NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

You didn’t need to look far in order to learn a few new things as NHRA returned to Georgia with the NHRA Southern Nationals, but here are five of the high points.

GEORGIA HAS A NEW HOUSE OF SPEED

It took just one day for South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) to become not just the fastest track in Georgia, but the fastest dragstrip anywhere in the world thanks to Shawn Langdon, who backed up his impressive testing performance with a world record 345.00 run on Friday in Top Fuel.

To be fair, SGMP has long had a reputation as a fast track, and it’s well deserved with multiple records in the world of small-tire, grudge, and Pro Mod racing. Given its history, it was almost a given that the track would be a suitable host for the NHRA “big show,” and that proved to be the case. Langdon wasn’t the only one who was fast. Maddi Gordon also topped 340 mph for the first time in her young career, and in Funny Car, J.R. Todd nearly ran 340 with a stellar 339-mph run in his DHL Toyota.

As a bonus, Greg Anderson was in the 6.4s in Pro Stock, and Matt Smith also did his part in Pro Stock Motorcycle with a pair of runs in the 6.6s.

THE KALITTA TEAM IS RUNNING ON MEAN

Since his humble beginnings in the 1950s, there have not been too many times when Connie Kalitta has not fielded a competitive NHRA team, but his 2026 edition might just be the best. That has been the case so far this season as Top Fuel drivers Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon are both off to fast starts, while J.R. Tod has made steady progress in Funny Car.

The SGMP event might just have been the pinnacle for team Kalitta as Langdon and Kalitta met in the final with Langdon scoring the win, while Todd turned in a strong performance en route to a runner-up finish in Funny Car at the hands of upstart Jordan Vandergriff.

The 2026 season is still young, but at this point, the Ypsilanti crew is sitting pretty atop the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series standings, and the thought of twin titles being awarded at the champion’s banquet in November isn’t at all far-fetched.

DAN FLETCHER IS STILL PRETTY DARNED GOOD

Dan Fletcher’s inclusion as one of NHRA’s Top 75 Drivers was a no-brainer, but just in case anyone forgot just how good he is, Fletcher issued a not-so-subtle reminder with a near double-up in Adel, Ga. Fletcher has admittedly slowed a bit from his prime years, as he no longer travels around the country, but he can still get the job done and proved it with a win in Super Stock and a runner-up in Stock.

In Stock, Fletcher gave up a slight lead against Michael Brand and dropped a narrow double breakout with a final margin of victory of just .003-second.

Fletcher didn’t have time to stew over the loss as he followed a few moments later with a win in Super Stock, defeating first-time finalist Casey Smith in the final. This time, Fletcher left first and sealed the win with a 9.51 against his 9.49 dial. After winning the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Fletcher is off to a fast start this season and already has a pair of the coveted 75th anniversary diamond NHRA Wallys.

ANYONE WHO THINKS PRO STOCK CARS ARE PREDICTABLE IS NUTS

Say whatever you want about NHRA Pro Stock, but do not call them boring or predictable. While the Factory Hot Rod class has historically been defined by dominance, that hasn’t been the case lately, and it certainly wasn’t the case at the NHRA Southern Nationals.

Better-than-expected weather conditions and a tricky SGMP track surface combined to make for a wild weekend of Pro Stock racing as teams struggled to get power to the pavement. As a result, there were plenty of aborted runs, pedal contests, and oh-my-gosh moments over the weekend.

How else might one explain a round one where seven of eight bottom-half qualifiers advanced. World champions Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin Jr., along with two-time season winner Matt Hartford, were all round-one casualties. Instead, Matt Latino, Kenny Delco, and Brando Miller advanced from the lower half, and the same for Troy Coughlin Jr., who rode that wave all the way to his first final since 2024.  

In the end, Dallas Glenn emerged as the winner, and the final round was a good side-by-side race with Glenn grabbing a slight lead and hanging on for a 6.642 to 6.643 victory. Even Glenn admitted that he’d never seen anything quite like the SGMP event and added that in two rounds, he'd have been “toast” if his opponents had made clean runs.

MATT SMITH WANTS TITLE NO. 7, AND HE’S GOT A VERY GOOD CHANCE TO GET IT

Matt Smith has said repeatedly that if he can win his seventh NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, he’ll call it a day and retire from the class as a rider. Based on the retirement record of his father, Rickie, one shouldn’t take that to the bank, but the prospect of Smith winning this year’s championship is very real.

Smith arrived at SGMP with the best bike in the class and proved it with a 6.699 to qualify No. 1, and he did not waste the opportunity to close the deal when he defeated reigning champ Richard Gadson in the final. Along the way, Smith also nudged the track elapsed time record with a 6.68 run.

When Smit has an edge, he’s not likely to squander it, and that was the case here with a 6.742 to 6.834 win over Gadson, who made it a bit closer when he grabbed .02-second off the starting line. Smith has arguably the best bike in the class right now, and we know how that generally ends.