by Candida Benson, National DRAGSTER Associate Editor

For full qualifying results, visit NHRA.com

Larry Dixon jumped to the front of the Top Fuel pack to highlight final qualifying at the 23rd annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil. John Force (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock), and Hector Arana (Pro Stock Motorcycle) remained No. 1 in their categories.

The picture-perfect conditions from Friday didn’t quite carry over to Saturday. Rain plagued the area in the morning, delaying activities until about 2:30 p.m. Though things didn’t quite begin when they were originally scheduled, officials were still able to get in both of the day’s sessions. The delay pushed the second session into the early evening, which created outstanding conditions for performance gains and big numbers. Among the highlights, fans were treated to the second-quickest and second-fastest run in Top Fuel history — Dixon’s 3.772 at 323.19 mph — and the quickest side-by-side Top Fuel passes ever when Antron Brown ran a 3.777 next to Dixon. Also, in Pro Stock, Edwards recorded the second-fastest run ever, 212.43, on his final pass, and the field upped the pace, ultimately ending with a 6.584 bump spot that made it the quickest in NHRA history.

Dixon’s 3.77 run not only put his name second on the all-time runs list, it also netted him his 41st No. 1 start. It also

Larry Dixon

continues the Al-Anabi team driver’s strong qualifying showings this season; his worst start in five events is third.

“Alan [Johnson] saw something on the track and made a last-minute adjustment,” said Dixon. “Whatever he did, it stuck. It went 286 [mph] to the 660. Cool. That’s pretty fast.

“The conditions were great, the track and the air. We did just enough to get on the pole or else Antron would be up here talking.”

Brown ended up second thanks to his 3.777, and Tony Schumacher will begin his event title defense from the No. 3 spot thanks to a 3.785 pass in the final session. Doug Kalitta, who ran a monster 322.34 speed that ranks fourth all-time, is the fourth qualifier with a 3.829. Points leader Cory McClenathan landed in the fifth position with a 3.837. Steve Torrence, Shawn Langdon, and Terry McMillen round out the quick eight.

Del Cox Jr., who only ran in the first session Saturday, was the 16th and final qualifier. Terry Haddock was unable to break into the field after he posted a 4.69 in the early session then broke on his burnout on the second pass. The most interesting match of the first round is Schumacher versus Brandon Bernstein, who has struggled all weekend.

Though the conditions were there, Force and his Castrol-backed team were unable to back up his 4.021 from Friday for a national record, but the run went untouched through both sessions, giving the 14-time world champ his 133rd No. 1 and his second of 2010.

“First run wasn’t there — it just got too warm out there — but this [second] one had it and I thought I had it,” said Force of his attempts to back up his run for the record. “We weren’t trying to run an .02, we were trying to run a .05. I made it 300 feet, and it blew [the tires] off. The front end got awful high, and it when it sat down, it hiked the front end up once and went out and hiked it again. I think it might have the wheels crooked. It sat, turned, and blew them off. We need to keep that front end on the ground. We’ll learn from it because I’ve never had a car that really carries the front end. This car, she’s an animal, a good ol’ race car, and I’m proud to drive it.

John Force

“We may get two shots at the record tomorrow, but first we need to focus on Tony [Pedregon] because he knows how to race, so I’ve got to run good. We’ll just see how far we can push it. If the conditions are right, we will go for the record first round. If you remember, I missed out [on the first four-second run] to [Chuck] Etchells in Topeka, so I ain’t making no statement. I’ve got a real good race car and a real good team, and if I can’t do it, all Robert’s got to do is step up. We’re going to try tomorrow.”

Force’s daughter, Ashley Force Hood, was the star of Saturday, running low e.t. of both sessions, a 4.089 in the morning then a 4.042 in the night session that moved her to second in the order. Force Hood’s run knocked her teammate, Robert Hight, down to third. Ron Capps improved to a 4.059 on his final run and will start from fourth on race day. Matt Hagan is a distant fifth with a 4.091, followed by Jeff Arend (4.095), Del Worsham (4.096), and Jim Head (4.097).

Tony Pedregon anchors the field with a 4.296, setting up a highly anticipated and very intriguing first-round match between him and his former boss, Force. Todd Simpson was the lone driver who was left outside the starting field when he could only muster a 4.67.

Edwards continued to show the way in Pro Stock, posting low e.t. of both of Saturday’s runs with 6.562 and 6.542 passes. Neither one eclipsed the 6.539 he posted on Friday night that earned the Penhall/Interstate/K&N-backed driver his 26th No. 1 start and his fourth in five events this season.

Edwards’ engine customer, Ron Krisher, rebounded from his unexpected DNQ in Charlotte in a big way, guiding his

Mike Edwards

Valvoline Cobalt to a 6.548 to nab the No. 2 spot. Allen Johnson earned the No. 3 starting spot with a 6.549, and Jeg Coughlin Jr., who entered the final qualifying session second, slipped to fourth even though he improved on his final pass to a 6.555. Greg Anderson began the day outside the field, but he made big gains during the day, bumping into the bottom half on his first attempt then jumping up to the fifth starting spot when he posted a 6.560 on his last run. V. Gaines (6.563), Jason Line (6.566, 211.43), and Greg Stanfield (6.566, 211.30).

Rickie Jones was the final driver to make the field, posting a 6.584 that earned him the 16th position and a first-round match with Edwards. With 26 Pro Stock teams on the property, the list of non-qualifiers was long and filled with recognizable names such as Larry Morgan, Warren Johnson, and Erica Enders, who made the field at the last event in Charlotte but came up short at her home track.

Though he didn’t better the 6.856 he recorded Friday night, Arana solidified his position as the rider to beat in Houston. Arana’s Lucas Oil Buell paced both of Saturday’s sessions with runs of 6.858 and 6.861 to sweep the bonus qualifying points for the day and bring his total for the weekend to 11, one shy of the maximum a racer can earn. This is the 10th career No. 1 for Arana and his first of 2010.

Hector Arana

“I had some spectacular runs today so I’m really pleased,” said Arana. “Yesterday, the weather was perfect, and today was supposed to be perfect. It started that way, and then there was the rain, but it turned out to be a great day. It was a higher humidity today, and the vapor pressure was up, and the water grains were definitely up, so it wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be. The track was better. If we would have had the weather conditions like we had yesterday with track conditions as we did today, who knows, you probably would have seen better numbers out there, not just me but there are plenty of bikes out there capable of running faster than I am running now.

“This is Texas, and you never know what can happen here, but I still got all my books open, and I’ll be ready for tomorrow. We’ve really been working at it hard and really been paying attention. I got to give credit to my crew guys. They’re the ones who go check the lanes hours before we even get to run so that we can make the proper call on the tune-up, and they’ve been doing an awesome job paying attention to the track and the weather.”

Arana is followed on the sheets by the Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson team of Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines. Krawiec will start race day from the No. 2 spot after posting a 6.866 in the final session. Hines was pushed back to third by his teammate when he couldn’t better his 6.870. Craig Treble moved from the bottom half of the field up to the fourth starting spot with an impressive 6.874 that ranked third overall in the final session. Matt Smith finished fifth with a 6.881 and is followed on the sheets by LE Tonglet (6.910), Michael Phillips (6.919), and Jim Underdahl (6.932).

Joe DeSantis was the lone rider who was unable to break into the field. Steve Johnson’s 7.068 put the veteran rider on the bump and gives him a first-round date with Arana. The most intriguing match of the first round is the husband versus wife battle of Matt and Angie Smith.

Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Larry Dixon          Al-Anabi Racing Dragster        3.772  323.19
   2. Antron Brown         Matco Tools Dragster            3.777  321.96
   3. Tony Schumacher      U.S. Army Dragster              3.785  321.81
   4. Doug Kalitta         Kalitta Air Dragster            3.829  322.34
   5. Cory McClenathan     Fram Tough Guard Dragster       3.837  318.54
   6. Steve Torrence       Simple Mobile Dragster          3.839  313.80
   7. Shawn Langdon        Lucas Oil/Speedco Dragster      3.860  314.24
   8. Terry McMillen       Amalie Oil Dragster             3.891  313.73
   9. David Grubnic        Kalitta Motorsports Dragster    3.916  312.71
  10. Troy Buff            Bill Miller Racing/Okuma Drags  3.936  293.28
  11. Morgan Lucas         Geico Powersport/ Lucas Oil Dr  3.939  296.63
  12. T.J. Zizzo           PEAK/HERCULINER Dragster        3.955  299.73
  13. Bobby Lagana Jr.     NTB Dragster                    3.960  306.19
  14. Brandon Bernstein    Copart/Lucas Oil Dragster       4.040  298.47
  15. Spencer Massey       Bexar Waste Dragster            4.147  295.08
  16. Del Cox Jr           LA King's/RG Industries DRA Dr  4.151  283.43
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  17. Terry Haddock        Dragster                        4.698  284.93

Funny Car:

 Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. John Force           Castrol GTX Mustang             4.021  316.08
   2. Ashley Force Hood    Castrol GTX Mustang             4.042  314.90
   3. Robert Hight         AAA of So. Cal Mustang          4.051  312.64
   4. Ron Capps            NAPA Auto Parts Charger         4.059  314.09
   5. Matt Hagan           DieHard Charger                 4.091  311.99
   6. Jeff Arend           DHL Solara                      4.095  309.98
   7. Del Worsham          Al-Anabi Racing Solara          4.096  305.84
   8. Jack Beckman         Valvoline/MTS Charger           4.097  311.63
   9. Tim Wilkerson        Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang       4.098  306.12
  10. Bob Tasca III        Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang   4.124  305.15
  11. Jim Head             Head Racing Solara              4.129  304.94
  12. Melanie Troxel       In-N-Out Burger Charger         4.176  303.64
  13. Cruz Pedregon        Snap-On Solara                  4.246  292.71
  14. Paul Lee             Jim Dunn/Canidae/Lucas Oil Imp  4.246  298.54
  15. Jeff Diehl           Rimz One Monte Carlo            4.264  291.70
  16. Tony Pedregon        Quaker State Impala             4.296  260.16
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  17. Todd Simpson         Camaro                          4.678  240.47

Pro Stock:

 Psn  Driver               Vehicle                            ET   Speed
   1. Mike Edwards         Penhall/K&N/Interstae GXP       6.539  212.43
   2. Ron Krisher          Valvoline Cobalt                6.548  211.33
   3. Allen Johnson        Mopar/J & J Racing Avenger      6.549  211.73
   4. Jeg Coughlin         Jegs.com Cobalt                 6.555  212.23
   5. Greg Anderson        Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.560  211.53
   6. V. Gaines            Kendall Oil Avenger             6.563  211.20
   7. Jason Line           Summit Racing Equipment GXP     6.566  211.43
   8. Greg Stanfield       Nitrofish GXP                   6.566  211.30
   9. Rodger Brogdon       Kent Services & Trucking GXP    6.569  211.39
  10. Shane Gray           Tire Kingdom GXP                6.571  210.64
  11. Ronnie Humphrey      Pro Stock Grills/THM GXP        6.573  211.26
  12. Kurt Johnson         Mark Christopher Cobalt         6.575  210.14
  13. Bob Yonke            Pints for Prostate GXP          6.579  210.44
  14. Johnny Gray          NTB GXP                         6.582  210.34
  15. Justin Humphreys     RaceRedi Motorsports GXP        6.584  210.08
  16. Rickie Jones         Elite GXP                       6.584  209.79
          --------- Not Qualified ---------
  17. Steve Spiess         Billet Specialties Cobalt       6.590  210.24
  18. Larry Morgan         Lucas Oil/Summit Mustang        6.600  210.01
  19. Mike Trumble Jr      Elite Motorsports GXP           6.601  209.26
  20. Warren Johnson       K&N Filters GXP                 6.606  210.14
  21. John Nobile          Nobile Racing Mustang           6.609  209.79
  22. Jim Cunningham       Cunningham Motorsports Mustang  6.623  209.26
  23. Erica Enders         Mustang                         6.624  209.23
  24. Steve Schmidt        Schmidt Competition Engines Co  6.649  208.23
  25. Mark Buehring        Park Racing\TRE Cobalt          6.708  205.63
  26. John Gaydosh Jr      Gaydosh Performance GTO         6.811  202.27