Hight, Salinas, Butner and Herrera Earn Provisional at Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals

JOLIET, IL – May 20, 2023 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – On a day filled with tracks records, Robert Hight set two in Funny Car, powering to the provisional No. 1 position on Friday as the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series returned to Route 66 Raceway for the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance.

Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the sixth of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

The opening round is also set for the first NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout after the drivers made their selections on Friday. Points leader Dallas Glenn, who is seeded first, got the opening pick and selected five-time world champion Erica Enders. Matt Hartford followed by picking Troy Coughlin Jr. and Kyle Koretsky tabbed Aaron Stanfield as his first-round opponent. That set Cristian Cuadra and Camrie Caruso as the final first-round pairing, as four KB Titan Racing cars will take on four Elite Motorsports cars to kick off the callout.

Debuting a new look on his car, Hight made the quickest Funny Car run in 2023, going 3.831-seconds at 335.07 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools/Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS and shattering the previous track record he set in 2017. If it holds, it would be his first No. 1 qualifier this season and 78th in his career at the NHRA’s first race in Chicago since 2019. Coming off a victory at the most recent event in Charlotte, Hight turned in an incredible performance on Friday.

“That actually surprised me,” Hight said. “(Crew chief Jimmy Prock) kept saying in Charlotte there was so much more left in this car and sure enough there was. It was such a smooth run and when it’s that smooth it doesn’t feel that fast. What’s amazing is to come back to a track we haven’t raced at in that many years and to pick up right like that is pretty impressive.”

Cruz Pedregon’s 3.889 at 327.59 put him in the second spot and J.R. Todd’s 3.906 at 333.00 was third best of the session.

Salinas dipped into the 3.60s to lead the way in Top Fuel, rolling to the No. 1 spot with a pass of 3.686 at 333.41 in his 11,000-horsepower Gerber Collision & Glass/Scrappers Racing dragster. If it holds, it would give Salinas his first No. 1 spot of the season. The veteran has enjoyed success at Chicago over the years, qualifying No. 1 at NHRA’s last appearance at the track in 2019 and also finishing as the runner-up.

“It was really good. We’ve worked really hard on the car the last few weeks,” Salinas said. “The last time we raced here, we were the No. 1 qualifier and the run we made tonight, we did that three times in testing. We know we have a great car, and we just have to carry this over to tomorrow and then Sunday. I think there’s going to be some really good runs tomorrow because the track is really, really good.”

Austin Prock went to second with a 3.694 at 331.20 and Justin Ashley’s 3.717 at 332.10 has him in the third position.

Butner came into the weekend looking to turn around his 2023 Pro Stock season and the former world champion took a big step on Friday, going 6.522 at 207.94 in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Chevrolet Camaro. It set the track E.T. record and also puts Butner in line for his first No. 1 spot this season and 13th in his career. Currently ninth in points, Butner could make a big move if his weekend follows Friday’s performance.

“This is one of my favorite tracks and it’s good to be back here,” Butner said. “I missed this place, and it didn’t miss a beat. We haven’t been on it in four years and to go out and get a track record, that was great. The Elite team worked really hard in testing this week and that really paid off. It was a great run, and we were excited about it. I think the team found something in the cars.”

Cristian Cuadra is second after he went 6.529 at 210.31 and Stanfield’s 6.534 at 210.14 puts him third.

Herrera laid waste to both ends of the track record in Chicago while also continuing his dominant season in Pro Stock Motorcycle, delivering a stunning run of 6.677 at 202.45 on his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki. After winning the first two races of the season, Herrera kept up his torrid pace on Friday, just missing out on the quickest run in class history. But he stayed on track for his third straight No. 1 qualifier with an unbelievable run to kick off qualifying.

“I live about an hour away from here, so this is my home track and it’s really cool to be back here in Joliet,” Herrera said. “I’ve got a lot of friends and family here, so to go out here and be No. 1, it means a lot to me. I’ve been here many times to watch, but that was my first pass down the track, so do that on my first run was pretty cool. The people at the shop put in a lot of work and I’m just glad to be part of it.”

Chip Ellis is currently second with a 6.756 at 200.68 and Hector Arana Jr. took third after a run of 6.759 at 201.85. In the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday, Herrera will take on Jianna Evaristo, while Angie Smith will race Chase Van Sant in the semifinal rematches from Gainesville.

Qualifying continues at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.

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JOLIET, IL — Friday’s results after the first one of three rounds of qualifying for the 23rd annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway, sixth of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Mike Salinas, 3.686 seconds, 333.41 mph; 2. Austin Prock, 3.694, 331.20; 3. Justin Ashley, 3.717, 332.10; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.722, 331.61; 5. Spencer Massey, 3.722, 326.95; 6. Shawn Langdon, 3.745, 331.12; 7. Leah Pruett, 3.756, 318.62; 8. Jacob McNeal, 3.774, 318.54; 9. Will Smith, 3.851, 303.57; 10. T.J. Zizzo, 4.178, 208.62; 11. Antron Brown, 4.207, 201.37; 12. Josh Hart, 4.542, 167.32; 13. Steve Torrence, 4.609, 159.04; 14. Doug Foley, 5.537, 122.28; 15. Jacob Opatmy, 6.071, 103.44; 16. Tony Schumacher, 6.117, 102.45.
Not Qualified: 17. Buddy Hull, 7.310, 95.32; 18. Lex Joon, 7.796, 90.77; 19. Brittany Force, 8.067, 78.10; 20. Clay Millican, 8.290, 83.85; 21. Kyle Wurtzel, 8.348, 83.22.

Funny Car — 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.831, 335.07; 2. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.889, 327.59; 3. J.R. Todd, Toyota Supra, 3.906, 333.00; 4. John Force, Camaro, 4.442, 192.00; 5. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 5.323, 173.90; 6. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 6.960, 95.24; 7. Matt Hagan, Charger, 7.133, 91.63; 8. Chad Green, Mustang, 7.396, 104.21; 9. Chris King, Charger, 7.397, 88.89; 10. Ron Capps, Supra, 7.746, 88.62; 11. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 7.803, 85.73; 12. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 7.814, 85.17; 13. Alexis DeJoria, Supra, 7.916, 92.63; 14. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 8.410, 85.82; 15. Mike McIntire, Toyota Camry, 8.440, 80.73; 16. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 8.548, 73.32.
Not Qualified: 17. Blake Alexander, 11.716, 54.98; 18. Justin Schriefer, 12.307, 84.70.

Pro Stock — 1. Bo Butner, Chevy Camaro, 6.522, 208.94; 2. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.529, 210.31; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.534, 210.14; 4. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.537, 209.36; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.538, 209.49; 6. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.542, 209.79; 7. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.542, 208.23; 8. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.549, 210.77; 9. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.557, 209.69; 10. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.573, 209.49; 11. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.574, 208.97; 12. David Cuadra, Mustang, 6.578, 209.39; 13. Fernando Cuadra, Mustang, 6.581, 209.23; 14. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.589, 209.39; 15. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.669, 206.64; 16. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.729, 200.41.
Not Qualified: 17. Robert River, 7.207, 192.03; 18. Chris McGaha, 8.400, 204.85; 19. Troy Coughlin Jr., 16.682, 87.91.

Pro Stock Motorcycle –– 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.677, 202.45; 2. Chip Ellis, EBR, 6.756, 200.68; 3. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.759, 201.85; 4. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.798, 198.47; 5. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.800, 201.43; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.812, 199.49; 7. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.866, 193.99; 8. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.885, 190.89; 9. Chris Bostick, EBR, 6.915, 194.63; 10. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.927, 174.10; 11. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.928, 195.22; 12. John Hall, Buell, 6.948, 195.48; 13. Peggy Llewellyn, Suzuki, 6.975, 185.79; 14. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.073, 191.65; 15. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 9.371, 96.34; 16. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 10.537, 166.56.
Not Qualified: 17. Jianna Evaristo, 11.754, 67.29; 18. Ryan Oehler, 15.052, 51.74.

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 enable us to connect with our customers as stewards of the RV enthusiast community and the RV lifestyle. With RV sales and service locations in 42 states, Camping World has grown to become the 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 21 national events featuring the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports, Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown™ and Top Fuel Harley Series. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. 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 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 In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association

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