Dale Creasy Jr. came out of Friday qualifying ahead of Jack Wyatt (shown) in the Pro Nitro Funny Car class with a 4.952 / 294.88 blast. But Wyatt was right behind him in the No. 2 place. Wyatt would go on to win the event, but Creasy got the championship by 5 points.
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Troy Critchley knocked everyone down in Pro Mod with a 6.061 / 236.17 run at around 7:45 p.m., with a track record in speed. But that was just a preview of what was to come in this category. Pro Mod point leader Quain Stott had only a 10-point lead over Glen Kerunsky and he posted up an 11th at 6.130 / 231.40 in provisional qualifying.
Scott Cannon got the Pro Mod win.
I’ve seen some odd track entertainment at drag strips – and this includes watching Linda Vaughn holding on to a giant Hurst shifter in my impressionable youth – but I’ve never seen a precision drill team of front end loaders. The JCB Dancing Diggers were pirouetting on the return road at night and wowing the crowd. Plus there was a racing front end loader that made wheels-up passes in the 85 mph range.
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Saturday’s “Night of Fire” exceeded its billing – Pro Mod leader points leader Stott was knocked out of contention by Mike Castellana, who put up a 6.115 run. But Stott pulled a rabbit out of a hat with a 6.096 / 233.03 and got back in the field at 13th.
