LAS VEGAS, NV – October 30, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Funny Car points leader Robert Hight held on to the top spot at the 22nd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals on Saturday, claiming the No. 1 qualifier to ensure a nitro sweep from John Force Racing at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 21st event in the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Hight’s stellar run of 3.857-seconds at 331.77 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS from Friday handed the championship hopeful his sixth No. 1 qualifier of 2022 and the 77th in his career. He’ll open eliminations against Terry Haddock, taking a 21-point lead over defending world champ Ron Capps into raceday. Hight gained 11 points on Capps during qualifying, a nod to his success over the first two days of the race weekend in Las Vegas. That included a strong 3.3865 to close out the day, giving the team plenty of momentum heading into Sunday.
“Well, I would say that it was mission accomplished in qualifying, because we came in here with a 10-point lead and now we’re 21 points, and that’s two rounds,” Hight said. “So that’s a big deal. We gathered a lot of points in qualifying. Tonight, we were pushing, we were trying to run better than the (3.85) that we ran, but we ran a 3.86 to finish. If we could go 3.85 or 3.86 four times tomorrow, I think we’re going to be at the top at the end of the day.”
Matt Hagan made a quality move to close out the day, going 3.862 at 330.23 to qualify second. He enters Sunday 83 points behind Hight. That bumped Bob Tasca III and his run of 3.865 at 330.80 to third.
Force’s standout run of 3.665 at 337.24 from Friday in her 11,000-horsepower Flav-R-Pac dragster held up, giving the former world champ her ninth top spot in 2022 and the 41st in her career. She also made two quality runs on Saturday, which adds to the team’s momentum on a weekend where Force knows she needs a big-time result. Entering eliminations, Force trails Justin Ashley by 73 points and will aim for a Las Vegas sweep on Sunday, as well as her first victory since Sonoma in July.
“Looking at our overall qualifying, we’re in a great position, making four solid passes and all in the high-.60s and a .71,” Force said. “It’s fantastic for our team,…
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