Bubba Stanton, the defending Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) NAS Racing Pro Extreme champion, raced his way to the top the 16-car NAS Racing Pro Extreme field after just two of three scheduled qualifying sessions at the PDRA Mid-America Open were completed for most classes due to recurring rain storms in the St. Louis area.

Also qualified number one in the PDRA pro classes with one more session to go on Saturday were Travis Harvey in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, Jim Bell in Precision Turbo Pro Boost, and Chris Garner-Jones in Drag 965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle.

In the PDRA sportsman classes, Pro Nitrous regular Mike Castellana placed first in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman with a potential record 3.89-seconds pass at 195.53 mph while testing his brand-new 2015 Pro Mod Corvette. Meanwhile, Jon Bradford paced the Dart Top Dragster field with a 3.87 at 188.52 mph, and after just one round of qualifying completed due to rain, Jackie Cannon led the way in Huddleston Performance Pro Jr. Dragster and Nathan Prose held the tentative top spot in Huddleston Top Jr. Dragster.

The all-eighth-mile PDRA event at Gateway Motorsports Park, straight across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, will resume with one more qualifying session for all classes starting 11 a.m. on Saturday, followed by elimination rounds at 4 p.m.