Sun, 27 Sep 2026, 11:38 AM Top Fuel Round 1 Eliminations |
By Rick Green |
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock:
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 100 Maddi Gordon 3 Justin Ashley E1 ****WINNER**** 0.037 3.755 337.08 0.010 4.005 241.42 Qualified: #9 3.764 335.32 #8 3.751 332.35Weather conditions: air temperature 69 degrees, relative humidity 59 percent, barometer 29.88 inches, adjusted altitude 1,638 feet, track temperature 91 degrees.
Justin Ashley is 7-8 in Round 1 this year. He was 16-3 in Round 1 last year. Maddi Gordon starts the day in 8th place, her lowest spot of the year.
Ashley is 2 - 0 against Gordon in prior events.
Ashley with a great light and then started mixing up cylinders early and the engine let go with a huge fireball just past half track.
Gordon with a great light and kept it hooked up to make her quickest pass of the weekend for
the win. She has a big top end speed.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 77 Josh Hart 200 Will Smith E1 0.046 3.829 320.74 ****WINNER**** 0.015 3.767 330.88 Qualified: #5 3.744 334.32 #12 3.786 330.40Josh Hart wins 68% of his Round 1 races when he has lane choice. This is Will Smith's 18th start.
This is the first time Hart and Smith have faced each other in eliminations.
Smith with a
great light and never trailed for the win. He makes his quickest and fastest pass this weekend for
the win.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 777 Leah Pruett 15 Tony Schumacher E1 ****WINNER**** 0.039 3.775 324.91 0.054 3.776 330.40 Qualified: #4 3.734 323.74 #13 3.793 330.64In 23 races against Tony Schumacher, Leah Pruett has "left first" 15 times (65%). Tony Schumacher is 8-13 in Round 1 when qualified No. 13.
Pruett with the starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. Leah Pruett's MOV: 0.0160 seconds (approximately 8 feet). She will give up lane choice to Smith in the next round.
Schumacher with his quickest this weekend in the losing effort. The
chutes don';t deploy and Schumacher is on the brakes hard. He gets the car slowed down, but nosed
into the sand. He is out and ok.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 14 Tony Stewart 51 Clay Millican E1 0.051 4.069 222.44 ****WINNER**** 0.043 3.800 330.40 Qualified: #2 3.704 336.83 #15 4.377 189.39Tony Stewart has been in the top half of the field at 14 of his 16 races this year. In his career, Clay Millican is 218-197 in Round 1.
Millican is 3 - 2 against Stewart in prior events.
Millican with a slight starting line advantage and never trailed for the win. He makes his quickest and fastest pass of the weekend for the win.
Stewart is mixing up cylinders around half
track and then clicked it off.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 115 Rit Pustari 1 Doug Kalitta E1 0.144 8.382 84.51 ****WINNER**** 0.033 3.743 334.57 Qualified: #16 8.568 73.46 #1 3.682 338.09This is Doug Kalitta's 1,448th round, which is the 5th most among all Pro drivers. Rit Pustari is making his 14th start.
Kalitta is 1 - 0 against Pustari in prior events.
Kalitta with the starting line advantage and is straight down the groove with a good clean pass. He will have lane choice over Gordon in the next round.
Pustari's car goes silent right off the starting line and
coast on down track.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 748 Cameron Ferre 2 Shawn Langdon E1 0.031 3.938 308.22 ****WINNER**** 0.030 3.718 336.83 Qualified: #14 4.019 280.20 #3 3.732 334.08At the last race, Shawn Langdon became the first driver to make four runs over 340 mph on the same day. Cameron Ferre is making his 51st start. He is one of 34 racers who have never beaten Shawn Langdon.
Langdon is 3 - 0 against Ferre in prior events.
Langdon with a tick advantage on the tree and is straight down the groove with the quickest pass of race day for the win.
Ferre with his
quickest and fastest pass this season in a great looking pass in the losing effort.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 182 Dan Mercier 474 Billy Torrence E1 0.094 3.796 330.40 ****WINNER**** 0.012 3.743 332.59 Qualified: #11 3.772 328.71 #6 3.745 333.83Billy Torrence starts the day in 7th place, tied for his highest spot of the year. This is Dan Mercier's 37th start overall and his 4th this year.
Torrence is 1 - 0 against Mercier in prior events.
Torrence with a great light and makes his quickest pass of the weekend for the win. He will give up lane choice to Langdon in the next round.
Mercier with a good pass in the losing
effort, his fastest pass of the weekend.
Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed 123 Antron Brown 8 Shawn Reed E1 0.033 3.988 267.86 ****WINNER**** 0.036 3.783 327.03 Qualified: #10 3.771 329.19 #7 3.747 329.91This is the 8th time Shawn Reed has raced Antron Brown in Round 1 and the 5th time he has had lane choice against him. Antron Brown is 15-8 in Round 1 when starting No. 10.
Brown is 7 - 1 against Reed in prior events.
Brown with a slight starting line advantage, but drove into tire smoke around half track.
Reed kept it hooked up and was straight down the groove for the win. He
will have lane choice over Reed in the next round.
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