NHRA kicked off the 55th anniversary of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world's most prestigious drag race with two qualifying sessions for the muscle car contingent at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, In., today.

Under sunny skies and operating on a racing surface of 100 degrees, 150 Stock Eliminator hot rods were the first to take to the historic quarter-mile. The 128-car qualifying field was lead by two A/SA Stockers, representing the future and the past.

Division 5’s Chad Holzman, from Wichita, Kan., leads the pack after the first two sessions. Driving his 2008 Ford Cobra-Jet Mustang, Holzman negotiated the quarter-mile in 9.968-seconds, 1.332 seconds under his 11.30 standard. Only 0.005-seconds separates the new Cobra-Jet from the second qualifier, the classic Mopar of Division 1 competitor David Barton from Robesonia, Pa. Barton ran a solid 9.973-second elapsed time in his 1965 A/SA Dodge Coronet.

NHRA kicked off the 55th anniversary of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world's most prestigious drag race with two qualifying sessions for the muscle car contingent at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, In., today.

Under sunny skies and operating on a racing surface of 100 degrees, 150 Stock Eliminator hot rods were the first to take to the historic quarter-mile. The 128-car qualifying field was lead by two A/SA Stockers, representing the future and the past.

Division 5’s Chad Holzman, from Wichita, Kan., leads the pack after the first two sessions. Driving his 2008 Ford Cobra-Jet Mustang, Holzman negotiated the quarter-mile in 9.968-seconds, 1.332 seconds under his 11.30 standard. Only 0.005-seconds separates the new Cobra-Jet from the second qualifier, the classic Mopar of Division 1 competitor David Barton from Robesonia, Pa. Barton ran a solid 9.973-second elapsed time in his 1965 A/SA Dodge Coronet.

Noticeably missing from the top 128 is Big Daddy Don Garlits, who is returning to the US Nationals after a six-year absence. Driving his A/SA Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, Garlits could only manage a 10.454-second ET, nearly a tenth of a second behind the 128th qualifier, the AF/S 2005 Dodge Neon of Charles Blossom.

The quickest car on the grounds today appropriately captured the provisional pole in the Super Stock category. The 2005 Dodge Stratus, SS/BM of James Caro set the pace with his 8.237-second blast. Today’s number one pass from Caro is 0.013-seconds quicker than his NHRA world record set earlier this season at Belle Rose, LA.

One of the slowest cars in the Super Stock division currently occupies the second qualifying position. Kalamazoo, Michigan’s own Tim Kish drove his Dodge Neon down the quarter-mile in 12.948-seconds, -1.352 under his 14.30-second SS/GS index.

Two rounds of Super Comp and Super Gas time trials also took place today. The super category racers will receive two opportunities to dial-in their cars as close to the 8.900 and 9.900-second index as they can.

Tomorrow the Competition Eliminator category will have two attempts to qualify for the 64-car field. The Top Alcohol cars will begin their qualifying efforts on Friday.

 

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