Three-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps secured his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the 2026 season on Saturday at the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock), and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also earned No. 1 qualifiers in Rockingham.
Smith earned her fourth No. 1 of 2026 on her Denso Auto Parts Buell after her 6.674 at 201.61 stayed best of the field. She will have bye run during the opening round and will be on the hunt for her second win of the season.
“A bye run [in round one] is everything to us in the Countdown because it’s one more test run that we have,” said Smith. “You can go up there and test your reaction time, you can maybe test something that you think might work, and you get one pass at the track where there’s nobody else in the other lane, so that means everything to us, especially in the Countdown.”
Two-time world champion Gaige Herrera finished second with a 6.680 at 202.07 and will race Lance Bonham while six-time world champion Matt Smith, Angie’s husband, finished third with a 6.681 at 204.17 and will face Marcus Hylton.
Eliminations for the NHRA Nationals at The Rock begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at Rockingham Dragway.
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