With a stunning pass in the last of three qualifying rounds for Radials vs. the World at Lights Out 9, Jeff Sitton eclipsed teammate "Stevie Fast" Jackson for the number-one start based on mile per hour alone. Sitton exactly matched Jackson's 3.787-seconds elapsed time from earlier in the session, but his supercharged 2017 Camaro crossed the finish line at 198.70 mph, .64 mph faster than Jackson, to earn the top spot.

Sitton expressed surprise at the result.  

"You know, we did not plan on making that run. The car just hopped up and ran. It had a little more in it than we thought. We were honestly trying to run probably a mid .84 to .85 pass," he claimed. 

After smoking the tires in his first attempt Thursday night, Sitton and crew chief Jeff Pierce put together a decent 3.97 pass in round two the next day, but knew they needed more for Saturday afternoon's final.  

"We were really just trying to get a good starting place," the Texas businessman said. "When you jump from a .97 to a .78, that just doesn’t happen. It’s just one of them things you’ve got to appreciate when it does because it doesn’t happen often, so I’m going to soak it up."

Not one to rest on his laurels, though, Sitton immediately set his goal to meet Jackson in the final round on Sunday. 
"I mean, it’s still anybody’s race. Qualifying good is a little advantage, but I mean deep down we’re realistic about it," he said. "We’d love to be one and two in the final. You know, that’d be awesome as a team. Steve and I are close enough, it’s just about us as a team winning."