Veteran Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta raced to his sixth No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, near St. Louis.
 
John Force (Funny Car), Erica Enders-Stevens (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers at the third of six playoff races in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Veteran Top Fuel driver Doug Kalitta raced to his sixth No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, near St. Louis.
 
John Force (Funny Car), Erica Enders-Stevens (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers at the third of six playoff races in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
 
Kalitta powered his Mac Tools dragster to a performance of 3.758 seconds at 325.45 mph to take the top spot away from rookie Richie Crampton in the final qualifying session.
 
Kalitta, who led the series standings for most of the regular season, will try to reverse a recent trend of first round losses over the past three races when he opens eliminations against ageless drag racing legend Chris Karamesines.
 
“We kinda struggled in the first two Countdown races, but we know we can go rounds,” said Kalitta, a three-time winner at Gateway Motorsports Park, his last coming in 2004. “We’re real confident about that and now we need to go out there and prove it. We’re real excited for tomorrow. The car is running good, the track is holding up good, the lanes are both pretty even and the conditions are really good. I’m looking forward to it.”
 
Kalitta said from the cockpit his top qualifying effort was really smooth.
 
“It went down through there real nice and straight,” Kalitta said about the 42nd No. 1 of his career. “When they run real quick like that they are for some reason easier to drive. It was a great effort for the Mac Tools guys.”
 
Kalitta hopes to take advantage of his strong qualifying effort and convert it into a victory tomorrow so he can pull back into the Countdown to the Championship title conversation. He entered this race in third place in the points order, 107 back of series leader Tony Schumacher. He says given the category’s competitiveness, being the No. 1 qualifier is no guarantee for Sunday success.
 
“With this group in Top Fuel I don’t think you can relax regardless of who you are running against,” Kalitta said. “I run the Greek (Karamesines, in the first round) and you can’t take him lightly either. I’ve got beat by him too. We are planning on going to the final and getting a win tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes.”
 
Crampton’s Friday-best of 3.764 at 322.73 in his GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster leaves him in second in the final qualifying order, while series leader Schumacher, who won the first two Countdown playoff races, will start third in his U.S. Army dragster with a 3.768 at 326.16. Kalitta’s teammate, J.R. Todd, who qualified No. 1 at the first two Countdown races, will start fourth in his Optima Batteries/Advance Auto Parts dragster with a 3.779 at 325.37.
 
In Funny Car, Force earned his sixth No. 1 of the season and 152nd of his career with his Friday run of 4.022 at 319.52 in his Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang. Force will race category newcomer Brian Stewart in the opening round.
 
“I am going to watch him,” said Force about his first head-to-head meeting with the former nostalgia Funny Car driver. “It’s no different than racing (Matt) Hagan. I used to be an unknown, and every now and then I would whip somebody like (Kenny) Bernstein or The Snake (Don Prudhomme). Maybe I was just lucky. But luck is what it’s all about.”
 
Force, 65, who is seeking a record 17th world championship title, is still trying to get back on track following an uncharacteristic red-light start in the delayed Pep Boys Carolina Nationals final round at Dallas. He followed that effort with a second round loss the next day to Tommy Johnson Jr. during eliminations for the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals.
 
“I choked it last week and gave away 20 points,” Force said. “I got 16 back here during qualifying and I owe that to my team. We are really focused. You can look at history and see where people made mistakes, dropped the ball and fumbled it and you don’t want to live with that. Last week it was just driver error and I screwed up. I did that years ago and made that mistake. There’s four races to go starting tomorrow. I am going to keep my act together and see if I can pull it off.”
 
Cruz Pedregon will start second in his Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry with a 4.022 at 314.02, while Robert Hight moved to third in his Auto Club Ford Mustang with a 4.040 at 316.15. Dallas winner Courtney Force qualified fourth in her Traxxas Ford Mustang with a 4.047 at 317.87.
 
Enders-Stevens will go for her third consecutive Pro Stock victory at this event from the top spot as she claimed her fourth No. 1 of the season and 10th of her career with 6.511 at 213.03 in her Elite Motorsports Chevy Camaro. She will face veteran driver Larry Morgan in the first round.
 
“We were trying to be consistent and have a nice race day setup for tomorrow,” Enders-Stevens said about her quickest pass of the weekend that came in her final attempt. “The conditions were definitely conducive to run that number. I am proud of my team for giving me a consistent race car and a fast one at that, so I am excited about tomorrow.”
 
She is hoping a three-peat at this event will move her back to the top of the points order. With her stellar qualifying effort where she was quickest in all four rounds she was able to trim away a bit of series leader Jason Line’s points advantage.
 
“We’ve had four really nice runs that we are proud of,” she said. “We’ve got a stout group of players out there and we’ve got our work cut out for us. Our side of the ladder is packed with all of the Gray Motorsports cars. I know I say this all the time, but we’re just going to focus on one round at a time. You can’t get ahead of yourself.”
 
Jeg Coughlin qualified second in his JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Dart with a 6.522 at 212.53 and Line qualified third in his Summit Racing Equipment Camaro with a 6.522 at 212.39.
 
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec improved on his Friday time with a Saturday best of 6.810 at 194.60 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to claim his ninth No. 1 of the season and 23rd of his career. He will race Shawn Gann in the opener.
 
“Every run you make down the track you learn,” said Krawiec, a two-time winner at this event. “Sometimes you go backwards and sometimes you go forwards. We got after it a little harder (today) and we sort of overpowered the track (in the final session). On our first run of the day, we killed it. We picked up a lot early and powered to a 6.810 so I know I have a great motorcycle. Now we have our threshold of what the track will take. We have our window. We know where we need to be and that should make for some great racing.”
 
Jerry Savoie qualified second with a 6.838 at 197.16 on his Savoie’s Alligator Farm Suzuki, Hector Arana Jr. will start third on his Lucas Oil Buell with a 6.851 at 197.68 and series points leader Andrew Hines is fourth on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.863 at 195.22.
 
Sunday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the Third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the 21st of 24 events in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the third of six playoff races in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.  Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
 
Top Fuel -- 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.758 seconds, 325.45 mph  vs. 16. Chris Karamesines, 4.054, 293.79; 2. Richie Crampton, 3.764, 322.73  vs. 15. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.965, 291.70; 3. Tony Schumacher, 3.768, 326.16  vs. 14. Terry McMillen, 3.899, 321.65; 4. J.R. Todd, 3.779, 325.37  vs. 13. Troy Buff, 3.878, 314.61; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.780, 322.11  vs. 12. Pat Dakin, 3.826, 317.72; 6. Antron Brown, 3.782, 319.14  vs. 11. Brittany Force, 3.809, 323.81; 7. Steve Torrence, 3.786, 324.90  vs. 10. Khalid alBalooshi, 3.806, 319.98; 8. Bob Vandergriff, 3.798, 323.89  vs. 9. Spencer Massey, 3.801, 323.50. Did Not Qualify: 17. Scott Palmer, 4.116, 286.92; 18. Clay Millican, 6.621, 106.03; 19. Luigi Novelli, 10.285, 171.84.
 
Funny Car -- 1. John Force, Ford Mustang, 4.022, 319.52  vs. 16. Brian Stewart, Mustang, 4.181, 300.06; 2. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 4.022, 314.39  vs. 15. Jeff Arend, Dodge Charger, 4.169, 304.67; 3. Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.040, 316.15  vs. 14. Chad Head, Camry, 4.168, 292.27; 4. Courtney Force, Mustang, 4.047, 317.87  vs. 13. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.157, 307.23; 5. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.049, 314.75  vs. 12. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Solara, 4.136, 300.80; 6. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.053, 315.78  vs. 11. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.117, 302.21; 7. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.071, 315.49  vs. 10. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 4.108, 298.93; 8. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.071, 313.00 vs. 9. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.078, 311.49. Did Not Qualify: 17. Tony Pedregon, 4.187, 302.48; 18. Dale Creasy Jr., 4.301, 294.63.
 
Pro Stock -- 1. Erica Enders-Stevens, Chevy Camaro, 6.511, 213.03  vs. 16. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.612, 209.85; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Dart, 6.522, 212.53  vs. 15. Deric Kramer, Dodge Avenger, 6.589, 210.41; 3. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.522, 212.39  vs. 14. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.584, 211.56; 4. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.525, 212.33  vs. 13. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.575, 211.00; 5. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.528, 212.06  vs. 12. V. Gaines, Avenger, 6.565, 211.00; 6. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.529, 212.36  vs. 11. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.558, 211.53; 7. Allen Johnson, Dart, 6.531, 212.26  vs. 10. Richie Stevens, Camaro, 6.552, 211.56; 8. Jonathan Gray, Camaro, 6.532, 211.96  vs. 9. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.542, 212.13. Did Not Qualify: 17. Dave River, 6.734, 205.32.
 
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.810, 196.53  vs. 16. Shawn Gann, Buell, 7.006, 193.52; 2. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.838, 197.16  vs. 15. Craig Treble, Buell, 6.978, 190.67; 3. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.851, 197.68  vs. 14. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.956, 192.99; 4. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.863, 195.22  vs. 13. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.948, 194.30; 5. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.872, 194.83  vs. 12. Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 6.938, 192.30; 6. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.874, 196.42  vs. 11. Angelle Sampey, Buell, 6.931, 191.70; 7. Chaz Kennedy, Buell, 6.878, 192.96  vs. 10. John Hall, Buell, 6.905, 194.55; 8. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.894, 194.94  vs. 9. Adam Arana, Buell, 6.905, 194.94. Did Not Qualify: 17. Mike Berry, 7.041, 189.90.

NHRA PRO MOD SERIES RACER COUGHLIN LOOKING TO SWEEP THE WEEKEND IN ST. LOUIS
 

Troy Coughlin raced to victory in the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals and also won his first round matchup from the No. 1 qualifying position in the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Saturday at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis.
 
When Pro Mod eliminations resume on Sunday at approximately 2:30 p.m., Coughlin will be looking to earn his second Wally trophy of the weekend at the controls of his turbocharged JEGS.com Corvette.
 
In the delayed Charlotte final, Coughlin defeated Mike Janis, who is currently second in the series points standings. Coughlin was first off the line and powered to a winning performance of 5.937 seconds at 239.14 mph, while Janis’ supercharged late model Chevy Camaro had issues and slowed to a 9.438 at 112.11 finish. It was his second win of the season and sixth of his career and he moved to third overall in the points standings with the effort.
 
"Winning this trophy for the Charlotte race is pretty special." Coughlin said. "I'm pretty fired up, pretty excited."
 
Coughlin claimed the St. Louis No. 1 qualifying position, the first of the season and second of his career, with a performance of 5.845 at 250.41. He then outran Dave Pierce in the opening round with an effort of 5.851 at 250.18.

"We're not the fastest car out here," Coughlin said. "We're just trying to make good, competitive runs. (Crew chief) Steve (Petty), Mike, Kyle and those guys are doing a fantastic job on this thing. They're giving us a race car that's been repeatable. We're not the fastest hot rod through all these laps, but it's the most consistent, and I know when I pull up to stage that they've given me a good hot rod. This Corvette is pretty mean."
 
With a victory Sunday, Coughlin can continue to gain ground on series leader Rickie Smith, who lost in the first round of the Charlotte race but advanced to the second round in the St. Louis eliminations. Janis, who finished runner-up in the Charlotte eliminations, trails Smith by 35 points in second.
 
"We're getting closer, we're inching up on Rickie's heels," said Coughlin, who trails Smith by 59 points. "We're chewing on Rickie's heels, as they say. He has done an awesome job this year, but we want to chase him down and make him earn it. Mike Janis, Steve Matusek, there are a handful of guys who have the opportunity to jump up and win this thing. I’m happy as heck to be one of them."
 
Other first round winners of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals eliminations included Von Smith, Dan Stevenson, Todd Tutterow, Don Walsh Mike Knowles and Kevin Fiscus. Sunday’s semifinal pairings in the category include Coughlin vs. V. Smith; R. Smith vs. Stevenson; Tutterow vs. Walsh; and Knowles vs. Fiscus.
 
Final finish order (1-16) at the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park.  The race is the eighth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
 
PRO MODIFIED: 1.  Troy Coughlin; 2.  Mike Janis; 3.  Danny Rowe; 4.  Steve Matusek; 5.  Jim Laurita; 6.  Don Walsh; 7.  Von Smith; 8.  Bill Glidden; 9.  Steven Whiteley; 10.  Rickie Smith; 11.  Dan Stevenson; 12.  Kevin Fiscus; 13.  Mike Knowles; 14.  Eric Latino; 15.  Pete Farber; 16.  Kenny Lang.
 
Final round-by-round results from the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the eighth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
 
PRO MODIFIED:
 
ROUND ONE -- Mike Janis, Chevy Camaro, 5.921, 244.12 def. Dan Stevenson, Camaro, 5.955, 242.06; Von Smith, Camaro, 5.963, 239.65 def. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.929, 244.38; Steve Matusek, Camaro, 5.973, 245.58 def. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 9.652, 93.18; Troy Coughlin, Chevy Corvette, 5.935, 246.84 def. Kevin Fiscus, Ford Mustang, 5.980, 245.54; Bill Glidden, Mustang, 5.952, 238.30 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 5.981, 240.17; Don Walsh, Camaro, 5.935, 246.80 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.022, 242.10; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.907, 245.76 def. Kenny Lang, Camaro, 14.245, 61.31; Jim Laurita, Camaro, 5.927, 240.17 def. Steven Whiteley, Camaro, 5.907, 245.85;
 
QUARTERFINALS -- Matusek, 5.905, 248.11 def. Glidden, 5.939, 241.24; Coughlin, 5.845, 250.41 def. Walsh, 5.905, 225.18; Janis, 5.918, 246.12 def. Laurita, 5.891, 246.03; Rowe, 5.860, 248.02 def. V. Smith, 5.905, 242.63;
 
SEMIFINALS -- Janis, 5.900, 247.11 def. Matusek, 8.445, 111.99; Coughlin, 5.881, 250.32 def. Rowe, 5.880, 246.80;
 
FINAL -- Coughlin, 5.937, 239.14 def. Janis, 9.438, 112.11.
 
Point standings (top 10) following the delayed Pep Boys NHRA Carolina Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the eighth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series-
 
Pro Modified:  1.  Rickie Smith, 561; 2.  Mike Janis, 526; 3.  Troy Coughlin, 502; 4.  Steve Matusek, 484; 5. Danny Rowe, 462; 6.  Von Smith, 448; 7.  Pete Farber, 442; 8.  Mike Castellana, 402; 9.  Kevin Fiscus, 399; 10.  Steven Whiteley, 311.
 
First round results from the third annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park, the ninth of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
 
ROUND ONE -- Von Smith, Chevy Camaro, 5.865, 242.41 def. Steve Matusek, Camaro, 18.079, 41.54; Don Walsh, Camaro, 5.824, 250.78 def. Mike Janis, Camaro, 5.868, 246.12; Kevin Fiscus, Ford Mustang, 5.865, 248.57 def. Jason Hamstra, Mustang, 7.935, 120.16; Dan Stevenson, Camaro, 5.875, 244.92 def. Jim Laurita, Camaro, 6.786, 176.07; Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.865, 245.63 def. Bill Glidden, Mustang, 5.952, 243.33; Mike Knowles, Camaro, 7.092, 173.72 def. Steven Whiteley, Camaro, 8.179, 191.70; Todd Tutterow, Camaro, 5.973, 241.28 def. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 8.188, 114.76; Troy Coughlin, Chevy Corvette, 5.851, 250.18 def. Dave Pierce, Camaro, 8.124, 118.82.
 
Final order following three rounds of qualifying in Pro Modified at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals:
 
Psn---Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type---------------Qual-ET--Qual-Spd-Top Spd
 
  1    2 Troy Coughlin, Delaware OH, '68 Corvette       5.845  250.41  250.41
  2    6 Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills CA, '68 Camaro        5.860  248.02  248.02
  3 5200 Steven Whiteley, Grand Junction CO, '68 Camaro 5.889  248.07  248.07
  4    1 Rickie Smith, King NC, '69 Camaro              5.890  246.35  246.35
  5 1087 Jim Laurita, Morgantown WV, '68 Camaro         5.891  246.03  246.03
  6 367J Jason Hamstra, Demotte IN, '10 Mustang         5.891  243.55  243.55
  7 1456 Mike Janis, Lancaster NY, '13 Camaro           5.900  247.11  247.11
  8 2377 Von Smith, Oak Ridge TN, '69 Camaro            5.900  243.06  243.06
  9 5450 Steve Matusek, Olathe KS, '68 Camaro           5.905  248.11  248.11
10 3382 Don Walsh, Wixom MI, '13 Camaro                5.905  225.18  250.27
11 220F Kevin Fiscus, Jacksonville FL, '12 Mustang     5.918  244.52  246.57
12  303 Dan Stevenson, Bolingbrook IL, '13 Camaro      5.925  243.33  243.33
13  324 Bill Glidden, Whiteland IN, '10 Mustang        5.939  241.24  243.11
14 5011 Mike Knowles, Grand Junction CO, '68 Camaro    5.945  242.28  242.28
15  202 Todd Tutterow, Yadkinville NC, '69 Camaro      5.959  240.77  241.24
16 4262 Dave Pierce, Claremont OK, '68 Camaro          5.964  240.08  240.08
 
       ------------ Not Qualified ------------
 
17  210 Jay Payne, Claremont CA, '12 Camaro            5.984  241.67  241.67
18    9 Chip King, Semora NC, '69 Daytona              6.010  247.52  247.52
19 6967 Jim Bell, Edmonton AB, '69 Camaro              6.013  238.34  238.34
20  360 Bob Rahaim, Grosse Pointe MI, '69 Camaro       6.045  239.36  239.36
21 5087 Jim Whiteley, Grand Junction CO, '53 Corvette  6.047  237.71  237.71
22  567 Chris Juliano, Iberia MO, '67 Mustang          6.069  233.52  233.52
23    7 Kenny Lang, Grande Pointe MB, '69 Camaro       6.075  242.19  242.19
24  701 Clint Satterfield, Albuquerque NM, '68 Firebi  6.084  243.63  243.63
25    3 Mike Castellana, Muttontown NY, '69 Camaro     6.120  234.94  234.94
26 1109 Gerry Capano, Greenville DE, '63 Corvette      6.145  239.40  239.40
27  205 Kevin Rivenbark, Wallace NC, '67 Mustang       6.263  216.45  216.45
28  377 Harold Martin, New Hudson MI, '14 Corvette    20.547   34.39   34.39
29    8 Pete Farber, Baldwinville MA, '69 Daytona       DQ