This weekend, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series makes its annual stop in Minnesota for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway. This event is the penultimate race in the regular season, which means berths in the upcoming Countdown to the Championship playoffs are at stake.

As part of PlayNHRA, NHRA’s partnerships with leading sports books and fantasy sports providers will enable fans to sign up for free and legally wager on national events and other outcomes in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

NHRA fans will have the opportunity to engage in fantasy games, gaming, and betting for this event. Betting markets feature the Professional classes, Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock, where fans can wager on event winners, low elapsed time of the event, and head-to-head match-ups.

The experts at Alt Sports Data have set the opening lines for this week’s event at Brainerd Int’l Raceway, and they have chosen Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock, and Greg Anderson as the pre-race favorites.

(For more odds and info, visit the Best Bets: NHRA Brainerd Nationals Pre-Event Odds Analysis)

Below are the opening odds as provided by Alt Sports Data.

(Note: In American sports betting, odds are typically expressed with a plus (+) or minus (–) symbol followed by a number. For example, +200 signifies the amount a bettor could win if wagering $100. If the bet works out, the player would receive a total payout of $300 ($200 profit + $100 initial stake.)

TOP FUEL

Doug Kalitta has been the favorite at most events this year and with good reason, as he’s the reigning world champion and the current championship leader in the class. Kalitta has three wins in five final rounds this season and also has two prior wins in Brainerd. Kalitta shares top billing with defending Brainerd winner Steve Torrence, Shawn Langdon, and Antron Brown, the winner of the most recent NHRA event in Sonoma.

Justin Ashley, Billy Torrence, Brittany Force, and Tony Stewart come in at an attractive price, while there are also a few attractive longshots, including Josh Hart, Jasmin Salinas, Tony Schumacher, and his JCM teammate, Ida Zetterstrom,  who is making her official debut this weekend.

FUNNY CAR

Austin Prock has been to the semifinals or further at the last six events, and his totals for the season include four wins in seven final rounds, which makes him the favorite for this weekend’s event.

Prock has close company at the top as Matt Hagan and Sonoma winner Bob Tasca III are also labeled as favorites. Of particular interest to NHRA fans is the arrival of former world champion Jack Beckman, who is making his official debut as the replacement driver for John Force, who continues to recover from injuries he received earlier this year in Richmond. Beckman and the Peak team come in at +900, which means a $10 bet would return a profit of $90, should Beckman win in his debut.

PRO STOCK

Given the parity that currently exists in the Pro Stock class, it should be no surprise that Greg Anderson, Dallas Glenn, and Erica Enders are listed as the co-favorites with odds of +512, +582, and +583, respectively. Anderson, Glenn, and Enders have combined for five wins in the first 12 events of the season.

Aaron Stanfield comes to Brainerd as perhaps the hottest driver in the class with wins in three of the last four events, and he features an attractive price of +905. Jeg Coughlin Jr., who has enjoyed considerable success in Brainerd, is also a value pick at +996, while his nephew, Troy Coughlin Jr., is also a solid value pick at +1,287. As for a longshot, Cory Reed will be racing in just his third Pro Stock event, but he’s already been to a final round in his J&A Services Camaro. Reed is a longshot at +2,491.

Opening odds provided by Alt Sports Data (Odds are subject to change).

Scan the code below using your smartphone camera or click this link to visit the PlayNHRA portal with links to gaming in your state.