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QUALIFYING ROUND RECAPS

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q3 (2:04 p.m.): In his return to the White Alligator team, LE Tonglet has not skipped a beat. Tonglet took over the top spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying after riding his Nitro Fish Suzuki to a 6.812, 196.99. Tonglet barely held off Gainesville winner Eddie Krawiec, who racked up a pair of bonus points after a 6.814, 197.80 on his Harley-Davidson Street Rod. Scotty Pollachek also improved his position with a 6.816, 195.34 aboard his Suzuki Extended Protection bike. For Pollacheck, most of the drama came after the run when he couldn’t get his bike slowed and ended up in the zMax Dragway sand trap. Pollacheck managed to keep the bike upright, and it appeared to suffer minimal damage. Steve Johnson, the leader after Q1, elected to sit out the session for the second time and he’s been bumped to No. 11. The current 16-bike bump is held by Jim Underdahl at 6.942.  

PRO STOCK Q3 (2:19 p.m.): During the third Pro Stock session, there was not much improvement over yesterday’s two runs, but most drivers were able to refine their race-day set-ups. Based on this session, leader Drew Skillman has set himself up for race day success after carding the best run of the round. Skillman wheeled his Camaro to a 6.557, 211.69 to earn the three available bonus points. Skillman was slightly quicker than Houston winner Matt Hartford, who ran a 6.566, 210.93 in his Total Seal Camaro and Chris McGaha, the defending champion of the Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, was third-best of the round with a 6.567, 211.66. In a typically close session, 11 of the 18 drivers in the field were sandwiched between Skillmans’ 6.557 and a 6.583 by Vincent Nobile.

TOP FUEL Q3 (2:50 p.m.): From a session marred by tire smoke and dropped cylinders, Scott Palmer emerged with the pack with the best run, a 3.841 from his CatSpot entry. Pat Dakin was next best with a 3.904 followed by Mike Salinas with a 3.922. Leah Pritchett managed a 4.04 to claw up a few spots from the field’s bump, which sits at a reachable 4.227, which is a good thing for Gatornationals champ Richie Crampton, who finds himself outside the field with one pass remaining.

FUNNY CAR Q3 (3:10 p.m.): Just like their nitro brothers, the Funny Cars almost all struggled in their third crack at the track with only Ron Capps cracking into the threes with a 3.967 from the Rahn Tobler-tuned NAPA Auto Parts Charger. Low qualifier Courtney Force almost got there with a 4.001 while third bonus point surprisingly went to privateer Mike Smith with a 4.123. The bump spot is 4.135, held by Jim Campbell.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q4 (4:15 p.m.): For the sixth time in his career, LE Tonglet is the low qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and he will be the final rider introduced during tomorrow’s pre-race ceremonies. Tonglet’s 6.812 from Q3 held up as the best run of qualifying and he showed amazing consistency with a 6.381, 197.56 to add three more bonus points to this total. Tonglet managed to hold off a late charge from Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson teamamtes Eddie Krawiec, and Andrew Hines, who tuned up for Sunday’s eliminations with runs of 6.825 and 6.830, respectively. The bump did not change with Jim Underdahl holding on to the final spot in the quick field with a 6.942, 195.25. Mark Paquette, Scott Bottorff, Kelly Clontz, Lance Bonham, and Melissa Surber did not make the show. In tomorrow’s opening round, Tonglet will be in a quad that also includes his teammate Jerry Savoie.

First round matchups (lane choice first): LE Tonglet vs. Jerry Savoie vs. Matt Smith vs. Jimmy Underdahl; Andrew Hines vs. Hector Arana Sr. vs. Angelle Sampey vs. Karen Stoffer; Eddie Krawiec vs. Cory Reed vs. Joey Gladstone vs. Ryan Oehler; Scotty Pollacheck vs. Matt Smith vs. Steve Johnson vs. Angie Smith

PRO STOCK Q4 (4:37 p.m.): Once again, there was a slew of 6.5-second runs in the final session of Pro Stock including a 6.572 by reigning world champ Bo Butner that held up for the best run of the round. Deric Kramer and Drew Skillman ran matching 6.574-second elapsed times with Kramer getting the extra point thanks to his faster top speed. Skillman didn’t walk away disappointed since his 6.534 from Friday held on as the quickest run of qualifying and he’ll earn the green hat for the sixth time in his career and first time this season. Almost every Pro Stock field is close but the zMax field is exceptionally competitive. In the final session, nine of the 18 cars in the field ran either 6.57 or 6.58 adding credibility to the “anyone can win on race day” adage.

First round matchups (lane choice first): Drew Skillman vs. Erica Enders vs. Jason Line vs. Val Smeland; Bo Butner vs. Deric Kramer vs. Alex Laughlin vs. John Gaydosh; Greg Anderson vs. Tanner Gray vs. Chris McGaha vs. Kenny Delco; Vincent Nobile vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr. vs. Matt Hartford vs. Alan Pruisensky

TOP FUEL Q4 (5:05 p.m.): No one was able to knock Brittany Force from the No. 1 spot and, in fact, no one even got close but it was a good session for Team Kalitta as Doug Kalitta ran 3.802 to grab three bonus points and Richie Crampton laid down a clutch 3.938 to go from outside the field to the No. 7 spot. Clay Millican (3.840) and Antron Brown (3.880) had the second- and third-best runs of the session. Audrey Worm ended up on the bump with a 4.143 just behind Leah Pritchett, the low qualifier a weekend ago in Houston, who struggled to a 4.004 best and lost her last qualifying pass after being timed out.

First-round matchups (lane choice first): Brittany Force vs. Scott Palmer vs. Shawn Reed vs. Audrey Worm; Steve Torrence vs. Terry McMillen vs. Kyle Wurtzel vs. Mike Salinas; Tony Schumacher vs. Clay Millican vs. Dom Lagana vs. Leah Pritchett; Antron Brown vs. Doug Kalitta vs. Pat Dakin vs. Richie Crampton

FUNNY CAR Q4 (5:20 p.m.): After three frustrating qualifying rounds, Jim Head and driver Jonnie Lindberg finally laid down a solid pass, a 3.960 in the their- new-look Mustang that jumped them to the No. 10 spot and made them the 13th car in the three-second zone this weekend. Bob Tasca III (3.978) and Robert Hight (3.987) had the only other threes of the final session, leaving Courtney Force’s Friday 3.783 in the No. 1 spot. Jim Campbell ended up on the bump for the fourth time this season with a time of 4.135.

First-round matchups (lane choice first): Courtney Force vs. John Force vs. Tim Wilkerson vs. Jim Campbell; J.R. Todd vs. Bob Tasca III vs. Shawn Langdon vs. Jack Beckman; Ron Capps vs. Robert Hight vs. Jonnie Lindberg vs. Dale Creasy Jr.; Tommy Johnson Jr. vs. Cruz Pedregon vs. Matt Hagan vs. John Smith

Pro Stock Motorcycle low qualifier LE Tonglet: “This success is all on team WAR. I couldn’t do it without them. Jerryt [Savoie] and Tim [Kulungian] built a good program and I’m fortunate to be a part of it. I told them it’s good to be back home. I feel very comfortable here. I’m looking forward to going three rounds tomorrow. This is the only track I can say that at. I just want to see win lights at the other end and I feel like I’m on a bike that can do that. Every time we run a session we get double the data. That’s really important in this class because is so competitive. It’s so tight and data is really good.

“In Q2 we could have went really fast. I double-clutched it and blew whole run. I slowed down a lot and I told Tim, ‘I’m sorry. It won’t happen again’. In Q3, we went right to the top and we’ve been there ever since. I had to race against Jerry last year when he was the No. 1 qualifier and I was No. 8. It sucks when we have to race against each other but in this [four-wide] deal, we can both advance and that’s our goal. I think we bring out the best in each other, so I hope we race three times tomorrow.”

Pro Stock low qualifier Drew Skillman: “Our car has run pretty well all weekend. After second hit, we went to the top and we’ve managed to stay there. In the last quad in Q4 we all ran within a thousandth of each other. We’re ready. Our car is ready. Our whole team is ready to go and get this four-wide thing underway.
 
“Tomorrow is going to be totally different because we’re going to be racing in much cooler weather. We always race the track on Sunday anyway. The track prep is less, and the track tends to get better as the day goes on. I’m more comfortable with the four wide; it’s a little less confusing. It seems like we’re all on the same page and there is finally no one [messing] around for lack of a better term. This [four-wide racing] is the game we’re playing this weekend. I still like normal two-wide drag racing, but this is what we’ve got. The good thing is that you can screw up and get beat and still be in.”

Top Fuel low qualifier Brittany Force: "We’re feeling really good about the season we’re having overall. Especially considering everything this team has pulled off. We’re on our third car. It’s that’s not easy when you have to rebuild a whole car. Last weekend, the first weekend we debuted it we won the race. That’s pretty impressive. I owe a lot to [consultant] Alan Johnson [crew chief] Brian Husen and all my Monster guys. We’re on a roll right now but tomorrow is a whole new day. We’re hoping to come out here and win again.

“With the four wide, there is a lot going on up there. The nice thing is that we just did it a few weeks ago in Las Vegas. It also definitely helps that we won it a couple of years ago. That helps put your head in right place. The four-wide is awesome. It’ was special win for us. Now, I want to do it again. Courtney is also No. 1 in Funny Car and I want to see both of us win here. That would be incredible. To double up with my sister and my dad is something that’s on my bucket list I’m hoping it stays cool tomorrow and we can finish strong.”

Funny Car low qualifier Courtney Force: "We’re going to take our runs from today and learn from them. It’s supposed to cool off tomorrow and I hope our runs will be more comparable to what we ran on Friday which was our best run and the one that was the low qualifier. We’ve been No. 1 for the four-wide nationals before but I haven’t win it. I’d like to take home the win. I’d like to do it for Advance Auto Parts. They had a lot of guest out here this weekend. It’s exciting to be able to hold on to that No. 1 spot.

“Brian [Husen, crew chief] always tells me to get into my routine. I try to have the exact same routine. I try to have a different mindset on race day and I take his advice. Even in Q1 I pull up and act like it’s the final round on race day. This race is a lot of fun for me. We already have a win this year in Phoenix and hopefully we can get another one tomorrow.”

Saturday recap: Forces, Skillman hold onto qualifying leads; Tonglet takes over top bike position

PRE-RACE FEATURES

If weather forecast is correct, Saturday will be warmer than Friday, and if that’s so, it’s expected that there won’t be a lot of changes in the qualifying order, which might mean that sisters Brittany and Courtney Force would remain together atop their respective Top Fuel and Funny Car fields. If that happens, it will be the third time that the sisters will sport identical green hats at the end of qualifying. They previously pulled off the feat twice in 2014, in Topeka and Sonoma.

“It is a family sport and we love being out here together,” said Courtney Force as both shared the interview podium Friday night. “I got to get on the starting line and watch her make a killer run in her Monster dragster. I saw that number and knew that she got the top spot. Obviously, we are both hoping to hold onto the top spot through, but there are a lot of great cars out here. I was excited to see her make that pass and we’ll see what happens.”

“It is pretty exciting to be able to share this with my sister,” Brittany agreed. “Every weekend, whether it is a great weekend or a tough weekend, she is right there beside me. I go to her for advice. It just feels good to do this together. It’s pretty special.”

Tony Schumacher likes to call himself “the machine,” and if early indications are anything this season, he and new crew chief Mike Neff are a bonus-points-grabbing machine, earning “little” points at almost every turn.

Through Friday night’s qualifying, the Army dragster had accumulated 30 bonus points – worth more than a round’s worth of racing – while no one else in the class has more than 20. The Army team has grabbed points in more than half (13 of 22) of the qualifying sessions to date, including both sessions Friday (two points each).

“We’ve got a really good U.S. Army machine right now,” Schumacher said. “We just keep chipping away with those qualifying points. Getting four (points) today was big. The car is going down the race track right now. We started with a really good run in the sun and followed it up with another good one [last night]. I’m excited. This car is bad to the bone. The U.S. Army guys are working hard to put me in the fastest machine out here and the car just gets better with each run. We’ll come out here [Saturday] and try to go faster than everyone else and get points every time.”

Top Fuel newcomer Audrey Worm and the Leverich Racing crew are out for their second event of the season and just the third of her career, continuing to make progress with their Outrun PD entry, which champions the fight against Parkinson’s Disease (and has a growing collection of signatures on its sides from Parkinson's patients and their families).

The team raised some eyebrows Friday night with a header-fire belching burnout and a 4.143 that ranks them 13th and ahead of tour regulars like Leah Pritchett and Richie Crampton. The unusual burnout was caused by excessive fuel volume (42 gallons per minute versus a normal 28) that the team was experimenting with.

Worm, a former front-engine nostalgia dragster driver, says she continues to get comfortable in her new ride as she pushes towards rookie of the year honors.

“It’s my first time going four-wide, so it’s another new experience,” she said. “I was on Lanes 2 and 3 for my first two runs, which are the hardest lanes [to view the four-wide Christmas Tree), so it was good to get that out of the way. The good news is that I don’t have any bad habits to break; I just concentrate on my own lane.”

The team is contemplating going on to Atlanta next weekend, depending on how the rest of this event goes and the number of entries. After that, it’s on to Topeka, Norwalk, Epping, Indy, Reading, and Charlotte again in the fall.

Robert Hight has two wins at four-wide races at zMax Dragway grabbing the trophy in 2012 and 2014, and three wins at the fall race here, including last year, on the way to the championship, making zMAX, along with The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the facility where the two-time world champion has the most wins. He also holds the zMax Dragway track speed record at 333.91 mph.

“I don’t know what it is about Charlotte we have had a lot of success here both at the four-wide races and to start the Countdown,” said Hight. “I do think this Four-Wide Nationals will be different because we got a warm-up race in Las Vegas. I know I’m more comfortable which gives me even more confidence. I look at the four-wide races as a challenge. I don’t do anything differently. You just need to keep your focus and do your job.”

Hight’s title defense includes two runner-ups so far this season, including last weekend in Houston, which kicks off an important three-race swing for the Jimmy Prock-led team.

“Jimmy and I talked before Houston that we were going to really start our season with the next three races,” he said. “We got to the final round in Houston and we expect great things this weekend. It’s still early but we made a move in the points and I feel very confident."

Hight enters Saturday in the No. 7 spot based on his first-session 3.92 after he smoked the tires in the primetime night session.

 “We made a good run in the first session,” he said. “We were third quickest I think and that got us into the last quad. It got a little cool and I think all four Funny Cars were going for the No. 1 spot. We were just a little too aggressive and overpowered the track. Jimmy has a good handle on this Auto Club Camaro and we will start getting ready for race day.”

To say that Matt Hagan has a love-hate relationship with zMAX Dragway is probably an understatement. Or may he just loves it better in the fall.

Although he won the Four-Wide Nationals in 2013, it followed body-shedding blower explosions at the event in 2010 and 2012, both of which came in Lane 2. The 2012 blowup (pictured here), which caused him to DNQ, made the news around the world. He made appearances "Good Morning America" and the "Today Show and had a TV interview with the BBC that was the second-most viewed item on the BBC website behind the story about Dick Clark's death.

But inbetween, at the fall race in 2011, he made the class’ first three-second pass, also in Lane 2, which was renamed Matt Hagan Way by the track.

“That lane is either going to win for me or kill me, I guess,” he quipped after the 2012 blowup. “Next time I go to the four-wide event, I'm gonna wear two firesuits."

Hagan also two wins at Charlotte’s fall events, in 2011 and 2014, which helped him win the championship those two years.

Dale Creasy Jr., whose family has been racing Funny Cars since the early 1970s, and who’s been behind the wheel of the family’s TekPak-sponsored  car since 1977, made his first runs of the new season Friday and charted a fine 4.08 at a career-best speed of 315.12 mph to put himself solidly in the field.

“The first couple of runs each year you’re just getting your head back, but when it went across the finish line I knew it was a good run,” he said. “The fastest I’d ever gone before was 313, and that was on the quarter-mile, so I’m really happy.

“The first run [Q1] actually going to be better, but it pulled the tires loose when it locked up the clutch and broke a finger,” he said. “That would have been a low 4.0. On that second run, it didn’t react as well, or maybe the stupid driver just put it in a little deep [while staging].”

The numbers bear that out as the first run, a 4.217, was four-hundredths quicker to 330 and still two-hundredths quicker at 66- when the run started to come apart.

“We know what it can do,” said Creasy, whose career-best pass is 4.03. “We can go faster, but before to try to get it to do that, I want it to prove to me that it can do this consistently. The harder you run them, the more you have to change the parts. The question is ‘Do you want to change all eight rods after every run, or just two?’ 

“We switched over to a bunch of new stuff last year – heads, manifold, setback blower, camshafts, fuel pumps – so last year was basically a test. All of that stuff came right off of [Courtney Force’s] car, so we’re also getting tuning help from Danny [Hood] and Brian [Corradi]. That’s what’s gotten us to this point.

“If it goes, it can run an .0; not a low .0 but enough to give you confidence, then on raceday sometimes you can win with those kind of numbers if the other guys mess up. We can 4.0 them to death.”

Two decades after his first lap behind the wheel at Brainerd Int’l Raceway, the racing thrill is still strong with the second-generation Illinois racer.

“As long as the hair still stands up on my arms when I talk about it, I’m good to go,” he said. “When the excitement’s gone, this can’t turn into a job, but right now I’m pleased with where it’s going and that it has a lot of potential.”

Even the most knowledgeable Pro Stock fans were surprised to see Tommy Lee’s name appear on the entry list for the Four-Wide Nationals last week. Lee, who is perhaps best known for his work as a crew chief for many of the top teams in the spot, also happens to be accomplished driver so when former Comp racer Alan Rose was looking for someone to make some runs on his new Fusion Custom Trailer Camaro, Lee was a natural choice. The new car was built by fellow Pro Stock racer Wally Stroupe and the two teams are operating out of the same trailer this weekend.
 
“The last time I race at an NHRA race was 2014 when I was with Larry Morgan,” said Lee. “That was my last race, but I tested Shane Tucker’s car a few times last year, most recently in Las Vegas so I shouldn’t be that rusty. I also drove John Montecalvo’s mountain motor car a few weeks ago. That car is a lot of fun to drive. I ran 4.03 in the eighth-mile, which is just a couple of hundredths off the record for those cars. That car makes a lot of torque and it’s quite a ride.”

Lee was asked by Rose to help make the first shake-down runs for the new car, and he admits that his engine is down on power compared to some of the top teams. For those reasons, he doesn’t expect to qualify for the Four-Wide nationals, but he won’t rule out future appearances later this season on the NHRA Mello Yello tour.

“There are a lot of things to consider but we might take this car to Richmond or Bristol depending on how it runs, and the car count for those races,” said Lee. “Right now, we’re just getting the bugs worked out. It’s a really nice car and a joy to drive. Any time I get to put on a fire suite and go drive, it’s a good weekend.”

On Friday, Lee encountered some of the gremlins that are often associated with the debut of new race cars when he shook the tires and shut off on both of his runs. Teammate Stroupe entered the days on the bump spot after a 6.870 run.

If he hadn’t made several thousand runs in a Pro Stock car, Greg Anderson admits that Friday’s second qualifying session might have turned out to be disastrous. Anderson was making a solid run in his Summit Camaro and well past half-track, the car suddenly darted towards the retaining wall. Anderson quickly got out of  the throttle and saved the car, something a less experienced driver might not have been able to do.

“I have no idea what happened but just seemed like we ran over a banana peel,” said Anderson. “That far down track things don’t usually happen. I turned the wheel just enough to get the car straight without over-correcting. In this cars, you can’t yank the wheel or you’ll be in the wall for sure. There was a brief point where I thought, ‘I’m gonna hit something. I just hope it doesn’t tumble and roll. I’d like to sit here and tell you what a great driving job I did but the truth is I just got lucky.”

After analyzing the data from the run, Anderson concluded that it was going to be very similar to his earlier 6.548-second run, and not quick enough to challenge Drew Skillman for the top spot.

“It was almost the same run as Q1 so there is nothing lost,” Anderson said. “It was going to run a 6.54 or maybe 6.55. I just don’t think the track conditions were as good as we thought they’d be. Its strange when you have a night session where half the cars don’t improve but sometimes that’s what you get. We all have to deal with the same conditions.”

Asked to evaluate the first five races of his 2017 and his new association with KB Racing, Deric Kramer is quick to assign himself a passing grade.

“We’re doing just fine,” said Kramer. “Right about where I thought we’d be. We’ve had a couple of really good races and a couple that have not been so good but that’s just how Pro Stock is. It’s tough out there and no one; or at least very few people can do well at every race.”

Kramer entered the season with six career round wins and he’s already doubled that total with three semifinals in Pomona, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. Kramer has also qualified in the top half of the field at each of the first five races including his first-career pole in Phoenix. Kramer also acknowledges that he’s inspired by the success of Matt Hartford, another former Comp racer who has raced a part-time schedule in Pro Stock for the last few years. Hartford became Pro Stock’s latest national event winner a week ago when he won in Houston. Kramer doesn’t have to look far to see himself in a similar spot.

“I’m very happy for Matt,” Kramer said. “He’s been around a long time and paid his dues. I’m upset that we didn’t run better in Houston, but he did a great job. It does go show you that anyone in this class can win and that’s really encouraging. I wouldn’t want to be out here if we didn’t have a chance. We just need to get in the right spot at the right time and it can happen for us. So far, this deal [with KB Racing] has been everything we thought it would be and more. My driving has also been decent and we’ve made some good tuning calls.”

The unique format of a Four-Wide race, where a driver needs only to finish first or second to advance, also tends to favor someone like Kramer and it makes him event more optimistic that he could join the list of first-time winners.

“I like the Four-Wide,” said Kramer. “I think we’re just screwed up enough to do well here. All the crazy staging games don’t bother me a bit. I actually think it’s a lot of fun.”

The struggles of Cory Reed’s Liberty Racing team over the past year have been well documented. After splitting from George Bryce’s Star Racing outfit at the end of 2016, Reed and his teammate, three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Angelle Sampey, formed their own team, but struggled in their debut season. Performance was lacking but the bigger issue was reliability with their V-twin engines. The team struggled to the point where they parked their two bikes for most of the second -half of 2017. Eventually they decided to hire Pro Stock veteran Larry  Morgan to build and maintain engines. Morgan has made steady progress over the last six months and the proof came in the form of Reed’s 6.838-second run that led the field after Friday’s two runs. Previously, Morgan has worked with the Arana team so the concept of a Pro Stock Motorcycle isn't completely foreign to him.

“An engine is an engine and they all pretty much like the same things; it’s just a matter of making sure that they’re happy,” said Morgan when asked to compare a 500-cid Pro Stock engine with a the 160-cid S&S V-twin that the Liberty team uses. “Every engine I’ve ever worked on I’ve learned something from. You just look at it and find a way to make it better and more reliable. To be fair, the S&S engine is a real nice platform but that’s as far as it goes. They did a great job building a race engine but it’s not perfect. There are a lot of areas where you fan find power. You just have to look at all the details.

The Liberty team also employs two-time Pro Stock world champion Jim Yates, who has been brought in as a consultant to help crew chiefs Ken Johnson and Derrel Mullis. Morgan and his son, Nick, also attend all of the Pro Stock Motorcycle events.

“I can tell you that this is better than any deal I’ve ever had in Pro Stock,” said Morgan. “Jim [Whiteley, Reed’s step-father and team owner] has never said no to me. I tell him I have some ideas to make the program better and he says, ‘What do you need to make it happen?’ Those are the guys you love to work for. Nick and I have been working on this deal every day since before Christmas. Seven days a week, we’ve been hammering on these things full time. We’ve come a long way but there is still more left. I’m excited about that.”

For 2010 Pro Stock Motorcycle champ LE Tonglet, there are a lot of positives to racing alongside Jerry Savoie so he’s very happy to be reunited with the White Alligator Racing team for the remainder of the 2017 season. For those who may not no, Tonglet rode with Savoie in 2017 and they combined to win half of the races. This winter, Tonglet was replaced by Steve Johnson but that association lasted just one race. Tonglet raced his family owned Nitro Fish Suzuki in Gainesville and suffered a rare round one loss. He is expecting far better results from here on out.

“Jerry called my dad [Gary Sr.] and told him that the bike was available and we called Kenny [Koretsky, Nitro Fish team owner] and he jumped in and said, ‘Lets to it.’ The biggest difference is that I don’t have to worry about maintaining the bike between rounds. Jerry and his guys take care of everything so I can just concentrate on my riding. I don’t mind working on the bike but I think I’m better when I can just be more of a rider.”

On Friday, Tonglet rode to a 6.882 that is currently good for the No. 10 spot, but he fully expects to be in the top half of the field by the end of the day Saturday.

“When I ran that 6.88, I was No. 4 and then we had a problem on the second run and I double-clutched it,” said Tonglet. “Actually, I had a problem with the clutch lever but we made an adjustment and I don’t think I’ll have an issue now. We should be able to run better. The good thing about this deal is that we’ve only run one race so far so there is plenty of time to make up for the loss in Gainesville. Jerry and I should do just fine this year.”

Matt Smith’s partnership with Joe Riccardi’s San Marino Excavating team lasted just one race and as a result, Smith is back on a Victory V-twin this weekend after starting the season aboard Riccardi’s Suzuki. Smith acknowledged a dispute but didn’t want to go into great detail. The short version is the Riccardi left the track on Friday morning and took the team’s new Suzuki with him.

“When I got up [Friday morning] his rig was gone and he took the new bike with him,” said Smith. “I spend a lot of time building that bike. After Gainesville, it was just a frame and a body and the body was a mess. It was cracked an needed a lot of work. I have a lot of hours in that bike and about $5,000 worth of my parts are on it. He never said anything to me; he just up and left and I haven’t been able to get a hold of him. He won’t answer my calls. I’m just really frustrated right now. For the last three years I’ve tried to grow up and do whatever I can to help people out and this is what I get for it. I was committed to doing a deal and racing with him all season. Now, we’ve got to figure something else out.”

“I know we didn’t run very well in Gainesville, but I was dedicated to making the whole Suzuki thing work,” Smith said. “I was actually looking forward to it because I haven’t messed with a Suzuki for a while and it was going to be a nice challenge. After Gainesville, [Riccardi] said I was too heavy, so I lost ten pounds. Like I said, I really wanted this thing to work out.”

For Smith, the short-term solution to a messy problem was to unload the Victory Gunner V-twin that he rode during the 2017 season. That bike was in his trailer and needed very little prep in order to be race-ready. Smith also had recent data on the bike after making a competitive 6.77 pass during a test session two weeks ago. On his first run, Smith’s bike made a hard move towards the wall and he aborted the run. He made some weight adjustments before Q2 and the bike responded with a 6.863, 193.21 that is good for a spot in the top half of the field.

“I think what happened is that when I lost that ten pounds we had to add ballast to this bike and we just didn’t put it in the right place and the bike was out of balance. We moved the weight around for the second run and it was much better. I think we can still work on that part and maybe run even quicker [on Saturday].”

PHOTOS

The unique and exciting format of the Four-Wide event at zMax Dragway has long been a favorite with NHRA fans and this year is no exception. Hours before the start of professional qualifying, the pit area is jam packed with fans, who are soaking up the sunshine and taking in the sights and sounds of an NHRA Mello Yello series event.

Saturday morning began with the annual Hot Cakes and Nitro breakfast to benefit Doug Herbert’s B.R.A.K.E.S. teen safe-driving program. The event, held in the Schumacher hospitality area, featured NHRA stars Clay Millican, Antron Brown, and founder Herbert.

As part of the Legends of NHRA tour which is helping to promote the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Gatornationals in 2019, some of NHRA’s most recognizable stars are on hand at zMax Dragway including three time Top Fuel champion Shirley Muldowney, Funny Car stars Al Segrini and Tom Prock, Super Stock world champ Bobby Warren, and Pro Stock crew chief Buddy Martin. 

The Mello Yello display on the midway hosted their regular autograph signing which provided fans an opportunity to meet and greet their favorite drivers. Brittany Force, Greg Anderson, Hector Arana Jr., and Shawn Langdon were just a few of the Mello Yello Series pros that took part in the festivities. 

Reigning Funny Car world champion Robert Hight took some time out to greet fans at the Force Racing pit area. Hight won the Four-Wide event in Charlotte in 2012 and 2014.

Great weather and the promise of wild four-wide action has brought fans out in droves to zMAX Dragway,

NHRA announcer Alan Reinhart joined Top Fuel tuner Bobby Lagana Jr. to host the popular Nitro School, where fans can ask questions about the inner workings of an NHRA Top Fuel or Funny Car team. They educational and entertaining seminars are a part of every NHRA event. 

The midway area at zMax Dragway is packed with interactive displays and vendors including the trailer of event sponsor NGK Spark Plugs.

Several months after his passing, NHRA legend and ten-time world champ Bob Glidden is still very much adored by NHRA fans. At least a half-dozen of Glidden’s old Pro Stock cars and tribute cars are being displayed in the midway area at zMax Dragway.

It’s awfully hard to win an NHRA Wally trophy but fans in Concord can find out what it’s like to “be a Wally” thanks to this innovative photo-op display which honors NHRA’s official statue, which has been presented to event winners and champions since 1969. 

Vintage gassers are also putting on a strong show for the fans with smoky burnouts, hard launches, and four-wide racing.

L.E. Tonglet's return to the White Alligator Racing team paid immediate dividends as he qualified No. 1 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

PREVIEW

After both of Friday’s qualifying runs at the NGK Spark Plugs Four-Wide Nationals, sisters Brittany and Courtney Force are the provisional leaders in Top Fuel and Funny Car respectively. Drew Skillman holds down the top spot in Pro Stock and Cory Reed is the current low qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Brittany Force, the reigning NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel champ, edged eight-time champ Tony Schumacher in the final quad of the night to earn the top spot. Force’s Monster Energy dragster did not cross the finish line under power but she still managed a 3.689, 318.39 to hold off Schumacher’s charging 3.692, 331.61 in the U.S. Army dragster. Antron Brown and Steve Torrence also made sold runs of 3.719 and 3.731 to secure the third and fourth spots, respectively. Tour regulars Leah Pritchett, Scott Palmer, and Richie Crampton, did not get down the track on either run on Friday and as a result, they are listed at the bottom of the qualifying order.

A quartet of Funny Car drivers ventured into the 3.8-second zone including Courtney Force, who was quickest with a 3.873 in her Advance Auto Parts Camaro. Force also has the top speed of the event thus far with a 332.92 blast. Force has not qualified lower than No. 4 at any race this year and she’s currently on track for her 20th low qualifier award in just 149 professional starts. Ron Capps moved in to the No. 2 spot after a 3.886, 329.83 in his NAPA Auto Parts Charger while teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. is just a thousandth behind with a 3.887, 328.70 from his Make-A-Wish Dodge. J.R. Todd, the hottest driver on the tour after back-to-back wins in Las Vegas and Houston, is primed for another solid outing after a 3.888, 330.96 from his DHL Toyota.

Skillman has admittedly struggled during qualifying recently including the Las Vegas four-wide where he was the No. 11 seed. A bottom-half starting spot isn’t likely to be a problem after Skillman posted a solid 6.534, 210.37 during Friday’s second session. He bumped four-time world champ Greg Anderson from the top spot after Anderson opened with a 6.548, 211.00 in his Summit Camaro. The top half of the Pro Stock field is extremely close with the first eight drivers separated by just .027-second. After two runs, Vincent Nobile, Bo Butner, Deric Kramer, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Tanner Gray, and Erica Enders fill out the top of the ladder.

Following a switch to a Buell body and a numerous other changes to his Liberty Racing entry, Cory Reed is on pace for what could be his first career low qualifier award. Reed, a past winner of the Auto Club Road to the Future award, just missed his career-best with a 6.838, 193.54 to edge Hector Arana Jr., who ran a 6.848, 197.31 on his Lucas Oil EBR. The Pro Stock Motorcycle field is also close with the top eight riders all solidly in the 6.8s. After Reed and Arana Jr., Andrew Hines, Hector Arana Sr., Matt Smith, Steve Johnson, Eddie Krawiec, and Jerry Savoie are the top qualifiers. There are 20 bikes attempting to make just 16 available starting spots on race day so there will be plenty of bumping during today’s two runs.