ENNIS, Texas – Antron Brown powered to the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel Saturday at the 31st annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Robert Hight (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories.
Brown’s Friday night performance of 3.682 seconds at 330.55 mph was enough to secure the No. 1 spot. His time is a Texas Motorplex track record. Brown will race Chris Karamesines in the first round of eliminations.
“We’ve been racing good in the Countdown but we haven’t been getting those qualifying points like we need to,” said Brown, the Top Fuel points leader. “A lot of these teams have been racking up on us. To come here and to qualify the way we have has been phenomenal. We just hope that can carry over to race day. That’s where all the points are at. Right now, I couldn’t be happier for my whole team.”
Leah Pritchett qualified second with a 3.698 at 327.43 and will find Scott Palmer in the opposite lane Sunday morning.
Tony Schumacher is third with a 3.705 at 326.71. He is paired with Kebin Kinsley. J.R. Todd is fourth and matched with Troy Buff while Brittany Force qualified fifth and Shawn Langdon qualified sixth.
Hight pushed to the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car with a 3.839 at a 332.02, which he notched Friday night. His time is the third-quickest Funny Car pass in NHRA history and a Texas Motorplex track record. Hight will go heads up with Brandon Welch in Sunday’s first round.
“Starting at St. Louis, we turned things around,” said Hight, a two-time Dallas winner. “Tell you what, to come out here to Texas, my sponsor’s race, and make four runs in the 3.80s, that shows we’ve got it going on. My teammates are running 3.80s and we’re right at the top. It’s exciting to have a qualifying like this, but tomorrow is a new day. We’ve been having problems with sealing the deal on Sunday. It’ll be a tough match tomorrow.”
Jack Beckman sits in the No. 2 spot with a 3.843 at a track record speed of 333.66. He will battle Dave Richards to start eliminations.
Tommy Johnson, Jr. posted a 3.847 at 325.06 and will race John Hale in the first round. Two-time world champion Matt Hagan qualified fourth and Courtney Force was fifth.
In Pro Stock, Line used his Saturday performance of 6.568 at 210.34 to secure the No. 1 spot.
“Everybody is close,” said Line, who will race Alan Prusiensky Sunday morning. “It really comes down to just making the best decision. It’s like a big chess match. I think we had a good day using all three (Ken Black Racing) cars, and we used them wisely today. We learned some things and hopefully all three cars are good for tomorrow.”
Greg Anderson qualified No. 2 with a 6.579 at 210.11 and will go up against Erica Enders in the first round.
Alex Laughlin, from Granbury, Texas, is third and matched up with Jeg Coughlin. Shane Gray is fourth and set to go up against Aaron Strong.
Savoie claimed his first No. 1 qualifier of 2016 with a 6.805 at 197.31. He will open eliminations against Joe DeSantis.
“At this point in the game it is really important to get as many points as you can,” said Savoie, who finished a career-high third in points one year ago. “I don’t know if I’m more excited about being No. 1 or to win a race. It’s a good weekend and Dallas is my home track now since we don’t run in Houston. After our showing last year, hopefully we can repeat it and have some fun.”
Andrew Hines qualified second with a 6.811 at 195.90 and is paired up with Joey Gladstone.
Eddie Krawiec is third and matched up with Karen Stoffer, while Angelle Sampey is fourth and will go up against Shawn Gann.
Eliminations for the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals are set to begin Sunday at 11 am.
NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
Texas Motorplex – Ennis, Texas
AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals – Oct. 15, 2016
Sunday’s First-Round Pairings
Top Fuel — 1. Antron Brown, 3.682 seconds, 330.55 mph vs. 16. Chris Karamesines, 4.213, 232.31; 2. Leah Pritchett, 3.698, 327.82 vs. 15. Scott Palmer, 3.929, 311.41; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.705, 326.71 vs. 14. Kebin Kinsley, 3.921, 311.85; 4. J.R. Todd, 3.723, 324.90 vs. 13. Troy Buff, 3.911, 314.02; 5. Brittany Force, 3.727, 325.37 vs. 12. Terry McMillen, 3.835, 309.84; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.729, 324.67 vs. 11. Larry Dixon, 3.767, 320.81; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.737, 327.43 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.746, 321.04; 8. Richie Crampton, 3.741, 322.42 vs. 9. Doug Kalitta, 3.745, 326.00.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Terry Haddock, 6.365, 184.98.
Funny Car — 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.839, 332.02 vs. 16. Brandon Welch, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.040, 158.39; 2. Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.843, 333.66 vs. 15. Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 4.035, 298.54; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 3.847, 325.06 vs. 14. John Hale, Charger, 4.032, 308.78; 4. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.851, 331.85 vs. 13. John Bojec, Toyota Camry, 3.988, 315.49; 5. Courtney Force, Camaro, 3.854, 324.05 vs. 12. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 3.952, 284.99; 6. Del Worsham, Camry, 3.857, 327.98 vs. 11. Chad Head, Camry, 3.923, 328.06; 7. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.864, 323.81 vs. 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.919, 322.19; 8. John Force, Camaro, 3.867, 330.39 vs. 9. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.911, 322.65.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Todd Simpson, broke.
Pro Stock — 1. Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.568, 210.34 vs. 16. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.775, 205.54; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.579, 210.11 vs. 15. Erica Enders, Dart, 6.748, 207.75; 3. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.586, 210.73 vs. 14. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.686, 207.24; 4. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.591, 209.98 vs. 13. Aaron Strong, Camaro, 6.684, 207.72; 5. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.591, 209.39 vs. 12. Deric Kramer, Dart, 6.648, 207.98; 6. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.594, 210.34 vs. 11. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.641, 208.36; 7. Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.610, 209.49 vs. 10. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.631, 208.46; 8. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.612, 209.26 vs. 9. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.614, 210.67.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.805, 197.31 vs. 16. Joe DeSantis, Suzuki, 6.961, 192.69; 2. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.811, 195.90 vs. 15. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.947, 192.19; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.821, 195.76 vs. 14. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.935, 194.35; 4. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.853, 195.39 vs. 13. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.916, 194.91; 5. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.863, 194.60 vs. 12. Melissa Surber, Buell, 6.914, 191.02; 6. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.863, 195.79 vs. 11. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.905, 194.77; 7. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.868, 194.24 vs. 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.889, 193.99; 8. Cory Reed, Buell, 6.872, 192.96 vs. 9. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.879, 194.46.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Angie Smith, 6.986, 191.19; 18. John Hall, 7.011, 189.39; 19. Mike Berry, 7.044, 187.11; 20. David Hope, 7.113, 183.79; 21. Lance Bonham, 7.222, 183.49; 22. Gunner Courtney, 7.264, 184.95.
