The first day of the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals was a record-setting affair as Matt Hagan laid down a new zMAX Dragway track elapsed time record. The event marks the 17th race on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and the second race in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Also claiming top spots were Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

Hagan, who announced earlier in the day a multi-year deal with this weekend’s sponsor Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, made the quickest Funny Car run of the year when he stopped the timers at 3.825 seconds at 333.49 mph. The run also marked the fastest a Funny Car had since Phoenix 2022. 

It was also a nice bounce back for Hagan and his team after falling by a crushing .0001 in the second round last weekend against points leader Robert Hight.
 
“That was a great moment right there,” Hagan said. “It’s just a great day and what a lap to lay down there. When they’re on a run like that and they’re digging, they’re a handful and that’s why we love driving these things. I’m so proud of my guys.

“A run like that is a huge confidence-booster and it’s just nice to be able to put that in the bank. I can’t say enough about my guys and it was just a great day. These cars are probably the most humbling thing I’ve ever dealt with in my life. You’ve got to be peaking at the right time and if we want to be champion, we need to win two or three more races this year. That’s our mindset and our mentality right now.”

Ron Capps, the defending back-to-back world champ, claimed the second spot with a time of 3.885 seconds at 329.02 mph, while Chad Green followed in third place with a time of 3.887 seconds at 327.27 mph. Unfortunately for points leader Robert Hight, he sits in the 15th position due to a massive explosion on the starting line during his run.

Since exploding a slick on his Top Fuel dragster in Reading last weekend, Kalitta has been on a Top Fuel tear. He drove to the provisional No. 1 in Friday’s lone session with a 3.665 elapsed time at 331.61 mph in his Mac Tools dragster. 

Kalitta came into Charlotte third place in poiunts on the strength of his Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. 

“This car is happy to be on the track,” Kalitta said. “I’m just really happy for all my guys and this whole team. Charlotte is one of the greatest places we run and we’re hungry to keep this momentum going. So far, so good and we’ll see what we’ve got after tomorrow.

“We’ve got plenty of confidence right now and the conditions are going to be good (this weekend). This team has been gelling really well and hopefully we can keep it going. They’ve been making me look good. We’re going to keep our head down, keep trying to get round wins and see what we can do.”

Enders drove her way to the top of the Pro Stock qualifying list with a run of 6.509 seconds at 210.18 mph. If this performance holds, it will mark her fourth top spot this year and 33rd in her career. 

“The whole season started off really crappy for us, as everybody knows, and we just kept our heads down and went to work,” Enders said. “We said it’s not going to matter until the final six and here we are. We’re running really well again so we’re absolutely thankful for that. That’s what I mean but this is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to get to the end of the season and then perform as perfectly as possible in the Countdown.”

Hererra returned to familiar surroundings atop the Pro Stock Motorcycle division with a 6.731, 200.44 mph pass on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Currently second in the standings, Herrera is aiming for his 10th No. 1 qualifier and hopes to secure his seventh victory of the year, marking his first career Countdown to the Championship victory.

“We’re happy with that run and we’re just trying to get redemption back from Reading,” Herrera said. “It put us down a little bit, but it’s another race and we’re just looking forward to two more rounds of qualifying tomorrow and then raceday on Sunday. This is one of my favorite tracks and I’m just happy to be back here.”
 
Qualifying continues at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.