Greasy is good for Drew Skillman.

On a hot day when all competitors were tested by a slick track at Sonoma Raceway, the Greenwood, Indiana, native adjusted to earn his second straight No. 1 qualifying spot in Pro Stock.

Skillman sealed his position with a run of 6.538 seconds at 211.36 mph in the third qualifying session.

“We’re actually better on a slick, greasy track than most people,” Skillman said. “When the track gets really good, we’re typically a bit slower than everyone else. It’s definitely a little greasy out there.”

Skillman, who now has five career poles, earned nine qualifying bonus points by posting the quickest run in three straight sessions with his Ray Skillman Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

“Momentum is the word of the weekend for us,” Skillman said. “The team is really positive and the engine is really strong. Everybody at Gray Motorsports did a great job and the people at Skillman Motorsports are killing it. We’re just really happy right now.”

The biggest factor in Skillman’s joy was a sun-bathed track which slowed all competitors. Instead of a secret weapon or evil engine, Skillman and his crew chief Tomi Laine relied on weather radar and brainpower.

“You always tune around the track conditions. That’s part of drag racing,” Skillman said. “The track can go to hell and that’s what you have to race on.
“So we watch the race track and the weather religiously. That's our biggest tuning tool.”

Saturday’s conditions were a dramatic contrast from the first two qualifying sessions Friday night where Robert Hight in Funny Car and Leah Pritchett in Top Fuel blasted out record-setting runs.

“This race track will change a ton from the first round to fourth round, so you’ve just got to keep an eye on it all day,” Skillman said.

Greg Anderson grabbed the No. 2 spot with a run of 6.568 seconds while 18-year-old phenom Tanner Gray was third with a time of 6.570.

It has not been a good week for two-time Mello Yello champion Erica Enders, who qualified 15th and will face No. 2 qualifier Bo Butner in the first round of eliminations.  Enders has struggled with her starts, with her only full run resulting in a time of 6.949 seconds.

With a short field, Skillman will have a first round bye.

Perhaps the most enticing first round matchup will be between Allen Johnson of Greeneville, Tennessee, and five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Johnson and Coughlin were actually teammates in 2013, with motors supplied by Johnson’s J&J Racing shop.