Photos by Robert Richard
QUALIFYING NOTEBOOK – RECORD ON THE LINE, AND FRANKLIN DELIVERS IN NITROUS
WEATHERFORD PUTS THE RECORD ON NOTICE AT DARLINGTON – Qualifying didn’t come with the cool air most expect at the Carolina Nationals, but Randy Weatherford didn’t wait around for better conditions. Under the lights at Darlington Dragway, he went quicker than anyone had before.
Weatherford dropped a 3.543-second pass at 212.26 mph in the final qualifying session, dipping under the existing Pro Boost record of 3.555. The number won’t become official unless he backs it up with a 3.578 or quicker during eliminations, but it was enough to shift the tone heading into Saturday.
“It’s very rewarding. Now, if I can come away with a victory here, it will really be rewarding,” Weatherford said. “The car’s been running pretty good.”
“The car I’ve got right now has been flawless. It’s won and it should have won a couple more races, but we had some issues go wrong,” Weatherford said. “But to come out here and do what we did, it just speaks highly of my team and the people behind me and my employees that work hard for me and give me the opportunity to come out here and play this big ball game here.”
“This is what we come for – it’s the trophies, not the money.”
The record is there, but Weatherford made it clear that’s not what’s driving the weekend. The focus is on turning qualifying performance into round wins.
“I think the record will take care of itself,” Weatherford said. “I think the temp tomorrow is going to be 60 degrees. We run .54 all day when it was 75 degrees here. The record will follow.”
Weatherford wasn’t the only one knocking on the door. Jason Harris, a multi-time champion in both Pro Boost and Pro Nitrous, ran a 3.556 at 211.27 mph to qualify second, just one-thousandth off the mark.
Lyle Barnett followed closely in third with a 3.561 at 212.46 mph, keeping the top of the field tightly packed heading into eliminations.
FRANKLIN TAKES CONTROL OF PRO NITROUS FIELD AT DARLINGTON – Three-time Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin didn’t wait for eliminations to make his move. In a field packed with 20 cars chasing 16 spots, he made sure everyone knew where he stood.
Franklin entered the final qualifying session sitting fourth, close but not in control. When the track came around in Q3, he and tuner Jeff Pierce turned it up and went straight to the top with a 3.634-second pass at 208.24 mph.
That run didn’t just move him to No. 1 — it separated him from a field that had been stacked from top to bottom all day. In Pro Nitrous, being in the show isn’t enough when the entire field is capable of making a move.
“There’s a great group of cars. We had 20 cars fighting for 16 spots in Pro Nitrous, which is just badass,” Franklin said. “Thank you to all those racers that came out and put on a heck of a show tonight.”
Franklin’s team didn’t roll into qualifying without work to do. Early-week testing brought the usual first-race issues, and getting through that was part of what made the final-session hit count.
“My team just put one together. We had some issues – just first-race issues – testing on Wednesday and we got through that, came out here and made a good lap,” Franklin said.
He didn’t hesitate to put the level of competition into perspective.
“I say it all the time – these are the best racers in the world. I say that about every class here at the PDRA,” Franklin said. “So to come out here and go No. 1 qualifier, just to run up front, period, takes a lot.”
Mike Achenbach secured the No. 2 spot with a 3.651 at 207.76 mph, keeping pressure on the top position heading into eliminations.
Reigning world champion Marcus Butner followed in third with a 3.661 at 207.66 mph
MORGANO RETURNS TO THE TOP IN PRO STREET AT DARLINGTON – For the first time since 2023, Jerry Morgano found his way back to the No. 1 spot, and he had to work for it.
After struggling to get down the track in the opening session, Morgano recovered with a 3.960 to move into position. He finished the job in the final round of qualifying with a 3.949 at 203.90 mph to lock in the top spot.
That kind of turnaround doesn’t happen by accident, especially in a class where missing the setup early can put you behind the rest of the field. Morgano stayed with it and made it count when the conditions improved.
“This is a big deal,” Morgano said. “We worked our tails off over the offseason, testing and then racing at the Snowbirds, U.S. Street, and World Series.”
There wasn’t any attempt to make the path sound smoother than it was. Morgano made it clear the performance has come with swings in both directions.
“We had a really good showing. We were either super high or super low there. Things went well, and they didn’t, but we just kept plugging away,” Morgano said.
He came into the weekend with a clear goal and didn’t back away from it.
“My goal coming into this race, I wanted to do my damnedest to try and qualify No. 1,” Morgano said. “I knew it would be tough. There’s a lot of really fast guys in our class.”
And like anyone chasing a late session, he knew it could change quickly once the sun went down.
“When we get to run when the sun’s down, anybody can take the No. 1 spot,” Morgano said. “Luckily it was me today, but really the goal is just to keep plugging away, hit as many as we can, and hope for the best for the season.”
Joel Wensley Jr. qualified second with a 3.968 at 194.97 mph, while Ron Green slipped to third with a 3.972 at 200.53 mph after leading early.
BEATTIE BREAKS THROUGH FOR FIRST NO. 1 IN PRO 632 – Half the Pro 632 field dipped into the 4.10s, but J.C. Beattie Jr. made sure there was no debate at the top.
Beattie pulled away from the pack with a 4.127-second pass at 172.55 mph in the final qualifying session, earning his first career No. 1 qualifier. The run didn’t just put him on top — it gave him a gap.
“It’s been a long time coming for us,” Beattie said. “We’ve tried for three years now. We started with N/A [naturally aspirated].”
The path to that moment wasn’t quick, and Beattie didn’t shy away from it.
“We waited almost two years on a motor, which is well worth the wait now. We stuck it in the car for Bristol last year and came out swinging,” Beattie said. “Had very few passes on the car and really learned a lot. Made a bunch of mistakes.”
Now, the combination is starting to respond the way they expected.
“I’ve got an awesome tuner and the car was a bracket car with a .14 to a .17 and then we turned it up for the final qualifier. It took it,” Beattie said. “I knew as soon as it got past 60 feet, I think I was already pretty excited, and I saw the .12 pop up. I was like, ‘All right, we got it.’”
Jeff Pittman moved into the No. 2 spot with a 4.159 at 171.23, continuing a steady climb in his second season in the class.
Doug Nicholl returned from a one-year break and qualified third with a 4.161 at 168.86, putting himself back in the mix heading into eliminations.
SCHALOW LEADS YOUTH MOVEMENT IN SUPER STREET AT DARLINGTON – The next wave in Super Street didn’t wait for permission. It picked up right where it left off last season.
A trio of young drivers topped the qualifying order Friday, with Matt Schalow leading the way. The Virginia Beach driver went to No. 1 for the first time in his career with a 4.608-second pass at 158.34 mph.
Schalow has been part of the class since the beginning, but this run carried a little more weight after last season’s setback. A crash early in the year forced him to regroup, and the current car didn’t come online until midway through the season.
“It’s almost like a relief more than anything,” Schalow said. “We’ve been battling this car since we bought it. We’ve not even had this car a year.”
The results hadn’t come easy, and Schalow didn’t pretend they did.
“With the struggles that we went through last year, to finally have that reward and a No. 1 qualifier, it’s big to us,” Schalow said. “Obviously, the job’s not done.”
He kept the focus where it belongs heading into eliminations.
“We’ve still got a long day tomorrow and we want to pick up the victory. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, so we’re going to keep on working on it,” Schalow said. “We’ve still got some stuff we need to figure out, but for the most part it’s coming along real nicely now.”
Defending world champion Connor McGee qualified second with a 4.621 at 155.49, staying within range of the top spot.
Austin Vincent followed in third with a 4.646 at 137.83 after making changes over the offseason, keeping the top of the field tightly grouped heading into eliminations.
FOWLER LEADS HOME-STATE SPORTSMAN CHARGE AT DARLINGTON – Jamie Fowler didn’t miss his chance to make noise at home. He put his Camaro at the top of Elite Top Sportsman and never gave it back.
Fowler, who picked up his first win at this event in 2023, went No. 1 with a 3.740-second pass at 199.29 mph. It was enough to hold off a tight group behind him and set the tone heading into eliminations.
Glenn Butcher stayed within reach with a 3.760 at 202.16 mph to qualify second, keeping pressure on the top spot. Scott Duggins followed in third with a 3.783 at 194.72, stacking the top of the field with experienced contenders.
In Top Sportsman 32, Aaron Glaser worked his way to the No. 1 position with a 4.185 at 172.74, holding off recent champions Jeff Talvacchio and Joe Roubicek. That’s a spot that doesn’t come easy with that kind of company in the lanes.
Elite Top Dragster didn’t settle until the final session. Josh Duggins made sure of that, jumping to No. 1 with a 3.725 at 202.61 mph to close out qualifying.
Steve Furr, who led heading into the final round, slipped to second with a 3.731 at 200.09 mph. Brian Anderson stayed close in third with a 3.734 at 196.51 mph, keeping the top three within striking distance.
The depth of the class showed up quickly, with more cars than spots for the 16-car field. Those who didn’t make it into Elite Top Dragster will race in Top Dragster 48.
Taylor Davis led that group with a 4.063 at 179.00 mph, setting the pace for the secondary field heading into eliminations.
The Jr. Dragster ranks kept the pressure on with two rounds in the books. Ten drivers in Pro Jr. Dragster hit the 7.90 index, led by Adeline Porcho with a 7.901.
In Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster, Connor Boyd holds the provisional No. 1 spot with a .010 reaction time heading into the final qualifying session.
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