Another class on the move in Joliet was ProCharger EFI Renegade, with more than 16 cars taking laps in qualifying. The best of the bunch was Brian Tuten, running the quickest Renegade pass of the weekend with an 8.656 at 152.33 mph to claim the top spot. When eliminations had narrowed the field to the final pair, defending champ Brian Mitchell would be scheduled to face nitrous hot-shot Tony Orts, but a no-show gave the Route 66 win, and a very helpful boost in the points chase, to Mitchell unopposed.
Nobody was happier about the mild temperatures and sticky track than the racers in the naturally-aspirated Edelbrock Hot Street category – Roush Performance engine builder Ben Mens took advantage of the good air to turn an 8.801 at 152.40 mph on Friday evening that would stand as both the top qualifying mark, and the quickest Hot Street ET of the meet. In eliminations, Mens rose through the ranks to square off against perennial class superstar Charlie Booze, Jr., and once again, attrition caused by the extra passes to reduce the field to the last pair took its toll. While Booze still had a bit left in his bag, Mens left before the tree came down and gave away the winner’s laurels without a fight.
A mid-season rule change aimed to level the playing field between blown and turbocharged entries in BFGoodrich Tires Drag Radial, 
but defending champ John Kolivas wasn’t having any of it. Rather than put the mandated 100 pounds on his car to go with the existing 88mm turbo, with just two weeks to prepare he switched to an 85, got the car down to the minimum allowable weight, and proceeded to take the top qualifying spot with an 8.099 at 173.14 mph. Though Kolivas was the quickest man on Drag Radials in Joliet, he wasn’t the fastest – fellow turbo racer Kevin Fiscus ran through the traps at an unprecedented 177-flat on his way to meet Johnny K in the finals. Kolivas, always murder at the tree, pegged a .073 reaction, but Fiscus wasn’t giving up much with a .115 of his own. Down-track, though, Kolivas pulled farther ahead, running 8.107 to Fiscus’ 8.477 and once again proving that if there’s a way to stay fast, he’ll find it.
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Last year, 5.0 Magazine Real Street racer Bruce Hemminger had to attribute at least a little bit of his Super Bowl success to the miserable heat and humidity – his nitrous combination meant he was bringing his own atmosphere to the track. This time, his competition had one less excuse as Hemminger earned the top spot despite the much-improved conditions with a 9.944 at 133.57 mph. Hemminger leveraged the top spot on the ladder into a trip to the finals, where he met number two qualifier Jim Breese. Despite losing the razor-thin .048-to-.090 holeshot to Breese, Hemminger jumped to a short-end lead and held on to win, running 9.865 at 139.33 to Breese’s 9.919 at 136.14.
In qualifying, the spotlight in Tremec Pure Street was on Bad Brad Meadows, thanks to his field-leading 10.359 at 128.14 mph. Once the dust had settled in eliminations, though, the racers to watch were defending class champion “Grandpa” Ron Anderson, returning to battle after a three-race absence, and Jimmy Wilson, who turned his number four slot in qualifying into a trip to the deciding match. Unfortunately for Wilson, a heartbreaking 
-.001 foul start in the final lit the red bulb and meant he wouldn’t be able to prove he was quicker than Anderson, relegating him to runner-up status.
K&N Filters Factory Stock is heating up this year, with four different winners in as many races. One thing that’s stayed rock-solid is who’s the quickest guy in the class come the end of qualifying – Steve Gifford extended his season-long streak with another pole position, earned with an 11.472 at 118.21 mph. Unfortunately for Farmer Steve, once again he’d be shut out of the finals, with Jeff Schmell and Alan Cann duking it out instead. A .097-to-.122 holeshot in favor of Schmell set the tone immediately, and with an 11.516 to Cann’s fading 12.078, it was Schmell ahead at the stripe and on to the Route 66 winner’s circle.