CONCORD, NC – September 20, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Two-time Top Fuel world champ Brittany Force made the quickest run on Friday at zMAX Dragway, taking the provisional No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals.
Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 16th of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Force went 3.698-seconds at 338.85 mph in her 12,000-horsepower HendrickCars.com dragster, becoming the only driver on Friday to dip into the 3.60s. A week after announcing her retirement from full-time racing at the end of the 2025 season, Force is on pace to qualify No. 1 for the fifth time this season and the 57th time in her standout career.
The first race in the Countdown to the Championship didn’t go as planned for Force, falling in the second round and dropping her to seventh in points. She is eager for a big weekend and with an abundance of special moments already in Charlotte, Force is confident she can add another.
“I don’t know why I had a good feeling about it,” Force said. “I saw the cars out ahead of us going low 3.70s and I don’t know why it popped in my head, 3.69. We’ve done it before and I felt like we could do it, and they told me 3.69 down there on the top end. Sometimes the driver is just in tune and you know what we’re aiming to run.
“This is such a beautiful facility. To pull up here and it’s dark out, you’ve got lights going all the way down the racetrack and then just to see these cars go down the track, flames coming out of the headers, there’s nothing like it. It’s still exciting for me and especially to be in the car.”
Points leader Doug Kalitta is second after going 3.700 at 332.18 and Steve Torrence is third with a 3.720 at 331.28.
In Funny Car, 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 3.891 at 329.67. It was a great recovery from the explosion in Reading and Hagan put up the only run in the 3.80s as he looks to take the No. 1 qualifier for a second time this season and the 54th time in his career.
The four-time world champ lauded the work of his team to get the car ready for Charlotte and they enjoyed a strong start for what is a big weekend for the veteran. He enters the race 55 points back of Austin Prock and Hagan is hopeful he can make up ground at a track that has served him well over the years.
“I was actually giving my guys a hard time in the lanes. They were pulling primary [clutch weight] off of it, and I’m wanting them to put primary on it, and they’re like, ‘Just shut up and drive.’ They give me a mouthpiece for a reason. But it was a great run.
“We’ve had some pretty bad boomers here lately and they’ve been giving no warning. The guys spent 15 hours here yesterday, you know, going through everything, flying in early, doing all the measurements, making sure the [valve] lashes are right, all that kind of stuff. So, to come out here and make two good runs back to back and then be sitting one, I’m glad to do that.”
Prock is second with a run of 3.900 at 327.74 and last weekend’s winner, Cruz Pedregon, made a pair of solid runs, including a 3.910 at 320.28 to put him third.
Fresh off a stellar playoff opener, Pro Stock points leader Dallas Glenn stayed red-hot, both in the playoffs and at zMAX Dragway, going 6.535 at 209.69 to take Friday’s top spot. It would be Glenn’s sixth No. 1 spot of the season and coming off his win in Reading, Glenn remained on point in Charlotte.
That shouldn’t be surprising, as Glenn has won the past two races in Charlotte, dating back to last fall’s race, and he’s also thrived in the four-wide setting over the years. There’s plenty of racing to be done this weekend at zMAX Dragway, but a second straight win by Glenn in the Countdown to the Championship would send a strong message.
“I felt pretty good coming in here,” Glenn said. “We’ve definitely got a hot streak going and I’ve got a great car right now. As long as we can keep going up there and keep making good rounds and keep putting pressure on [the competition], we can just let everybody else make mistakes.
“The four-wides are tougher. There is a lot going on. It’s very, very chaotic, so we just have to go up there and make sure we make good clean quality runs.”
Glenn’s teammate, reigning world champion Greg Anderson, is right on Glenn’s heels, going 6.535 at a slightly slower 209.20 and Eric Latino is third after going 6.538 at 208.01.
A week after a disappointing finish to open the Countdown to the Championship, back-to-back Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Gaige Herrera rebounded in a major way on Friday, making the quickest run of both sessions, including a 6.757 at 201.22 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.
That came in the second session and puts Herrera, who opened the weekend six points back of Matt Smith, on track for his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 29th in his career. Maple Grove Raceway continues to be his nemesis, as Herrera fell in the second round last weekend, but Friday’s two runs indicate the standout is back on track in the four-wide setting at Charlotte.
“Coming out here and making two good runs is kind of just what we needed after last weekend,” Herrera said. “I went out in round two and Richard [Gadson, teammate] went out in the semis and it felt like we just missed it. We were ready to leave that place and come here..
We just hope to keep that fast, consistent motorcycle all weekend. You know, [in four wide racing] you have a different mindset going into it. You’ve got to go up there and pay attention to not only one rider, but three more.”
Richard Gadson is currently second after going 6.760 at 200.26 in the same quad and Smith is right behind with a 6.768 at 201.01. The six-time world champion is the defending event winner, albeit in the two-wide setting a year ago.
Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.
To purchase tickets to the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, please visit www.zmaxdragway.com or call 800-455-FANS (3267). For more information about NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.
About Mission Foods
MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/
About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Source: National Hot Rod Association
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