Memphis: Martino Friday notes

With near perfect conditions prevailing during Friday's qualifying sessions for the Auto Zone Nationals, the NHRA's Pro Stock contingent seemed headed towards becoming the quickest field in the division's history. Tom Martino kept pace with two quick runs of his own, lowering his elapsed time on each attempt. His best effort of 6.898 seconds, which came with a top speed of 199.14 mph, placed the Century 21 Firebird 13th midway through qualifying. However, with two time trials remaining at Memphis Motorsports Park on Saturday and the forecast calling for continued favorable atmospheric conditions, Martino knew further improvement would be required to guarantee himself a spot in Sunday's final eliminations.

"Although we're pleased with today's performance, we still have our work cut out for us tomorrow. There are several notable cars not currently qualified, and if the forecast holds, the track could be just as fast. We're still working to get everything can out of our Century 21 Firebird. We know there more left in it, and we'll need it tomorrow. It looks like this will be the quickest field in the history of Pro Stock, and we certainly want to be a part of it."