Photos by Alex Owens, Auto Imagery
SUNDAY FINAL – HAGAN TAKES FUNNY CAR POINTS LEAD AS KALITTA, ANDERSON CLOSE BRAINERD WITH WINS
Matt Hagan arrived at Brainerd International Raceway fifth in the Funny Car standings. He left Sunday night with the trophy and the points lead.
Hagan defeated No. 1 qualifier Jordan Vandergriff in the final round of the NHRA Brainerd Nationals, running 3.946 seconds at 320.13 mph for his third victory of the season. Doug Kalitta completed a near-perfect weekend with his third consecutive Top Fuel victory, while Greg Anderson won Pro Stock at Brainerd for the second straight year.
Hagan’s victory was the 58th of his career and second at Brainerd, and it came on a day when the four-time champion’s Tony Stewart Racing Dodge hardly moved off its number. Hagan ran in the 3.94-second range over the final three rounds.
“It’s very humbling because you never know what you’re going to get in a Funny Car,” Hagan said. “If you think you’re going to go out there and pound on your chest, these things will kick you in the [butt]. I’m just very grateful that we have such a good group of guys putting a great race car underneath me.
“We definitely could have bracket-raced this car this weekend. It just shows what our team is capable of. Everybody is just working hard and doing what they’re supposed to do. As I was doing the burnout and backing up, it gave me chills, man. The fans were packed in here. NHRA is doing a great job promoting our sport, and our sport is growing every day.”
Hagan worked through Jim Campbell and Chad Green before eliminating 2025 NHRA champion Austin Prock in the semifinals. Vandergriff, making his third final-round appearance of the season, slowed to a 4.038 in the championship round.
The win completed a sizable move through a Funny Car points race that remains crowded heading into the points-and-a-half U.S. Nationals. Hagan leads Vandergriff by seven points, while Ron Capps sits 12 points back and J.R. Todd trails by 22. Jack Beckman is 74 points behind Hagan.
Kalitta didn’t leave much on the table all weekend. The reigning Top Fuel champion was quickest in all four qualifying sessions, qualified No. 1, won Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and finished the job Sunday by beating rookie Maddi Gordon in the final.
Kalitta’s 3.743 at 333.74 chased down Gordon’s 3.770 at 328.78 after Gordon grabbed the starting-line advantage. It was his fourth victory of the season, 63rd of his career and second consecutive at Brainerd. His margin of victory at the finish was .011 seconds.
“It was definitely an interesting day,” Kalitta said. “My guys did a great job throughout the weekend, through qualifying, the Mission Foods deal, and then being able to go rounds on Sunday and get to the final and beat Maddi. She’s doing a great job and they’re tough.
“Alan [Johnson, crew chief] and those guys had my car running 3.74 like three times. That was enough, even with a little bit of a cushion. It was what we needed to do to get the job done today. The momentum is really good. We’re all really hungry.
“When you get down to those last six races, every round is so important. Today actually felt that way, too. Getting by those first couple rounds, I was like, ‘What a relief,’ because you don’t want to go out early.”
Kalitta defeated Cam Ferre, Antron Brown, and Justin Ashley before meeting Gordon, who reached her second final in her rookie season after beating Scott Palmer, Tony Stewart, and Leah Pruett.
The victory was Kalitta’s third straight after wins at Seattle and Sonoma, and it gave him a 67-point advantage over teammate Shawn Langdon heading to Indianapolis. Kalitta will have an opportunity there to lock up the regular-season Top Fuel championship before points are reset for the Countdown.
Anderson’s Brainerd connection goes back considerably farther than his latest winning streak at the track. The six-time Pro Stock champion grew up racing at Brainerd International Raceway, and he added another trophy Sunday by chasing down first-time finalist Chris Vang with a 6.584 at 208.17.
Anderson’s fifth Brainerd victory is the most in Pro Stock history at the track. It was also his fourth victory of 2026 and the 116th of his career.
The timing couldn’t have been much better for Anderson. KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn entered eliminations as the No. 1 qualifier but went out in the opening round, giving Anderson an opportunity to put some distance between them in the standings.
Anderson did exactly that. He defeated Mason McGaha, Troy Coughlin Jr., and Greg Stanfield before facing Vang, then erased Vang’s starting-line advantage to win the final. Anderson leaves Brainerd with an 85-point advantage over Glenn with one event remaining in the regular season.
“The world knows this is the place where it all started for me. I wouldn’t be a Pro Stock racer today if it wasn’t for this place and all the people around here,” Anderson said. “My father and John Hagen gave me my start in Pro Stock. It’s been a special place to me since the first time I walked on the grounds.
“It’s pretty cool to win here and apparently have the record for most wins. This place has everything. It’s a great, great event. The prestige of this one never, ever goes away. It’s certainly at the top of my list, and I think it should be at the top of a lot of people’s lists. To come out on top is just an incredible feeling. It never gets old, and I hope it never does. I treat every one like it’s the first because you never know when the last one is going to be the last. They’re all special. I hope this one wasn’t the last, but I’m going to enjoy the hell out of this one tonight.”
Vang’s runner-up was the first final-round appearance of his young Pro Stock career. He reached it by defeating Matt Latino, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and rookie Cody Anderson.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series now heads to Indianapolis, where the regular season closes with the 72nd annual NHRA U.S. Nationals, slated Sept. 2-7 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
SATURDAY QUALIFYING – KALITTA COMPLETES PERFECT QUALIFYING RUN; VANDERGRIFF, GLENN TAKE NO. 1 SPOTS AT BRAINERD
Doug Kalitta didn’t leave many points on the table during qualifying at Brainerd International Raceway.
The reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion was quickest in all four qualifying sessions, won Saturday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, and secured the No. 1 starting position for Sunday’s NHRA Brainerd Nationals. Jordan Vandergriff grabbed the top spot in Funny Car, while Dallas Glenn led Pro Stock qualifying.
Kalitta’s best came Saturday afternoon, when he drove the Mac Tools dragster to a 3.673-second run at 332.26 mph. It gave him his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 70th of his career.
He wasn’t finished.
Kalitta closed qualifying by winning his fifth #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the season, defeating Josh Hart in the final with a 3.726 at 329.50. Combined with his qualifying bonus points, the weekend has strengthened Kalitta’s position heading into Sunday’s eliminations.
“The guys got me running well and I couldn’t be prouder,” Kalitta said. “We’re digging hard. This place is really special. My family has done really well here over the years, and I’d definitely like to keep it going.”
Rookie Maddi Gordon continued her strong weekend by qualifying second with a 3.695, 336.99 mph. Shawn Langdon was third at 3.730, 331.20.
Vandergriff saved his best shot for last in Funny Car. The John Force Racing rookie jumped to No. 1 during the final qualifying session with a 3.879 at 323.50, in the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS. The run gave Vandergriff his third No. 1 qualifier during his first season in Funny Car.
“I stepped on the gas and thought, ‘This thing is going pretty good,’” Vandergriff said. “When I got to the finish line, I knew it felt quicker than anything I’d run all weekend. Turns out it was quicker than everybody.
“That’s a credit to my guys; Chris Cunningham, Jason Bunker and this Cornwell Quality Tools team. They worked hard last night. I don’t know what changes they made because I just drive it, but whatever they did worked, and now we’ve got this yellow hat.”
Vandergriff needed nearly every bit of the 3.879 to get there. Reigning Funny Car champion Austin Prock finished second with a 3.881, 327.19, while Matt Hagan qualified third at 3.899, 326.40.
Glenn’s path to the Pro Stock pole wasn’t nearly as dramatic, but his 6.535, 208.10 from Saturday’s opening session held up through the final round of qualifying.
It was the second time Glenn has qualified No. 1 this season. Teammate Greg Anderson qualified second, while Greg Stanfield’s 6.550 at 208.55 put him third.
“The Q3 run was a really, really nice run. It felt fantastic all the way through,” Glenn said. “I definitely wanted Q4 to feel like that, too, but I think they were trying some stuff and probably need to go back the other direction. I’m sure they’ll look at everything and we’ll make a good run tomorrow.”
Glenn will open eliminations against Jeg Coughlin Jr. in a bid to win at the Minnesota facility for the third time in four years.Eliminations for the NHRA Brainerd Nationals are scheduled to begin Sunday at 11 a.m. CDT.
SATURDAY #2FAST2TASTY – KALITTA MOTORSPORTS SWEEPS NITRO #2FAST2TASTY WINS AT BRAINERD; ANDERSON TAKES PRO STOCK
Maybe NHRA should rename the Mission Foods #Fast2Tasty Challenge to the #2Fast2Kalitta Challenge. Might as well – they’ve owned it anyway.
Kalitta Motorsports swept the nitro portions of Saturday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at Brainerd International Raceway, with Doug Kalitta winning in Top Fuel and J.R. Todd taking the Funny Car title. Greg Anderson completed the specialty-race winners list by claiming Pro Stock.
For Doug Kalitta, the Saturday victory was another piece of a weekend that has gone almost entirely his way.
The reigning Top Fuel champion won the specialty race, secured the No. 1 qualifying position for the 70th time in his career, and moved past teammate Shawn Langdon into the championship lead.
Kalitta entered Brainerd riding consecutive victories at Seattle and Sonoma and has continued to pile up points. He collected every available qualifying bonus point and will open Sunday’s eliminations against Cam Ferre as he attempts to repeat as Brainerd Nationals champion.
“Getting the win here last year, the expectations are high to try to do it again,” Kalitta said. “With the momentum we’ve got going, hopefully we can just keep it rolling. Brainerd’s been good to us so far. Alan [Johnson, crew chief] has got my car running well, and all my guys are working their tails off. We’re hungry to do as well as we can, and I’m definitely looking forward to tomorrow.”
Todd made sure Kalitta Motorsports didn’t have to split the nitro hardware with anyone.
The former NHRA Funny Car titlist defeated reigning back-to-back champion Austin Prock on a holeshot in the final, using a .051-second reaction time and a 3.938-second run at 321.88 mph to beat Prock’s quicker 3.933 at 323.81.
The victory was Todd’s second #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the season and continued a strong stretch for Kalitta Motorsports. Todd and Kalitta shared the winner’s circle at Seattle last month.
Todd acknowledged his Saturday approach has been different from the one he has leaned on during eliminations. He would like to change that Sunday.
“I always say my mindset is different on Saturday than Sunday, but clearly I need to take that mindset into race day,” Todd said. “I just went up there and tried to hit the [Christmas] tree as hard as I could.
“I don’t want to let my guys down. I say it all the time: They bust their butts and work really hard, and the only way you can pay them back is by turning on win lights. Hopefully I can do that again tomorrow when it really counts.”
Anderson had to work a little harder for his Pro Stock win, although the six-time champion admitted he wasn’t expecting to see the win light.
Anderson defeated teammate Dallas Glenn in the final with a 6.555 at 209.04, earning his third #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of the season. The win carried additional significance for Anderson, who grew up racing at Brainerd and enters Sunday trying to repeat as Brainerd Nationals victor.
“I definitely felt like the underdog going up there. He’d been just a tick faster all weekend, and I figured he was going to outrun me,” Anderson said. “I thought I was going to have to make the best run I’d made all weekend, and I probably made the worst run I’d made all weekend. I did not expect that win light to come on.
“Anytime you get around Dallas Glenn, that just makes you better. I know what he is. I know what that guy is capable of every time he goes to the starting line. We’re very proud of the day we had today.”
SATURDAY QUALIFYING
TOP FUEL (FINAL)
1 1 Doug Kalitta, Saline MI, PBRC-AJPE 3.673 332.26 340.30
2 100 Maddi Gordon, Paso Robles CA, JFR-DSM 3.695 336.99 336.99
3 2 Shawn Langdon, Danville IN, PBRC-AJPE 3.730 331.20 334.57
4 474 Billy Torrence, Kilgore TX, MLR-AJPE 3.741 329.58 330.96
5 3 Justin Ashley, Farmingdale NY, PBRC-DSM 3.743 333.99 333.99
6 777 Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City AZ, PBRC-DSM 3.756 329.18 331.04
7 14 Tony Stewart, Columbus IN, PBRC-AJPE 3.758 331.45 332.34
8 123 Antron Brown, Brownsburg IN, PBRC-DSM 3.763 330.55 330.55
9 15 Tony Schumacher, Lakeway TX, DSR-DSM 3.768 330.07 330.07
10 77 Josh Hart, Ocala FL, JFR-JFR 3.774 327.35 327.35
FUNNY CAR (FINAL)
1 24 Jordan Vandergriff, Brea CA, ’25 Camaro 3.879 323.50 323.50
2 1 Austin Prock, Pittsboro IN, ’26 Mustang 3.881 327.19 329.91
3 14 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, ’25 Charger 3.899 326.40 326.40
4 5 Daniel Wilkerson, Springfield IL, ’24 Mustang 3.902 322.81 322.81
5 373 J.R. Todd, Jupiter FL, ’23 GR Supra 3.903 327.66 327.66
6 3 Jack Beckman, Corona CA, ’23 Camaro 3.903 324.67 324.67
7 71 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, ’25 Charger 3.906 320.51 322.04
8 771 Alexis DeJoria, Austin TX, ’25 Camaro 3.915 326.08 326.08
9 139 Dave Richards, Wellington FL, ’25 Mustang 3.924 327.66 327.66
10 28 Ron Capps, Carlsbad CA, ’23 GR Supra 3.930 322.27 322.27
PRO STOCK (FINAL)
1 1 Dallas Glenn, Mooresville NC, ’23 Camaro 6.535 208.10 208.26
2 2 Greg Anderson, Mooresville NC, ’22 Camaro 6.549 208.68 209.04
3 445 Greg Stanfield, Bossier City LA, ’24 Camaro 6.550 208.55 208.55
4 3 Matt Hartford, Phoenix AZ, ’24 Camaro 6.550 207.46 209.10
5 17 Cody Anderson, Mooresville NC, ’19 Camaro 6.550 206.67 207.46
6 4 Aaron Stanfield, Bossier City LA, ’22 Camaro 6.558 207.88 207.88
7 10 Troy Coughlin Jr., Delaware OH, ’22 Camaro 6.562 207.98 207.98
8 5707 Chris Vang, Andover KS, ’24 Camaro 6.563 207.15 207.27
9 16 Matt Latino, Denver NC, ’23 Camaro 6.564 208.81 208.81
10 150 Kenny Delco, E. Setauket NY, ’20 Camaro 6.564 203.40 206.76
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER (FINAL)
1 530 B/AD Alan Bradshaw, Odessa TX, Dragster-Hemi 5.165 277.37 277.37
2 1 TA/D Shawn Cowie, Langley BC, Hadman-Hemi 5.169 278.81 278.81
3 10 TA/D Melanie Johnson, Ventura CA, Hadman-AJPE 5.193 274.50 274.50
4 7 TA/D Anthony Troyer, Lehigh Acres FL, Dragst 5.198 277.26 277.26
5 342 TA/D Mitch Kalitta, Ypsilanti MI, Copeland-C 5.219 274.66 274.66
6 5 TA/D Jon Bradford, Tucson AZ, Indy Speed-Hemi 5.221 276.58 278.23
7 5807 TA/D Nick Spiegel, Gothenburg NE, Dragster-M 5.268 275.00 275.00
8 613 TA/D Joey Severance, Woodburn OR, Indy Speed 5.276 273.94 273.94
9 2 TA/D Matthew Cummings, Delray Beach FL, Drag 5.285 270.21 270.21
10 491 TA/D Angelle Sampey, Mathews LA, JFR-AJPE 5.340 267.43 270.10
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR (FINAL)
1 3295 Jake Slater, Monroeville IN, ’24 Supra 5.458 279.96 286.68
2 5 Annie Whiteley, Grand Junction CO, ’23 Camaro 5.513 266.69 266.69
3 404 Stan Sipos, Victoria BC, ’25 Camaro 5.514 264.80 264.80
4 521 Christine Foster, Davenport IA, ’19 Camaro 5.515 264.49 264.49
5 7524 Doug Gordon, Paso Robles CA, ’25 Camaro 5.523 264.34 264.34
6 1 Sean Bellemeur, Placentia CA, ’23 Camaro 5.529 262.64 262.64
7 4 Bob McCosh, Columbia MO, ’25 Camaro 5.533 263.15 263.15
8 9 Chris Foster, Davenport IA, ’19 Camaro 5.537 263.56 263.56
9 744 Shane Westerfield, Fullerton CA, ’26 Camaro 5.543 265.43 265.43
10 552 Kyle Smith, Valley Center KS, ’26 Camaro 5.567 257.78 257.78
FRIDAY QUALIFYING – PROCK, KALITTA AND LATINO SWING THE AXE ON FRIDAY AT BRAINERD
When there’s a special prize and a few bonus bucks on the line, it tends to bring out the best in Austin Prock. Friday night, Prock might as well have been Paul Bunyan.
Prock closed the opening day of Funny Car qualifying at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals by winning the “Battle for the Axe,” presented by Visit Brainerd & Baxter. Doug Kalitta claimed the Top Fuel axe, while second-year Pro Stock racer Matt Latino completed the trio by taking honors in his class.
For Prock, the hardware came with a 3.893-second run at 329.91 mph that moved him to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position. It also came on his birthday, giving the reigning NHRA Funny Car champion another reason to celebrate before qualifying resumes Saturday.
The 3.893 represented a substantial jump from Prock’s opening qualifying attempt. He was fourth quickest in the first session, but the run wasn’t close to what Prock or his team believed the car should have produced.
“We made a lot of ground from the first run,” Prock said. “We were fourth quickest the first run, but it was not up to our standard. We weren’t trying to run a .97, so we were actually surprised that it held in the top four and let us get towards the back of the pack, and [we] made some adjustments that we thought were needed to be able to go up there and run low ET.
“Being against Jack Beckman, we really needed to outrun him for lane choice tomorrow for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty deal. That’s always nice to have. I’m sure they were loaded up; that thing knocked them off pretty good at 330. And we figured if we ran between .87 and .89, we’d have a pretty good shot at being No. 1 qualifier. We did that. So this is a good way to end my birthday here in Brainerd. Really proud of the team to be able to go up there and be the quickest car on the property – definitely makes you feel good.”
Prock needed nearly all of that performance to separate himself from the field. Beckman finished Friday second with a 3.903 at 324.67 mph, while Dave Richards delivered a 3.924, 327.66 to hold third.
Top Fuel produced its own late-session statement, and Kalitta made his at 340.30 mph. His 3.705-second elapsed time moved him past the field and into the provisional No. 1 qualifying position.
Kalitta had watched the numbers coming up in front of him, including several 3.72-second performances. Crew chief Alan Johnson saw enough in the racetrack to believe Kalitta could take a bigger swing.
“We’re just sitting back there in my car, watching the cars run,” Kalitta explained. “There were a couple 72s in front of me. … Alan, he had a lot of confidence in hopefully being able to get to the top with whatever we could do.
“That was a really good run for us. Car left good and pulled hard. We kept it nice and straight just trying to get through the … They’ve got this new blacktop down there, and it’s nice and smooth, so we’re just trying to get some rubber on it and get a little more grip out there. It was a good and solid run for us.
Kalitta’s 340.30-mph charge was also the fastest run among Friday’s three provisional leaders. Behind him came one of the day’s bigger Top Fuel performances as Maddi Gordon recorded a 3.725 at 336.15 mph to finish the evening second. Shawn Langdon completed the provisional top three with a 3.731 at 334.57 mph.
If Prock and Kalitta arrived at their axes through strong opening-day performances, Latino took a more difficult route – he didn’t run during the opening Pro Stock session.
A brake issue following his burnout convinced him to shut the car off rather than attempt a qualifying pass with a problem he didn’t fully understand. That left the second-year Pro Stock driver with one shot Friday evening, and on a racetrack he had never competed on, Latino made it count.
His 6.588-second run at 207.21 mph tied Dallas Glenn’s elapsed time, but Latino earned the provisional No. 1 position based on speed. Glenn ran 206.29 mph on his 6.588, giving Latino the top position and the third axe of the night.
“The run was great, especially after not making a pass for Q1,” Latino said. “For anyone curious about what happened, went out after the burnout, applied the brakes coming off the burnout, car darted to the right, it happened twice, backed up from the burnout, lunged forward to give it traction, and it was still darting to the right every time I hit the brakes. So it seemed the left front brake wasn’t working. Certainly didn’t want to risk that.”
Once the problem was addressed, Latino had no Friday baseline from which to work. He also didn’t have much room for error in a Pro Stock field separated by thousandths of a second.
Cody Anderson illustrated just how tight the field was with a 6.589 at 206.99 mph, only one-thousandth behind Latino and Glenn. That left Latino sitting atop a provisional top three covered by .001 of a second.
For a driver in his first full Pro Stock season, the circumstances made his first-day performance even more satisfying. Latino also found a practical use for his newest piece of Brainerd hardware.
“So to go to the No. 1 spot in such a tight field here at a racetrack that I have never been on, first full year, it’s an incredible feeling,” Latino said. “And I got this axe, which I’m hoping will help me on Sunday because I’m certainly going to need that on the starting line.”
Professional qualifying resumes Saturday at noon CDT with two sessions remaining to set the fields for Sunday’s eliminations.
THURSDAY – NAHAN, SPEER, LINE AND THE THORPS LEAD RAIN-SHORTENED BRAINERD SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING
Rain shortened Thursday’s Sportsman qualifying at Brainerd International Raceway, but there was enough time for Pat Nahan, Brett Speer, Lance Line, Jim Thorp and Kevin Thorp to secure the top positions in their respective categories at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.
With weather cutting into the program and more rain in Friday’s forecast, NHRA adjusted the schedule in an effort to complete the Sportsman portion of the event. Final eliminations are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Friday.
Nahan, of Sartell, Minnesota, emerged from Competition Eliminator qualifying with the No. 1 position after driving his E/DA Parks dragster to a 7.360-second run, .620 under the 7.98 index.
Doug Engels of Watertown, South Dakota, was close behind with a 7.367 in D/DA, .603 under the index. Seattle’s Cody Lane placed third with a 7.358 in his A/EA 1932 Bantam, .542 under the 7.90 standard.
Bruno Massel qualified fourth in CC/AT with a 7.036 in his 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, .524 under the index. Shane Heckel of Baytown, Texas, completed the top five with a 7.127, .463 under in C/DA.
The Speer family owned the top of the Super Stock qualifying sheet.
Brett Speer, of Fort Ripley, Minnesota, drove his SS/JA 1990 Chevrolet Camaro to a 10.000-second run against an 11.00 index, putting him exactly one second under and comfortably into the No. 1 position. Rylee Speer made it a family sweep of the first two spots with a 10.053 in his SS/JA 1998 Pontiac Firebird, .947 under the index.
Mike Johnston of Parker, Arizona, was only two-thousandths behind Rylee Speer against the index, qualifying third with a 9.255, .945 under in his FSS/F 2012 Camaro. Sean Marconette and Jay Storey completed the top five.
Minnesota racers controlled Stock Eliminator, taking five of the first seven positions and the top four spots overall.
Cromwell’s Lance Line led the field with a 10.226-second run in his C/S 1969 Ford Mustang, 1.124 seconds under the 11.35 index. Randy Mans of Rogers was second with a 9.906 in his A/S 2000 Pontiac Firebird, 1.044 under the index.
Larry Curtis of Bethel qualified third with a 9.943 in his FS/E 2010 Dodge Challenger, 1.007 under. Aitkin’s Tracy Fairchild followed with a 10.574 in his D/SA 1970 AMC AMX, .976 under, while Brad Koivisto of Cromwell was fifth.
Jim Thorp of Mertzon, Texas, set the pace in Top Sportsman with a 6.288-second run at 226.32 mph in his 2025 Camaro. Christopher Roe of Lecanto, Florida, was second with a 6.429 at 212.33, while Rich Smith qualified third with a 6.498 at 212.43.
Alan Hiebert was fourth at 6.526 and 217.88 mph, with Rob Meservier fifth after running 6.528 at 217.28.
The Thorp name also occupied the top of the Top Dragster qualifying sheet, this time with Kevin Thorp.
Thorp, of Knickerbocker, Texas, drove his TNT-Chevrolet dragster to a 6.125 at 225.26 mph. Prescott Dean followed with a 6.153 at 223.62, while Roland Rang was third with a 6.158 at 226.66.
Jim Thorp added the No. 4 Top Dragster position to his Top Sportsman No. 1 effort with a 6.175 at 209.04 mph. Matthew Kreft rounded out the top five at 6.185 and 220.91.
With Thursday’s rain already having compressed the Brainerd program, NHRA moved Friday’s schedule forward ahead of another rainy afternoon forecast. Final Sportsman eliminations are slated to begin at 8 a.m.
SPORTSMAN RESULTS
COMP (FINAL)
1 55 E/DA Pat Nahan, Sartell MN, Parks 7.360 7.98 -0.620
2 5212 D/DA Doug Engels, Watertown SD, Plant 7.367 7.97 -0.603
3 601C A/EA Cody Lane, Seattle WA, ’32 Bantam 7.358 7.90 -0.542
4 353 CC/AT Bruno Massel, Elmhurst IL, ’10 Cobalt 7.036 7.56 -0.524
5 47 C/DA Shane Heckel, Baytown TX, Spitzer 7.127 7.59 -0.463
6 5125 A/EA Bruce Schmiedl, Regina SK, ’32 Bantam 7.423 7.85 -0.427
7 5248 C/TA Shaun Vincent, Kennard NE, ’02 S-10 8.553 8.97 -0.417
8 5292 B/DA Michael Foster, Brookings SD, Spitzer 7.003 7.40 -0.397
9 5008 D/A Travis Gusso, Sioux Falls SD, ’24 Camaro 7.888 8.27 -0.382
10 704 E/SMA Kayla Mozeris, Phoenix AZ, ’05 Cavalier 8.624 8.95 -0.326
SUPER STOCK (FINAL)
1 53 SS/JA Brett Speer, Fort Riley MN, ’90 Camaro 10.000 11.00 -1.000
2 58 SS/JA Rylee Speer, Fort Ripley MN, ’98 Firebird 10.053 11.00 -0.947
3 7277 FSS/F Mike Johnston, Parker AZ, ’12 Camaro 9.255 10.20 -0.945
4 5060 SS/M Sean Marconette, Edwardsville KS, ’84 Mus 10.660 11.60 -0.940
5 5388 FSS/C Jay Storey, Andover KS, ’22 Camaro 8.748 9.65 -0.902
6 42 FSS/D Ryan Montford, Wichita KS, ’19 Camaro 9.033 9.90 -0.867
7 5150 GT/CA Jason DeForrest, Oak Grove MN, ’05 Cavali 9.035 9.90 -0.865
8 730 FSS/B John Calvert, Mesa AZ, ’19 Mustang 8.347 9.20 -0.853
9 531X SS/KA Scott Dugdale, Stacy MN, ’84 Monte Carlo 10.434 11.25 -0.816
10 5600 SS/AS Mike Mans, Rogers MN, ’00 Firebird 8.820 9.60 -0.780
STOCK (FINAL)
1 5390 C/S Lance Line, Cromwell MN, ’69 Mustang 10.226 11.35 -1.124
2 5500 A/S Randy Mans, Rogers MN, ’00 Firebird 9.906 10.95 -1.044
3 5263 FS/E Larry Curtis, Bethel MN, ’10 Challenger 9.943 10.95 -1.007
4 F504 D/SA Tracy Fairchild, Aitkin MN, ’70 AMX 10.574 11.55 -0.976
5 5169 H/SA Brad Koivisto, Cromwell MN, ’74 GTO 11.178 12.15 -0.972
6 4688 G/SA Mike Cotten, Cave Creek AZ, ’73 Duster 11.028 12.00 -0.972
7 X501 F/SA Clayton Mattson, Carlton MN, ’73 Camaro 10.887 11.85 -0.963
8 7797 C/S Don Keen, Palmdale CA, ’68 Mustang 10.393 11.35 -0.957
9 5731 B/SA Ben Line, International Falls MN, ’69 Mus 10.311 11.25 -0.939
10 5411 B/S Chris Knudsen, Grimes IA, ’69 Camaro 10.307 11.20 -0.893
TOP SPORTSMAN (FINAL)
1 4059 Jim Thorp, Mertzon TX, ’25 Camaro 6.288 226.32 226.32
2 2020 Christopher Roe, Lecanto FL, ’22 Mustang 6.429 212.33 212.33
3 5578 Rich Smith, Wentzville MO, ’68 Camaro 6.498 212.43 212.43
4 5020 Alan Hiebert, Selkirk MB, ’68 Camaro 6.526 217.88 217.88
5 5189 Rob Meservier, Thunder Bay ON, ’68 Chevelle 6.528 217.28 217.28
6 5167 Curt Fredrich, Burlington WI, ’68 Camaro 6.629 199.17 199.17
7 789 Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, Monrovia CA, ’69 Cheve 6.642 208.01 208.01
8 6 Michael Chitty, Ames IA, ’08 Cobalt 6.650 208.55 208.55
9 5764 Brian Antony, Lonsdale MN, ’20 Camaro 6.730 205.91 205.91
10 5381 Wade Kiefer, Kimball NE, ’63 Corvette 6.904 204.42 204.42
TOP DRAGSTER (FINAL)
1 41 Kevin Thorp, Knickerbocker TX, TNT-Chevy 6.125 225.26 225.26
2 57 Prescott Dean, Olathe KS, Mullis-Chevy 6.153 223.62 223.62
3 5309 Roland Rang, Sioux Falls SD, Dragster-Chevy 6.158 226.66 226.66
4 4059 Jim Thorp, Mertzon TX, Spitzer-Chevy 6.175 209.04 209.04
5 53 Matthew Kreft, Council Bluff IA, Spitzer-Chevy 6.185 220.91 220.91
6 4360 Ross Laris, Raceland LA, Danny Nelson-Chevy 6.188 230.10 230.10
7 9 Rusty Baxter, Beckville TX, Danny Nelson-Chevy 6.195 210.34 210.34
8 459D J.R. Baxter, Waxahachie TX, Miller-RCEE 6.200 194.86 194.86
9 54 Leslie Feist, Duluth MN, Miller-Chevy 6.221 222.51 222.51
10 5107 Scott Murray, Winnipeg MB, Dragster-Hemi 6.224 223.80 223.80
