BRISTOL, Tenn. – Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force went to the top of the category during the second qualifying session Friday evening at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta is the provisional No. 1 qualifier during the 11th of 24 events on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Force paced the Funny Car category Friday evening with a run of 3.911 seconds at 326.95 mph in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS. He is chasing his third No. 1 qualifier of the season, first win of the year and fifth at Bristol Dragway.

“We’re learning and I really thought that there would be a number of cars that would step up,” Force stated. “Especially Jimmy Prock (Robert Hight’s crew chief) and I thought he would run an .88 or something. Our car went though, and it was really hunting down there. Tomorrow is a new day but I’m excited for my guys. It’s a good race car and I’m proud to drive it. I’m learning about it and at my age I thought I knew everything about it.”

Shawn Langdon sits in the No. 2 spot with his pass of 3.944 seconds at 324.51 mph in his Global Electronics Toyota Camry. Bob Tasca III rounds out the top three.

Kalitta powered to the top of the Top Fuel class with a run of 3.755 seconds at 324.67 mph during the second round qualifying in his Mac Tools dragster. He is looking for his first No. 1 qualifier of the season, second victory of the year and seventh final round at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

“We are always excited to come here,” Kalitta said. “I remember coming here when I was working on Connie’s (Kalitta, team owner) cars back in the ‘80s so it’s a lot of cool history coming here just for me. It was a nice run though. It’s been awhile since we were low qualifier any of the days. I’m real proud of my guys though. We’re working our tails off to try and make it happen.”

Leah Pritchett is currently in the second position with her second qualifying pass of 3.757 seconds at 323.04 mph. Defending Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence is third.

BARRE, Vt. – Jeffrey Martin won a thriller in the Allen Lumber Street Stock feature on Casella Waste Systems Night Friday at Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl before rain cut the rest of the program short.

Martin got the advantage on Jamie Davis during a green-white-checkered shootout and edged him in a photo-finish for his second win of the season.

The Street Stock feature was the only one completed in the second attempt to run the Casella event. After rain had threatened throughout the night, the foul weather arrived in earnest with 19 laps completed in the 40-lap Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger feature. The Maplewood/Irving Oil Late Model feature was also remaining to be run. The make-up date(s) for both races will be announced on Monday.

Before the rain settled over the speedway, the Street Stocks put on a barnburner in their 25-lap feature. Tom Campbell started on the pole and led the first 15 laps. However, Davis was all over him after getting the second spot on lap 10, and the third caution of the event on lap 15 gave him the chance to get to Campbell’s outside.

Davis made it work with a Talladega-style assist from Martin, taking the top spot on the restart. Martin followed him around for second and was putting the pressure on for the lead himself when the fourth yellow came out with just two laps to go for a turn-four crash involving Hunter King and J.T. Blanchard.

When the green fell, Martin and Davis locked horns, running hard but clean in their bid for the win. Martin had the edge when the white flag flew and was able to edge Davis out at the checkered flag as well.

Dean Switser finished third after Campbell shut down during the final caution. Tommy Smith took fourth with Juan Marshall fifth.

MALTA, N.Y. – Newcomer Mike Mahaney notched his first Albany-Saratoga Speedway DIRTcar modified win Friday night, sharing the spotlight with Jonathan Preston, who scored a runaway win in the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint feature.

Mahaney’s win wasn’t as easy. He advanced to second from seventh by lap 12, then caught front row starter Don Matteson at halfway of the 35 lapper and blew by with Bobby Hackel III in tow.

By the time Hackel disposed of Mattison in the early 20’s and went after Mahaney, the Huttig No. 35 was out to a big lead and seemed home free.

Then Jack Lehner and Hackel got together in turn four with two to go and Huttig had company up front and lots of it.  Matt DeLorenzo, Ronnie Johnson, Keith Flach, up from dead last, and Brett Hearn were in hot pursuit when the green flew again.  But a two-car spin on the restart brought a single file lineup for the next try and Mahaney drove away from those dueling behind him.

“I wasn’t happy when they drew that restart, because I figured I had a good lead,” offered Mahaney.  “I was worried that somebody would bomb the top and get around me, so I was glad it went yellow again right away and we went to single file for the next try.

“We were lucky to get this one, as the track had more moisture in it than usual for the sprint cars and with all the grip I had in the car, we got to bounding around pretty good in the turns in the early laps.”

DeLorenzo was second with Flach third, Johnson fourth and Hearn fifth.

For Preston, who won his first Empire Super Sprint A-main earlier this season, the moisture was just right.  He lined up third and had passed Jason Barney and was drawing in on leader Billy VanInwegen when the red flew for a turn two melee that saw Kelly Hebing take an easy flip and land on her side.

Preston couldn’t get alongside the leader right after the restart but he built up momentum on the far outside and on lap eight was even at the flagstand before taking the lead off turn two and sailing off into the night.

Behind Preston, Chuck Hebing and Davie Franek had moved into the lead pack from the third and fourth rows with Franek having the best run to stand third behind Preston and VanInwegen when a car spun to draw another yellow on lap 15.

With many expecting Franek to challenge for the lead on the restart, he instead picked his front wheels at the chalk line and went backwards to put Barney back in the lead trio.  They finished that way, with Paulie Colagiovanni fourth ahead of Shawn Donath, 11th starting Danny Varin, Hebing, Steve Poirier and Justin Poirier.

“I had a lot of close calls,” said Preston.  “I was flat out, that’s all she has.  I was so tired I had my head over against the seat but we made it.”

Steve Poirier won the dash with Chad Miller taking B main honors.

OREGON, Wis. – After dominating the first three quarters of Friday’s ARCA Menards Series Shore Lunch 200 at Madison Int’l Speedway, Chandler Smith had to utilize pit strategy and some hard racing to earn his second straight series victory.

Smith won the last time he raced in the ARCA Menards Series at Toledo Speedway in May.

Smith, who started from the General Tire Pole after setting a track record in qualifying, stretched out nearly a half-lap lead as the field raced the first 112 laps caution-free. Then, Corey Heim lost control in turn three and made contact with the wall bringing out the first caution of the night. From there on, Smith would face pressure from – and eventually lose the lead to – Ty Gibbs.

Gibbs would hold the lead until a red flag for rain with 38 laps remaining. Just before the red was displayed, Smith came to the pits for two tires, and when the field went back under caution after the weather cell passed through the rest of the lead lap cars came to pit road handing the lead back to Smith.

Smith lost the lead to Michael Self on the restart, and Smith would lose second to his other Venturini Motorsports teammate Christian Eckes with 25 laps to go when Eckes made contact in turn one.

Eckes would go on to pressure Self for the lead but would spin down the frontstretch on lap 180. He would go on to finish seventh.

Once back under green, Self would retain the lead on the restart but Smith would move him out of the way just as their teammate Hailie Deegan’s engine expired. That would put the field under the red for the second time of the night for track cleanup, and left just five laps to settle it once back under green.

Self spun his tires on the restart, scrambling the field behind him. Gibbs would receive the black flag for changing lanes on the restart, and dropped from second to eighth at the finish.

Smith was ecstatic with his win, even if he had to knock fenders to do it.

“We’re in victory lane and that’s what matters,” he said. “If those guys are upset, I am sorry but it was rough out there tonight. I had people run into me all night long. That’s just how it was.”

Smith knew the only chance he had to win was to pit before the rest of the field did while it was sprinkling and hope the weather moved through quick enough to get back underway.

“It was out only hope at that point,” he said. “It could have rained and we would have been eighth or tenth. But once we got back underway we knew everyone else would pit and we’d get our track position back.”

Self was happy to finish second in his first appearance at Madison.

“This is a much better outcome than it could have been tonight,” Self said. “We went from asking Chandler how to get around this place to battling him for the win in about eight hours. I can’t say enough about my team to help make that happen. I am not mad about it at all but he did get into us down there and move me out of the way. I get it. That’s what he had to do.”

The Venturini duo finished just ahead of Sam Mayer. Travis Braden was fourth and Bret Holmes rounded out the top five.

The finish:

Chandler Smith, Michael Self, Sam Mayer, Travis Braden, Bret Holmes, Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes, Ty Gibbs, Joe Graf Jr., Corey Heim, Tommy Vigh Jr., Hailie Deegan, Eric Caudell, Tim Richmond, Brad Smith, Dick Karth, Dick Doheny, Dale Shearer.

Philippe Coutinho scored a second-half double and Everton added a cracking third as Brazil recovered from a sleepy start to beat Bolivia 3-0 in their Copa America opener on Friday.

Both sides were poor in the first period but the game briefly came alive five minutes into the second half when Coutinho slotted home a VAR-assisted penalty.

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Coutinho grabbed a second with a close-range header three minutes later before Everton rifled home a third from outside the box with five minutes remaining.

Wearing white shirts for the first time in more than 60 years, the home side huffed and puffed but rarely threatened and even after they went 2-0 up, they looked devoid of ideas and urgency.

Brazil, who started with Roberto Firmino up front and Fernandinho in midfield in place of the injured Arthur, failed to inspire the strangely subdued crowd of just 46,342 at Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium.

"Pretty tough game. We were a little nervous because it is the first game," Coutinho said. "But when we scored the first one, we started to play properly. We the stayed focused and made the right decisions both technically and tactically."

The scoreless first half prompted boos from the faithful in the stands, which Coutinho said was "part of the game."

The fans want us to play well," the Barcelona star said. "We need to kind of shield ourselves and remain focused on the main goal. It's important to be locked in in order to play well."

Richarlison said it was understandable for the fans to be frustrated as Brazil seeks to win their first Copa America title since 2007.

"It's normal. The fans want to see goals but we kept our cool," Richarlison said. "The first half had a little bit of nervousness, but in the second we could made good passes and scored the goals easily. Now we have to focus on the next match to qualify for the next round."

Brazil's next match is against Venezuela in Salvador next Tuesday, which captain Dani Alves said will have a more festive atmosphere.

"[Playing in Salvador] will be different. They miss the [national team]," the Paris Saint-Germain defender said. "It will be more exciting than here."

The match was the first of this year's tournament, which is being held in Brazil for the first time since 1989. All 10 South American teams are participating along with guest nations Qatar and Japan.

Bolivia, who last won the title in 1963, rarely threatened at the other end.

Peru play Venezuela in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday in the second Group A game.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.