Another good qualifying run has Shane Gray excited about Reading eliminations

READING, PA – Shane Gray continued an impressive streak with his Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro in qualifying for the Dodge NHRA Nationals on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway.

Gray secured the No. 4 spot in Reading, extending his streak to 15 consecutive races where he has qualified in the top half of the field, and in the last four races, he has qualified fourth or better.

“That’s pretty cool,” Gray said. “It says a lot about our engine shop and how hard those guys have worked this year. We would have loved to have gotten in another run to try and go even quicker, but Mother Nature had other ideas.”

The first two scheduled rounds of qualifying were rained out Friday, and Gray’s pass of 6.584 seconds at 210.77 mph in the first session Saturday put him in the No. 4 position. Wet conditions then wiped out the second session, setting the 16-car field after one qualifying run.

“NHRA and the Safety Safari did the best they could in dreary conditions,” Gray said. “It’s just too cool and too damp to run. These cars are a handful anyway, but to drive them when it’s this damp is nearly impossible. NHRA made the right call to cancel that session. We’ll tee it up and go for it tomorrow.”

Much better weather is expected for Sunday’s eliminations, with temperatures around 70 degrees and only a slight chance of rain. Gray will square off with Gray Motorsports engine customer Alex Laughlin again, after the St. Louis winner qualified No. 13 with a pass of 6.950 at 161.30 mph. Gray and Laughlin have met in each of the last three races, with Laughlin winning the last two.

“It’s time for a little payback, don’t you think?” Gray said. “No, we’ll race him heads-up and see what happens. He certainly didn’t make the run he’s capable of today, but we know that car is fast. St. Louis certainly showed that. He’s got some confidence from last weekend, so it will be a tough race.”

Gray moved up to fifth in the Pro Stock standings after a semifinal finish in St. Louis. Reading marks the halfway point of the Countdown to the Championship, with three races remaining after this weekend.

Pro Stock eliminations start at 1 p.m., Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will broadcast the action live from 2 to 5 p.m., Sunday. (All times listed in ET).