Cali Neff raced to the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot in Competition eliminator with a strong 6.603-second run on a 7.28 index, leading Thursday’s qualifying sessions at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event.
Neff’s performance in her Clack-powered A/ED machine outpaced the 34-car field by over a tenth of a second under the index. Her -.677 performance was followed by Doug Engels D/DA dragster, posting a 7.411 on a 7.99 index, good for a .579 under and second overall. Brian Browell secured third with a .562 under pass in his D/D MR2-Chevy, running 7.178 on a 7.74 index.
Rodger Brogdon ran his A/SR ’34 Roadster to fourth with a 7.873 on an 8.42 index. Rounding out the top five was Scott Linder with a 6.617 pass in his 7.16 index in A/A.
Top Dragster competition saw Tony Elrod of Howell, Mich., claim the No. 1 qualifying position with a 6.098-second, 226.47 mph blast in his American chassis. Elrod led a field of high-powered dragsters as speeds approached 230 mph.
Blake Peavler followed with a 6.177-second pass at 226.09 mph, barely edging out Prescott Dean’s 6.195 at 222.80 mph for second place. Darian Boesch, Dane Ward, and Tom Martino filled out the top six, all running within hundredths of one another.
Veterans Al Peavler and Jim Prevo turned in passes of 6.211 and 6.215, respectively, with average speeds over 224 mph. The final two in the top ten, Pat Forster and Frank Carpinelli, rounded out the list with 6.226 and 6.229 times.
Glenn Butcher set the pace in Top Sportsman qualifying with a 6.263-second run at 225.45 mph in his ’69 Camaro. Darian Boesch posted the fastest speed of the session at 226.77 mph in his 2018 Camaro to take second.
Scott Wasko ran a 6.536 at 213.37 mph for third, followed by Jeff Brooks and Ronnie Proctor. Wesley Goddard, Belva Brinegar, and Jerry Albert rounded out a competitive top ten with passes all in the mid-6.60s.
Rain ended Thursday’s qualifying early, with more sessions scheduled for 8 AM, EST on Friday.
