MASSEY CAPTURES PROVISIONAL POLE IN DENVER

Whatever Top Fuel driver Spencer Massey seems to do lately turns out golden.

Massey won the last the national event at Norwalk, Ohio, and came to the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo., first in points.

Massey didn’t take his foot off the throttle Friday at Bandimere Speedway.

Massey, who pilots the Fram/Prestone Don Schumacher Racing dragster, clocked a 3.914-second lap at 309.49 mph to take the provisional pole.If Massey keeps the pole Saturday it will be his second of the season and fifth of his career. Massey’s 3.914 run came in the heat of the day, while he clocked a 3.923-second run Friday night.

“I was extremely surprised that nobody ran quicker (Friday night),” said Massey, who is the defending champion at the Mile-High Nationals. “The conditions were coming around and the track is actually a lot better than everybody thought. I was surprised we didn’t see an 87 or 88 by Antron (Brown) or Tony (Schumacher) and the Morgan Lucas car and Steve Torrence, but they didn’t do it. I just have to say hat’s off to the Fram guys. We went back to the data that we knew (from here last year) and it lucked out the first run and it went a 91. Sometimes it throws you a bone and it threw us a bone in the right direction.”

Massey’s Friday runs were even more impressive considering he was debuting a new in-house built DSR chassis.

“I wasn’t really sure what it was going to run,” said Phil Shuler, who is the co-chief of Massey’s dragster with Todd Okuhara. “It is a new car and we weren’t really sure which way it would go, but seems good so far.”

Massey, meanwhile, had no worries about the new chassis.

“This was a brand new chassis and this was the first time we ran it,” Massey said. “The chassis builders at the (DSR) shop give it 100 percent. I trust them. I trust my crew guys. When I got out there for that first run Todd (Okuhara) said if anything happens click it off because it is our first run on this car. If not have fun and go to the finish line. What do you know it went to the finish line and was the No. 1 qualifier. That’s hat’s off to the Don Schumacher chassis builders and the brand new race car.”

Massey also was upbeat about his 3.923 pass.

“In that last run we were trying to run a high 80 and it only went to 92 and that is OK,” Massey said. “We found a little something in the clutch that we should have been more aggressive with on that run. I’m very pleased going into (Saturday) we just have to go down the track two more times and keep that No. 1 spot.”

Massey admitted his top qualifying elapsed time probably wouldn’t hold on Saturday.

“We went a 91 in the heat (Friday) and there are a ton of cars that can run well in the heat just like we did,” Massey said. “There is a 75 percent chance someone will run faster (Saturday) than we did (Friday). Hopefully we get to go on top of their run and go even quicker whenever it is our turn.”

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