Tony Stewart was stingy about the headlines on Saturday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, and he had no remorse about it. The motorsports icon made a clean sweep of Saturday’s action at Bristol Dragway.
Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Brayden Davis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) qualified No. 1 at the eighth of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Stewart qualified No. 1 for the first time in his year-plus Top Fuel career, going an impressive 3.755 seconds at 325.77 mph during the first session of the day. Making a pair of consistent passes could bode well for Sunday, too, as Stewart looks to add to his impressive streak. Along with a pair of wins this year, Stewart has advanced to five straight final rounds, and he will open eliminations against Cody Krohn in search of his first NHRA win at Bristol.
“We’ve got tricky conditions out here. I know a lot of work has gone on here since last year, and I appreciate the effort that Bristol has put into it. That plays into our hands,” Stewart said. “We don’t have a car that can go 3.64 or that runs 340 mph. I’m actually encouraged about last week. In Epping, we were able to throw down and we were respectable. To see what we did in these conditions, we feel like our program is just getting stronger and stronger.”
Justin Ashley qualified second with a 3.762, 330.80, and Shawn Langdon took the third spot thanks to Friday’s run of 3.800, 328.54.
Bristol Dragway continues to be good to defending event winner Prock, who qualified No. 1 at Thunder Valley for the second straight year (3.931 at 328.30). It’s the third No. 1 spot of the season for Prock and 21st of his career as he looks to repeat his 2024 victory. He made the quickest run in both sessions amidst Saturday’s tricky track conditions, and he will open raceday against Buddy Hull. Hull will aim to take down the reigning NHRA Funny Car champ for the second Sunday in a row.
“We came out today on a mission and made two nice runs. Our Q3 run was incredible,” Prock said. “The success rate in the right lane was small, but we went to the top. We ran low (E.T.) of both sessions, picked up six points, and had low E.T. That makes us feel good going into Sunday.
“Last week we had more of an edge. This time, there are a lot more cars close to us, and the ladder stacking is tight. We had all four seasons here today. The weather changed every five minutes. It’s tricky, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Alexis DeJoria qualified second with a 3.948, 328.14, and Ron Capps’ 3.960 at 324.51 from Friday put him third.
Glenn stayed in the No. 1 Pro Stock spot, earning the GESi Pro Stock No. 1 Qualifier Award in the process thanks to Friday’s run of 6.645, 205.60, in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. It is the seventh career top qualifier for Glenn, who has already won three races this season. He’ll look to make it a fourth Sunday, starting with first-round opponent Fernando Cuadra Jr.
“Our last run was a really nice run but we’re still just picking away at it,” Glenn said. “The conditions are tricky, so it was great to go out on the last one and put down a really solid run. We put about .018-second on the field, and that’s pretty substantial in Pro Stock. I knew it was on a good one, and I just tried not to mess it up.
“After so many runs, you can tell when you’re on a good one. It picks the front end up and sets you back in the seat, and then when you hit the first couple of shift points, which are the most critical, you know it’s going to be good – and that one was.”
Greg Anderson is second with a run of 6.652 at 205.98 and Hartford is third after going an identical 6.652 but at 203.98.
Davis continued his magnificent weekend in Pro Stock Motorcycle, picking up his first career No. 1 qualifier in just his second NHRA start with a standout run of 6.834, 197.59, on a Powertrain/RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki. His was the best bike Friday, and he was challenged Saturday, but lowered the boom to end the day with a standout run. It was a surreal moment for the young Davis.
“It’s hard to even believe to come out here and run with the best of the best,” Davis said. “Coming in here, I knew I had a good bike, and it was left up to me to see how well I could ride. Honestly, before my first run, I was nervous. Me and Andrew (crew chief Hines) are getting closer. Before the last pass, he said it’s going to hit me a little harder, and ‘if it makes it you’re going to the top.’ I definitely could feel the difference.
“It’s going to be a dogfight tomorrow, and I’m ready for it.”
Teammate Richard Gadson took the second qualifying position with a 6.859, 197.62, and Matt Smith is third thanks to a run of 6.871, 199.46.
Eliminations for the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals begin at noon EDT on Sunday at Bristol Dragway.
