Ron Capps (Funny Car), Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle), and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) finished Saturday exactly where they started it – atop their respective qualifying fields for the season-ending In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at Pomona (Calif.) Dragstrip.
Nobody managed to overtake Friday’s leaders during the final two sessions of qualifying, leaving Sunday’s eliminations to settle three championship battles while Glenn stands one staging procedure away from a second consecutive Pro Stock title.
Capps secured his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season with Friday’s 3.894-second run at 331.53 mph in his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra. He was the only Funny Car driver to break into the 3.80-second range and will face Jim Campbell in Sunday’s opening round.
“We can’t win the championship, but we can make a big move,” Capps said. “I think we’re sixth, and we can go all the way to third pretty easily if we have a good day.”
Capps has no championship to chase, but he could have plenty to say about who wins it. Points leader Matt Hagan qualified ninth and faces Daniel Wilkerson, with a possible second-round meeting against Capps awaiting.
Jordan Vandergriff qualified seventh at 3.943 seconds and needs to advance two rounds further than Hagan to claim his first championship. J.R. Todd, third at 3.910, needs a victory plus an opening-round loss by Hagan and an early exit by Vandergriff.
Kalitta’s Friday run of 3.677 seconds at 340.39 mph held for his seventh Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier of the season. He backed it up Saturday with a 3.682 best, giving the Mac Tools team two strong passes heading into eliminations. Despite the run, Kalitta missed the mark in the Q2 session, and only gained four bonus points for the day. He’s gained eight points on Shawn Langdon in qualifying.
“That was a great run for us last night and today, so I’m super proud of Alan [Johnson], Mac [Savage], and all my guys,” Kalitta said.
Teammate Langdon can clinch his second Top Fuel championship by defeating Josh Hart in the opening round. If Hart wins, Kalitta must win the event to claim his third title in four seasons.
Maddi Gordon qualified second at 3.679 seconds, followed by Tony Stewart at 3.693.
Herrera did more than protect his No. 1 qualifying position Saturday. He defeated points leader Richard Gadson in the postponed Las Vegas Pro Stock Motorcycle final, running 6.701 seconds at 201.13 mph for his fourth victory this season and 32nd career win.
“That was big for sure. I almost feel like that’s one of my all-time high wins right there. I definitely needed that and I’m pretty sure Richard’s over there sweating it a little bit right now,” Herrera said.
Herrera’s qualifying-best 6.673 at 201.76 mph helped reduce Gadson’s championship advantage to 28 points. Gadson was second at 6.713, putting the Vance & Hines teammates on opposite sides of the eliminations ladder with a possible championship showdown to be decided in the finals.
Glenn, meanwhile, retained Pro Stock’s No. 1 position with his 6.512 at 208.42 mph. His fifth top qualifying effort this season earned him a first-round bye, meaning he needs only to stage Sunday to clinch his second title in a row.
“We weren’t taking it easy today,” Glenn said. “We definitely felt that No. 1 was still in jeopardy. So, if somebody puts down a good lap, they could definitely get it.”
Greg Stanfield qualified second at 6.515, followed by Matt Latino, who matched that elapsed time but had a slower speed.
Eliminations for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals begin at 11 a.m. PST on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
