Jimmy Taylor remained the provisional No. 1 qualifier Friday at the U.S. Street Nationals as Pro Mod competitors produced the first all-3.50-second, 32-car field in the event’s history at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
The bump spot fell to a 3.597-second run, while Taylor’s 3.555 at 224.77 mph from Thursday’s opening session held through two additional qualifying rounds at the second of three events in the Drag Illustrated Winter Series.
Despite several drivers improving in cooler Friday conditions, Taylor added two more 3.50-second passes to reinforce his position heading into Saturday’s final qualifying session. He posted runs of 3.583 at 216.83 mph and 3.570 at 222.77 in his twin-turbocharged ’69 Camaro tuned by Carl Stevens Jr.
“Carl’s got this car where it’s very consistent right now,” Taylor said. “I mean, we ran so many .50s passes here this weekend; we haven’t had anything but .50s passes. We learned a lot today in the heat on the first run. I feel pretty good. With Carl in my corner, I feel like we’ve got as good a shot as any of them at going all the way.”
Taylor’s position carries added significance with Jason Harris chasing the Jerry Bickel Clean Sweep Challenge. Harris, the No. 1 qualifier at the Winter Series opener, remains the only driver eligible to earn a new Pro Mod rolling chassis by qualifying first at all three events.
Harris currently sits second with a 3.556 at 211.33 in his Harts Charger-boosted “Party Time” ’69 Camaro. The Snowbird Outlaw Nationals winner is also contending for the Elite Motorsports Million, a $1 million bonus offered to any driver who wins all three Winter Series races.
“We definitely came into this race knowing that we’re going to have a big target on our back, but we came in with the same outlook and the same mindset we did for the last one – just qualify good and take each round,” Harris said. “And with the way it qualifies, the chip draw is the game changer. You could have a lot of easy draws or you can have a lot of hard draws, but I think if you get in this field, you’re a real tough competitor, and you deserve to be here. Everybody that qualifies is going to be gunning for each other, no matter where you’re at, one to 32. You’ve just got to take it round by round.”
Randy Weatherford made one of the largest moves of the session, climbing to third with a 3.558 at 211.16 in his Harts Charger-boosted ’69 Camaro. Eric Gustafson followed closely in fourth with an identical elapsed time at 211.06, while Justin Bond rounded out the top five at 3.563.
The event also featured multiple drag radial classes and Pro 10.5 qualifying. True 10.5 completed a shakedown session in preparation for eliminations.
In Pro 10.5, Carson Baker advanced to the top spot during the final qualifying session with a 3.884 at 195.79 in his ProCharged Camaro. Tuned by Jamie Miller, Baker will face Jerry Morgano in a random chip-draw opening round.
“I haven’t been doing this that long, so it’s freaking amazing,” Baker said. “I started out at NPK. This is the biggest event I’ve ever been at. I’ve watched it the last two years from home. Now, next thing you know, we’re racing it. This is the greatest event I’ve ever been to. This is awesome. It’s just so much fun.”
Morgano qualified second at 3.894, while Fletcher Cox secured third after leading early sessions. FuelTech Radial Outlaws top qualifiers included Lyle Barnett, Jamie Stanton, DJ McCain and Steve Romeo.
Pro Mod final qualifying begins Saturday morning, followed by eliminations later in the day, with racing continuing through Sunday.
