Lucas,Pedregon,Line,Smith Lead zMax Qualifying

Morgan Lucas (Top Fuel), Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) claimed the top spots in qualifying for Sundays third annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Lucas held the no.1 spot in Top Fuel with a low ET of 3.749 at 324.51 mph, jumping up from the 13th spot in Fridays opening session. He was followed by Tony Schumacher and Shawn Langdon, who led the opening round.

Pedregon broke the track ET record in the Funny Car division with a run of 3.980 at 319.22 mph in the evening session to take the provisional pole after holding the 11th spot in the opening round. Matt Hagan continued to hold the second spot followed by Tim Wilkerson.

In Pro Stock, defending event winner Jason Line moved from second to the top of the ladder with a pass of 6.541,211.86. Shane Gray is currently second, ahead of Mike Edwards.

In the Pro Stock Motorcycle division, Matt Smith swept both rounds on Friday, posting a 6.874,194.63 to claim the top spot. Michael Ray and Eddie Krawiec rounded out the top three.

Qualifying continues with two sessions on Saturday to set the field for Sundays eliminations. Pete McCole