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Fri, 30 Oct 2026, 19:56 PM

Top Fuel Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Rick Green

LAS VEGAS - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, 26th annual MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge listing lane, driver name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

Right Lane: Chris Powers Runs 3.885/308.21, Now #1

Weather conditions: air temperature 65 degrees, relative humidity 75 percent, barometer 29.80 inches, adjusted altitude 3,415 feet, track temperature 87 degrees.

This is Chris Powers's 1st race in TF and his 1st race at this event. He has run a variety of classes and won the NHRA 2025 Mountain Motor Pro Stock race at Epping. He competed at 9 NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock National events, is a two-time PDRA World Champion, and races with a family racing team.

Powers is loose early and is skating around all over the track. He stays with it to make is Top Fuel debut.

Right Lane: Cameron Ferre Runs 4.218/282.72, Now #2

Cameron Ferre has 1 National event Final round. His last Final was Charlotte 4-wide, 2022 (Final quad). This is his 70th race overall and his 5th race at this event; his first was in 2019. His best starting spot at this event is #14 (2020 and 2021), and the best starting spot of his career is #9. His average starting spot is 14.8 at this event and 14.2 for his career.

Ferre rattles the tire and drives through it. The car drops a cylinder and pushes him over by the centerline. He stays with it.

Left Lane: Spencer Massey Runs 3.719/332.67, Now #1
Right Lane: Shawn Reed Runs 3.845/319.37, Now #2

Spencer Massey has 18 National event wins. His last win was Gainesville, 2015, and his last Final was Charlotte 4-wide, 2022 (Final quad). This is his 165th race overall and his 7th race at this event; his first was in 2009. His best starting spot at this event is #2 (2011, 2012 and 2014), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (8). His average starting spot is 5.7 at this event and 6.9 for his career.

Shawn Reed has 1 National event win, which came in 2025. His last win was Reading, 2025. This is his 92nd race overall and his 7th race at this event; his first was in 2016. His best starting spot at this event is #4 (2025), and the best starting spot of his career is #2. His average starting spot is 10.5 at this event and 9.8 for his career.

Massey launched hard and kept it hooked up all the way down the track. Spencer Massey's incremental times: 60ft-0.844 sec., 330ft-2.127, 660ft-2.993/292.65 mph.

Reed with a good pass early, but drops a cylinder mid-track. He stays with it.

Left Lane: Tony Schumacher Runs 3.762/322.19, Now #3
Right Lane: Clay Millican Runs 3.730/334.65, Now #2

Tony Schumacher is an 8-time TF World Champion with 88 National event wins. His last win was St. Louis, 2024. This is his 600th race overall and his 24th race at this event; his first was in 2001. His best starting spot at this event is #1 (7), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (88). His average starting spot is 5.5 at this event and 5.7 for his career.

Clay Millican has 8 national event wins in Top Fuel, including 1 win in 2025. His last win was Pomona-1, 2025. This is his 446th race overall and his 23rd race at this event; his first was in 2001. His best starting spot at this event is #1 (2016 and 2018), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (27). His average starting spot is 9.2 at this event and 8.3 for his career.

Schumacher kept it hooked up and goes to the number three spot.

Millican is straight down the groove to go to the number one spot. Clay Millican's incremental times: 60ft-0.848 sec., 330ft-2.149, 660ft-3.011/291.51 mph.

Left Lane: Josh Hart Runs 3.735/334.40, Now #4
Right Lane: Billy Torrence Runs 3.728/335.48, Now #2

Josh Hart has 3 wins in TF, including 1 win in 2026. His last win was Gainesville, 2026. This is his 114th race overall and his 6th race at this event; his first was in 2021. His best starting spot at this event is #7 (2021), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (2). His average starting spot is 10.8 at this event and 8.4 for his career.

Billy Torrence has 8 national event wins, with his last win at Reading, 2021. This is his 122nd race overall and his 9th race at this event; his first was in 2013. His best starting spot at this event is #1 (2020), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (5). His average starting spot is 6.9 at this event and 6.8 for his career.

Hart with a good looking pass until right in the lights it dropped a cylinder.

Torrence launched hard and hitting on all eight to go to the number two spot. Billy Torrence's incremental times: 60ft-0.843 sec., 330ft-2.139, 660ft-3.006/293.03 mph.

Left Lane: Justin Ashley Runs 11.017/74.26, Now #10
Right Lane: Maddi Gordon Runs 3.724/340.56, Now #2

Justin Ashley was the 2020 Rookie of the Year and has 19 National event wins in TF. His last win was Charlotte-2, 2025. This is his 134th race overall and his 8th race at this event; his first was in 2019. His best starting spot at this event is #3 (2021 and 2022), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (7). His average starting spot is 7.5 at this event and 7.1 for his career.

Maddi Gordon has 1 National event win in TF, including 1 win in 2026. Her last win was Norwalk, 2026, and her last Final was Dallas, 2026 (R/U). This is her 19th race overall and her 1st race at this event. The best starting spot of her career is #2 (Chicago and Brainerd, 2026), and her average starting spot of her career is 7.8. She has qualified in the top half of the field at 11 of her 18 races. Her foul in the Final round in Dallas was just the 11th foul in a TF final in the last 25 years, and the 1st since 2018 (does not include 4-wide races). She is 4 - 4 in the Countdown this year.

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

Gordon launched hard and kept it hooked up to make the first 340 pass at The Strip for the track speed record. She goes to the number two spot.

Maddi Gordon's incremental times: 60ft-0.854 sec., 330ft-2.147, 660ft-3.011/295.46 mph.

Left Lane: Will Smith Runs 3.756/327.11, Now #7
Right Lane: Leah Pruett Runs 3.734/324.51, Now #5

Will Smith has 1 National event Final round and 1 Final in 2026. His last Final was St. Louis, 2026 (R/U). This is his 27th race overall and his 2nd race at this event; his first was in 2024. He DNQ here in 2024. The best starting spot of his career is #5 (Martin, 2026), and his average starting spot of his career is 12.2. He is 7 - 4 in the Countdown this year.

Leah Pruett has 13 National event wins in TF, including 1 win in 2026. Her last win was Epping, 2026. This is her 234th race overall and her 11th race at this event; her first was in 2014. Her best starting spot at this event is #1 (2019), and the best starting spot of her career is #1 (17). Her average starting spot is 6.7 at this event and 6.7 for her career.

Smith kept it hooked up and hitting on all eight to go to the number seven spot.

Pruett kept the candles lit all the way down the track to go to the number five spot.

Left Lane: Tony Stewart Runs 3.719/336.99, Now #1
Right Lane: Antron Brown Runs 3.772/331.61, Now #10

Tony Stewart has 3 National event wins in TF, including 1 win in 2026. His last win was Pomona, 2026. This is his 58th race overall and his 3rd race at this event; his first was in 2024. His best starting spot at this event is #5 (2025), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (Bristol, 2025). His average starting spot of his career is 7.0.

Antron Brown is a 4-time TF World Champion, most recently in 2024. He has 83 national event wins overall, including 67 in Top Fuel and 16 in PSM, and has 2 wins in 2026. His last win was in Dallas, 2026. This is his 562nd race overall and his 26th race at this event; his first was in 2001 in PSM. His best starting spot at this event is #1 (2015), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (51). His average starting spot is 7.4 at this event and 5.8 for his career.

Stewart launched hard and kept it hooked up to match Massey's E.T. and he gets the number one spot based on his faster speed. Tony Stewart's incremental times: 60ft-0.846 sec., 330ft-2.134, 660ft-3.000/293.66 mph.

Brown with a good clean pass to start the weekend.

Left Lane: Doug Kalitta Runs 8.039/113.24, Now #15
Right Lane: Shawn Langdon Runs 3.719/335.73, Now #2

Doug Kalitta is the 2023 and 2025 Top Fuel World Champion and has 63 national event wins. He has 4 wins in 2026; his last win was Brainerd, 2026. This is his 645th race overall and his 26th race at this event; his first was in 2001. His best starting spot at this race is #2 (2004, 2007 and 2025), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (72). His average starting spot is 6.0 at this event and 5.9 for his career.

Shawn Langdon is the 2013 TF World Champion and has 30 National event wins. He has 8 wins in 2026; his last win was St. Louis, 2026. This is his 388th race overall and his 178th race at this event; his first was in 2009. His best starting spot at this event is #1 (2013), and the best starting spot of his career is #1 (30). His average starting spot is 7.1 at this event and 6.9 for his career.

Kalitta was up in smoke right at the hit and clicked it off.

Langdon is straight down the groove hitting on all eight to tie Stewart and Massey's E.T. and he will get the number two spot based on speed.

Shawn Langdon's incremental times: 60ft-0.841 sec., 330ft-2.133, 660ft-2.998/293.60 mph.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink