Beckman edges DSR teammate Hagan for Atlanta provisional pole while Langdon leads team’s four dragsters after first day of qualifying

COMMERCE, Ga. (May 13, 2016) – Now that’s more like it. After winning 27 NHRA national event titles last year, including 15 in Funny Car, DSR has only mustered one title each thus far this season in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Friday could be a hint the DSR juggernaut is getting close to returning to full power.

Jack Beckman and the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T led Don Schumacher Racing the top of the Funny Car field after the first day of qualifying in the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway with a track-record-setting performance.

And close behind in the No. 2 position, with two more sessions scheduled for Saturday, is DSR teammate Matt Hagan in the Rocky Boots/Mopar Dodge whose Dodge Charger R/T also blasted the previous records.

Beckman with crew chief Jimmy Prock with assistants John Medlen and Chris Cunningham led the Terry Chandler-sponsored Dodge to a time of 3.939 seconds at 326.32 mph. The team is on the cusp of earning its fourth No. 1 qualifying position through the first seven races of the 24-event Mello Yello season but has yet to win this season after winning a series-best event times last year.

“We are fine when track conditions are cool like they were tonight, but we’ve been struggling when it’s warm,” said the 2012 Funny Car world champion.

“The first session we ran a 4.07 that put us in the middle of the pack. It’s tough to make a big change when you’re middle of the pack, but because there are only 16 cars here everyone will run on Sunday. That meant Jimmy was able to take a hard shot at it.”

Hagan and crew chief Dickie Venables with assistant Michael Knudsen powered their Dodge to a time of 3.943 at 326.08 that also blasted the previous track records.

“We had a good race two weeks ago at Houston and I knew then that Dickie was getting his confidence back after we got down the track on every run,” said Hagan, the 2011 and 2014 Funny Car world champion.

“That was a great run with our great looking Dodge with the Rocky Venator camouflage paint scheme on it. Everything says it’s supposed to cool off for Sunday’s eliminations so we are going to need that data for race day.”

The NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge with driver Ron Capps and crew chief Rahn Tobler with assistant Eric Lane are in the provisional No. 6 position with consistent runs of 4.063 (312.57 mph) and 4.011 (322.04). Tommy Johnson Jr. in Terry Chandler’s Make-A-Wish Dodge are in the No. 11 spot.

In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon and the Red Fuel Powered by Schumacher/Sandvik Coromant team led by crew chiefs Todd Okuhara and Phil Shuler continue to climb the performance ladder and were the quickest of DSR’s four dragsters.

Langdon, the 2013 Top Fuel world champion, is seeded No. 6 with a time of 3.783 (319.52).

Langdon, who also is competing at Atlanta in NHRA Sportsman competition with his 160-mph Super Comp dragster, would have liked to be even quicker but was more than pleased with the last run of the day.

“We’re continuing to improve each and every run,” Langdon said. “We seem to have picked up right where we left off in Houston and we’re building confidence with each run. We were actually hoping for a little bit better than that but Phil (Shuler) and Todd (Okuhara) know what to do and we’re excited to see what the rest of this weekend brings.”

Reigning world champion Antron Brown’s Matco Tools team with crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald are seventh with a time of 3.789 (321.27) and eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher’s U.S. Army team is eighth at the only track where he has yet to hoist a NHRA Wally trophy.

The newest member of DSR, Leah Pritchett in the FireAde dragster led by crew chiefs Mike Guger and Joe Barlam, is ninth with a time 3.822 (303.50). The first run of the day with the new team was a scheduled half-track shutoff as it was the car’s first pass and Pritchett’s first in a DSR enclosed canopy.

The last two qualifying sessions are scheduled for Saturday at 2:15 and 4:45 p.m. (ET) leading to Sunday’s championship eliminations at 11 a.m.

Qualifying highlights will be televised Saturday on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) at 10 p.m. and a three-hour show begins 4:30 p.m. Sunday culminating with live eliminations.