Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon took advantage of NHRA’s new qualifying bonus point system and earned the maximum 12 points for the second consecutive race during two days of qualifying at the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil.
Robert Hight, Mike Edwards and Hector Arana also claimed No. 1 qualifying positions in their categories leading into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which will be televised on ESPN2 HD and ESPN2 (7-10 p.m. ET).The race is the third of six events in the Countdown to 1, NHRA’s championship playoffs.
Great weather and eager competition allowed previous track records to fall in the two days of qualifying at Memphis Motorsports Park. Dixon, Antron Brown, Hight, Edwards and Greg Anderson all set new track records at Memphis Motorsports Park during qualifying.
In Top Fuel, Al-Anabi Racing’s Dixon earned his seventh No. 1 of the season, 38th of his career and third consecutive in the playoffs, with his 3.810 at 318.99 mph performance. Per the new rule, the top three qualifiers in each pro category earn 3, 2, and 1 points respectively during each qualifying session. Dixon led all four sessions of qualifying earning him the maximum of 12 points.