HIGHT COMES UP BIG ON INDY SUNDAY, TORRENCE, HARTFORD, HERRERA SEAL NO. 1

 

Sunday was quite the day for Robert Hight as he pulled off dual victories by winning the Pep Boys All-Star Callout and then concluding with a No. 1 qualifying effort.

Also finishing off the day qualifying No. 1 were Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle). 

Hight met rival Matt Hagan in the final round behind the wheel of his Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS with a run of 3.955 seconds and 321.58 mph. Hagan fell short with a time of 3.979.

"It's amazing to get this," Hight said. "Hagan really stepped up in the final round. We made the right decisions today, went out and did the job today. There's been a lot of double-ups at this race and I'd like to add my name to it. You've got to win on Sunday first to even have a chance, but we're looking forward to Monday. We're definitely coming around and coming together at the right time."

Hagan, driving his Dodge Direct Connection Charger SRT Hellcat, reached the final round after defeating Tim Wilkerson and John Force. As Hight aims for a clean sweep, he enters Monday's race as the No. 1 qualifier for the fourth time this season, starting with a matchup against Paul Lee.

Torrence secured his first career No. 1 qualifier at the prestigious event, The Big Go. His standout performance of 3.708 seconds at 329.42 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster remained unmatched since Friday. With 36 No. 1 qualifiers in his career, Torrence faces off against Will Smith.

"We've had a pretty consistent race car," Torrence said. "We utilized the track conditions today to prepare for tomorrow, and I feel really confident that the two runs we made today – even though we didn't make it down the track – what we learned today will be useful for tomorrow. I enjoy coming here, and we'll see what we can do tomorrow. Being No. 1 at Indy for the first time is really special to me, and now we'll see if we can go win this thing."

Current world champion Brittany Force remained second with a time of 3.709 at 333.25, while Doug Kalitta secured third place with a run of 3.717 at 328.54.

Hartford claimed his first No. 1 qualifier in his Total Seal/GETTRX Camaro, setting the pace with a time of 6.569 at 209.23 achieved on Friday. This marks his fourth No. 1 position this season, accentuating his remarkable progress. As he looks forward to eliminations, Hartford remains focused on the task ahead. 

"To come to Indy and qualify No. 1 is a dream come true, plain and simple," Hartford said. "That 6.601 in those conditions, that's more impressive to me than the 6.56 we ran on Friday night. I need to get focused tonight, I'm going to have to do something to clear my head before I go to bed because getting up tomorrow it's a brand new day."

Troy Coughlin Jr. maintained his second-place spot with a run of 6.570 at 208.30, while Aaron Stanfield, the winner of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, secured third position with a time of 6.586 at 208.39.

Herrera continued his impressive season by claiming his eighth No. 1 spot in nine races, firmly establishing himself as the points leader. He dominated the track with a record-setting time of 6.746 seconds at 198.96 mph on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. 

His consistent performance throughout the weekend sets Herrera up for a competitive raceday, commencing with a matchup against Cory Reed in the opening round of eliminations.

"Running the .74 off the trailer, that was a big accomplishment for the whole team," Herrera said. "They worked pretty hard the last couple of weeks from Sonoma to here. All weekend, I've had a very consistent motorcycle, and today Andrew (Hines, crew chief) decided to play with tires a little bit. We were in full test mode today, and we're definitely ready for Monday. It would almost top the Western Swing to win Indy. That was a very big accomplishment for me and the whole team, but if I'm able to clinch here at Indy, this is the big race everyone talks about. It would definitely be amazing to win here."

Herrera’s teammate, Eddie Krawiec, qualified second with his 6.800 at 198.79 and Hector Arana Jr. took the third spot after going 6.828 at 199.11.

Eliminations for the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Monday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

 

Monday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 15th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Sunday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel -- 1. Steve Torrence, 3.708 seconds, 329.42 mph vs. 16. Will Smith, 3.822, 312.78; 2. Brittany Force, 3.709, 333.25 vs. 15. Antron Brown, 3.806, 327.74; 3. Justin Ashley, 3.714, 334.73 vs. 14. Doug Foley, 3.803, 316.75; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.717, 328.54 vs. 13. Spencer Massey, 3.795, 323.04; 5. Mike Salinas, 3.721, 335.32 vs. 12. Tony Schumacher, 3.784, 326.79; 6. Leah Pruett, 3.730, 331.69 vs. 11. Austin Prock, 3.781, 326.08; 7. T.J. Zizzo, 3.736, 330.07 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.777, 331.77; 8. Josh Hart, 3.744, 323.89 vs. 9. Shawn Langdon, 3.750, 321.73. 

Did Not Qualify: 17. Buddy Hull, 3.823, 322.65; 18. Lex Joon, 3.858, 313.07; 19. Dan Mercier, 3.878, 310.41. 

Funny Car -- 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.853, 329.67 vs. 16. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 4.088, 301.40; 2. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.864, 324.90 vs. 15. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.079, 310.41; 3. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 3.888, 331.77 vs. 14. Bobby Bode, Mustang, 4.072, 274.11; 4. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.912, 323.19 vs. 13. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 4.037, 307.02; 5. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.917, 328.22 vs. 12. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 3.977, 321.88; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.931, 304.25 vs. 11. John Force, Camaro, 3.961, 326.48; 7. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.934, 327.66 vs. 10. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.955, 328.78; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.945, 328.38 vs. 9. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.948, 323.81. 

Did Not Qualify: 17. Dave Richards, 4.121, 308.35; 18. Justin Schriefer, 4.802, 176.40. 

Pro Stock -- 1. Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.569, 209.23 vs. 16. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.704, 204.73; 2. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.570, 208.30 vs. 15. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.664, 206.80; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.586, 208.39 vs. 14. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.641, 206.29; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.588, 208.68 vs. 13. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.641, 207.30; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.590, 209.01 vs. 12. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.627, 206.04; 6. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.599, 208.33 vs. 11. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.621, 206.20; 7. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Ford Mustang, 6.603, 208.42 vs. 10. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.617, 207.34; 8. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.604, 207.56 vs. 9. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.605, 208.97. 

Did Not Qualify: 17. Fernando Cuadra, 6.727, 205.10. 

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.746, 198.96 vs. 16. Cory Reed, Suzuki, 7.162, 188.60; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.800, 199.29 vs. 15. Bud Yoder II, Buell, 7.114, 191.40; 3. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.828, 199.11 vs. 14. Chris Bostick, EBR, 7.068, 189.55; 4. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.874, 198.15 vs. 13. John Hall, EBR, 7.027, 193.27; 5. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.878, 197.08 vs. 12. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 7.003, 196.39; 6. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.881, 197.16 vs. 11. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.967, 192.47; 7. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.917, 196.64 vs. 10. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.940, 195.11; 8. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 6.917, 195.70 vs. 9. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.934, 195.68. 

Did Not Qualify: 17. Wesley Wells, 7.226, 185.10; 18. Odolph Daniels, 7.324, 181.59. 


Final round-by-round results from the Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout at the 69th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

PEP BOYS NHRA FUNNY CAR ALL-STAR SHOOTOUT: 

ROUND ONE -- Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.989, 322.81 def. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 3.982, 323.74; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.967, 320.05 def. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.920, 162.63; Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.935, 324.44 def. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.082, 288.58; John Force, Camaro, 6.770, 94.75 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 6.905, 94.68; 

SEMIFINALS -- M. Hagan, 3.982, 323.89 def. J. Force, 3.991, 322.96; R. Hight, 3.997, 314.97 def. C. Pedregon, 4.004, 322.65; 

FINAL -- R. Hight, 3.955, 321.58 def. M. Hagan, 3.979, 322.58. 

 

 

 

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