Friday News and Notes from the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals

Under a pale blue October sky and nearly picture-perfect conditions, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is ready to open professional qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway for the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals. The third of six races in the Mission Foods NHRA Countdown to the Championship has reached its first major test of the weekend, with Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Stock, Funny Car and Top Fuel preparing to make their first qualifying runs on a fast St. Louis racing surface. Pro Stock Motorcycle will lead the professional categories onto the track, with reigning world champion and current points leader Richard Gadson looking to continue the momentum from his victory last weekend in Rockingham. Gaige Herrera, Matt Smith, John Hall and the rest of the two-wheel contingent will be looking to establish an early benchmark before conditions change for tonight’s second session. Herrera has been particularly formidable at World Wide Technology Raceway, winning the event each of the last three years. Pro Stock follows with one of the tightest championship fights in the Mission Foods Series. Greg Stanfield arrives as the points leader following his Rockingham victory, but Matt Hartford, Dallas Glenn and defending St. Louis winner Greg Anderson are all within 66 points of the lead. Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Troy Coughlin Jr. and rookie Cody Anderson add even more depth to a field where every qualifying bonus point could matter. Then comes nitro. Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan rolls into St. Louis riding four consecutive final-round appearances and a victory last weekend at Rockingham. Hagan also happens to be the defending winner here, but Jordan Vandergriff, J.R. Todd, Ron Capps, Jack Beckman and reigning world champion Austin Prock are among those looking to close the gap as the Countdown reaches its halfway point. Top Fuel closes the opening professional session with Shawn Langdon carrying one of the hottest streaks in recent NHRA history. Langdon has won three consecutive events, including the first two races of the Countdown, and leads Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta by 25 points. Kalitta, however, returns to a track where he has won five times and was both the No. 1 qualifier and event winner one year ago. Q1 represents the first opportunity to get safely into the field, but Friday's biggest swings may still be ahead. The professional categories return tonight for a second session under the lights, when cooler conditions could produce some of the quickest and fastest runs of the weekend — and $7,500 in bonus money will be on the line in the inaugural UsedHotdogs.com “Top Dog” competition. Angie Smith leads tight Pro Stock Motorcycle field after opening qualifying session MADISON, Ill. — Angie Smith fired the first big shot of Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying Friday at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, riding to a 6.730-second pass at 199.61 mph to take the provisional No. 1 position after Q1 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Under a pale blue sky and nearly ideal early-October conditions, Smith narrowly edged Ryan Oehler in an exceptionally tight opening session. Oehler, coming off his first career No. 1 qualifier in Michigan, ran 6.733 at 199.55 mph, just three-thousandths of a second behind Smith. Reigning world champion Richard Gadson opened with a strong 6.755 at 199.79 mph to claim the No. 3 position, followed by Joey Gladstone’s 6.762 at 198.50. Matt Smith rounded out the early top five with a 6.771 at 200.47 mph. The opening session produced considerable parity at the front of the field, with the top five riders separated by just .041-second and the top eight all running in the 6.70s. Steve Johnson sits sixth after a 6.788 at 196.10 mph, followed closely by Gaige Herrera, who opened his weekend with a 6.791 at 196.16. Chase Van Sant’s 6.797 at 195.79 completed the group of riders in the 6.70-second range. John Hall produced the fastest speed of Q1, reaching 200.50 mph during his 6.828-second run, just edging Matt Smith’s 200.47 mph for top speed of the session. With one qualifying session complete, the Pro Stock Motorcycle field will return later Friday with cooler conditions offering an opportunity to reshuffle the order. Pro Stock Motorcycle — Q1 order Pos. Rider E.T. MPH 1 Angie Smith 6.730 199.61 2 Ryan Oehler 6.733 199.55 3 Richard Gadson 6.755 199.79 4 Joey Gladstone 6.762 198.50 5 Matt Smith 6.771 200.47 6 Steve Johnson 6.788 196.10 7 Gaige Herrera 6.791 196.16 8 Chase Van Sant 6.797 195.79 9 John Hall 6.828 200.50 10 Marc Ingwersen 6.830 197.10 11 Kelly Clontz 6.866 197.65 12 Clayton Howey 6.874 194.55 13 Malcolm Phillips Jr. 6.895 191.29 14 Geno Scali 6.950 193.85 Greg Anderson leads blistering Pro Stock Q1 in St. Louis MADISON, Ill. — Greg Anderson came out swinging in the opening round of Pro Stock qualifying at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, powering to a 6.482-second pass at 209.92 mph to take the provisional No. 1 position Friday at World Wide Technology Raceway. With near-perfect weather conditions greeting the Pro Stock field, Anderson made the most of the opportunity. His .962 60-foot time was also the quickest of the session as the veteran immediately established the number everyone else will chase heading into Friday evening. Greg Stanfield came closest, closing the session with an impressive 6.495 at 210.31 mph to move into the No. 2 position. Troy Coughlin Jr. was only three-thousandths behind Stanfield with a 6.498 at 210.64 mph, giving the opening session three cars in the 6.40s. Matt Hartford landed fourth with a 6.500 at 209.39 mph, while Aaron Stanfield was right behind at 6.501 and 209.43 mph. Eric Latino’s 6.503 at 211.00 mph put him sixth and gave him the fastest speed of Q1. Jeg Coughlin Jr. sits seventh after a 6.506 at 209.98, followed by six-time world champion Erica Enders at 6.509 and 209.56. The depth of the session was evident throughout the field. Cody Anderson ran 6.525, Kenny Delco posted a 6.545 and Stephen Bell went 6.550. Dallas Glenn was on a competitive run through the eighth-mile before slowing considerably on the top end, crossing in 6.555 at only 193.05 mph. Not everyone got the opening run they wanted. Mason McGaha managed a 6.563, while Chris Vang, Deric Kramer and Matt Latino encountered problems and failed to make representative runs. The numbers set up an intriguing second session Friday evening. Only .027-second separates Anderson's provisional No. 1 from Enders in the No. 8 position, and with the quickest conditions of the day potentially still ahead, the top of the Pro Stock order could see considerable movement. Pro Stock Q1 qualifying order Pos. Driver E.T. MPH 1 Greg Anderson 6.482 209.92 2 Greg Stanfield 6.495 210.31 3 Troy Coughlin Jr. 6.498 210.64 4 Matt Hartford 6.500 209.39 5 Aaron Stanfield 6.501 209.43 6 Eric Latino 6.503 211.00 7 Jeg Coughlin Jr. 6.506 209.98 8 Erica Enders 6.509 209.56 9 Cody Anderson 6.525 209.46 10 Kenny Delco 6.545 209.85 11 Stephen Bell 6.550 209.33 12 Dallas Glenn 6.555 193.05 13 Mason McGaha 6.563 209.85 14 Chris Vang 12.398 76.94 15 Deric Kramer 12.780 129.50 16 Matt Latino 30.600 22.49 Quickest: Greg Anderson, 6.482 Fastest: Eric Latino, 211.00 mph Spread, No. 1 to No. 8: .027 second Alexis DeJoria leads Funny Car after wild opening qualifying session in St. Louis MADISON, Ill. — Alexis DeJoria emerged from an eventful opening Funny Car qualifying session with the provisional No. 1 position Friday at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, powering to a 3.882-second pass at 334.65 mph at World Wide Technology Raceway. DeJoria produced the quickest clean run of Q1, reaching the finish line after a strong 3.150 at 284.56 mph to the eighth-mile. Dave Richards delivered one of the biggest performances of the session, racing to a 3.930 at 333.74 mph to grab the provisional No. 2 spot, while Chad Green was close behind with a 3.951 at 323.74. Several of the championship contenders encountered trouble during their opening attempts. Matt Hagan made it farther than most, recording a 3.910-second elapsed time at 335.07 mph, but the timing data indicates the run was not representative of a complete 1,000-foot Funny Car pass. His 3.177-second eighth-mile number and 283.55-mph speed show Hagan was on a strong run before the anomalous finish-line data. Jack Beckman similarly recorded a displayed 3.914 at 326.63 mph after going 3.168 at 279.73 to the eighth-mile. Terry Haddock was another with a strong early run, recording a 3.263 at 276.07 mph to 660 feet before the displayed 4.028 at 315.19 mph. Austin Prock's opening attempt went away early, slowing to a 4.923 at 225.15 mph. Ron Capps also encountered trouble and finished with an 8.414, while Jordan Vandergriff slowed after running 3.217 at 234.41 mph to the eighth-mile. With Q1 complete, the Funny Car teams now get an opportunity to reset before Friday night's second qualifying session, when cooler track and air temperatures could provide the quickest conditions of the day. Funny Car — Q1 ranking by displayed E.T. Pos. Driver E.T. MPH 1 Alexis DeJoria 3.882 334.65 2 Matt Hagan 3.910 335.07 3 Jack Beckman 3.914 326.63 4 Dave Richards 3.930 333.74 5 Chad Green 3.951 323.74 6 Terry Haddock 4.028 315.19 7 Blake Alexander 4.115 266.85 8 Bobby Bode 4.146 — 9 Jordan Vandergriff 4.264 213.43 10 Daniel Wilkerson 4.547 180.91 11 Austin Prock 4.923 225.15 12 Spencer Hyde 7.096 86.97 13 Jack Wyatt 7.299 94.35 14 J.R. Todd 7.831 92.48 15 Ron Capps 8.414 86.85 16 Dale Creasy Jr. 11.870 80.25 17 Cruz Pedregon 12.614 70.15 — Chris King No E.T. — Quickest: Alexis DeJoria, 3.882 Fastest: Matt Hagan, 335.07 mph 3-second runs: DeJoria, Hagan, Beckman, Richards and Green Langdon closes Top Fuel Q1 with a 3.679 blast to take the top spot MADISON, Ill. — Shawn Langdon saved the best for last in Friday’s opening round of Top Fuel qualifying at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, blasting to a 3.679-second pass at 339.87 mph to take the provisional No. 1 position at World Wide Technology Raceway. Running alongside Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta in the final pair of Q1, Langdon was quickest from the starting line to the finish. His .824-second 60-foot time was the best of the session, and he reached half-track in 2.965 seconds at 296.50 mph before charging through the finish line at nearly 340 mph. Josh Hart finished the session No. 2 after an impressive 3.717 at 333.41 mph. Billy Torrence followed with a 3.723 at 334.82, while Antron Brown's 3.726 at 335.90 placed him fourth. Kalitta recorded a solid 3.728 at 333.66 to take fifth, followed closely by Leah Pruett at 3.730 and 331.69. Justin Ashley was next with a 3.737 at 331.36. Jasmine Salinas turned in a strong 3.741 at 327.11 mph to grab the eighth position, one-thousandth ahead of Tony Stewart's 3.742 at 332.59. The middle of the field was equally competitive. Will Smith ran 3.756 at 323.43, Maddi Gordon was just one-thousandth behind with a 3.757 at 332.67, and Shawn Reed, Spencer Massey and Kyle Wurtzel all ran in the 3.70s. Several drivers will be looking for significant improvements in Q2. Cameron Ferre slowed to a 4.169 at 228.34, Clay Millican finished with a 5.822, and Scott Palmer and Chuck Loftin also encountered trouble. With one session complete, Langdon owns a .038-second advantage over the rest of the field and the only 3.60-second run of Q1. Top Fuel Q1 qualifying order Pos. Driver E.T. MPH 1 Shawn Langdon 3.679 339.87 2 Josh Hart 3.717 333.41 3 Billy Torrence 3.723 334.82 4 Antron Brown 3.726 335.90 5 Doug Kalitta 3.728 333.66 6 Leah Pruett 3.730 331.69 7 Justin Ashley 3.737 331.36 8 Jasmine Salinas 3.741 327.11 9 Tony Stewart 3.742 332.59 10 Will Smith 3.756 323.43 11 Maddi Gordon 3.757 332.67 12 Shawn Reed 3.771 329.50 13 Spencer Massey 3.775 328.30 14 Kyle Wurtzel 3.778 329.67 15 Tony Schumacher 3.842 320.20 16 Keith Murt 3.887 307.09 17 Bryan Inouye 4.159 247.47 18 Cameron Ferre 4.169 228.34 19 Clay Millican 5.822 109.44 20 Scott Palmer 9.480 95.71 21 Chuck Loftin 10.778 64.65 Quickest: Shawn Langdon — 3.679 Fastest: Shawn Langdon — 339.87 mph Best 60-foot: Shawn Langdon — .824 3.70-second runs: 13 No. 1 to No. 9: Just .063 second   Gaige Herrera blasts to 6.666 to lead Pro Stock Motorcycle Q2 in St. Louis Gaige Herrera made a major move under the lights Friday at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, powering to a 6.666-second pass at 202.03 mph to lead the second Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying session and earn the UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog number 1 qualifier in the second session at World Wide Technology Raceway. Herrera was impressive throughout the run, leaving with a 1.022-second 60-foot time — easily the best of the session — and reaching the eighth-mile in 4.260 seconds at 164.87 mph before charging through the finish line with the only 6.60-second run of Q2. Joey Gladstone was Herrera's closest challenger, running 6.697 at a session-best 202.15 mph. Angie Smith, who led Q1 with a 6.730, improved to a 6.696 at 199.88 mph in Q2, putting her second in the session by elapsed time, one-thousandth ahead of Gladstone. John Hall made one of the session's biggest improvements, recording a 6.707 at 199.26 mph. Matt Smith followed closely with a 6.710 at 200.86, while Ryan Oehler turned in a 6.712 at 201.19. Richard Gadson recorded a 6.739 at 200.20 mph, followed by Chase Van Sant's 6.762 at 199.76. Steve Johnson ran 6.795 at 195.85, while Clayton Howey rounded out the top 10 with a 6.803 at 197.71. The session produced significantly improved performance at the front of the field, with six riders running between Herrera's 6.666 and Oehler's 6.712. Pro Stock Motorcycle — Q2 ranking Pos. Rider E.T. MPH 1 Gaige Herrera 6.666 202.03 2 Angie Smith 6.696 199.88 3 Joey Gladstone 6.697 202.15 4 John Hall 6.707 199.26 5 Matt Smith 6.710 200.86 6 Ryan Oehler 6.712 201.19 7 Richard Gadson 6.739 200.20 8 Chase Van Sant 6.762 199.76 9 Steve Johnson 6.795 195.85 10 Clayton Howey 6.803 197.71 11 Kelly Clontz 6.841 198.23 12 Geno Scali 6.865 194.32 13 Marc Ingwersen 6.872 194.94 Quickest: Gaige Herrera — 6.666 Fastest: Joey Gladstone — 202.15 mph Best 60-foot: Gaige Herrera — 1.022 Margin from No. 1 to No. 2: .030 second Troy Coughlin Jr. edges Greg Stanfield to lead ultra-tight Pro Stock Q2 Troy Coughlin Jr. came out on top of UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog number 1 qualifier in the second session in an exceptionally tight second round of Pro Stock qualifying Friday at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, racing to a 6.473-second pass at 211.69 mph at World Wide Technology Raceway. Coughlin's run narrowly edged Greg Stanfield, who recorded a 6.474 at 210.93 mph to finish just one-thousandth of a second behind the session leader. Greg Anderson, who paced the opening qualifying session with a 6.482, improved to a 6.479 at 210.50 mph to rank third in Q2. Aaron Stanfield was next with a 6.483 at 210.24 mph, followed by Matt Hartford's 6.486 at 210.54. Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Eric Latino produced matching 6.488-second elapsed times, with Coughlin reaching 211.08 mph and Latino running 211.46. Erica Enders completed a remarkably tight top eight with a 6.491 at 211.63 mph. Just .018-second separated Coughlin at the top of the session from Enders in eighth. The performance also extended well beyond elapsed time. Coughlin's 211.69 mph was the fastest speed of Q2, narrowly ahead of Enders at 211.63 and Latino at 211.46. Several drivers weren't as fortunate. Dallas Glenn encountered trouble almost immediately, recording a 1.240-second 60-foot time before slowing to an 11.773 at 98.16 mph. Cody Anderson was also unable to complete a representative run, while Deric Kramer, Matt Latino and Chris Vang will all be looking to rebound Saturday. Pro Stock — Q2 ranking by E.T. Pos. Driver E.T. MPH 1 Troy Coughlin Jr. 6.473 211.69 2 Greg Stanfield 6.474 210.93 3 Greg Anderson 6.479 210.50 4 Aaron Stanfield 6.483 210.24 5 Matt Hartford 6.486 210.54 6 Jeg Coughlin Jr. 6.488 211.08 7 Eric Latino 6.488 211.46 8 Erica Enders 6.491 211.63 9 Stephen Bell 6.531 209.36 10 Kenny Delco 6.531 209.95 11 Mason McGaha 6.550 210.87 12 Matt Latino 8.988 104.03 13 Deric Kramer 9.166 102.33 14 Chris Vang 10.279 87.51 15 Dallas Glenn 11.773 98.16 16 Cody Anderson 13.588 62.77 Quickest: Troy Coughlin Jr. — 6.473 Fastest: Troy Coughlin Jr. — 211.69 mph No. 1 to No. 2: .001 second No. 1 to No. 8: .018 second Eight quickest cars: All 6.491 or better Matt Hagan takes Funny Car Q2 and UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog honors with 3.882 MADISON, Ill. — Matt Hagan delivered when it counted Friday night at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, powering to a 3.882-second pass at 331.85 mph to lead the second Funny Car qualifying session at World Wide Technology Raceway and claim the UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog No. 1 bonus. Hagan matched Alexis DeJoria’s 3.882 from the opening session, but Hagan’s slower 331.85-mph speed means DeJoria retains the overall provisional No. 1 qualifying position based on her 334.65-mph Q1 run. Hagan, however, was the quickest driver in the designated Friday-night Q2 session, earning the UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog honors. Jack Beckman was just six-thousandths behind Hagan in Q2, running a strong 3.888 at 332.10 mph. Beckman launched with a .866-second 60-foot time and stayed hooked up throughout the run. Jordan Vandergriff continued his strong recent form with a 3.906 at 328.94 mph, while Chad Green also ran 3.906, crossing at 329.99 mph. Green’s slightly faster speed places him ahead of Vandergriff when ranking their identical elapsed times. Cruz Pedregon produced a 3.933 at 320.89 mph despite dropping a cylinder near the top end, while Dave Richards continued his impressive weekend with a 3.923 at 333.74 mph. Terry Haddock also made a clean run, recording a 4.034 at 314.83 mph. Several championship contenders failed to capitalize on the prime Friday-night conditions. Austin Prock spun the tires early and slowed to a 5.692 at 152.37 mph, while DeJoria shook immediately and shut off to an 7.998. Ron Capps also rattled the tires at the hit and coasted through with an 8.006. With Friday qualifying complete, DeJoria's 3.882 at 334.65 from Q1 remains the overall provisional No. 1, while Hagan leaves Friday night as the UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog after producing the quickest run of Q2. Funny Car — Q2 ranking by E.T. Pos. Driver E.T. MPH 1 Matt Hagan 3.882 331.85 2 Jack Beckman 3.888 332.10 3 Chad Green 3.906 329.99 4 Jordan Vandergriff 3.906 328.94 5 Dave Richards 3.923 333.74 6 Cruz Pedregon 3.933 320.89 7 Spencer Hyde 3.945 327.35 8 J.R. Todd 3.898 336.07 9 Terry Haddock 4.034 314.83 10 Dale Creasy Jr. 4.234 238.17 11 Chris King 4.265 244.34 12 Austin Prock 5.692 152.37 13 Daniel Wilkerson 7.681 76.85 14 Bobby Bode 7.900 89.26 15 Alexis DeJoria 7.998 85.76 16 Ron Capps 8.006 85.22 17 Jack Wyatt 8.901 80.68 — Blake Alexander No E.T. — UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog: Matt Hagan — 3.882 at 331.85 mph Overall provisional No. 1: Alexis DeJoria — 3.882 at 334.65 mph Quickest of Q2: Matt Hagan — 3.882 Fastest of Q2: J.R. Todd — 336.07 mph Shawn Langdon stays on top in Top Fuel and claims UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog honors MADISON, Ill. — Shawn Langdon backed up his dominant opening qualifying performance Friday night at the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, racing to a 3.682-second pass at 338.51 mph to lead the second Top Fuel session at World Wide Technology Raceway and claim UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog No. 1 honors. Langdon entered Q2 as the provisional No. 1 qualifier following his 3.679 at 339.87 mph in the opening session. With bonus money on the line Friday night, he delivered again, leaving with a .831-second 60-foot time and reaching half-track in 2.966 seconds at 296.63 mph before finishing with the quickest run of Q2. Maddi Gordon made one of the strongest runs of the evening, powering to a 3.708 at 335.90 mph to rank second in the session. Antron Brown followed with a 3.704 at 334.90 mph, making him second quickest by elapsed time, while Spencer Massey continued his strong weekend with a 3.715 at 332.67. Billy Torrence was close behind with a 3.716 at 333.91 mph, followed by Shawn Reed's 3.721 at 331.69 and Kyle Wurtzel's 3.723 at 332.59. Will Smith recorded a 3.742 at 332.75, and Clay Millican ran 3.760 at 323.19. Several of the category's biggest names ran into trouble under the lights. Tony Stewart lost traction and slowed to a 4.256 at 191.32 mph. Justin Ashley shut off early and recorded a 4.504 at 169.64, while Doug Kalitta, Tony Schumacher, Leah Pruett, Jasmine Salinas and Josh Hart also failed to make representative full-track runs. Langdon's Q1 performance remains the quickest run of Friday, keeping him atop the overall qualifying order with his 3.679 at 339.87. More importantly Friday night, he answered the challenge when money was on the line, earning UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog No. 1 honors with his 3.682. Top Fuel — Q2 ranking by E.T. Pos. Driver E.T. MPH 1 Shawn Langdon 3.682 338.51 2 Antron Brown 3.704 334.90 3 Maddi Gordon 3.708 335.90 4 Spencer Massey 3.715 332.67 5 Billy Torrence 3.716 333.91 6 Shawn Reed 3.721 331.69 7 Kyle Wurtzel 3.723 332.59 8 Will Smith 3.742 332.75 9 Clay Millican 3.760 323.19 10 Keith Murt 3.862 289.38 11 Tony Stewart 4.256 191.32 12 Justin Ashley 4.504 169.64 13 Doug Kalitta 6.398 105.94 14 Scott Palmer 7.366 90.55 15 Tony Schumacher 8.446 78.67 16 Leah Pruett 9.154 79.09 17 Jasmine Salinas 11.377 77.85 18 Josh Hart 13.145 59.18 UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog: Shawn Langdon — 3.682 at 338.51 mph Overall provisional No. 1: Shawn Langdon — 3.679 at 339.87 mph (Q1) Quickest of Q2: Shawn Langdon — 3.682 Fastest of Q2: Shawn Langdon — 338.51 mph