Dallas Glenn came to Pomona with a second consecutive NHRA Pro Stock championship within reach, and on Friday, he made the path to that title considerably shorter, leaving his challengers wondering whether they would even get a shot at him Sunday.
Glenn drove his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals with a 6.512-second pass at 208.42 mph. The bonus points stretched his lead over Matt Hartford to three rounds, putting him in position to clinch the title with a first-round bye if he stays atop the qualifying order.
“We made two really nice runs,” Glenn said. “That first one we came out of the gate kind of almost surprised me a little bit on how good it was.”
With 15 cars entered, the No. 1 qualifier gets that bye, making Saturday’s remaining two sessions particularly valuable. Glenn would earn his fifth No. 1 qualifying position of the season if Friday’s run holds.
Several competitors, including Aaron Stanfield, are trying to arrange a first-round meeting with Glenn through their qualifying positions.
“I don’t think it’s just Aaron,” Glenn said. “I think there’s four of them doing it, but no, it doesn’t bother me at all, especially because it’s odd that there’s only 15 cars.”
Glenn isn’t complaining. He trusts his Camaro against anybody.
“But even if I have to race one of them, I have a lot of confidence in my car right now and I wouldn’t want it if I didn’t earn it anyway,” Glenn said. “So I take it as the biggest compliment ever that they want to try to race me first round. So I welcome all challengers.”
Glenn’s opening pass survived improved evening conditions, and his second run demonstrated the consistency he wants for eliminations.
“So far we’ve done exactly what we wanted to do,” Glenn said. “We’ve gotten our bonus points that we needed. Now the next major goal for tomorrow is to hold onto that number one spot, make sure nobody takes that away.”
Matt Latino settled into second at 6.516 and 209.17 mph, while Greg Stanfield, who entered the weekend 99 points behind Glenn, sat third with a 6.523 at 210.18. Saturday could still disrupt Glenn’s plans.
Glenn also wants the event trophy. He has won the Winternationals at Pomona, but never the season-ending Finals.
“The ultimate goal on Sunday is to just go up there and win a trophy,” Glenn said. “I don’t think I’ve ever won the finals here in Pomona. I’ve won the winner nationals a few times, but I’ve never won the finals. And Greg Anderson has stopped me several times and I’m a little bitter about it.”
Anderson is one that Glenn will certainly keep his eye on. In 2024, Glenn arrived at the finale with the title still in play and watched Anderson take it away by two-thousandths of a second.
That disappointment convinced Glenn to build enough of a points lead to avoid another Pomona ordeal.
“When I was going for it in ’24, when it was all four of us there, I was like a nervous wreck,” Glenn said. “So I told myself after that season when Greg took it from me by 2000s, that my ultimate goal was I don’t even want to have to deal with Pomona. I wanted him to give me the trophy in Vegas.”
He won his first championship last year, but the rain-shortened finish gave some critics an opening to question its legitimacy for his title as well as others. Glenn has read enough of those comments to know that a second title would carry a little extra satisfaction.
“This year it’s like, okay, I’ve won the championship,” Glenn said. “I know that I can do it. I’ve proven myself that I can do it. And now this year is just for all the people that said last year I need an asterisk next to it because it wasn’t a real one since it rained out. So this one’s to prove them wrong.”
Glenn doesn’t buy the argument that rain diminished what his team accomplished. He points to four victories in five Countdown races last season, including three wins in four meetings with Anderson, as evidence that the championship was earned on the racetrack.
“You shouldn’t read all the comments online, but we all do a little bit,” Glenn said. “So it’s really hard sometimes not to comment on things that you know about that people are just speculating on that pretend that they know what they’re talking about.”
Friday’s night session also offered a reminder of Pomona’s history and Glenn recalled Tony Schumacher’s famous championship-saving run in fading light, although his own immediate concern was adjusting the Camaro’s shift light so it wouldn’t blind him downtrack.
Unlike 2024, Glenn already owns a championship and controls much of his fate.
But a bye run isn’t his ultimate prize. He wants to win the Finals.
“My ultimate goal is to go out there and try to make four really nice good runs on Sunday,” Glenn said, “and see if we can be holding another one of those Diamond Wallys.”
