NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The entire drag racing world descends on Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park this week for the 72nd edition of the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, the sport’s biggest and most prestigious event. The U.S. Nationals also marks the end of the regular season for NHRA Pros, and it is the 14th of 20 events scheduled this season.

For the Big Go, the PlayNHRA pre-event favorites include Doug Kalitta, Matt Hagan, Greg Anderson, and Gaige Herrera, four racers who are in contention for regular-season and end-of-season titles.

The Indy event will be part of the Play NHRA initiative, where drag racing fans will once again have the opportunity to engage in fantasy games, gaming, and betting for this event. Betting markets feature Professional classes, where fans can wager on event winners, low elapsed time of the event, head-to-head matchups, and season champions.

Below are the opening odds as provided by Alt Sports Data.

(Note: In American sports betting, odds are typically expressed with a plus (+) or minus (–) symbol followed by a number. For example, +200 signifies the amount a bettor could win if wagering $100. If the bet works out, the player will receive a total payout of $300; $200 profit + $100 initial stake.)

TOP FUEL

As they continue to battle for the top spot in the points and the regular-season championship, teammates Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon are the favorites with the PlayNHRA oddsmakers.

There are more than 20 cars on the pre-entry list, and the odds reflect that with Kalitta opening at +500, while Langdon is close behind at +600. Kalitta’s record on the season is 34-9. A $10 wager on Kalitta would return $60.00 should he win the event, while the same wager on Langdon would return $70.00.

Additional favorites include NHRA Rookie of the Year contender Maddi Gordon, Leah Pruett, part-timer T.J. Zizzo, Antron Brown, Billy Torrence, Justin Ashley, Josh Hart, Tony Stewart, and Sonoma finalist Jasmine Salinas, who each carry a price in the neighborhood of +1000.

When it comes to long shots, there are plenty to choose from, including Shawn Reed, Ida Zetterström, Clay Millican, Will Smith, Dan Mercier, Tony Schumacher, Tripp Tatum, Krista Baldwin, Jake Sanders, Jacob Opartney, and Lex Joon.

FUNNY CAR

The Indy Funny Car field is massive with 23 pre-entries, most of which have three-second potential. With so many competitive entries, it's almost impossible to choose a favorite, but oddsmakers have singled out Matt Hagan at +600 and two-time world champ Austin Prock at +650.

There are several candidates for the regular-season title, and they are all considered favorites to win Indy. In addition to Hagan and Prock, J.R. Todd, Jordan Vandergriff, Jack Beckman, and Ron Capps are each priced between +700 and +1000.

A host of other drivers are competitively priced, including Paul Lee, Daniel Wilkerson, Hunter Green, Spencer Hyde, Cruz Pedregon, and Blake Alexander, who can be had for approximately +2000.

The true long shots include Jeff Arend at +3500, Bobby Bode at +4500, as well as Chris King, Julie Nataas, Justin Schriefer, Terry Haddock, John Smith, Dave Richards, and Dylan Winefsky at +6000.

PRO STOCK

KB Titan teammates Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson are battling for the regular-season title, and they are co-favorites to win in Indy. Given their domination this season, it’s no surprise they are each priced at +250 for starters, meaning a $10 wager on either would return $35.00.

Matt Hartford is also among the favorites at +900, while Aaron Stanfield, defending Indy winner Erica Enders, Greg Stanfield, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and recent Brainerd finalist Chris Vang are priced between +1100 and +1400.

A bit further down the order, Matt Latino is at +1600, with Cody Anderson at +1600, Troy Coughlin Jr. at +1800, and Deric Kramer at +2000.

The lengthy list of long shots among the 21 entered drivers includes Mason McGaha, Shane Tucker, Eric Latino, Chris McGaha, Kenny Delco, Jerry Tucker, David Vaseloff, and Alan Prusiensky.    

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

After a lengthy break, the Pro Stock Motorcycle class is back in Indy, where reigning world champ Richard Gadson will try to wrap up the regular-season title. Gadson’s biggest challenger is his own Vance & Hines teammate, Gaige Herrera. On the Play NHRA odds board, Herrera is favored at +400, followed by Matt Smith at +450, Angie Smith at +500, and Gadson at +550.

The best of the rest includes John Hall, Ryan Oehler, Chase Van Sant, Clayton Howey, Jianna Evaristo, Hector Arana Jr., Steve Johnson, and Marc Ingwersen.

The rest of the field includes some fascinating long shots, including Kelly Clontz, Chris Bostick, Geno Scali, Malcolm Phillips Jr., Mark Paquette, Wesley Wells, and Hector Arana Sr.

Opening odds provided by Alt Sports Data (Odds are subject to change).

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