HERBERT TURNS IN CAREER-BEST AND NIGHT’S BEST PERFORMANCE

PHOENIX – Doug Hebert turned in the best run of his career and the best Top Fuel run of the second session Friday night at the CSK Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Herbert drove the Snap-on Tools dragster to a 4.499-second pass at 330.63 mph, becoming just the 13th driver in NHRA history to record a pass in the 4-40s. If that wasn’t enough for one day’s work, the speed is the Firebird track record and the run puts him in third after two rounds of qualifying.

“To have the first 4.49 and the first 330 in my career on the same run in just the second race of the season is real good,” Herbert said. “I’m tickled pink, to say the least. This proves that our runner-up finish and solid runs in Pomona (two weeks ago during the season opener) weren’t flukes.

“I think this is proof that we are legitimate contenders to win races.”

Herbert started the day with a team meeting to talk about the positive results to start the season. The meeting was more than just usual shoptalk.

“The crew has done nothing but perform during testing and the first race of the season and I always pay out the bonuses at the very next race,” Herbert said. “Some teams only pay their guys once a month or some other kind of deal. But our guys have been working so hard and they earned these bonuses.

“We had a great meeting. We talked about the momentum that we are building and everyone got real excited. It was like a high school football team meeting before the big game. We’re ready to tackle each race.”

Qualifying continues Saturday with pro sessions at noon and 3 p.m. Final eliminations are set for 11 a.m. on Sunday. ESPN2 will air coverage of qualifying on Saturday (9 p.m. ET) and Sunday (7 p.m. ET).