NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

As good as a season-opening win in Gainesville felt for Matt Hartford, a repeat of that at his home track during this weekend’s FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs would represent something extremely special for the Pro Stock veteran.

The Phoenix-area resident estimates more than 200 friends, family, and Total Seal customers will be on hand to witness what he hopes is a second straight victory to open the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

The Gainesville win snapped a 40-race winless stretch for Hartford, but he had been close multiple times throughout an otherwise strong 2025 campaign. That momentum carried over into the offseason, and Hartford and his team just kept rolling to open NHRA’s 75th Anniversary season, defeating six-time champ Greg Anderson in the final round in Gainesville.

Hartford celebrated that — and getting his first diamond Wally of the year — but a Phoenix win in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro would mark another high point in his career.

“It’s a great feeling knowing we will have that kind of support this weekend,” Hartford said. “We’re going to try to do what we did last year and qualify No. 1, and then hopefully win the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday and follow it up with a victory on Sunday. We had a really competitive car last season as a whole, and if you look at the 20-some [Pro Stock] cars out there, we’ve got a car as good as anyone out there. On any given Sunday, though, you’ve got to perform.”

This year’s race will be broadcast on FS1, with elimination coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22. It is the second of 20 events, and run times were adjusted with the expected heat.

Friday qualifying will begin at 9:30 a.m. local time on Friday with Pro Stock, followed by Funny Car and Top Fuel. The second session is slated to start at 12 p.m. On Saturday, Top Fuel will open the day at 10 a.m., followed by Funny Car and Pro Stock. The final qualifying session is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. with Top Fuel.

With that in mind, Hartford knows he has to be ready to lay down a good run right off the trailer. The first qualifying session might be the best conditions of the weekend for the Pro Stock category, and with 20 entries, getting a good start — and getting in the field — will be an immediate priority.

There’s a loaded field that includes reigning world champ Dallas Glenn, Anderson, Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and Aaron Stanfield, but Hartford is certainly in that mix as well. He’ll race in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday — with the bonus race also featuring Glenn, Anderson, and Enders — and simply look to continue to pick up steam, regardless of the weather.

“We felt really good going into the Finals last year, so why reinvent things? The offseason was just an extended break for us,” Hartford said. “We didn’t look at Gainesville as the start of 2026. We just looked at it as the next race after Las Vegas [last fall].

“But this weekend, we’re going into conditions nobody is used to running. It’s going to be uncharted territory. You’re going to have to perform on Friday, and if you’re not in the field after Q1, you may not get in.”

Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 p.m. ET. on Friday and 12 p.m. on Sunday, leading into eliminations at 6:30 p.m. ET.

To purchase tickets to the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets