Sat, 22 Aug 2026, 16:00 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By Reporter

BRAINERD, Minn. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 44th annual NHRA Brainerd Nationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

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Right Lane: Keith Murt Runs 4.021/241.20, Now #14; Best prior run: 3.915/314.31, Was #14

Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 48 percent, barometer 30.10 inches, adjusted altitude 2,493 feet, track temperature 110 degrees.

Murt started to lose traction and clicked it off.

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Right Lane: Will Smith Runs 7.034/96.03, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.777/328.30, Was #11

Smith is up in smoke early and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.900/274.44, Now #13; Best prior run: 3.818/326.00, Was #13
Right Lane: Leah Pruett Runs 3.756/329.18, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.769/331.04, Was #9

Millican is hazing the tires early, but stays with it. He will not improve.

Pruett launched hard and kept it hooked up to move into the top half of the field.

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Left Lane: Shawn Reed Runs 6.799/86.12, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.778/326.48, Was #12
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 7.508/95.71, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.768/330.07, Was #9

Reed starts to lose traction and clicked it off.

Schumacher is dropping cylinders right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.775/325.45, Now #8; Best prior run: 3.763/330.55, Was #8
Right Lane: Tony Stewart Runs 5.739/113.11, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.758/331.45, Was #7

Brown kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight. He will not improve.

Stewart is up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Billy Torrence Runs 3.741/329.58, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.754/330.96, Was #5
Right Lane: Justin Ashley Runs 5.003/141.13, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.743/333.99, Was #4

Torrence launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the session. He moves up the ladder one spot. Billy Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.850 sec., 330ft-2.147, 660ft-3.015/294.24 mph.

Ashley drives into tire smoke and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Maddi Gordon Runs 3.731/330.80, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.695/336.99, Was #2
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 4.742/154.94, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.730/331.20, Was #3

Gordon launched hard and kept it hooked to make the quickest pass of the session. she will stay in the number two spot. Maddi Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.852 sec., 330ft-2.144, 660ft-3.010/297.02 mph.

Langdon starts to lose traction and clicks it off.

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Left Lane: Josh Hart Runs 4.348/191.16, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.774/327.35, Was #10
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.726/329.50, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.673/332.26, Was #1

Hart starts to lose traction and clicked it off. He will start Sunday from the number 10 spot.

Kalitta launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the quickest pass of the session. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.840 sec., 330ft-2.129, 660ft-3.002/293.98 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink