NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season hit the halfway point last weekend in Norwalk, but that also means only four races remain in the regular season.

With the regular-season championship back in 2026 during NHRA’s 75th Anniversary campaign, there’s plenty on the line over the next four events in Sonoma (July 17-19), Seattle (July 24-26), Brainerd (Aug. 18-22), and Indy (Sept. 2-7).

For the second straight year, NHRA will award nearly $400,000 to the regular-season champs in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, with $150,000 going to the driver in both Top Fuel and Funny Car who finishes first in points at the end of the prestigious Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Here's where things stand in each category in the race for the regular-season title.

TOP FUEL

For all intents and purposes, this is a two-horse race — and it’s all in the Kalitta Motorsports stable.

Shawn Langdon has been incredible thus far in 2026, winning four times and advancing to eight final rounds. Those are stout numbers for an entire season, but Langdon has managed to accomplish all that in 10 races. Reigning world champ Doug Kalitta has also been great, but even he has been unable to keep up, sitting 150 points back of his teammate. He’ll need to get hot, and Langdon will have to slip up for this race to get interesting in Indy.

Leah Pruett is third at 279 points back and has enjoyed a banner year in her return to the sport, but catching Langdon or Kalitta — at least in the regular season — seems like a tough ask over the next four events.

FUNNY CAR

Ron Capps took a big step toward his first regular-season title with his Norwalk victory. It put him 121 points up on Matt Hagan, and Capps has three wins this year, something no other Funny Car driver can claim.

But there’s a loaded group not that far off in Funny Car, and things can change quickly in this category. J.R. Todd, who has done everything but pick up a win in 2026, is 123 points behind in third, and Jack Beckman is only 128 points back. Jordan Vandergriff (-161) and Chad Green (-179) can’t be counted out, either, in a race that may go down to the wire in Indy.

Capps, though, is always strong in Brainerd and has been stellar as of late in Indy as he looks for a big finish in the regular season.

PRO STOCK

For the second straight year for this title, it’s the Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson show. Matt Hartford has been excellent, winning three races in 2026, but at 161 points back in third, it’s tough to see both Glenn and Anderson slipping up enough for Hartford to claim the regular-season title.

As for Glenn and Anderson, it’s a toss-up. The points lead has changed hands on several occasions this year, with Glenn moving back into the lead after Norwalk, now leading his KB Titan Racing teammate by 23 points.

Glenn won in Seattle last year, while Anderson rolled to the win in Brainerd, and the six-time champ is always tough to beat at the Big Go. If it’s less than 30 points in Indy, it comes down to who has the better Labor Day, and that would certainly be fun to watch.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

This one will come down to Indy, if only because it’s the only race left in the regular season for the two-wheeled category.

Indy is all that’s left before the playoffs in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and Richard Gadson strengthened his grip on the title with a victory in Norwalk. His lead stands at 83 points over Gaige Herrera, who won the regular-season crown in 2025.

Angie and Matt Smith are 111 and 136 points back, respectively, but the Vance & Hines team of Gadson and Herrera have been in control as of late, which makes that gap a tall order to overcome in just one race.

REMAINING RACES IN THE 2026 REGULAR SEASON

July 17-19: 38th annual Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma

July 24-26: 37th annual Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals, Pacific Raceways, Seattle

Aug. 20-23: 44th annual NHRA Brainerd Nationals, Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd

Sept. 2-7: 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis

NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS

Sept. 18-20: Inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by Mopar, U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, Mich.

Sept. 25-27: Inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock, Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, N.C.

Oct. 2-4: 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis

Oct. 9-18: 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, Texas Motorplex, Dallas

Oct. 29-Nov. 1: 26th annual Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas

Nov. 12-15: 61st annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona