Fri, 25 Sep 2026, 18:22 PM Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #2

By Rick Green

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Notes from round 2 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock 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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Left Lane: Leah Pruett Runs 3.734/323.74, Now #1; Best prior run: 8.491/79.55, Was #14
Right Lane: Cameron Ferre Runs 4.019/280.20, Now #11; No Prior Run

Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 42 percent, barometer 29.97 inches, adjusted altitude 1,621 feet, track temperature 108 degrees.

Pruett with a good pass early, the car gets loose on the top end and was dropping cylinder right in the lights. She still goes to the number one spot.

Ferre starts to haze the tires on the top end and clicked it off early.

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Left Lane: Dan Mercier Runs 6.048/101.90, Now #14; Best prior run: 8.401/84.55, Was #15

Mercier starts to lose traction and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Clay Millican Runs 13.036/76.86, Now #13; Best prior run: 4.377/189.39, Was #12
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 4.199/211.07, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.433/100.16, Was #15

Millican is dropping all the cylinders right at the hit and clicked it off

Brown was dropping cylinders right at the hit and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Will Smith Runs 3.786/330.40, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.914/287.72, Was #9
Right Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.847/324.91, Now #10; Best prior run: 4.928/150.91, Was #14

Smith launched hard and kept it hooked up to move into the top half of the show.

Schumacher was straight down the groove to move up the ladder four spots.

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Left Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.775/313.37, Now #5; Best prior run: 3.825/309.49, Was #8
Right Lane: Justin Ashley Runs 3.751/332.35, Now #3; Best prior run: 3.945/254.96, Was #11

Langdon with a good pass early, but is dropping cylinders around the 1/8th mile mark. He still goes to the number five spot.

Ashley launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number three spot.

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Left Lane: Billy Torrence Runs 3.754/333.58, Now #4; Best prior run: 3.812/327.51, Was #9
Right Lane: Josh Hart Runs 5.417/125.84, Now #10; Best prior run: 3.833/318.92, Was #10

Torrence kept it hooked up and goes to the number four spot.

Hart launched hard, but overpowered the track and clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Tony Stewart Runs 3.720/336.32, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.801/333.58, Was #9
Right Lane: Maddi Gordon Runs 4.423/186.80, Now #6; Best prior run: 3.771/335.07, Was #5

Stewart kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to go to the number one spot.

Gordon dropped a cylinder or two early and she clicked it off.

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Left Lane: Shawn Reed Runs 3.811/328.71, Now #9; Best prior run: 3.796/329.91, Was #9
Right Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 3.682/338.09, Now #1; Best prior run: 3.747/338.86, Was #3

Reed with another good pass, but will not improve.

Kalitta launched hard and kept it hooked up to go to the number one spot