The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season hits the midway point following the conclusion of this week’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, where Shawn Langdon, Austin Prock, Greg Anderson, and Gaige Herrera have been installed as pre-race favorites. 

Prock, Anderson, and Herrera are the leaders in their respective divisions, while Langdon is a close second to leader Tony Stewart in Top Fuel. 

PlayNHRA, NHRA’s partnership with leading sports books and fantasy sports providers, has allowed fans to sign up for free and legally wager on national events and other outcomes in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, including this weekend’s event at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. The Ohio market has a variety of options when it comes to wagering on NHRA events.

NHRA fans have the opportunity to engage in fantasy games, gaming, and betting for this event. Betting markets feature Professional classes, where fans can wager on event winners, low elapsed time of the event, head-to-head matchups, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, and season champions.

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 will receive a total payout of $300; $200 profit + $100 initial stake.)

TOP FUEL

Shawn Langdon has managed to knock reigning world champ Antron Brown from the top spot as far as the wagering public is concerned. Langdon opened at +580, meaning a $10 bet would net a return of $68.00.

After Langdon, Brown, Tony Stewart, Justin Ashley, Steve Torrence, Doug Kalitta, and Brittany Force are among the Top Fuel favorites, with Brown listed at +618 and Force at +717, indicating just how close the competition is in Top Fuel these days.

There are also several noteworthy long shots, including Josh Hart, Dan Mercier, and Doug Foley, who have each shown signs of greater potential this season. Hart is priced at +1,349, while Mercier is +1,534, and Foley is a ripe +2,903.

FUNNY CAR

John Force Racing teammates Austin Prock and Jack Beckman are the favorites once again, and after Prock defeated Beckman in the final round of last week’s event in Richmond, why wouldn’t they be?

Even though Beckman and Prock had their share of struggles at recent events, they have once again emerged from a talented pack of challengers. Prock remains a solid favorite at +306, while Beckman is right behind at +441.

Paul Lee is ranked No. 3 in Funny Car after his runner-up in Bristol, and he has shown a remarkable consistency this season, making him someone to watch in Norwalk, especially with opening odds of +936. 

Past Norwalk winner Bob Tasca III is also favorably priced at +1,031, should he be able to win his first race of the season.

Further down the order, there are multiple value bets, including Matt Hagan, J.R. Todd, Spencer Hyde, Bristol champ Ron Capps, Chad Green, and Daniel Wilkerson, who very nearly won his first race in Richmond.

In the long-shot department, perhaps it’s best to look at Funny Car newcomers Hunter Green and Julie Nataas. Both prior winners in the Top Alcohol Dragster category, Green made his nitro Funny Car debut earlier this season and went to the quarterfinals in Richmond last week. Nataas was also impressive in her debut with Del Worsham’s team in Bristol, where she qualified solidly and went to the quarterfinal round. Opening odds for both are +7,774.

PRO STOCK

Both on the track and with the betting public, Pro Stock has been owned by Greg Anderson and KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn, who have traded victories this season. To no one’s surprise, Anderson and Glenn are solid favorites this weekend, so when it comes to value shopping, it might be best to look elsewhere. Anderson opens at +356, while Glenn is not far behind at +384.

Among the other leading candidates is Cory Reed, who has shown much promise in his first full season in the class and is priced at +1,034. The same can be said for Matt Hartford, who is the defending Norwalk winner and has an opening price of +1,277. 

The Elite Motorsports team has recently shown positive signs of a return to forum, and they’ve had a solid run of success at past Norwalk events, which makes Aaron Stanfield (+1,099), Erica Enders (+1,124), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (+1,490), and Troy Coughlin Jr. (+1,592) worthy of consideration.

Greg Stanfield might also be worth a look when it comes to long shots, as the five-time Sportsman champion has opening odds of +2,640.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

New week, same old Gaige Herrera, who scored again last weekend in Richmond to extend his lead in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings. Herrera has lost just twice this season while winning three of the first five events. Herrera remains a strong favorite at -148, while the only racers to beat him, Matt Smith and Richard Gadson, are priced at +273 and +495, respectively.

Beyond the top three favorites, Angie Smith has shown a lot of positive progress lately, and she can be had for a relative bargain at +2,183.

Chase Van Sant is also worth a look at +1,798, and the same can be said for class veteran Steve Johnson at +6,269.

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

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