Drag Illustrated Issue 135, August 2018 | Page 17

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS California-based Top Fuel driver Mike Salinas blasts off the Thunder Valley starting line in his independently funded Scrappers Racing entry during the second qualifying session at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Tuned by crew chief Doug Kuch and tuning consultant Alan Johnson, Salinas would record a 3.917-second pass at 314.97, ultimately good for the No. 8 spot in the 16-car field. He went on to defeat Leah Pritchett, Clay Millican and Scott Palmer on the way to his first-ever NHRA Top Fuel final round, where he fell to eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher. Photograph by Jeremy Patterson Bristol Dragway | Bristol, Tennessee | Friday, June 15, 2018 August 2018 DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 17