Dallas Glenn came to Texas Motorplex needing to make up ground in the NHRA Pro Stock championship chase. He left with a national record, another Texas NHRA FallNationals victory and the points lead, turning what could have been a good weekend into one of the most complete performances of his career.
The defending world champion didn’t leave much for the competition. Glenn qualified No. 1 with the quickest elapsed time in Pro Stock history, then backed it up Sunday by winning all four elimination rounds with the quickest car in each pairing.
Glenn defeated Matt Hartford in the final round with a 6.478-second pass at 212.30 mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. His .010 reaction time helped secure his fifth victory of the season, 26th career win and second consecutive Dallas triumph.
More importantly, Glenn turned a championship deficit into a 14-point advantage over Greg Stanfield with the Countdown to the Championship approaching its conclusion.
“Oh, this is definitely up there,” Glenn said. “Anytime you win a countdown race, it definitely sticks with you. And to go up there and know that you’re going to have the opportunity and the weather conditions to be able to set a national record.”
The foundation for Sunday’s victory came Saturday when Glenn produced a 6.434-second run at 213.50 mph, establishing the quickest elapsed time in Pro Stock history. The performance secured the No. 1 qualifying position and gave Glenn a race car capable of controlling eliminations.
He defeated Stephen Bell, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson before facing Hartford. Despite changing track conditions and quick turnarounds, Glenn’s Camaro remained the quickest car in every elimination round.
“And I don’t know if I’ve ever ran the table, so to speak, in eliminations where I’m the fastest car every single run,” Glenn said. “That’s incredibly hard to do, especially with the changing track conditions and quick turnarounds.”
The championship picture changed almost immediately Sunday when Stanfield, who entered the event leading the standings, lost in the opening round. Glenn had arrived calculating how much ground he could recover, but suddenly the opportunity was considerably larger.
His original plan was to eliminate Stanfield in the second round and leave Dallas within striking distance. Instead, Glenn found himself with an opportunity to take the lead outright.
“My goal was to try to take him out second round and then win the race and just be one round back, be like six points back,” Glenn said. “That was definitely the goal. Then when he lost first pair right there, I was like, ‘Wow, okay.’”
Glenn acknowledged the unexpected opportunity created some additional pressure, particularly in the opening round. Once he survived that hurdle, however, the defending champion settled into a rhythm that carried him through the afternoon.
By the final round, Glenn said he felt unusually comfortable despite facing Hartford, one of the season’s most consistent competitors. Hartford entered the championship round having already reached six previous finals in 2026.
“Well, I think part of the reason that I felt weirdly calm in the final is 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.”
Hartford reached his seventh final of the season by defeating Aaron Stanfield, Chris Vang and T.J. Coughlin. Although he couldn’t stop Glenn’s weekend sweep, Hartford remained third in the championship standings, 41 points behind the leader.
For Glenn, the performance also represented a change in how he approaches championship pressure. A year removed from winning his first world title, he believes the experience has allowed him to race without carrying the same burden into every round.
“I feel like ever since the championship last year I’ve kind of just been a lot more calm and relaxed,” Glenn said. “I feel like this time last year, even though I had a pretty good points lead at this point I was still pretty nervous and felt like I had a lot of pressure on me.”
The weekend wasn’t without frustration. Glenn believed his team had a shot at the record during Friday’s second qualifying session before a minor engine component failure spoiled the attempt near the finish line.
The KB Titan crew repaired the problem without changing engines during the short turnaround. Glenn then predicted the car could run in the 6.43-second range, and Saturday’s record-setting pass proved him right.
There was also a personal reason Glenn wanted to deliver. He revealed that team owner Annie Whiteley had lost her sister during the week, making the Dallas victory especially meaningful to the KB Titan organization.
“So I wanted to go up there and try to win it for her to try to win it for the whole KB Titan crew,” Glenn said. “And to be able to take the points lead back to us, back to North Carolina, definitely it makes all the hard work and blood, sweat, and tears that we’ve put in the last few weeks worth it.”
Glenn also credited the atmosphere surrounding Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed festivities, which allowed his team to arrive earlier than usual and settle into the weekend without the customary Thursday rush. The favorable weather and large crowds added to an event in which almost everything went his way.
The championship fight remains close, with Stanfield only 14 points behind and Hartford still within reach. But Dallas belonged to Glenn, who arrived chasing the leader and departed with everyone else chasing him.
For a driver who spent much of last year’s championship run wrestling with pressure, the difference this October was unmistakable.
“So this year definitely feels a lot more relaxed,” Glenn said. “I won’t say more enjoyable, but it feels like there’s definitely a lot less pressure.”
