Coming off an incredible performance at Maple Grove Raceway that finished with a victory, Snyder and his Powersource Transportation team took advantage of the near-perfect conditions at Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis on Friday.
He ran a career-best 3.609 at 210.05 miles per hour, setting two track records to cap off a thrilling day that served as the official grand re-opening of Gateway Motorsports Park.
"This feels pretty awesome. When you're on a hot streak like this, you just want to try to ride it out," Snyder said. "Obviously it was a good pass, but we left a little on the table. Right now we're in uncharted territory, but that's where you want to be."
Friday turned into a record-setting day on a number of fronts, as St. Louis-area native John DeFlorian re-set the world E.T. (4.018) and speed (179.92 mph) records in Extreme Pro Stock. Chuck Mohn set the world E.T. record in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, going 4.089, while a number of other drivers closed in on world records and set track records as cool temperatures made for one remarkable performance after another.
Other No. 1 qualifiers through three rounds include Rickie Jones (Pro Nitrous), Alan Pittman (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Casey Stemper (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), DeFlorian (XPS), Pat Musi (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified), Mohn (TS) and Drew Skillman (SuperCar Showdown).
Final qualifying for the Gateway Drags IV presented by CarSafe takes place at 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, with eliminations to follow.
Snyder finished off a spectacular start-to-finish day of racing in Pro Extreme, putting him in prime position for a second straight win.
It won't be easy, though, as an amazing 12 drivers ran in the 3.60s, including Jason Scruggs going 3.617 to move to No. 2.
"We prepared to de-tune it when we got to St. Louis. We didn't think we would have this kind of weather, so we pretty much just left it the same after Maple Grove," Snyder said. "It's never been this cool in St. Louis before when we've been racing."
DeFlorian was beaming after his record-setting 4.018 pass in Extreme Pro Stock, topping his earlier run of 4.035 at 179.28 mph. The longtime Jerry Haas Race Cars employee continues to impress in his 2012 Camaro powered by Sonny's Racing Engines, and is on track for his third straight No.1 qualifier.
"This is beyond, far beyond my wildest dreams and having it happen here makes it so much sweeter," DeFlorian said. "I know so many people here and having them out here at this race just makes it so special. I'm just so thankful for this."
The entire Extreme Pro Stock field impressed, as all 16 qualifiers ran in the 4.00s for the first time in ADRL history. But nobody could match DeFlorian, who thrilled a number of onlookers with his record-breaking run.
"I felt like we needed to get our act together and it worked out. I'm almost speechless," DeFlorian said. "This is just unbelievable and that's not even a big enough of a word to describe it.
"We found some thing we could improve on and get after it a little more. It's unbelievable."
Rickie Jones went 3.83 right off the bat to take the No. 1 spot in Pro Nitrous, and then stepped up to a 3.80 at 196.76 mph during the third qualifying session under the lights, setting both ends of the track records for his Summit Racing Equipment team.
Jim Laurita went 3.831 in the third session to momentarily take the top spot, but Jones and his RJ Race Cars 2012 Camaro responded minutes later.
"The car was hooked up great and it made an awesome run. This is our hometown track and I like coming to St. Louis a lot. The track was great, the air was really good and we ended up making a really nice run," Jones said. "We're happy to be on the pole after the first day."
Alan Pittman is on the verge of a world record in Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 after going 3.803 at 201.55 mph.
Should Pittman, a two-time winner in 2012, back up his outstanding pass in his '09 Mustang, he will officially become a world record-holder for the first time in his standout career.
"That was unbelievable. We were almost going to sit the round out, but (team owner Terry Leggett) said we might as well go out and try to get the record," Pittman said. "I saw that time flash up on the scoreboard and I felt like I won the race.
"It was just absolutely amazing. I thought I could put together a run like that, but we still want to win the race, too."
A storied racer, Pat Musi is on track to get his first No. 1 qualifier in the ADRL after going 3.861 at 196.22 mph during the third qualifying session in the Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified class.
Edward Wilson and his 3.873 moved to the top spot initially, but Musi put together a picture-perfect pass against a sunset backdrop at Gateway Motorsports Park, needing only a backup for a new speed record in the class.
"We've got a lot of power in this car, but we've just been struggling a little bit with it," Musi said. "We're sneaking up on it, trying to be careful with it because it has so much power."
Casey Stemper closed in on another No. 1 qualifier in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, recovering from a botched first qualifying session with an impressive 4.098 at 171.82 mph a round later.
"The nitrous line came apart on the bike and released itself, so we fixed that and that second pass was almost like our first run down the track," Stemper said. "We threw in a similar tune-up from the one we ran at Maple Grove and it worked out well.
"We're just hoping we can reclaim the points lead this weekend."
In Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, Chuck Mohn continued his No. 1 qualifier dominance, taking it to a new level in St. Louis with a world record pass of 4.089 at 175.05 mph in his Jerry Bickel Race Cars '69 Camaro.
Powered by Pat Musi Racing Engines, Mohn set the mark during the second qualifying session. If it holds up, Mohn will rack up his fourth No. 1 qualifier award in Summit Racing Top Sportsman in as many races.
Ronnie Davis impressed in going to the No. 2 spot with a 4.108, as his pass of 178.66 mph marks the fastest pass in the history of the class.
In Pro Junior Dragster, Austin Vaughn is the current No. 1 qualifier with a 7.902 at 82.05 mph.
