Bennie McDonald Jr. missed the cut with his PSI-blown '54 Corvette, running a best of 4.286 at 160.36 mph that placed him 12th of 20 entries in Pro Extreme. Part of a true family racing team, McDonald was accompanied at the track by his father, Bennie Sr., eight-week-old son Benjamin, as well as his wife and his mother, who helped back him up after each burnout.

This box-o-junk was all that was left after the front universal joint on Rex Kelley's Corvette let go during his first qualifying attempt. "It tore up the interior sheet metal and broke the reverser and driveshaft loop," Kelley said. "That loop did its job, though; it kept the driveshaft away from me. It's been a long time since anything got my attention like that."

Local racer J.T. Thompson got into the Pro Nitrous field in seventh place, pairing him up against Johnny Pilcher in round one. Thompson stepped up to run 4.518, his best time of the day, but it was no match for the 4.367 by Pilcher.