Columbus: Doub Herbert Saturday summary

Herbert qualifies 13th, seeking third Columbus victory on Sunday

COLUMBUS, qualifying: Doug Herbert qualified for his 55th consecutive NHRA national event on Saturday at the 42nd annual Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals in Ohio. Herbert drove the Snap-on Tools Doug Herbert Performance Top Fuel dragster to a 4.617 at 316.30 mph to grab the No. 13 qualifying position for Sunday's eliminations at National Trail Raceway.

The weather for Friday's pair of Top Fuel qualifying sessions was cold with a solid cloud cover and a lingering threat of rain. Herbert shook the tires on his first run but pedaled his way into field in the No. 11 qualifying position. The second session was run at night under the lights. After the Snap-on crew quickly serviced the car, Herbert returned to the starting line. 'Dougzilla' posted a trouble plagued 4.819 at 298.67 mph in the Snap-on Tools dragster, remaining in the No. 11 spot with two qualifying attempts scheduled for Saturday.

Saturday's temperatures were in the mid 60's, with the sun out and the rain gone. The conditions were great for racing. Herbert improved his elapsed time by over two-tenths of a second on his third qualifying run with a solid 4.617 at 316.30 mph. The two-time Columbus Top Fuel champion finished the session in the No. 13 position. Like many of his competitors, Herbert shook the tires on his final qualifying attempt. He remained in the No. 13 position and will race against Cory McClenathan during the first round of Sunday's eliminations.

"We're struggling right now," offered Herbert following qualifying. "The Snap-on crew is working extremely hard to try to turn things around and we hope we can get back on track during tomorrow's eliminations and return to our winning ways here in Columbus, Ohio."

-Doug Herbert Snap-on Racing