There is a reason Chicago is called the Windy City.
Drag racers battled persistent crosswinds that clocked as high as 28 miles per hour during the first day of professional qualifying at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by Peak.
Still, Doug Kalitta secured the provisional No. 1 spot in Top Fuel with a run of 3.788 seconds at 326.24 mph. During Friday’s two qualifying sessions, Kalitta was the only driver to dip into the 3.70s.
Teammate J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also claimed provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories. This event marks the sixth race in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Kalitta’s run places him in a strong position to earn his fourth No. 1 qualifier in six races this year.
“That was definitely interesting. There was a big dust cloud off to the side, but thankfully it stayed off the track until we were done,” Kalitta said. “The car left well, and I thought it might shake the tires, but it didn’t. It made a solid run.
“I know it will be different tomorrow, but I’m happy with the way we ran. Thankfully, we have been good with both our cool and hot weather set-ups. I trust that AJ (Alan Johnson, crew chief) and our guys will figure it out.”
Justin Ashley is in second place with a time of 3.805 at 329.34, while Brittany Force ranks third with a 3.833, 327.03.
After a slow start to the season, Todd achieved a promising performance with a 3.982 at 326.71, putting him at the top of the Funny Car qualifying list. Todd, who entered the race eighth in points, refused to let Mother Nature keep him down.
“In Q1, everyone asked me if the wind affected me, but we didn’t go far enough for that to happen,” Todd said. “Then, I was sitting in the water behind Ron Capps and saw his car move towards the wall.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to spoil the run, so I began to give it some steering input to the right, perhaps a bit too much, but we got it down through there.
“Funny Cars are entertaining. They never seem to do the same thing twice. The one thing I like about Dickie (Venables, crew chief) is he’s not afraid to make changes. We have some parts we were planning to test at Indy, and he just decided to put some of them in for our second run. I appreciate that in a crew chief.”
Alexis DeJoria and Daniel Wilkerson are close behind, with times of 3.997, 324.05 and 3.998, 319.22.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, only one qualifying run occurred due to high winds, with Angie Smith achieving the top spot with a 6.797, 199.29. “That was a smooth run … but the slow runs are usually the fast runs,” Smith said.
Richard Gadson and Chase Van Sant follow Smith with times of 6.824, 199.52, and 6.880, 196.27.
Qualifying at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals will continue at noon CDT on Saturday.
Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 25th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway, sixth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.788 seconds, 326.24 mph; 2. Justin Ashley, 3.805, 329.34; 3. Brittany Force, 3.833, 327.03; 4. Josh Hart, 3.838, 319.98; 5. Clay Millican, 3.845, 326.87; 6. Tony Stewart, 3.847, 320.36; 7. T.J. Zizzo, 3.849, 330.72; 8. Antron Brown, 3.907, 314.90; 9. Steve Torrence, 4.103, 227.65; 10. Shawn Reed, 4.150, 230.10; 11. Will Smith, 4.159, 231.08; 12. Dan Mercier, 4.173, 221.71; 13. Kyle Wurtzel, 4.819, 158.02; 14. Terry Totten, 5.227, 136.65; 15. Lex Joon, 6.276, 110.73; 16. Spencer Massey, 6.284, 98.03. Not Qualified: 17. Shawn Langdon, 6.349, 108.45.
Funny Car — 1. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.982, 326.71; 2. Alexis DeJoria, Dodge Charger, 3.997, 324.05; 3. Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.998, 319.22; 4. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.998, 318.17; 5. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 4.003, 319.52; 6. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.005, 313.58; 7. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.018, 322.88; 8. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.026, 321.35; 9. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.029, 325.69; 10. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.038, 321.65; 11. Buddy Hull, Charger, 4.057, 319.98; 12. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.085, 311.49; 13. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.143, 253.85; 14. Austin Prock, Camaro, 4.816, 166.87; 15. Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.909, 162.49; 16. Chris King, Charger, 5.546, 130.34. Not Qualified: 17. Spencer Hyde, 5.989, 113.59; 18. Dale Creasy Jr., 6.758, 98.74; 19. Justin Schriefer, 11.056, 81.19.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.797, 199.29; 2. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.824, 199.52; 3. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.880, 196.27; 4. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.889, 196.85; 5. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.892, 196.36; 6. John Hall, Beull, 6.906, 195.82; 7. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.909, 195.99; 8. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.011, 193.71; 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.034, 192.49; 10. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.248, 189.12; 11. Matt Smith, Buell, 7.341, 142.96; 12. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.468, 181.35; 13. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 8.075, 118.09; 14. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 8.171, 116.10; 15. Lance Bonham, Buell, 8.899, 99.83.
