Photos by Ron Lewis
SUNDAY FINAL – BROWN ENDS LANGDON’S STREAK, TODD TAKES DOWN HAGAN AS GLENN, SMITH DELIVER BIG DALLAS WINS
Antron Brown finally put an end to Shawn Langdon’s domination of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship on Sunday at Texas Motorplex. And while Brown was busy ending one winning streak, J.R. Todd was keeping his Funny Car championship hopes alive by taking down the man everyone is chasing.
Brown, Todd, Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) emerged as winners at the Texas NHRA FallNationals, the fourth of six Countdown events. With two races remaining, Glenn produced a shakeup in Pro Stock and gave several championship contenders reason to believe their title hopes aren’t finished.
Brown’s second victory of 2026 came with a 3.706-second pass at 335.75 mph after rookie Maddi Gordon red-lighted in the Top Fuel final. It was Brown’s 83rd career victory and fourth at Texas Motorplex, but his most significant accomplishment came one round earlier.
That’s when Brown eliminated Langdon, ending the points leader’s four-race winning streak and perfect run through the Countdown. Brown also defeated Dan Mercier and Leah Pruett, while Gordon reached her third final of the season after eliminating Shawn Reed, Doug Kalitta, and Justin Ashley.
“This class is really intense right now, and we know we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Brown said. “The class was dropping bombs out there today, but that Matco Tools horsepower came through, and we went 301 mph to half-track in Round 2, so we’re definitely getting the combination figured out.
“I like where we are, I like where we’re heading, and we’ve got to keep going. Our main focus is that we go into these races with confidence, and we know that we can compete, and we know we can win. Once this team gets a little motivation and drive and gets some confidence, we’re a tough competitor to compete with.”
Langdon still holds a 139-point advantage over Kalitta, with Brown third, 224 points behind. The streak is over, but Langdon remains firmly in control of the championship race.
Todd made his own statement in Funny Car, defeating points leader Matt Hagan with a 3.931 at 331.76 mph to earn his 24th career victory. The Kalitta Motorsports driver eliminated Spencer Hyde, Alexis DeJoria, and Ron Capps before denying Hagan his latest opportunity to extend an already substantial championship advantage.
“This is special in so many ways. It’s tough to get a win, period, especially in the Countdown, and Matt Hagan’s been making it really hard for everybody in the category,” Todd said.
“Those guys are hard to get by, and to do it here, in Dickie [crew chief Venables] home state, and running [against his previous team] means a lot to me to beat them in the final. I’m proud of my guys, and now we’ve got to execute in these last two races, but either way we’re going to enjoy this.”
Todd moved into third place, 119 points behind Hagan, while Jordan Vandergriff remained second, 98 points back. Todd also joined Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, and Mike Dunn as the only drivers to win in both Top Fuel and Funny Car at Texas Motorplex.
In Pro Stock, Glenn turned a record-setting qualifying performance into his fifth victory of the season and reclaimed the championship lead. After establishing a national elapsed-time record of 6.434 seconds Saturday, Glenn defeated Stephen Bell, Jeg Coughlin Jr., and teammate Greg Anderson on Sunday before stopping Matt Hartford with a 6.478 at 212.30 mph.
“Matt Hartford’s an extremely tough competitor, but I knew my car was fantastic,” Glenn said. “I knew that we had a little bit left in it from the semis, and even if I did lose, it’s still going to be a fantastic day with points. It’s basically what I had planned on doing coming into the day, and I’d only going to be six points back. [Points leader Greg Stanfield’s first-round loss] was huge. When he does well and you know that you’re going to have to race him the next round, it adds a different pressure, but when a mistake happens like that, you know you have to capitalize.
“Anytime you win a Countdown race, it definitely sticks with you. To go up there and know that you’re going to have the opportunity in the weather conditions to be able to set a national record, to make a fantastic run in the right conditions and have the fastest car every single run.”
Glenn’s second consecutive Dallas victory moved him 14 points ahead of Greg Stanfield, while Hartford remained third, 41 points behind. With two races remaining, Pro Stock has become the tightest championship battle among the four professional categories.
Matt Smith delivered Sunday’s closest championship statement in Pro Stock Motorcycle, beating points leader Richard Gadson on a holeshot. Smith’s .006 reaction time allowed his 6.660 at 203.08 mph to hold off Gadson’s quicker 6.654 at 203.79. Gadson’s reaction time was .033.
“When you’re running that other camp like that, you’ve got to get up on the wheel and go,” Smith said. “I knew in Q4 I went .008 against Richard, so I set my clutch and my switch right back to that, and it went up there and went .006, so I knew where I needed to be. I just didn’t know if I had the bike to beat them. I made one little tune-up change from the semifinals, and she was trucking and went 6.66, so it all paid off.”
Smith’s fourth victory of the season and 46th of his career moved him into third place, 85 points behind Gadson. The reigning champion leads teammate Gaige Herrera by 58 points heading into Las Vegas.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Oct. 29-Nov. 1 with the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge at The Strip at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
SATURDAY QUALIFYING – JACK BECKMAN MAKES HIS CASE IN TEXAS AS DALLAS GLENN SHATTERS NHRA PRO STOCK RECORD
Jack Beckman knows the math isn’t entirely in his favor, but he’s doing everything possible to keep himself in the NHRA Funny Car title conversation.
At the Texas Motorplex, the former champion backed up Friday’s No. 1 qualifying performance with another stout run Saturday, sending a message that his PEAK Chevrolet is far from being out of the hunt.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) joined Beckman as No. 1 qualifiers at the Texas NHRA FallNationals, the fourth of six Countdown to the Championship events and 18th race of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
For Beckman, Saturday was about more than protecting the top qualifying position. His 3.855-second pass at 337.13 mph came on a 105-degree racing surface, a performance that could prove considerably more valuable Sunday than the 3.852 at 330.13 that earned him the No. 1 spot Friday night.
“Today’s run on a 105-degree racetrack, pound for pound, was the run of the weekend,” Beckman said. “Today’s run is outstanding, and it probably gives us data for two of the four runs tomorrow. I thought somebody could run an .86 on that last qualifying session. I thought a perfect run would be that, and Dan [Hood] and Tim [Fabrisi, crew chiefs] exceeded that. I just think that was an amazing run relative to conditions.”
The performance gave Beckman his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season and positioned him against 16th qualifier Terry Haddock in Sunday’s opening round. He is chasing his third victory of 2026 and second at Texas Motorplex, but catching points leader Matt Hagan will require more than another strong showing from the John Force Racing team.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position where we have to depend on [points leader Matt Hagan] going out early, and that’s always a difficult situation,” Beckman said. “Now Austin [Prock] had a first-round loss in the Countdown. We’ve had a first-round loss in the Countdown. I’m going to talk to Matt and try to convince him he needs one or two first-round losses in the Countdown because if they don’t do that, we’re going to have a tough time getting around them.”
Hagan qualified second with a 3.855 at 334.80, followed by Cruz Pedregon at 3.855, 323.83. The three identical elapsed times at the front of the field leave little room for error when eliminations begin.
In Top Fuel, Langdon’s Friday night 3.648 at 340.39 mph pass survived Saturday’s qualifying sessions, securing his eighth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 30th of his career. The Kalitta Air driver has won four consecutive races, including the first three Countdown events, and will open eliminations against Jake Sanders.
“We’ve had a good car all weekend, so now we know where we’re at,” Langdon said. “It’s going to be a little bit warmer tomorrow, but with similar conditions we feel very confident with what we have. There’ll be some good racing tomorrow, so that’s definitely going to be a big challenge.”
Langdon has reached the point where another No. 1 qualifier is almost secondary to what his team has accomplished on race day. With two events remaining after Texas, another victory would put additional pressure on anyone still entertaining championship hopes.
“Having eight No. 1 qualifiers is nice, but it’s good to have a good-running car,” Langdon said. “It gives you a lot of confidence going into Sunday. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to keep it as simple as possible and just keep doing what we’re doing. Our goal is to win the race and if there are some good stats that follow, then great. But we’re not trying to look too far ahead.”
Tony Stewart qualified second at 3.668, 343.70 mph, while defending Texas winner Doug Kalitta was third with an identical elapsed time at 338.80.
Pro Stock provided the day’s biggest number, and it belonged to Glenn. His 6.434 at 213.50 mph in the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro established a new class record and earned him his third No. 1 qualifier of 2026 and 15th overall.
“When it left, it felt really good and I was telling myself, don’t mess this up because you’re on a run,” Glenn said. “I went through the finish line, made the corner; the cameras are looking at you, which is always a good sign. But then nobody came over to say anything. I get out of the car, and I’m like, ‘Well, did I get it?’ Then Rick Dodge was like, ‘Yep, you got it.’”
Glenn’s record time came during a qualifying session in which every driver in the 16-car field ran in the 6.40s, producing the quickest Pro Stock field in NHRA history. Aaron Stanfield was second at 6.443 and 213.42, with Matt Latino third at 6.447, 213.63.
“It’s definitely very satisfying,” Glenn said. “This was my 15th No. 1 qualifier, and I think I have 25 wins right now. In my opinion, it’s harder to qualify No. 1 in Pro Stock than it is to win the race, because it’s so easy to make a mistake. I think that really says something because it’s not easy to win one of these races.”
Glenn faces Stephen Bell in the first round, with a potential second-round meeting against points leader Greg Stanfield, who qualified ninth. Glenn is pursuing his fifth victory of the season, and an early matchup with the championship leader could provide an opportunity to close the points gap.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Herrera continued his late-season push with a 6.651 at 203.05 mph aboard the RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki. He led each of Saturday’s final three sessions – the bikes and Pro Stock got only one run Friday due to weather – to collect his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season, arriving at eliminations fresh off his St. Louis victory.
“Today was very satisfying,” Herrera said. “We had awesome conditions all day, and we went and got the No. 1 qualifier back, the little extra points there, which is what really counts right now at this point. Plus, we’ve got the momentum going into Sunday. My bike’s been running very well. I feel good on the bike, and I’ve been making good runs between the left and right lanes, so I’m feeling good going into tomorrow.”
Herrera entered Texas fewer than 35 points behind teammate and reigning champion Richard Gadson, putting every qualifying bonus point and elimination round under scrutiny. Joey Gladstone qualified second with a 6.653, 202.89, followed by Matt Smith’s 6.659, 204.18.
Eliminations for the Texas NHRA FallNationals begin at noon CDT on Sunday at Texas Motorplex.
TOP FUEL (Q-2)
1 2 Shawn Langdon, Danville IN, PBRC-AJPE 3.648 340.39 340.52
2 14 Tony Stewart, Columbus IN, PBRC-AJPE 3.668 343.70 343.70
3 1 Doug Kalitta, Saline MI, PBRC-AJPE 3.668 338.80 338.80
4 123 Antron Brown, Brownsburg IN, PBRC-DSM 3.677 335.32 335.35
5 777 Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City AZ, PBRC-DSM 3.697 334.20 334.22
6 100 Maddi Gordon, Paso Robles CA, JFR-DSM 3.701 333.43 333.43
7 3 Justin Ashley, Farmingdale NY, PBRC-DSM 3.713 335.80 335.80
8 77 Josh Hart, Ocala FL, JFR-JFR 3.714 337.64 337.64
9 200 Will Smith, Northport AL, PBRC-DSM 3.714 335.80 335.80
10 51 Clay Millican, Drummonds TN, DSR-DSM 3.716 332.45 332.45
FUNNY CAR (Q-2)
1 3 Jack Beckman, Corona CA, ’23 Camaro 3.852 330.13 330.13
2 14 Matt Hagan, Christiansburg VA, ’25 Charger 3.855 334.80 334.80
3 71 Cruz Pedregon, Brownsburg IN, ’25 Charger 3.855 323.83 323.83
4 771 Alexis DeJoria, Austin TX, ’25 Camaro 3.873 333.09 333.09
5 373 J.R. Todd, Jupiter FL, ’23 GR Supra 3.874 337.13 337.13
6 24 Jordan Vandergriff, Brea CA, ’25 Camaro 3.881 333.83 333.83
7 7 Chad Green, Midland TX, ’24 Mustang 3.910 330.32 330.32
8 256 Blake Alexander, Charlotte NC, ’25 Supra 3.914 327.92 327.92
9 6 Paul Lee, Orange CA, ’24 Charger 3.921 326.80 326.80
10 9 Spencer Hyde, Stratford ON, ’20 Mustang 3.922 323.93 323.93
PRO STOCK (Q-1)
1 445 Greg Stanfield, Bossier City LA, ’24 Camaro 6.460 212.80 212.80
2 10 Troy Coughlin Jr., Delaware OH, ’22 Camaro 6.464 212.74 212.74
3 2 Greg Anderson, Mooresville NC, ’22 Camaro 6.468 210.51 210.51
4 1 Dallas Glenn, Mooresville NC, ’23 Camaro 6.469 211.56 211.56
5 4 Aaron Stanfield, Bossier City LA, ’22 Camaro 6.470 211.63 211.63
6 3 Matt Hartford, Phoenix AZ, ’24 Camaro 6.473 213.03 213.03
7 52 Deric Kramer, Parker CO, ’20 Camaro 6.478 212.42 212.42
8 6 Erica Enders, Montgomery TX, ’22 Camaro 6.481 212.41 212.41
9 16 Matt Latino, Denver NC, ’23 Camaro 6.481 212.10 212.10
10 8 Jeg Coughlin, Dublin OH, ’23 Camaro 6.484 211.83 211.83
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE (Q-1)
1 79 Gaige Herrera, DeMotte IN, Suzuki Hayabusa 6.676 202.22 202.22
2 3 Matt Smith, King NC, Buell 1190RX 6.709 201.86 201.86
3 4 Angie Smith, King NC, Buell 1190RX 6.725 202.28 202.28
4 1550 Joey Gladstone, Mooresville NC, Buell 1190RX 6.768 198.50 198.50
5 8 Chase Van Sant, Monroe IA, Suzuki TL 1000 6.790 198.47 198.47
6 7002 Clayton Howey, Hanford CA, Buel 6.880 170.62 170.62
7 370 Marc Ingwersen, Findlay OH, EBR 6.997 195.09 195.09
8 351 Geno Scali, Lake in the Hills IL, Suzuki TL1000 7.009 186.39 186.39
9 461 Malcolm Phillips Jr., Baton Rouge LA, Suzuki G 7.033 170.07 170.07
10 485 GT Tonglet, Metairie LA, Buell XB9R 7.050 190.52 190.52
FRIDAY SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER (Q3)
1 1 TA/D Shawn Cowie, Langley BC, Hadman-Hemi 5.158 280.32 280.32
2 3 B/AD Jackie Fricke, Flemington NJ, Copeland- 5.168 274.16 274.16
3 6 TA/D Jamie Noonan, Marion IN, Indy Speed-NOON 5.204 277.71 279.61
4 5807 TA/D Nick Spiegel, Gothenburg NE, Dragster-M 5.210 277.76 277.76
5 732 TA/D Chris Demke, Valencia CA, CNE-CHRY 5.214 277.90 278.16
6 24 TA/D Megan Smith, Anderson SC, McKinney-BAEX 5.226 280.36 280.36
7 10 TA/D Melanie Johnson, Ventura CA, Hadman-AJPE 5.230 278.14 278.14
8 703Y TA/D Shaunda Blinzler, Scottsdale AZ, LOF-AJ 5.240 271.15 275.40
9 387 TA/D Mike Coughlin, Dublin OH, Dragster-Hemi 5.268 274.31 274.31
10 530 B/AD Alan Bradshaw, Odessa TX, Dragster-Hemi 5.275 274.21 275.43
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR (Q3)
1 1 Sean Bellemeur, Placentia CA, ’26 Camaro 5.388 271.15 271.15
2 7524 Doug Gordon, Paso Robles CA, ’25 Camaro 5.411 268.29 268.29
3 9 Chris Foster, Davenport IA, ’19 Camaro 5.427 268.42 268.42
4 744 Shane Westerfield, Fullerton CA, ’26 Camaro 5.429 269.64 269.64
5 6 Phil Esz, Amelia OH, ’24 Camaro 5.430 262.39 262.39
6 238 Mick Steele, Kodak TN, ’23 Mustang 5.433 265.71 265.71
7 4 Bob McCosh, Columbia MO, ’25 Camaro 5.440 267.43 267.43
8 2606 Mark Billington, Prosper TX, ’23 Camaro 5.464 265.47 265.47
9 7797 Christopher Menapace, Danville IN, ’20 Camaro 5.468 265.24 268.43
10 521 Christine Foster, Davenport IA, ’19 Camaro 5.491 265.52 265.52
FACTORY STOCK (Q1)
1 303 James Betz, South Rockwood MI, ’18 Mustang 7.822 172.10 172.10
2 339 Tony Scott Jr, Greenville KY, ’20 Camaro 7.831 173.56 173.56
3 4 Jonathan Allegrucci, Scott Twp PA, ’19 Mustang 7.837 176.49 176.49
4 402 David Janac, Caldwell TX, ’19 Mustang 7.846 171.62 171.62
5 107 Doug Hamp, York PA, ’20 Camaro 7.871 175.11 175.11
6 B346 Lee Hartman, Canfield OH, ’21 Challenger 7.914 175.48 175.48
7 A362 Alex Anderson, Wilmington IL, ’23 Camaro 7.923 176.51 176.51
8 3694 Jason Dietsch, Edgerton OH, ’18 Mustang 7.952 153.65 153.65
9 803 Rouven Dawson, Robesonia PA, ’19 Camaro 7.957 172.45 172.45
10 301H Matt Hartman, Canfield OH, ’17 Camaro 8.041 176.37 176.37
11 410K Kurt Urban, Lubbock TX, ’23 Camaro 12.356 91.65 91.65
