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Matt Hagan sprinted to the qualifying lead in Funny Car Friday at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock), and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were qualifying leaders in their categories at the 18th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the final race of the regular season.

Hagan took the top spot in Funny Car by navigating the track in 3.858 seconds at 330.80 mph in his Mopar/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T. His time was a Lucas Oil Raceway track record. Hagan has three top qualifiers this season and 24 in his career. He was the No. 1 qualifier two weeks ago in Brainerd. Hagan has qualified first in Indianapolis three times but has never won the Big Go.

Matt Hagan

“We’re grateful for what we got,” said Hagan, a two-time Funny Car world champion. “It was a crazy run. The car washes out really hard, and I’m over near the wall, and I think, ‘Man, I should really click this thing off,’ but then it starts to come around, and it settles back down in the groove. It was digging and running good. We got some more night runs tomorrow, and I’m sure everyone is going to be pressing hard, and we got a lot to do, but it was a wild run, and it’ll be one that I’ll always remember.”

Jack Beckman, the 2015 event winner, is second with a 3.859 at a track record speed of 333.08 in his Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger R/T. His teammate and points leader Ron Capps is third with a 3.861 at 325.30 in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T.

Sixteen-time Funny Car world champion John Force is fourth in his Peak Chevy Camaro SS and followed by teammate Robert Hight and his Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro in fifth. Tommy Johnson Jr. is sixth, and reigning world champion Del Worsham is seventh.

Steve Torrence

Torrence pushed his Capco Contractors/Torrence Racing dragster to a 3.702 at 328.06 to lead Top Fuel through the first qualifying session. Torrence has eight No. 1 qualifiers so far this season and is third in points. He posted runner-up finishes in Indianapolis in 2014 and 2013. He is a two-time 2016 event winner and has notched three runner-ups this year as well.

"It's always pretty crucial to come out and run well on the first pass," said Torrence. "You need to get good data for the rest of the runs. Indy is a little bit unique since we have five [qualifying] runs. This one is so late in the evening you can afford the opportunity to go out there and throw everything at it and try to knock one out of the park. There were quite a few cars that ran good in front of us, so we knew that the track was out there. We hit the nail a little closer on the head than everyone else tonight."

Tony Schumacher, an eight-time Top Fuel world champion and nine-time Indianapolis winner, sits second in his U.S. Army dragster with a 3.722 at 326.08. Reigning world champion Antron Brown is third with a 3.725 at 326.00 in his Matco Tools dragster and is followed by Brittany Force, pilot of the Monster Energy dragster, in fourth.

The Top Fuel portion of the lucrative Traxxas Nitro Shootout, which boasts a $100,000 payday, will take place during the qualifying sessions Saturday at Lucas Oil Raceway. Brown will open against lottery winner Terry McMillen, Doug Kalitta will race Leah Pritchett, Torrence is paired against Shawn Langdon, and Schumacher will battle Force.

Vincent Nobile

Nobile raced to the qualifying lead in Pro Stock with a 6.582 at 209.79 at the controls of his Mountain View Tire Chevy Camaro. Nobile, who posted a runner-up finish earlier this year in Denver, has six No. 1 qualifiers in his career and two this season.

“I don’t think there is much to complain about being nearly two-hundredths faster than the next guy,” said Nobile. “I’m not going to be greedy, but honestly, inside the car wasn’t a perfect run, but I’d be willing to say everybody else out there did not make a perfect run. Just so happened we made the best run that session. Hats off to the guys. They read the track real good. Obviously, we’re making power with the top speed of the round. I couldn’t be any happier.”

Nobile will race Aaron Strong in the third qualifying session to decide the Seattle final round, which was postponed in early August due to persistent rain.

Greg Anderson pushed his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro to the No. 2 spot with a 6.600 at 209.26. Anderson, second in points, is a six-time Indianapolis winner and four-time world champion. He has won seven races this year in 11 final-round appearances.

Jason Line, Anderson’s teammate and the category points leader, is third with a 6.611 at 209.04 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevy Camaro.

Bo Butner is currently fourth, Alex Laughlin is fifth, and Matt Hartford is sixth.

Jerry Savoie

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Savoie rode his White Alligator Racing Suzuki to the top spot with a 6.848 at 195.28. Savoie, an alligator farmer from Louisiana, has five No. 1 qualifiers in his career. He won the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals last year and posted runner-up finishes here in 2014 and 2011.

“When you come out of the box swinging like we did, it’s a good thing because you’re not struggling to find that power,” Savoie said. “It really wasn’t that great of a run. We figured it had an .82 or .83 out there. We bogged it off the line, but it gives you a good start to a good weekend. Tonight’s nothing to smile about yet, but we did good.”

Points leader Eddie Krawiec is second with a 6.852 at 194.77 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Krawiec, who won this event in 2014, has three wins this year in five final-round appearances. His teammate and reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Andrew Hines is second with a 6.867 at 193.85 on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson. Hines is second in points with four wins in six final rounds.

Rookie Cory Reed is fourth with a 6.870 at 192.66 on his Precision Service Equipment Buell. Chip Ellis is fifth, and Hector Arana Jr. is sixth.

Qualifying for the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals continues Saturday with sessions at 2:45 and 6:45 p.m.

Troy Coughlin raced to the qualifying lead Friday in the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the event. This weekend’s Pro Mod racing at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is presented by JEGS. This is the seventh of 10 Pro Mod events of the 2016 season.

Coughlin, the reigning and two-time national champion, pushed his late-model JEGS.com Chevy Corvette to a 5.773-second pass at 254.76 mph to take the qualifying lead in Friday’s only qualifying session. Coughlin won the fourth event of the year in Englishtown in June. He has two No. 1 qualifiers in his career.

"It's a lot of hard work that ([rew chief] Steve [Petty], Mike [Rees], Kyle [Pettis], and myself have done over the summertime break, trying to build new parts, new pieces, new tune-ups, new everything from after the Norwalk race,” said Coughlin. “The JEGS.com guys had to go to work; we had to make it back up. That's the name of the game. That's what they do in Pro Stock, that's what they do in Funny Car, that's what they do in Top Fuel, Comp eliminator. I'm just excited to see a lot of this stuff pay off."

Von Smith is second with a 5.802 at 245.94 in his late-model Chevy Corvette. Smith won the Pro Mod national championship in 2010.

In third is Eric Latino, who powered his ’69 Chevy Camaro to a 5.859 at 247.52.

Michael Biehle II sits in fourth and is followed by Mike Castellana in fifth and Steve Matusek in sixth.

Justin “Big Chief” Shearer, star of the Street Outlaws television show, made his first pass as a licensed NHRA racer Friday. He did not make the top 12 but will have three more chances before eliminations begin Sunday evening.

Pro Mod qualifying for the NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals will continue Saturday, Sept. 3, with sessions at 2 and 5:30 p.m. The final qualifying session will be held Sunday at 1:45 p.m. before the first round of eliminations at 5:30 p.m.