Butner is the Pro Stock provisional No. 1 qualifier when he powered his Jim Butner’s Auto Chevy Camaro to a 6.556 at 210.73. The 2017 world champ qualified No. 1 at the event in Phoenix two weeks prior while winning the season opening race in Pomona.“Well, I can’t complain,” Butner said. “Our Chevy Camaro was pretty awesome. It has been all season. It’s just been very consistent. We made two rounds today within a (thousandth of a second). So that’s pretty impressive. I think we’re going to have a good weekend.”

The two-time world champion Erica Enders is second in her Melling Performance / Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro with her run of 6.560 at 210.41. Greg Anderson is third with a 6.563 at 210.24.Defending world champion M. Smith took the top spot after driving to 6.753 at 200.95 run on his Elite Performance/DENSO Auto Parts/Stockseth EB during the first qualifying pass of the day. Smith did not qualify for this event in 2018 and seeks to change history at the season opening event for Pro Stock Motorcycle.“I’m just glad (the success from last season) is carrying over,” said the three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ. “Sometimes, you do stuff at the end of the year and it doesn’t carry over in to the following year. But, we worked really hard. We made two more identical bikes to what mine is. We’re working the little bugs out of them for Angie (Smith) and Scotty (Pollacheck). Then hopefully we can get two more of these bikes just like mine and where we can have a three bike and a pretty awesome team.”

Eddie Krawiec qualified second in the field with a 6.792 at 199.91 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Street Rod while his teammate Andrew Hines rounds out the top three. Qualifying for the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals returns Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET at Gainesville Raceway.