The battle for the first NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season championship enters its final stretch, with nearly $400,000 in bonus money on the line across NHRA’s four professional categories.
Champions in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be crowned after the U.S. Nationals on Sept. 1, with $150,000 awarded to the points leaders in Top Fuel and Funny Car. The regular season concludes at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park after upcoming events in Seattle, Sonoma, and Brainerd.
TOP FUEL
The Top Fuel championship is shaping up as a three-way fight among Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon, and Justin Ashley. Stewart leads Langdon by 52 points and Ashley by 77 after a season that’s seen all three reach multiple final rounds.
Stewart has two wins and a consistent performance record, while Langdon has also claimed two victories with four final-round appearances. Ashley is the hottest driver in the class, with back-to-back wins and six finals in the past seven races.
Head-to-head, Langdon holds a 6-4 edge over Stewart and Ashley, while Stewart is even at 4-4 against his closest challengers. The trio have faced each other deep into eliminations at nearly every event this season.
FUNNY CAR
John Force Racing remains the standard in Funny Car, led by Austin Prock and backed by Jack Beckman and John Force. The trio have combined to win 18 of the past 30 events, including six of the first 10 this season.
Prock, with four wins already this year, holds a 127-point advantage over Beckman, who has two victories. Reigning champion Prock has led the standings nearly wire-to-wire and appears poised to clinch another regular season crown.
JFR drivers have squared off three times this year, with Prock holding a 2-1 edge, including a win over Beckman in Richmond. A late surge by Beckman could still keep the race interesting heading to Indy.
PRO STOCK
KB Titan Racing teammates Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn have dominated Pro Stock, with Anderson leading Glenn by just 50 points. The next closest driver, Matt Hartford, trails Anderson by more than 300 points.
Anderson and Glenn have won seven of the first eight races, with Anderson claiming four wins and Glenn three. The duo have met in the final round six times already this season, splitting those matchups evenly at 3-3.
With only four events left, the battle between the veteran Anderson and the younger Glenn will likely be settled in head-to-head duels at Indy and beyond.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
Gaige Herrera and Matt Smith have resumed their familiar rivalry in Pro Stock Motorcycle, joined this year by Richard Gadson. Herrera leads Smith by 96 points and Gadson by 111 heading into Seattle.
Herrera, winner of three events this season, has not matched his historic dominance of 2023 and 2024 but remains the class’s most consistent performer. Smith and Gadson have each won this year as well, setting up a tight three-way fight through the U.S. Nationals.
The Sonoma race also features the GETTRX All-Star Callout, adding another layer to the battle. The winner of the regular season championship in this class has often gone on to take the world title, a trend Herrera and Prock continued last year.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Remaining regular season races include Seattle (July 18-20), Sonoma (July 25-27), Brainerd (Aug. 14-17), and Indianapolis (Aug. 27-Sept. 1). The six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin Sept. 11 in Reading, Pa., and conclude Nov. 16 in Pomona, Calif.
