NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

As traffic continued streaming through the gates and the grandstands steadily swelled at New England Dragway , Saturday's qualifying sessions at the NHRA New England Nationals roared to life with Top Fuel leading the way. 

News & Notes: Top Fuel Q3 — Urgency Takes Center Stage at New England Dragway

With only one more opportunity remaining before Saturday's Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and the final qualifying session, teams rolled into Q3 knowing that every run carried significant weight. Some contenders strengthened their positions, while others were left scrambling to solve issues before the day's final shot at the field.

Top Fuel—Third Qualifying Session:  

Langdon continued the remarkable consistency that has defined his season, posting a strong 3.736-second pass at 332.10 mph. The Kalitta Motorsports driver once again demonstrated why he entered the weekend atop the standings, delivering a clean run when many around him struggled.

Teammate Doug Kalitta also showed race-winning potential, powering to a stout 3.734 at 335.82 mph, the quickest elapsed time of the session among the pairings shown. Kalitta's run reinforces the strength of the Kalitta camp as eliminations draw closer.

Not everyone enjoyed a smooth trip down the historic New England Dragway surface.

Tony Stewart and Josh Hart both encountered significant trouble, with Stewart coasting to a 6.662-second pass and Hart slowing to an 8.813. Leah Pruett also failed to complete a full run opposite Kalitta, while Shawn Reed's machine lost momentum early against Maddi Gordon. For those teams, the pressure heading into Q4 has intensified considerably.

Among the other notable performances, Justin Ashley continued to show flashes of championship form with a 3.780-second effort against Clay Millican, while Tony Schumacher edged Antron Brown in a tightly contested side-by-side race, 3.820 to 3.831. Will Smith also delivered an impressive 3.848-second run at more than 326 mph.

The biggest storyline heading into the final qualifying session remains simple: urgency.

The weather conditions that allowed Shawn Langdon to claim Friday night's No. 1 Clawifier Award presented by NAPA have changed, and several top teams still need better runs to secure favorable positions for Sunday's eliminations. Crew chiefs can be seen pouring over data, drivers are focused, and every decision now carries added significance.

With one qualifying session remaining and Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus points still on the table, the intensity around the Top Fuel category continues to build. Saturday afternoon promises another round of high-stakes drama as teams make their final push toward race day at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto.

Funny Car—Third Qualifying Session:  

The pressure continued to build Saturday afternoon at New England Dragway as Funny Car teams took their third qualifying shot at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto. With only one session remaining before eliminations, several contenders answered the call with career-defining runs while others fought through tire smoke and mechanical issues.

The headline performance belonged to Blake Alexander, who delivered a stout 3.999-second pass at 319.14 mph. Alexander's run vaulted him from the lower half of the field into serious contention heading into Q4, while Hagan's solid 4.061 at 262.64 mph kept him comfortably in the show.

Dave Richards continued his recent surge, posting a 3.984-second blast at 327.27 mph, the fastest speed of the round.  Daniel Wilkerson lost traction almost immediately and coasted to a 9.712-second effort. 

The consistency of J.R. Todd was also on display. Todd powered to a 3.945 at 334.15 mph, one of the quickest elapsed time of the session and the fastest speed recorded by any Funny Car through the finish line. In the other lane Chad Green encountered problems early in the run and was unable to complete a full pass.

Friday provisional No. 1 qualifier Alexis DeJoria encountered trouble during her Q3 attempt. After entering the day atop the field, DeJoria slowed to a 5.888-second run at 117.43 mph, allowing challengers an opportunity to close the gap. Veteran Del Worsham took advantage with a clean 4.046-second pass at 319.37 mph.

Elsewhere, Spencer Hyde continued his impressive season with a strong 4.018 at 312.86 mph, while Cruz Pedregon, Phil Burkart, and Jeff Arend each made representative runs as teams worked through varying track conditions.

One of the session's biggest storylines remained the emergence of rookie Jordan Vandergriff. Facing Jack Beckman in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Vandergriff delivered a winning 4.614-second pass and continued to gain valuable experience in only his first full Funny Car campaign.

And Ron Capps continued his Saturday success with a 3.945-second run at 328.22 mph to defeat Austin Prock, in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge whose 4.449-second effort was slowed by tire shake. Capps' performance further demonstrated that the NAPA team remains a major threat for Sunday's eliminations.

As Q3 concluded, Todd, Richards, Alexander, and Capps all laid down three-second performances, while DeJoria's grip on the top spot suddenly appeared vulnerable. With cooler conditions expected for the final qualifying session, the battle for the No. 1 position remains very much alive heading into Q4.

As the afternoon sun settled over New England Dragway, the Pro Stock category delivered another razor-close qualifying session during Q3 at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto. With hundredths and thousandths separating much of the field, every lane choice, clutch adjustment, and reaction time carried added importance.

Pro Stock—Third Qualifying Session:  

The quickest side-by-side race of the session came in a Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge matchup featuring reigning world champion Greg Anderson and Elite Motorsports veteran Greg Stanfield. Anderson powered his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to a strong 6.549-second pass at 209.92 mph, while Stanfield encountered trouble almost immediately, slowing to a 13.700-second run. Anderson's performance keeps him firmly in the hunt for a top qualifying position as he continues his season-long battle with teammate Dallas Glenn.

That championship rivalry remained front and center when Glenn squared off against Troy Coughlin Jr. in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for one of the closest races of the round. Coughlin used a stellar .010-second reaction time to edge Glenn at the finish line, posting a 6.583 at 208.33 mph compared to Glenn's quicker 6.564 at 210.28 mph. The margin of victory was just .0016-second, underscoring how fiercely competitive the category remains.

The Elite Motorsports camp also showed strength as Erica Enders continued to make gains with a 6.550-second run at 208.94 mph to defeat Matt Hartford, who responded with a nearly identical 6.551 at 209.79 mph. Enders' .022 reaction time proved to be the difference in another race decided by thousandths.

Among the session's quickest performers, Aaron Stanfield delivered a strong 6.542 at 208.49 mph, defeating teammate Kenny Delco and recording one of the fastest elapsed times of the round. Cody Anderson was also impressive, posting a 6.554 at 209.49 mph to get past Shane Tucker's 6.650 effort.

The Coughlin family continued to shine as Jeg Coughlin Jr. turned in a solid 6.558-second pass at 208.26 mph to hold off Deric Kramer, while Matt Latino used a strong .031 reaction time and a 6.559 at 210.44 mph to defeat brother Eric Latino in one of the most entertaining matchups of the session.

One of the biggest surprises came from Brandon Miller, who unloaded a session-leading 6.652-second pass at 207.27 mph on a single run. While not the quickest elapsed time of the round, Miller's effort continued a weekend that has seen several drivers outside the traditional championship contenders make noise in qualifying.

As Q3 concluded, the story remained familiar: Anderson, Glenn, Enders, Stanfield, and the KB Titan Racing contingent continue to set the pace, but the margins are impossibly small. With one final qualifying session remaining, virtually every position in the ladder remains up for grabs as teams prepare for a critical Q4 under improving track conditions in Epping.

Saturday Schedule

11:30 a.m. — Professional Qualifying Session 3
12:00 p.m. — Sportsman Eliminations Continue
2:00 p.m. — Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge Finals
2:30 p.m. — Professional Qualifying Session 4

Tickets and Streaming

Tickets remain available for both Saturday and Sunday's championship eliminations at New England Dragway. Fans planning to attend can purchase tickets through the NHRA ticket office and event website. (NHRA)

For those unable to make the trip to Epping, every round of professional qualifying and eliminations can be streamed live on NHRA.TV, which provides complete coverage of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. (NHRA.TV)

Friday belonged to Langdon, DeJoria, and Anderson.

By the end of Saturday afternoon, the rest of the field hopes the story will be very different.

TELEVISION
FRIDAY, June 5, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise one and half hours of qualifying coverage at 8:00 p.m. ET 
SUNDAY, June 7, FOX Sports 1 (FS1) will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 12:00 p.m. ET 

SUNDAY, June 7, FOX will televise three hours of finals coverage at 3:00 p.m. ET 

2025 EVENT WINNERS
Brittany Force, Top Fuel; J.R. Todd, Funny Car; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock. 

MOST VICTORIES (active drivers)
Tony Schumacher, 2, TF, Matt Hagan, 4, FC; Greg Anderson, 3, PS. 

TRACK RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.646 seconds by Doug Kalitta, June '25; 341.42 mph by Brittany Force, June '25. 
Funny Car - 3.822 seconds by Robert Hight, June '17; 336.74 mph by Hight, June '17. 
Pro Stock - 6.469 seconds by Greg Anderson, June '25; 214.72 mph by Greg Anderson, June '15. 

NATIONAL RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. '19, Reading; 345.00 mph by Shawn Langdon, May ’26, Adel
Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd; 341.68 mph by Austin Prock, Nov. ’24, Pomona
Pro Stock - 6.443 sec. by Greg Anderson, March '25, Gainesville; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May '14, Englishtown