EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK GSA PRO MODS POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND  FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

SUNDAY - HAGAN RUNS THE TABLE AT zMAX DRAGWAY; BROWN, JOHNSON, KRAWIEC ALSO WINNERS IN CHARLOTTE
 
Matt Hagan drove to his first win of the season and backed up his national record-setting run in the process as eliminations came to an end Sunday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway.   
 
Antron Brown, Kurt Johnson and Eddie Krawiec were also winners in their respective categories at the first of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoffs to determine the world championships.
 
Hagan began his week of domination Friday night when he became the first Funny Car driver in NHRA history to make a three-second run. After taking the No. 1 qualifier with a 3.995-second run, Hagan then backed up that pass with a first round win Sunday at 4.018 seconds to secure the national record and the 20 bonus points that come with it. Hagan then powered his Die Hard Dodge Charger past points leader Mike Neff in the final round with a run of 4.130 seconds at 301.07 mph to secure his fourth career win and move up to the second spot in the point standings, just 22 points behind Neff.
 
“It’s something else to sit in a race car when it has that kind of potential,” said Hagan. “This is the third national record we’ve set with this car and that’s phenomenal to me. To have a group of guys around you like (crew chief) Tommy DeLago, (assistant crew chief) Glen Huszar, and all the guys who beat this thing up and put it back together is phenomenal. It’s truly a fairy tale deal to go out there, set the record and win the race.”
 
Hagan’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman also set the new national record for speed this weekend with a pass at 318.99 mph, but lost to Hagan in the semifinal round. Countdown to the Championship contenders John Force, Robert Hight, Bob Tasca and Ron Capps all lost in the first round of eliminations.
 
In Top Fuel, Mac Tools U.S. Nationals winner Brown continued his streak of success when he held off teammate Spencer Massey in the final round to secure his third race win in a row. Brown powered his Macto Tools dragster to a 3.784 at 325.14 to secure his fifth win of the season and take over the points lead for the first time this season.
 
“The radar is on us now, so we have to dig harder with all these guys gunning for us,” said Brown. “When we raced Tony Schumacher (in the semifinals), we had nothing to lose. He was running on a whole ‘nother level. Our Aaron’s Matco Tools guys threw the kitchen sink at it and threw the whole tractor-trailer with it. We threw our other tractor-trailer at it again for the final.”
 
Brown’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate Schumacher set the national record for speed when he drove his U.S. Army dragster to a 327.90 pass, while Brown’s other teammate and runner-up finisher Massey took over the second spot in the points standings, just 16 points behind Brown.
 
In Pro Stock, after over three years since his last race win, Johnson held off Jason Line to get the win. Johnson powered his Johnson Racing Chevy Cobalt to a 6.545 at 210.97 past points leader Line to get his 40th career win.
 
“It’s been a real battle and we finally figured out that maybe we needed a new car,” said Johnson. “I brought this car out in Bristol and didn’t qualify, but we’ve been adapting and it really started to thunder in Brainerd. It’s totally different than anything we’ve had since about 2003, but I think we know what to do with it now and it’s proved itself today.”
 
Krawiec kept his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson at the top of the pack all weekend when he picked up the No. 1 qualifier Saturday and raced to his third win of the season Sunday. Krawiec rode to a 6.870 at 196.42 past runner-up Karen Stoffer and strengthen his points lead over the competition.
 
“I came into the Countdown as the points leader, and my attitude changed,” said Krawiec. “I struggled a lot on the Tree this year and gave up a couple of race wins in my mind. I feel like I’ve been riding well but not racing well. When you have low e.t. and set national records but lose rounds because of bad riding, it wears on you. I shook it off coming into the Countdown and told myself, ‘You’re leading the points. You’re obviously a good rider and a good racer.’”
 
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing will return to action next week at the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Sept. 22-25 at Texas Motorplex in Dallas.

SATURDAY - SCHUMACHER TAKES NO. 1 SPOT IN TOP FUEL; HAGAN, LINE, KRAWIEC ALSO NO. 1 IN CHARLOTTE
 
Tony Schumacher raced to the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel as qualifying came to an end Saturday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway.   
 
Matt Hagan, Jason Line and Eddie Krawiec also took the No. 1 qualifying spots in their respective categories at the 17th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the first of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoffs to determine the world championships.
 
Schumacher powered his U.S. Army dragster to the top of the field on the last pass of Saturday qualifying. His run of 3.771-seconds tied for the third quickest in Top Fuel history, while Schumacher’s speed of 325.92 mph was the third fastest in Top Fuel history. The run gave the seven-time world champion his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 66th of his career.
 
“I love coming here,” said Schumacher. “Bruton Smith built a great racetrack, and it’s topped off with the great weather we have this weekend. The crew chiefs just turned it up all the way. We saw (Larry) Dixon running 3.70’s and knew that’s where we had to be. The U.S. Army dragster went 3.80, 3.80, and 3.77 in its last three runs. I couldn’t be happier.”
 
Top Fuel points leader Del Worsham qualified fourth in the field, while Worsham’s teammate Dixon took the third spot. Schumacher will face Morgan Lucas in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.
 
Hagan, who made NHRA history Friday night when he drove his Die Hard Dodge Charger to the first three-second pass in Funny Car history, stayed at the top of the field with his run of 3.995 at 316.23. With the history-setting run, Hagan collected his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and ninth of his career.
 
“It’s Tommy’s (DeLago, crew chief) call whether we try to go for (the national record) tomorrow or just go rounds,” said Hagan, who still needs to back up his 3.995 pass to set the national record and earn 20 bonus points in the process. “It’s anybody’s ballgame right now, and I’m just excited to have a competitive race car underneath me. I can’t wait to get going in the morning and hopefully we can do big things out here.”
 
Funny Car points leader and Mac Tools U.S. Nationals winner Mike Neff will start Sunday eliminations from the second spot, while defending event winner Cruz Pedregon qualified ninth in the field.
 
In Pro Stock, Line kept his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP at the top of the field as qualifying came to an end. His Friday run of 6.520 at 212.66 was strong enough to give Line his third No. 1 qualifier in a row, fifth of the season and 22nd overall, while Line’s teammate and current points leader Greg Anderson secured the second spot heading into eliminations on Sunday.
 
“We just have to make it so that the No. 1 qualifier wins instead of the No. 2 qualifier,” said Line. “We’ve kind of been jinxed on that the last three races, but we’re going to fix that tomorrow. Obviously to peak right now as the Countdown starts is a great thing. As a racer and a team, that’s what you dream about, so it feels really good. We just need to do our job tomorrow and capitalize on it.”
 
Krawiec’s Friday run on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson stayed strong to give him the top spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle. With a track-record run of 6.833 at 196.70, Krawiec earned his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and ninth of his career. Krawiec will face Steve Johnson in the first round of eliminations on Sunday.
 
“It definitely feels good to be No. 1 heading into tomorrow,” said Krawiec. “We got a bunch of qualifying points with low e.t. of three of the four rounds, and the only time we didn’t get low e.t. was when we missed it last night. I lost the championship one year by two points, so I know that an extra point here and there really adds up.”
 
Eliminations will begin Sunday at noon. 

SATURDARY - THIRD SESSION

FRIDAY - HAGAN MAKES NHRA HISTORY WITH FIRST THREE-SECOND RUN; DIXON, LINE, KRAWIEC ALSO NO. 1 IN CHARLOTTE

Matt Hagan raced to the first three-second Funny Car run in NHRA history during Friday night qualifying at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway.   

With the run Hagan joined Larry Dixon, Jason Line and Eddie Krawiec as the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 17th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the first of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoffs to determine the world championships.
 
Hagan made NHRA history when he powered his Die Hard Dodge Charger to a 3.995-second run, the quickest in NHRA Funny Car history, at 316.23 mph Friday night to take the provisional No. 1 spot. If it stands, it would be his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and ninth of his career.
 
“To be a part of history and be the first person in the three-second range, that’s something that they can never take away from you,” said Hagan. “I just can’t say enough about (crew chief) Tommy DeLago. What a mad scientist that guy is to put a race car like that underneath me. My guys just do such a great job and it’s incredible. It’s just a real testimony to how good of a job they do.”
 
The previous quickest run in NHRA history was a 4.005-second pass set by Robert Hight in 2008 in Richmond. While Hagan made the quickest Funny Car pass in NHRA history, his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman made the fastest, posting a 318.92 mph qualifying run in his Aaron’s/Valvoline Dodge Charger. Beckman currently sits in the provisional third spot in the field.

Dixon raced his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to the top of the Top Fuel field with a  run of 3.784 at 324.83. If it stands it would be his third No. 1 qualifier of the season for the defending world champion and 51st of his career.

“The first run was great,” said Dixon. “It gave us a backup for a national record and kind of put us in position to go for it tonight. We had nothing to lose. We were aggressive, but it just didn’t stick. This racetrack is so smooth with so much grip. The credit goes to the preparation of the racetrack, and the conditions came right to it to give us a chance to go fast today.”
Dixon’s teammate and current points leader Del Worsham sits in the provisional third spot, while Mac Tools U.S. Nationals winner Antron Brown hold the provisional second spot in the field.
 
In Pro Stock, Line powered his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to the provisional top spot in Pro Stock, followed closely by KB Racing teammate and current points leader Greg Anderson, who sits in the second provisional spot. Line took the provisional No. 1 with a run of 6.520 at 212.66. If it stands, it would be his third No. 1 qualifier in a row, fifth of the season and 22nd of his career.

“I think there was a lot left in that run and if we get any kind of weather tomorrow, it’s not going to hold,” said Line. “We feel like we could have gone a .49 or run close to or under the record, and that’s the goal, especially in my case. Making up 20 points on Greg would be a really good thing, but his car is obviously just as capable and I think there are a couple of other cars that are capable as well. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
 
Krawiec rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to the top of the field in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a run of 6.833, a track record, at 196.70. If it stands, it would be Krawiec’s third No. 1 qualifier of the season and ninth of his career.
“Any time you come out and make a run like that out of the box, it sets the tone for your camp,” said Krawiec. “We underestimated the track on our second run. We second-guessed ourselves and turned the rpm down, making the bike bog. We’ll bounce back tomorrow, and we need to because our time probably won’t hold up.”
 
Qualifying will continue tomorrow will sessions at 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at noon.
Matt Hagan raced to the first three-second Funny Car run in NHRA history during Friday night qualifying at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at zMAX Dragway.   
 
With the run Hagan joined Larry Dixon, Jason Line and Eddie Krawiec as the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 17th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and the first of six races in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, the six-race playoffs to determine the world championships.

Hagan made NHRA history when he powered his Die Hard Dodge Charger to a 3.995-second run, the quickest in NHRA Funny Car history, at 316.23 mph Friday night to take the provisional No. 1 spot. If it stands, it would be his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and ninth of his career.
 
“To be a part of history and be the first person in the three-second range, that’s something that they can never take away from you,” said Hagan. “I just can’t say enough about (crew chief) Tommy DeLago. What a mad scientist that guy is to put a race car like that underneath me. My guys just do such a great job and it’s incredible. It’s just a real testimony to how good of a job they do.”
 
The previous quickest run in NHRA history was a 4.005-second pass set by Robert Hight in 2008 in Richmond. While Hagan made the quickest Funny Car pass in NHRA history, his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Jack Beckman made the fastest, posting a 318.92 mph qualifying run in his Aaron’s/Valvoline Dodge Charger. Beckman currently sits in the provisional third spot in the field.
Dixon raced his Al-Anabi Racing dragster to the top of the Top Fuel field with a  run of 3.784 at 324.83. If it stands it would be his third No. 1 qualifier of the season for the defending world champion and 51st of his career.
 
“The first run was great,” said Dixon. “It gave us a backup for a national record and kind of put us in position to go for it tonight. We had nothing to lose. We were aggressive, but it just didn’t stick. This racetrack is so smooth with so much grip. The credit goes to the preparation of the racetrack, and the conditions came right to it to give us a chance to go fast today.”
Dixon’s teammate and current points leader Del Worsham sits in the provisional third spot, while Mac Tools U.S. Nationals winner Antron Brown hold the provisional second spot in the field.

In Pro Stock, Line powered his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP to the provisional top spot in Pro Stock, followed closely by KB Racing teammate and current points leader Greg Anderson, who sits in the second provisional spot. Line took the provisional No. 1 with a run of 6.520 at 212.66. If it stands, it would be his third No. 1 qualifier in a row, fifth of the season and 22nd of his career.
 
“I think there was a lot left in that run and if we get any kind of weather tomorrow, it’s not going to hold,” said Line. “We feel like we could have gone a .49 or run close to or under the record, and that’s the goal, especially in my case. Making up 20 points on Greg would be a really good thing, but his car is obviously just as capable and I think there are a couple of other cars that are capable as well. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
 
Krawiec rode his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to the top of the field in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a run of 6.833, a track record, at 196.70. If it stands, it would be Krawiec’s third No. 1 qualifier of the season and ninth of his career.

“Any time you come out and make a run like that out of the box, it sets the tone for your camp,” said Krawiec. “We underestimated the track on our second run. We second-guessed ourselves and turned the rpm down, making the bike bog. We’ll bounce back tomorrow, and we need to because our time probably won’t hold up.”
 
Qualifying will continue tomorrow will sessions at 11:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at noon.

FRIDAY - FIRST SESSION

FRIDAY - SPORTSMAN

THURSDAY - CAROLINA LEGEND HILL LEADS FIRST DAY SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING

Three qualifying sessions were completed in Super Stock and Stock eliminators at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals in Concord, NC., and a hometown favorite led one of the divisions.

Roy Hill, who raced in the original 1974 Charlotte national event as a professional, showed off his sportsman racing prowess with a provisional No. 1 qualifying effort behind the wheel of his Super Stock/B Automatic classified Mustang.

Hill was -1.31 under the index with an 8.569 elapsed time.

Hill, who has long had an association with NASCAR teams, drove in the original Charlotte event contested on the pit road of the Speedway, raced a Plymouth Duster powered by a Richard Petty-built engine. This time around, he’s running an engine by NASCAR powerhouse Roush-Yates.

“We went to Roush Yates sometime around the first of May, and it’s a good thing we did,” Hill admitted. “The technology they have with their modular engines brought a lot to my program, and while I couldn’t have gotten to where I am without everyone that has helped me along the way, working with Roush Yates has taken this team to another level.”

Bud Rowe, of Bridgeton, NC, led the Stockers with a -.966 effort against the I/Stock Automatic standard. His 1990 Camaro ran an 11.344 elapsed time.

Competition Eliminator got in one session and it was the small displacement F/Dragster of Al Ackerman jumping to the top. Utilizing only 187 cubic inches, ran an 8.015 elapsed time, -.585 under his index.