· Matt Hagan uses record run on Friday to earn No. 1 spot at NHRA Kansas Nationals
· Mopar Express Lane Dodge driver Hagan’s pole at Heartland Park Topeka is first of season, 22nd of his career
· Hagan’s Mopar Dodge Don Schumacher Racing teammate Beckman collects No. 2 position
· Four DSR Dodge drivers qualify in top half of Funny Car field
· No. 7 Allen Johnson quickest of five Mopar-powered Dodge Dart drivers in NHRA Pro Stock qualifying
· Erica Enders drives Mopar Performance Dodge Dart to ninth spot
· Jeg Coughlin Jr. starts No. 13 in “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Jegs.com Dodge Dart

Auburn Hills, Michigan (May 21, 2016) – Matt Hagan set Funny Car national records for time and speed, clocking a pass of 3.862 seconds at 335.57 mph in his Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T to claim the No. 1 spot in qualifying at the 28th Annual NHRA Kansas Nationals. Hagan’s Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate Jack Beckman also grabbed the second position, slotting Mopar-powered Dodge machines 1-2 on the charts at Heartland Park Topeka.

Track temperatures dropped to an extremely cool 78 degrees for the last qualifying session on Friday, ripe conditions for Hagan to uncork his record run and claim his first pole of the season and 22nd of his career. The event winner last weekend at Atlanta Dragway will square off with Brian Stewart in round one of Sunday eliminations as he chases back-to-back event victories.

“Pulling up to the line we knew it could be so good with a great track and perfect weather conditions,” said Hagan, the 2011 and 2014 Funny Car world champion, who defeated Beckman in the all-Mopar final round at Atlanta to score his first win of the season. “Doing the burnout I thought this is going to be good. I was breathing hard, pulled my belts tight, chewed on my mouthpiece and pulled up to the line. We staged it then hit the pedal and it jumped right up on the tires. I didn’t want to steer it much because when it’s that fast it’s easy to make a slight move that gets you out of the groove or smokes the tires.

“It started to get really dark in the car then the clutch came in and I really felt the g’s in the middle (of the track) and it never quit pulling. It is pretty cool to hang on to something that goes that fast. It is just over too quick unfortunately.”

Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T driver Beckman, the top qualifier and runner-up last week at Atlanta, used a career-best elapsed time of 3.866 seconds on Friday to claim the No. 2 position and a date with No. 15 qualifier Dale Creasy. The 2012 Funny Car world champ was quickest in the first qualifying session on Saturday and second-quickest in his final attempt, collecting 10 of a possible 12 qualifying bonus points.

“The advantage of qualifying high is it sets you up for having a successful day,” said Beckman. “First off, you get more points when you’re in the top-three in a session, you get lane choice in the first round and you get a better pick of when you’ll run in the first round. You can’t minimize the importance of qualifying but it doesn’t guarantee success with the unpredictability of nitro Funny Cars but it sets you up for a successful weekend.”

DSR driver Tommy Johnson Jr. (3.889) will start seventh in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T and draw Cruz Pedregon as his opening foe, while teammate Ron Capps (3.895) will fight out of the eighth spot against Robert Hight. No. 14 qualifier John Hale (4.061) will line up his Dodge against Tim Wilkerson.

In NHRA Pro Stock qualifying, Allen Johnson was top dog of the Mopar-powered Dodge Dart pack, earning the No. 7 position with a 6.636 effort. The 2012 Pro Stock champ faces Aaron Strong in round one.

“I think we’ve had a pretty good weekend so far,” said Johnson. “We’ll put in our best tune-up for tomorrow and if we can get the right matchups each round and maintain lane choice each round, I think we can take the win home with us.”

Erica Enders (6.643) will start ninth in her Mopar Performance Dodge Dart and battle Drew Skillman in the opening round at Heartland Park Topeka, where in 2006 she became the first woman to earn a No. 1 Qualifier spot in the Pro Stock class.
“Drew and I are friends everywhere but on the race track,” Enders said. “When I put on my helmet, he becomes just another driver. It was a lot of fun to work with him last year as he made the transition to Pro Stock, and I helped him as much as I could in 2015. But on race day, I’m going to try to beat him like I try to beat anyone else in this class.”

After posting his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Jegs.com Dodge Dart No. 13 with a 6.670-second pass, Jeg Coughlin Jr. is upbeat heading into a first-round duel with Shane Gray.

“We carry a lot of optimism, and we know the team is fantastic,” Coughlin said. “But we’re clearly struggling to get the performance here at the race track. There’s no question the team is working hard. We’re near our home race for Elite Motorsports and Elite Performance. We were hoping these Midwest tornados would stir up something in our camp and bring the performance to where we know we’re capable of being.”

V. Gaines (6.767) qualified 14th in his Dodge and will face Greg Anderson, while No. 12 qualifier and Dodge Dart driver Deric Kramer (6.667) will meet Alex Laughlin.

Two hours of qualifying coverage from the 28th Annual NHRA Kansas Nationals will air on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday, May 21, beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET, with a replay airing on FOX Sports 2 on Sunday, May 22, from 8:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET. Three hours of live eliminations coverage will air on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, May 22, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.