A year ago, Pro Stock star Dallas Glenn entered the NHRA’s six-race Countdown to the Championship in the No. 1 position in the points standings.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t end up on top – he came in sixth in the points standings after losing in the first round in four of the races.

Glenn has a chance to erase the 2023 Countdown memories this year as he once again starts the Countdown in the No. 1 spot. He took the first step in changing his narrative by qualifying No. 1 with a 6.530-second elapsed time at 209.43 mph in Q3 Saturday at the Pep Boys Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania.

“I didn't feel like we made that great of runs, even though we were near the top and we got bonus points. They were decent runs, and I knew that the engine was running well and everything, but we were struggling in 60 feet,” Glenn said of Friday’s efforts. “I knew that if we figured that out, that we should have been able to go 52. I knew that I had some more left in it.

“When the track's a little bit worse (Saturday), you go up there and I go, ‘Well, as long as it 60-foots, we should be able to be really close to it. And went up there and put me back, carried all the way into second gear and it made a really nice run. It wasn't shocking that I could get around there. I knew it could run well. It was actually more shocking that Greg (Anderson) blew the tires off him on his run and didn't go back around me.”

Erica Enders (6.535 seconds) and Anderson (6.537 seconds) were second and third on the qualifying ladder.

This was Glenn’s second No. 1 qualifier of the season with his first coming at Pomona, Calif. This was the sixth of his Pro Stock career.

“I feel like people say that they don't count points and they're always like, ‘Well, okay, let's just see how it looks.’ I think that's something that we try to tell ourselves to try to take some of the pressure off and try not to think about it too much and obsess about it,” Glenn said. “But I feel like everybody counts all the little points and especially when you reset them with only six races to go, and then you've got this mad rush to try to go rounds and get wins, kind of when it feels like it really matters.

“You're in the playoffs. If you play bad in the playoffs, then all that hard work you put throughout the whole season means nothing. So, it's really important here at the end of the season that we do well. I'm just going to try to stay extra focused, try to just kick it up and grab that little bit of extra gear that I feel like we have. We'll try to focus a little bit harder and see if we can squeeze a couple of wins here in the last six races.”

Glenn meets No. 16 qualifier Kenny Delco in Round One.

“The track was definitely a little hotter (Saturday). You got more cars running on it earlier (Saturday), plus we had that big oildown earlier. So anytime the track gets a little bit hotter, it usually gets a little bit trickier. And we're running so close to the edge right now that it either runs really well or it runs really bad with just the tiniest little tiptoe over the edge.

“I feel like coming into the Countdown, everybody really gets aggressive and steps up and brings all their best parts out that they might've been saving. You definitely have some cars that pick up a little bit more than normal, and then it kind of makes the cars that don't pick up that much more extreme. Kind of like in the case of last year when my car didn't really pick up coming into the Countdown like everybody else's, and I went from qualifying third, fourth, fifth to ninth, and 10th. So, we're starting out the Countdown a lot better this year.”

Considering the strength Glenn showed in the regular season, he isn’t a fan of the Countdown resetting the points.

“My first year I did. My second year, I really did. My third and this year, no, I don't. Everybody knows what the game is going into it,” Glenn said. “I kind of feel like all of that hard work you do over the season kind of gets cheated away from you. I feel like people would try a little bit harder maybe throughout the whole season and put a little bit more effort through the whole season.

“I feel like … I guess maybe I would prefer it to not have the Countdown. That way it's kind of like who's the best through the whole season kind of thing, but I understand why they do it. They don't want somebody running away with it and winning with three races to go winning the championship. I understand why we do it. It's the game we play and we're all in the same boat, but let's battle it out.”

With the way the Countdown to the Championship format is now, Glenn knows there is no wiggle room.

“I mean it is a six-race Countdown here, so it's not like it's all riding on one race,” Glenn said. “So at least it's not like there's another additional Countdown that breaks it up. NASCAR has some goofy playoff rules I try to follow, but I don't really understand how the playoff situation works. I know it's pretty tricky. Definitely you're going to have to do well, you can't have your one chance championship. You really can't have too many bad races in this countdown. You might be lucky to get away with one, but having two bad races is going to seal your fate for being able to really contend for a championship.”

Glenn is confident his Chevy Camaro is in a good spot as he makes a run at his first career championship.

“The car's making nice runs right now. The car's definitely making a lot better and consistent runs right now. I feel like there's always little details that we need to know where we're not looking for hundredths, we're just looking for thousandths,” Glenn said. “I'm feeling pretty good on the tree. I was 31, 30, 22 and 11 throughout qualifying, so I feel like I'm in a good spot. If I could have four rounds like that (Sunday), I'd be pretty happy because for one, I'd be in a final round and be an 11. In a final round (if I get a .011 reaction time), I feel like it'd give me a good shot.

“The car's definitely working the way that we want it. It's making really nice runs. It's going down on tricky racetracks. And even though it may not run as good as we want sometimes even when it doesn't run well, it still runs well. If that makes sense at all. So, I feel like we have a real championship contender this year.”