Season leader Ashley Force Hood tops Funny Car qualifying in NHRA Virginia Nationals

Force Hood leads Funny Car qualifying

DINWIDDIE, Va. — Ashley Force Hood solidified her status as the Funny Car points leader with a 4.094-second pass at 307.79 mph to secure the provisional pole Friday on the first day of qualifying for the NHRA Virginia Nationals.

Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) also led their divisions in the fourth race in the NHRA’s six-race playoff.

Force Hood, who leads all Funny Car drivers with five No. 1 qualifiers already this season, is bidding to become the first woman in the history of the ultra-competitive Funny Car class to win an NHRA Full Throttle Series championship.

McClenathan, who began the weekend 93 points behind Tony Schumacher in third place, claimed the provisional No. 1 with a 3.815 at 318.24.

If nothing changes in Pro Stock on Saturday, Edwards (6.606 at 209.26), who began the race with a 78-point lead in his quest to win his first NHRA Full Throttle Series championship, would collect his NHRA-leading 14th No. 1 qualifier of the season.