BRADENTON, Fla.  Ken Quartuccio followed up his runner-up finish at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks by grabbing the provisional No. 1 spot at the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission.

Competing in the second of three races in the inaugural Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service, Quartuccio laid down a blistering 3.572-second pass at 211.36 mph in Fridays first and only qualifying session.

Dropping temperatures forced the cancellation of Fridays second qualifying session, making Quartuccios pass in M&M Transmission Pro Mod presented by FuelTech and PJS Racing all that more important, as he leads a field of nearly 70 Pro Mods. Dmitry Samorukov sits on the 32-car bump spot with a 3.739.

In addition to the headlining Pro Mod class, the U.S. Street Nationals is also the second race of the 2024-25 FuelTech Radial Outlaws Racing Series. Provisional No. 1 qualifiers in the radial classes are Grantley Schloss in PST Driveshafts Pro 275 presented by Pro Line Racing, Matt Bell in Energy Manufacturing Limited Drag Radial presented by Callies Performance, Jeff Miller in Motion Raceworks X275 presented by Precision Turbo & Engine, Shawn Pevlor in TRZ Motorsports Ultra Street presented by Innovative Racecraft, and Jimmy Harris in SP Tools Limited 235 presented by ICE Ignition.

Walter Lannigan Jr. is currently qualified No. 1 in TBM Brakes Outlaw 632 presented by Rife Sensors.

Quartuccio continued his strong Winter Series performance at Bradenton Motorsports Park, with his 3.572-second pass narrowly edging out Jason Scruggs 3.579. Quartuccio, piloting a screw-blown 69 Camaro out of the Scott Tidwell Racing camp, is still fresh off a final-round appearance at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and second in points to Snowbirds winner Kye Kelley.

Upon returning home from the Snowbirds, the team found the issue that caused his car to drift toward the centerline in the final round and came into Bradenton confident they could pick up where they left off. Quartuccio and Kelley would face off again in Q1, with Quartuccio taking the win and getting a small measure of revenge.

We took the car back after Snowbirds and found something bent in the rear suspension, so we fixed that, said Quartuccio. The part that was bent is what caused me to drive right in the final round. We decided today we knew wed be last pair to leave the same tune-up in it from that final round. [Tuner] Steve Petty made some corrections for the air and stuff like that, but the basic idea was our final-round tune-up. To be honest, as cars ran, I was getting a little nervous and thinking with so many cars going down the track, what if we lose the track and it might not take it? But the team felt good about it, and the car did exactly what it should. It worked out nice.

Despite weather preventing test sessions for the majority of the week, Quartuccio remained confident heading into Friday. That confidence is well-founded, as he has had an amazing amount of success at Bradenton Motorsports Park, most recently winning Pro Mod at the 2023 U.S Street Nationals, and runnering up at both the 2024 U.S. Street Nationals and Snowbird Outlaw Nationals.

Historically, I run really good here, Quartuccio said. Ive won a ton of races here. I came here for the first time in 1992 and ran Pro Mod off and on through the years, and won 6-7 times in a row in Outlaw 632, then we won in Pro275 and other classesbut this is like my home. Whenever Im not doing good, I come here and run. And whenever I runner-up at Snowbirds, I usually win at U.S. Street.

I was actually glad there was no testing, Quartuccio continued. I knew it would hurt some of the other teams more than it would hurt us. We werent really planning on testing anyway. It just really held everybody back a couple runs, and I think thatll come to our advantage.

With cool temperatures forecasted again for Saturday, Quartuccio believes there is zero chance his 3.57 will hold up throughout qualifying. And with 68 other drivers shooting for the top spot, theres a good chance his prediction will come true.

I would make a bet that the handcuffs are off now, said Quartuccio. The turbo cars know what they can do, and I believe that Mark Micke, as good as he is, Id be surprised if he doesnt go 3.55. And we plan on going faster in the morning, and I think that will dictateI mean, none of its going to matter for Sunday, because its going to warm up and be a totally different track.

Quartuccio has not only put himself in a great spot for this weekend, but also for the Winter Series points championship. Currently sitting in second place behind Kelley, Quartuccio is once again positioned to make a strong push towards the $25,000 awarded to the series winner, an accomplishment he desperately wants

To me, all the other series championships are great, but this is really what you judge yourself against, Quartuccio said. If you run good in the Winter Series, that means as a driver youre on par with everyone youre racing with. So as a driver, it helps the confidence level I like where Im at. But I also hope the other drivers know how good we run here, and thatll help us a little bit. Going into the World Series of Pro Mod, I think well be in a pretty good spot.

Jason Scruggs sits in the No. 2 spot with a 3.579 at 211.49 mph in his screw-blown 2020 Camaro. Mark Micke, who won the 2024 U.S. Street Nationals, laid down a 3.599 at 219.36 mph, the fastest speed of the session, to end the day in the third spot. Travis Harvey is currently fourth with a 3.600 at 211.73, while Kelley rounds out the top five with a 3.601 at 209.49 in his third-gen Camaro named Cant Get Right. Twenty-eight of the 32 cars currently qualified are in the 3.60s, while Dmitry Samorukov sits on the bump spot at 3.739.

Australias Grantley Schloss was the only driver who made a representative run in the first Pro 275 qualifying session. He ripped off a 3.736 at 203.25 in his ProCharged 67 Nova, while drag radial veteran Brad Edwards was the next closest with a 4.252 at 147.55 in his turbocharged 97 Cobra. New Yorks Paul Major went to the third spot in his turbocharged 01 Corvette with a 4.823 at 106.87. Ten other drivers plus more who didnt light the boards in Q1 will attempt to make strong passes on Saturday.

Twenty-four Limited Drag Radial drivers took to the track for the first qualifying session. Matt Bell took the provisional No. 1 position when he fired off a 3.928 at 195.65 in his Bloomington, Illinois-based, turbocharged 93 Mustang. Lyle Barnett, whos pulling triple duty with entries in Pro Modified and Pro 275 as well, qualified second in the ProCharged Kohler Racing 02 Camaro with a 3.953 at 185.31. Another Illinois-based racer, Mitch Mika, is third with a 3.956 at 183.79 in his ProCharged 69 Camaro.

Like Pro 275, the X275 class struggled to find traction in Fridays cold conditions. In a field full of Mustangs and Camaros, Jeff Miller in the Paramount 10 Jeep SRT turned heads when he ended up in the top spot after the first session. He posted a 5.101 at 165.38, leading Charles Hull and his turbocharged 92 Mustang with a 5.423 at 100.34. Chris Taylor just missed the 5-second zone with a 6.003 at 122.61 in his turbocharged 99 Mustang to qualify third out of 16 entries

A strong list of 33 Ultra Street drivers made an attempt in the first qualifying session, with heavy hitter Shawn Pevlor shooting up to the familiar No. 1 spot. The class record holder threw down a 4.382 at 162.88 in John Kolivas KBX Performance 93 Mustang. Davey Hull rolled to the No. 2 spot with a 4.41 at 157.61 in his 93 Mustang. Dave Fiscus, who drove his unique Buick-powered 93 Mustang to victory at the Snowbirds in December, rounded out the top three with his 4.445 at 157.85.

Cincinnatis Jimmy Harris prevented Florida domination at the top of the Limited 235 qualifying order, as he drove his BES-powered 93 Mustang to a 4.857 at 141.65. Brad Schehr in his Ft. Myers-based, ProCharged 89 Mustang slid into the No. 2 spot with a 4.901 at 141.77. Sanfords Eddie Ramirez rolled to a 4.928 at 140.68 in his 88 Mustang to sit third after Q1.

Perennial Outlaw 632 contender Walter Lannigan Jr. claimed the early No. 1 spot in Outlaw 632 in the first qualifying session. Driving the same Nelson-powered Freedom Grow 10 GTO that car owner Chris Holdorf drove to the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals win in December, Lannigan recorded a 4.109 at 171.29. Port Charlotte, Floridas Kyle Salminen also dipped into the 4.10s with a 4.181 at 168.72 in his Nelson-powered 03 Cavalier to qualify second. Mike Fiorelli, based in Hollywood, Florida, wheeled his Clayton Murphy-tuned 68 Camaro to a 4.228 at 168.60 to sit third going into Saturday.