Top Fuel veteran Doug Kalitta is on the hunt for his 50th career victory, and he took a major step toward achieving that milestone on Friday at the 34th annual Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway. Kalitta secured the provisional No. 1 qualifier position with an impressive performance.

Joining Kalitta as provisional No. 1 qualifiers are Bob Tasca III in Funny Car and Gaige Herrera in Pro Stock Motorcycle. These drivers have set themselves apart as the top contenders in their respective categories during the 11th race of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Driving his Mac Tools dragster with 11,000 horsepower, Kalitta blazed down the track with a noteworthy time of 3.753 seconds at 327.66 mph. This exceptional run puts him in contention for his second top spot of the season and adds another milestone to his career with a total of 53 top qualifiers. Kalitta, a 49-time event winner, is optimistic about his chances to secure his second victory in Seattle as part of the NHRA's three-race Western Swing.

Reflecting on his upcoming race and pursuit of the 50-win mark, Kalitta humbly said, "I'm very proud of what we’ve accomplished to get to 49 wins and we'd love to get to 50, but you try not to make too big a deal out of it. But it's certainly getting to that point with it being (nearly) three years. We'll just keep digging and hopefully all the stars align, and we get another win. It’s a humbling sport for sure, and you've just got to take the good with the bad and take advantage of the opportunities."

Currently, Clay Millican holds the second position after completing his run in 3.779 seconds at 322.88 mph, while Shawn Langdon sits in third with a time of 3.786 seconds at 321.27 mph. Leading the points race, Justin Ashley is close behind with a pass of 3.801 seconds at 319.45 mph.

In the Funny Car category, Bob Tasca III aims to secure his second consecutive No. 1 qualifier position in Seattle and the fifth of the season. Tasca's impressive run in his 11,000-horsepower Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang resulted in a time of 3.964 seconds at 320.13 mph during qualifying. Tasca, who is currently sixth in points, is determined to add to his five wins this season.

Reflecting on his qualifying run, Tasca shared, "We did so good here during qualifying last year, and we got snake bit in the (second) round, but what I was really happy about this run is that I always ask the crew chiefs, 'what is it going to run?' And Aaron (Brooks) goes, 'Around 3.96,' and you see John Force run (3.98), you know .96 is going to be a great run out there. So good way to start."

Tasca expects tough competition in the coming qualifying rounds but remains confident in his team's abilities, saying, "Tomorrow, I think you'll see more of the same in Q2, and then Q3 will be the throwdown run, so I certainly don't expect this to hold for No. 1 tomorrow night, but I fully expect us to pick up in the last session. So we'll see what we can do."

Trailing Tasca in the provisional standings is legendary driver John Force with a time of 3.982 seconds at 322.42 mph. Tim Wilkerson holds the third position after completing his run in 3.983 seconds at 320.36 mph. Matt Hagan, the current points leader and winner in Denver, is currently in seventh place.

In the Pro Stock Motorcycle category, Gaige Herrera, the points leader, made an impressive debut at Pacific Raceways by securing the No. 1 qualifier position with a time of 6.767 seconds at 198.09 mph aboard his Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Suzuki. Following his recent victory in Denver, Herrera aims to continue his winning streak by becoming the first rider to sweep the Western Swing.

Expressing his satisfaction with the result, Herrera said, "For us to come out with the win (in Denver), we were definitely in awe. I'm glad to be back as the provisional No. 1, and hopefully, we're going to hold on to them tomorrow."

Despite the challenging run, Herrera remains confident in his team's ability to improve, stating, "The run did not feel good at all. When I left the line, it went left, and then I had to correct it. It felt like in third gear it kind of went left again, so I corrected again. It gives me confidence that we can go even quicker tomorrow."

Herrera's teammate, Eddie Krawiec, is second with a 6.776 at 198.82. He is also seeking his 50th career win. Steve Johnson is third after going 6.809 at 195.45.

Qualifying continues at 1:45 p.m. PT on Saturday at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.