Madison: Rod Fuller Friday summary

Fuller finds No. 1 spot in first day of qualifying

ST. LOUIS (June 23) -- NHRA Top Fuel driver "Hot Rod" Fuller found a hot and slippery race track to his liking on the first day of qualifying for the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois.

Tripping the quarter-mile timer at 4.606 seconds and 322.73 mph, Fuller, driving the Valvoline/David Powers Motorsports Top Fuel dragster, shot to the top of the 16-car field in the second qualifying session of the day.

"Someone said to me that we didn't do well at this race last year and my response was we didn't have [crew chief] Lee Beard last year," said Fuller, a 35-year old from Las Vegas. "It's not as hot as what we expected but it's still warm and Lee shines under these conditions. He did it last week and he's off to a good start here. I hope it's hot everywhere we go.

"The crew guys are joking about losing the No. 1 spot tomorrow because none of the No. 1 qualifiers have won this year. The way I look at it is we normally just have one night run on Friday and that's when the No. 1 qualifier is normally decided. This race we have two night sessions in qualifying and we race at night so I'd be happy to break that deal and get the first win of the year out of the No. 1 spot."

Should Fuller hold on to the No. 1 qualifier position, it will be the first time in his professional career he has qualified in the top spot. The feat would be worth $4,000 from Budweiser.

-dpm