Doug Kalitta, Ashley Force Hood, Mike Edwards, and Andrew Hines finished atop their fields as qualifying raced to its conclusion at the 29th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int'l Raceway.
Unlike Friday's rain-marred day, Saturday in the Land of 10,000 Lakes was sunny and warm, but performances nonetheless improved across the board and a number of racers were able to finally clinch their spots in the Countdown to 1 playoffs that begin at the next event, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil. Battles still are raging however in all four classes for the precious few spots available. There is one spot open in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock and two open in Pro Stock Motorcycle as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series regular season comes to an end Sunday.
Doug Kalitta
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Kalitta, winner three weeks ago in Denver, collected his second No. 1 qualifying honor in the last four races after going without a top spot for 94 races thanks to a 3.842 blast he laid down in Saturday's first session with the Technicoat dragster. Kalitta now has 30 career pole positions in the class.
"We managed to get down both lanes today so I think the track is pretty good," said Kalitta, a two-time Brainerd winner. "Tomorrow is supposed to be a little cooler so I think the fans are going to be in for a treat with the performances. [Team owner] Connie [Kalitta] won this race in 1985 and I've had some luck here as well, so hopefully we can have a good day
"We're locked into the [Countdown], which we're real proud of, but I'm definitely focused on this race [and not the playoffs]. I feel real good about tomorrow; Jim Oberhofer and Troy [Fasching] and all my guys have been working real hard. This has always been a wonderful place for us so we're looking forward to it."
Friday leader Brandon Bernstein slipped one spot in the Copart dragster with a 3.846, just a few ticks ahead of former event winner Cory McClenathan's 3.848 in the Fram dragster. Larry Dixon, a two-time winner here in six final-round appearances, is fourth in the Al-Anabi dragster with a 3.861.
Shawn Langdon, driving the flagship for event sponsor Lucas Oil, is fifth with a 3.881, while world champ Tony Schumacher occupies the sixth spot with a 3.888. Behind them are David Grubnic (3.916) and Antron Brown (3.923).
Grubnic is in a battle for the final Countdown berth with Terry McMillen that will be decided Sunday. Steve Torrence grabbed the ninth berth by qualifying for the show.
Luigi Novelli ended up on the bump spot and will be Kalitta's first-round opponent.
Ashley Force Hood
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Force Hood not only maintained her Friday lead but also made the best run of the day's last session, a 4.12 to back up her track-record 4.102 on Friday and earn her fourth No. 1 honor of the season.
"It's great to be No. 1, but it's a better feeling for us to have good runs in both lanes," said Force Hood. "Being No. 1 will only get you so far if you can only get down one lane because we don't know what tomorrow will bring.
"We won the last race before the Countdown last year, so we're trying to start a little tradition. We can move up to sixth, and we really utilized our qualifying here. It was only a handful of points, but they might be the ones we need later this year. We hope to gain some more points tomorrow and win some rounds and even the race because your confidence goes through the roof if you can do that."
Matt Hagan, whose DieHard Dodge was shut off on the starting line with an oil leak Friday, bounced back to grab the No. 2 spot with a 4.122 and, in the process, pushed reigning world champ Robert Hight's 4.131 to third. That move was significant as, had Hight remained second, he would have entered Sunday's eliminations an even 20 points – or one round's worth of racing – behind points leader and team boss John Force, who struggled in qualifying. Hight is now 21 points back and will have to win two rounds more than his boss if he wants to claim the top speed in the playoffs and the 30 bonus points that go with it.
Bob Tasca III has the No. 4 spot with a 4.138 in the Motorcraft Mustang, just a thousandth of a second ahead of Cruz Pedregon's 4.139. Jack Beckman is sixth at 4.141, while teammate Ron Capps (4.142) and Jeff Arend (4.165) round out the top eight. Arend is battling Tony Pedregon for the final playoff spot; Pedregon has a 31-point lead, so Arend will have to go two rounds further.
Force ended up 13th, his worst start ever at Brainerd, where he has won 11 times, more than anywhere else on the tour. Paul Lee sits on the bump spot and will face Force Hood in round one.
Mike Edwards
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Edwards grabbed his 11th No. 1 qualifying berth of the season but, more importantly for him, his first in three races as he passed Friday leader Allen Johnson – whose Dodge qualified No. 1 at the two most recent events – with a 6.644 pass Saturday morning.
"We tinkered around with a few things out there in Seattle, a couple runs there in Sonoma, but in Denver Mopar just kicked our you-know-what out there," said Edwards. "He is extremely fast, and he is the car to beat out there, actually. They’re all out there to beat, but he’s definitely faster than us, and I think there are seven or eight cars that could win the championship right now. I think that’s how close it is.
"We’re not 'the man' anymore; we’re just holding on and trying to be as good as we can. There are a lot of cars faster than us right now. We’re real fortunate to be No. 1. Tomorrow, Pro Stock is going to be awesome. All the Full Throttle fans are in for some great side-by-side racing. I’m excited."
Johnson also was passed on the sheets by Johnny Gray, who ripped to a 6.652 in his NTB Pontiac. Gray became the ninth driver to clinch a spot in the Countdown to 1 playoffs in Pro Stock, which is now down to a battle between Rodger Brogdon and Kurt Johnson; Brogdon owns an 80-point lead but qualified on the bump (6.692) and will have to face Edwards in round one.
Allen Johnson finished third with his Mopar Avenger with a 6.654, just ahead of former Minnesota hero Jason Line's 6.657 in the Summit Pontiac. Ron Krisher (6.660), Shane Gray (6.663), Larry Morgan (6.673), and Ronnie Humphrey (6.675) round out the top eight.
Andrew Hines
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Hines ended the day the way he began it, with the No. 1 position in Pro Stock Motorcycle, though he got some company in the six-second zone that he owned exclusively Friday with his 6.977 pack-leading pass, but it took an improved effort to do it. Hines absolutely hit it out of the park on his final pass Saturday, chalking up a 6.915 that destroyed Hector Arana's 6.944 track record and gives the Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley Davidson nearly a half-tenth on the field.
"Everybody picked up," said Hines. "Matt Smith picked up pretty good. He was right in front of me, and when he was going down the track I’m like, 'Oh he’s going No. 1.' But as soon as I popped the clutch and felt my bike leave I’m like, 'Oh he’s done.'
"This is a big stepping stone for our Countdown this year. Our engine combination in each bike is a little bit different and it looks like mine is working a little better, so we’ll throw my spare motor into Eddie’s bike for tomorrow and send him down the track and hopefully he’ll be a rocket ship just like mine."
Hines also earned the maximum nine session-bonus points to Arana's one point and five more position points over eighth-ranked Arana to cut Arana's lead to from 69 to 57 -- now less than three rounds -- as Hines tries to overhaul the points leader and earn the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
Former event winner Smith is second at 6.961 on the Al-Anabi Buell, also recorded in the final session, while rookie LE Tonglet based out a 6.981 on his Suzuki, making it three different makes atop the qualifying sheets. Hines' teammate, Eddie Krawiec, is fourth at 6.988.
Tonglet clinched his spot in the playoffs just by qualifying for the field, while David Hope also sealed his bid by qualifying sixth. The battle for the final two spots in Pro Stock Motorcycle is down to Karen Stoffer, Craig Treble, and Shawn Gann.
Gann finished fifth at 6.988, Hope sixth at 6.990, and Treble, using the engine that powered Michael Phillips to three national event wins and the national speed record, rounded out the six-second qualifiers with a seventh-best 6.998. Arana, as mentioned, is eighth.
Homestate hero Buddy Robinson of Princeton, Minn., ended up on the bump spot with a 7.1818 from his Suzuki, making the field for the first time in his career. His reward is a date with low qualifier Hines in tomorrow's first round.
Related story:
Friday: Bernstein, Force Hood, Johnson, Hines tops in Brainerd