Bob Glidden has never been so happy to DNQ.

The multitude of rabid Pro Stock fans at O’Reilly Raceway Park were all too happy to offer up a hearty applause and more than one standing standing ovation for the iconic drag racer.

The ten-time NHRA champion from Whiteland, Ind., was all smiles as he towed up the return road following his final run Sunday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

“The fans are so incredible that it’s unbelievable,” said Glidden. “But, we knew we’d struggle. The guys on the team worked so hard to get me into the car and into the routine. I feel bad that we ran so poorly. This has been a great weekend.

The Alcohol classes had one final shot to break into the field or improve before round one of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals kicked off on Sunday afternoon, and folks came with guns loaded. The final 16 emerged and the thrilling battle for a title earned at The Big Go ensued.

The Top Alcohol Dragster competition began with Duane Shields and Marty Thacker recording identical 5.377s, but Thacker was .029 at the tree to Shields' .042 for the win. Shawn Cowie was a bit off his game on the launch but managed to get around Buddy Domingue, and Ken Perry's red-light start helped Mike Kosky win with a slower e.t.

Darren Nicholson was second off the starting line but first to the finish when Jim Whitely slowed, and Mike Manners smoked the hides at the hit, sending Randy Meyer ahead to round two. Chase Copeland clocked top speed of the meet, 276.63, in a winning effort over Dave Heitzman.

Despite a stout Funny Car field, no one could dethrone top qualifier Matt Hagan on the final day of qualifying for the U.S. Nationals.

Hagan’s blazing track record time of 4.039 seconds at 277.89 mph on Saturday night won him his first career pole at the U.S. Nationals.

“It’s huge to come out here and qualifying No. 1,” said Hagan, who is in his second season driving his Don Schumacher Racing Diehard Dodge. “I remember back when I was racing IHRA and I would come over here (to the NHRA circuit) and qualify No. 16 and that would feel like I won the race. In two years, to qualify No. 1 here (at the U.S. Nationals) is a huge step in the right direction for my career and I think for our whole program.”

For Al-Anabi Dragster driver Larry Dixon, this Labor Day will not be about a possible third NHRA Top Fuel championship.

It will not be about his rivalry with Tony Schumacher, although the two of them -- the NHRA's two most successful drivers in Top Fuel history -- have dominated the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals for decade. At least one of them has been in the final round since 2000. With a ninth trophy, Schumacher would emerge from Don Garlits' shadow while celebrating his 10th anniversary of U.S. Army sponsorship. With a fourth victory at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Dixon would end Schumacher's streak here at four.

Raymond Commisso upset top qualifier Mike Janis during the first round of eliminations in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series portion of the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

Commisso used a near-perfect .003 reaction time and powered his ’68 Camaro to a 6.048-second run at 240.72 mph to hold off Janis, who trailed with a 6.118 at 219.36 in his 2010 Ford Mustang. 

Defending Pro Stock world champion Mike Edwards raced to the No. 1 qualifying position Sunday at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, the world’s most prestigious drag race.

Larry Dixon, Matt Hagan and Andrew Hines also were No. 1 qualifiers and will lead their categories into Monday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Edwards powered his Penhall/Interstate Batteries Pontiac GXP to a track record time of 6.579 seconds at 209.26 mph to take his 12th top qualifying position of the season, 34th of his career and second at historic O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Edwards, who edged out three drivers including Saturday’s low qualifier Jeg Coughlin for the top spot, will face Justin Humphreys in the opening round.

It is one of the oldest and most prestigious events on the International Hot Rod Association’s Nitro Jam schedule and in just a few short days the IHRA will be saying farewell to New England Dragway for the final time.

And to commemorate two long decades of championship drag racing in New Hampshire the Nitro Jam series and NED will be saying farewell with one of the biggest nitro parties in the northeast and one of the biggest races of the year this Saturday and Sunday at the North American Nitro Jam in Epping.

Nearly two dozen nitro-burning dragsters and funny cars will be on the property, in addition to the world’s fastest sleds, the northeast’s first and only look at the side-by-side jet truck showdown, wheelstanders, FanFest, fireworks and more.

The NHRA announced Saturday morning that it had fined John Force Racing $5,000 for a pit incident that took place on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

The fine, which is payable immediately and not eligible for appeal, was issued after one of the Force Racing teams improperly operated their car in the pit area. NHRA rules specify that Funny Cars must be in a raised position, fully situated in its assigned space and utilize cradles and jackstand devices that attach to the frame when servicing or starting the car’s engine while in the pit area. The team must pay the fine in full before it can continue to compete in any future NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events.
Force did pay the fine Saturday morning at the U.S. Nationals and said why NHRA imposed the fine.

“Let me clarify first of all, I’m trying to teach my youngest daughter Courtney and for two months we have been towing her in the Funny Car around at the shop at home, just so she can learn the visuals,” Force said. “We finally started her in the car and all went really well because she drove Super Comp and A-Fuel. All I did, this wasn’t a race, this wasn’t a test session, there was nobody here in the parking lot except my crew and there was a few people out here because they dug the track up. I just didn’t think anything about it, putting it on the ground, to let her back it up and come forward to teach her how to stage it and lift the body and the process. So, when we do take her out there, she knew it.”