NHRA Friday Qualifying Results from Reading: Countdown to the Championship, Round 1

• Robert Hight, Justin Ashley, Bo Butner and Angie Smith take early leads in Friday qualifying at Maple Grove (Pa.) Raceway.

• Hight is the NHRA Funny Car points leader and is seeking his 75th career No. 1 qualifying position.

• Hight’s teammate, 16-time world champion John Force, is second in Funny Cars after the first day.

Funny Car points leader Robert Hight opened the Countdown to the Championship playoffs in impressive fashion, powering to the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday at the 37th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship during the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

Hight continued his incredible 2022 to open the playoffs, racing to the No. 1 position with his pass of 3.867-seconds at 331.20 mph in his 11,000-horsepower Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS. Hight is seeking his fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and 75th in his career, but the points leader is also looking to add to the six wins he’s already put together. He’s been remarkably consistent throughout the season and the team’s mindset won’t change during the Countdown to the Championship as the three-time world champ looks to continue his success this year.

“We have to be aggressive and we're going to need all the points we can get,” Hight said. “You have to get your mind right because anything can happen with such a small lead. We have to pick up every point we can. It's one run at a time. That's what it's going to take to win this championship. Every point matters.

“We had a team meeting and we talked about we have six races, and we have to give it our all. We've got to put everything that really doesn’t matter to the side and focus on this car -- but you really don't have to tell this team that. They're switched on. It's exciting to be part of this, exciting to see their smiles when you come back in the pits. We'll work hard and try to get more of those points tomorrow.”

In Top Fuel, Ashley continued his success at Maple Grove Raceway, taking the No. 1 spot on Friday with a run of 3.703 at 330.55 in his 11,000-horsepower Phillips Connect Toyota dragster. In his first Countdown to the Championship appearance last season, Ashley advanced to the final round at his home track, and he opened this year’s playoffs on a fantastic note as he seeks his second No. 1 spot this season. Ashley is third to open the playoffs and will look to make up ground this weekend in Reading.

“It was a great run and going into today we thought the conditions would be there and that it would be really fast,” Ashley said. “The car felt straight and true. It went right on down there and did exactly what we wanted it to do. Especially Countdown time, those bonus points are critical, and we have a good baseline going into the weekend. You feel it in the Countdown, the energy, but you really can't change anything. You just have to go about your business the same way that you did before. If you start trying to change things, you start trying to push and I don't think pushing is ever a good idea. You have to let the race come to you.”

Racing at his sponsor’s event, Mike Salinas, who is second in points, is right behind Ashley after his run of 3.705 at 330.96. Austin Prock ran a 3.706 at 332.02 to sit third, while four-time defending world champ Steve Torrence (3.711) and Clay Millican (3.721) are fourth and fifth.