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22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals

NOTE: Click on the thumbnails to display the full-size images


Friday

FUNNY CAR Qualifying - Session #2

Earlier in the day, the Funny Cars put on an entertaining first round of qualifying, with ten cars in the 3-second zone, and 11 cars over 300 mph. A total of 18 cars made the call and when the smoke cleared, it was - almost as expected - Robert Hight in the top spot at 3.857 - 331.77. Clocking top speed was Matt Hagan at 333.25, one of four cars over the 330 mark. To make the top half of the field took a 3.941 (Paul Lee), while the #9 car was just a tick behind with Cruz Pedregon holding down that position with a 3.945 e.t.


Jason Rupert --- Jeff Diehl

(LEFT) Leading the pack out of the staging lanes was Jason Rupert in the "Black Plague" car, hoping to get down the track this time. On his first attempt, a pair of mixed-up air lines forced the crew to shut off the car before staging. His luck wasn't much better here as he was shaking and smoking the tires just past the 60' mark before shutting off a to 7-second elapsed time.

(RIGHT) After skipping the first session, Jeff "The Surfer" Diehl made a decent run for a few hundred feet, then finished with a fiery front end as he crossed the finish line. His 4.553 - 194.83 put him in the field, at least temporarily, in the #12 position.

Jeff Arend --- Bobby Bode III

(LEFT) Canadian Jeff Arend was making his third appearance of the season in the Peter & Helen Russo entry from Australia. His first shot ended in early tire smoke and a 9-second reading, but this time he kept the loud pedal down long enough to register a 6.459 at only 101.68 mph to grab a (very) tentative hold on the bump spot.

(RIGHT) After shutting off early to a 4.75 in the earlier round, Bobby Bode III had even worse luck this time around, as the car stopped at the end of the burnout, wouldn't go into reverse, then had the chutes pop out before he climbed out and clambered to safety over the guardwall.

Chad Green --- Jim Campbell

(LEFT) Running in the lane opposite Bode was full-time Nitro Funny Car racer Chad Green. He stepped up dramatically from his earlier 7.930 pass to the tune of a 3.941 - 321.19 that equalled Paul Lee's #8 first session e.t., but he was a little slower on speed and took the #9 spot.

(RIGHT) Following his 3.972 - 320.97 in the first round, Jim Campbell didn't have any luck on this pass. The Jim Dunn car smoked the tires very early and coasted to a 7-second pass.

Blake Alexander --- Cruz Pedregon

(LEFT) The Jim Head owned and tuned Blake Alexander Mustang blasted his way into the field with a solid 3.944 - 288.89 to grab the #10 spot. Note the slow speed so it appears that he just missed climbing into the upper half of the field. Also of note is the wrap on the car, bannering a new sponsor, "Schaeffler".

(RIGHT) Going in the opposite direction to Alexander, Cruz Pedregon gave up his #10 spot and dropped back one notch as the car got loose and started smoking the tires before the 330' mark.

Terry Haddock --- Paul Lee

(LEFT) Running late in the session for the first time in a while, Terry Haddock came up to the line on the bump spot at 4.595, but wasn't able to improve on that number, slowing to a 4.958 - 157.06 clocking.

(RIGHT) In the opposite lane, Paul Lee not only backed up his first session 3.941, but improved just enough, with a 3.933 - 321.35 to move up the ladder one rung into the #7 position.

Alexis DeJoria --- J.R. Todd

(LEFT) With scheduled running mate Steven Densham in the pits trying to fix the damage from a first session fire, Alexis DeJoria had the track to herself but didn't take advantage of the situation, shutting off before 300 feet and coasting to a 6.863 clocking. Her earlier 3.922 still kept her in the #5 spot.

(RIGHT) Already in the fast half of the field, J.R. Todd stepped up with a really good 3.870 - 333.33 (top speed of the meet so far), to jump up five spots to #3 on the ladder. The run was barely a hundredth of a second slower than Robert Hight's #1 3.857 and showed that the "DHL" team could run with the top dogs.

Matt Hagan --- Bob Tasca III

(LEFT) Dropping one spot on the list was Matt Hagan as he was unable to get past half track before the tires broke loose, forcing him to shut off to a 4.353 - 199.67. His very strong first session effort of 3.898 - 333.25 now had him sitting in the #4 spot.

(RIGHT) Sitting in the second spot with a great 3.865 - 330.80 before this run, Bob Tasca III was looking to match or exceed the earlier pass. It didn't happen as he smoked the tires early and slowed to a shutoff 5-second run.

Robert Hight

Being the quickest car in the previous round, Robert Hight had the honour of running in the final pair. Matched up against Ron Capps (not shown), Hight exactly matched his earlier 3.857 e.t. and nearly his speed too with a 331.45 mph clocking. Taking the bonus points for low e.t. of the first two qualifying sessions widened Hight's lead in the points chase as it was down to a two-car battle for the championship at this point.


TOP FUEL - Qualifying Session #2

The first session for the long skinny LOUD cars saw quite a few 3.70 passes, with Brittany Force eventually snagging the top rung on the ladder, just a thousandth of a second ahead of #2 Mike Salinas, with both racers clocking 3.71 e.t.'s. Just a few thousandths further back was title contender Justin Ashley, and in all, seven of the 14 cars that appeared ran 3.74 or quicker. The only racer to skip the session was the (relatively) low-buck operation of Cameron Ferre, driving the Terry Haddock car. He was originally slated to be in the Paton Family fueler, but the sudden passing of team owner Barry Paton put the plan on the backburner, while the Paton's dealt with their family issues.


Leah Pruett --- Steve Torrence

(LEFT) Based on first session performances, two of the "hitters" lead off the second round of qualifying. Leah Pruett improved dramatically and jumped into the top half of the field with a great 3.746 - 329.18 pass.

(RIGHT) Moving all the way to the top of the ladder was outgoing World Champion Steve Torrence, with a new low e.t. and top speed of 3.705 - 332.51. Scheduled to run opposite to him was Rob Passey, who elected to skip this round after a solid first session 4.032 - 297.48 effort.

Antron Brown --- Krista Baldwin

(LEFT) After a solid first session 3.74 pass, Antron Brown, sporting the Breast Cancer Awareness colours, lost traction immediately and shut off to a 17-second clocking.

(RIGHT) Sitting in the #12 spot after running 4.042 at only 215 mph, Krista Baldwin ran hard for a few hundred feet before losing grip and slowing to a 6-second pass.

Shawn Langdon --- Tony Schumacher

(LEFT) Another pink hued car was driven by Shawn Langdon, and while he didn't improve from his earlier 3.739, he showed great consistency with a very strong 3.751 - 328.14 timeslip that left him in the #6 position.

(RIGHT) Making it to the 300' mark before trouble set in, Tony Schumacher slowed to a 4.95 - 143.08 that left him in the #10 spot going into Saturday's final two qualifying sessions.

Austin Prock --- Justin Ashley

(LEFT) Another swing and a miss, as Austin Prock lost traction early and slowed to a 5.94, leaving him in the #5 spot courtesy of his earlier 3.731 - 328.30 shot.

(RIGHT) Failing to maintain grip right from the hit, Justin Ashley coasted to a 6.636 - 90.00, that paled in comparison to his first session 3.716 - 331.85 pass.

Mike Salinas --- Brittany Force

(LEFT) Following a hard burnout, Mike Salinas broke the string of busted runs, breaking into the 60's with a great 3.697 - 334.73 to move up one notch to #2 on the chart. Preventing him from capturing the top spot on the board was....

(RIGHT) The odds-on favourite for the 2022 Camping World Series Top Fuel World Championship, Brittany Force, as she nearly broke both her track records, lighting up the scoreboards with the best numbers of the day at 3.665 - 337.24 to cement her position at the top of the ladder.


NOSTALGIA FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #2

A very welcome addition to the show were some of the NHRA Heritage Series Nitro Nostalgia Funny Cars in the invitational field. Following hot on the heels of last week's California Hot Rod Reunion, the select group included the 2022 series champion, Bobby Cotrell driving the Bucky Austin car, and the next four cars in the points standings. Former NHRA Top Fuel racer Cory McClenathan in the "Mac Attack" car and a tribute car to Canada's "240" Gordie Bonin, driven by the son of one of Bonin's sponsors, Ryan Hodgson. In all, ten cars appeared and raced over the 1000' distance, unlike their usual quarter-mile competition. The schedule had them making two qualifying runs on Friday, two rounds of eliminations on Saturday, and the final round on Sunday afternoon.


Tim Boychuk - 'Happy Hour' (near lane) 
vs Ryan Hodgson - 'Bubble-Up-Pacemaker' (far lane) --- Bobby Cottrell - 'Northwest Hitter'

(LEFT)The two Canadian cars in the field, Tim Boychuk in his Camaro-bodied "Happy Hour" in the near lane faced Ryan Hodgson in the Firebird- bodied "Bubble-Up-Pacemaker" in the far lane. Both were solidly qualified in the #5 (Boychuk) and #6 (Hodgson) positions in the field. Following a close leave, the two cars matched strides until Hodgson drifted to the centerline at half track, then took out the 660' timing block. Boychuk stopped the timers with a 4.857 - 220.40 to move up to the #4 spot on the ladder. Hodgson stayed in the sixth position.

(RIGHT) Five-time Heritage Series Funny Car champion Bobby Cottrell, driving the "Northwest Hitter", ran hard for a few hundred feet but had to lift before he crossed the center stripe. His 6.026 - 121.20 was no help, but he remained in the top spot in the field with his earlier 4.758 - 237.09 effort.

Geoff Monise - 'Quarter Pounder' --- Billy Morris - 'Problem Child'

(LEFT) Running alongside Cottrell was the "Quarter Pounder" Firebird of long-time flopper racers (Keith) Clark and (Dale) Van Gundy, driven by Geoff Monise. Monise outran Cottrell to half track and kept the pedal down all the way to the finish line and a new low e.t. and top speed of 4.728 - 239.95. That had to be one of their best runs ever and served notice to the field that they were going to contend for the event win.

(RIGHT) Next out of the lanes was Billy Morris in Eddie Knox's "Problem Child" Camaro. He ran a strong 4.828 - 236.55 in the first session, and improved on that with a 4.809 - 234.37 to stay in the #4 spot.

Bill Windham - 'Shakedown' --- Jeff Gregory - 'Madness'

(LEFT) Sitting outside the field in the #10 spot was Bill Windham in his "Shakedown" Camaro. Needing to improve by half a tenth to move into field with it's current 5.06 bump spot, he failed to hook up on the launch and shut off to a 12-second clocking and an early ticket home.

(RIGHT) The only racer left with a chance to get into the field was Jeff Gregory in the all-black "Madness" Camaro, but he was able to do the deed and squeak in by a hundredth of a second with a 5.050 - 202.55 pass. It didn't come without a cost though, as lots of sparks and smoke came out of the right side pipes just before the finish line.

Cory McClenathan - 'Mac Attack' Cory McClenathan - 'Mac Attack' ---

After three unsuccessful Heritage Series races and one Funny Car Chaos appearance, Cory McClenathan had things going in the right direction with the "Mac Attack" entry. A solid 4.930 - 229.04 in the first session was followed by a slightly better 4.909 - 231.52 in the final pair of qualifying. Despite the good numbers on both runs, McClenathan sat near the bottom of the ladder in the #7 spot.


TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR - Qualifying Session #2

With a full (and overflowing) field for the first time in a while, the alky floppers had to outrun at least two cars to gain entrance to eliminations. Earlier in the day, the first session showed some serious performances with nine cars in the 5.50's and better, but the e.t.'s trailed off quickly below that point to the initial 8.623 bump spot. Holding that somewhat dubious honour was Sweden's Ulf Leanders, and at the other end of the spectrum, Chris Marshall sat on the top run with a season best 5.448 - 267.53 timeslip. Hot on his heels were three of the championship contenders, Sean Bellemeur, D.J. Cox Jr., and Doug Gordon, bunched in a tight group between 5.48 and 5.50. The season-long points leader, Shane Westerfield, sat well back in the #9 spot with a 5.585 e.t. on his first pass.


Doug Schneider --- Robert Turner

(LEFT) With the sun long gone and air and track temperatures dropping, the session started with Doug Schneider trying to improve on his solid first session 5.650 - 255.82 career best numbers. He lost traction almost immediately, and pedalled, but the 6.680 - 249.49 on the scoreboard showed that it was a wasted run.

(RIGHT) Running in the opposite lane was England's Robert Turner, making one of his infrequent appearances in the U.S.A. His first run saw the car breaking soon after leaving the starting line, and on this pass he crossed the centerline at half track, taking out two timing blocks, and ended up with "no time recorded". With only one qualifier left, he was in deep trouble, qualifying-wise.

Mike Doushgounian --- Ulf Leanders

(LEFT) Looking to put down a representative run, Mike Doushgounian got up on the tire quickly and pushed the "Pro-Cal Trucking" Camaro to a good 5.632 - 257.83 that moved him up the ladder from #15 to #11.

(RIGHT) Taking his second shot at the track, Ulf Leanders got off the bump spot, but didn't improve as much as the team expected. While a 5.750 - 256.02 was a decent run, it only moved Leanders up two spots to #14 on the list.

Randy Parker --- Jim Whiteley

(LEFT) Driving a new car that will be in the hands of returning veteran Clint Thompson next week, Randy Parker put down another consistent run at 5.775 - 253.80, but ended up on the bump spot with his earlier, and slightly quicker 5.755 being the new target for the non-qualified cars.

(RIGHT) The next pair featured former two-time Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion Jim Whiteley, and he ran into nothing but trouble, shutting off to an 8-second pass. However, his earlier 5.569 - 261.07 was good enough to hold onto the #8 spot and in the top half of the field.

Brian Hough --- Doug Gordon

(LEFT) Running in the lane opposite to Whiteley, Oregon's Brian Hough nearly matched his first session times, being just a few thousandths slower on e.t. and less than one mph on speed. This run stopped the clocks at 5.509 - 265.06 at solidified his grip on the #6 spot. And the numbers were the best of the round by nearly a tenth of a second.

(RIGHT) That quick run by Hough was quickly forgotten when the scoreboards lit up for former World Champion Doug Gordon. The "BETA" team pounded out a very quick 5.455 - 268.81 to move up two spots to #2 on the charts.

D. J. Cox Jr. --- Greg Bellemeur

(LEFT) Making the long trek from the East Coast, championship contender D. J. Cox Jr. made his Las Vegas debut as he fought to remain in the points chase. His first session 5.501 - 264.80 had him in the #5 spot, but this time he had to fight the car all the way down the track, and amazingly, nearly his earlier run with a very good 5.513 - 262.64 timeslip.

(RIGHT) Hoping to take advantage of the stellar conditions, Sean Bellemeur and the "Killer B's" team tried to leapfrog over Doug Gordon and Chris Marshall to take the top spot. They improved from their earlier 5.484 to a 5.455 - 268.17 that still left them in the third spot behind Gordon and Marshall, but showed they were right in the mix for the battle on Saturday and Sunday.

Not shown is the other car in that final pair of the session: Chris Marshall in his "Disturbed" entry. He blasted out what could be a track record with a brilliant 5.419 - 269.13 to serve notice to the troops that he's running on "mean" this weekend.


Saturday

PRO STOCK - Qualifying Session #3

After two qualifying sessions on Friday that produced a very tight knit field, from the #1 spot (Aaron Stanfield) at 6.595 down to #16 (Kenny Delco) just six hundredths slower at 6.654, it appeared that the field was more or less set. Other than some position swaps, the two drivers below the bump spot, Alan Prusiensky and Shane Tucker didn't look to have the tuneup or chassis setup to break into the eliminations field.

Shane Tucker --- Dallas Glenn

(LEFT) Laying down a hard burnout, Aussie Shane Tucker was hoping for a little redemption, after a forgettable first day of qualifying. His first pass resulted in a 19-second e.t. and on his second attempt, he was forced to shut off after the burnout. This time around, he was able to make a decent pass of 6.68- 205.69 that moved him up one notch from #18 to #17, but still three hundredths away from the bump spot.

(RIGHT) Running alongside Tucker was Dallas Glenn in a very unfamiliar first pair of the session. That was the result of his second qualifier yesterday that saw him shake hard and shut off immediately. This time he laid down a solid 6.612 - 207.15 that nearly matched his Friday best of 6.610, leaving him in the #6 spot.

Troy Coughlin Jr. --- Alan Prusiensky

(LEFT) Driving one of the most iconic cars in drag racing, Troy Coughlin Jr. made a quick rebound from his instant tire shake pass in Fridya's second session. Following a big burnout, Coughlin slightly improved on his earlier 6.606 clocking with a very good 6.600 - 207.40, but didn't move up the ladder from his #3 position.

(RIGHT) Possibly vying for "Worst Appearing" car with his flat black paint and uninspired sponsor placing, Alan Prusiensky made his best run of the weekend, stopping the clocks with a decent 6.680 - 205.29 that still left him at the bottom of the list in #18 and outside the field.

Kenny Delco --- Kenny Delco

After missing nearly half the season due to shoulder surgery, New York veteran Kenny Delco held down the bump spot at 6.654 coming into the session and still sat there after an early shutoff 10-second pass.

Fernando Caudra Sr. --- Mason McGaha

(LEFT) The "admiral" of the fleet of Cuadra cars, Fernando Caudra (Sr.) wanted to move up from his #15 placing but a good, but not better 6.651 - 207.66 kept him near the bottom of the field.

(RIGHT) After some good early results in the 2022 season, including three consecutive semifinal finishes, Mason McGaha had been struggling of late, with seven straight first round losses. His fortunes weren't improving here, with his third qualifying run of 6.673 falling well short of his Friday best of 6.639, and dropping one spot on the ladder to #13.

Fernando Caudra Jr. --- Camrie Caruso

(LEFT) Further up the qualifying list than his father, Fernando Caudra Jr. wanted a performance rebound after four straight first round exits. He did just that with his quickest e.t. of the weekend, a 6.625 - 206.73 that moved him up the charts three spots to #11 on the list.

(RIGHT) One of the favourites for "Rookie of The Year" Camrie Caruso made an even bigger move up the ladder, jumping all the way from #12 to the top half of the field in the #7 spot. Her 6.613 - 207.69 was only two hundredths quicker than her earlier best, but it made quite a positive difference in her qualifying position.

Chris McGaha --- Chris McGaha

It's been a tough few years for Chris McGaha since his last event win in 2019 (Norwalk) and this season has got to be one of the lowest points of his career. With no round wins in his last eight races, and only two round wins all year, he came into this event hoping to get some better results. His timeslip on this pass read 6.650 - 205.82 and it didn't move him up the ladder from the #14 spot going into the final qualifying session.

Matt Hartford --- Matt Hartford

Having one of the best seasons of his career, and solidly in the Top Ten, Matt Hartford came into the event sitting #6 in the standings, with a chance to finish as high as second in the final points tally. He made a small improvement on this pass, just five thousandths of a second, but it was enough to move him up two spots to #8 on the ladder with a 6.611 - 206.80 timeslip.

Kyle Koretsky --- Cristian Cuadra

(LEFT) One of the championship contenders until the last event in Dallas, Kyle "Kid Kaos" Koretsky made a huge move up the charts on this run, vaulting all the way from #11 to the second rung on the ladder. To do it, he broke into the 6.50's with a very strong 6.595 - 205.85 timeslip.

(RIGHT) The most successful member of the Caudra family this season, Cristian Cuadra, jumped five spots to the #6 position with his best e.t. of the event, a 6.605 - 207.30 to gain a spot in the fast half of the field.

Deric Kramer --- Greg Anderson

(LEFT) Running alongside Caudra, Deric Kramer made the best run of the session, and low e.t. of the meet, with a great 6.585 - 207.69 to climb to the top of the ladder from the #10 position.

(RIGHT) Going in the other direction was last year's world champion, Greg Anderson as he slowed a few hundredths and dropped one spot from #7 to #8, courtesy of a 6.635 - 205.85 pass.

Bo Butner III --- Bo Butner III

Pushing Anderson down the ladder was Bo Butner as he returned to full-time Pro Stock racing for the first time since 2019. He moved up three spots to #5 as he broke into the 6.50's with a strong 6.599 - 208.14 effort.

Erica Enders --- Erica Enders

Hoping to wrap up her fifth world championship at this event, Erica Enders came into the session in the #2 spot but had fallen to #4 with the great performances from Kramer & Koretsky. She let everyone know that she intended to dominate this event and took back the top spot with a new low e.t. and top speed as 6.579 - 208.75 flashed up on the scoreboard. NOTE: It appears she was standing outside the car in civilian clothes and her helmet off, but that was her sister helping rid the cockpit of burnout smoke before the run.

Aaron Stanfield --- Aaron Stanfield

The closest contender to Enders in the points chase was Aaron Stanfield, sitting 165 points behind, and he knew he had a lot of ground to make up to have a shot at the title. Deric Kramer's 6.585 pass had dropped him to #2 and despite a great 6.580 - 208.07 effort, he fell just one thousandth of a second short of matching Enders' low qualifying performance. Of course he would have lost a tie for the #1 spot on mph. And that wrapped up the third of four qualifying sessions for Pro Stock.


TOP FUEL DRAGSTER- FINAL Qualifying Session

There was little drama awaiting the dragsters as they lined up for their final qualifying session. With just 15 cars on the property, and everyone in the field with at least one pass, the only questions remaining concerned final placings on the ladder. Without the necessity to make an attempt, two racers, Cameron Ferre and Rob Passey elected to sit out the session and save parts and fuel for eliminations on Sunday.

Clay Millican --- Krista Baldwin

(LEFT) With an odd number of cars in the lanes, and a pair of uncompetitive runs on his sheet, Clay Millican drew the dubious honour of being first to run. He didn't get very far before lifting and shutting off to a 9.574 - 78.96 that left him #14 on the list going into eliminations.

(RIGHT) The next pass down that lane saw Krista Baldwin break out of the 4-second zone with a strong 3.864 - 319.90 that moved her up one spot to #12 on the ladder. While the e.t. wasn't her quickest ever, that was a 3.817 in Brainerd earlier this year), the speed was her career best.

Leah Pruett --- Tony Schumacher

(LEFT) Former teammates met in the next pairing, as Leah Pruett looked to move up the ladder from her #10 spot, but the car started spinning the tires at the 600' mark, forcing her to shut off to a 3.960 time at only 228.15 mph.

(RIGHT) Moving in the other direction was Tony Schumacher as he dropped into the 60's with an excellent 3.692 - 327.43 that propelled him all the way to the #2 position and pushed Pruett down one rung to #11 in the process.

Josh Hart --- Doug Kalitta

(LEFT) Coming into the session in the #8 spot, Josh Hart was pushed out of the top half of the field by Schumacher's run in the previous pair. Josh laid down a clean pass at 3.833 - 318.84 but it wasn't nearly enough to improve on his earlier best of 3.714, and left him in the #9 spot.

(RIGHT) Following a forgettable Friday with a "best" of just 5.126, Doug Kalitta laid down a great 3.708 on his third try, and nearly matched it here with a solid, consistent 3.709 - 312.57 despite clicking it a little early. He remained locked in the #8 spot as the last two pairs to run in qualifying were already higher up the list.

Steve Torrence --- Brittany Force

(LEFT) Even with a great 3.698 pass on his ledger, Steve Torrence was only hanging on to the #7 spot coming into this final session. He launched hard, and was running strong until just before the finish line when something broke in the valvetrain, backfired the blower and turned the injector hat into instant shrapnel. The end result was a 3.841 - 242.10 timeslip and a first round match against Antron Brown tomorrow.

(RIGHT) Running in the final pair of Top Fuel qualifying, Brittany Force wanted to hang on to the top qualifying spot, based on her Friday night spectacular, a 3.665 - 337.24 that was well in front of everyone else. She backed up that run with a great 3.673 earlier today, and showed real consistency here with a very strong 3.691 - 331.36 to close out qualifying in the #1 position. That also earned her a bye run in Sunday's first round of eliminations.


FUEL FUNNY CAR - FINAL qualifying session

A total of 19 cars entered Funny Car and all had made at least one qualifying pass before the final session. One of the non-qualifiers, Jeff Diehl didn't show for the last call and left only two drivers trying to break into the elimination field. One of them, Jason Rupert, ran by himself to start the session but ran into trouble during his short abortive burnout and after a difficult time shutting the car down, was finally pushed back to leave just one more racer trying to gain a spot in the field.


Terry Haddock --- Bobby Bode III

(LEFT) Looking to get into the field on his last shot, Terry Haddock came into the session at the bottom of the list (#19) and did the near impossible by running hard to the 800' mark before clicking it to a 4.126 - 266.16 to grab the #16 spot in the field. Scheduled to run alongside him was the former #16 car, driven by Jeff Arend, but the Aussie car failed to fire and lost their chance to hang on to the qualifying spot.

(RIGHT) With the Jeff Diehl car skipping the session, Bobby Bode III got a chance to run by himself and see if he could match his earlier best of 3.966, or even better it and move up the ladder. He did just that, notching a 3.948 - 306.88 to gain one spot in the order to the #13 position.

Steven Densham --- Blake Alexander

(LEFT) After a nasty fire on Friday that wrecked the car body, the Densham team had to hustle to get their spare brought in from their home base in California. Even though they were safely qualified, Steven Densham made a hard launch and drove the car to half track before shutting off to a 4.552 - 184.25 time. Their first session 4.404 - 306.60 held up through four rounds of qualifying to place them 15th on the ladder.

(RIGHT) Skipping the third qualifier, the Jim Head car, driven by Blake Alexander was unable to regain the #11 rung on the ladder (taken by Jim Campbell one pair earlier), as the car overpowered the track early and shut off in a cloud of tire smoke to a 6-second pass.

Cruz Pedregon --- Chad Green

(LEFT) Running opposite to Alexander was the resurgent Cruz Pedregon who wasn't having the best weekend, sitting in the #13 spot, and things didn't get any better on his last qualifying run as the tires started smoking just past the 330' mark, resulting in a 5.085 - 146.10 clocking.

(RIGHT) Things weren't much better for Chad Green as the tires broke traction before half track and the results showed on the scoreboard as 4.630 - 180.12 was the verdict.

Alexis DeJoria --- John Force

(LEFT) Things got back to normal, as in normal quick and fast, as Alexis DeJoria piloted the "Bandero" Toyota to a sub 3-second pass on her final qualifying attempt. Despite flirting with the centerline - and crossing it past the finish line - the 3.917 e.t. (her quickest of the weekend) at 327.03 backed up her earlier 3.919 to show the consistency needed for eliminations.

(RIGHT) Well qualified in the #5 position, John Force improved a little with a very strong 3.873 - 324.28 eclipsing his earlier 3.889 best. Back-to-back 3.8-second runs today made up for two early shutoff passes on Friday.

Ron Capps --- J.R. Todd

(LEFT) Not that close to the top of the list, Ron Capps wanted to move up from his #6 spot and get lane choice through at least the first two rounds of eliminations. He was on a pace to surpass his 3.889 best, but a steady drift towards the wall forced Capps to shut it down early, as evidenced by his 3.908 - 295.40 timeslip.

(RIGHT) Coming into this round of qualifying, J.R. Todd sat in the #4 spot, just a hundredth away from the #1 qualifier. He tried hard but fell short of improving on his earlier 3.870 effort. However, a solid 3.913 - 328.54 was another consistent result, as all four runs were in the 3-second zone.

Robert Hight

With J.R. Todd in the other lane, all Robert Hight had to do to hold onto the #1 spot in the field was outrun Todd to the finish line. He did that, and nearly matched his earlier low qualifying 3.857 pass. The numbers were still very good as 3.865 - 332.67 came up on the scoreboard to close out Funny Car qualifying.

Ed 'The Outlaw' Jones --- Curt White - 'Iceman

(LEFT) Between rounds of Pro qualifying, the entertainment changed to Ed 'The Outlaw' Jones in his "Jolly Rancher"-backed wheelstanding stagecoach putting on a full quarter-mile wheelstand for the crowd.

(RIGHT) Following the Funny Cars was Curt White in the "Iceman" jet dragster running against the "Missile", (not shown) being driven by Jaren Mott. As always, the cars put on a great exhibition for the fans, with plenty of burner pops and lots of smoke, plus some decent 5-second e.t.'s and 280+ mph speeds.


NOSTALGIA FUNNY CAR - Eliminations Round Two

After the smoke had cleared - literally - and the track had been re-prepped, the Nitro Nostalgia Funny Cars came out for their semi-final round of eliminations. The winners of this round would get to run the final on Sunday afternoon prior to the Pro finals. All four of the higher qualified cars won their first round matchups, leading to what promised to be some close racing in the second round.


Geoff Monise - 'Quarter Pounder'

Facing Billy "Problem Child" Morris (not shown), the Van Gundy, Clark & Monise "Quarter Pounder", driven by Geoff Monise looked to get back to his low qualifiying (4.728) performance and advance to the final. However, it wasn't to be as Morris left first by a few thousandths, and kept the lead to the 1000' finish line. Morris stopped the clocks with his quickest run of the weekend, a 4.733 - 235.06 to take the car length victory over Monise, who trailed with a very good 4.799 - 237.21 clocking in the loss.

Bobby Cottrell - Northwest Hitter' --- Kris Krabill - Bartone & Lebor'

(LEFT) The Bucky Austin-owned and tuned "Northwest Hitter" Camaro, with Bobby Cottrell at the wheel, pounded out another consistent low 4.70 pass, with a 4.744 - 236.46 lighting up the scoreboards and the win light.

(RIGHT) On the losing end of the pairing, Kris Krabill in the "Bartone & Lebor" entry lost traction almost immediately and coasted to a 7.989 - 91.49 as their weekend came to a premature end.

Going into Sunday's finale, Billy Morris held lane choice over Cottrell by just eleven thousandths of a second, in what was shaping up to be a great final round battle between two hard running cars.


TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER - Eliminations Round Two

The quarterfinal round of eliminations for the alcohol cars featured quite a disparate group, with four women and four men, three blown alky cas, and five injected nitro cars. There was some serious parity on display, and there was guaranteed to be at least one blown car in the semi-final round, and at least one woman in that round too.

Madison Payne --- Hunter Green

(LEFT) With car owner Duane Shields stepping back from driving, only appearing at two national and four regional events in 2022, his young protege Madison Payne was gaining experience and turning on more winlights as the year progressed. She came into this round without lane choice and facing one of the vaunted Randy Meyer Racing team cars. When the lights flashed, Payne was away first by more than half a tenth, then steadily opened the gap until she crossed the finish line at 5.314 - 274.05, advancing to the semi-finals.

(RIGHT) On the losing end of the match was rookie driver Hunter Green, who left second, then ran into trouble down track, shutting off to a losing 6.413 - 144.06 clocking. His first season in the Top Alcohol category ended with five round wins in the five national events he attended.

Jackie Fricke --- Kim Parker

(LEFT) Next up was an all-female matchup, with last year's championship runnerup Jackie Fricke, from the East Coast, facing one of the hardest running A/Fuel cars from the West Coast. Fricke left first by an .039 to.097 margin and kept hooked up and hitting on eight all the way to the finish line to the tune of a 5.285 - 274.11 clocking.

(RIGHT) Coming out on the losing end was Washington state's Kim Parker as she went up in smoke right off the starting line, pedalled and blasted out a booming 270.16 mph top end charge. Unfortunately, that was coupled with a 6.244 e.t. that left her a full second behind at the finish line. Despite being the #1 qualifier, with low e.t. of the meet at 5.198, Parker had an earlier than expected exit from eliminations.

Tony Stewart --- Chris Demke

(LEFT) The rawest rookie in the field - referring to drag racing - Tony Stewart, was making his NHRA debut at a national event with no prior experience other than licensing passes. He qualified near the top of the field in the #2 position and turned on his second win light of the day with a very good 5.278 - 275.22 win over Taylor Vetter's blown alcohol car. Vetter launched evenly with Stewart but he pulled into a car length lead at half track and held off Vetter's 5.333 - 277.03 effort.

(RIGHT) The final pair of the round saw Chris Demke advance to the semifinals for the second time this season, both at Las Vegas, with an upset win over championship contender Shawn Cowie. Coming into this round a full tenth of a second slower than his opponent, Demke and the "Peen-Rite" team turned their their quickest e.t. of the season, a 5.260 at 270.97 mph to take the win. Demke left on Cowie by an .052 to .079 margin to make the gap nearly a full car length at the finish line.

Shawn Cowie

Shawn Cowie


TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR - Eliminations Round Two


Brian & Mindy Hough --- Brian Hough

(LEFT) Brian & Mindy Hough

(RIGHT) Brian Hough

Annie Whiteley --- Doug Gordon

(LEFT) Annie Whiteley

(RIGHT) Doug Gordon

Matt Gill --- Chris Marshall

(LEFT) Matt Gill

(RIGHT) Chris Marshall


Sunday

NHRA Nevada Nationals - Sunday FINAL Rounds

Ken Mostowich (near lane) vs 
Gabriel Torres (far lane) --- Chris Lewis (near lane) vs 
Dave Holmes (far lane)

(LEFT) SUPER COMP - Ken Mostowich (near lane) vs Gabriel Torres (far lane)

(RIGHT) SUPER GAS - Chris Lewis (near lane) vs Dave Holmes (far lane)

Greg Stanfield - GT/JA (near lane) 
vs Tyler Wudarczyk - GT/MA (far lane) --- Leo Glasbrenner (near lane) vs 
Steve Wann (far lane)

(LEFT) SUPER STOCK - Greg Stanfield - GT/JA (near lane) vs Tyler Wudarczyk - GT/MA (far lane)

(RIGHT) STOCK - Leo Glasbrenner (near lane) vs Steve Wann (far lane)

Jarrod Granier - D/SM 
(near lane) vs Jeff Taylor - B/AA (far lane) --- Jeff Korn - T/D (near lane) vs 
Aaron Steinkey - T/D (far lane)

(LEFT) COMP - Jarrod Granier - D/SM (near lane) vs Jeff Taylor - B/AA (far lane)

(RIGHT) TOP DRAGSTER - Jeff Korn - T/D (near lane) vs Aaron Steinkey - T/D (far lane)

NOSTALGIA FUNNY CAR

Billy Morris (near lane) vs 
Bobby Cottrell (far lane)

Billy Morris (near lane) vs Bobby Cottrell (far lane)

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR

Annie Whiteley (near lane) vs 
Doug Gordon (far lane)

Annie Whiteley (near lane) vs Doug Gordon (far lane)

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER

Madison Payne (near lane) vs 
Tony Stewart (far lane)

Madison Payne (near lane) vs Tony Stewart (far lane)

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Matt Smith (near lane) vs 
Hector Arana Jr. (far lane)

Matt Smith (near lane) vs Hector Arana Jr. (far lane)

PRO STOCK

Erica Enders (near lane) vs 
Troy Coughlin Jr. (far lane)

Erica Enders (near lane) vs Troy Coughlin Jr. (far lane)

FUNNY CAR

Matt Hagan (near lane) vs 
Robert Hight (far lane)

Matt Hagan (near lane) vs Robert Hight (far lane)

TOP FUEL

Mike Salinas (near lane) vs 
Brittany Force (far lane)

Mike Salinas (near lane) vs Brittany Force (far lane)