This is the second time Campbell and Wilkerson have met. Campbell came out on top in their first matchup, earning his only round win of the season in round one at Las Vegas this year. This is Wilkerson's 18th #1 qualifier, breaking a drought since the Fall race at Charlotte in 2012. He has qualified in the top half of the field at all six events this season. Tim Wilkerson won here in 2004 and he has won twice from the top spot in the field. This is the fourth start for Jim Campbell in his rookie year in the Funny Car class.

No upset this time, but Wilkerson's run was not perfect. He had a dead cylinder on the left side, hurting his ET and pushing his car toward the wall. Campbell was up in smoke after 200 feet or so, so Wilkerson's performance loss was not a problem.