SELECT COVERAGE BY DAY:

Qualifying Day at The Strip at LVMS was picture perfect, with gentle breezes and temperatures that weren’t at either extreme. The day ran a bit long due to a number of oildowns, but as the sun set the last cars went down the track, and everyone headed off to the PSCA Awards Ceremony to honor the 2010 class champions.

Everyone but me, of course – I’m here to bring you all the qualifying results and news, so let’s dive in!

Special thanks to our event coverage sponsor Mickey Thompson. Check out their great line of wheels and tires at www.mickeythompsontires.com.

Pro Street

The big story in the marquee class this weekend has to be Mike Maggio. In testing earlier this week he knocked off a 5-second run, and all eyes were on him today to see if he’d be able to run the number in qualifying. A 6.029 at 240.42 MPH in round 2 of qualifying gave him both ends of the Pro Street record, but all the delays worked in his favor and he was the last car of the day down the track, ripping off an-oh-so-close 6.001 at 237 and change in the cooler air. Needless to say, he’s your number 1 qualifier in Pro Street, but the 21-car field is deep with quality cars and anything can happen when they get paired up tomorrow.

Outlaw 10.5

Rick Snavely and the Garrett Turbos – sponsored Bothwell Racing team continue to set the standard for consistency in PSCA Outlaw 10.5, with the only car in the field dropping into the sixes and breaking 200 MPH in qualifying. A 6.744 at 215.24 was a quarter-second quicker and 23 MPH faster than #2 on the list, Ron Weems, but Weems had to back out of the box on his third hit Saturday afternoon, and the rest of the six car field struggled with traction in the cooler air, so the big numbers are no guarantee of success for Snavely on Sunday.

Extreme Drag Radial

XDR drew a seven-car field in qualifying on Saturday, with Brant Campbell taking top honors thanks to a 7.910 at 188.41. Right behind him was class stalwart Al Jimenez, who ran a 7.995 but carried almost six more MPH through the traps. The rest of the field remained two tenths back – the smart money in this class is on a Campbell-Jimenez final, but anything can happen in drag racing, so we’ll have to wait and see if any of the current back-markers have a little more in the trailer for Sunday.

Wild Street

David Schwartz has struggled with a lot of near-misses in Wild Street, but it seems like the mechanical gremlins are finally behind him. 7.755 at 180.55 was enough to earn him the pole position in qualifying, with Kevin Young breathing down his neck at 7.793 (and another two MPH through the traps). Eights were the rule for the majority of the rest of the 10-car field, meaning that most will have to find better than two tenths to catch the top pair in eliminations. Still, if Schwartz can confine his bad luck to the pits (a canopy blew over and donked the top of his Mustang Saturday night) he might finally have a long day of racing ahead of him instead of an early exit.

Hot Street

Only three cars contested the all-motor Hot Street class in Saturday qualifying. Vic Brum took top honors, running 8.463 at 160.04 MPH, followed by Bryan Cobbett at 8.698 and Joe Keurjikian with a 9.145. Round one tomorrow will pair Cobbett and Keurjikian to see who will run Brum in the finals.

Limited Street

Limited Street could have been called “Limited Participation”; with only three cars it will be a short day for the class on Sunday. Mark Washington earned a first round bye that will deliver him straight into the finals tomorrow thanks to his 8.470 at 162.27 that gave him top qualifying honors, while defending class champ Dana Westover and Chris Cidlek will get to duke it out first thing tomorrow to see who will take him on in the deciding round.

Street Challenge

The true-street-tire Street Challenge class drew a full 8 car field on Saturday, with Ron Shaw beating out defending champ Steve Fulgham 9.719 to 9.726 for top qualifier honors. Matt Sendejas was in third, rounding out the nine-second club with a 9.958. Three tens and two elevens completed the list, but the wildcard in that scenario is the guy with #2 on his windshield, Anthony Smith. Stuck all the way down in seventh with a best pass of 11.242, his glacial 95.96 MPH top trap speed is an indication of his struggles in qualifying. If he gets sorted out, the low qualifying position may actually help Smith with the pairings on Sunday.