Gann was confident enough in his 7.045 ET from Friday that they didn't take a pass in Saturday's first round of qualifying. The team's second round netted them a speed of 184.62 mph and an ET of 7.069, putting Gann against no. 6 qualifier Steve Johnson on Sunday.

"We've almost got too much power on this Rum Bum bike," said Gann, a former winner at Joliet (2004). "I got more power than anyone thinks I do, so we'll keep working on it for sure, and we'll get where we want to be.

"We didn't make a pass in the third round because we were safe and really just didn't need to use up what we have. We're ready for tomorrow though. We race Steve Johnson first round tomorrow, so that will be a tough one. We just need to go rounds and learn what we can about this bike."

The four-time Nationals event winner's only complaint wasn't with his Buell; it was with his new threads. "I really need to get this new firesuit worn in," he said, laughing. "It's so stiff, I can hardly get my feet to the pegs, so we've gotta get that better. I love this bike though and I just want to keep going rounds. That's what we want to do."

NHRA Full Throttle Series rookie Douglas Horne maintained his status as top-qualifier with an ET of 6.936 and a speed of 191.84 mph. He faces Wesley Wells in Sunday's opening round of PSM action.

Sunday's eliminations for the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway begin at 11 a.m. Eliminations air on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. CST Sunday and re-air Wednesday at 1 a.m. CST. The race can be heard via live streaming Sunday at NHRA.com.

For more information about the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, visit them on the Web at Route66Raceway.com.

Fans can follow Shawn Gann at Twitter.com/ShawnGann or on his page on Facebook.

Courtesy of HighSideMedia