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Welcome to the second day of action at picturesque Bristol Dragway, where the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals are in full swing under glorious blue skies with the promise of intensity reverberating off the Great Smokey Mountains.

Qualifying under the lights was spectacular on Friday at the eighth race of 20 on the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule, and Saturday dawned bright and inviting as competitors rolled through the gates to gear up for not only two more rounds of qualifying, but also the highly anticipated Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge.

The unique race-within-a-race pits the semifinalists from the most recent event against one another for either redemption or dejection and, most importantly, valuable points that will only come into play once the Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin. In Top Fuel, Bristol provisional No. 1 qualifier Clay Millican, for Parts Plus and Rick Ware Racing, will take on Tony Schumacher in his freshly branded Michael Waltrip Brewing Co./Leatherwood Distillery JCM Racing entry. Schumacher handed Millican defeat in their semifinals match in Epping. On the other side of the ladder, Epping winner Doug Kalitta and his Mac Tools dragster will race Shawn Langdon Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon and the Kalitta Air Careers Toyota.

Funny Car's provisional pole sitter at the Thunder Valley Nationals, Austin Prock – the runner-up in Epping – in the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet, will go toe-to-toe with Daniel Wilkerson and the Scag Power Equipment Ford. Epping winner John Force and his Peak Camaro are preparing for a first-round meeting with J.R. Todd and the DHL Toyota.

Pro Stock's Troy Coughlin Jr. and Dallas Glenn will square off in a JEGS.com vs. RAD Torque Systems battle of Camaros, and JHG/Melling Performance-backed Erica Enders and Outlaw Beer-branded Jerry Tucker will go head-to-head. Enders is also the No. 1 qualifier heading into day two in Bristol.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle match-ups will be heated as reigning world champion Gaige Herrera, aboard the RevZilla Mission Vance & Hines Suzuki Ìýtakes on rival Matt Smith, the provisional No. 1 qualifier here and the six-time world championship rider of the Denso Buell. On the other side of the ladder, Smith's wife and rider of the blazing pink Denso Buell, Angie Smith, will square off with last season's rookie of the year, Chase Van Sant and his Trick Tools White Alligator Racing Suzuki.

2023 EVENT WINNERSÌý

Justin Ashley, Top Fuel; Ron Capps, Funny Car; Erica Enders, Pro Stock; Steve Johnson, Pro Stock Motorcycle

MOST EVENT VICTORIES

Tony Schumacher, 6, TF; Ron Capps, 6, FC; Mike Edwards, 4, PS; Steve Johnson, Angelle Sampey, Jerry Savoie, 1, PSM

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.667 seconds by Steve Torrence, Oct. '21; 336.49 mph by Justin Ashley, June, '23
Funny Car - 3.843 seconds by Ron Capps, June '16; 337.16 mph by Matt Hagan, Oct. '21
Pro Stock - 6.621 seconds by Shane Gray, June '14; 209.26 mph by Bo Butner, June '16 Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.760 seconds by Karen Stoffer, Oct. 21; 199.29 mph by Eddie Krawiec, Oct. '21

NATIONAL RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. ‘19, Reading, Pa.; 338.94 mph by B. Force, Nov. ‘22, Pomona, Calif.
Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd, Minn.; 339.87 mph by Hight, July ’17, Sonoma, Calif.
Pro Stock - 6.450 sec. by Erica Enders, Mar. ’22, Gainesville, Fla.; 215.55 mph by Enders, May ’14, Englishtown N.J.

Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.627 sec. by Gaige Herrera, Oct. '23, Gainesville, Fla.; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July '21, Sonoma, Calif.

SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, June 8: Lucas Oil Series eliminations at 8:30 a.m.; Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.; Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, June 9:ÌýPre-race ceremony, 11 a.m.; eliminations begin at 12 noon

TELEVISION

SUNDAY, June 9: FS1 will televise one and a half hours of qualifying at 12:30 p.m. (ET)
SUNDAY, June 9: ÌýFS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage at 7 p.m. (ET)

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