There was a time when Matt Hagan was a wet-behind-the-ears Funny Car driver, having just graduated from being the NHRA’s Pro Modified Rookie of the Year.

It’s taken Hagan a little under two decades, but he has developed into one of the most seasoned drivers in the Funny Car class, and on Sunday 
 at the 14th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte he scored his milestone 50th win at zMaz Dragway.

Bob Tasca left no doubt about his intentions as he headed into the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge on Saturday at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. It wasn’t just about racing against his three fellow competitors; it was about something deeper.

Following a contentious disqualification Friday, attributed to an intake manifold deemed illegal by the NHRA Tech Department, Tasca found himself feeling personally slighted by the decision. In response, he vowed to overcome the controversial decision, not just for himself, but for his dedicated crew chiefs who work tirelessly behind the scenes.

The outcome? Another triumph in the four-wide format, coupled with the fastest run ever recorded at zMAX Dragway.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 14th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, the fifth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

Final round-by-round results from the 14th annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, the fifth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Dispose of the voodoo doll. Unleash the sage. Banish the demons. Greg Anderson is fervently wishing that his string of misfortunes has come to an end.

Following a tumultuous start to the weekend that ranks among the most chaotic for an individual competitor in recent memory, Anderson managed to clinch a surprising No. 1 qualifier spot Saturday at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

“I cannot remember” a weekend like this, Anderson said. “It’s kind of funny, and all you can do is just shake your head and chuckle. There’s no sense in getting mad about it. Mistakes are made and there is nothing you can do about it. It’s drag racing. I guess if things were going bad and the car was running poorly, the driver was driving poorly, then maybe I’d get a little bit mad, but I don’t have room for that.

It's been 50 years since Rickie Smith went class racing. This weekend, the drag racing Hall of Famer has returned to his roots while racing Competition Eliminator. 

Smith is racing his nitrous-injected Mustang in A/Pro Modified class this weekend. He made two runs on Friday, a 5.786 elapsed time, -.884 under his index, and followed up with a 5.764, -0.906. 

John Force intends to retire one day, but if race fans believe he's stepping aside for Jordan Vandergriff, they are reading too much into the situation. 

"We are just talking, and I don't have a spot right now," Force said. "I like the kid. I like the Vandergriff name. I raced with his family for years. He's done those reality shows and now does some stuff with FOX. He came in and tested a Funny Car for us." 

Gaige Herrera’s qualifying dominance in Pro Stock Motorcycle continued on Saturday in Charlotte, but it took until the final session when the defending world champ put together a track-record run of 6.671 at 202.70 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. 

Herrera was the only Mission Food Series competitor to qualify No. 1 on Saturday, who wasn’t already at the top of the leaderboard. 

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car), and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) secured No. 1 qualifiers at the fifth stop on the 21-race tour. 

Bob Tasca III made a monster of a run Friday night, stopping the timers during the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway at 3.849 seconds at 335.32 miles per hour. The run was good enough for 16th in the field.

Well, not initially. The run was good enough for No. 2 in the sixteen-car field. At the conclusion of the Q2 session, however, it became apparent that the run was living on borrowed time as the NHRA’s technical department confiscated an intake manifold the series deemed questionable and unacceptable by Noon on Saturday.