Rockingham Dragway spent decades outside NHRA’s national-event orbit. By Saturday evening, the place had a sellout crowd, four No. 1 qualifiers, and a Sunday elimination ladder carrying enough Countdown implications to make the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock more than a ceremonial return.
Ron Capps, Doug Kalitta, Matt Hartford, and Angie Smith emerged with the No. 1 qualifying positions after two days that introduced the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series to Rockingham, N.C. Now comes the part where qualifying numbers stop being trophies of their own and become starting positions for Sunday.
Capps secured his fourth Funny Car No. 1 qualifier of the season when Friday’s 3.870-second run at 330.40 mph survived Saturday. It was the 41st No. 1 qualifying effort of his career, and this one came with something considerably more useful – a first-round bye.
With the Countdown standings still compressed and Capps trying to recover from lost ground at Martin last weekend, there was no hiding how badly his team wanted that No. 1 spot to stay put.
“We were praying that nobody would outdo us because that first-round bye is huge,” Capps said. “The points are still pretty bunched up. We gave up some ground in Martin. We’re just trying to forget about it, put it behind us.”
Capps enters Sunday seeking his fourth victory of the season and 81st of his career. His potential path could also include an early confrontation with points leader Matt Hagan.
“I was just so proud of ‘Guido’ [crew chief Dean Antonelli] and our guys,” Capps said. “I understand those points are monumental. We have a chance to run Matt Hagan in round two, which would be huge, but you can’t look that far ahead. I’m going to have to race them all, and we’re going to win a championship.”
Alexis DeJoria qualified second at 3.892, 334.82 and will face John Smith. Reigning champion Austin Prock landed third with a 3.892 at 326.80 and will line up against Capps’ brother Jon.
Funny Car gave Rockingham a tight field. Top Fuel gave it an intramural fight that could have championship consequences.
Kalitta put the Mac Tools dragster on top with a 3.682 at 338.09, earning his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season, and 72nd of his career. He will open eliminations against No. 16 Rit Pustari. The bigger picture is sitting one spot ahead of Kalitta in the standings.
Teammate Shawn Langdon arrived at Rockingham as the Top Fuel points leader after winning Martin, his sixth victory of the season. Kalitta knows exactly what he is chasing, and he also knows the two Kalitta Motorsports dragsters share enough information to make the championship fight an unusual one.
“Hopefully tomorrow we can have some luck here,” Kalitta said. “Shawn and Brian [Husen, crew chief)] are tough. Brian and Alan Johnson [Kalitta’s crew chief] have been working really closely together. They probably both still have some secrets up their sleeves that they’re not sharing, but it’s a cool rivalry to watch because you know Brian and Alan have won a lot of races, a lot of championships together, and Brian was definitely paying attention because he’s having a good year, for sure. I’ve always been really impressed with Shawn. He’s always been good on the tree. You have to be up on the wheel when you’re racing him.”
Tony Stewart qualified second at 3.704, 336.83, setting up a first-round meeting with Clay Millican. Langdon starts third after a 3.732 at 334.08 and will race Cameron Ferre.
If Hartford is getting tired of seeing final rounds, he has an obvious solution Sunday.
The Pro Stock veteran qualified No. 1 for the third consecutive race with a 6.476 at 212.87 in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro. After runner-up finishes at Indianapolis and Martin, Hartford isn’t lacking late-round opportunities, he is looking to turn one into a victory.
His No. 1 position provides a first-round bye in a 15-car field and, more importantly, another chance to keep accumulating the currency that counts during the Countdown — round wins.
“It’s real important in the Countdown that we get to the finals and win some races,” Hartford said. “We want the championship. We want it as bad as anybody out there. But the only way you do that is get points, and the only way you get points is win rounds. So, we’re focused tomorrow to go four rounds, and if we can do that for this race and the next four after it, then the points will line up how they should.”
Hartford has three victories this season and will try to make Rockingham No. 4.
Reigning class champion Dallas Glenn qualified second with a 6.478, 212.06 and will race Shane Tucker. Matt Latino was right behind him at 6.479, 211.67 and draws Kenny Delco.
There wasn’t much breathing room at the front of Pro Stock Motorcycle, either.
Angie Smith’s 6.674 at 201.61 on the Denso Auto Parts Buell held for her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season. Smith gets a first-round bye Sunday as she pursues her second victory of 2026.
“A bye run is everything to us in the Countdown because it’s one more test run that we have,” Smith said. “You can go up there and test your reaction time, you can maybe test something that you think might work, and you get one pass at the track where there’s nobody else in the other lane, so that means everything to us, especially in the Countdown.”
Gaige Herrera qualified second with a 6.680 at 202.07 and will race Lance Bonham. Six-time champion Matt Smith, Angie’s husband, starts third after running 6.681 at 204.17 and will face Marcus Hylton.
Saturday also delivered something else Rockingham Dragway ownership wanted badly: a sellout crowd.
NHRA announced the full house during the second day of qualifying, giving the sanctioning body its 10th sellout day during its 75th anniversary season. Rockingham also became the fourth of NHRA’s four new 2026 national-event facilities to produce a sellout, joining South Georgia Motorsports Park, Maryland International Raceway and US 131 Motorsports Park.
Eliminations for the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock begin at 11 a.m. EDT.
