Antron Brown, Austin Prock, and Greg Anderson claimed provisional No. 1 qualifying positions and bonus awards in Friday night’s American Rebel Light “Battle for the Rebel Axe” – the opening day of the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd (MN) International Raceway.
Brown, the defending Top Fuel champion here, posted a 3.742-second pass at 334.90 mph in his Matco Tools dragster to earn the top spot, a $4,000 bonus, and the custom Rebel Axe trophy — a cigar box guitar designed in the shape of a 12-pack of American Rebel Light beer. He also took his seat atop the “Throne of the North,” made entirely of American Rebel Light cases.
“It felt good. The track was a bit tricky. We didn’t get the clutch right on the first run, but that run definitely made up for it,” Brown said. “We got to do what we wanted to do, which was run the race track. The car was straight, stayed nimble and felt good. It sets us up good for tomorrow.”
Brown, who has six career wins at Brainerd in Top Fuel and Pro Stock Motorcycle, is seeking his first No. 1 qualifier since winning the season-opener in Gainesville, Florida.
“We’ve got a little hole to dig out of in the points to get where we want, so I’m super pumped and happy for that run,” he said. “I don’t often drink beer, but when I do it will be American Rebel Light.”
Brown topped Clay Millican for the top spot by a microscopic .004 seconds. Millican ran 3.746 seconds at 330.72 mph, followed by points leader Shawn Langdon at 3.753, 334.82.
Prock continued his dominant Funny Car season by taking the top spot with a 3.893 at 331.45 in his Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS. He also collected the $4,000 bonus and Rebel Axe trophy.
“You know, when American Rebel Light is part of a race, we seem to do well in this Cornwell Tools Camaro,” Prock said. “We seem to run pretty well, so it was cool to collect the cash, and the guitar. It’s a good way to start the weekend here in Brainerd.”
Prock said his car was a handful on both runs. “My steering wheel was pretty far to the left, so it had my hands full a little bit there,” he said. “I wanted to be prepared for that, and definitely felt a little loose down there, but it still ran 331 mph.”
Prock is aiming for his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and a chance to clinch the regular-season championship this weekend. Jack Beckman was second with a 3.907, followed by Ron Capps with a 3.920 at 330.39.
Duluth native and defending NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson took top honors with a 6.614 at 204.76 in his HendrickCars.com Camaro. He earned a $2,000 bonus and a place atop the “Throne of the North.”
“It felt really nice and like before the run, I told all my guys, ‘We made a nice run on the first run, and I think we can go quicker on the second.’ I told them, ‘I want that guitar. I want those cases of beer,’” Anderson said. “Any time that anybody puts up a special bounty like that, it means the world to a guy like me. I love that.”
Anderson credited his team for a well-executed run. “They made the right calls on the car and we made a beautiful run. It felt perfect in low gear. That’s all I could ask for. This has been a great night. Right now, I feel like I won the race.”
Dallas Glenn, who has won the last two Brainerd events, was second at 6.616, while Erica Enders was third with a 6.623 at 205.82 mph.
Qualifying at Brainerd resumes Saturday at noon CDT.
Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, 13th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Antron Brown, 3.742 seconds, 334.90 mph; 2. Clay Millican, 3.746, 330.96; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.753, 334.82; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.758, 329.75; 5. Brittany Force, 3.766, 332.10; 6. Tony Stewart, 3.799, 326.40; 7. Jordan Vandergriff, 3.800, 328.30; 8. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.877, 311.41; 9. Kyle Satenstein, 3.882, 301.20; 10. Will Smith, 4.144, 229.98; 11. Billy Torrence, 5.074, 142.78; 12. Josh Hart, 5.408, 127.49; 13. Justin Ashley, 6.589, 91.13.
Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.893, 331.45; 2. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.907, 323.66; 3. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.920, 330.39; 4. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.930, 332.43; 5. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.934, 324.75; 6. Alexis DeJoria, Dodge Charger, 3.942, 330.23; 7. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.942, 302.62; 8. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.944, 329.67; 9. Hunter Green, Charger, 3.946, 314.09; 10. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.947, 325.22; 11. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 3.960, 317.42; 12. Chad Green,Mustang, 3.962, 312.21; 13. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.113, 245.00; 14. Jim Campbell, Charger, 5.060, 152.68; 15. Dave Richards, Mustang, 6.011, 116.41; 16. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 6.264, 109.30.
Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.614, 206.86; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.616, 206.23; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.623, 206.01; 4. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.624, 206.73; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.628, 207.21; 6. David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.634, 205.16; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.641, 204.94; 8. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.642, 204.98; 9. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.643, 205.13; 10. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.659, 205.72; 11. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.665, 205.76; 12. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.675, 206.51; 13. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.680, 205.16; 14. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.688, 204.76; 15. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.690, 204.60; 16. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.695, 203.89.
Not Qualified: 17. Kenny Delco, 6.748, 203.71; 18. Joseph Wilczek, 7.187, 196.50.
