CONCORD, N.C. — John Force continued to prove that he’s still a force, no pun intended, in Funny Car on Friday night at zMAX Dragway by setting a new track record during qualifying.
The 74-year-old held on tight to his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Funny Car as it flew down the drag strip, under the glorious glean of the track lights, in 3.820 seconds at 330 mph.
“I got a bad hot rod,” Force declared at the top end.
The record-breaking performance sets Force as the provisional No. 1 qualifier heading into Saturday’s additional two qualifying sessions. It was also the 10th quickest runs in NHRA.
“They (crew chiefs) leaned on it and said, ‘Hang on,’ and that’s what I did,” Force explained in the media center. “And they were right. It ran quicker than they thought. But luck’s a big part. It was right in the spot where it moved on me, and I thought I was gonna lose it, but I hung on.”
Bob Tasca III placed second, setting a 3.849-second time at 335.32 mph. Alexis DeJoria also fired off well, qualifying third with a 3.859-second run at 331.69 mph.
Ron Capps went 335.40 mph earlier in the day to set the track speed record.
Kalitta Stays Ahead Of Top Fuel Field
Reigning Top Fuel champion Doug Kalitta may have ended the day as the provisional No. 1 qualifier in his category, but he doesn’t plan to let that make him complacent.
“Temperatures are going to be pretty good (tomorrow) for running good. I think we’re going to have to run a little stronger to hold on to what we’ve got, especially with what John Force did,” Kalitta said.
Kalitta made a 3.691-second run at 337.92 mph. Keep in mind, the Kalitta Motorsports driver also won last week’s Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway — his first victory of the season.
Antron Brown qualified second with a 3.698-second pass at 332.18 mph. Billy Torrence, who is just starting out his first full Top Fuel season, was third with a 3.716-second lap at 329.34 mph.
Despite Trouble, Anderson Leads Pro Stock
Greg Anderson’s 6.50-second run at 210.9 mph from the first qualifying session held firm as the fastest Pro stock time on Friday at zMAX Dragway.
“We threw it all down. The dry race track held everything fine,” Anderson said. “The track was great, the car ran great, the driver didn’t screw up and we got the pole.”
While his HendrickCars.com factory hot rod experienced a computer issue and didn’t fire for the second round of qualifying, Anderson’s original time was enough to keep him atop the board.
Cristian Cuadra and Aaron Stanfield completed the provisional top three in Pro Stock.
Smith Fast In Pro Stock Motorcycle, But Not Satisfied
Matt Smith recorded the fastest pass in Pro Stock Motorcycle during the opening round of qualifying on Friday at 6.685 seconds at 201.161 mph. The six-time class champion will lead the two-wheeled ladder heading into Saturday’s qualifying sessions ahead of Gaige Herrera and L.E. Tonglet.
“We’ve done a lot of testing since Gainesville. We’ve been to three different race tracks at four different times, so we’ve made a lot of runs,” Smith said.
He mentioned that they found a little speed, but it didn’t show on Friday with the track conditions the way they were.
Smith added, “We’re not reaping the benefits of what we saw in testing, but it still ran good, so I know there’s more there — maybe a 6.66 or 6.65. Gaige (Herrera, reigning champion) went 6.69, so we’re right there with him. If we’re running within two or three hundredths of the fastest bike, we have a shot.”