Pruett, Vandergriff, and Anderson Take Provisional No. 1 Spots at Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals

Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock drivers lead qualifying at historic Pomona event

Apr. 11, 2026 at 3:39pm

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Top Fuel's Leah Pruett, Funny Car's Jordan Vandergriff, and Pro Stock's Greg Anderson took the provisional No. 1 qualifying spots on Friday at the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Pruett set the pace in Top Fuel with a 3.724-second pass at 329.75 mph, Vandergriff impressed in his third career Funny Car start with a 3.951 at 327.90 mph, and Anderson continued his success at the historic Pomona track with a 6.544 at 209.39 mph in Pro Stock.

Why it matters

The Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals is one of the most prestigious events on the NHRA calendar, and taking the provisional No. 1 spots at this race is a significant accomplishment for these drivers. Pruett, Vandergriff, and Anderson are all looking to build momentum early in the 2026 NHRA season, and strong qualifying performances at Pomona could set them up for success in the races to come.

The details

In Top Fuel, Pruett's 3.724-second pass came on the final run of the day, putting her on top of the field. Josh Hart and Shawn Langdon sit second and third, respectively. In Funny Car, Vandergriff's 3.951-second run was the quickest of the session, and he leads Alexis DeJoria and Ron Capps. In Pro Stock, Anderson's 6.544-second pass was the quickest of the day, and he leads defending world champion Dallas Glenn and Greg Stanfield.

  • Pruett set her provisional No. 1 time on the final pass of Friday's qualifying session.
  • Vandergriff's provisional No. 1 Funny Car run came in just his third career start in the category.
  • Anderson is the defending event winner at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Pomona.

The players

Leah Pruett

A Top Fuel driver for Tony Stewart Racing who is looking to build on her success from the 2025 season, including a runner-up finish at the season-opening Gatornationals.

Jordan Vandergriff

A young Funny Car driver for John Force Racing who is making a rapid climb in the category, earning his first career provisional No. 1 qualifier in just his third start.

Greg Anderson

A six-time Pro Stock world champion who has won 16 times at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, the most of any driver in the category at the historic Pomona event.

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What they’re saying

“What we're seeing today is the cohesiveness of our whole team, the collaboration that has happened over the last year and a half. Tony's [Stewart] competitiveness last year shows how this team has gelled so well and worked really, really hard.”

— Leah Pruett, Top Fuel Driver

“This is definitely a new experience for me. I've never been in this position before, but I'm happy to be here. Coming into this race, I just had a feeling we were going to do well.”

— Jordan Vandergriff, Funny Car Driver

“We come here and we got a decent racetrack that we're all used to. The grip numbers are back up where we're used to, and you can run fast.”

— Greg Anderson, Pro Stock Driver

What’s next

Qualifying will continue on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT, and the drivers will look to solidify their positions at the top of the field ahead of Sunday's final eliminations.

The takeaway

The opening day of the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals saw some of the sport's biggest stars take the provisional No. 1 spots, setting the stage for an exciting weekend of racing at the historic Pomona facility. Pruett, Vandergriff, and Anderson will all be looking to turn their provisional poles into event wins as they aim to build momentum early in the 2026 NHRA season.