Four-wide racing made its historic West Coast debut at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday.
Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) took their respective divisional qualifying leads at the 19th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in front of a big crowd at the fourth of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.
Hight leads the Funny Car category with a run of 3.963-seconds at 321.42 mph in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro recorded during his first pass of the day. He's chasing the top position in Las Vegas as he aims for his first No. 1 qualifier of the 2018 campaign after notching eight last season.
"It's pretty amazing to be in the No. 1 spot from a run during the hottest part of the day, but I know we will likely have to improve our time to hold onto the No. 1 qualifier tomorrow," Hight said. "Everyone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway worked their tails off over the winter to get this track done, but they got it done ahead of schedule and did an amazing job."
Tommy Johnson Jr. currently sits in second after a 3.983 at 315.49 in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T, while teammate Ron Capps is third.
Brown leads the Top Fuel class with a run of 3.772 at 324.83 posted during the second qualifying session. The three-time Top Fuel world champion came into Las Vegas second in the points standings as he chases his first No. 1 qualifying position in 2018.
"We definitely underestimated the track on the first run, but in the second round, we had a normal setup and our dragster went down smoothly," Brown said. "Our goal is to keep getting better and better each day because we haven't been hitting our marks so far this year, but Vegas has always been a breakout race for us, and we are hoping to do that again this year."
Doug Kalitta qualified second with a 3.786 at 320.51 as he searches for his second win of the season after emerging victorious at the season-opening Pomona event.
In Pro Stock, Anderson currently holds the top spot after driving to a 6.669 at 206.45 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro during the first round of qualifying. He is looking for his second consecutive and 95th career No. 1 qualifying position after earning the top spot at Gainesville.
"We had an extra challenge today in preparing for the four-wide, but we hit it on the bullseye from the intel we got from my team," Anderson said. "Today was a pretty cool day, and I can't tell you how great a job this track did on the race surface. It has great traction, and each lane is done as well as the others."
Deric Kramer is currently qualified in the second spot with a 6.681 at 205.63 as he hopes to build on his strong start to the season that has him in fourth place through the season's first three events.
Qualifying continues at 12:10 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday.
DENSO Spark Plug NHRA Four-Wide Nationals
Day 1 results
Top Fuel
- Antron Brown, 3.772 seconds, 324.83 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.786, 320.51; 3. Leah Pritchett, 3.802, 320.58; 4. Tony Schumacher, 3.817, 318.39; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.819, 313.66; 6. Richie Crampton, 3.829, 313.66; 7. Brittany Force, 3.846, 301.60; 8. Scott Palmer, 3.850, 322.50; 9. Terry McMillen, 3.917, 252.05; 10. Troy Buff, 3.931, 283.37; 11. Clay Millican, 3.987, 236.46; 12. Terry Haddock, 4.025, 270.92; 13. Mike Salinas, 4.111, 278.46; 14. Steve Torrence, 4.394, 182.26.
Funny Car
- Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.963, 321.42; 2. Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 3.983, 315.49; 3. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.992, 316.82; 4. Courtney Force, Camaro, 4.005, 313.00; 5. Jonnie Lindberg, Toyota Camry, 4.011, 306.46; 6. John Force, Camaro, 4.018, 314.39; 7. Gary Densham, Ford Mustang, 4.021, 306.26; 8. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.028, 310.05; 9. Shawn Langdon, Camry, 4.040, 302.28; 10. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.048, 312.93; 11. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.055, 310.48; 12. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.087, 310.91; 13. Jeff Diehl, Camry, 4.153, 303.91; 14. Jeff Arend, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.202, 288.83; 15. Phil Burkart, Charger, 4.307, 288.52; 16. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.319, 216.69. Not Qualified: 17. J.R. Todd, 4.824, 164.01; 18. Jim Campbell, 5.023, 163.18; 19. Bob Bode, 5.728, 137.81; 20. Cruz Pedregon, 14.504, 64.70.
Pro Stock
- Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.669, 206.45; 2. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.681, 205.63; 3. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.702, 205.32; 4. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 6.705, 205.10; 5. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.709, 204.63; 6. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.710, 204.94; 7. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.714, 205.57; 8. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.715, 204.35; 9. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.722, 205.51; 10. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.734, 205.38; 11. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.734, 204.88; 12. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.747, 205.44; 13. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.754, 204.05; 14. Steve Graham, Camaro, 6.797, 203.25; 15. Joey Grose, Camaro, 6.961, 200.02; 16. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 7.074, 196.39.
Top Fuel Harley
Psn---Num-Rider, Home Town, Machine-----------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 2 Rickey House, Humble TX, '14 Harley 6.347 202.82 215.34
2 1 Jay Turner, Julian NC, '17 Dixie 6.392 216.97 216.97
3 40 Doug Vancil, Cedar Crest NM, '18 Weekend 6.495 195.96 195.96
4 911 Tii Tharpe, East Bend NC, '16 Dixie 6.500 217.95 217.95
5 76 Beau Layne, Redding CA, '17 Weekend 6.655 207.72 209.85
6 602 Mike Scott, Calgary AB, '10 Weekend 8.675 108.48 108.48
7 204 Randal Andras, Amelia LA, '17 Weekend 8.885 166.21 166.21
8 267 Kevin Boyer, St. Albert AB, '18 Harley 10.068 85.47 85.47
------------ Not Qualified ------------
9 222 Mike Beland, Maiden NC, '14 Advanced 14.257 93.74 93.74
Top Alcohol Dragster
Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 1 B/AD Joey Severance, Woodburn OR, Hadman-NRE 5.270 274.16 274.16
2 2 B/AD Shawn Cowie, Surrey BC, Hadman-BAE 5.306 270.64 270.64
3 8002 A/FD Julie Nataas, Santa Barbara CA, Copelan 5.330 270.32 270.32
4 5165 A/FD Todd Bruce, Horace ND, Bakx-BAE 5.350 263.87 273.44
5 748 A/FD Cameron Ferre, Huntington Beach CA, Att 5.376 268.22 268.22
6 7777 A/FD Bill Litton, La Jolla CA, Meyer-BAE 5.394 271.02 271.02
7 611 A/FD Garrett Bateman, Albany OR, Hadman-BAE 5.422 270.59 270.59
8 702 B/AD Tiffany Januik, Las Vegas NV, Hadman-BAE 5.434 265.80 265.80
9 628 A/FD Kim Parker, Graham WA, Attac-BAE 5.456 246.62 246.62
10 52 B/AD James Stevens, Gothenburg NE, CNE-MBR 5.458 270.37 270.37
11 7610 A/FD Derik Milanesio, Strathmore CA, Crossbo 5.492 253.56 253.56
12 888 B/AD Fred Hanssen, Afjord NP, Hadman-BAE 5.514 265.27 265.27
13 724 A/FD Casey Grisel, Orangevale CA, McKinney-B 5.547 249.81 249.81
14 597 B/AD Greg Hunter, Castle Rock CO, Hadman-BAE 5.603 258.52 258.62
15 7402 A/FD Randy Eakins, Carson City NV, Monden-TFX 5.706 258.96 258.96
16 6067 A/FD Don St. Arnaud, Edmonton AB, Hadman-BAE 5.931 246.21 246.21
------------ Not Qualified ------------
17 6 B/AD Chris Demke, Tujunga CA, Uyehara-BAE 6.519 152.55 152.55
18 750 A/FD Dusty Green, Pleasant Hill CA, Sterling 9.838 96.42 96.42
Top Alcohol Funny Car
Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 63 Chris Marshall, McMinnville OR, '17 Camaro 5.501 264.13 265.69
2 5 Sean Bellemeur, Placentia CA, '17 Camaro 5.502 265.22 265.22
3 2 John Lombardo Jr., Brea CA, '16 Camaro 5.537 264.60 264.60
4 1 Shane Westerfield, Anaheim CA, '16 Camaro 5.553 266.53 266.53
5 10 Jay Payne, Claremont CA, '18 Camaro 5.558 263.77 264.34
6 66 Brian Hough, Junction City OR, '15 Camaro 5.560 263.98 263.98
7 729 Nick Januik, Las Vegas NV, '16 Camaro 5.615 261.62 261.62
8 636 Ray Martin, Anchorage AK, '14 Monte Carlo 5.647 256.65 256.65
9 721 Chip Beverett, Tracy CA, '12 Monte Carlo 5.661 260.81 260.81
10 7630 Steve Macklyn, Bountiful UT, '13 Mustang 5.717 253.14 253.14
11 440 Steve Burck, Corpus Christi TX, '17 Camaro 5.760 259.01 259.01
12 6464 Russ Parker, Salem OR, '17 Camaro 5.845 255.29 255.29
13 739 Hannes Wernhart, Bakersfield CA, '10 Mustang 5.904 234.04 240.81
14 9 Steve Gasparrelli, West Covina CA, '16 Camaro 5.968 257.78 257.78
15 3 Doug Gordon, Paso Robles CA, '15 Camaro 7.169 108.35 108.35
Comp Eliminator
Psn--Num--Class-Driver, Home Town, Machine-----------------ET---Index---(+/-)
1 8 K/AA Clint Neff, Arvada CO, '32 Bantam 7.592 8.33 -0.738
2 7098 PST Tom Mettler, Tehachapi CA, '01 Dodge Dako 7.519 8.15 -0.631
3 7235 C/ED Scott McClay, Tehachapi CA, Bos-Dodge 7.357 7.97 -0.613
4 703 B/ED Joe Mozeris, Phoenix AZ, Fritz-Dodge 7.039 7.62 -0.581
5 710 D/SMA Doug Lambeck, Northridge CA, '08 Pontiac 8.500 9.08 -0.580
6 71 A/SMA Tony Mandella, Eastvale CA, '92 Camaro 8.085 8.63 -0.545
7 7230 C/TA Randy Jones, Monarch Beach CA, '00 Chevy 8.583 9.12 -0.537
8 6857 A/EA Ralph Van Paepeghem, Garden Valley ID, '3 7.396 7.91 -0.514
9 514 B/D Clint Sallee, Glendive MT, Fritz-Mopar 6.841 7.34 -0.499
10 5 B/SMA Jeff Lane, North Bend WA, '10 Cobalt 8.235 8.67 -0.435
11 789 AA/AM Mathew Leonard, Salt Lake City UT, '32 Ba 6.637 7.07 -0.433
12 7189 A/ND Dean Carter, Peoria AZ, Uyehara-Chevy 7.197 7.61 -0.413
13 9 F/SM Ryan Warter, Olalla WA, '92 Camaro 9.084 9.44 -0.356
14 610 C/AA John Edwards, Glendora CA, '99 Neon 7.580 7.89 -0.310
15 1781 C/EA Dan Fletcher, Churchville NY, '08 Cobalt NT
Super Stock
Psn--Num--Class-Driver, Home Town, Machine-----------------ET---Index---(+/-)
1 601 SS/BS Cody Lane, North Bend WA, '05 Cavalier 8.704 9.81 -1.106
2 62 FGT/C Darrell Dietz, Medicine Hat AB, '12 Musta 8.939 9.96 -1.021
3 7607 SS/EA Jack Bystrom, Rancho Cucamonga CA, '68 Ca 9.556 10.52 -0.964
4 79 SS/JA Mike Cotten, Cave Creek AZ, '70 Barracuda 10.234 11.19 -0.956
5 6846 GT/FA Byron Setters, Red Deer AB, '09 G5 9.495 10.42 -0.925
6 7375 GT/LA Ken Etter, Riverside CA, '93 Shadow 10.335 11.24 -0.905
7 7774 FSS/C Rodger Comstock, Fort Lauderdale FL, '16 8.908 9.81 -0.902
8 626 GT/GA Dave Barcelon, Bremerton WA, '08 Cobalt 9.689 10.57 -0.881
9 6009 GT/JA Bob Marshall, Olds AB, '05 Cavalier 10.100 10.98 -0.880
10 7643 GT/LA Kayla Mozeris, Phoenix AZ, '93 Daytona 10.364 11.24 -0.876
11 7117 GT/OA Jim Rau, Sacramento CA, '95 Mustang 10.769 11.64 -0.871
12 6015 GT/FA Tom Nolan, Lacombe AB, '09 G5 9.555 10.42 -0.865
13 7401 SS/FA Darren Smith, Palmdale CA, '68 Dart 9.778 10.63 -0.852
14 7405 GT/EA Eric Bell, Chandler AZ, '68 Barracuda 9.419 10.27 -0.851
15 75 SS/KA Don Keen, Palmdale CA, '65 Mustang 10.611 11.44 -0.829
16 65 GT/IA Tom Gaynor, Battle Ground WA, '10 Cobalt 10.002 10.83 -0.828
17 7420 SS/JA Eddie Leabo, Alta Loma CA, '98 Firebird 10.362 11.19 -0.828
18 718 SS/FA Chuck Stubeck, Chatsworth CA, '69 Roadrun 9.833 10.63 -0.797
19 6688 SS/HA Mike Pruss, Red Deer AB, '01 Firebird 9.987 10.78 -0.793
20 5206 GT/NA Carroll Warling, Brighton CO, '74 GTO 10.708 11.49 -0.782
Stock Eliminator
Psn--Num--Class-Driver, Home Town, Machine-----------------ET---Index---(+/-)
1 7702 U/SA B.J. Graham, Tempe AZ, '76 Mustang 13.697 15.10 -1.403
2 7784 U/S Paul Wong, Las Vegas NV, '65 Belvedere 13.808 14.90 -1.092
3 6633 G/SA Joe Sorensen, Woodburn OR, '69 Camaro 11.111 12.20 -1.089
4 5576 A/SA Stephen Hagberg, Berthoud CO, '67 Plymouth10.185 11.19 -1.005
5 7031 B/SA Gregg Luneack, Vista CA, '70 Challenger 10.465 11.44 -0.975
6 543 FS/B Craig Maddox, Sidney NE, '10 Challenger 9.197 10.17 -0.973
7 7401 G/SA Darren Smith, Palmdale CA, '64 Dodge 11.228 12.20 -0.972
8 5799 D/SA Brian Schultz, Stanchfield MN, '71 Duster 10.790 11.74 -0.950
9 652 F/S Bob Gullett, Calgary AB, '68 Nova 11.061 12.00 -0.939
10 7888 G/SA John Roderick, Thousand Oaks CA, '68 Cama 11.272 12.20 -0.928
11 7341 E/SA Rick Kolber, Glendale AZ, '72 Demon 10.977 11.90 -0.923
12 5702 H/SA Barry Pollard, Regina SK, '76 Roadrunner 11.437 12.36 -0.923
13 7402 A/SA Tibor Kadar, Peoria AZ, '64 Fairlane 10.276 11.19 -0.914
14 7881 I/SA Chris Ashley, Chandler AZ, '90 Camaro 11.600 12.51 -0.910
15 7593 C/SA Richie Pauley, Saugus CA, '68 Mustang 10.685 11.59 -0.905
16 701 FS/AA John Calvert, Lancaster CA, '16 Mustang 8.658 9.56 -0.902
17 728 FS/A Brent Calvert, Lancaster CA, '14 Mustang 8.962 9.86 -0.898
18 5009 B/SA Scott Burton, Golden CO, '70 Firebird 10.545 11.44 -0.895
19 5526 A/SA Dwayne Scheitlin, Brighton CO, '70 Challe 10.300 11.19 -0.890
20 732 G/SA Phil Mandella, Upland CA, '69 Chevelle 11.310 12.20 -0.890
Top Dragster
Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 7237 Steve Will, Fortuna CA, Sarmento-BAE 6.048 231.60 231.60
2 52 Jeff Koron, Hays KS, Undercover-Chevy 6.199 228.81 228.81
3 74 John Richardson, Santa Clarita CA, Sarmento-Ch 6.276 200.71 200.71
4 7156 Chuck Phelps, Chandler AZ, Yancer-Chevy 6.437 210.67 210.67
5 6077 Chuck Glanz, Myrtle Creek OR, Spitzer-Chevy 6.446 216.31 216.31
6 6275 Robert Tehle, Billings MT, Davis-Chevy 6.461 212.69 212.69
7 713 Tom Koenen, Tuscon AZ, Spitzer-Chevy 6.590 212.93 212.93
8 53 Phil Unruh, McPherson KS, Miller-Stin 6.646 206.95 206.95
9 75 Moe Trujillo, Happy Valley OR, Sarmento-Schmidt 6.647 203.40 203.40
10 7160 Andy Spiegel, Acton CA, Spitzer-SRE 6.650 199.64 199.64
11 7730 Mike MacBrair, Napa CA, Sarmento-DLRE 6.651 204.66 204.88
12 D712 Phil Dion, Paradise Valley AZ, Yancer-BAE 6.660 216.48 216.48
13 7029 Bobby Ray McMahan, Lodi CA, TNT-AMD 6.665 212.26 212.56
14 7468 George Prather, Sacramento CA, Sarmento-RM 6.693 200.32 200.32
15 63 Trevor Ritchie, Sherwood Park AB, TNT-Stin 6.708 204.82 204.82
16 5908 Lyle Byrum, El Paso TX, Canode-Chevy 6.737 207.11 207.11
17 3 Steve Casner, Sheridan CA, Uyemento-Chevy 6.758 196.42 196.42
18 6031 Jeff Havens, Yakima WA, Sarmento-Suns 6.787 199.58 199.58
19 6087 Mark Colton, North Bend OR, Yancer-Schmidt 6.787 198.99 198.99
20 213A Anthony Bertozzi, Ashland VA, Racetech-Chevy 6.799 191.24 191.24
21 2 Paul Nero, Eugene OR, Undercover-RM 6.817 195.08 195.22
22 7219 Geneva Nash, Visalia CA, Sarmento-Pane 6.832 197.54 197.54
23 696M Mark Simmons, Medicine Hat AB, TNT-Sonn 6.837 195.28 195.28
24 7 Kyle Seipel, Pleasanton CA, Racetech-Chevy 6.842 199.20 199.20
25 7089 Terry White, Minden NV, Sarmento-Riol 6.853 197.19 197.19
26 7867 Dean Hall, Guerneville CA, Sarmento-Chevy 6.865 199.20 199.20
27 7009 David Morgan, Concord CA, Sarmento-Chevy 6.866 198.35 199.26
28 708 Jeff Taylor, Apache Junction AZ, Delarm-Chevy 6.876 199.79 199.79
29 766M Paul Gladden, Tracy CA, Sarmento-Ford 6.882 198.20 205.35
30 72 Chris Thode, Manteca CA, Victory-Chev 6.886 196.90 196.90
31 76 Thomas Bayer, Alta Loma CA, Undercover-Chevy 6.900 195.99 195.99
32 6010 Grant Durie, Vegreville AB, TNT-SRE 6.904 193.82 193.82
------------ Not Qualified ------------
33 5501 Eddie Olpin Jr., American Fork UT, Undercover- 6.942 194.44 194.63
34 7774 Rodger Comstock, Fort Lauderdale FL, Yancer-RWR 6.983 195.68 195.68
35 7902 Brianna Wiens, Las Vegas NV, RaceTech-Mdcp 7.068 190.16 190.16
36 3896 Steve Hamilton, Indio CA, Undercover-Chevy 7.197 183.94 186.10
Top Sportsman
Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 730 Bryan LaFlam, Gilbert AZ, '67 Mustang 6.224 224.58 225.56
2 514 Phil Unruh, McPherson KS, '18 Corvette 6.323 229.00 229.00
3 7449 Chip Rumis, Ramona CA, '12 Camaro 6.456 216.34 216.34
4 7151 Jeff Connelly, Mesa AZ, '06 S-10 6.675 213.84 214.18
5 4147 Greg Lair, Canyon TX, '15 Camaro 6.677 210.60 210.60
6 7273 Gary Ross, Trabuco Canyon CA, '69 Camaro 6.708 202.67 202.67
7 5116 Dave Slatten, Ft. Collins CO, '05 Grand Am 6.717 207.72 207.72
8 9 Joe Roubicek, Camarillo CA, '68 Camaro 6.761 204.11 204.11
9 6541 Paul Snell, Sandy UT, '63 Corvette 6.788 219.51 219.51
10 749 Justin Linares, Grantsville UT, '69 Camaro 6.818 202.70 202.70
11 7025 Bud Preuss, Grand Junction CO, '69 Camaro 6.850 201.19 201.19
12 6636 Ray Martin, Anchorage AK, '63 Corvette 6.888 198.70 198.70
13 757 Jeff Gillette, Benicia CA, '06 GTO 6.977 198.09 198.09
14 76 Don Meziere, Escondido CA, '09 Cobalt 7.038 197.59 197.59
15 78 Doug Crumlich, Irvine CA, '63 Corvette 7.075 195.00 195.00
16 6402 Daryl Hemley, Burley WA, '02 Cavalier 7.095 193.79 193.79
17 766M Paul Gladden, Tracy CA, '70 Mustang 7.098 194.21 194.21
18 5007 Bob Cornine, Kiowa CO, '04 Stratus 7.101 191.46 191.46
19 D712 Phil Dion, Paradise Valley AZ, '17 Corvette 7.122 197.10 197.10
20 5 Bryan Warr, Riverton UT, '04 Corvette 7.123 191.81 192.00
21 68 Craig Blaisdell, Anderson CA, '14 Camaro 7.131 194.16 194.16
22 75 Ken Ratzloff, Idaho Falls ID, '53 Studebaker 7.147 193.38 193.38
23 646 Don Sefton, Port Orchard WA, '09 GXP 7.166 194.49 194.49
24 77 Kelly Harper, Peoria AZ, '67 Mustang 7.166 190.19 190.19
25 3 Ed Olpin, Pleasant Grove UT, '68 Camaro 7.221 191.21 191.21
26 4 Richard Okerman, Torrance CA, '89 Beretta 7.236 190.92 190.92
27 7038 Pat Warr Jr., Erda UT, '17 Corvette 7.239 190.35 190.35
28 63 Shawn Herbst, Selah WA, '68 Firebird 7.242 191.13 191.13
29 7197 Marty Castagno, Grantsville UT, '57 Bel Air 7.243 184.65 184.70
30 743 Ron Smith, Grantsville UT, '63 Nova 7.248 186.69 186.69
31 605 Mike Ferderer, Buckley WA, '06 Grand Am 7.254 189.15 189.15
32 7534 Paul Mitsos, Eastvale CA, '08 Stratus 7.256 188.15 188.15
------------ Not Qualified ------------
33 7315 Stephanie Skaggs, Danville CA, '14 Camaro 7.477 183.67 183.67
34 61 Mike Lucas, Fort St. John BC, '00 Camaro 7.502 181.98 181.98
