Fresh off a competitive and highly entertaining event at New England Dragway, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour moves south to equally historic Bristol Dragway for this weekend’s Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. 

The Bristol event will feature all four Professional classes, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, and the pre-race favorites are Antron Brown, Austin Prock, Greg Anderson, and Gaige Herrera.

Last week, Brittany Force, J.R. Todd, and Greg Anderson came away with wins, but the conditions in Bristol figure to be much different than what racers experienced in New England, giving crew chiefs a lot to think about in what amounts to a short week.

While New England Dragway sits at sea level, Bristol has 1,475 feet of natural elevation, presenting a unique challenge for NHRA teams. The 2024 event champions are Tony Schumacher, Prock, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Herrera.
 
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 Bristol Dragway. The Tennessee 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 the Professional classes, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, 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 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

A slight surprise here as reigning world champ Antron Brown is once again the favorite even though he has not won a race since the Gainesville season opener. The Matco Tools team did reach the final quad in both four-wide events in Las Vegas and Charlotte, and they’re coming off a semifinal in last week’s New England event. Brown, with a 12-6 record on the season, opens at +550 odds, which means a $10 wager would return a total of $65.00.

Shawn Langdon and Tony Stewart have won more recently than Brown, and they are ranked closely behind the four-time champ with odds of +650 and +700, respectively. Stewart is riding high with a streak of five straight finals, including wins in Las Vegas and Chicago.

Justin Ashley is also priced at +700, while Doug Kalitta and New England winner Brittany Force are also in the favorites category at +750.

A bit further down the order, there is value to be had in past Bristol winners Steve Torrence and Clay Millican at +900, while Dan Mercier opens at an attractive price of +1,500.

FUNNY CAR

John Force Racing teammates Austin Prock and Jack Beckman are once again the favorites in Funny Car, with Prock at +275 and Beckman at +450, even though he’ll be in a backup car after his run-in with the guardwall in New England.

Prock, the performance leader for much of the first six races, has been favored at every event this season and has delivered wins at the two four-wide races in Las Vegas and Charlotte to go with a pair of runner-up finishes in Phoenix and Chicago. Prock is coming off a rare round-one loss in New England, so he’s likely to have a chip on his shoulder when he arrives in Bristol.

Beckman also has a pair of wins in Pomona and Chicago to go along with a semifinal in Phoenix.

Bob Tasca III has enjoyed past success in Bristol, and that’s reflected in his opening odds of +950. The same can be said for Matt Hagan, who is priced at +1,000, while Paul Lee is also at +1,000 after his win earlier in the season in Phoenix.

Spencer Hyde seems destined to win a Funny Car event soon, and if that first win should come in Bristol, it would pay handsomely with odds of +1,050, and New England champ J.R. Todd can also offer a hefty payout at +1,100 should he go back-to-back.

When it comes to long shots, Cruz Pedregon, who was a semifinalist two races ago in Chicago, has long odds of +2,400, which means a $10 wager would lock up a profit of $240.00 should the Snap-on car make it to the winner’s circle.

PRO STOCK 

KB Titan Racing teammates Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn continue to lead the way in Pro Stock as they’ve combined to win every event so far this season. Anderson, in particular, is off to one of the best starts of his long career with five final-round appearances in six races and three wins. Anderson is also sitting on 997 career round-wins, so he will reach 1,000 should he make it to the final. Anderson and Glenn are co-favorites at +400.

Aaron Stanfield is a past Bristol winner, and he’s the third-ranked driver at +1,100 along with Cory Reed and six-time world champ Erica Enders, who recently had her best outing of the season with a runner-up in Epping. 

Matt Hartford has been very competitive this season, and his opening odds seem a bargain at +1,300, and the same goes for defending event winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. at +1,400.

When it comes to longshots, how about Cody Coughlin at +2,400?

The Pro Stock rookie is still looking for his first round-win in NHRA competition, but he was the surprise low qualifier at last week’s Epping race, so progress is evident.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Can anyone stop Gaige Herrera and Matt Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle? That’s a great question for bettors, who are looking for value in NHRA’s two-wheel division. Herrera is a big favorite at  -135, which means a $10 wager nets a profit of $17.50. That might not sound like much, but if someone had wagered on Herrera at every event the last two seasons, they would have shown a healthy profit.

Smith, who has consistently shown the ability to keep Herrera honest, offers a slightly more attractive price of +275, and he very much wants to add a Bristol win to his extensive résumé. 

Beyond the favorites, Richard Gadson continues to make steady improvements, and his price of +750 reflects that. Meanwhile, Chase Van Sant, Angie Smith, and John Hall are all past NHRA winners who are in the long shot category at +1,700, +2,700, and +2,800, respectively. 

When it comes to real long shots, this is where it gets interesting. Brayden Davis is making his second start in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, but he’s riding the same Vance & Hines Suzuki that carried Herrera to a win at the recent Route 66 Raceway event. Davis, with opening odds of +4,000, might be the best value on the board if he can pull off a victory in just his second start. 

There is also a bit of curiosity around Steve Johnson, who is priced at +5,500. Johnson often runs hot and cold, but when he’s on, he is fully capable of winning races.

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

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