Edwards Eeks in to Reclaim Top Spot in NHRA Pro Stock Qualifying at St. Louis
- May 6, 2010
With only one blemish in an otherwise perfect number one qualifying record that stretches all the way back into the middle of last season, Edwards' Penhall/K&N Pontiac GXP continued to look as if it would stay almost unstoppable for the near future coming as the teams rolled into the most recent stop on the 2010 NHRA tour at Gateway International Raceway, just outside St. Louis, Missouri. An event that, according to the forecast looked as if it could have shortened qualifying sessions, had teams tightening their belts during each session treating them all as they could be their last for the race. Qualifying for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals started off with Edwards in his familiar top spot, posting a 6.644, almost a full two-hundredths of a second on the closest team in the field. That run would be the only hit Edwards and his team would get to make on Friday. During the second session of Pro Stock qualifying, the skies opened and all activities for the remainder of the day were cancelled and teams that did not get to make their scheduled run were not allowed the time to make them up. When the classes got back on the track Saturday, Edwards was bumped from the number one spot by Rodger Brogdon, a fairly new comer to the class, when Rodger laid down an identical 6.644 ET and a 208.01 MPH, which because of the higher MPH, trumped Edwards' first session effort. After not making it through the quarter-mile under power during the third session, Edwards struck back during the final qualifying shot to deny Brogdon his first number one for a little while longer, just edging him out by a mere four-thousandths of a second, by posting a 6.640. Qualifying position is extremely important to every team in all NHRA professional categories. Not only for placement on the ladder for race day and the extra championship points that are available for the top three, but for the Pro Stock category there is an extra incentive to come out on top, The K&N Horsepower Challenge. As the largest single payday in all of NHRA Pro Stock competition, teams work diligently from June to June to garner every qualifying point they can to achieve one of the eight spots in the elite race-within-a-race, held during the NHRA National Event at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Edwards securely holds down the number one seed as well as several other drivers to their spots. The top seven points earning drivers with the eighth selected by fan vote, will square off for the $50,000 payday June 24-27. The Challenge is not just for the racers, but again in 2010 K&N has the added bonus for eight special fans by continuing the K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes. There is still time to enter for your chance to win and vote for your favorite NHRA Pro Stock competitor. For all the details on the K&N Horsepower Challenge Sweepstakes and to enter visit - K&N Sweepstakes Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
