The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series regular-season schedule is down to just one event, the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Aug. 12-15 in Brainerd, where the fields will be set for the Countdown to 1 playoffs that begin Labor Day weekend at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil.

Just one spot remains open in Funny Car, two each in Top Fuel and Pro Stock, and five in Pro Stock Motorcycle following the completion of last weekend's Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver, where nine new drivers locked up their spots in the playoffs.

FUNNY CAR
The battle for the lone remaining spot in Funny Car is probably down to two-time NHRA Funny Car world champ Tony Pedregon and Kalitta Motorsports wheelman Jeff Arend. Pedregon owns a slim 33-point lead, or less than two rounds of racing.

Arend has been to two finals this year, in Houston and Topeka, but is coming off of three straight first-round losses. Pedregon reached the final round in Las Vegas this year, where he was denied by former boss John Force, but he has won just one round at the last eight events, against brother Cruz in Bristol. Cruz, himself a former world champ, still has an outside chance if his brother and Arend falter, but it seems more likely that he will miss the playoffs for the second straight year.

TOP FUEL
It's a three-way fight for the final two berths between Steve Torrence, Dave Grubnic, and Terry McMillen. Torrence seems to have a comfortable grip on a position in the field with a lead of 64 points over Grubnic, but Grubnic, who has been in the Countdown playoffs just once since the formula was introduced in 2007, leads McMillen by just 19 points for the 10th position.

Torrence has been in the top 10 since the season opened, reaching sixth, and has qualified the Capco Racing/Tuttle Motorsports dragster in the top half of the field at 10 of the 16 events. Though he has yet to reach a final round this year, he has been to the semi's twice and has won at least a round at three of the last five events.

Grubnic, who snagged a season-high No. 3 qualifying berth in Denver, has been in and out of the top 10 all season but has won a round at two of the last three events with the Kalitta Air dragster.

McMillen, who is making his first all-out assault on the championship with his Amalie dragster, broke into the top 10 in Englishtown and held that spot for three races before relinquishing it to Grubnic, then took it back with a big round-win in Sonoma before giving it back with a first-round loss in Denver.

PRO STOCK
In a situation similar to that in Top Fuel, Johnny Gray looks to have a decent shot at grabbing one of the two remaining spots. The ninth-place driver holds a 114-point lead over 11th-place Kurt Johnson. Rodger Brogdon is sandwiched between them, but just 34 points behind Gray.

Gray's son, rookie campaigner Shane, locked up his berth in the Countdown to 1 with a semifinal finish in Denver, a feat equaled by his father. Gray, runner-up in Seattle, has reached the semifinals at two of the last four races and has qualified in the top half of the field at the last five. A solid qualifying effort in Brainerd will assure his playoff spot.

Brogdon has been in the top 10 all year, but after holding on to the eighth spot since May slid to ninth in Sonoma and 10th in Denver. After a strong No. 4 qualifying effort and a semifinal finish in Chicago, he has won just one round at the last six events and qualified no higher than 12th.

Second-generation Pro Stock stalwart Johnson is in danger of the first non-top 10 finish of his career, which dates back to 1993. The four-time championship runner-up put together back-to-back semifinal finishes in Seattle and Sonoma to zoom from 15th place to 11th, but a first-round loss in Denver may prove costly as he sits 80 points outside the playoffs.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
Five spots remain open and seven riders have a shot at grabbing them, but it's pretty close to a mathematical excursive. Sure, a couple of jawdropping DNQs would change all that, but that's unlikely. Mostly, it's a fight for final position among the top 10.

Krawiec holds a 144-point lead over Gann, and with 150 points maximum available at any event, Krawiec would pretty much have to fall off of his Harley on the way to the staging lanes for his first pass to not lock up his spot (a driver gets 10 points for making one qualifying pass, regardless of where he or she finishes). Krawiec has qualified in the top half of the field at nine of the 10 events this year.

Tonglet, who with Shane Gray is a front-runner for the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award for the top rookie, is in a similar situation as Krawiec and needs only to qualify to lock up his invitation; he has made the field at all 10 races this season.

With a 102-point lead on Gann, even eighth-place Hope looks safe as he, too, hasn’t come close to failing to qualify all season, and Karen Stoffer, who has been back and forth between ninth and 10th lately, did herself a huge favor with a runner-up in Denver to push her 93 points clear of Gann.

Treble seems to be the only vulnerable rider, but the veteran just picked up backing from Brogdon and partner Steve Kent that will allow him to buy new 1753cc Suzuki two-valve engines from Vance & Hines in time for the Brainerd event. He's just 57 points, or less than three rounds, ahead of Gann. If he qualifies well enough or picks up session bonus points, he can expand that lead to more than three rounds, making it tougher on Gann.

Gann, runner-up at the season opener in Gainesville, may be paying for skipping the Houston event, where he slid from fourth place to 10th; two races later, he fell out of the top 10. After missing Houston, he won a round at three of the next four races but hasn’t won a round at the last three. He'll need to qualify and reach the semifinals – and hope that Treble falters -- to have any chance of making the cut.

Underdahl has been impressive lately – including with a No. 4 qualifying berth in Denver -- but it's a case of too little too late. He's 89 points out of 10th place, so he'll need a major miscue from Treble and, at minimum, a final-round appearance to have a shot.