HomeRace Track NewsIllinoisGateway Sells Out At Gateway For Saturday's NHRA Qualifying

Gateway Sells Out At Gateway For Saturday’s NHRA Qualifying

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Magnificent weather brought out large crowds to Gateway Motorsports Park for the 7th annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals. As a matter of fact the track sold out. It is the second year in a row that there has been a sell out at Gateway.

Click here for race action photos

 

“This event has shown three years of impressive growth. It just goes to show that the St. Louis region loves NHRA and NHRA loves the St. Louis region,” said Chris Blair, executive vice president and general manager. “In this day and age of reviewing and critiquing the live event attendance it’s great to see another win at Gateway.”

This is the ninth sold-out crowd a the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

 

 

Friday night qualifying began at Gateway Motorsports Park. Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock), and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories. This is the second of six playoff events during the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship.

 

Saturday Race Action:

Top Fuel

Clay Millican must really like racing at Gateway Motorsports. Last year Millican broke a national record with the fastest ET ever recorded in NHRA racing history.  Millican’s ET was 3.631 / 330.30 MPH. This year he followed up with a bit slower run but still a Friday Night top qualifying position with at 3.692 at 329.83 MPH. He held the top spot in Top Fuel until the very end of Saturday qualifying. Steve Torrence, the season point leader, stole the top position with a qualifying run of 3.675 ET / 327.19 mph. Torrence won last year at Gateway and hope to do it again in 2018.

“Track conditions were the best of the season thus far,” said Torrence. “It was a good qualifying effort for our team.”

 

Steve Torrence

 

01 Steve Torrence 3.675 327.19
02 Clay Millican 3.692 329.83
03 Billy Torrence 3.717 328.06
04 Blake Alexander 3.717 326.87
05 Leah Pritchett 3.718 330.96
06 Tony Schumacher 3.731 330.72
07 Antron Brown 3.750 320.58
08 Brittany Force 3.755 328.78
09 Mike Salinas 3.760 328.78
10 Doug Kalitta 3.769 323.04
11 Richie Crampton 3.774 320.05
12 Scott Palmer 3.779 323.74
13 Terry McMillen 3.796 326.32
14 Pat Dakin 3.796 322.58
15 Shawn Reed 3.812 326.24
16 Bill Litton 3.925 310.2
17 Luigi Novelli 3.930 278.69
18 Lex Joon 4.244 202.45
19 Chris Karamesines 5.717 158.26

 

 

 

Funny Car

Robert Hight grabbed the top qualifying position in the Funny Car division. Like Top Fuel, Hight captured the top spot on the very last pass of Funny Car.

“We were pushing it,” said Hight.

For Hight it was his 60th career No. 1 qualifying of his career. His run was a 3.844 ET/326.16 MPH down the Gateway straight-a-way.

His teammate, Courtney Force held the top qualifying spot but lost it temporarily to Ron Capps who finished his last pass at 3.873 ET going 327.19 MPH. Capps held the top spot for just a minute before Hight grabbed in the last run.

Robert Hight

 

POSITION DRIVER ET MPH
01 Robert Hight 3.844 326.16
02 Ron Capps 3.873 327.19
03 Courtney Force 3.881 331.04
04 Tommy Johnson Jr 3.896 327.11
05 Bob Tasca III 3.915 320.58
06 Tim Wilkerson 3.924 325.53
07 J.R. Todd 3.928 323.66
08 Jack Beckman 3.929 326
09 John Force 3.934 327.11
10 Shawn Langdon 3.943 322.81
11 Matt Hagan 3.967 320.13
12 Jonnie Lindberg 3.996 315.71
13 Del Worsham 4.001 321.73
14 Jim Campbell 4.012 297.68
15 Cruz Pedregon 4.013 301.47
16 Dale Creasy 4.060 309.06
17 Terry Haddock 4.093 287.9
18 Jack Wyatt 4.189 296.18

 

Pro Stock

Jeg Coughlin Jr. is the top qualifying position in the Funny Car division. Coughlin was leader after yesterday’s qualifying but was able to improve on his time.

“It was close to Disneyland for the Pro Stock cards today,” said Coughlin. “[Weather] impeccable conditions, we were right to improve.”

Erica Enders, former Pro Stock champion and two-time winner at Gateway, finished in second place with a pass of 6.508 going 212.53 MPH.

Jeg Coughlin

POSITION DRIVER ET MPH
01 Jeg Coughlin Jr 6.496 211.76
02 Erica Enders 6.508 212.53
03 Jason Line 6.513 212.79
04 Bo Butner 6.515 212.39
05 Drew Skillman 6.515 211.89
06 Vincent Nobile 6.516 211.79
07 Tanner Gray 6.521 212.03
08 Greg Anderson 6.527 212.06
09 Deric Kramer 6.529 211.86
10 Chris McGaha 6.532 211.99
11 Fernando Cuadra 6.547 211.53
12 Kenny Delco 6.568 210.9
13 Alan Prusiensky 6.587 208.78
14 Val Smeland 6.624 208.14
15 Charlie Westcott 6.733 205.35
16 Mark Hogan 6.769 204.6
17 Robert River 6.794 203.06

Pro Stock Motorcycle

On Saturday Chip Ellis became the top qualifier Pro Stock Motorcycle top qualifier beating out Eddie Krawiec was early weekend qualifier. It was 17th career top qualifier in his career and first time since 2015.  Ellis shot his bike down the track 6.764 ET / 196.76 MPH.

“I’ve got the easiest part,” said Ellis describing his success while praising his entire team who set up his bike.

Chip Ellis

 

POSITION DRIVER ET MPH
01 Chip Ellis 6.764 196.76
02 Andrew Hines 6.782 197.74
03 LE Tonglet 6.812 195.76
04 Eddie Krawiec 6.820 195.56
05 Matt Smith 6.824 199.61
06 Steve Johnson 6.832 196.1
07 Hector Arana 6.866 197.45
08 Hector Arana Jr 6.869 198.99
09 Angelle Sampey 6.871 195.11
10 Jerry Savoie 6.872 195.76
11 Angie Smith 6.877 193.85
12 Scotty Pollacheck 6.893 194.35
13 Joey Gladstone 6.896 193.82
14 Jim Underdahl 6.925 193.35
15 Ryan Oehler 6.930 194.1
16 Mark Paquette 6.933 191.02
17 Kelly Clontz 6.943 192.49
18 Karen Stoffer 6.982 191.02

 

Shirley Muldowney Visists Gateway

Shirley Muldowney speaks to spectators at the Gateway

Drag racing legend, Shirley Muldowney, was at Gateway Motorsports this weekend.

Muldowney was the first woman to win an NHRA national event (Spring Nationals, June 13, 1976, vs. Bob Evans) and earned three NHRA Top Fuel Dragster world championships before she retired from the sport.

 

 

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