NHRA Carolina Nationals: Saturday Results, Sunday Elmination Pairings

• Brittany Force's time from Friday carried over as the fastest in Top Fuel.

• John Force drove his way to the No. 1 spot for the 163rd time in his career.

• Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1.

Funny Car points leader John Force drove his way to the No. 1 spot for the 163rd time in his career, taking the top qualifying position on Saturday at the DeWalt NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Steve Johnson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 15th of 20 races during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season and the second race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

J. Force’s run of 3.860-seconds at 332.18 mph from Friday in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro held up, earning his third No. 1 qualifier of the season. His daughter, Brittany, joined him at the top in Top Fuel, marking the fifth time the father and daughter have shared the No. 1 spot together in their career, and the second time in the past three races. The standout Force combo both qualified No. 1 at each of the two Charlotte races this season as well. J. Force will now look for his fourth win this season taking on a loaded Funny Car ladder.

“It’s going to be tough, but it feels really good for my guys and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow,” J. Force said. “I love to see Brittany do well. She’s got a lot of my personality, she’s a good racer and I’m proud of her. It’s exciting for me to watch her excel. It’s Countdown time and now it’s time to show your stuff. There’s 5-6 cars (in Funny Car) that can take the lead and we’ll see how it goes.”

Force’s teammate, Robert Hight, stayed second in qualifying thanks to his 3.878 at 330.07 and Cruz Pedregon rounded out the top three after his run of 3.879 at 323.58 on Friday.

B. Force stayed atop Top Fuel thanks to her standout run of 3.662-seconds at 331.85 mph on Friday in her 11,000-horsepower Monster Energy dragster. It is her eighth straight No. 1 qualifier, which is the longest qualifying streak in a single season in Top Fuel history, 10th this season and 30th in her career. Force also made the quickest run in each of the three qualifying sessions for the second straight race, giving her a one-point lead over Steve Torrence heading into eliminations, where she will open raceday against Artie Allen in the first round.

“There’s nothing like getting three solid runs in down the racetrack in qualifying before going into eliminations,” B. Force said. “We feel good about it and we had solid consistent runs, and we’re looking to have a long day. For us, we want to throw down every single run and grab the best number we can, and that seems to work for our team. We have to stay focused and we’re going into this one round at a time. To share No. 1 (with her father), it’s special and something I’ll always remember.”

Mike Salinas moved up to second in the final qualifying session with a strong run of 3.679 at 314.53. Clay Millican is third after going 3.708 at 322.96. Torrence qualified fifth with a 3.739 at 321.35.

For the first time in his Pro Stock career, Stanfield is the No. 1 qualifier as his run of 6.575 at 208.59 in his Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro held up from Friday. Looking to make a big move after a second round exit in the Countdown to the Championship opener, Stanfield did that in qualifying and will take on Wally Stroupe in the first round of eliminations. Competing in his first Countdown to the Championship, Stanfield, who is third in points, is searching for his fourth win this season.

“It’s really cool and a testament to how hard these guys at Elite Motorsports work,” Stanfield said of qualifying No. 1 for the first time. “I’m the lucky one who gets to be behind this really fast hot rod and it’s been a blast. Hopefully we can carry momentum into raceday. If I can stay on my game behind the wheel and we make the right calls, hopefully we can have a long day.”