Jack Beckman didn’t just qualify No. 1 at the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals on Saturday. He put himself at the head of a Funny Car field that accomplished something no other 16-car lineup in NHRA history had managed, with every qualifier running in the three-second range.
Beckman’s 3.836-second pass at 335.32 mph from Friday stood through Saturday’s two sessions at The Strip at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, giving the PEAK Chevrolet driver his third consecutive No. 1 qualifying position. Shawn Langdon led Top Fuel, Dallas Glenn took Pro Stock honors, and Gaige Herrera topped Pro Stock Motorcycle as the Countdown to the Championship entered its next-to-last race.
The historic bump spot belonged to Jeff Diehl, whose 3.968 at 317.94 mph secured the 16th and final Funny Car starting position. His reward for helping complete the record-setting field is a first-round meeting with Beckman, who earned 19 of a possible 20 qualifying bonus points.
“First all-three-second field, Jack Beckman to Jeff Diehl. It’s neat to be a footnote to history. I geek out on that stuff,” Beckman said. “Running the table and qualifying is 20 points. We got 19, and we missed that extra point by a thousandth of a second on Q1. Our PEAK Chevy’s just been amazing. This is three in a row that we’ve been No. 1. It’s just an absolute pleasure to drive this car, and it almost spoils you.”
Beckman has the quickest Funny Car, but Matt Hagan has the championship advantage. Hagan qualified second at 3.868, 332.51 mph and carries a 99-point lead over third-place qualifier Jordan Vandergriff, who matched Hagan’s elapsed time at 327.74 mph.
Top Fuel’s championship could be decided Sunday, and Langdon has put himself in position to finish the job before the series reaches Pomona. His 3.672 at 332.59 mph earned his ninth No. 1 qualifier of the season, and he could clinch his second crown by advancing three rounds further than teammate Doug Kalitta.
“I just want to keep the same mindset that I’ve had. Boring, but I just want to keep the same mentality, keep the same focus, the same energy that we had in the first four [Countdown] races, and hit the gas,” Langdon said.
Langdon opens against Cam Ferre, while Tony Stewart qualified second with a 3.676 at 339.28 mph and Josh Hart was third at 3.688, 325.61 mph. Langdon could clinch with a final-round appearance if Kalitta loses in the opening round, or with a victory if Kalitta exits in the second.
Glenn wasn’t happy with his driving Friday, particularly his shifting, but he had no such complaints Saturday. He was quickest in both Pro Stock sessions, securing his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season with a 6.620 at 205.91 mph, just ahead of Greg Anderson’s 6.622 and Matt Latino’s 6.628.
“After my misstep driving ability on Friday — I didn’t do my job as well as I should, and I just didn’t shift very well,” Glenn said. “Today, I really had to make sure I focused. We knew the air was going to be a little bit better today and could go and try to get No. 1 or lay down a good run.”
Glenn, who faces Alan Prusiensky in the opening round, added qualifying points to his championship lead. His pursuit of a second consecutive title comes with little room for driving mistakes, something he acknowledged after Saturday’s turnaround.
Herrera delivered the only Pro Stock Motorcycle run in the 6.70s, recording a 6.799 at 197.91 mph for his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season. The two-time champion led both Saturday sessions, but points leader and teammate Richard Gadson remained close with a 6.836 at 196.10 mph, followed by Ryan Oehler’s 6.844.
“I wasn’t too sure if it was possible to run in the 6.70s, but last night at dinner, I got a text from Andrew [Hines, crew chief] saying; ‘We’re going .70s tomorrow,’” Herrera said. “He’s definitely got the bike figured out right now. It’s in a window and it’s in a happy window, so I just had to go out there and do my job more than anything.”
Herrera opens eliminations Sunday against Chris Bostick, with racing scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PST. He may have the quickest motorcycle in Las Vegas, but Gadson still owns the points lead, and Herrera needs round wins to cut into it.
“All the little [qualifying bonus] points are going to matter at the end of the day,” Herrera said. “I feel like me and Richard both are going to be on our game and we’re going to go as many rounds as we can until we meet each other or any other competitors and get put out early.”
Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 26th annual MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 19th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel — 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.672 seconds, 332.59 mph vs. 16. Cameron Ferre, 4.218, 282.72; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.676, 339.28 vs. 15. Chris Powers, 3.807, 321.19; 3. Josh Hart, 3.688, 325.61 vs. 14. Shawn Reed, 3.777, 328.94; 4. Clay Millican, 3.691, 336.32 vs. 13. Justin Ashley, 3.759, 331.61; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.695, 335.73 vs. 12. Will Smith, 3.756, 327.11; 6. Leah Pruett, 3.705, 332.84 vs. 11. Tony Schumacher, 3.750, 334.65; 7. Maddi Gordon, 3.716, 335.65 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.738, 324.90; 8. Spencer Massey, 3.719, 332.67 vs. 9. Billy Torrence, 3.722, 334.73.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Bernie Plourd, 5.584, 121.34.
Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.836, 335.32 vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 3.968, 317.94; 2. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.868, 332.51 vs. 15. Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 3.962, 330.31; 3. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.868, 327.74 vs. 14. Julie Nataas, Toyota GR Supra, 3.938, 322.50; 4. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.874, 333.33 vs. 13. Hunter Green, Charger, 3.921, 324.75; 5. Austin Prock, Mustang, 3.878, 312.71 vs. 12. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.914, 328.14; 6. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.887, 328.62 vs. 11. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.913, 330.23; 7. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.889, 336.82 vs. 10. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.905, 319.52; 8. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.897, 333.25 vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.900, 327.74.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Jason Rupert, 3.998, 320.28; 18. Jeff Arend, 4.070, 308.35; 19. Terry Haddock, 4.109, 303.50; 20. Cory Lee, 6.704, 97.77.
Pro Stock — 1. Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.620, 205.91 vs. 16. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.927, 197.39; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.622, 205.16 vs. 15. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.727, 200.89; 3. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.628, 205.47 vs. 14. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.711, 204.48; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.632, 206.57 vs. 13. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.704, 203.31; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.633, 206.26 vs. 12. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.661, 205.07; 6. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.636, 205.01 vs. 11. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.661, 205.35; 7. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.639, 204.70 vs. 10. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.659, 204.51; 8. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.646, 205.82 vs. 9. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.651, 205.44.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.799, 197.91 vs. 16. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.043, 187.86; 2. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.836, 196.10 vs. 15. John Hall, Buell, 6.973, 190.30; 3. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.844, 196.87 vs. 14. GT Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.962, 193.27; 4. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.856, 197.19 vs. 13. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.960, 190.46; 5. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.856, 195.65 vs. 12. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.957, 192.77; 6. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.857, 195.11 vs. 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.954, 192.88; 7. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.867, 194.66 vs. 10. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.933, 193.24; 8. Clayton Howey, Buell, 6.921, 193.90 vs. 9. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.926, 194.55.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Ronnie Procopio, 7.407, 144.75; 18. Brad Hawkes, 7.414, 184.35.
