NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Top Fuel

Points leader Doug Kalitta, the defending event champion in his Mac Tools dragster, will begin his Countdown to the Championship quest with a first-round meeting with Dan Mercier. Kalitta is No. 3 in the qualifying order, while No. 1 qualifier Justin Ashley is hoping to make up ground in the championship chase — he’s No. 2 in the standings — by first defeating Smax Smith and then turning on three more win lights. 

No Top Fuel driver has more wins at Maple Grove Raceway than eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher. He will be bringing his Leatherwood Distillery dragster to the starting line for a first-round meeting with Doug Foley in his hunt for Reading win No. 6. 

Matco Tools Toyota campaigner Antron Brown, a two-time winner at the Grove, is qualified in the No. 7 position and set for a first-round meeting with nitro rookie Jasmine Salinas. 

Shawn Langdon, who enters this event No. 3 in the standings, won this race in 2013; his Kalitta Air Careers dragster is qualified No. 5 and set to meet with European FIA Top Fuel champion Ida Zetterström, who clocked a career-best speed in qualifying. Langdon’s Kalitta Motorsports teammate and driver of the DHL Toyota SR Supra, J.R. Todd, won this race in Top Fuel in 2006, then again in 2018 in Funny Car. 

Billy Torrence (2021) and Steve Torrence (2018) each have a Maple Grove Trophy in the case. Billy is in the lucky 13 spot and will race Tony Stewart, while Steve is No. 6 and will line up next to Brittany Force.

Funny Car

The most winning driver at Maple Grove Raceway in any class is John Force, and he’s being represented well here by “Fast Jack” Beckman, who is piloting his Peak Chevrolet through the remainder of the season as he mends from the crash earlier this season in Richmond. A win here for Beckman would count for Beckman on the historical scorecard, but the points will go into Force’s pot. At present, he’s currently No. 5 in the standings as Beckman battles to secure a 17th world title for drag racing’s most known competitor. Beckman, starting from the No. 3 spot, will race “Nitro Joe” Morrison in the opening act. Beckman is tied with Robert Hight, Tommy Johnson Jr., and Tony Pedregon for three wins in Reading.

Points leader and No. 1 qualifier Austin Prock has been playing a strong hand this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, and he is looking to continue his momentum with a first-round victory over Mike Smith. Prock won this race in Top Fuel in 2022 alongside John Force Racing teammate Hight, who was driving the car that he is wheeling now.

Two-time Maple Grove winner Cruz Pedregon, who is bearing SpeedDawg branding on the butterflies of his Snap-On Tools Toyota this weekend to honor the brand’s 20th anniversary, is set for a first-round meeting with Blake Alexander and the Pronto Ford. Pedregon is No. 8, Alexander is No. 9. 

The drivers at the top of the points each have one win here: No. 2 Bob Tasca III, No. 3 Matt Hagan, No. 4 J.R. Todd, and No. 5 Ron Capps. Tasca will race Dave Richards in the third round, Capps will square off with Buddy Hull, and Hagan and Todd will go head-to-head. 

Pro Stock

Dallas Glenn and his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet have done a good job of getting off on the right foot in the Countdown; he qualified No. 1 here at a race in which he was No. 9 last season. Glenn and Kenny Delco will race in round one. The man who entered the event fresh off a double-up victory at Indy, Aaron Stanfield, is No. 2 in the points and No. 4 on the qualifying sheet in his JHG/Melling Performance Chevrolet. He’s matched with Elite Motorsports teammate Troy Coughlin Jr.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. has the most wins of any Pro Stock driver here with four total titles claimed. He's the No. 5 qualifier and is going to bring the Scag Power Equipment Chevrolet to the starting line for a rendezvous with Chris McGaha, who won this race in 2015.

Defending event champion Matt Hartford and his GETTRX/Total Seal/Rottler Chevrolet are starting from the No. 7 position and will race Eric Latino in the first round.

The HendrickCars.com Chevrolet driven by five-time world champion Greg Anderson showed signs of come-uppance in qualifying as he claimed six bonus marks. He landed in the No. 3 position, and he’s No. 3 in the standings entering the event. He’s also a three-time winner here in Reading. Anderson will come to the starting line for a meeting with KB Titan Racing teammate Cory Reed. 

Reigning world champ Erica Enders, driving for JHG/Melling Performance, won here in 2022, and she’s entering this race as the No. 4 driver in the Countdown standings. Her Elite entry was swift on Friday to score the provisional pole that first day. She’ll start from the No. 2 position and race Mason McGaha in the first round. 

Other previous Pro Stock winners here include 

Pro Stock Motorcycle

The points leader is also the No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Gaige Herrera, riding the Vance & Hines RevZilla Mission Suzuki, has won nearly all the races on the schedule — but he hasn’t won at Maple Grove Raceway yet. He was No. 1 qualifier here last year and holds both ends of the track record, but it was Matt Smith, the No. 2 qualifier, who claimed the trophy last time around. The two arch rivals, No. 1 and No. 2 in the points, are qualified on opposites sides of the ladder, with Herrera lining up with Kelly Clontz for the second-round bye and Smith going to battle with Ron Tornow. The winner of that round will race either Steve Johnson, who won this race in 2021, or Chris Bostick. 

Hector Arana Jr. and his GETTRX Buell qualified in the No. 4 position and will square off with MSR Scrappers Racing rider Jianna Evaristo. Arana has won this event twice, in 2011 and 2018, and he is hoping for another in order to aid his quest for the series title. He’s No. 8 in the points. 

Richard Gadson, Herrera’s RevZilla/Mission teammate, is No. 3 in the standings and on the qualifying sheet. He’s set to race former champ Geno Scali in the opening round. 

EVENT STATISTICS

2023 EVENT WINNERS: Doug Kalitta, Top Fuel; Robert Hight, Funny Car; Matt Hartford, Pro Stock; Matt Smith, Pro Stock Motorcycle

MOST VICTORIES: Tony Schumacher, 5, TF; John Force, 7, FC; Jeg Coughlin Jr., 4, PS; Angelle Sampey, 6, PSM

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel – 3.623 seconds by Brittany Force, Sept. '19; 337.66 mph by B. Force, Sept. '22

Funny Car – 3.837 seconds by Ron Capps, Sept. '19; 339.28 mph by Capps, Sept. '19

Pro Stock – 6.465 seconds by Erica Enders, Oct. '14; 214.59 mph by Greg Anderson, Oct. '15

Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.672 seconds by Gaige Herrera, Sept. '23; 203.00 mph by Herrera, Sept. '23

SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, Sept. 15
Pre-race ceremonies, 9:30 a.m. MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations at 10:30 a.m.

TELEVISION

SUNDAY, Sept. 15
FS1 will televise one-and-a-half hours of qualifying coverage at coverage at 12:30 p.m. (ET)

SUNDAY, Sept. 15
FOX will televise two hours of finals coverage at 2:00 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. (ET) (check local listings)

TICKETS

To purchase tickets to the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, click here or call 800-884-6472