CONCORD, N.C. — Two-time Prime Gasoline world champ Brittany Power made the quickest run on Friday at zMAX Dragway, taking the provisional No. 1 qualifier on the NHRA 4-Broad Carolina Nationals.
Matt Hagan (Humorous Automobile), Dallas Glenn (Professional Inventory) and Gaige Herrera (Professional Inventory Motorbike) are additionally the provisional No. 1 qualifiers on the sixteenth of 20 races through the 2025 NHRA Mission Meals Drag Racing Sequence season and the second of six races within the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Power went 3.698-seconds at 338.85 mph in her 12,000-horsepower HendrickCars.com dragster, turning into the one driver on Friday to dip into the three.60s. Per week after asserting her retirement from full-time racing on the finish of the 2025 season, Power is on tempo to qualify No. 1 for the fifth time this season and the 57th time in her standout profession.
The primary race within the Countdown to the Championship didn’t go as deliberate for Power, falling within the second spherical and dropping her to seventh in factors. She is raring for a giant weekend and with an abundance of particular moments already in Charlotte, Power is assured she will add one other.
“I don’t know why I had an excellent feeling about it,” Power mentioned. “I noticed the vehicles out forward of us going low 3.70s and I don’t know why it popped in my head, 3.69. We’ve finished it earlier than and I felt like we might do it, and so they informed me 3.69 down there on the highest finish. Typically the driving force is simply in tune and you understand what we’re aiming to run.
“That is such a stupendous facility. To tug up right here and it’s darkish out, you’ve bought lights going all the best way down the racetrack after which simply to see these vehicles go down the monitor, flames popping out of the headers, there’s nothing prefer it. It’s nonetheless thrilling for me and particularly to be within the automotive.”
Factors chief Doug Kalitta is second after going 3.700 at 332.18 and Steve Torrence is third with a 3.720 at 331.28.
In Humorous Automobile, Matt Hagan delivered an epic blast on Friday at zMAX Dragway, going to the No. 1 spot in his 12,000-horsepower Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat with a run of three.891 at 329.67. It was an amazing restoration from the explosion in Studying and Hagan put up the one run within the 3.80s as he appears to be like to take the No. 1 qualifier for a second time this season and the 54th time in his profession.
The four-time world champ lauded the work of his crew to get the automotive prepared for Charlotte and so they loved a powerful begin for what’s a giant weekend for the veteran. He enters the race 55 factors again of Austin Prock and Hagan is hopeful he could make up floor at a monitor that has served him nicely over time.
“I used to be truly giving my guys a tough time within the lanes. They had been pulling major [clutch weight] off of it, and I’m wanting them to place major on it, and so they’re like, ‘Simply shut up and drive.’ They offer me a mouthpiece for a motive. However it was an amazing run.
“We’ve had some fairly unhealthy boomers right here these days and so they’ve been giving no warning. The blokes spent 15 hours right here yesterday, you understand, going by way of all the things, flying in early, doing all of the measurements, ensuring the [valve] lashes are proper, all that sort of stuff. So, to come back out right here and make two good runs again to again after which be sitting one, I’m glad to do this.”
Prock is second with a run of three.900 at 327.74 and final weekend’s winner, Cruz Pedregon, made a pair of strong runs, together with a 3.910 at 320.28 to place him third.
Contemporary off a stellar playoff opener, Professional Inventory factors chief Dallas Glenn stayed red-hot, each within the playoffs and at zMAX Dragway, going 6.535 at 209.69 to take Friday’s high spot. It could be Glenn’s sixth No. 1 spot of the season and coming off his win in Studying, Glenn remained on level in Charlotte.
That shouldn’t be stunning, as Glenn has received the previous two races in Charlotte, relationship again to final fall’s race, and he’s additionally thrived within the four-wide setting over time. There’s loads of racing to be finished this weekend at zMAX Dragway, however a second straight win by Glenn within the Countdown to the Championship would ship a powerful message.
“I felt fairly good coming in right here,” Glenn mentioned. “We’ve undoubtedly bought a scorching streak going and I’ve bought an amazing automotive proper now. So long as we are able to hold going up there and hold making good rounds and hold placing strain on [the competition], we are able to simply let everyone else make errors.
“The four-wides are more durable. There’s a lot happening. It’s very, very chaotic, so we simply should go up there and ensure we make good clear high quality runs.”
Glenn’s teammate, reigning world champion Greg Anderson, is correct on Glenn’s heels, going 6.535 at a barely slower 209.20 and Eric Latino is third after going 6.538 at 208.01.
Per week after a disappointing end to open the Countdown to the Championship, back-to-back Professional Inventory Motorbike world champion Gaige Herrera rebounded in a serious method on Friday, making the quickest run of each periods, together with a 6.757 at 201.22 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.
That got here within the second session and places Herrera, who opened the weekend six factors again of Matt Smith, on monitor for his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and twenty ninth in his profession. Maple Grove Raceway continues to be his nemesis, as Herrera fell within the second spherical final weekend, however Friday’s two runs point out the standout is again on monitor within the four-wide setting at Charlotte.
“Popping out right here and making two good runs is sort of simply what we would have liked after final weekend,” Herrera mentioned. “I went out in spherical two and Richard [Gadson, teammate] went out within the semis and it felt like we simply missed it. We had been prepared to go away that place and are available right here..
We simply hope to maintain that quick, constant motorbike all weekend. You realize, [in four wide racing] you might have a special mindset going into it. You’ve bought to go up there and take note of not just one rider, however three extra.”
Richard Gadson is at present second after going 6.760 at 200.26 in the identical quad and Smith is correct behind with a 6.768 at 201.01. The six-time world champion is the defending occasion winner, albeit within the two-wide setting a 12 months in the past.
