Scott Cashio understood from all those days of showing restraint in running under his index there would be a day like Thursday at the Texas Motorplex on Thursday, the first leg of a double NHRA Division 4 event, when he'd need some grace from the atmospheric conditions and a 120-degree racing surface. 

This event marks the fourth stop in the Rooftec Competition Eliminator Bonus fund, a special series that awards its champion $100,000 at the season's end.

Cashio played the situation like a fiddle, landing in the top spot by running -.647 under the A/Super Modified Automatic index with a 7.873 elapsed time. Ed Federkell was second, -.627, 7.243 under the B/AP index, while Dennis Smiley's A/Econo Dragster was third at -.615, 6.665.  

"We left Houston Raceway with kind of our hat in our hand, lost to Rodger Brogdon first round, good close race and got home and went to oil the engine down, and we had water in number five-cylinder," Cashio explained. "So instead of trying to repair everything, we had a second engine at Elite Performance, so-called the guys up, said, 'Look, let's knock the dust off of it. Make sure it's good." 

"We ran it this race last year. They looked at it, everything was good. Put it back in the race car for this race. It's not as good as the engine we ran in Belle Rose and Houston, but somehow today, it found its way to the top."

Cashio confirmed the conditions for the first of the two events are the most challenging they've been to this point.

"We're four to five percent worse than we've seen all year," Cashio confirmed. The car worked flawlessly today. We went down a pretty hot racetrack the last time and picked up from the first qualifying session. I was surprised. I didn't think we could do it, and it did it. Really weren't trying to go for the pole. I actually shut the car off a little early, the first qualifying session thinking that the other guys were going to be quicker than us, and the car surprised me with how quickly it went to the pole."

For his efforts, Cashio gets Brogdon, the second-ranked driver in the Rooftec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund, in the first round.

Cashio also picked up a bonus of $1000 for winning the Rooftec WFO bonus by winning the A-field honors, edging out Kevin Duet. Clark Smiley was the B field winner, pocketing $500 by beating Keith Hall. 

Points leader Rick Brown sits at No. 20, -.542 under the B/Truck Automatic index. He races Clark Smiley. 

In a surprise turn of events, Monty Bogan Jr., No. 4 in the Rooftec points, missed the cut running only -.212 under the H/Super Modified Automatic index. He is the first alternate out of 38 entries that made qualifying attempts. 

Other qualifying leaders included Stan Holt(Super Stock), Sam Lusco (Stock), Darian Boesch (Top Sportsman), and William Kruse (Top Dragster).