Pete Berner made the most of his final qualifying run on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway, getting a massive run under pressure during the Northeast Drags II presented by Penske.
Not qualified after two disappointing sessions on Friday in Extreme Pro Stock, Berner had a huge about-face to highlight the final qualifying session on a picturesque afternoon at Maple Grove, running an impressive 4.079 at 177.18 miles per hour to move to No. 2 heading into eliminations.
He’ll face David Schorr in a first-round matchup while John Pluchino and John Montecalvo will also meet up.
John DeFlorian stayed No. 1 for the second straight race with his 4.074.
Mike Castellana remained on top in Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified, as his 3.845 at 194.72 mph easily stood up. He’ll get Rickie Smith in a first-round matchup as the two standouts will meet in eliminations for the third straight race.
Pete Farber slipped into eliminations on his final attempt, running a 3.967 at 188.10 to get in at No. 7.
Chuck Mohn earned his third straight No. 1 qualifier in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman with a 4.093 from Friday.
Mohn will try for his first ADRL event win when eliminations begin Saturday afternoon. He will face former ADRL event winner Glenn Teets Jr. in the first round.
Todd Fontana, who ran a 4.112 on Friday, is qualified at No. 2.
Eric McKinney made a big move in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, jumping to No. 2 with a solid pass of 4.124 at 172.14 mph. No. 1 qualifier Casey Stemper (4.11) will face a first-round bye. Paul Gast also jumped up considerably, going 4.166 to create a first-round matchup with Kim Morrell. Teammates Billy Vose and T.T. Jones also meet up to kick off eliminations.
There were no major moves in Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5, where Chuck Ulsch’s 3.90 stood up to leave him as the No. 1 qualifier. Ulsch will meet Lamar Swindoll Jr. in the first round of the 8-car field. Should he win, Ulsch will have a bye run to his first finals appearance of 2012.
Paul Gast
(Photos by ADRL/Richards)
