NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The pressure of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship will reach a new high as the six-race playoff enters the home stretch during this week’s Texas NHRA FallNationals at the famed Texas Motorplex.

Doug Kalitta, Austin Prock, Dallas Glenn, and Gaige Herrera have been named as the pre-race favorites in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Kalitta, Prock, and Glenn are the current leaders in their respective categories, while Herrera, the two-time and defending champion, is ranked second, just 29 points behind his teammate, Richard Gadson.

As part of PlayNHRA, drag racing 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, 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

Doug Kalitta now has the upper hand as he chases his second Top Fuel title in three years, and the odds reflect that as he’s opened at +600, meaning a $10 wager would return a total of $70.00. Kalitta came into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the class but has made the final round of the first three events, and now has a solid lead over Justin Ashley, who is +800 to win in Dallas.

After Kalitta, teammate Shawn Langdon is a favorite at +650, while Antron Brown and Brittany Force are +700, and Tony Stewart, the regular-season points leader, has opening odds of +750.

Recent event winner Shawn Reed joins Ashley in the middle of the pack at +800, while Texan Steve Torrence is at +900. Ida Zetterström, the runner-up at the most recent event in St. Louis, represents a solid long shot value at +1800. Zetterström’s former teammate, Tony Schumacher, who is now part of the Rick Ware organization, also faces long odds of +1600.

FUNNY CAR

Austin Prock has led the Funny Car points chase since the spring Las Vegas event in April, and while his lead is currently just 20 points over Matt Hagan and 65 points over Jack Beckman, he remains the favorite with the books at +190.

Teammate Beckman is +550, while Hagan, a winner in St. Louis, has an opening price of +850.

When it comes to Funny Cars, there are plenty of competitive entries to choose from, including NHRA Rookie of the Year contender Spencer Hyde at +900, Paul Lee at +1000, Chad Green at +1100, and J.R. Todd and Ron Capps, who share a price tag of +1200.

The list of possible contenders continues with Bob Tasca III, Cruz Pedregon, and Daniel Wilkerson at +1400, while Alexis DeJoria and Blake Alexander can be had for +1600. There have been nine different Funny Car winners this season, and that does not include Hyde, Tasca, or Wilkerson, who each appear to be more than capable.

PRO STOCK

Dallas Glenn and KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson have traded punches this entire season in the battle for the lead in Pro Stock. Glenn is currently the frontrunner, but by a slim margin, as he’s got just a 25-point advantage. That is reflected in their price as Glenn and Anderson share the top spot at +280, meaning a $10 bet on either of them would return a total of $38.

Erica Enders may be all but out of the running for a seventh world title, but she remains popular with the oddsmakers as she’s ranked third at +600, while Matt Hartford is +1000. Hartford is third in the points battle, albeit 160 points out of the lead.

Just about everyone else in Pro Stock can be considered a long shot, including Aaron Stanfield at +1200, Cory Reed (+1400), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (+1500), Greg Stanfield (+1600), Cody Coughlin (+1800), and Troy Coughlin Jr. (+1800).

With 22 Pro Stock cars on the entry list, this will be one of the biggest fields of the season. One other driver who qualifies as an intriguing option is Chris Vang. A past national event winner in Stock and NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock, he made his debut in the 500-cid Pro Stock class earlier this season and has shown great promise. He’s priced at +7000, which means a $10 wager would return a whopping $710.00.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Gaige Herrera is not the current leader in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, but in spite of his recent struggles, the two-time and defending world champion is still the Dallas favorite at +100, which is even money. Herrera rates a slight edge against his Vance & Hines teammate, Richard Gadson, who is the current leader and is +300.

Matt Smith is not out of the running for the world title, and he’s certainly not out of the running for the win in Dallas, which helps explain his +400 price, while Smith’s teammate, John Hall, who has already won two events this season, opens at +1000.

NHRA Rookie of the Year contender Brayden Davis comes in at +1100, while Marc Ingwersen leads a long list of long shots at +2000. Behind Ingwersen, Chase Van Sant, Angie Smith, and Jianna Evaristo represent value picks at +2300, +2500, and +4000, respectively.

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

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