With ambient temperatures pushing 90 degrees and the track reading at 105 at about 9 p.m. Friday, Doug Kalitta managed to do what about half of the NHRA Top Fuel field could not.

He made it down the 1,000-foot Bristol Dragway course in the Mac Tools Dragster and took the tentative No. 1 qualifying spot for the Thunder Valley Nationals.

"It felt great to put a good one down, because this will be the best chance with the conditions we will see this weekend,” Kalitta said after being the lone dragster driver to clock a 3.7-second pass in the first day of qualifying.

His 3.781-second performance at 326.71 mph fended off No. 2 Steve Torrence (3.802, 317.42), No. 3 Leah Pritchett (3.817 with a top speed of 309.34), and early leader Clay Millican (3.833, 315.56).

Kalitta joined Tim Wilkerson (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock), and Troy Coughlin (Pro Mod) as provisional leaders.

“It left good,” Kalitta said of his second, decisive run that vaulted him from the No. 4 slot. “We got past half-track, and I was pretty happy the thing was still hooked up and running strong. It moved around a little bit on me, but it felt good the whole way. I was hoping we were going to have something that could contend for low qualifier.”

“This is the only place I don't have a low qualifier at, so it would be cool to be able to achieve that," he said.

If he retains the lead after the final two qualifying sessions Saturday, he would have his first No. 1 start of the year and his 48th overall. And if so, Kalitta would become the only active Top Fuel driver to book No. 1 qualifying positions at every track on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour.

However, he said he isn’t sure of anything.

"We still have tomorrow. The conditions will still be warm. The way these cars run these days, a 3.78 is definitely not safe yet. But we’ll see. Great run for my boys, though,” Kalitta said.

Kalitta said he has fond memories of this fabled facility from the mid-1980s, when he traveled here as a crew hand for his uncle and current team owner, Connie Kalitta.

“This place is a place I love coming to,” he said. “Connie always ran good here. That’s probably the reason I have fond memories.”

The father of two would love to have more celebrations here and give his own crew members some of the same happy memories with a 43rd career victory Sunday, which is Fathers Day.