Ashley Force Hood leads Funny Car qualifying at Englishtown.

RacinToday.com

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Ashley Force Hood (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock), and Craig Treble (Pro Stock Motorcycle) paced their respective fields during the opening day of action at the United Association NHRA SuperNationals, the 11th of 24 races on the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series schedule.

Force Hood is very familiar with the top spot in the flopper class; she enters the Englishtown event with three No. 1 starts — Atlanta, Bristol, and Topeka — in the last five events. Surprisingly, Schumacher has not yet qualified No. 1 this season, but he is well on his way to doing so after he led both of Friday’s sessions. Johnson and Treble are also seeking their first top starts of the 2009 season.

Though he has three wins this season, Schumacher is lacking a No. 1 start, but after a strong Friday showing in Englishtown, it looks likely that will change. After opening the day with a 3.932 that was best of the first Top Fuel session, Schumacher wheeled his U.S. Army dragster to a 3.818 in the night session to take the top spot heading into Saturday.

Larry Dixon is second with a 3.836, and Schumacher’s teammate Cory McClenathan sits third with a 3.844. Morgan Lucas, Antron Brown, Brandon Bernstein, Clay Millican, and Shawn Langdon are fourth through eighth, respectively. Joe Hartley holds the 12th and final transfer spot with a 4.062.

Terry Haddock, Steve Chrisman, and Rit Pustari were unable to break into the top 12, meaning they will need to make a run Saturday to qualify for Sunday’s eliminations.

Force Hood is once again the leader of the pack in the Funny Car class, pacing both of the first day’s sessions with runs of 4.259 and the 4.079 from her Castrol GTX Mustang that gave her the No. 1 spot. Her 4.07 was nearly four-hundredths quicker than the rest of the field with teammate Mike Neff’s 4.110 holding down the second spot.

Chicago champ Tony Pedregon nabbed the third spot with a 4.142, and Robert Hight carried his performance from a get-well weekend in Chicago over here with a 4.148 that places him fourth. Bob Tasca III, Del Worsham, Tim Wilkerson, and Jim Head round out the top eight. While his other three team cars excelled Friday, John Force struggled a little, mustering a best of 4.445 that put him 12th.

Matt Hagan, Jerry Toliver, Jack Beckman, and Cory Lee, who is making his first start of the year, enter Saturday not qualified.

In Pro Stock, Johnson stole the thunder from Mike Edwards, a six-time low qualifier this season who led after the first session, when he ran a 6.607 with his Mopar-backed Dodge to nab the top spot after two of four qualifying runs this weekend.

Edwards displayed a bracket-like consistency during Friday’s two runs, posting 6.610s on both passes to secure the second spot. Ron Krisher’s 6.629 gave him the provisional No. 3, while Warren Johnson sits fourth with a 6.639. Greg Anderson (6.642), Kurt Johnson (6.642), Greg Stanfield (6.650), and Rickie Jones (6.653) round out the quick eight. Larry Morgan’s 6.665 was 12th best on the day, giving him the final spot that will transfer over to Saturday.

Johnny Gray, David Beckley, and V. Gaines are among the 10 racers who enter Saturday not qualified.

Treble, a winner in Houston and runner-up in Madison this year, moved local favorite Eddie Krawiec out of the top spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle when he wheeled his Suzuki to a 7.008 in the final session of the day. Krawiec, who was once a manager at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, led after the opening qualifying runs, but he could only improve to a 7.019, giving the provisional No. 1 to Treble, who is racing with support from Honda of Kingston, N.Y., this weekend.

Michael Phillips follows Treble and Krawiec on the sheets with a 7.042. Steve Johnson is fifth with a 7.049, followed by Karen Stoffer (7.050), Doug Horne (7.053), Matt Smith (7.065), and Shawn Gann (7.069). Junior Pippin is the final racer whose time will transfer to Saturday after he clocked a 12th-best 7.102.

Mike Berry, Joe DeSantis, Wesley Wells, and Bailey Whitaker did not make the top 12 during Friday’s two sessions and will need to make a run Saturday to make the field.

On Saturday, June 13, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 7 p.m. ET. On Sunday, June 14, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise NHRA Race Day presented by Lucas Oil, the 30-minute pre-race show, at 12 p.m. ET and three hours of eliminations at 10 p.m. ET.

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. – Results Friday after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 40th annual United Association NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, 11th of 24 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.  Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.