April 27, 2024 | By NHRA

Kalitta, J Force, Anderson Herrera on NHRA poles at Charlotte Four-Wide

CONCORD, N.C. — Defending Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta enjoyed his second straight No. 1 qualifier, cementing the top spot on Saturday at zMAX Dragway at the 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.

John Force (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the fifth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta’s run of 3.691-seconds at 337.92 mph from Friday in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster held up through two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, handing the reigning world champion his second straight No. 1 spot and the 55th in his career. The result of taking the top position worked well in Las Vegas for Kalitta, as he claimed his first career four-wide win and he’ll look to replicate that on Sunday in Charlotte, also finishing qualifying with a strong 3.710 at 332.18.

"We kind of struggled a little bit today. We put this other blower on and just had a little bit too much power in that first run and smoked the tires, and then that last run, we got right to the finish line and kind of took care of that blower, unfortunately,” Kalitta said. “So we're going to have to start from scratch again. But now that we've got our setup that we've been running, we're going to be in good shape for tomorrow.”

Antron Brown clinched the second spot thanks to his 3.698 at 332.18, while points leader Justin Ashley’s 3.701 at 334.32, which happened during his winning run in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, sent him to the third spot.

In Funny Car, John Force stayed in the top spot thanks to Friday’s track E.T. record of 3.820 at 330.96 in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS. It gives the legendary 16-time world champion his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 167th in his iconic career, putting him in a strong position for eliminations on Sunday. Force is aiming for his second win this season, closing out qualifying with a solid pass as well.

“I’ve got a real good Camaro and I'm learning how to drive it,” Force said. “It was a good day for my good chiefs. We tried to run it hard earlier [in the third qualifying session] and had a problem then came back and got cloud cover and ran [3.]85. Now we've got to race tomorrow, and that's a whole new baby. So we'll see what happens but I'm having fun with my teams and my sponsors.”

Bob Tasca, who won the 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas two weeks ago, took second with a 3.834 at 338.34, setting the track speed record and also claiming the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win. Points leader Austin Prock is third with a 3.852 at 333.58.

Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson finished as the No. 1 qualifier on the strength of Friday’s run of 6.500 at 210.90 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, but Saturday certainly featured plenty of other headlines. His qualifying run in the third session – as part of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge – was disqualified due to a technical violation after bypassing a safety device. It eliminated that pass and took Anderson out of the specialty event, as his replacement, Erica Enders, went on to win the Challenge.

But Anderson still has momentum as the No. 1 qualifier at the home track for KB Titan Racing. He’s after his second victory this season after picking up his first top spot of 2024 and the remarkable 125th in his standout career.

“I’m not sure where to start but yesterday in Q2 we had an issue with our ECU [Electronic Control Unit] where the engine wasn’t getting a spark,” Anderson said. “We had a mad thrash in the pits and in the process, one of my guys disconnected a wire that goes to the system that deploys the parachutes in the event of low air pressure. In the process, he forgot to plug that wire back in so our win in the (Mission) #2Fast2Tasty Challenge was disallowed.

“I beat Jeg and Erica and David Cuadra, and then the bottom fell out. It was a simple mistake, but we lost the run and lost the win. Otherwise, the car ran great. It was just a crazy day but it’s over now and I’m ready for race day. Tomorrow, we’re going to make damn sure all the wires are where they should be. I’ve got a really good race car and we’re going to give it all we’ve got.”

Cristian Cuadra qualified second with a 6.507 at 210.18 and Aaron Stanfield took third thanks to a 6.508 at 209.92.

Gaige Herrera’s qualifying dominance in Pro Stock Motorcycle continued on Saturday in Charlotte, but it took until the final session when the defending world champ put together a track-record run of 6.671 at 202.70 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It’s the quickest run in zMAX Dragway history and also hands Herrera his 11th straight No. 1 qualifier dating back to last season. It’s already the 16th career top spot for the young phenom, who will look to stay perfect this season on Sunday.

“Yesterday, we had a malfunction on the first run that set us back, and then we ran 6.68 on the second and that was a good run,” Herrera said. “Today, I ran a 6.70 and then that 6.67 and that’s just our team learning how to fine-tune the new fuel. There was not much left on my bike. It went straight and required very little correction. Tomorrow will be a lot of fun.”

Matt Smith’s 6.685 at 201.61 from Friday qualified him in the second spot, while LE Tonglet is third after his 6.703 at 200.77 from Friday as well.

Eliminations for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals begin at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.



SUNDAY ELIMINATION PAIRINGS

CONCORD, N.C. -- First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, the fifth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.


Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.691 seconds, 337.92 mph vs. 16. Cody Krohn, 3.832, 320.43 vs. 8. Shawn Reed, 3.732, 328.70 vs. 9. Jasmine Salinas, 3.738, 331.61; 2. Antron Brown, 3.698, 332.18 vs. 15. Brittany Force, 3.807, 314.02 vs. 7. Shawn Langdon, 3.719, 334.32 vs. 10. Steve Torrence, 3.740, 332.43; 3. Justin Ashley, 3.701, 334.32 vs. 14. Dan Mercier, 3.783, 324.67 vs. 6. Tony Stewart, 3.716, 324.90 vs. 11. Doug Foley, 3.755, 319.98; 4. Clay Millican, 3.715, 333.41 vs. 13. Tony Schumacher, 3.766, 325.30 vs. 5. Billy Torrence, 3.716, 334.07 vs. 12. Josh Hart, 3.766, 327.82.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Mike Bucher, 4.554, 171.29.


Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.820, 334.07 vs. 16. John Smith, Dodge Charger, 5.425, 139.16 vs. 8. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 3.891, 329.42 vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.904, 324.05; 2. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.834, 338.34 vs. 15. Jim Campbell, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.238, 239.87 vs. 7. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.880, 330.80 vs. 10. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.910, 333.16; 3. Austin Prock, Camaro, 3.852, 333.58 vs. 14. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.035, 305.63 vs. 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.880, 331.04 vs. 11. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.923, 323.74; 4. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 3.859, 331.69 vs. 13. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.010, 315.12 vs. 5. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.877, 335.40 vs. 12. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.932, 313.73.



Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.500, 210.90 vs. 16. Sienna Wildgust, Camaro, 6.542, 210.28 vs. 8. David Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.517, 210.80 vs. 9. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.518, 210.60; 2. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.507, 210.34 vs. 15. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.542, 210.21 vs. 7. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.516, 211.56 vs. 10. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.519, 210.64; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.508, 210.05 vs. 14. Brandon Foster, Camaro, 6.540, 210.01 vs. 6. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.511, 210.87 vs. 11. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.525, 210.47; 4. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.509, 210.47 vs. 13. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.536, 210.47 vs. 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.510, 210.24 vs. 12. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.533, 210.93.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Larry Morgan, 6.544, 210.34; 18. Fernando Cuadra, 6.544, 211.39; 19. Chris McGaha, 6.546, 210.28; 20. Kenny Delco, 6.550, 210.57; 21. Matt Hartford, 6.552, 210.97; 22. Brandon Miller, 6.637, 206.89.



Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.671, 202.70 vs. 16. Hector Arana, EBR, 7.537, 193.85 vs. 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.780, 197.91 vs. 9. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.809, 199.46; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.685, 202.12 vs. 15. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.975, 196.93 vs. 7. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.742, 201.22 vs. 10. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.812, 199.05; 3. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.703, 201.37 vs. 14. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.929, 195.76 vs. 6. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.729, 201.55 vs. 11. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.815, 199.88; 4. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.718, 202.82 vs. 13. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.909, 195.36 vs. 5. John Hall, Beull, 6.728, 202.36 vs. 12. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.863, 195.25.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Eiji Kawakami, 9.337, 148.64.


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TASCA, ASHLEY, ENDERS AND HERRERA WIN MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE IN CHARLOTTE

CONCORD, N.C.  – Funny Car’s Bob Tasca III made the fastest run in zMAX Dragway history on Saturday, racing to the victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge specialty race as part of this weekend’s 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the specialty race at the fifth of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In the Challenge final, Tasca went 3.834-seconds at 338.34 mph – the 10th-fastest run in Funny Car history – in his 11,000-horsepower Ford Performance Mustang to hold off points leader Austin Prock, J.R. Todd and Paul Lee. Tasca’s qualifying run from Friday was disqualified after his car’s intake manifold was found to have been media blasted. The violation is considered a technical infraction, as the intake manifold is not allowed to be altered in any form from its original, accepted state.

Tasca’s team recovered from that and turned in two strong runs on Saturday, including the track-record pass in the final round of the Challenge. He’ll now have a chance for a double-up weekend and to sweep the pair of 4-Wide Nationals events.

“Hats off to (crew chiefs) Aaron Brooks and Todd Okuhara. It was an incredible, incredible call in that final,” Tasca said. “This thing was fast, baby. It was dancing around and I was driving my butt off. It hauled the mail and it was exactly what we were looking for. I’m so proud of my team and we’ve got a car that can win tomorrow.

“The 338 mph goes to show you that the hard work that (Brooks and Okuhara) put in and the attention to detail pays off. These guys were focused on getting this race car right for the final round and winning this race. It’s Saturday but I feel like I’m in the winner’s circle on Sunday. This is an awesome thing (Mission does). We take it very seriously. We want to win this thing.”

In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley continued to roll on Saturdays in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, going 3.701 at 334.32 in his 11,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment/Toyota dragster to outlast Antron Brown, Josh Hart and Steve Torrence. It’s the first specialty event win this season for Ashley, but the seventh overall Challenge win dating back to last season. He posted another great reaction time in the final quad and pulled away at the finish line, giving the young standout and points leader another opportunity for a double-up weekend.

“It doesn't matter whether it's qualifying whether it's the Mission Challenge, or whether it's race day, we want to win each and every lap that we make down the racetrack,” Ashley said. “That's just a testament to the team that we have. They've been doing a great job, working hard really since the offseason to put us in position to win.

“Whether it's a race, an event. or the Challenge, it's all equally as tough to win because the Top Fuel field is just that. I definitely try to push the tree as hard as I can each and every time. I think for me, it's muscle memory: practice like you play, so it's important to do the same thing. each and every time.”

Points leader Erica Enders got a second chance to compete for the specialty event win in Pro Stock and the six-time world champ made the most of it, going 6.516 at 210.73 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Scag Power Equipment car to win her second Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year and third in her career.

Enders slipped past Dallas Glenn, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jerry Tucker to claim the victory, getting a new life in the specialty race after Greg Anderson was disqualified in the opening-round quad due to a technical violation after bypassing a safety device. Enders replaced him in the final quad and now has the chance to double-up in Charlotte.

“Never give us a second chance. We’ll figure it out, eventually. I think we proved that last year,” Enders said. “The four-wide can definitely be confusing, but thankfully we figured it out and parked it in the winner’s circle. I can’t thank Mission Foods enough for supporting our sport.

“We’ve been behind the eight-ball a bit this weekend. We shook the tires in the final in Las Vegas and we shook again last night but our crew chiefs did a good job of figuring it out. This is a nice way to go to sleep on a Saturday night.”

Gaige Herrera’s track-record run in Pro Stock Motorcycle on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki handed the defending world champ another Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge victory, going 6.671 at 202.70 to hold off teammate Richard Gadson, and Matt and Angie Smith. It’s Herrera’s fifth victory in the specialty race, which has only been held seven times in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Herrera made his best run of qualifying when it counted and picked up the victory in the process.

“When we came here, I didn’t even realize there was a Mission race on Saturday but I’m very happy with it,” Herrera said. “It was great to be in the final quad with two Matt Smith bikes and two Vance & Hines bikes. I feel like it’s going to be like that all year long.”

Eliminations for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals begin at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.