{"id":35820,"date":"2021-09-25T20:10:32","date_gmt":"2021-09-26T01:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=35820"},"modified":"2021-09-26T12:22:29","modified_gmt":"2021-09-26T17:22:29","slug":"matt-hagan-mike-salinas-and-greg-anderson-pick-up-no-1-qualifiers-at-nhra-midwest-nationals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/25\/matt-hagan-mike-salinas-and-greg-anderson-pick-up-no-1-qualifiers-at-nhra-midwest-nationals\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Hagan, Mike Salinas and Greg Anderson pick up No. 1 qualifiers at NHRA Midwest Nationals"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

MADISON, Ill. \u2013 On the final pass of the day, defending Funny Car world champ Matt Hagan and points leader Ron Capps had another thrilling side-by-side run, with Hagan taking the No. 1 position from Capps to secure the top spot on Saturday at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.<\/p>\n

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Matt Hagan. 10th Annual NHRA Midwest Nationals. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Mike Salinas (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also qualified No. 1 at the 16th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the third race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.<\/p>\n

Capps had the better run on Friday, but Hagan had the final say to finish off qualifying in another great side-by-side duel, going 3.868-seconds at 333.25 mph to Capps\u2019 3.876, qualifying No. 1 in his 11,000-horsepower New Holland Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye. It gives Hagan his third No. 1 qualifier this season and 43rd in his career as he aims for his second straight world title. Hagan is in his second race back after missing two events with COVID-19 and the team has impressed at every opportunity this weekend, heading into eliminations just one point back of Capps.<\/p>\n

\u201cCapps and those boys are throwing down, and our guys are throwing down as well,\u201d said Hagan, who has two wins this season. \u201cI just can\u2019t say enough about (crew chief) Dickie Venables. They\u2019ve got this car on a string and we scooped up a lot of qualifying points. I\u2019m sitting in a race car that is just incredible and it takes everybody to do it. All in all, our confidence as a team is really coming around. It builds my confidence and, without a doubt, we\u2019ve got a car that can win this championship. This thing is really coming together and it\u2019s exciting for our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Capps finished in the second spot, while Bobby Bode\u2019s career-best run of 3.891 at 322.04 from Friday kept him third. Blake Alexander jumped to fourth with a 3.892 and Cruz Pedregon rounded out the top five after going 3.896.<\/p>\n

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Mike Salinas. 10th Annual NHRA Midwest Nationals. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

In Top Fuel, Salinas\u2019 incredible run of 3.652 at 327.74 in his 11,000-horsepower Scrappers Racing dragster from Friday held up, though points leader Brittany Force gave it quite a challenge to finish off qualifying. Force went a blistering 3.663 at 330.39 in the final session, but it came up just short of Salinas\u2019 run, snapping her streak of eight straight No. 1 qualifiers, which is a Top Fuel record for a single season. It also gave Salinas his first No. 1 qualifier of the year and seventh in his career, leading the way for a standout qualifying field that saw 15 dragsters run in the 3.60s or 3.70s with a bump of 3.809. That made it one of the quickest fields in Top Fuel history and Salinas will meet Kyle Wurtzel to open eliminations on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on some stuff and I think we\u2019ve got some great things coming our way,\u201d Salinas said. \u201cIt was very fast, to say the least, and we know we\u2019re right in the hunt. There\u2019s nobody in the class you can take lightly. It\u2019s pretty impressive how the whole class is racing. They\u2019re not messing around and you better have your \u2018A\u2019 game when you\u2019re racing anyone in this class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Force finished second in qualifying, while three-time defending champ Steve Torrence is third with a 3.697 at 329.75. Leah Pruett moved to fourth on Saturday with a 3.714 and Billy Torrence rounds out the top five with a 3.717.<\/p>\n

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Greg Anderson. 10th Annual NHRA Midwest Nationals. NHRA photo<\/p><\/div>\n

In Pro Stock, Anderson improved on his top run from Friday, going 6.519 at 209.10 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. The points leader continued to enjoy a tremendous amount of qualifying success in 2021, earning his ninth No. 1 qualifier this season and 115th in his career. He\u2019ll meet Fernando Cuadra in the first round of eliminations, looking for his fourth victory of the season. It would also give him 98 career wins and the all-time record in Pro Stock, and put him a step closer to a fifth world title.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hit it pretty good and didn\u2019t leave a whole lot on the table on that run,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cIt was pretty darn close to a perfect run and I\u2019ll take that. It was a great day at the office. Both (qualifying) days were a success and we\u2019ll see if we can make day three a success tomorrow. You\u2019ve got a find a way to race your own lane and that\u2019s what the gameplan is. Every race I\u2019ve gone to this year, I\u2019ve had a chance to win. The car has been on point and that\u2019s not a given, so when you get that, you\u2019ve got to be happy. You\u2019ve got to execute and you\u2019ve got to be perfect every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle Koretsky, who beat Anderson in the final round last weekend in Charlotte for his first career Pro Stock win, qualified second with a run of 6.537 at 209.30, while rookie Dallas Glenn went 6.37 at 208.91 to finish third, giving KB Racing the top three spots. Aaron Stanfield\u2019s 6.538 has him fourth and defending world champ Erica Enders rounded out the top five with a pass of 6.545 at 209.49.<\/p>\n

Eliminations for the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway begin at 10:30 a.m. CT on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Mike Salinas \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Saturday-Mike-Salinas-Madison.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Matt Hagan \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Saturday-Matt-Hagan-Madison.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Greg Anderson \u2013<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Saturday-Greg-Anderson-Madison.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

MADISON, Ill. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 10th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 16th of 20 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, 3.652 seconds, 327.74 mph vs. 16. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.809, 316.82; 2. Brittany Force, 3.663, 330.39 vs. 15. T.J. Zizzo, 3.798, 325.53; 3. Steve Torrence, 3.697, 329.75 vs. 14. Shawn Langdon, 3.787, 322.42; 4. Leah Pruett, 3.714, 326.00 vs. 13. Clay Millican, 3.780, 319.52; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.717, 330.96 vs. 12. Scott Palmer, 3.772, 317.57; 6. Spencer Massey, 3.721, 327.74 vs. 11. Antron Brown, 3.765, 323.97; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.730, 328.70 vs. 10. Josh Hart, 3.761, 323.19; 8. Tripp Tatum, 3.731, 319.22 vs. 9. Doug Kalitta, 3.743, 325.92.<\/p>\n

Did Not Qualify: 17. Keith Murt, 3.921, 320.51; 18. Lex Joon, 3.953, 240.12; 19. Joey Haas, 3.966, 298.27; 20. Buddy Hull, 3.984, 308.00.<\/p>\n

Funny Car — 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.868, 333.25 vs. Bye; 2. Ron Capps, Charger, 3.876, 333.82 vs. 15. Chris King, Toyota Camry, 7.334, 98.49; 3. Bobby Bode, Ford Mustang, 3.891, 322.04 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.242, 290.51; 4. Blake Alexander, Mustang, 3.892, 324.36 vs. 13. Dale Creasy Jr., Charger, 4.094, 305.77; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.896, 328.62 vs. 12. Jim Campbell, Charger, 3.995, 317.27; 6. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.898, 331.69 vs. 11. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 3.983, 323.43; 7. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.898, 327.11 vs. 10. John Force, Camaro, 3.915, 304.94; 8. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.905, 326.71 vs. 9. J.R. Todd, Camry, 3.915, 330.72.<\/p>\n

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.519, 209.10 vs. 16. Fernando Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.619, 209.65; 2. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.537, 209.30 vs. 15. Marty Robertson, Mustang, 6.594, 208.78; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.537, 208.91 vs. 14. Cristian Cuadra, Mustang, 6.577, 210.60; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.538, 209.72 vs. 13. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.574, 209.52; 5. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.545, 209.49 vs. 12. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.569, 209.04; 6. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.545, 209.33 vs. 11. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.566, 210.18; 7. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.547, 210.60 vs. 10. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.561, 209.39; 8. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.549, 209.20 vs. 9. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.552, 209.59.<\/p>\n

Did Not Qualify: 17. Alan Prusiensky, 6.627, 208.97; 18. Fernando Cuadra Jr., 6.747, 206.48; 19. Robert River, 7.184, 148.27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy of the NHRA MADISON, Ill. \u2013 On the final pass of the day, defending Funny Car world champ Matt Hagan and points leader Ron Capps had another thrilling side-by-side run, with Hagan taking the No. 1 position from Capps to secure the top spot on Saturday at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":35823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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}},"categories":[4],"tags":[106,197,626,6,494,784],"class_list":["post-35820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhra","tag-greg-anderson","tag-matt-hagan","tag-mike-salinas","tag-nhra","tag-nhra-midwest-nationals","tag-world-wide-technology-raceway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/341-MattHagan-Saturday-Madison.jpg?fit=2200%2C1466&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-9jK","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35820","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=35820"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35828,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35820\/revisions\/35828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}