Rod Fuller, who leads the NHRA Top Fuel standings in his un-sponsored dragster, used a tune-up from crew chief Rob Flynn to clock a run of 4.566 seconds Friday afternoon at Heartland Park Topeka to grab the provisional No. 4 qualifying position.
Behind the wheel of his all-white David Powers-owned dragster, Fuller blistered the Heartland Park quarter mile at 4.566 seconds at 321.42 mph to finish fourth in the Top Fuel order after the first qualifying session. He has qualified no lower than third all season long and has an average starting position of second. Friday’s final qualifying attempt was canceled.
“We were playing it conservative, ” Fuller said. “We looked at the radar and expected the rain. We didn’t want to take any chances. We ran a mid-4.50 and we’re in (the show). I’m not disappointed with that. Getting in is the focus and we made it. ”
Top Fuel qualifying continues with sessions scheduled for Noon and 2:30 p. m. (CT) on Saturday afternoon at Gateway Int’l Raceway. ESPN2 will air two hours of qualifying coverage from 5:30-7:30 p. m. (ET) on Saturday evening.
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