The past couple of seasons qualifying at the New England Nationals in Epping, N.H., has been very good to Leah Pritchett.

A year after capturing the No. 1 qualifying spot with a track record 3.673-second run, Pritchett claimed the provisional No. 1 Friday at the 2018 New England Nationals with a 3.742-second pass at 324.51 mph in her Mopar Top Fuel Dragster for Don Schumacher Racing.

This season, Pritchett has 16 round wins and arrived in Epping fifth in the season points standings. Pritchett went to the top of the qualifying ladder in Q2 Friday evening. In Q1, Pritchett slowed to 4.194-second lap.

“The success for our team that we feel right now is definitely something we have been looking forward to,” Pritchett said. “Wild ride is what I would call that last one (in Q2). Everything was made at the last minute, decisions on the fly all the way from coming into the water box and making multiple changes and seeing what the cars did in front of us, and the ever-changing conditions. (We) just had such a cool level of confidence when those second weights get changed and those last pieces of data come in and how the crew chiefs react to the car gave me confidence going in to do my job and flicker that stage bulb to death to get that quickest ET. We were hooking, and we were going.”

Pritchett acknowledged her team also was on a strong run in Q1 before things went awry.

“Q1 we had the best 60-foot and 330-foot times, and we dropped a hole, so we had not been in that situation for a long time,” she said. “It has been about four races or so since we had a good Q1 and a lot of changes have been made to race for that. I speak on behalf of the entire Mopar team and how they feel right there is finally the race car and the data is reacting and I on the track reacted as anybody would in Q2, which is the most important one. That thing was sucking to the inside and it was starting to spin at the top end and I stuck with it as long as possible. We were a little bit shy footish-wise, that could have been a couple (thousandths) quicker, but we will take it. It feels good. There’s something to that more power and more parts and we are finally able to put our maximum on the track and (Friday) we showed it.”

Pritchett also realizes how critical Saturday’s qualifying sessions will be.

“(Saturday) is going to be real important about Sunday,” Pritchett said. “(Friday) we got position, which how from a strategy standpoint you have to race. You throw all the nuts and bolts at it and the power on your Q2 run and (Saturday) is practice for Sunday.”