Facing an 88-point deficit to Funny Car points leader Ron Capps, Matt Hagan cannot afford a mistake in this weekend’s NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hagan delivered an impressive opening statement Friday and he did it the old-fashioned way. He blasted the competition.

“We’re in a situation right now where we’ve got nothing to lose, so you swing as hard as you can and hopefully connect,” Hagan said.

With a track elapsed-time record of 3.872-seconds at 329.18 mph in his Dodge Charger, the Christiansburg, Virginia, farmer connected for the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot.

“We were shooting for more than that, but we’ll take it and we will be aggressive again Saturday,” said Hagan, who ranks third in points behind Tommy Johnson Jr. and Capps.  “I think we’ve got a good game plan.”

Hagan, who has earned five No. 1 qualifying positions this season, said every pass is make or break at this point.

“Obviously, little points matter,” Hagan said. “If qualifying stopped right now, we would have put five on Capps and be less than a round behind Tommy. It all adds up.”

Hagan, a two-time world champion, said he has learned to never take anything for granted during the pressure-packed six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

 “You’ve seen some of these championships come down to one or two points in the final or semifinals,” Hagan said. “We’ve got a long way to go and we’ve got lot of ground to make up when you’ve got a car like Capps.”

The confidence booster for Hagan is experienced crew chief Dickie Venables.

“The dude is a bad-ass and he proves it every time we step on the fuel pedal,” Hagan said. “Who knows what will happen [Saturday], but I think today was pretty cool because we had cloud cover.

 “The track was tight, it was good out there. The groove is very narrow so you really have to watch what you’re doing. All-in-all we had a good day, so we will come back out and fight hard again and just try to scoop up as much points as we can.”

John Force qualified second after executing a pass of 3.872 seconds at a track record speed of 331.94 mph. The consistent Capps lurks in third

 Hagan, who had quickest car in each of Friday’s two sessions, has completed 12 of his last 14 runs in the 3.8-second range.

“From Indy on, we’ve had a great race car,” Hagan. “Unfortunately in the first two races of the Countdown, we were just second quick in the round. That’s just drag racing for you. My guys don’t want to hear excuses."

Hagan said this weekend is all about going hard.

“It’s a dogfight out there,” he said. “I don’t know where we will end up on this deal, but it’s not going to be from a lack of effort on our part. We’re going to go out there swinging and we’re going to swing hard.”