Racing icon Tony Stewart, the current Top Fuel points leader, marked a significant day in his career at Bristol Dragway, claiming his first career No. 1 qualifying position and his inaugural victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. These achievements took place during the 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

Other winners in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge included J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle). Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Brayden Davis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) earned the No. 1 qualifying spots in their respective categories at the eighth of 20 events in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In a thrilling Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge final, Stewart, driving his 12,000-horsepower Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage dragster, defeated Doug Kalitta with a strong run of 3.803 seconds at 324.05 mph. This victory ended Kalitta Motorsports' undefeated streak in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for Top Fuel this year, as they had won the first six events of the season.

Saturday proved to be a dominant day for Stewart, who also secured his first Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier with an impressive 3.755-second run at 325.77 mph during the day's first session. His consistent performance bodes well for Sunday's eliminations, where he aims to extend his remarkable streak of five consecutive final round appearances and secure his first NHRA win at Bristol. Stewart will open eliminations against Cody Krohn.

"This is great, obviously. We’ve been in the final of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and haven’t been able to finish it. Now, to win one and get our first low qualifier is big,” Stewart commented. “For our team it’s a huge accomplishment. We keep checking boxes off. We’ve got a car that is repeatable and consistent."

Stewart also acknowledged the track conditions: "We’ve got tricky conditions out here. I know a lot of work has gone on here of since last year and I appreciate the effort that Bristol has put into it. That plays into our hands. We don’t have a car that can go 3.64 or that runs 340-mph. I’m actually encouraged about last week. In Epping, we were able to throw down and we were respectable. To see what we did in these conditions, we feel like our program is just getting stronger and stronger.”

Justin Ashley qualified second in Top Fuel with a 3.762 at 330.80, and Shawn Langdon secured third with a 3.800 at 328.54 from Friday's session.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd continued his momentum, securing his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the year with a 4.004-second run at 326.24 mph in his 12,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra, defeating Jack Beckman. This victory marks another positive step for Todd and his team, led by crew chief Dickie Venables, who demonstrated solid runs in challenging weather.

Todd defeated Alexis DeJoria in the opening round of the bonus race with a 3.987 before besting Beckman in the final. This win ensures that Kalitta Motorsports has secured a victory at every Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge event in 2025.

"I’ve said all along the more runs we make the more data Dickie [Venables] can collect. You can’t learn if you don’t go down the tack. We just didn’t put a time line on it. But the car has been trying to run well for a while going back to Chicago,” Todd explained. “Today, we wanted to run better than 4.00, but stupid things happened, especially yesterday. The car is responding to what Dickie is trying to do with it. This is definitely the track with the most character. You have to fight the car from half-track on. We’ve also had to dodge the weather. Hopefully, tomorrow the weather holds off.”

Defending event winner Austin Prock continued his success at Bristol Dragway, qualifying No. 1 in Funny Car for the second consecutive year. His 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS clocked a 3.931 at 328.30. This marks Prock's third No. 1 spot of the season and 21st of his career. He will face Buddy Hull in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

"We came out today on a mission and made two nice runs. Our Q3 run was incredible,” Prock stated. “The success rate in the right lane was small but we went to the top. We ran low [E.T.] of both sessions, picked up six points, and had low E.T. and that makes us feel good going into Sunday. Last week we had more of an edge. This time, there are a lot more cars close to us and the ladder stacking is tight. We had all four seasons here today. The weather changed every five minutes. It’s tricky but I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Alexis DeJoria qualified second in Funny Car with a 3.948 at 328.14, and Ron Capps' Friday run of 3.960 at 324.51 placed him third.

In Pro Stock, Aaron Stanfield's Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory, achieved with a 6.668-second run at 204.85 mph in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage car, represented a significant step in Elite Motorsports’ turnaround. Stanfield narrowly edged out Matt Hartford, who was vying for his fourth specialty race win in five events.

"This does feel good. It’s the first thing we’ve won all year,” Stanfield said. “That was a really good race against Matt and it shows how hard the Elite guys have worked and how much they’ve sacrificed. Hopefully we can get a little momentum rolling. Our guys are getting us to within fighting distance. This meant a lot. To win the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, it looked like we’d won the whole race. We’re close enough to do some damage. We just need to keep working.”

Dallas Glenn maintained his No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Stock, earning the GESi Pro Stock No. 1 Qualifier Award with his Friday run of 6.645 at 205.60 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. This is Glenn's seventh career top qualifier, and he will look to add a fourth win to his season as he opens eliminations against Fernando Cuadra Jr.

"Our last run was a really nice run but we’re still just picking away at it. The conditions are tricky so it was great to go out on the last one and put down a really solid run. We put about .018-second on the field and that’s pretty substantial in Pro Stock. I knew it was on a good one, and I just tried not to mess it up,” Glenn commented. “After so many runs, you can tell when you’re on a good one. It picks the front end up and sets you back in the seat, and then when you hit the first couple of shift points, which are the most critical, you know it’s going to be good, and that one was.”

Greg Anderson is second in Pro Stock with a 6.652 at 205.98, and Hartford is third with an identical 6.652 at 203.98.

Brayden Davis continued his impressive weekend in Pro Stock Motorcycle, securing his first career No. 1 qualifier in only his second NHRA start. His standout run of 6.834 at 197.59 on a Powertrain/RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki was the best of the day.

"It’s hard to even believe to come out here and run with the best of the best,” Davis shared. “Coming in here, I knew I had a good bike, and it was left up to me to see how well I could ride. Honestly, before my first run, I was nervous. Me and Andrew [Hines crew chief] are getting closer. Before the last pass, he said it’s going to hit me a little harder, and if it makes it you’re going to the top. I definitely could feel the difference. It’s going to be a dogfight tomorrow and I’m ready for it.”

Teammate Richard Gadson is second with a 6.859 at 197.62, and Matt Smith is third with a 6.871 at 199.46.

Two-time world champion Gaige Herrera won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the second time this season in Pro Stock Motorcycle, running a 6.891 at 196.30 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Steve Johnson. Herrera also expressed excitement about Davis's success: "It’s awesome seeing him doing so well. I might be taking that bike back for tomorrow. He’s young and doing a phenomenal job. For Brayden to qualify No. 1 and me to get the Mission win, it’s awesome for the whole Vance & Hines team. It’s amazing what our guys are able to do with three different bikes.”

Eliminations for the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals are scheduled to begin at noon ET on Sunday at Bristol Dragway.

1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.907, 196.53 vs. 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.967, 192.91

2. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.911, 195.48 vs. 9. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.967, 193.79

3. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.941, 190.89 vs. 8. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.952, 194.52

Tony Stewart, 3.803 seconds, 324.05 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 11.082 seconds, 86.78 mph.

J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.004, 326.24 def. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 5.387, 137.75.

Pro Stock Challenge Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.688, 204.85 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.685, 203.55.

Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.891, 196.30 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, Broke.