After three sometimes grueling days of qualifying at the Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the top qualifiers were established on Sunday. Only one leader changed from those who led Friday’s opening session.
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 at the 14th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Force, a two-time NHRA champion, has enjoyed the weekend she has needed so far, securing the No. 1 qualifier with Saturday’s 3.693 elapsed time at 333.08 mph. It’s the 48th top qualifier for the second-generation driver, and she needed every bit of it this weekend, entering the U.S. Nationals 10th in points.
Force holds a 58-point advantage over 11th-place Josh Hart, and she’ll need to stay in the top 10 to earn a spot in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend,” Force said. “We’ve done really well and we’re wearing a No. 1 qualifier hat. We ended up No. 1 and haven’t done that since the very beginning of the season. That’s a huge deal, but we are right now so focused on tomorrow and what it takes to stay in this thing. We’re sitting 10th and we can get bumped out. This team, we want to be in a hunt for a championship. We’ve done great so far and have done everything that we can.
“If it wasn’t Langdon, it’d be somebody else and there is no easy team or driver out here. We’ve seen crazier things happen on race day. We’re going to give it our all, we’re in a really good position, we have to focus on that and just stay in our lane – focus on what our team can do, what our goals are, what we want to accomplish.”
In drag racing, there are no provisionals. If there were, then defending series champion and point leader Doug Kalitta might have used a mulligan as he did not qualify, going 3.793 during the final qualifying session. His teammate, Langdon, bumped him out on the next pass, going 3.784 to go to 16th.
Tony Stewart qualified second with a 3.707, 331.04, and T.J. Zizzo is third with a 3.716 at 332.67.
Prock maintained his stranglehold on Funny Car with his Saturday pass of 3.855, 328.38. The Indy pole represents his 10th No. 1 qualifier this season. It’s his first career U.S. Nationals No. 1 qualifier.
“It’s pretty cool. I didn’t even think about it until today, and not very many people get to qualify No. 1 here at the U.S. Nationals. It’s our biggest race of the year, and I’m definitely proud of this team,” Prock said. “They all work really hard and deserve results like this. I was proud to be able to get the car down the track in a nice, neat fashion all five runs, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
“Earlier this week, I got a new attitude, and I’ve just been having fun. When you get punched in the face like I did (in Brainerd), that’ll change a man. I got a new attitude and it’s been working so far. I’m having fun and can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s going to be a great show for the fans, and that’s how the U.S. Nationals should be.”
Tasca was second with a 3.871 at 336.23, and Jack Beckman, racing for John Force, ended up third thanks to a run of 3.877 at 329.10.
If Monday’s eliminations are anything like qualifying, race officials could save time by handing the trophy to Pro Stock’s winningest driver, Greg Anderson, now. The veteran improved his performance for the third straight day, scoring 6.575 at 207.88 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.
It’s been a rewarding weekend for the veteran Anderson, who made the quickest run in all five qualifying sessions.
“The big day is Monday, but it’s been near perfection for three days straight, and that’s a helluva confidence builder,” Anderson said. “It certainly makes me feel good, the car feels great, engine is running great, crew is right on point making decisions. Hopefully, we can make that go for four more runs tomorrow and make some magic here at Indy. I feel great, a lot of confidence in the group, the team, and that helps as a driver and makes you get up on the wheel as a driver.
“I need to get it done. That’s not just me; it’s the entire race team. We need to race error free, like we qualified and get the job done, win the race. I’ve got the horse; I need to ride that sucker to the finish line and ride it proud. That’s what I plan on doing tomorrow. I love racing here at Indy. It would be tough to find a more special race than when I won my 100th race here. You never know when you’re going to get another one. The very next one I get, if I can get another one, will be the best one I ever had.”
Defending world champion Erica Enders finished second with a 6.592 at 207.11, while Jeg Coughlin Jr. was third with a 6.598 at 207.50.
The only new face atop the leaderboard belonged to the defending Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion, Gaige Herrera. It’s his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season. Indy is one of the few events Herrera didn’t win a year ago, and he’ll get a chance to redeem on Monday.
“It’s good to get the No. 1 spot for Vance & Hines. This is big for us,” Herrera said. “I was happy to run 6.80 and I’ve got to credit Mother Nature because the [cool weather] helped us. I just didn’t think it would be good enough to stick. I was surprised that it did. It should be even cooler tomorrow, so I think you’ll see some 6.70s for sure.
“We tested here a couple of weeks ago and it helped quite a bit. The air was close to what we had this morning, so we got good data. We’re in a good spot for Monday. That goes for me and Richard [Gadson], Kelly [Clontz], and Geno [Scali]. I think we’ll also do well tomorrow.”
Matt Smith took the second spot with a 6.816 at 196.90, and John Hall qualified third with a 6.830 at 198.76.
Eliminations for the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
