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.
