ADEL, Ga. — Reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta made the quickest run of 2026 in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday at South Georgia Motorsports Park, powering to his first No. 1 qualifier of the season at the NHRA Southern Nationals.

J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the fifth of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta, the current points leader, went 3.657-seconds at 342.37 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster in front of a capacity crowd, picking up his 67th career top spot in NHRA’s debut at the facility. The veteran is after back-to-back wins after getting the victory last weekend in Charlotte as he continues to roll early in the season.

After Saturday’s spectacular run, he’ll get a bye run to open eliminations on Sunday and Kalitta was thrilled with how the team performed in front of a crowd that waited out a lengthy rain delay.

“This is for the fans, they definitely held in there,” Kalitta said of the sellout crowd. “It’s been a long day, but it was just one of those deals, with a big storm coming through. I’m just glad that we ran and will have good weather for tomorrow.

“That thing left and it started to square the tire, and then it just kind of cleared up and just ran. I could tell it was running strong and running hard. Alan (Johnson, crew chief), he’s the master, I can tell you that.”

A day after his record-breaking run of 345.00 mph on Friday, Shawn Langdon followed it up with the second-fastest run in NHRA history on Saturday, going 344.91 and is qualified second with a 3.683. Billy Torrence took the third spot after going 3.710 at 338.00.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd stayed atop the field and earned his second No. 1 qualifier in the past three races thanks to Friday’s stellar run of 3.887 at 339.28 in his 12,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra.

Todd earned the 16th top spot of his career and said the team made an aggressive attempt during Saturday’s lone qualifying session. He didn’t make it down the track on that run, but the past champion still takes plenty of confidence into raceday, where he’ll open eliminations against Daniel Wilkerson.

Todd has done just about everything but win a race during what has been a strong 2026 season, something he hopes to change on Sunday in NHRA’s debut at SGMP.

“On that last run, Dickie [Venables, crew chief] and Todd Smith said, ‘We’re going to throw down’. We had nothing to lose because we were on the pole. I was a little unsure that 3.88 from yesterday would hold up, but once we saw Matt Hagen run in front of us and saw what they did, we felt good,” Todd said. “It was trying to run, but it just got loose. We were definitely trying to put a 340 [mph] on the board. That would be cool, but either way, I’ll take a win over 340 any day. We put ourselves in a good position.

“These fans are dedicated. The fans were so appreciative and thanked us for being there. I was like, ‘No, thank you for having us here’. That’s how the fans are here.”

Chad Green jumped to second in the final session with a 3.894 at 323.89 and Jordan Vandergriff took third with Friday’s 3.924 at 325.14.

Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson picked up his fourth straight No. 1 qualifier, as nobody came close to topping his run of 6.498 at 210.60 from Friday in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.

Anderson made the best run in Saturday’s qualifying session, giving the six-time champ his 144th career No. 1 qualifier. He’ll open eliminations against Troy Coughlin Jr., looking to win for the second time this season and possibly jump into the points lead with a big day.

“It’s been a marathon day, but to get that extra run, we’re very appreciative. The air was good yesterday and better again today, and it should be even better tomorrow,” Anderson said. “We’re just struggling to match our cars up with the starting line and there’s no excuse for that. We’ll figure it out by tomorrow.

“We’ll make the right adjustments. They’ll be fine tomorrow. The crew chiefs are going to have to make a lot of decisions that they may not want to make. Drivers have to be ready for anything, not just cut a good light, but it just could be a pedal-fest out there. You never know. So you’ve got to find a way to get the finish line first.”

Eric Latino took second thanks to Friday’s 6.508 at 209.75 and Aaron Stanfield qualified third with a run of 6.525 at 210.60.

Matt Smith’s 6.669 at 203.03 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell held up from Friday, as the six-time world champion continues to be the only rider in Pro Stock Motorcycle to reach the 6.60s this season. He earned his second straight No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 61st in his career.

Smith made a strong run to close out Saturday during the lone qualifying session, going 6.728 at 199.29 and takes plenty of momentum into Sunday, where he’ll attempt to pick up his first victory of the season.

“I am looking forward to race day tomorrow,” Smith said. “I like my chances in the first round (with a bye). You know, this is the South, and I’ve run so many races down here in Georgia and there’s a lot of motorcycle racing fans down here, and they stuck around to watch us today. We put on a good show. This is a great facility, a fast facility and hopefully there’ll be a good fanbase turnout tomorrow.”

Charlotte winner Gaige Herrera qualified second with a run of 6.705 at 202.30 and reigning world champ Richard Gadson took third after going 6.730 at 201.37.

Six Georgia high school students were reportedly hospitalized – including two with serious injuries – after a high-speed rollover crash on a winding local road notorious for fatal wrecks.

The single-car crash unfolded Thursday morning when a teen boy driving a 2021 Honda Accord went off Vaughn Road in Newman, about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta, while tearing around a curve, according to the Georgia State Patrol, multiple outlets reported. 

The car then smashed into a utility pole before slamming into a large tree. 

“All of a sudden I heard a bang and then my electricity went out and so I was like, ‘God, something happened,’” a local resident told Atlanta News First of the late-morning crash.

“I could hear all the kids in the car and they were trying to get themselves out and I just knew something was bad.”

The Northgate High School students were rushed to various hospitals, with two teenage girls airlifted to nearby medical centers in serious condition.

Footage from local reports showed tire tracks stretching along the roadside near the crash site, with the front of the black sedan completely obliterated and wrecked beyond recognition.

“A lot of people, I watch them come around the curve, it looks like they’re coming around on two wheels,” said Debbie Canup, who has lived on the problematic 25 mph road for 30 years and spent much of that time pushing for stop signs and speed bumps, the outlet reported.

“We get what I call eye-candy, which is a sign that says no thru traffic, a sign that says speed limit strictly enforced, but it’s not.”

The school district sent a letter to parents about the crash, offering thoughts and prayers to the victims’ families and providing counseling service to students in need, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

However, concerned parents questioned why the students weren’t in school when the accident occurred.

“At that time of day, they should have been at school,” Northgate parent Tarrell Pledger told Atlanta News.

“So I’m just curious as to the details and how it affects the other kids as far as how they fear or feel moving forward because it’s real.”

The grim scene, marked by multiple memorials, has a chilling history of deadly wrecks.

One teen died and three others were injured in a 2016 crash, with another teen also killed in a single-vehicle wreck in 2023, according to the Newnan Times-Herald.

COLONIE, N.Y. (WNYT) – A man from Georgia is in custody after he allegedly had a gun in his car at Siena University.

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According to Colonie Police, officers responded to Siena University on May 1 for reports of a suspicious vehicle. Police say an unauthorized vehicle had been on campus and that someone in the vehicle had displayed a rifle.

Upon arrival, police determined the vehicle was no longer on campus. After interviewing witnesses, police say that a rifle was spotted but not displayed in a threatening or menacing manner. Police add there was no threat made to any Siena student or the campus community.

After an investigation, police located the vehicle parked and unoccupied at the LaQuinta Inn and Suites at 833 Loudon Road. Police say an AR-15 style rifle was in plain view in the front seat. Both the rifle and the attached magazine are illegal to possess under state law, according to the department.

According to Colonie Police, three suspects were located inside the hotel and taken into custody. After conducting interviews, police say Michael Sanchez, 20, from Forest Park, GA, possessed the rifle.

Sanchez was arrested and charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, and criminal possession of a firearm. He was sent to the Albany County Correctional Facility with bail set at $25,000 cash.

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The two other occupants of the vehicle were not charged with crimes.

Siena University also sent a statement to NewsChannel 13 regarding the incident:
“Following a report Friday night to Siena Public Safety of a suspicious vehicle on campus, Public Safety and Colonie Police acted immediately to identify and apprehend the individuals involved. A suspect was taken into custody off campus by the Colonie Police.

At no point during the incident was any threat made to any Siena student, or to the Siena University campus. Public Safety kept the campus updated throughout the incident in real time via the Siena Alert System.

Siena University’s Public Safety thanks the Colonie Police and the Capital District Crime Analysis Center for their swift response and assistance during this incident.”