Justin Ashley of Top Fuel won the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday at Summit Motorsports Park, putting him in position for his first top spot of 2025 at the 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional top qualifiers for the 10th of 20 races in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Selections were also made for the opening round of the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout, which will take place on Saturday. Top seed Anderson ruled out six-time champion Erica Enders, while Dallas Glenn chose Troy Coughlin Jr. Matt Hartford chose Eric Latino, and the other first-round matchup is Aaron Stanfield vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr. On Saturday, the first round of the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by the semifinals at 1:20 p.m. and the finals at 3:50.
Ashley ran 3.752 seconds at 330.88 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment dragster, holding off points leader Tony Stewart and Antron Brown as he seeks his first No. 1 qualifier of the season and seventh overall. Ashley enters Norwalk on a high note, having advanced to the final round in five of the previous six races. He was also named Top Fuel winner last Sunday in Richmond, after Shawn Langdon’s final-round run against Ashley was ruled invalid.
“Unlike previous years, I believe we have flown under the radar this year. When you look at the first nine races, we’ve had five final rounds, which is extremely difficult in today’s Top Fuel class,” Ashley explained.
“You understand, we want to win races. It’s our goal to win races, but we also want to gain momentum here, midway through the year, and ensure that we’re in a good position going into the Countdown. That was a great lap for us tonight. Tomorrow and Sunday will undoubtedly be different conditions, but the team did an excellent job overall.
Brown finished second with a time of 3.755 at 333.33, while Stewart came in third with a time of 3.755 at 327.11 following a massive engine explosion during the first session.
Cruz Pedregon of Funny Car appears to be on the verge of an impressive turnaround, and he took another step forward on Friday in Norwalk, grabbing the provisional top spot in a loaded 21-car field with a stellar run of 3.890 at 318.39 in his 12,000-horsepower Snap-On Makers and Fixers Dodge Hellcat.
That gives the veteran and two-time world champion a good chance to win his first No. 1 qualifier in more than two years, which would be a significant step forward for the team. Pedregon is currently 11th in points, but he could make significant ground if he repeats Friday’s performance over the next two days.
“We rolled the dice.” Going up there, we were either going to have a good run or see a lot of tyre smoke’, Pedregon explained. “I thought we could mess around, rip down there, and have a good run. I understand you’re probably tired of hearing me, but we’re right there.
“We just need some racing luck. It goes a long way. I’ve got a young group. My crew chief, Jason [Bunker], is a young guy, as are the majority of my crew members. Austin Prock has the Prock Rocket; we have the Bunker Buster.
Prock, the points leader and defending world champion, comes in second with a 3.900 at 331.28, while Bristol winner Ron Capps is third with a 3.908 at 325.06.
Anderson had an ideal Friday to prepare for the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout, posting the fastest time in both qualifying sessions. This included a second session pass of 6.594 at 206.78 in his HendrickCars.com/Summit Racing Equipment, as the points leader and reigning world champion continues to dominate.
Should that hold, Anderson would win his fourth No. 1 of the season and 136th of his career, but Anderson’s main focus was the confidence he’ll bring to tomorrow’s Callout. The standout, who won his 1,000th career round in Bristol, was thrilled that it had moved to Norwalk, and he’ll be looking for a repeat victory in the bonus race.
“I’ve got as much confidence as you can possibly take going into Saturday and Sunday but the truth is that in Pro Stock, cars are within .02-seconds and you never know who is going to win,” Anderson told the crowd. “We have four [KB Titan] cars in the [GETTRX Callout] tomorrow, so I’m optimistic about our chances.
“I was melting today.” We all complained about how hot it was, but overall it was a good day. My race car had two good runs. I have a race-winning horse; let’s see if I can jockey it properly.”
Glenn is currently in second place with a 6.596 at 207.15, while Matt Hartford is third with a 6.604 at 207.21.
Matt Smith closed the day with a standout run in Pro Stock Motorcycle, clocking 6.824 at 200.68 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell. It puts the six-time world champion on track for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season, and his 59th overall.
Smith led the points after the first two races, but has lost in the second round of the last two events. Friday’s run is a sign that he’s about to get back on track, and the veteran hopes it happens in Norwalk.
“We’ve gotten beat up this year with the performance of the Vance & Hines bikes,” Smith informed the press. “We’re two or three hundredths behind, but sometimes that’s enough. Today was very humid, and the air was bad, but the track is excellent, and we had some great runs. I’m number one, followed by John Hall and Ron Tornow.
“I think we’re in a good position. We stayed Monday after Virginia to improve ourselves. We tested in 101-degree heat and are focused on getting our four bikes into the top eight.”
Hall had two strong passes on Friday, including a 6.832 at 199.35, which places him second, and Tornow is third after a 6.874 at 197.88.
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park will continue with qualifying on Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
This story was first published on June 28, 2025. Drag Illustrated
