NHRA: Hagan, Todd and Line are top first-day qualifiers at Las Vegas - MotorSportsTalk

Matt Hagan (Funny Car), J.R. Todd (Top Fuel) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) led the way in the first day of qualifying Friday at the SummitRacing.com Nationals.

The fifth race of the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is being held this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The defending 2014 season Funny Car champ, Hagan took the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot in Funny Car with a 4.007 second run at 318.02 mph on his second of two qualifying attempts.

“What impressed me is we went 318 (mph) with two holes out with 100 feet left to go,” Hagan said in an NHRA media release. “To do that on six cylinders is pretty impressive.

“(Crew chief) Dickie Venables is making a lot of horsepower. He’s making the right calls on the racetrack. The car is really strong.”

Hagan is going for his third win of the season, having won the first two races of 2015.

Jack Beckman, who won the last race two weeks ago in the Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, was the second-quickest qualifier (4.014 seconds at 315.64 mph), while Tommy Johnson Jr. was third (4.020 seconds at 313.07 mph).

In Top Fuel, Todd took the top spot with a run of 3.758 seconds at 324.83 mph.

“Our run was pretty slow early on compared to some better runs we’ve had in the past,” Todd said. “It was charging from half-track on and that’s what it takes. It was pretty tight so it will be pretty interesting come race day.”

Reigning Top Fuel champ Tony Schumacher qualified second (3.779 seconds at 325.24 mph) and is going for his fifth career win at The Strip. If he wins, Schumacher would break the current tie he is in with Larry Dixon for most wins at Las Vegas.

Shawn Langdon qualified third (3.782 seconds, 315.93 mph).

In Pro Stock, Line paced his class with a run of 6.606 seconds at 208.75 mph.

“After looking at the run, I’m going to say we could go a bit faster than we went,” Line said. “I always say that there is more left. I’m very excited about tomorrow. We have a great race car and it’s going to get better.”

Defending Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders-Stevens is the provisional No. 2 qualifier (6.617 seconds, 208.94 mph), while Line’s teammate, veteran Greg Anderson, qualified No. 3 (6.621 seconds at 208.81 mph).

The second day of qualifying is Saturday, with sessions of 1:10 pm and 4:05 pm PT. Sunday’s final eliminations begin at 11 am PT.

Results from Friday’s first day of qualifying:

Top Fuel — 1. J.R. Todd, 3.758 seconds, 324.83 mph; 2. Tony Schumacher, 3.779, 325.45; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.782, 315.93; 4. Steve Torrence, 3.783, 323.89; 5. Richie Crampton, 3.787, 318.02; 6. Doug Kalitta, 3.793, 317.94; 7. Brittany Force, 3.801, 310.77; 8. Dom Lagana, 3.805, 300.66; 9. Dave Connolly, 3.817, 320.66; 10. Clay Millican, 3.847, 315.86; 11. Spencer Massey, 3.867, 316.67; 12. Troy Buff, 3.879, 307.02. Not Qualified: 13. Terry McMillen, 3.997, 307.51; 14. Steve Faria, 4.166, 217.70; 15. Antron Brown, 4.220, 202.27; 16. Steven Chrisman, 4.353, 214.62; 17. Jenna Haddock, 4.399, 190.40; 18. Larry Dixon, 6.088, 110.86.

Funny Car — 1. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.007, 318.02; 2. Jack Beckman, Charger, 4.014, 315.64; 3. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.020, 313.07; 4. Alexis DeJoria, Toyota Camry, 4.037, 308.78; 5. Del Worsham, Camry, 4.048, 316.52; 6. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.065, 314.31; 7. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.075, 316.15; 8. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 4.086, 317.19; 9. Chad Head, Camry, 4.090, 303.84; 10. Robert Hight, Chevrolet Camaro, 4.091, 314.97; 11. John Hale, Charger, 4.091, 311.92; 12. Tony Pedregon, Camry, 4.129, 303.98. Not Qualified: 13. Cruz Pedregon, 4.140, 295.27; 14. Courtney Force, 4.190, 289.57; 15. Jeff Arend, 5.029, 162.35; 16. Gary Densham, 5.388, 137.25.

Pro Stock — 1. Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.606, 208.75; 2. Erica Enders-Stevens, Camaro, 6.617, 208.94; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.621, 208.81; 4. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.624, 208.36; 5. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.630, 208.49; 6. Shane Gray, Camaro, 6.631, 208.71; 7. Larry Morgan, Camaro, 6.641, 208.30; 8. Allen Johnson, Dodge Dart, 6.645, 208.59; 9. Jimmy Alund, Pontiac GXP, 6.647, 210.93; 10. Drew Skillman, Camaro, 6.651, 208.36; 11. V. Gaines, Dart, 6.682, 207.91; 12. Deric Kramer, Dodge Avenger, 6.691, 206.51. Not Qualified: 13. Matt Hartford, 6.739, 204.85; 14. Jeff Isbell, 6.869, 196.85; 15. Joey Grose, 8.110, 127.50; 16. Vincent Nobile, 16.668, 40.49; 17. Jonathan Gray, 20.566, 25.71.

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The focus of the Detroit Monster Energy Supercross round was on the mid-pack battle while Aaron Plessinger pulled away from the field, but when he crashed after hooking his foot in the dirt, the results once more looked like we’ve come to expect, with Chase Sexton, Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac sharing the podium for the fifth time in 10 rounds.

Supercross Results Detroit — *Justin Barcia was part of an exciting, four-rider battle in the middle of Detroit’s A-Main. – Feld Motor Sports*

For Sexton, Plessinger’s late-race crash was a vindication of sorts. Several times already this season, Sexton has crashed while battling for the lead and the points that has cost him keeps him sporting the red plate. He lost points in Detroit for a different reason, however.

Sexton was allowed to keep the win, but was penalized seven points for jumping in a red cross section of the course. As a result, he dropped four points to Webb and two to Tomac. Sexton is now 17 points behind Webb in the championship hunt.

RESULTS: Click here for full 450 Overall Results; Click here for 250 Overall Results

One week after snatching the red plate from Tomac for the first time in 2023, Webb stretched his advantage by two. With his second-place finish, Webb holds a three-point lead over Tomac, which essentially means both riders control their fate in the coming weeks. Webb continues to have a sweep of the top five this season with his sixth consecutive podium.

Coming off his worst finish of the season, Tomac rebounded to finish third. His eighth-place result last week was partially attributed to a stiff neck that hindered him in traffic and he still suffered some of those same effects in Detroit. Before Plessinger’s crash, he was destined to be the only rider in the three-man title scrum to finish off the podium in Detroit.

It is surprising what one position can do for one’s confidence.

Click here for 450 Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Last Chance Qualifier | Lap Chart

Justin Barcia scored his fourth top-five of the season. He was part of the exciting four-man battle that dominated the middle stages of the race before Sexton and Webb gained a little separation. Finishing less than three seconds behind Tomac, he kept that rider honest for the entire race.

Coming off his first win of the season, Ken Roczen finished fifth. It was his seventh top-five of the season and it elevated him to fifth in the standings.

Plessinger’s fall took the wind from his sails. He attempted to right his bike after a hard crash, but as it smoked and pinged, he dropped to 13th in the final rundown.

Click here for 450 Overall results | Rider Points | Manufacturer Points

Hunter Lawrence tied his brother Jett Lawrence with 10 wins each after another dominating ride in the Detroit Supercross race and the results in the points continue to widen. With his fifth win in six rounds and a worst finish of third, Lawrence now has a 35-point advantage over Nate Thrasher with four rounds remaining. Finishes of 14th or better in the final four mains will give him his first 250 championship.

Jett will have an opportunity to retake his wins’ lead as Supercross heads west for the next two rounds in Seattle and Glendale, Arizona.

Nate Thrasher earned his third second-place finish of the season with a gap of 7.6 seconds to Lawrence. He won the overall in Arlington earlier this season, but a 15th-place finish in the opening round in Houston and 10th in Daytona hurts his championship chances.

Click here for 250 Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Last Chance Qualifier | Lap Chart

Haiden Deegan scored his second podium and fourth top-five in six rounds of his young career. On his way to that finish, he rode aggressively against his teammate Jordon Smith in the heat race. Fans are getting a glimpse of what his on-track personality might be.

Jeremy Martin continues to be the model of consistency. He has not finished worse than sixth or better than fourth in six rounds now and that has allowed him to close to within two points of third in the 250 East championship standings.

Rounding out the top five is Chris Blose, who was pressed into service at the start of the season because of a rash of injuries at Pro Circuit Kawasaki. This is Blose’s first top-five of the season, although he’s steadily improved over the past five rounds.

Click here for 250 Overall results | 250 East Rider Points | 250 Combined Rider Points

Max Anstie entered the race weekend second in the points, but a hard crash in heavy traffic early in the main forced him to retire after two laps. Earning only one point for the round, he plummeted to fifth in the standings.

The news was worse for Smith, who was dropped out of the top nine in his heat after the altercation with Deegan and failed to advance through the LCQ. In the last chance race, he stalled his engine and had to mount a determined charge. He got only as high as seventh in that race after crashing while attempting to make a pass on fourth-place Jack Chambers.

2023 Results

Round 10: Chace Sexton wins, penalized
Round 9: Ken Roczen wins
Round 8: Eli Tomac wins 7th Daytona
Round 7: Cooper Webb wins second race
Race 6: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence win
Race 5: Webb, Hunter Lawrence win
Race 4: Tomac, H Lawrence win
Race 3: Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen win
Race 2: Tomac, J Lawrence win
Round 1: Tomac, J Lawrence win