Brittany Force made the fastest Top Fuel run of the 2024 season at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip on Saturday and qualified as the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in the past five races at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals.
Austin Prock (Friends Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 in the last of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the sixth race in the Countdown to the championship play-offs.
Force, who won the most recent race in Las Vegas, ran an impressive 3.643 seconds at 336.65 mph in her Monster Energy/Chevrolet dragster to earn her sixth No. 1 of the season. After facing her share of struggles this season, Force and her team have come on strong to close out the season as she looks to end the year with a second straight win. She is 108 points clear of first place, which also gives her an outside shot at a championship, but Force is happy with the way her team has persevered to get back on track.
Steve Torrence clocked 3.644 seconds just moments earlier on Saturday, but Force and her team put in an incredible run to close out qualifying.
“We ran a time of 3.64 seconds and that is huge. I’m very proud of David Grubnic and John Collins, and the entire Monster Energy team. I wanted as many bonus points as we could get,” Force said. “ says the competition is fierce. It’s killer out there. I didn’t know how fast I was running, but when I left the track there were cameras in my face, so I thought maybe it was better than it felt.
“I’m not disappointed. Everything happens for a reason and it all helps bring our team together. We win as a team and we lose as a team.”
With his 3.644 seconds at 534.90 km/h, Torrence is second, while defending champion Doug Kalitta is third after 3.650 seconds at 334.98 km/h. Shawn Langdon finished fourth with a time of 3.653 seconds at 331.45 mph, jumping to second in points.
He is currently 43 behind points leader Justin Ashley, who is looking for his first world championship. Ashley will open the eliminations in an epic first-round match against Antron Brown, who is just 46 points behind the young standout. Kalitta and Torrence are 78 and 79 points behind respectively, while Clay Millican also remains in contention at 95 points after first place heading into the opening round of eliminations.
In Funny Car, Austin Prock closed out qualifying with an incredible track record of 3.804 seconds at 534.57 mph in his AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. Prock captured his first career world championship in qualifying, making the fastest Funny Car run in seven years and the fourth fastest in Funny Car history. It’s his 15th No. 1 qualifier in 2024, the most in Funny Car history.
Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson stayed alive in the championship hunt, making two strong 6.50-second runs Saturday, including a category-best 6.505 seconds at 210.20 mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. It is the eighth number 1 qualifier of the season for the five-time world champion, who also competed for the world title. He is currently 48 points behind leader Aaron Stanfield as a possible semi-final between the contenders looms.
He could also meet KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in the championship round in what would be a winner-take-all final round. It’s a scenario that has the veteran and all-time category leader excited for Sunday, as an epic championship finale could be in store in Pomona.
“Qualification means everything. To be able to determine our own destiny on Sunday is all you could wish for,” said Anderson. “The way the ladder is set up is an answered prayer. I can’t remember a time when we had three cars within two rounds for the championship that started on Sunday.
“Win the race and win the championship. If I can do that, it might be the greatest thing I’ve done in this sport. We have it all ready. I just hope I wake up on the right side of the bed. I’ve had the strongest horse for the last twelve races, but I haven’t closed the deal yet. Tomorrow I hope the sun shines on me and if not, I hope it shines on my teammate, Dallas Glenn.”
Glenn is 29 points behind Stanfield and qualifies second with a run of 6.512 seconds at 330.82 km/h, moving within a lap of Stanfield towards eliminations. He could also potentially meet Stanfield in a winner-takes-all final round, with Stanfield qualifying fourth with a time of 6.517 seconds at 339.98 km/h.
Matt Smith held off Gaige Herrera from his second straight championship on Saturday, securing enough of a qualifying bonus – and the No. 1 spot – to extend the championship race into Sunday. He qualified in first place for the sixth time this year, clocking a time of 6.721 seconds at 200.64 mph on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell. With this he closed the gap to 119 points against Herrera, although Smith will still need a lot of help to secure a seventh world championship on Sunday.
If Herrera defeats Clayton Howey in the first elimination round, Herrera will claim his second straight world title. Smith’s only path to a championship is if Herrera loses in the first round and Smith wins the race. If that doesn’t happen, Smith wants to at least end the year with a win.
“We came here to try to get the win and we’re in a position to do that,” Smith said. “We’re still alive, but we made too many mistakes during the Countdown to compete against Gaige for the championship.
“Funny, but I’m going to finish number 2 in the championship and I’ve never been number 2 in my career. I either won the championship or finished third, fourth or lower. It would be huge if we won the race tomorrow, or if Angie, John Hall or Jianna won it. I would love to see one of them win the award. It would be a nice way to end the season.”
A. Smith qualified second with a time of 6.758 seconds at 323.43 km/h and Herrera is third after a time of 6.765 seconds at 303.22 km/h.
Eliminations for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals begin Sunday at 11 a.m. PT at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.