Sun, 23 Aug 2026, 12:30 PM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations |
By Reporter |
BRAINERD, Minn. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 44th annual NHRA Brainerd Nationals:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 14 Tony Stewart 77 Josh Hart E1 ****WINNER**** 0.047 3.726 334.32 0.078 3.789 330.47 Qualified: #7 3.758 331.45 #10 3.774 327.35Weather conditions: air temperature 67 degrees, relative humidity 62 percent, barometer 30.07 inches, adjusted altitude 2,277 feet, track temperature 98 degrees.
Tony Stewart is 35 - 15 in Rd. 1 overall and 9 - 3 this year. Josh Hart is 1 - 2 against Stewart this year.
Stewart and Hart have each won 3 times against the other in prior events.
Stewart with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Stewart
with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 777 Leah Pruett 200 Will Smith E1 ****WINNER**** 0.060 3.702 341.08 0.083 3.726 330.47 Qualified: #6 3.756 329.18 #11 3.777 328.30Leah Pruett is 11 - 1 in Rd. 1 this year. Will Smith lost to Pruett in Rd. 1 in Seattle.
Pruett is 3 - 0 against Smith in prior events.
Pruett with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Pruett with her quickest pass this season and her career best speed. She had the big top end speed to make her first 340 mph pass. Leah Pruett's incremental times: 60ft-0.836 sec., 330ft-2.123, 660ft-2.982/296.50 mph.
Smith makes his career best pass in the losing effort.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 474 Billy Torrence 51 Clay Millican E1 -0.168 3.725 333.91 ****WINNER**** 0.059 3.796 311.05 Qualified: #4 3.741 329.58 #13 3.818 326.00Billy Torrence wins 84% of his Rd. 1 races when he has lane choice. Clay Millican is 3 - 1 against Torrence in Rd. 1. Their last Rd. 1 meeting was Las Vegas, 2024.
Millican is 6 - 5 against Torrence in prior events.
Torrence goes red to give Millican the freebie. Torrence makes his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing effort.
Millican kept it hooked up and his quickest pass of the weekend for the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 100 Maddi Gordon 5050 Scott Palmer E1 ****WINNER**** 0.061 3.752 336.32 0.070 4.363 196.93 Qualified: #2 3.695 336.99 #15 3.994 249.49The #2 TF qualifier is 35 - 8 in Rd. 1 here. The last time the #15 TF qualifier won a round at this event was 2005.
This is the first time Gordon and Palmer have faced each other in eliminations.
Gordon with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. She will give up lane choice to Stewart in the next round.
Palmer is dropping cylinders right at the hit and then starts to spin the tires and clicked it
off.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
1 Doug Kalitta 748 Cameron Ferre
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.067 3.713 336.23 0.089 4.092 293.73
Qualified: #1 3.673 332.26 #16 4.118 289.69
Doug Kalitta is the only Pro driver this year to be 12 - 0 in Rd. 1. The last time the #16 TF qualifier
won a round here was 2007.Kalitta is 3 - 0 against Ferre in prior events.
Kalitta with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win.
Ferre with his quickest pass of the weekend in the losing
effort.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
2 Shawn Langdon 355 Keith Murt
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.092 3.708 335.57 0.026 3.953 316.23
Qualified: #3 3.730 331.20 #14 3.915 314.31
Shawn Langdon has qualified in the top half of the field at 25 of his last 30 races. Keith Murt is
making his 7th start.This is the first time Langdon and Murt have faced each other in eliminations.
Murt
with a great light, but Langdon had the difference made up by the time they go by the Christmas tree and never
trailed from there on for the win. Langdon with his quickest pass of the weekend for the win, he will give up
lane choice to Pruett in the next round.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
3 Justin Ashley 8 Shawn Reed
E1 ****WINNER**** 0.038 3.750 331.36 0.109 4.927 148.04
Qualified: #5 3.743 333.99 #12 3.778 326.48
In his last 5 races Justin Ashley is 1 -4 in Rd. Shawn Reed is 2 - 9 in Rd. 1 this year.Ashley is 2 - 0 against Reed in prior events.
Ashley with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Ashley will have lane choice over Millican in the next round.
Reed is dropping cylinders right at the hit
and clicked it off.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 123 Antron Brown 15 Tony Schumacher E1 ****WINNER**** 0.057 3.776 330.63 0.046 4.714 165.01 Qualified: #8 3.763 330.55 #9 3.768 330.07Antron Brown's 83 rounds against Schumacher are the 2nd most for him against any opponent (D. Kalitta - 84). In their 82 races Tony Schumacher has "left first" 22 times.
Brown is 47 - 35 against Schumacher in prior events.
Schumacher with the starting line advantage and then attempted to drive through tire smoke and got real loose before he clicked it off.
Brown starts using up his engine on the top end, but still gets
the win. He will give up lane choice to Kalitta in the next round.
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