Centre Pointe Collision Center Mustang driver Tony Bartone took care of business and protected his perch atop the Top Alcohol Funny Car pack with a career best 5.498 at 261.37 mph in the final pass on Saturday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Bartone's 5.532 from the day before was, impressively, nearly a tenth quicker than then No. 2 qualifier Fred Hagen Jr.'s 5.626, but Hagen narrowed the gap, clocking a 5.550 to stay No. 2.

Centre Pointe Collision Center Mustang driver Tony Bartone took care of business and protected his perch atop the Top Alcohol Funny Car pack with a career best 5.498 at 261.37 mph in the final pass on Saturday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Bartone's 5.532 from the day before was, impressively, nearly a tenth quicker than then No. 2 qualifier Fred Hagen Jr.'s 5.626, but Hagen narrowed the gap, clocking a 5.550 to stay No. 2.

Steve Harker looked out of sorts the day prior with a pair of troubled runs that could produce no more than a 14-second mosey down the 1320, and the unsuccessful efforts had him on the outside looking in from the No. 17 position. Harker was able to take a breath of relief and all was rectified when he put a more characteristic 5.660 on the scoreboards for the provisional No. 7 spot.

Still not qualified heading into Sunday are Wayne Butler, Don Devault, and Larry Dobbs.

The quick 16 in the Top Alcohol Dragster field remained the same on the second day of qualifying, with Chris Demke leading the diggers in his Peen Rite Abrasive Finishing rail. Demke's 5.277 at 271.41 mph carried over from the previous day and held up to No. 2 qualifier and defending world champ Bill Reichert's 5.297, 267.27.

With 24 cars fighting for the 16 slots available for eliminations, Buddy Domingue, Brandon Booher, Brian Mans, Mark Taliaferro, Jerry Powell, Brandon Greco, Tony Quinn, and Brandon Pierce go into Sunday with one more shot at breaking into the field.

The Alcohol classes are still making their way through qualifying, but the other sportsman classes – except the Super Stockers, who had the day off for tear downs following class eliminations - are already whittling down the players in eliminations.

Comp is down to 32 cars after the first round, with No. 1 qualifier and first-round red-lighter Larry Pritchett among those headed home. And after an incredible first round of Stock that was the setting for the quickest Stock run in NHRA history – a 9.399 set by Don Fezell – the low qualifier in Stock Eliminator, DF/S driver Charles Blossom, was headed home with his cool convertible PT Cruiser.

Highlights in the Super Comp category included an exceptionally close race between Jeff Bell and Shannon Mingee in which Bell was .017 at the tree and 8.896 at the top end for the win over Mingee's .019 launch and 8.895.

Super Gas racers contested just one round today, their second round of eliminations. Still in the hunt are incoming points leader David Tatum and No. 3 in the world Mike Ferderer.

Sportsman eliminations are scheduled to resume Sunday morning, beginning with the third round for the Stockers, at 7:30 a.m.

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