NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Three full races into the six-race playoffs, the NHRA Countdown to the Championship is scalding hot, and the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals came with a scorching dose of "What just happened?!" Twists and turns were bold and abundant. Here are five things we know for sure.

COUNTDOWN OR NOT, TASCA IS IN IT TO WIN IT

After finishing in the top five in each of the previous six seasons, Bob Tasca III has not had the season he expects. Entering this past weekend's event, he was No. 12 in the Funny Car standings with nary a final round on his scorecard. The driver of the Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford appeared to be turning a corner the prior race in Charlotte — he qualified sixth; his best since he was No. 2 at the NHRA New England Nationals — and in St. Louis, he started from an even-better fourth position paired with a brilliant Todd Okuhara/Aaron Brooks-tuned 337.33-mph pass that held as top speed of the meet. A first-round victory that chopped heavily into Ron Capps' title hopes sent him ahead to a quarterfinals meeting with Chad Green, where a 3.966 stood as second-quickest of the round. If not for a bit of a delay leaving the starting line, that strong pass from Tasca would have cut a clear path to the No. 8 points position. He's 209 points out of the lead and 11th for now, and a championship isn't really in the cards for Tasca this year – but the team has had their heads down and are stepping up to prove they can and will challenge for trophies along the way to Pomona. 

ZETTERSTRÖM: GOOD ON THE MIC, BETTER IN THE CAR

The 2023 FIA European Top Fuel champion made her NHRA debut in 2024, and since then Ida Zetterström has been carving a name for herself on American turf. Zetterström's diverse background as a drag racer includes being the first woman to win an FIM Super Street Bike title, and she did it twice before transitioning into her role as a record-setting Top Fuel champ. She hasn't yet put together the funding for a full season in her JCM Racing dragster, but this year, she's made good use of her time as part of the NHRA broadcast team on NHRA.tv. There was no time for TV at the Midwest Nationals, however, as Zetterström was going rounds on Sunday in her JCM Racing Top Fuel dragster. It started with a perfect .000 reaction time against Tony Stewart, which culminated in a holeshot loss for the motorsports mainstay. A wire-to-wire defeat of Kyle Wurtzel sent Zetterström to the semifinals, where she picked off reigning world champion Antron Brown to reach the first final round of her NHRA career. There, it was champion vs. champion as Zetterström went toe to toe with 2023 NHRA series winner Doug Kalitta. Zetterström moved first, but her dragster began to haze the tires, and she was out. Even still, it was a fine showing for the young driver who is gaining respect across the board. 

WE HURT THE ONES WE LOVE

Tony Schumacher came to World Wide Technology Raceway as the defending event winner, and the eight-time world champion capitalized on muscle memory to pick up his first round-win of the season after sitting out the bulk of the year. Schumacher's return to racing came at the NHRA U.S. Nationals with a new team — owned by Rick Ware Racing — and a new teammate in Clay Millican, himself a St. Louis winner in 2023. Qualifying efforts threw the two together in the first round of eliminations for a round that had major meaning for both parties. Schumacher, the most winning Top Fuel driver in history, wants to win again. Millican wants to stay in contention for an NHRA championship, a title that has so far eluded him though not for lack of effort. It was Tony Shoe with the win light in their morning match, which bumped Millican down from No. 5 to No. 6 in the standings, a painful 182 points out of first. In the next round, the tables were turned as Schumacher's former Don Schumacher Racing teammate Antron Brown advanced while the Sarge was up in smoke. 

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A HOMERUN HITTER

Friday night's action was pure joy for baseball lovers and drag racing fans alike as drivers in the four Professional categories rallied for the top spot, wrenching the commemorative Rawlings 2025 Friday No. 1 Qualifier Top Hitter bat from one another's hands as the elapsed times got quicker and quicker. The baseball-themed festivities for the Friday Primetime session were a blast, with NHRA on FOX commentator Brian Lohnes dishing out facts and stats that would make Stan Musial swoon and top-end reporter Courtney Enders bantering about baseball with the drivers as they settled into a stadium seat with a grip on the bat. They all wanted it, and ultimately, it was Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock, Eric Latino, and Gaige Herrera walking off with an etched stick over the shoulder. Latino and Prock struck out on Sunday, but Kalitta and Herrera hit it right out of the park with crucial Countdown wins. 

THE FANS FLOCK TO WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY 

World Wide Technology Raceway proved "If you build it, they will come" all weekend long at the dragstrip that sits in the shadow of the St. Louis Arch. The facility has gone above and beyond with improvements catering to drag racing fans, including installing a new East Grandstand and bringing in additional video screens for an enhanced view. All three days of the event were booming as racing enthusiasts enjoyed an elevated experience and took in some of the most intense action of the season. Texas Motorplex, you're on deck.