Matt Hagan scorched zMAX Dragway's four-wide stretch of concrete only two hours before rain extinguished the Night of Fire and limited the first day of heart-pumping NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods action to only one session.
The world's only four-lane, concrete drag strip played host to a 323.50-mph pass in 3.941 seconds from Hagan's Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger, which outpaced 16-time Funny Car champion John Force by .005 seconds and thrilled fans.
"It builds some of that confidence that you need to keep some momentum rolling forward," Hagan said. "It was a great run, but we've got to put two together. If we can put two together tomorrow, I'll be tickled to death and we'll definitely be moving in the right direction."
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Steve Torrence paced Top Fuel's lone session with a 326.48-mph lap at 3.736 seconds, while Greg Anderson led Pro Stock with a 6.577-second, 209.65-mph pass. Eddie Krawiec's 6.818-second pass at 192.85 mph topped the Pro Stock Motorcycle class. Saturday qualifying for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods will begin at 2 p.m. for Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycles. Funny Car and Top Fuel's 40,000-horsepower festival of nitro kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday feature a more promising forecast with temperature and race action expected to heat up as drivers chase the coveted 4-Wide Wally.
TICKETS:
Single-day tickets to the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods at zMAX Dragway start at just $48. To purchase ticket packages, camping and race-day upgrades, call the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
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