NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Welcome to the final day of eliminations at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. Here's all the information you need to know in our Sunday preview.

This event is the sixth of 20 races this year in the Mission Foods NHRA pro series, and it includes Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock Motorcycle along with the Holley EFI Factory X series, the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, the Top Fuel Motorcycle class, and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series sportsman competition in five categories. Also on tap is the third edition of the popular Peak Street Car Shootout that features some of the world’s quickest street legal vehicles.

Track records were shattered on Saturday at Route 66 Raceway as the field were set for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals. Doug Kalitta set the pace in Top Fuel with a 3.661-second run in his Mac Tools dragster while reigning champ Antron Brown returned fire with a track record speed of 338.09 in his Matco Tools entry. The speed records in Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle also fell on a cool and breezy day in Joliet and Sunday’s final eliminations figure to offer more of the same.

Kalitta will take on Lex Joon in the opening round as he looks to close the gap to his teammate and points leader, Shawn Langdon.  Perhaps the most interesting match-up of the opening round includes Brittany Force and Justin Ashley. Force stumbled a bit in qualifying and ended in the No. 12 spot while Ashley is ranked No. 5 at 3.697.

Langdon, the winner of Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, qualified No. 3 and will take on Kyle Wurtzel in round one. The No. 2 qualifier is Las Vegas winner Tony Stewart and he will race against Terry Totten in round one.

The Funny Car ladder also offers up a number of intriguing matches including low qualifier Jack Beckman and Dave Richards as well as Bob Tasca III and home state favorite Daniel Wilkerson.

Beckman paced the field with a 3.859 even though he was unable to run the final session due to a mechanical issue with his Peak Camaro. Beckman’s teammate, Austin Prock, qualified No. 7 and will take on another Illinois native, Bobby Bode, in the opening round.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class is paced by two-time and reigning champ Gaige Herrera with a 6.717. Herrera will have a bye run in the opening round due to the short 15-bike field.

Matt Smith, the winner of the most recent event in Charlotte and the No. 2 qualifier, will take on Wes Wells in round one. Smith continued his assault on the record books with his 204-mph speed on Saturday.

While Herrera and Smith have combined to win every event so far in 2025, Richard Gadson is lurking with a third-best 6.737 on his RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki. Gadson will be paired against Lance Bonham in round one.

Sunday’s action packed schedule will also feature the final rounds of the Congruity Pro Mod series, Holley EFI Factory X, FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, and the Lucas Oil Series sportsman categories.

Fans will also get to see the final rounds of the PEAK Street Car Shootout, featuring the world’s quickest and fastest street legal vehicles. Yesterday, Tom Bailey drove his street legal Camaro to a 263-mph run, the fastest speed ever recorded at an NHRA event by a full-bodied car.

2024 EVENT WINNERS
Antron Brown, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST EVENT VICTORIES
Tony Schumacher, 5 TF; Matt Hagan, Tony Pedregon, 4, FC; Andrew Hines, LE Tonglet, 3, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.661 sec. by Doug Kalitta, May ’25; 338.09 mph by Antron Brown, May ’25.
Funny Car - 3.831 sec. by Robert Hight, May ’23; 336.40 mph by J.R. Todd, May ’25.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6. 672 seconds by Gaige Herrera, May ‘23; 204.26 mph by Matt Smith, May ’25.

NATIONAL RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. ‘19, Reading; 341.59 mph by Brittany Force, April. ‘25, Charlotte
Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd; 341.68 mph by Austin Prock, Nov. ’24, Pomona
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.627 sec. by Gaige Herrera, Oct. ’23, Dallas; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July ‘22, Sonoma

SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, May 18
Lucas Oil Series eliminations at 8:45 a.m.
Pre-race ceremonies, 9:30 a.m.
Mission Foods Series eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m.

TELEVISION
SUNDAY, May 18, FS1 will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 11 a.m. (ET)
SUNDAY, May 18, FS1 will televise three hours of finals coverage at 2 p.m. (ET)