NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The Countdown to the Championship playoffs will kick off the second half during this weekend’s Texas NHRA FallNationals at the famed Texas Motorplex. As part of the popular Stampede of Speed event, the FallNationals is likely to dictate the favorites for NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Professional champions.

Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock, Dallas Glenn, and Richard Gadson come to Dallas as the championship leaders in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, respectively, although none of them have the ability to clinch a title this weekend.

Kalitta, in search of his second title in three years, is holding a solid 86-point lead over Justin Ashley, while Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon is third, 127 points back.

Kalitta has won three times this season while appearing in six finals, including a win at the most recent event in St. Louis. Since the start of the Countdown, Kalitta has climbed from fourth to first in the standings in spite of an on-track accident in Reading.

Prock is having a season for the ages with eight wins in 17 races, and event though he’s coming off an early loss in St. Louis, he maintains the top spot in the standings, albeit by just 20 points over Matt Hagan. Prock has held the lead since the spring Las Vegas four-wide event, and he’s got a 38-9 record in elimination rounds.

Hagan, the winner in St. Louis, is breathing down Prock’s neck as he battles for a fifth world title. Hagan quickly bounced back from a round-one loss in Reading with a runner-up in Charlotte and a win in St. Louis.

Jack Beckman is also very much in the hunt, just 65 points back, while Ron Capps trails by 125 markers.

Barring something miraculous, the battle for the Pro Stock crown is a two-horse race between Glenn and his KB Titan Racing teammate, Greg Anderson. Glenn leads the way by just 25 points as he pursues his first world title and Anderson chases his seventh.

Anderson bounced back from a rare miscue in Reading to post a runner-up in Charlotte and a much-needed win in St. Louis. The sport’s all-time winningest Pro Stock racer now has 112 wins in 191 final rounds.

Gadson took over the lead in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class following a win in Charlotte and a semifinal in St. Louis. He’s got a slight 29-point edge over two-time and reigning champ Gaige Herrera, while six-time champ Matt Smith is also lurking with just 53 points to make up.

John Hall and Angie Smith are also in the mix, as the Matt Smith Racing teammates are 115 and 116 points back.

The Dallas race is also the home to the JEGS Allstars competition, which brings the best drivers from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series together for an annual bonus event that crowns both individual and team champions and boasts a payout of more than $125,000. The JEGS Allstars race will take place on Saturday, Oct. 11.

2024 EVENT WINNERS: Justin Ashley, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Jeg Coughlin, Pro Stock; Gaige Herrera, 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 - 3.636 seconds by Steve Torrence, Oct. '23; 338.40 mph by Justin Ashley, Oct. '23
Funny Car - 3.813 seconds by Austin Prock, Oct. '24; 338.60 mph by Robert Hight, Oct. '17.
Pro Stock - 6.457 seconds by Greg Anderson, Oct. '15; 214.59 mph by Anderson, Oct. '15.
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.627 seconds by Gaige Herrera, Oct. '23; 204.16 mph by Herrera, Oct. '23

NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. '19, Reading, Pa.; 343.51 mph by B. Force, Sept. ‘25, Indy
Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd; 341.68 mph by Austin Prock, Nov. '24, Pomona, Calif.
Pro Stock - 6.443 sec. by Greg Anderson, March '25, Gainesville; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May '14, Englishtown
N.J.
Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.627 sec. by Gaige Herrera, Oct. '23, Dallas; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July '21, Sonoma.

SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 10
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series eliminations at 8:00 a.m.
Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car qualifying at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying at 4:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

SATURDAY, Oct. 11
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series eliminations at 8:00 a.m. and 4:35 p.m.
Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car eliminations at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying at 12:00 and 2:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, Oct. 12
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series eliminations begin at 10:00 a.m

TELEVISION
Sunday, Oct. 12, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at 10:00 a.m. ET
Sunday, Oct. 12, FOX will televise two hours of finals coverage at 2:00 p.m. ET and 4:30 p.m. ET