
CONCORD, NC – April 30, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – John Force set both ends of the track record at zMAX Dragway on Friday, making the fastest run ever at the facility to power to the Funny Car provisional No. 1 position at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
Justin Ashley (Top Fuel) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the sixth of 22 races during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.
Force, the 16-time Funny Car world champ, went a blistering 3.850-seconds at 334.24 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK/BlueDEF Platinum Chevrolet Camaro SS, eclipsing the track record of 3.851 set by his daughter, Courtney, five years ago, while the speed was the fastest ever in both nitro categories. If it holds, Force would earn his first No. 1 of the season and the 164th of his legendary career. He started the day with a pass of 3.858 at 333.25 in the opening session and saw even more improvement under the lights at zMAX Dragway, making a spectacular run to close out the day.
“We’re looking for consistency and this was a good night for our team,” Force said. “We found something there and I was driving right down the groove. It was pretty cool and a good night for our team. I’ve felt some pressure the last couple weeks, but sometimes you get tested in life and to come back and run like this feels good.”
Matt Hagan, who won last weekend in Houston, moved into the second spot after his run of 3.867 at 330.55 and defending world champ Ron Capps is third after he went 3.873 at 332.02.
In Top Fuel, Ashley is in line for his first career No. 1 qualifier thanks to his impressive pass of 3.669 at 331.77 in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect powered by Vita C Shot dragster. After advancing to the final round just days ago in Houston, the young standout put on a show under the lights in Charlotte, continuing his consistency from what has been a solid 2022 season. Currently third in points, Ashley already has one win this season and made two strong runs during the two sessions on Friday. To qualify No. 1 at the track where he made his Top Fuel debut in 2019.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to accomplish a lot in a short period of time, but the one thing that’s sort of eluded us is the No. 1 qualifier,” Ashley said. “It’s obviously great to be able to qualify No. 1, but it’s all about positioning yourself for raceday. That was the goal and to be able to accomplish that, it was a lot of fun. We’re going to keep our foot to the floor and keep at it.”
Leah Pruett is currently in the second spot thanks to her strong run of 3.686 at 327.51, while Steve Torrence, who has won the last four four-wide races in Charlotte, is third after going 3.694 at 327.43.
After winning last weekend in Houston, Johnson took the top provisional spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle right off the trailer, going 6.767 at 198.70 on his USA Electric Suzuki. Johnson ran into trouble during the second round of qualifying when his bike xxx on the starting line but having success in Charlotte isn’t anything new for the veteran these days. He picked his first win in the class in seven years when Johnson won in Charlotte last year and he appears on a solid track thus far this weekend at zMAX Dragway, moving in contention to qualify first for the eighth time in his career.
“The bike was good and if I would have driven it better it would have been even quicker,” Johnson said. “These bikes are very challenging to ride and to try to go 6.60s or (low 6.70s), the rider really has to do an incredible job. There’s a lot of stuff going on in six-and-a-half seconds. It comes at you so fast and it’s a lot of work to ride them perfectly.”
Angelle Sampey matched Johnson on time but sits second after going 6.767 at 196.19 and Eddie Krawiec is currently third with a 6.779 at 198.73.
Qualifying continues at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
There is no Pro Stock at this event.
CONCORD, NC — Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 12th annual Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, sixth of 22 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Justin Ashley, 3.669 seconds, 331.77 mph; 2. Leah Pruett, 3.686, 327.51; 3. Steve Torrence, 3.694, 327.43; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.700, 325.77; 5. Mike Salinas, 3.708, 329.10; 6. Josh Hart, 3.715, 327.59; 7. Brittany Force, 3.725, 332.92; 8. Austin Prock, 3.725, 330.31; 9. Antron Brown, 3.729, 329.10; 10. Spencer Massey, 3.749, 325.53; 11. Doug Foley, 3.774, 293.47; 12. Clay Millican, 3.787, 324.59; 13. Shawn Langdon, 3.798, 322.50; 14. Alex Laughlin, 3.853, 311.05; 15. Cameron Ferre, 3.854, 319.45; 16. Tony Schumacher, 3.895, 294.56. Not Qualified: 17. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.999, 266.06; 18. Krista Baldwin, 4.214, 242.32.
Funny Car — 1. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.850, 334.24; 2. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.867, 330.55; 3. Ron Capps, Toyota Supra, 3.873, 332.02; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.876, 328.38; 5. J.R. Todd, Supra, 3.893, 330.63; 6. Blake Alexander, Ford Mustang, 3.894, 325.37; 7. Robert Hight, Camaro, 3.905, 326.00; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.909, 329.34; 9. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 3.960, 321.81; 10. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.978, 317.49; 11. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.028, 309.49; 12. Jim Campbell,
Charger, 4.082, 246.71; 13. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.100, 255.05; 14. Mike McIntire, Toyota Camry, 4.401, 202.33; 15. Chad Green, Mustang, 8.111, 70.67.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.767, 198.70; 2. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.767, 196.19; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.779, 198.73; 4. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.793, 199.55; 5. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.801, 198.29; 6. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.804, 198.47; 7. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.813, 199.14; 8. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.825, 200.44; 9. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.837, 199.88; 10. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.840, 196.22; 11. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.885, 193.16; 12. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.924, 196.96; 13. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.934, 194.16; 14. Michael Ray, Victory, 6.961, 194.16; 15. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 7.010, 189.82; 16. Ron Tornow, Victory, 7.135, 184.35. Not Qualified: 17.
David Barron, broke.
o purchase tickets to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, please visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or call 800-455-3267. Children 13 and under are admitted free in general admissions areas with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.nhra.com.
About Camping World Holdings, Inc.
Camping World Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, (together with its subsidiaries) is America’s largest retailer of RVs and related products and services. Our vision is to build a long-term legacy business that makes RVing fun and easy, and our Camping World and Good Sam brands have been serving RV consumers since 1966. We strive to build long-term value for our customers, employees, and shareholders by combining a unique and comprehensive assortment of RV products and services with a national network of RV dealerships, service centers and customer support centers along with the industry’s most extensive online presence and a highly trained and knowledgeable team of associates serving our customers, the RV lifestyle, and the communities in which we operate. We also believe that our Good Sam organization and family of programs and services uniquely enables us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With over 185 locations in 40 states, Camping World, and sister company Gander RV, have grown to become prime destinations for everything RV. For more information, visit www.CampingWorld.com.
About NHRA
Headquartered in San Dimas, Calif., NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 22 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and the NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League for youth ages 5 to 17. With over 120 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Source: National Hot Rod Association
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