If it’s possible to solidify yourself as a championship favorite just two races into a 24-race season, then Leah Pritchett has accomplished just that. She’s also made it abundantly clear that her Papa Johns dragster is the baddest pipe rack in the Top Fuel pits, as well.

From halftrack on it was like the car got lighter. – Leah Pritchett

Pritchett on Friday afternoon powered to a new national record elapsed time of 3.658-seconds in what the quickest side-by-side Top Fuel run in history, as Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tony Schumacher recorded a career best 3.667 in the other lane. Pritchett’s record-breaking run proved her 3.654-second lap recorded at the very same Phoenix, Arizona strip three weeks ago in testing was no fluke — it also, not surprsingly, held as the number one qualifying position and helped propel her to her second Arizona Nationals victory in a row and second win this season in just the first two events.

Pritchett was also the number one qualifier at Pomona, meaning she’s been unbeaten, untied, and unscored upon yet this young season.

“From halftrack on it was like the car got lighter,” said Pritchett of her record lap. “When we ran that .65 in testing and to go that quick again is a whole new realm. Man, it’s fun.”

“To be behind the wheel of this machine that is constantly putting out time and time again fast numbers and quick numbers is, to be honest, a little bit difficult to comprehend,” Pritchett added. “It’s everything that dreams are made of. It’s almost too good to be true, but it’s not. Seeing the extra attention to detail that I’ve never seen before and, I’ve been around a lot of crews in my life, it’s paying off on the track so well and so much.”

Photo and video courtesy NHRA/National Dragster