Brittany Force secured her 50th career No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at Texas Motorplex during the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. The two-time champion Force’s run of 3.667 seconds at 338.19 mph, recorded on Friday, remained unchallenged and marked her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season.
Joining Force at the top were Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle), all of whom qualified No. 1 in their respective classes. This event is the 18th of 20 in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the fourth of six in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Force expressed pride in achieving her milestone but maintained her focus on Sunday’s eliminations, where she will face Spencer Hyde.
“Just to hear ‘50,’ that’s such a big achievement,” Force said. “It’s a big achievement by all of John Force Racing. It’s something I’m very proud of. It seems like an impossible number, and to have that in my career, to be able to accomplish that is huge and something I’m very proud of. The cool thing is, it was a collective thing. It was done with so many different teams and crew chiefs that I’ll always look up to. They all taught me things along the way that I still use to this day. I’m very thankful to them that they’re part of my career and getting that 50.
“To see three (No. 1s) in the last (five) races, it shows that this team is gaining momentum and that we’re moving in the right direction. We’re starting to move on to something positive. But ultimately, we want to perform well on Sunday.”
Shawn Reed qualified second in Top Fuel with a 3.676 at 330.71, while Texan Steve Torrence took third with a 3.721 run at 332.03. Points leader Antron Brown will face Justin Ashley in an opening-round showdown, as Ashley sits 34 points behind.
Prock matched the record held by John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season, achieving his 13th spot with a track-record run of 3.813 at 333.09. Prock will start against Terry Haddock on Sunday, aiming for his eighth victory of the year.
“It’s pretty special. I had no idea that there was a record until a few weeks ago, and we’ve knocked off a few more. We eventually tied them today,” Prock said. “It’s pretty special to be added to that list, and to do it in 18 races is pretty incredible. It speaks volumes about this team, my dad, my brother, Nate Hildahl, everyone that’s on this AAA/Cornwall Tools car. I’m really proud of this team and happy to be driving this race car.
“I did talk to John last night and he was he was so ecstatic to see our race car and his daughter’s race car go No. 1 qualifier. He was watching all evening long, and he was really proud. It was nice to hear his voice and know that he was watching and he’s proud, and hopefully we can make them proud the rest of the season.”
Defending event winner Matt Hagan took second with a 3.823 pass, and Jack Beckman, currently in second place in points, qualified third with a 3.825 run.
Greg Anderson’s 6.524 at 208.99 in Pro Stock secured him his sixth No. 1 qualifier this season and the 130th of his career. Anderson, who is fourth in points, emphasized the importance of a strong performance on Sunday.
“Three of us are one side. Erica happened to end up on the other side, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for her. We’ll see how it plays out tomorrow,” Anderson said. “There’s only going to be one of the three left in the semifinal on our side of the ladder. Without something like that happening at one of these races, I probably wouldn’t have a chance to make up ground because if we all four keep making the semifinals, you’re not going to make up much ground. It’s really the only chance I’ve got.
“We’ll see how the cards fall tomorrow, but it’s an opportunity. I like that. We’re going to be fast. I’m excited to race, and it could be a turning point of the season. It’s time to either get it done or go home.”
Erica Enders and David Cuadra qualified second and third in Pro Stock with runs of 6.526 and 6.532, respectively. Aaron Stanfield and points leader Dallas Glenn are fourth and fifth, respectively, setting the stage for potentially pivotal matchups.
Herrera improved his position in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a run of 6.749 at 202.52, securing his eighth No. 1 qualifier in 2024. He will aim for a second consecutive victory in Dallas.
“The only thing that made it possible was tail wind,” Herrera said. “You just had to catch it at the right time. It was a cross tail, so I didn’t think being in the right lane would affect us as much as it did, but it did. That was a good pass. Tomorrow, we’re going to be racing in this kind of weather. I think it’s going to be a direct, straight tail wind instead of across. Probably see a pretty good mile an hour tomorrow and it’ll be a good day of racing.
“The biggest thing I focus on is the here and now. You can’t predict what’s going to happen. You can’t try to make stuff happen. You just have to go out there and do what you have to do, and it’s going to turn out how it’s going to be.”
Matt Smith qualified second in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a run of 6.756 at 201.77, while Jianna Evaristo secured third with a 6.777 at 201.81.
Eliminations for the Texas NHRA FallNationals begin at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday at Texas Motorplex.
