Sun, 06 Sep 2026, 12:50 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #4 |
By Rick Green |
INDIANAPOLIS - Notes from round 4 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. 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:
Right Lane: Krista Baldwin Runs 3.887/321.65, Now #15; Best prior run: 5.399/128.07, Was #21
Weather conditions: air temperature 75 degrees, relative humidity 69 percent, barometer 30.01 inches, adjusted altitude 2,657 feet, track temperature 114 degrees.
Baldwin kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to get in the show. She makes her quickest and fastest pass of the season.
Right Lane: Shawn Reed Runs 3.784/331.28, Now #6; Best prior run: 5.218/131.79, Was #21
Shawn Reed has one national event win, which came in 2025 at Reading. This will be his 87th race overall and his third race at this event, where he first competed in 2019. His best starting position at this event is No. 9, achieved in 2024, while the best starting position of his career is No. 2. His average starting position at this event is 9.5, compared with 9.8 for his career. Reed's overall round-win record at this event is 1-2, with his best finish being a quarterfinal appearance in 2019.
Reed after having problems Friday night, he brings out the second car.
Reed was straight down the groove with his quickest pass of the weekend to get in the show. He goes to the number six spot.
Right Lane: Jake Sanders Runs 3.862/296.05, Now #14; Best prior run: 3.878/306.26, Was #15
Sanders launched hard and kept it hooked up to make his quickest pass. He dropped a cylinder right in the lights, but still moves up the ladder one spot.
Right Lane: Jasmine Salinas Runs 3.808/332.75, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.776/329.91, Was #4
Salinas is straight down the groove, the car makes a big top end speed. Second fastest pass of the event. She will stand on her time from yesterday.
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 4.974/142.00, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.727/334.98, Was #1
Langdon drives into tire smoke by 200 feet and clicked it off.
Left Lane: Will Smith Runs 3.841/322.11, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.499/166.76, Was #19
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 4.551/173.01, Now #14; Best prior run: 3.844/327.11, Was #13
Smith gets the car to hook up and makes his quickest pass of the weekend to get in the show. He goes to the number 13 spot.
Millican starts to haze the tires and clicked it off.
Left Lane: Tripp Tatum Runs 5.256/129.12, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.805/308.43, Was #8
Right Lane: Billy Torrence Runs 3.767/329.34, Now #3; Best prior run: 4.674/208.84, Was #20
Tatum starts to haze the tires and clicked it off.
Torrence launched hard and kept it hooked up to make his quickest pass of the weekend. He goes to the number three spot. Billy Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.853 sec., 330ft-2.157, 660ft-3.036/290.51 mph.
Left Lane: Maddi Gordon Runs 3.826/332.84, Now #12; Best prior run: 3.818/324.67, Was #12
Right Lane: Lex Joon Runs 4.823/162.53, Now #21; Best prior run: 5.213/143.73, Was #21
Gordon is straight down the groove with another good pass, but will not improve.
Joon is up in smoke around 330 feet and he tries to drive through it before he clicks it off.
Left Lane: Josh Hart Runs 3.911/316.08, Now #11; Best prior run: 3.812/323.50, Was #11
Right Lane: Tony Stewart Runs 3.835/330.63, Now #2; Best prior run: 3.744/328.22, Was #2
Hart with a good pass early, was dropping cylinders on the top end.
Stewart kept it hooked up, but appeared to be eating up an engine in the lights.
Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.746/335.82, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.825/331.12, Was #13
Right Lane: Justin Ashley Runs 3.828/326.56, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.781/331.12, Was #6
Kalitta launched hard and kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to go to the number three spot. Doug Kalitta's incremental times: 60ft-0.846 sec., 330ft-2.141, 660ft-3.023/290.88 mph.
Ashley with another good pass, but will not improve.
Left Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 4.507/182.18, Now #17; Best prior run: 3.873/314.75, Was #17
Right Lane: Ida Zetterstrom Runs 3.778/330.88, Now #7; Best prior run: 3.809/328.46, Was #11
Mercier starts to lose traction and drop cylinders and clicks it off, he will not get back in the show.
Zetterstrom kept hooked up and hitting on all eight to move into the top half of the show. She makes her quickest pass of the season.
Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 6.261/109.59, Now #19; Best prior run: 3.920/312.93, Was #19
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 4.996/146.18, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.797/330.07, Was #10
Schumacher starts to smoke the tires and clicked it off.
Brown drives into tire smoke and clicked it off.
Left Lane: T.J. Zizzo Runs 3.836/328.62, Now #14; Best prior run: 3.934/288.89, Was #20
Right Lane: Leah Pruett Runs 4.625/162.49, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.772/326.24, Was #5
Zizzo was straight down the groove and kept it hooked up to get in the show to make his quickest pass of weekend. He gets in the show and bumps out Sanders.
Pruett starts to haze the tires early and clicks it off
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