NHRA Friday Qualifying from New England: Leah Pruett Leads Top Fuel Field

Leah Pruett put together an impressive run in the heat on Friday at New England Dragway, rolling to the provisional No. 1 position in Top Fuel at the NHRA New England Nationals.

Funny Car’s Chad Green is also a provisional No. 1 qualifier at the seventh of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Pruett went 3.856-seconds at 319.37 mph in her 11,000-horsepower Rush Truck Centers dragster for Tony Stewart Racing, making one of only a trio of three-second runs in the class on Friday. Pruett is after her first No. 1 qualifier this season and 14th of her career, as well as her first victory of 2023 and at New England Dragway.

The standout performance on Friday also puts Pruett in a good position for Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, where she will take on Josh Hart. It’s the third appearance in the bonus race for Pruett, who will try to pick up her first victory. The other matchup on Saturday features defending world champ Brittany Force and Chicago winner Clay Millican, with the two victors meeting up to close out Saturday qualifying in what is expected to be dramatically different conditions.

"That 3.85, as we all know, is not going to stay No. 1. That wouldn't have even qualified at our last race,” Pruett said. “This particular track and these conditions are basically getting everybody to maximize their adaptability, and that shows with us being No. 1. Our crew chiefs are currently in the system of learning the new program, and there is finding this middle ground, and going slower is actually a lot harder than going fast. We'll work on that tomorrow."

Green made the best pass on a warm track on Friday in Funny Car, going 4.100 at 310.98 in his 11,000-horsepower Bond-Coat, Inc. Ford Mustang. If it holds, it would be Green’s first career No. 1 qualifier as he continues to enjoy a breakout season in 2023. Green is currently sixth in points and already has nine round wins this season, plus a victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in Pomona.