NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Eliminations for the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals begin at 10 a.m. CT Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, and with the NHRA Countdown to the Championship reaching its midpoint, the margin between being prepared and being ready to win has never been smaller.

Sunday is the portal through which every championship contender must pass. It is where qualifying promise becomes race-day performance, where momentum takes shape and where teams that are prepared just enough can be outpaced by those that are fully ready to win.

The 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season is also the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship. By Sunday evening, the title picture in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle could look dramatically different.

Points leader Shawn Langdon enters eliminations as the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel after a 3.679-second run at 339.87 mph. Langdon has won three consecutive races, including the first two events of the Countdown, and will open against eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher.

Schumacher qualified 16th with a 3.842, making the opening pairing a meeting between one of the hottest drivers in the sport and the most successful Top Fuel driver in NHRA history. Langdon’s Kalitta Motorsports teammate and closest championship rival, Doug Kalitta, starts from the No. 10 position and draws No. 7 qualifier Shawn Reed, giving the championship rivals very different routes through the ladder.

The depth of the Top Fuel field is evident throughout the opening round. No. 2 qualifier Antron Brown faces Clay Millican, while rookie Maddi Gordon, who qualified third with a 3.708 at 340.65 mph, races Will Smith. Tony Stewart meets Josh Hart in a six-versus-11 matchup, and Leah Pruett faces Kyle Wurtzel in the closest pairing of the round, separated by just .001-second in qualifying.

Justin Ashley, one of the category’s strongest leavers, qualified 12th and faces No. 5 qualifier Billy Torrence, while Michigan runner-up Spencer Massey opens against Jasmine Salinas.

Funny Car may offer the most consequential first-round matchup of the morning. Back-to-back world champion Austin Prock qualified fourth with a 3.882 and will face No. 13 qualifier Ron Capps. Prock is trying to regain ground in the championship, while Capps entered the weekend among the closest challengers to points leader Matt Hagan. One of those title contenders will be finished before the second round.

Jack Beckman leads the field with a 3.866 at 332.59 mph and begins eliminations against Dale Creasy Jr. Alexis DeJoria, whose 3.882 at 334.65 mph held the top spot after Friday, qualified second and will race Bobby Bode.

Hagan begins Sunday from the No. 3 position against Terry Haddock. The four-time world champion arrives with an 84-point lead after winning at Rockingham and has reached the final round at four consecutive events. Hagan is also the defending St. Louis winner, but Sunday’s ladder offers no guarantees in a category where the top eight qualifiers are separated by only .055-second.

Jordan Vandergriff, second in the standings after winning the Countdown opener in Michigan, qualified seventh and faces Cruz Pedregon. J.R. Todd will race Blake Alexander, Chad Green draws Spencer Hyde and Daniel Wilkerson faces Dave Richards in a matchup separated by just .002-second.

Pro Stock’s championship fight is even tighter, and the qualifying sheet reflects it. The quickest eight cars are separated by only .016-second, creating an opening round in which reaction times and execution could carry as much weight as qualifying position.

Troy Coughlin Jr. earned the No. 1 position with a 6.473 at 211.69 mph and will face Chris Vang. Coughlin opened the Countdown with a victory in Michigan and now has another opportunity to move deeper into the championship conversation.

Points leader Greg Stanfield qualified second, just .001-second behind Coughlin, and races Mason McGaha. Defending event winner Greg Anderson starts third against Kenny Delco, while Aaron Stanfield faces Deric Kramer.

Two pairings near the center of the ladder could create significant title movement. No. 6 qualifier Eric Latino faces reigning world champion Dallas Glenn, who starts 11th, and No. 8 qualifier Cody Anderson races six-time world champion Erica Enders. Enders owns six St. Louis victories and qualified only .002-second behind Anderson. Matt Hartford, who entered the weekend second in points, opens against Stephen Bell, while Jeg Coughlin Jr. races Matt Latino.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera made the category’s loudest qualifying statement with a track-record 6.644 at 202.76 mph. The three-time defending St. Louis winner begins eliminations against Malcolm Phillips Jr. as he tries to erase the 64-point deficit separating him from championship leader and Vance & Hines teammate Richard Gadson.

Gadson qualified seventh and immediately faces No. 8 qualifier Chase Van Sant. Only .013-second separated them in qualifying, giving the points leader a demanding opening assignment at a point in the season when every round carries growing championship weight.

Matt Smith qualified second with a 6.663 at a track-record speed of 203.12 mph and races Geno Scali. Angie Smith starts fourth against Michigan finalist Marc Ingwersen, while Michigan winner John Hall faces Steve Johnson. Joey Gladstone, Ryan Oehler and Clayton Howey are also positioned to influence a tightly packed championship field.

Beyond the Mission Foods Series, Sunday’s program also includes eliminations in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and the Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown.

Fans can take part in the SealMaster Track Walk and the special pre-race ceremonies introducing the drivers competing for a prestigious 75th-anniversary Diamond Wally. Following the final rounds, fans are invited to the winner’s circle celebration to congratulate the newest St. Louis champions.

The day will also place NHRA in one of its biggest television windows of the season. Most FOX markets will air the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals from 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET following football, while select markets will receive the race from 2-4 p.m. ET leading directly into football coverage.

Qualifying determined where each team will begin. Sunday will reveal which teams are truly ready to step through the portal and perform like champions.

Sunday first-round pairings

Top Fuel

1. Shawn Langdon vs. 16. Tony Schumacher; 2. Antron Brown vs. 15. Clay Millican; 3. Maddi Gordon vs. 14. Will Smith; 4. Spencer Massey vs. 13. Jasmine Salinas; 5. Billy Torrence vs. 12. Justin Ashley; 6. Josh Hart vs. 11. Tony Stewart; 7. Shawn Reed vs. 10. Doug Kalitta; 8. Leah Pruett vs. 9. Kyle Wurtzel.

Funny Car

1. Jack Beckman vs. 16. Dale Creasy Jr.; 2. Alexis DeJoria vs. 15. Bobby Bode; 3. Matt Hagan vs. 14. Terry Haddock; 4. Austin Prock vs. 13. Ron Capps; 5. J.R. Todd vs. 12. Blake Alexander; 6. Chad Green vs. 11. Spencer Hyde; 7. Jordan Vandergriff vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon; 8. Daniel Wilkerson vs. 9. Dave Richards.

Pro Stock

1. Troy Coughlin Jr. vs. 16. Chris Vang; 2. Greg Stanfield vs. 15. Mason McGaha; 3. Greg Anderson vs. 14. Kenny Delco; 4. Aaron Stanfield vs. 13. Deric Kramer; 5. Matt Hartford vs. 12. Stephen Bell; 6. Eric Latino vs. 11. Dallas Glenn; 7. Jeg Coughlin Jr. vs. 10. Matt Latino; 8. Cody Anderson vs. 9. Erica Enders.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Gaige Herrera vs. 14. Malcolm Phillips Jr.; 2. Matt Smith vs. 13. Geno Scali; 3. Joey Gladstone vs. 12. Kelly Clontz; 4. Angie Smith vs. 11. Marc Ingwersen; 5. Ryan Oehler vs. 10. Clayton Howey; 6. John Hall vs. 9. Steve Johnson; 7. Richard Gadson vs. 8. Chase Van Sant.

Today's Schedule

SUNDAY, Oct. 4 

Pre-race ceremonies at 9 a.m.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series eliminations begin at 10 a.m. 

TELEVISION 

Sunday, Oct. 4, FOX will televise two hours of final eliminations coverage at either 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. ET, depending on the market. 

2025 EVENT WINNERS Doug Kalitta, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock; and Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle. 

MOST VICTORIES 

Top Fuel: Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta, five
Funny Car: Ron Capps, four
Pro Stock: Erica Enders, six
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Smith, five 

TRACK RECORDS 

Top Fuel: 3.631 seconds by Clay Millican, September 2017; 340.47 mph by Brittany Force, September 2025. Funny Car: 3.814 seconds by Austin Prock, September 2024; 338.60 mph by Robert Hight, September 2017. Pro Stock: 6.492 seconds by Greg Anderson, September 2015; 213.47 mph by Jason Line, September 2012. Pro Stock Motorcycle: 6.701 seconds by Gaige Herrera, September 2023; 203.40 mph by Matt Smith, September 2023. 

NATIONAL RECORDS 

Top Fuel: 3.623 seconds by Brittany Force, September 2019, Reading, Pa.; 346.95 mph by Shawn Langdon, September 2026, Martin, Mich. Funny Car: 3.793 seconds by Robert Hight, August 2017, Brainerd, Minn.; 341.68 mph by Austin Prock, November 2024, Pomona, Calif. Pro Stock: 6.443 seconds by Greg Anderson, March 2025, Gainesville, Fla.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May 2014, Englishtown, N.J. Pro Stock Motorcycle: 6.627 seconds by Gaige Herrera, October 2023, Dallas; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July 2021, Sonoma, Calif. 

TICKETS Tickets are available online at www.wwtraceway.com or by calling (618) 215-8888.