Las Vegas II: Martino Friday qualifying notes

Heading into Friday's second qualifying session for the AC Delco NHRA Nationals, Tom Martino could not downplay the significance of making a good run. As the only nighttime attempt of the weekend, it offered the best opportunity for the normally ...

Heading into Friday's second qualifying session for the AC Delco NHRA Nationals, Tom Martino could not downplay the significance of making a good run. As the only nighttime attempt of the weekend, it offered the best opportunity for the normally aspirated "factory hot rods" to secure a position in the top half of the field for Sunday's final eliminations. Taking full advantage of the conditions, Martino powered down the Nevada quarter-mile in 6.979 seconds with a top speed of 197.19 mph, placing the CENTURY 21 Pro Stock Grand Am 6th with two rounds remaining on Saturday.

"That was a pretty good run. We knew how important this session was, and were worried about making it down the track. We just wanted to slide it down, and we ended up being a little light on the clutch. We knew it wouldn't necessarily be a threat for the top spot, but the CENTURY 21 Grand Am still ran better than we thought it would. Besides letting us sleep a little easier tonight, it puts us in a good spot for Sunday. Tomorrow, we'll work on getting a good set up for race day."