Massey takes Top Fuel points lead, Hagan extends in Funny Car after runner-up finishes

CONCORD, NC – Don Schumacher Racing leaves zMAX Dragway near Charlotte with the points lead in the top two categories of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series after the Carlyle Tools Carolina Nationals presented by NAPA and the opening event of the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoff.

Spencer Massey in the Battery Extender Powered by Schumacher dragster was runner-up for the Top Fuel title Sunday and moved up one spot to take over the points lead moments after Matt Hagan, whose Rocky Boots/Mopar Dodge Charger R/T also lost in his championship round, but was able to extend his points lead over teammate Ron Capps and the Carlyle Tools/NAPA team from 30 to 72 points in the 10-driver field.

The series moves to Dallas next week for the second Countdown event on Sept. 20-22 at the Texas Motorplex at Ennis, Texas.

Upsets were the trend in Top Fuel in the first round when points leader Shawn Langdon of Al-Anabi Racing and DSR’s Tony Schumacher and the U.S. Army, who started the event third in points, lost to the No. 16 and No. 15 qualifiers, respectively.

Another surprise was on Saturday when DSR’s reigning world champion Antron Brown and the Toyota team did not qualify that ended a streak of 110 events in which he qualified for championship eliminations. It was the seventh longest streak of active professional drivers.