Steven Whiteley secured the preliminary No. 1 qualifying position Friday during the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by presented by J&A Service portion of the Fitzgerald USA NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. This weekend’s Pro Mod racing, presented by Elite Motorsports, is the sixth of 12 events this season.

Whiteley ran a 5.823-second pass at 250.51 mph in the second qualifying session in his J&A Services / Y-Not Racing ‘18 Chevy Camaro to take the top spot.

“I knew it ran decent, but I couldn’t believe we ran that quickly especially in these conditions,” Whiteley said. “We are hoping to stay in that top spot tomorrow but it will depend on track conditions and weather to see if anyone can run better.”

Rick Hord is currently qualified second with a 5.855 pass at 251.72 and Mike Castellana settles in at third with a run of 5.855 at 249.58.

Whiteley currently sits 14th in the points standings as he chases his first No. 1 qualifier in 2018.

E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service qualifying continues Saturday at 12:15 p.m.

Friday's results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 18th annual Fitzgerald USA NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the sixth of 12 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.

Pro Modified -- 1. Steven Whiteley, Chevy Camaro, 5.823, 250.51; 2. Rick Hord, Chevy Corvette, 5.855, 251.72; 3. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.855, 249.58; 4. Mike Janis, Camaro, 5.861, 244.07; 5. Jeremy Ray, Corvette, 5.870, 244.47; 6. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.872, 245.18; 7. Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.872, 244.78; 8. Bob Rahaim, Camaro, 5.908, 246.39; 9. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.919, 246.75; 10. Troy Coughlin, Ford Mustang, 5.928, 247.84; 11. Chad Green, Camaro, 5.939, 245.63; 12. Jeffery Barker, Pontiac GXP, 5.952, 250.69; 13. Sidnei Frigo, Corvette, 5.954, 248.34; 14. Michael Biehle, Mustang, 5.958, 246.75; 15. Jim Whiteley, Camaro, 5.960, 241.07; 16. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 5.964, 239.31.

Not Qualified: 17. Chip King, 5.966, 241.20; 18. Todd Tutterow, 5.992, 242.32; 19. Brandon Snider, 6.004, 241.45; 20. Doug Winters, 6.013, 239.06; 21. Richie Stevens, 6.171, 240.38; 22. Steve Jackson, 6.228, 201.97; 23. Clint Satterfield, 6.345, 235.31; 24. Harry Hruska, 6.928, 170.69; 25. Eric Dillard, 7.654, 139.33; 26. Steve Matusek, 7.739, 124.50; 27. Chuck Little, 7.866, 84.23; 28. Dan Stevenson, 8.313, 158.82; 29. Erica Enders, 9.011, 101.81.