade it right now for some consistency," Pedregon said. "If we can run another 4.79 in the morning and then step it up and go a little quicker after that I'd be happy, no matter where we end up on the ladder. I just want to get down the track and pull the 'chutes a few times.

"We were nervous about the rain [forecasted for tomorrow] but it really didn't change what we did there. That was a safe run. Tony [Pedregon, brother] would have taken the No. 1 if he hadn't lost the belt but as it stands we're No. 1 and 2 with the only two cars in the 4.70s so that's pretty cool."

Tony Pedregon was just a few ticks back with a 4.798 at 291.26 mph in his Q Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo, despite losing his blower belt at 1,100 feet.

Defending event champion Ron Capps is third in the Brut Revolution Dodge Charger R/T after a 4.806, while Mike Ashley qualified fourth overall with a 4.814 in the Torco Race Fuels Charger.

Todd Simpson is 16th after a 5.222. Scott Kalitta and Terry Haddock are not qualified.

Jeg Coughlin

For the second race in a row, Coughlin is the provisional qualifying leader in Pro Stock. This time he used an opening-round pass of 6.649 at 208.17 mph to put his Slammers Ultimate Milk/Jegs.com Chevrolet Cobalt on the Day 1 pole. The elapsed time set an HRP track mark.

"This team never rests," said Coughlin, who was quickest in both rounds on Friday. "Our team owner Victor Cagnazzi has instilled work ethic in this group of guys that's second to none. They want to be world champions and it shows in everything they do. After Gainesville, we could have rested on our laurels, but instead they were back out testing both team cars to find that extra edge that got us back on top here.

"To have the quickest car of both sessions is pretty darn impressive. As a driver, it gives you a lot of confidence knowing that your crew has such a great handle on the car and the track that you can be quick no matter what lane you're in. That's pretty powerful knowledge to have heading into race day. It gives you confidence."

Points leader Greg Anderson was next in his Summit Racing Pontiac GTO, running a 6.665 at 208.36 mph, a track record speed. Allen Johnson had the quickest with a third-best 6.675 at 206.89 mph.

After breaking in the opening session, Houstonian Erica Enders is 14th after a 6.713 at 205.69 mph in her Mach 1 Air Services Dodge. Ken Koretsky's Indicom Electric/Nitro Fish Stratus set a bump of 6.728 at 206.57 mph.

Matt Smith

Smith was the only frontrunner to make a big move in the second Pro Stock Motorcycle session, jumping from third to first with a track-record 6.968 at 191.76 mph on his Torco Buell V-Twin. Earlier in the day, Angelle Sampey and Andrew Hines each ran six-second passes of their own, a 6.973 and a 6.995, that left them in second and third, respectively.

"We hurt one of our motors so we're down to just one," said Smith, who recorded a runner-up finish in Gainesville, Fla. "It would be alright with me if it just rained all day long tomorrow and they set the field. If not, we'll just fine-tune off that run and just be careful with this motor. We want to make sure we're ready for Sunday. I'd be great to get back to the finals and win it this time."

Points leader Karen Stoffer is fourth after a 7.025 at 191.02 mph on her Geico Suzuki. Peggy Llewellyn, George Bryce's new rider who hails from Texas, posted a respectable 7.045 at 189.18 mph to qualify seventh. 

Steve Johnson has the Snap-on Suzuki on the bump with a 7.092 at 189.82 mph.

E-mail this article   Print this article