CONCORD, N.C. (April 29, 2023) – Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team picked-up their third No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
Starting the day sitting seventh, Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac team laid down a track record elapsed time of 3.651-second pass at 336.32 mph to rocket to the No. 1 position for the 45th time of her career. The two-time reigning world championship team picked up three bonus points for their efforts. The Flav-R-Pac hotrod closed out qualifying with another clean pass of 3.742 at 320.20.
“That was an incredible run. It was more than I think this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team expected. A 3.65 is just outstanding and then to be able to run a 3.74 in that last run. So, we had three solid runs, three of the four which is great going into race day. It gives us enough information to hopefully carry it over and go some rounds tomorrow,” Force said. “We’ve had success here in the past. I’ve always loved this track. We’ve won the Four-Wide before years ago. It’s tricky, it’s a challenge for the entire team, everybody involved, but that’s what makes winning it so much better.”
Bob Tasca collected his second No. 1 of the season to go with his Phoenix pole and the 11th of his career with a stout 3.852 in the day’s first session that was just shy of the 3.850 track record and his 3.851 personal best, and it came on a run where the engine shut off early.
"The car shut off at 920 feet, we had a malfunction with the wheel counter — which shuts the car off in the event the driver can't — and it was crazy, because I was wide open throttle," he said. "The car felt like it was a rocket ship, and then it just quit which is why I only ran 324 mph and cost me now my career-best run and the track record.
"That was on an .84 run and, truthfully, that was the one we've been looking for since we put this program together. We're very pleased with that run."
Cruz Pedregon’s bid for a third straight No. 1 qualifying effort fell just .007-second shy as his Snap-on Tools Dodge clocked a swift 3.859 for the No. 2 spot.
Robert Hight, whose Flav-R-Pac Camaro was the only car to run in the threes on all four passes, slid into third with a 3.865 also recorded in Q3. Matt Hagan bounced back from a Friday trip into the catch net with a 3.866 for the No. 4 spot.
Friday leader Alexis DeJoria was not able to improve on her 3.876 and fell to fifth. Toyota teammate J.R. Todd showed no signs of the foul luck that led to his first career DNQ in Funny Car in Las Vegas with three three-second passes and a best of 3.888 that slots his DHL Supra No. 6.
Two-time and reigning Four-Wide champ John Force is qualified No. 7 with a 3.898 and Tim Wilkerson rounds out the quick eight with a 3.899
Ron Capps (3.899), Blake Alexander (3.914), and privateer Mike McIntire Jr. (3.981) also qualified in the threes.
After missing last night’s run due to a rear brake malfunction, Matt Hartford stormed to the top spot by wheeling his Total Seal Camaro to a 6.538. Hartford had never been the low qualifier in the first 160 races of his career, but he’s now been the top seed at the last two events including the Las Vegas Four-Wide. Hartford, who was also the No. 2 qualifier in Pomona and No. 5 in Phoenix, will have lane choice in a quad that also features Deric Kramer, Troy Coughlin Jr., and newcomer David Cuadra, who qualified on the bump in his debut with a 6.596.
“Last night, getting out of here late, none of us were in a good mood,” said Hartford. “We were really disappointed because we knew we could go to the pole. Then again, luck was on our side. If that [brake issue] had happened during the run it would have been a different outcome and I’m not sure the car would be in one piece. We came out this morning, the first car out and we said, ‘Let’s just make a good run.’ We have a great team and our car is a rocketship right now. This is the best car I’ve ever had and the best team I’ve ever been on. Now, we just need to capitalize on it.”
Hartford admittedly hasn’t had much success in Four Wide races, but he’s determined to change his luck during tomorrow’s final eliminations. He realizes that the balance of power can change quickly in Pro Stock so he’s determined to take advantage of his current window of opportunity.
“The way I see it Dallas [Glenn] and I have had the best two cars in the class since Gainesville, but he’s already got two wins and I have zero,” said Hartford. “We need to fix that. “This car is too good to not be winning races right now. It's all on the driver and that’s me. My record in Four Wide races isn’t something I’m proud of but we can fix that pretty quickly.”
The entire Pro Stock field is separated by just .058-second, meaning that any driver can win on Sunday. Red-hot Dallas Glenn, winner of the last two events and the current championship leader, is the No. 2 qualifier with a 6.553 while Kyle Koretsky finished No. 3 at 6.557 giving the KB Titan team a clean sweep of the top three spots.
Friday leader Cristian Cuadra slipped to No. 4 with a 6.558 best while Greg Anderson finished fifth at 6.559, one-thousandth of a second ahead of current champ Erica Enders, who missed Friday’s evening run due to an electrical malfunction but recovered nicely with a 6.560.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, One-and-a-half races into his tenure with the Vance & Hines team, Gaige Herrera has done virtually nothing wrong. Herrera is now two-for-two in qualifying after riding the Mission Foods Suzuki to a 6.735 on Saturday. Herrera has swept all the available qualifying points and the Vance & Hines team swept the top two spots as Eddie Krawiec remained the No. 2 seed with his 6.765 from Friday. Herrera will race in a quad that also includes Ryan Oehler, Kelly Clontz, and Marcus Hylton, who is making his NHRA debut aboard the Gann Speed entry.
“Vance & Hines has both bikes flying and I’m just happy to be a part of it,” said Herrera. “We improved on [Friday’s runs] but you’re always trying to outdo yourself each round. Andrew [Hines, crew chief] has both of our bikes on rails and it’s showing. The pressure is on my shoulders right now.”
Herrera has made just 12 runs in NHRA competition since joining the Vance & Hines team and all of them have been quick, but he acknowledges that he’s not exactly mistake-free and still has a lot to learn in his first full season in the class.
“On the first run we made this weekend on Friday, I was lined up straight, but when I threw the [clutch] lever, the bike didn’t go straight. I wrung out low gear too long and that caused a transmission issue. That was totally on me. Coming from no [wheelie] bar background, there was going to be a few adjustments that I had to make. Andrew has been good about coaching me and fixing a few bad habits.”
As quick as the Vance & Hines bikes have been, they’re not exactly running away from the rest of the field. Steve Johnson and Matt Smith, two veterans who are expected to contend for the title this season, ran 6.804 and 6.806 for the No. 3 and No. 4 spots while Chase Van Sant, Hector Arana Jr., Joey Gladstone and Kelly Clontz round out the top eight.
Weather permitting, the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway continues with eliminations slated to begin Sunday at noon. Television coverage of the event continues on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET.
See the recap from nhra.com:
Take a look at Saturday's photo gallery:
Content: JFR PR | NHRA
Photo's: NHRA