Kalitta, Prock and Enders Race to Provisional No.1 Spots at NHRA New England Nationals

EPPING, NH – June 1, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta made the quickest run of both sessions on Friday at New England Dragway, taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 11th annual NHRA New England Nationals.

Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the seventh of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta went 3.700-seconds at 332.84 mph under the lights in his 11,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster as part of a thrilling side-by-side run with Steve Torrence, maintaining his No. 1 spot from earlier in the day. It puts the veteran in position for his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and 56th in his career. New England Dragway is also the only track on the NHRA tour where Kalitta hasn’t won, which is something the 53-time event winner would love to change this weekend.

“I was really confident and real hopeful,” Kalitta said. “The car left good and smooth and really happy once I figured we got the quick time. This track is on my radar [as the last one] to get to a final and finally get a win.

“This is last on the list and the history here is incredible and the area around this place is fantastic. Hats off to Alan Johnson and Mac Savage and all the guys working on this thing. The Toyota guys have been helping us with the track and I can’t thank them enough. All our cars ran well that session.”

Torrence took the second spot with a strong 3.702 at 335.23 and Brittany Force, who did not qualify at the most recent event in Chicago, jumped to third with a 3.715 at a track-record 335.57.

In Funny Car, Austin Prock continued to impress in qualifying on Friday, delivering a standout run of 3.837 at 336.23 in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. It puts Prock, who is second in points, on track for an impressive fifth No. 1 qualifier in the first seven races of the season as the former NHRA Rookie of the Year continues to show his talents in a new category. Prock has adjusted well in his first year in the loaded Funny Car ranks and made a pair of solid runs on Friday as he attempts to pick up his first career victory at New England Dragway.

“It’s surreal just holding on to the wheel,” Prock said. “Kudos to my dad [Jimmy] and brother [Thomas]. They’re making really smart decisions, and it’s really impressive watching them work. They’ve been in the right spot at right time and…