Several marks already set, even more could fall in Sunday's NHRA finals in Englishtown - MotorSportsTalk

Cruz Pedregon will have at least one more chance to set the NHRA Funny Car elapsed time record in Sunday’s first round of eliminations of the Toyota NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J.

The former two-time world champ (in photo) recorded the fastest pass down a dragstrip in NHRA history on Friday night, covering the 1,000-foot surface at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park at a time of 3.959 seconds at 310.48 mph to lead the field.

The run, the quickest ever in Funny Car, will be certified as an NHRA national record if Pedregon can post a time of 3.999 seconds or quicker on Sunday.

“We had such monster early runs yesterday,” Pedregon said in a NHRA media release. “It’s like a tiger by the tail, a snake by the tail. It was pretty aggressive.”

Pedregon lost traction in the first of two final qualifying rounds on Saturday. He was forced to miss the second round due to a mechanical malfunction when a bracket on the team’s starter prevented him from attempting the final qualifying pass, according to the NHRA.

“It was just a good-old-fashioned breakage,” Pedregon said. “It’s probably one of those things that will never happen again in my career, and it will probably not happen to a lot of people in their careers. It had freak accident written all over it.”

Even without having the opportunity to set a new record, Pedregon remained the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car heading into Sunday’s four rounds of final eliminations.

It is the 56th No. 1 qualifying position of Pedregon’s career, his fifth at Englishtown and his second No. 1 of the season. He faces Terry Haddock in Sunday’s first round round.

In other classes, No. 2 qualifier Erica Enders-Stevens set the NHRA Pro Stock national speed record with her 215.55 mph pass, the first time that a Pro Stock car has reached 215 mph.

Saturday’s qualifying sessions provided seven of the top 10 fastest speeds in Pro Stock history and 11 of the top 15.

No. 1 qualifier Allen Johnson ran the second quickest elapsed time (6.472 seconds at 214.35 mph) in NHRA history and will attempt to back it up for a new national record in Sunday’s eliminations.

“Our guys put our Magneti Marelli Dodge on kill and it stuck and we went to the top,” Johnson said of his second No. 1 qualifier of the season and 33rd of his career.

Johnson, who is seeking his fourth win of 2014, faces Chris McGaha in the first round, while Enders-Stevens, who is seeking her third triumph in 2014, will face Val Smeland.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Eddie Krawiec not only earned his second No. 1 qualifying position of the season (6.747 seconds at 198.90 mph), he also has his sites set on becoming the first PSM rider to break the 200 mph milestone.

But do does series points leader and No. 3 qualifier Andrew Hines, who set a track record with a speed record of 199.23 mph.

“Obviously it’s great to be back in New Jersey and to be running so well,” said Krawiec, former track manager at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. “Now, I just need to do my job tomorrow.”

Krawiec will face No. 16 Angie Smith in the first round, while Hines will face Adam Arana, and No. 2 qualifier Hector Arana Jr. will face Jim Underdahl.

In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta improved on Friday’s No. 1 qualifying effort with an even better 3.748 second run at 327.66 mph on Saturday.

“So far, the thing has been running strong, going consistently down the track all of our qualifying runs,” Kalitta said of his 40th career No. 1 qualifying position. “I’m just real proud of those guys and looking forward to (Sunday).”

Kalitta will face No. 16 qualifier Clay Millican in the first round Sunday.

“Conditions should be good,” said Kalitta, who is the Top Fuel points leader. “It’s a little cooler than it normally is here, so I think that’s helping everybody with the performance. It should be a fun day.”

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Here’s Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 45th Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park:

Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.748 seconds, 327.66 mph vs. 16. Clay Millican, 6.081, 108.20; 2. Richie Crampton, 3.750, 326.95 vs. 15. Dom Lagana, 3.894, 316.38; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.761, 327.27 vs. 14. Terry McMillen, 3.841, 321.19; 4. Steve Torrence, 3.777, 324.67 vs. 13. Morgan Lucas, 3.823, 319.82; 5. Brittany Force, 3.777, 324.44 vs. 12. Spencer Massey, 3.811, 320.36; 6. Khalid alBalooshi, 3.777, 322.27 vs. 11. Bob Vandergriff, 3.804, 319.75; 7. Leah Pritchett, 3.779, 321.04 vs. 10. J.R. Todd, 3.787, 321.65; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.784, 316.75 vs. 9. Antron Brown, 3.786, 319.07.

Funny Car — 1. Cruz Pedregon, Toyota Camry, 3.959, 310.48 vs. 16. Terry Haddock, Chevy Impala, 4.245, 289.51; 2. Del Worsham, Camry, 3.994, 321.04 vs. 15. Tony Pedregon, Camry, 4.167, 287.17; 3. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.014, 316.45 vs. 14. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.154, 303.64; 4. John Force, Mustang, 4.015, 310.48 vs. 13. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.080, 308.50; 5. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.017, 318.99 vs. 12. Chad Head, Camry, 4.080, 312.28; 6. Alexis DeJoria, Camry, 4.027, 314.31 vs. 11. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.071, 310.63; 7. Courtney Force, Mustang, 4.030, 319.14 vs. 10. Tim Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.055, 311.70; 8. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.048, 311.27 vs. 9. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.054, 307.65.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Mike Smith, 6.275, 107.40.

Pro Stock — 1. Allen Johnson, Dodge Dart, 6.472, 214.35 vs. 16. Chris McGaha, Chevy Camaro, 11.528, 95.41; 2. Erica Enders-Stevens, Camaro, 6.473, 215.55 vs. 15. Val Smeland, Chevy Cobalt, 8.017, 127.94; 3. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.485, 214.45 vs. 14. V. Gaines, Dart, 7.583, 157.82; 4. Jason Line, Camaro, 6.488, 214.83 vs. 13. John Gaydosh Jr, Pontiac GXP, 6.992, 199.37; 5. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.488, 214.42 vs. 12. Larry Morgan, Ford Mustang, 6.611, 208.46; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Dart, 6.489, 214.25 vs. 11. Kenny Delco, Cobalt, 6.597, 210.50; 7. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.490, 214.55 vs. 10. Vincent Nobile, Camaro, 6.512, 214.14; 8. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.503, 214.31 vs. 9. Jonathan Gray, Camaro, 6.511, 214.08.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.747, 198.90 vs. 16. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.929, 192.33; 2. Hector Arana Jr, Buell, 6.772, 198.12 vs. 15. Jim Underdahl, Suzuki, 6.929, 193.29; 3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.778, 199.23 vs. 14. Adam Arana, Buell, 6.880, 193.88; 4. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.793, 198.06 vs. 13. Shawn Gann, Buell, 6.872, 195.17; 5. John Hall, Buell, 6.803, 194.63 vs. 12. LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.862, 195.82; 6. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.810, 197.36 vs. 11. Scotty Pollacheck, Buell, 6.845, 195.34; 7. Hector Arana, Buell, 6.822, 197.57 vs. 10. Chaz Kennedy, Buell, 6.840, 196.04; 8. Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.826, 196.30 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.839, 195.73.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Elvira Karlsson, 6.947, 192.08; 18. Joe DeSantis, 6.967, 191.32; 19. Justin Finley, 6.978, 192.69; 20. Junior Pippin, 7.047, 189.84.

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Jett Lawrence remains perfect in the Pro Motocross series after recording another perfect round at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California. In his second start on a 450, Lawrence won his second National with his fourth consecutive moto win. It is getting increasingly difficult to find the right superlatives to describe the exploits on the reigning 250 West Supercross champion.

“The track was so brutal out there,” Lawrence told NBC Sports Jason Thomas. “The bike handles amazing even when it’s not too friendly. You had to be really patient; you couldn’t take too much. I didn’t eat enough before that second moto. I kind of lost energy halfway through, but luckily I could use technique and balance and just keep that flow going.”

Lawrence leaves Hangtown with an 18-point advantage over Ferrandis in the 450 Motocross standings, but perhaps more importantly, he climbed to 19th in the SuperMotocross standings and should he stay there, he has an automatic invitation to the Main events in the SMX Championship.

“On this track, you just have to manage,” Lawrence continued. “If you try to take too much and not respect the track, it will bite you very quickly. It was humbling on the first few laps. I got kicked on the cutout at the start of the third section, the tabletop going to the left. I had to get my focus because the boys were coming.”

Still in his first few races since returning from a concussion suffered at Houston in the Supercross series, Dylan Ferrandis finished second with results of third in Moto 1 and second in Moto 2. While Ferrandis was happy with the result, he remains hopeful that he will contend for victory shortly.

“The first moto was very hard for my physically, Ferrandis said. “I got arm pump and when you get arm pump your body gets tired. But I’m very happy because we made a big change for the second moto. We tried stuff every session today and in the last moto the bike was much better, but unfortunately I wasn’t sure what I could do with this bike because the track was very hard and difficult to pass.”

RESULTS: How they finished in the 450 Overall at Hangtown

With the rash of injuries at the end of the Supercross season, the podium was filled with heartwarming stories. Cooper Webb returned to action last week in Pala and failed to make the podium. He is steadily improving with a third-place finish in Hangtown. after finishing with a 4-2.

“It’s incredible what seven days can do,” Webb said. “Last week I felt like I was going to get lapped in the second moto. This week, I could see the leader. It was nice. I fought hard, learned how to suffer again there and that felt nice.

Moto 2 wasn’t pretty for Lawrence. On several occasions in the opening laps, he nearly high sided as he rode the front wheel through the ruts. The reward was worth the risk. By the halfway point, Lawrence had 4.5-second lead over Webb, who was embroiled in a tight three-rider battle for second with his teammate Aaron Plessinger pressuring him and Ferrandis ready to take advantage if those made contact.

It took 20 minutes for Plessinger to get around Webb and once he did, he trailed Lawrence by four seconds. But then, with three minutes remaining, Plessinger crashed and had difficulty restarting the bike, handing second back to Webb who has seven seconds behind Lawrence. Plessinger fell to fourth with results of third and sixth.

Adam Cianciarulo rounded out the top five with a 5-4.

Heartbreak for Aaron Plessinger as he was charging forward 💔#ProMotocross #SuperMotocross #HangtownMX pic.twitter.com/vQtKIsuhVg

— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) June 4, 2023

Last week Hunter Lawrence won the overall with a 3-1. He repeated that feat in Hangtown in an exact replica of his Fox Raceway results last week. In Moto 1, Lawrence got off to a slow start and lost 10 seconds in the opening laps. Forced to overcome a sixth-place position in the race at the end of Lap 1, he once again caught the riders ahead of him when the field hit heavy traffic. For the second week, scored another 3-1 for the Hangtown National win.

“The start was crucial’ I knew I had to go,” Lawrence told NBC Sports’ Jason Thomas. “They laid a lot of water down, so I didn’t want to be behind any longer than [I was]. First hot one of the year, was a bit of a wakeup call, so I’m happy to get out of here safe and healthy.”

Lawrence’s third-place finish in Moto 1 featured a fierce battle for final spot on the podium when he caught Spain’s Guillem Farres and France’s Tom Vialle. With Lawrence hailing from Australia, the international nature of the sport was highlighted.

Lawrence left Hangtown with a 10-point advantage over Haiden Deegan in the Pro Motocross championship battle.

Click here for 250 overall results

Justin Cooper finished second in both motos to finish second overall. Hangtown represented a huge improvement from Fox Raceway where he finished fifth overall with a 5-4 finish in the two motos. Cooper pressured Haiden Deegan in the second half of Moto 1 and he earned the holeshot in the second moto and stayed within three seconds of Lawrence in that race.

“He was following me a little bit, checking out my lines, seeing where he was better,” Cooper said. “It’s disappointing to give up the lead like that but it was way better than last weekend. I will definitely take two seconds. I want to be on the top of the step. I feel like I get close to the top step but I never get it done. That’s building up the frustration – the fire. I really want to get one of these wins, so it’s time to start digging.”

Haiden Deegan earned the first holeshot of his career in Moto 1 and rode away from the field, building a four-second lead in the opening laps. Cooper trimmed the lead at the halfway point and for a while it leveled off at two seconds. Then Cooper made another charge with three to go and closed to within a second. Deegan was biding his time, however.

“I was saving a little. I knew at the end Justin was going to try and put a charge on. I let him get up close and then sent it super hard at the end to break him a little at the end.”

Deegan’s first moto win comes in only his fourth National and he remains perfect in regard to podiums this year.

“This was a dream since I was a little kid, to win,” Deegan said. “And in my fourth race, it’s gnarly. I was just sending it. I was getting a little tired at the end becasue I left my mouth open the whole time. It’s unreal; I’m so hyped. I wanted to win bad and I proved it to you guys.”

Chaos erupted in turn 1 in Moto 2 Jeremy Martin went and another rider ran over his arm. Michael Mosiman crashed further down the track on that same lap. Both riders were helped off course by the Alpinestars Medical team.

Deegan grabs his first 250 Mx moto win!1️⃣#ProMotocross #SuperMotocross #HangtownMX pic.twitter.com/1FH5s1ZHfn

— Pro Motocross (@ProMotocross) June 3, 2023