NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

For the first time ever, four-wide racing will be a part of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs at this weekend’s NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Last weekend in Reading, the opening round of the six-race playoffs featured enough action to foll volumes, and this week is likely to be no different. Shawn Reed, Cruz Pedregon, Dallas Glenn, and John Hall were the winners in Reading, which threw the championship battles into turmoil in three of the four Pro categories.

The week’s event represents a whole new dynamic as the four-wide format will be used in all four Professional eliminators. With just three rounds of eliminations on race day, there is one less round where those chasing the leaders have the opportunity to play catchup.

In Top Fuel, less than 100 points separate the top eight drivers in the class, with Doug Kalitta holding a slim 18-point lead over Tony Stewart. Last weekend in Reading, Kalitta and Stewart tangled in a two-car accident during Sunday’s final eliminations.

Shawn Langdon is just 33 points out of first place, while Indy winner Justin Ashley is in the mix with a 50-point deficit.

Austin Prock has led the Funny Car standings for most of the 2025 season, and his once dominant lead has been trimmed to just 25 points over teammate Jack Beckman after Reading. The entire Top 10 in Funny Car is separated by just 103 points, with Ron Capps 35 points out of first and Paul Lee 55 points back with five events left.

The situation in Pro Stock is somewhat different as Dallas Glenn came in as the leader and won the Reading event, giving him a 62-point advantage over teammate Greg Anderson. Glenn and Anderson are in danger of running away with the title as third-place Matt  Hartford trails by 121 points.

The points battle in Pro Stock Motorcycle is wild as there are four racers, Matt Smith, John Hall, Gaige Herrera, and Richard Gadson, within nine points of each other. Angie Smith is 77 points back, while Chase Van Sant and Brayden Davis are less than 100 points out of first place.

Professional qualifying sessions are set for 4 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. on Friday and 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Round one will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

2024 EVENT WINNERS: Antron Brown, Top Fuel; Austin Prock, Funny Car; Dallas Glenn, Pro Stock; Matt Smith, Pro Stock Motorcycle.  

MOST VICTORIES: Antron Brown, 7, TF; Robert Hight, 7, FC; Greg Anderson, 5, PS; Andrew Hines, 8, PSM.

TRACK RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.647 sec. by Mike Salinas, Sept. ’23; 338.00 mph by Salinas, Sept. ‘23.
Funny Car – 3.824 sec. by John Force, April ’24; 338.34 mph by Bob Tasca III, April ‘24.
Pro Stock – 6.455 sec. by Jason Line March ’15; 215.78 mph by Greg Anderson, March ’15.
Pro Stock Motorcycle – 6.671 sec. by Gaige Herrera, April ’24; 203.49 mph by Eddie Krawiec, May  ‘21.

SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (All times EDT)
NHRA LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying and time trials at 9 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 4 and 6:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, Sept. 20
LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 9 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

SUNDAY, July 28
Pre-race ceremony: Seal Master track walk 10 a.m.
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations begin at 11:30 a.m.

TELEVISION
Sunday, Sept. 21, FS1 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 10 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, Sept. 21, FS1 will televise three and a half hours of finals coverage at noon (ET).