Cali Neff turned in one of the most talked-about runs of Thursday qualifying at the Route 66 Raceway, driving her A/ED dragster to the top spot in Competition Eliminator with a 6.456-second pass, .804 under the index.
Neff’s performance came with a combination rarely associated with the front of a modern Competition Eliminator field. Her dragster utilized Factory Ford heads and block, a 1500-cfm single four-barrel carburetor, a two-speed Powerglide transmission, and gasoline in the tank.
Joining Neff atop the Thursday qualifying sheets were Jim Whalen in Super Stock, Doug Duell in Stock Eliminator, Glenn Butcher in Top Sportsman, and Steve Schneider in Top Dragster. Qualifying concluded in some categories while eliminations begin in others Friday at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals.
David Dupps qualified second behind Neff in Competition Eliminator with a 7.974-second pass in his C/EA GTO. Travis Gusso followed in third with a 7.619-second run in his D/A Camaro.
Troy Galbraith secured the fourth spot with a 6.670-second effort in his B/DA entry, while Patrick Nahan rounded out the top five. Scott Chamness placed sixth with a 6.595-second pass in his B/D dragster.
Whalen claimed the Super Stock lead with a 9.829-second pass in his SS/JA Firebird, running 1.171 seconds under the index. Dupps continued a strong Thursday effort by qualifying second with an 8.519 in his SS/BS Cobalt.
David Barton moved into third with a 9.081-second pass in his FSS/F Camaro. Jason DeForrest and Kevin Helms completed the top five in the category.
Duell paced Stock Eliminator with a 10.271-second pass in his ’69 Barracuda, 1.129 seconds under the index. Robert Siegwarth qualified second in his Mustang, while David Bares placed third in his ’68 Cutlass.
Chris Knudsen and Brina Splingaire rounded out the top five in Stock Eliminator. Tom Gillam finished sixth with a 10.500-second effort in his ’70 Camaro.
Butcher led Top Sportsman with a 6.129-second pass at 230.37 mph in his ’69 Camaro. Rick Sojka qualified second, while Chad Pekrul completed the top three.
Schneider paced Top Dragster with a 6.101-second run at 232.79 mph in his dragster. Jim Prevo and Zach Sackman followed in the second and third positions entering Friday competition.
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