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The first day of professional qualifying at the 70th annual Toyota NHRA Nationals included a single round, but it was exhilarating to the end as the sun set over Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with nitro flames flaring high. It's a new day, and there are more thrills on the horizon as the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge is set to take place. 

The Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge brings competitive racing to qualifying during regular season of events ahead of the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The semifinalists from the previous race rematch for round one of the specialty event, with the two winners pairing up to run for the glory in the final qualifying session on Saturday. Victory comes with a bonus purse as well as coveted points that come into play after the Coutndown to the Championship points are reset. 

The Top Fuel battle will see European FIA Top Fuel champion and Rookie of the Year contender Ida Zetterström and her JCM/VP Racing Fuels/Edelbrock/COMP Cams/Dodge rail go head-to-head with Brainerd runner-up Shawn Langdon and his Kalitta Air Careers dragster, while on the other side of the ladder, Brainerd winner Justin Ashley will wheel the Scag Power Equipment Toyota to the starting line for a meeting with R+L Carriers pilot Josh Hart. 

The Mission battle will also count as the second round of qualifying, and both Hart and Ashley are on the outside of the quick 16, along with Doug Foley and four-time champion Steve Torrence. Tony Schumacher is on the bump in his Leatherwood Distillery dragster, and Brittany Force and her Monster Energy rail are positioned at the top. 

In Funny Car, Chad Green, driving the Bond-Coat Ford, will have the opportunity to get a little revenge over Lucas Oil Nationals victor Blake Alexander,  who happens to be the provisional No. 1 qualifier here at the Big Go driving the Pronto Auto Service Center Ford. 

Brainerd finalist Matt Hagan, the reigning world champion in his Direct Connection Dodge, will go toe-to-toe once more with J.R. Todd and his DHL Toyota. Last race, Todd met Hagan for their semifinals match sporting a Napa Toyota body on loan from teammate Ron Capps, but he’s back in yella’ for the most prestigious race of the season. 

Today's runs will be particularly important to Hagan, who enters the day locked out of the field. Justin Schriefer is also on the outside, and Dave Richards is on the bump. 

Pro Stock points leader Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro, was one half of one of the best races on Sunday in Brainerd. He and Aaron Stanfield, wheelman of the JHG/Melling Performance Chevy, left the starting line with identical reaction times and raced side-by-side down the track. Glenn, who went on to win the Brainerd event, won their match by just .004-second. 

The other side of the Pro Stock ladder for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge features third-gen racer Mason McGaha and second-gen racer Fernando Cuadra Jr. McGaha got the nod in Brainerd to reach the third final of his career and make a valuable move up in the standings.

HendrickCars.com Chevrolet driver Greg Anderson, a seven-time Indy winner, is on the pole entered day two of qualifying, with reigning champion Erica Enders nipping at his heels. They clocked identical e.t.'s, but Anderson got the top spot because he was .10-second quicker in terms of speed. Stanfield and Glenn are No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, while Kenny Delco, Larry Morgan, Derrick Reese, Chris McGaha, and defending event champion Matt Hartford are looking to break in. David Cuadra is on the bump. 

Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors weren’t in Brainerd, the most recent event, so we flip back in time to Sonoma to draw up the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge participants. There in Northern California wine country, reigning world champ Matt Smith defeated Denso teammate John Hall in the final. Smith was unopposed in the semifinals, so his opponent will be another fellow MSR rider, Jianna Evaristo. 

Hall will race Hector Arana Jr. and his GETTRX Buell. 

There were 15 motorcycle on the qualifying sheet at the end of the first session, so no one is locked out. Today's two sessions will be about jockeying for position (as will tomorrow's two). Angie Smith and her brand-spankin'-new MSR Denso Buell are at the top for now, with Kelly Clontz aiming to improve on a troubled 16-second pass to move up from the No. 15 spot. 

In addition to the four professional categories, Indy winners will also be crowned in the Congruity Pro Mod Series, Holley EFI Factory X, FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, and nine Lucas Oil Series Sportsman categories.

2023 EVENT WINNERS: Antron Brown, Top Fuel; Ron Capps, Funny Car; Matt Hartford, Pro Stock; Pro Stock Motorcycle, Matt Smith.

MOST VICTORIES: Tony Schumacher 10, TF; John Force, Ed McCulloch 5, FC; Bob Glidden, 9, PS; Dave Schultz, 6, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.640 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept., ’22; 337.75 mph by Brittany Force, Sept. ‘22.
Funny Car – 3.799 sec. by Matt Hagan, Sept, ’17; 338.77 mph by Hagan, Sept. ‘17.
Pro Stock – 6.538 sec. by Jason Line, Sept. ’11; 211.13 mph by Mike Edwards, Sept. ’12.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.746 sec. by Gaige Herrera, Sept. ’23; 201.16 mph by Matt Smith, Sept. ‘22.

SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, August 31
LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at noon and 2:30 p.m.
GETTRX ALLSTAR CALLOUT rounds, 12 noon, 1:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m.

SUNDAY, Sept. 1
LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at noon and 2:30 p.m.
PEP BOYS ALLSTAR FUNNY CAR CALLOUT at 1 p.m.

MONDAY, Sept. 2
Pre-race ceremonies, 9 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations begin at 10 a.m.

TELEVISION
Sunday, Sept. 1, FS1 will televise two hours of professional qualifying at 1 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 1 FOX TV will televise 90-minutes of the Pep Boys Allstar Funny Car Callout at 5 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 1, FS1 will televise two hours or professional qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 2, FS1 will television two hours of eliminations at noon
Monday, Sept. 2, FOX will televise two hours of finals coverage at 2 p.m.