{"id":43505,"date":"2023-09-23T23:12:14","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T04:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=43505"},"modified":"2023-09-23T23:18:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T04:18:03","slug":"salinas-hits-300-mph-milestone-hight-enders-and-herrera-also-qualify-no-1-at-betway-nhra-carolina-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/23\/salinas-hits-300-mph-milestone-hight-enders-and-herrera-also-qualify-no-1-at-betway-nhra-carolina-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Salinas hits 300-mph milestone; Hight, Enders and Herrera also qualify No. 1 at Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mike Salinas. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Courtesy of the NHRA<\/em><\/p>\n

CONCORD, N.C. \u2013 Top Fuel\u2019s Mike Salinas became the first driver in NHRA history to go 300-mph in the 1\/8-mile, setting both ends of the track record on Saturday at zMAX Dragway en route to qualifying No. 1 at the 15th annual betway NHRA Carolina Nationals.<\/p>\n

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Mike Salinas. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.<\/p>\n

In the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster driven by points leader Tony Stewart was found to have unapproved ignition parts. Due to the items found, he was disqualified from the event and zero points were awarded.<\/p>\n

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Mike Salinas. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Salinas powered to an epic blast of 3.647-seconds at 338.00 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Valley Services\/Scrappers Racing dragster, earning his third No. 1 qualifier in 2023 and 14th in his career. He also went a whopping 300.80 mph to the 1\/8-mile during the run, marking the first time in NHRA history a driver has reached 300-mph in the 1\/8-mile and making him the first member of the \u201cPhillips Connect 300 to the 1\/8\u201d club, which nets him a $30,000 bonus. It was also the fifth-fastest run in Top Fuel history, as Salinas aims to pick up his second win of the season on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe track was amazing. (Crew chief) Rob (Flynn) and Arron (Cave) getting this thing ready for us \u2013 I never get involved with that, but I had this ‘all or nothing’ that we’ve been doing,\u201d Salinas said. \u201cWe’ve been working on this for a while and our car has been close several times in testing. We knew we were going to do it, we just didn’t know when. Tonight was the perfect time to do it. The car seemed to like what we’re doing, and Rob and Aaron are amazing every run. we are a real team and I’m just happy to be part of what they’ve put together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been close and to put together a run like this, it is awesome. These are the types of things we\u2019re out here for and what it\u2019s all about. What an amazing run.\u201d<\/p>\n

 Antron Brown took the second spot, going 3.655 at 332.75 \u2013 and 299.00 to the 1\/8-mile \u2013 and Doug Kalitta, who won last weekend in Reading, qualified third with a 3.665 at 331.61.<\/p>\n

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Robert Hight. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Funny Car points leader Robert Hight also put on an impressive show to close out the night, topping Matt Hagan\u2019s spectacular run on Friday with a track-record performance of 3.824 at 330.15 in his 11,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools\/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. A night after Hagan made the quickest run of the year in the class, Hight went even quicker to earn his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 82nd in his marvelous career.<\/p>\n

After suffering a huge explosion on the starting line during Friday\u2019s qualifying session, Hight and his team rebounded in fine fashion on Saturday, making a pair of stellar runs, including the terrific blast to end the evening. Following his win at the playoff opener in Reading a week ago, Hight will look to keep rolling on Sunday at zMAX Dragway.<\/p>\n

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Robert Hight. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSometimes when you really go up there and push and try really hard, it doesn’t work out,\u201d Hight said. \u201cEverything has to come together, and there are a lot of variables. It’s a science, but there is some luck with it. Everything has to come into place. But we were pushing, we wanted to go out there and get the No. 1 spot. I never get too hopeful, but to do it by .001, that tells you how close this racing is.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatt Hagan and I had a race last weekend that was even closer, and that’s pretty amazing. Hats off to my guys for rebounding from a tough go of it yesterday. I have a lot of confidence in this team. This is a great racetrack. We’ve had a lot of success here over the years, and it was cool to see records fall here tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Erica Enders. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Hagan, who closed out the night with a strong 3.828, will take second with his 3.825 at 333.49 and Bob Tasca III moved to third with a career-best run of 3.836 at 331.94.<\/p>\n

Erica Enders has opened the Pro Stock playoffs with two straight No. 1 qualifiers thanks to Friday\u2019s run of 6.509 at 210.18 in her Johnson\u2019s Horsepowered Garage\/Melling Performance Camaro. It\u2019s the fourth top spot of the season for the defending world champion and the 33rd in her career as she continues to build momentum in trying to earn her sixth world title. A win on Sunday in Charlotte would help the cause a great deal and she\u2019ll open eliminations against Mason McGaha.<\/p>\n

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Erica Enders. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cToday didn\u2019t really go as planned but making that monster run yesterday was significant,\u201d Enders said. \u201cIt showed that what we had in Reading, carried over here in Charlotte. We\u2019ll make the adjustments accordingly. I\u2019m proud for the No. 1 position. All of those points are going matter at the end of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camrie Caruso took the second spot with a 6.525 at 209.20 and defending event winner Aaron Stanfield qualified third with a 6.533 at 210.50. Points leader Matt Hartford, who won the last two races, qualified eighth with a 6.542.<\/p>\n

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Gaige Herrera. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera continued to cement his qualifying dominance, taking his 10th No. 1 spot of the year on his Mission Foods\/Vance & Hines Suzuki on the strength of his 6.731 at 200.44 from Friday. On the weekend of Pro Stock Motorcycle\u2019s 500th career event, Herrera hopes to pick up his seventh win this season and also his first career Countdown to the Championship victory. He\u2019ll open eliminations against Jerry Savoie. and could move back into the points lead with a big day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel really confident going into tomorrow. I have a really bad hot rod, it\u2019s fast and has been all season,\u201d Herrera said. \u201cTo be able to get 10 out of 11 No. 1 qualifiers, it’s just remarkable. I give all the credit to the Vance & Hines Mission Suzuki team and all the guys at the shop for all their hard work. That run we did yesterday was really good for the conditions, and it wasn’t the perfect run, but it was really good. Today we were trying a few little things, but we’ll go back to what we basically ran Friday and be ready for tomorrow.<\/p>\n

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Gaige Herrera. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI missed out on a couple today as far as qualifying but at the end of the day, I think we’re going to do good tomorrow and that’s where you’re going to get as many points as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eddie Krawiec jumped up to second on Saturday with a run of 6.766 at 200.00 and Angie Smith took third after going 6.805 at 197.48. Points leader Matt Smith qualified ninth.<\/p>\n

Eliminations for the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at zMAX Dragway.<\/p>\n

CONCORD, N.C. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 15th annual betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 17th of 21 events in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.<\/p>\n

       Top Fuel — 1. Mike Salinas, 3.647 seconds, 338.00 mph vs. 14. Mike Bucher, 8.073, 75.01; 2. Antron Brown, 3.655, 332.75 vs. 13. Spencer Massey, 3.766, 319.52; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.665, 331.61 vs. 12. Steve Torrence, 3.726, 328.70; 4. Brittany Force, 3.673, 335.48 vs. 11. Clay Millican, 3.725, 317.64; 5. Josh Hart, 3.680, 332.59 vs. 10. Austin Prock, 3.725, 325.53; 6. Tony Schumacher, 3.692, 331.12 vs. 9. Shawn Langdon, 3.719, 330.39; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.698, 333.74 vs. 8. Leah Pruett, 3.709, 332.59.<\/p>\n

       Funny Car — 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.824, 330.15 vs. Bye; 2. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.825, 333.49 vs. 15. John Smith, Charger, 7.896, 91.19; 3. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.836, 331.94 vs. 14. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota GR Supra, 7.705, 91.78; 4. John Force, Camaro, 3.861, 329.02 vs. 13. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 4.594, 190.22; 5. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.864, 327.90 vs. 12. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.135, 256.11; 6. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.871, 328.78 vs. 11. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.016, 309.98; 7. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.876, 325.06 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.937, 327.59; 8. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.892, 330.63 vs. 9. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.901, 326.00.<\/p>\n

       Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.509, 210.18 vs. 16. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.587, 208.36; 2. Camrie Caruso, Camaro, 6.525, 209.20 vs. 15. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.582, 210.41; 3. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.533, 210.50 vs. 14. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.573, 209.01; 4. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.535, 210.41 vs. 13. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.561, 209.75; 5. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.535, 209.30 vs. 12. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.558, 209.30; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.540, 209.46 vs. 11. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.550, 208.75; 7. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.541, 209.39 vs. 10. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.550, 209.07; 8. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.542, 207.50 vs. 9. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Mustang, 6.547, 209.14.<\/p>\n

Did Not Qualify: 17. Larry Morgan, 6.621, 207.53; 18. Fernando Cuadra, 6.635, 207.82; 19. Brandon Miller, 6.654, 206.23; 20. Alan Prusiensky, 8.804, 100.40.<\/p>\n

       Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.731, 200.41 vs. 16. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 7.004, 189.04; 2. Eddie Krawiec, Suzuki, 6.766, 200.00 vs. 15. Ron Tornow, Victory, 7.000, 191.95; 3. Angie Smith, EBR, 6.805, 197.48 vs. 14. Chris Bostick, EBR, 6.964, 192.33; 4. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.806, 198.06 vs. 13. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.932, 194.91; 5. Chip Ellis, EBR, 6.817, 199.05 vs. 12. John Hall, EBR, 6.922, 196.16; 6. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.833, 201.04 vs. 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.890, 192.17; 7. Jianna Evaristo, Suzuki, 6.835, 196.19 vs. 10. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.843, 195.17; 8. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.839, 194.52 vs. 9. Matt Smith, Suzuki, 6.840, 196.39.<\/p>\n

Did Not Qualify: 17. Marcus Hylton, 7.226, 189.55; 18. Lance Bonham, 7.407, 176.74.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Courtesy of the NHRA CONCORD, N.C. \u2013 Top Fuel\u2019s Mike Salinas became the first driver in NHRA history to go 300-mph in the 1\/8-mile, setting both ends of the track record on Saturday at zMAX Dragway en route to qualifying No. 1 at the 15th annual betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. Robert Hight (Funny Car), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":43516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[46,886,626,6,121,178],"class_list":["post-43505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-erica-enders","tag-gaige-herrera","tag-mike-salinas","tag-nhra","tag-robert-hight","tag-zmax-dragway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Salinas_MA3-2048x1365-1.webp?fit=2048%2C1365","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-bjH","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43505"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43508,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43505\/revisions\/43508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}