 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the fifth of six races in the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The race also serves as the penultimate event of the 24-race 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Beckman powered to a record-breaking run of 3.835-seconds at 331.94 mph during Saturday's final qualifying session, sending him to the top spot for the third time in 2019 and 27th overall in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge SRT Hellcat. Beckman will meet Terry Haddock to open raceday on Sunday. After going a Vegas-best 335.90 on Friday, Beckman and his team saved their best for last on Saturday, giving Beckman, who is second in points, valuable bonus points as he tries to track down leader Robert Hight. "I just want the trophy now. That will make it a perfect weekend," said Beckman, who had previously held both ends of the track record at Vegas coming into the weekend. "It just gives us a lot more confidence. The car is doing what it's supposed to be doing. We're not looking over our shoulder because there's a lot of hungry competitors; we're looking at Robert Hight. All we can control is our own destiny and you can't look past anybody." Tommy Johnson Jr. qualified second with a 3.840 at 331.04, while John Force, who is third in points and qualified third, went 3.853 at 330.72. Points leader Hight qualified eighth with a 3.876 at 332.84.
"It was a phenomenal pass and we made three consistent runs out of the four," Pritchett said. "When I hit 330-feet, I knew we were going to be on a run, and to be No. 1 at the Dodge Nationals Presented by Pennzoil is phenomenal. We've got all the energy, it's our first No. 1 of the season and we just hope to continue to carry this momentum. We're just trying to stay in our zone and keep our intensity, and I'm not overthinking in the car. That's what I'm planning to do tomorrow." Force was bumped to the second position with her 3.659 at a national record speed of 338.17, while Billy Torrence is third with a 3.662 at 332.34. Points leader Steve Torrence qualified fifth with a 3.691 at 329.26.
"It's always been a great racetrack for me," said Anderson, who has a class-best eight wins in Vegas. "I love coming here and racing in front of (team owner Ken Black) and his family. It's a special weekend so far and we've had a lot of magic here. It makes you feel good and gives you confidence, and we'll take it. It just takes so much to win a race in Pro Stock anymore. You couldn't possibly bet on who's the favorite. It just comes down to who makes zero mistakes and who puts it all together tomorrow. We're executing perfectly so far and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
"We've got a lot of confidence going into tomorrow," said Smith, who also qualified No. 1 at the Vegas spring race. "All in all, I've think we've got a pretty fast hotrod for tomorrow. This motorcycle is running pretty mean right now. After the helmet goes on, it's all serious and it's all business, and we're having a good time." Steve Johnson stayed second with a 6.848 at 194.18, while Eddie Krawiec qualified third thanks to his 6.864 at 195.11. Points leader Andrew Hines is right behind in fourth after going 6.866 at 194.63 on Saturday. Stevie "Fast" Jackson, who has already clinched his first world championship, qualified in the top spot during action in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service. Jackson's pass of 5.735 at 250.37 in his blown Bahrain1 Racing Camaro gave him the fourth No. 1 qualifier of his 2019 championship season. Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at the Dodge NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil.
|
|
Ready to take your order at 1-800-230-3030 | Customer Service 1-800-517-1035