NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Khalid AlBalooshi leads the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Services field through two qualifying sessions at the Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals in Topeka. The seven-time winner (four wins in Top Fuel, three in Pro Mod) threw down a 5.735-second pass at an astounding 259.76-mph in the second qualifying session to take over the lead. Watch the entire Quick 16 below: 

RELATED: Pro Mod Q2 Detailed Results

That put AlBalooshi ahead of Todd Tutterow, who won his first NHRA Pro Mod race at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in March. Tutterow took the qualifying lead after the first session with a 5.801 pass at 246.66 mph. He sits ahead of Sidnei Frigo (5.803) and Steve Matusek (5.827). 

Rickie Smith, back in his turbo-charged machine after reverting to a blown car at the Virginia NHRA Nationals due to parts availability, sits fifth. The 2018 runner-up for the world championship ran a 5.845 at 250.27 mph. Jeremy Ray and Alex Laughlin sit on either side of the quick half of the field with the Carolina Kingpin holding down lane choice, for now, with a 5.879. 

Jim Whiteley is on the bump spot after making a 5.977 lap at 240.12. Eric Latino is on the outside looking in, starting a barrage of 6-second and slower passes. 21 cars made an attempt, and a couple of heavy hitters are not qualified – including Stevie “Fast” Jackson and Mike Castellana. Jackson runnered up at the most recent stop on tour in Virginia, while Castellana won the 2017 Pro Mod title. 

There will be two more qualifying attempts before the field is set, which you can view in their entirety on NHRA.tv. 

Full Qualifying Order: