{"id":21320,"date":"2018-08-17T23:23:44","date_gmt":"2018-08-18T04:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=21320"},"modified":"2018-08-17T23:27:54","modified_gmt":"2018-08-18T04:27:54","slug":"brown-hight-enders-and-m-smith-earn-provisional-no-1-qualifiers-at-lucas-oil-nhra-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/17\/brown-hight-enders-and-m-smith-earn-provisional-no-1-qualifiers-at-lucas-oil-nhra-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Brown, Hight, Enders and M. Smith earn provisional No. 1 qualifiers at Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

BRAINERD, Minn. \u2013 Antron Brown<\/strong> is the preliminary No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals<\/strong> at Brainerd International Raceway<\/strong> and is shaping into a contender for his fourth Top Fuel world championship.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Antron Brown. Photo by Marc Gewertz\/NHRA<\/p><\/div>\n

Robert Hight<\/strong> (Funny Car), Erica Enders<\/strong> (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith<\/strong> (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also preliminary No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 17th of 24 events on the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series<\/a> schedule.<\/p>\n

Brown won the most recent event in Seattle for his first win of the season and his surging Matco Tools dragster took the No. 1 position during the second qualifying session with his run of 3.789-seconds at 325.45 mph. Brown has yet to record a No. 1 qualifying position this season but has 49 in his career. Brown also secured his position in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship following the first qualifying session.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been working hard for this,\u201d said Brown. \u201cIt is no secret, we have been through our bumps and bruises but the thing about it is that is why you go through the struggles so you have days like this and what we had in Seattle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Robert Hight. Photo by Marc Gewertz\/NHRA<\/p><\/div>\n

Clay Millican was the leader after the first qualifying session and ends up second with a run of 3.790 at 323.04 and points leader Steve Torrence is 12th with his run of 4.445 at 180.91.<\/p>\n

Hight is the current leader in the Funny Car category with his run of 3.971 at 326.95 in his Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS. Hight has one No. 1 qualifying position this season, two wins, three runner-up finishes and is currently third in the points standings.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood day, six bonus points, and see if we can get more tomorrow,\u201d said Hight. \u201cThe goal tomorrow is to be ahead of everybody but keep going down the track. If we get six more points tomorrow that is big.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Erica Enders. Photo by Marc Gewertz\/NHRA<\/p><\/div>\n

Matt Hagan is qualified second with his run of 3.990 at 324.51 and points leader Courtney Force is 15th following her run of 4.097 at 313.15. Jack Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car world champion, earned his berth into the Countdown to the Championship after the opening qualifying session.<\/p>\n

Enders, who is currently third in Pro Stock points, aims for her first No. 1 qualifying position of the season after driving to a 6.609 at 207.53 in her Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro during the second session of the day. Enders has yet to record a No. 1 qualifying position this season but has one win this season and five runner-up finishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are really excited to be No. 1 even if it is for just Friday night, we will try to hold onto it Saturday,\u201d Enders said. \u201cOur car is running awesome, I\u2019m definitely driving better so that is encouraging. It was great to go to the No. 1 spot, I have a good hot rod and I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Matt Smith. Photo by Marc Gewertz\/NHRA<\/p><\/div>\n

Chris McGaha is second with a pass of 6.613 at 208.33 and points leader Greg Anderson is eighth following his run of 6.626 at 208.52.<\/p>\n

Smith, who has one win on the season and one No. 1 qualifying position this year, is the current Pro Stock Motorcycle leader with his run of 6.852 at a track record-setting 198.47 on his Elite Motorsports\/Denso EBR. His last No. 1 qualifying position came in Norwalk, Ohio, and he has one No. 1 qualifying position at the facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe debuted a new body and we were low both sessions,\u201d said Smith. \u201cAll and all can\u2019t say enough about Richard Freeman from Elite Performance, Mark Stockseth, Lucas Oil, Denso, and everybody that helps me. I couldn\u2019t do this without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hector Arana Jr. is second at 6.877 at 197.08, Eddie Krawiec is third with his run of 6.886 at 195.45 and points leader Andrew Hines is fourth following his pass of 6.899 at 195.05.<\/p>\n

Qualifying continues at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway.<\/p>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Antron Brown \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Friday-AntronBrown-Brainerd.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Robert Hight \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Friday-RobertHight-Brainerd.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Erica Enders \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Friday-EricaEnders-Brainerd.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Matt Smith \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Friday-MattSmith-Brainerd.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

BRAINERD, Minn. — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 37th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway, 17th of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.<\/p>\n

Top Fuel — 1. Antron Brown, 3.789 seconds, 325.45 mph; 2. Clay Millican, 3.790, 323.04; 3. Mike Salinas, 3.797, 322.19; 4. Billy Torrence, 3.823, 326.48; 5. Scott Palmer, 3.834, 318.17; 6. Leah Pritchett, 3.841, 324.83; 7. Terry McMillen, 3.846, 319.60; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.946, 308.92; 9. Doug Kalitta, 3.947, 257.43; 10. Chris Karamesines, 4.003, 305.01; 11. Brittany Force, 4.187, 210.44; 12. Steve Torrence, 4.445, 180.91; 13. Richie Crampton, 5.024, 141.59; 14. Luigi Novelli, 5.234, 140.63; 15. Terry Totten, 12.286, 72.31.<\/p>\n

Funny Car — 1. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.971, 326.95; 2. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.990, 324.51; 3. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.996, 316.67; 4. Jim Campbell, Charger, 4.014, 313.15; 5. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.017, 317.42; 6. Shawn Langdon, Toyota Camry, 4.024, 318.39; 7. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.026, 318.09; 8. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.039, 311.99; 9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.067, 314.75; 10. J.R. Todd, Camry, 4.070, 316.67; 11. Jonnie Lindberg, Mustang, 4.081, 314.53; 12. Cruz Pedregon, Camry, 4.081, 305.84; 13. John Force, Camaro, 4.082, 321.42; 14. Courtney Force, Camaro, 4.097, 313.15; 15. Bob Bode, Charger, 4.113, 307.72; 16. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.495, 214.93. Not Qualified: 17. Dale Creasy Jr., 4.529, 175.87; 18. Gary Densham, 5.222, 157.91.<\/p>\n

Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.609, 207.53; 2. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.613, 208.33; 3. Alex Laughlin, Dodge Dart, 6.613, 207.59; 4. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.614, 208.78; 5. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.622, 207.88; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.623, 208.23; 7. Tanner Gray, Camaro, 6.624, 208.71; 8. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.626, 208.52; 9. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.632, 208.01; 10. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.640, 207.72; 11. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.648, 207.08; 12. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.659, 207.53; 13. Fernando Cuadra, Camaro, 6.683, 207.08; 14. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, 6.771, 203.80; 15. Mark Hogan, Pontiac GXP, 6.854, 200.59; 16. Dave River, Chevy Cobalt, 7.002, 197.33.<\/p>\n

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.852, 198.47; 2. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.877, 197.22; 3. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.886, 195.45; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.899, 195.76; 5. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.909, 193.07; 6. Mark Paquette, Buell, 6.917, 193.32; 7. Joey Gladstone, Suzuki, 6.924, 193.27; 8. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.960, 192.58; 9. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.965, 193.90; 10. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.969, 193.16; 11. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.979, 191.00; 12. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.985, 192.03; 13. Scotty Pollacheck, Suzuki, 6.985, 191.76; 14. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.997, 191.21; 15. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.002, 191.19; 16. Angie Smith, Buell, 7.033, 189.87. Not Qualified: 17. Kelly Clontz, 7.072, 190.35; 18. Cory Reed, 7.146, 185.36.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA BRAINERD, Minn. \u2013 Antron Brown is the preliminary No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway and is shaping into a contender for his fourth Top Fuel world championship. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":21329,"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":[54,475,46,320,306,6,121],"class_list":["post-21320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-antron-brown","tag-brainerd-international-raceway","tag-erica-enders","tag-lucas-oil-nhra-nationals","tag-matt-smith","tag-nhra","tag-robert-hight"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/296-AntronBrown-Friday-Brainerd.jpg?fit=2250%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-5xS","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21320"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21330,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21320\/revisions\/21330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}