NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Brittany Force, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps, and Aaron Stanfield have locked up their spots in the Countdown to the Champonship playoffs following the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals in Seattle last weekend.

They join Funny Car’s Robert Hight and Pro Stock racer Erica Enders in the field of drivers who will compete for Camping World NHRA professional championships during the six race playoffs that begin in September.

Force smoked the tires in the Seattle final against Tony Schumacher, but scored enough points to secure her spot in the Countdown. In Funny Car, Hagan and Capps each made a surprising early exit at Pacific Raceways, yet took away some consolation as they're both locked into the Countdown field. Stanfield is also safe in the Countdown following a semifinal finish in Pro Stock.

The regular season ends at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, which means racers have just three events remaining (Topeka, Brainerd, Indy) to officially lock in their spots.

The criteria for participating in the Countdown includes the Top 10 points earners and any team that has made the minimum number of qualifying attempts at every national event of the regular season. Here's what we know.

While Brittany Force is the only driver to officially lock up a spot in the Countdown in Top Fuel, there are many others who are close including Mike Salinas, Justin Ashley, and Steve Torrence, who occupy the top for sports in the standings.

The real drama comes at the back of the field where there is a quite a battle racing for the last few spots. Antron Brown and Tony Schumacher remain outside the Top 10, even though Schumacher won in Seattle. Assuming that the two world champs make the required qualifying runs in Topeka, Brainerd, and Indy, they’ll be in the Countdown regardless of whether they can crack the Top 10 although its worth noting that just 100 points separate No. 6 Leah Pruett from No. 11 Schumacher so a lot could change in the next month.

Three Funny Car drivers are locked into the field while a total of ten drivers have so far fulfilled the qualifying requirements. The remaining ten include John Force, Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, Cruz Pedregon, Alexis DeJoria, Tim Wilkerson, and Jim Campbell.

At this point, Chad Green is No. 11 and Blake Alexander is No. 12 and neither has attended all the events, so in order to make the playoffs, they’ll each have to do it solely on points. Jim Campbell currently sits No. 10, but so far he’s got an automatic berth.

The Playoff field in Pro Stock currently includes just Enders and Stanfield but by the time the field is set, there will likely be 15 drivers contending for the title. Kyle Koretsky, Greg Anderson, and Dallas Glenn are the next drivers who should clinch spots with Mason McGaha, Troy Coughlin Jr., Camrie Caruso, and Matt Hartford waiting in the wings.

Deric Kramer, Chris McGaha, and the three-car Corral Boots team of Fernando Cuadra, and his sons, Fernando Jr., and Cristian aren’t presently classified in the Top 10 but are each playoff eligible.

The dozen Pro Stock Motorcycle riders include just eight who meet the qualifying-run requirement, so the two-wheeled contingent will come down to a points scenario. The bikes only run at two of the final four events — in Topeka and Indy — so there’s no room for error.

Currently, the field includes Angelle Sampey, Joey Gladstone, Steve Johnson, Matt Smith, Eddie Krawiec, Karen Stoffer, Angie Smith, Jerry Savoie, Marc Ingwersen, and Jimmy Underdahl although Ryan Oehler and Kelly Clontz remain in the mix.

The 2022 Countdown to the Championship begins Sept. 15-18 with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania and concludes at the Auto Club NHRA Finals Nov. 10-13 at Southern California’s Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.