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NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.


LANGDON, BECKMAN, GLENN & M. SMITH GO BIG EN ROUTE TO WINS AT CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS


 

- Langdon gets TF victory at The Big Go

- Beckman powers to FC win

- Glenn wins Indy for first time

- M. Smith rolls to PSM victory


 

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 7, 2026) – Shawn Langdon finished off an impressive weekend with a victory on Monday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, defeating Tony Stewart in the final round of the prestigious 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.


 

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the 14th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

 

Langdon went 3.804-seconds at 333.99 mph in his 12,000-horsepower SealMaster dragster for Kalitta Motorsports to hold off Stewart’s 3.904 at 315.27, earning his fifth victory in what’s been a standout season for the past world champion.

 

After qualifying No. 1, Langdon defeated Clay Millican, Justin Ashley and Leah Pruett to reach the final round before picking up his third U.S. Nationals victory. It is Langdon’s 27th career win and he will enter the Countdown to the Championship playoffs second in points, also handing Brian Husen his first Indy win as a crew chief.

 

Stewart reached the finals at Indy for the second straight year, defeating T.J. Zizzo, Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta, but couldn’t track down Langdon, who posted a strong .048 reaction time and led wire-to-wire to win the biggest race of the season.

 

“It’s Indy, so it’s exciting for sure,” Langdon said. “For Brian to win his first U.S. Nationals and to step out from working with Alan Johnson the last couple of years and really make his mark makes me happy to be his driver and that I get the opportunity to be a small piece of his success.

 

“Also, on top of that, a few of the crew guys - it was their first Indy win, so it was special for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. These are hard to come by and the competition is so good. It’s nice to get back in the winner’s circle and it’s always great to win Indy.”


 

Langdon’s teammate, reigning world champion Kalitta, clinched the regular season championship and the $150,000 prize on Monday, opening the Countdown to the Championship as the points leader.

 

Funny Car’s Jack Beckman finished off a spectacular two days, following Sunday’s victory in the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout with a Monday victory at The Big Go, taking down regular season world champion Matt Hagan in the championship round with a standout run of 3.965 at 327.35 in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS for John Force Racing.

 

Beckman was dominant on Monday, posting the best run of each session and reaching the finals by defeating Jeff Arend, teammate Alexis DeJoria and Austin Prock, who was looking to become the first driver in Funny Car history to win the U.S. Nationals three straight years.

 

But Beckman, sporting an epic John Force throwback look from his incredible 1996 championship season, couldn’t be denied the past two days, going 3.962 at 327.35 in the semifinals en route to getting his second victory of the 2026 campaign and the 39th of his career.

 

It’s also his third victory at the U.S. Nationals and following his double-up on Sunday and Monday, it will be a weekend Beckman, who moved to third in points, won’t soon forget.

 

“I could truthfully tell you this is the greatest weekend I've ever had holding the steering wheel,” Beckman said. “This was just a phenomenal weekend. This one might be more significant because we did it in John Force’s tribute car. The car ran once and won once, and then yesterday we did the All-Star Callout, and it ran twice and won twice, and then today we start clicking off the round wins.


 

“We didn't really benefit from any luck today. We went out there and we dominated every session. In the final round, it was 127 degrees. I rolled in shallow so the car would have run a 3.96. That's an exclamation point. Nobody gave us anything this weekend. We went out, and we earned every single win, and it's the same trophy, but we know how much we kicked butt today.”

 

Hagan reached the final round for the fourth time this season by defeating Hunter Green, Paul Lee and Ron Capps. The semifinal round against Capps was pivotal, as it handed Hagan the regular season championship and the $150,000 prize, as well as the points lead heading into the Countdown to the Championship.

 

Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn knows about winner-take-all dramatics and the reigning world champion delivered yet again on a big stage, winning Indy for the first time and capturing the regular season championship in the process after going 6.599 at 207.56 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to knock off Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the final round.

 

Glenn needed an early exit by Greg Anderson and a victory at The Big Go to win the regular season championship for the second straight year and it all went his way, as Anderson lost in the second round to Coughlin. That laid the groundwork for Glenn, who then knocked off defending event winner Erica Enders to reach the final round.

 

He quickly tracked down Coughlin, erasing previous Indy disappointments to win the U.S. Nationals and claim the $55,000 prize as the points leader at the end of the regular season. It also gave Glenn his fourth victory of the season and the 25th in his career, as he takes the points lead into the playoffs for a second straight year.

 

“It's been a roller coaster because we've been fighting the car a little bit and picking away at it. I was just trying to make sure everything was good going into Indy, and I was just coming in here just trying to win the race. I wasn't thinking about points until Jeg eliminated Greg there in the second round, and I was like, okay, well now the pressure's on to win the regular season championship,” Glenn said.


 

“To go into the final round and make another good run to make up for when I went red against Greg Anderson a few years before that, it definitely took a huge weight off my shoulders to be able to check Indy off the list.”

 

Coughlin reached the finals for the first time this season by defeating Chris Vang, Anderson and No. 1 qualifier Matt Hartford.

 

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, a dominant weekend for Matt Smith Racing finished in fitting fashion, as six-time world champion Matt Smith defeated his wife, Angie, in the final round with a run of 6.791 at 198.58 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell.

 

It marks Smith’s fourth career win at Indy and third since the 2022 campaign, as the longtime standout also won for the third time this season. After qualifying No. 1, Smith defeated Chris Bostick, Clayton Howey and reigning world champion Richard Gadson to set up a thrilling matchup with his wife.

 

Angie advanced to her third final round of the year thanks to round wins against Kelly Clontz, Geno Scali and Gaige Herrera, who had won two straight in Indy. She slowed to a 6.834 at 194.80 in the final round against her husband, as M. Smith earned his 45th career win. As the weekend proved, Smith and his entire team are peaking at a perfect time and he was thrilled to pick up a win on drag racing’s grandest stage.

 

“We wanted to come up here and win. We wanted to show how good we were and that we're ready for this Countdown, and I think we put a point on that,” Smith said. “It's awesome, man. You know, we worked really hard to get back here.

 

“We did a lot of testing since Norwalk. We did a lot of tests in Rockingham in these hot, humid conditions. We spent two days down there, just nonstop in 100-degree temperatures, and we learned a lot. We learned stuff with the clutches and it made us better for here because I was consistent.”

 

Gadson claimed the regular season world champion by advancing to the semifinal round, winning the $15,000 prize and taking the points lead into the Countdown to the Championship, where he will try to win back-to-back world titles.

 

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs begin with the inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR, which takes place Sept. 18-20 at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park at Martin, Mich.

 

-NHRA-

INDIANAPOLIS -- Final finish order (1-16) at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race is the 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.


 

TOP FUEL:

1. Shawn Langdon; 2. Tony Stewart; 3. Leah Pruett; 4. Doug Kalitta; 5. Antron Brown; 6. Maddi Gordon; 7. Tripp Tatum; 8. Justin Ashley; 9. T.J. Zizzo; 10. Billy Torrence; 11. Will Smith; 12. Josh Hart; 13. Jasmine Salinas; 14. Shawn Reed; 15. Ida Zetterstrom; 16. Clay Millican.


 

FUNNY CAR:

1. Jack Beckman; 2. Matt Hagan; 3. Ron Capps; 4. Austin Prock; 5. Paul Lee; 6. Jordan

Vandergriff; 7. Alexis DeJoria; 8. Daniel Wilkerson; 9. J.R. Todd; 10. Chad Green; 11. Hunter Green; 12. Jeff Arend; 13. Spencer Hyde; 14. Julie Nataas; 15. John Smith; 16. Cruz Pedregon.


 

PRO STOCK:

1. Dallas Glenn; 2. Jeg Coughlin; 3. Matt Hartford; 4. Erica Enders; 5. Matt Latino; 6. Greg

Anderson; 7. Cody Anderson; 8. Greg Stanfield; 9. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 10. Mason McGaha; 11. Chris Vang; 12. Aaron Stanfield; 13. Shane Tucker; 14. Jerry Tucker; 15. Eric Latino; 16. Kenny Delco.


 


 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1. Matt Smith; 2. Angie Smith; 3. Gaige Herrera; 4. Richard Gadson; 5. Ryan Oehler; 6. Clayton Howey; 7. Michael Ray; 8. Geno Scali; 9. John Hall; 10. Malcolm Phillips Jr.; 11. Chase Van Sant; 12. Steve Johnson; 13. Kelly Clontz; 14. Hector Arana Jr; 15. Marc Ingwersen; 16. Chris Bostick.


 


 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Monday's final results from the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The race is the 14th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:


 

Top Fuel -- Shawn Langdon, 3.804 seconds, 333.99 mph def. Tony Stewart, 3.904 seconds, 315.27 mph.


 

Funny Car -- Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.965, 327.35 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.030, 318.84.


 

Pro Stock -- Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.599, 207.56 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.629, 206.51.


 

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Matt Smith, Buell, 6.791, 198.58 def. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.834, 194.80.


 

Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.486, 266.58 def. Shane Westerfield, Camaro, 5.513, 261.42.


 

Top Alcohol Dragster -- Richie Crampton, 5.255, 272.56 def. T.J. Tindle, 6.896, 132.95.


 

Competition Eliminator -- Donald Thomas, Dragster, 6.950, 163.97 def. Jeff Taylor, Dragster, 21.956, 31.16.


 

Super Stock -- Peter D'Agnolo, Chevy Camaro, 9.603, 122.53 def. Michael Reynolds, Camaro, Foul - Red Light.


 

Stock Eliminator -- Hunter Pierdolla, Chevy Camaro, 10.259, 122.74 def. Ray Thurston, Plymouth Barracuda, 11.003, 117.08.


 

Super Comp -- Brian Harris, Dragster, 8.906, 169.70 def. Kevin Thorp, Dragster, 8.883, 172.41.


 

Super Gas -- Rob Kropfeld, Chevy Camaro, 9.865, 167.38 def. Jordan Pratt, Chevy Corvette, 9.862, 171.84.


 

Top Sportsman -- Brandon Baxter, Dodge Stratus, 6.698, 179.68 def. Doug Gbur, Pontiac GXP, Broke.


 

Top Dragster -- Zach Sackman, Dragster, 6.200, 224.02 def. Thomas Bayer, Dragster, 6.157, 231.87.


 

Pro Modified -- JR Gray, Chevy Chevy Camaro, 5.701, 252.47 def. Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.759, 251.72.


 

Factory Stock Showdown -- Scott Libersher, Chevy Camaro, 7.770, 178.05 def. Jonathan Allegrucci, Ford Mustang, 8.403, 176.44.


 

Outlaw Street -- Scott Taylor, Camaro, 3.703, 205.47 def. Kyle Canion, Camaro, Foul - Red Light.


 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Final round-by-round results from the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:


 

TOP FUEL:


 

ROUND ONE -- Justin Ashley, 3.750, 329.58 def. Shawn Reed, 4.358, 258.37; Tripp Tatum, 3.731, 332.02 def. Jasmine Salinas, 4.086, 203.12; Tony Stewart, 3.717, 334.40 def. T.J. Zizzo, 3.768, 333.41; Shawn Langdon, 3.709, 340.22 def. Clay Millican, 8.012, 83.38; Doug Kalitta, 3.681, 341.68 def. Will Smith, 3.812, 331.20; Maddi Gordon, 3.763, 336.99 def. Billy Torrence, 3.774, 334.98; Leah Pruett, 3.713, 333.66 def. Josh Hart, 3.869, 282.84; Antron Brown, 3.737, 333.74 def. Ida Zetterstrom, 4.760, 154.92;

QUARTERFINALS -- Stewart, 3.740, 336.74 def. Brown, 3.838, 319.82; Pruett, 3.975, 265.38 def. Gordon, 4.126, 216.24; Langdon, 3.791, 323.19 def. Ashley, 4.533, 181.74; Kalitta, 4.209, 210.24 def. Tatum, 4.304, 245.18;

SEMIFINALS -- Langdon, 3.816, 332.51 def. Pruett, 5.172, 183.42; Stewart, 3.885, 279.56 def. Kalitta, 5.473, 176.42;

FINAL -- Langdon, 3.804, 333.99 def. Stewart, 3.904, 315.27.


 

FUNNY CAR:


 

ROUND ONE -- Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.925, 326.87 def. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 4.119, 252.57; Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.885, 328.94 def. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.019, 320.28; Austin Prock, Mustang, 3.917, 330.15 def. Julie Nataas, Toyota GR Supra, 4.515, 195.85; Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.908, 333.66 def. John Smith, Charger, 4.759, 181.74; Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.917, 333.25 def. Hunter Green, Charger, 4.002, 322.65; Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.937, 326.16 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.977,

321.73; Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.908, 331.61 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.908, 336.07; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.942, 324.59 def. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 5.071, 145.63;

QUARTERFINALS -- Hagan, 3.959, 330.96 def. Lee, 4.007, 323.66; Capps, 3.989, 320.97 def. Wilkerson, 7.835, 98.32; Beckman, 3.924, 329.75 def. DeJoria, 5.323, 137.44; Prock, 3.935, 328.86 def. Vandergriff, 4.055, 314.46;

SEMIFINALS -- Hagan, 4.020, 327.35 def. Capps, 9.500, 69.72; Beckman, 3.962, 327.35 def. Prock, 10.328, 83.63;

FINAL -- Beckman, 3.965, 327.35 def. Hagan, 4.030, 318.84.


 

PRO STOCK:


 

ROUND ONE -- Greg Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.581, 207.94 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, Foul - Red Light; Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.570, 207.66 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.568, 208.33; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.583, 208.65 def. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.598, 206.61; Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.595, 207.91 def. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.585, 206.99; Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.568, 208.94 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, Foul - Red Light; Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.573, 207.05 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.589, 206.76; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.570, 207.56 def. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.579, 208.49; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.573, 207.50 def. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.596, 207.85;

QUARTERFINALS -- Enders, 6.691, 208.65 def. C. Anderson, 7.752, 140.08; Coughlin, 6.622, 207.43 def. G. Anderson, 6.621, 207.72; Glenn, 6.596, 207.82 def. M. Latino, 6.581, 207.94; Hartford, 6.580, 209.17 def. G. Stanfield, Foul - Red Light;

SEMIFINALS -- Glenn, 6.607, 207.50 def. Enders, 13.826, 62.51; Coughlin, 6.643, 207.34 def. Hartford, 6.856, 207.98;

FINAL -- Glenn, 6.599, 207.56 def. Coughlin, 6.629, 206.51.


 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:


 

ROUND ONE -- Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.857, 195.42 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.878, 194.16; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.780, 198.99 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.895, 196.02; Michael Ray, Buell, 6.809, 198.50 def. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.869, 195.34; Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.869, 195.19 def. John Hall, 6.840, 196.82; Ryan Oehler, 6.788, 198.79 def. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.846, 196.67; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 7.073, 196.50 def. Marc Ingwersen, Foul - Red Light; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.744, 197.19 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.959, 188.75; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.781, 199.29 def. Hector Arana Jr,

Foul - Red Light;

QUARTERFINALS -- Gadson, 6.856, 196.76 def. Oehler, 6.841, 197.25; A. Smith, 6.796, 198.50 def. Scali, 6.905, 195.19; Herrera, 6.809, 197.83 def. J. Evaristo, 6.886, 196.93; M. Smith, 6.762, 199.88 def. Howey, 6.863, 194.94;

SEMIFINALS -- A. Smith, 6.794, 199.14 def. Herrera, 6.791, 198.93; M. Smith, 6.773, 200.26 def. Gadson, 6.878, 197.25;

FINAL -- M. Smith, 6.791, 198.58 def. A. Smith, 6.834, 194.80.


 


 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Point standings (top 10) following the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series -


 

Top Fuel


 

1. Doug Kalitta, 1,352; 2. Shawn Langdon, 1,344; 3. Leah Pruett, 1,095; 4. Tony Stewart, 900; 5. Antron Brown, 893; 6. Maddi Gordon, 863; 7. Josh Hart, 754; 8. Billy Torrence, 710; 9. Justin Ashley, 691; 10. Clay Millican, 589.


 

Funny Car


 

1. Matt Hagan, 1,083; 2. Ron Capps, 1,056; 3. Jack Beckman, 1,043; 4. Jordan Vandergriff, 1,014; 5. J.R. Todd, 966; 6. Austin Prock, 890; 7. Alexis DeJoria, 822; 8. Chad Green, 807; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 695; 10. Spencer Hyde, 667.


 

Pro Stock


 

1. Dallas Glenn, 1,235; 2. Greg Anderson, 1,230; 3. Greg Stanfield, 1,025; 4. Matt Hartford, 991; 5. Erica Enders, 842; 6. Matt Latino, 798; 7. Jeg Coughlin, 787; 8. Aaron Stanfield, 783; 9.

Cody Anderson, 657; 10. Troy Coughlin Jr., 645.


 

Pro Stock Motorcycle


 

1. Richard Gadson, 795; 2. Matt Smith, 726; 3. Gaige Herrera, 723; 4. Angie Smith, 715; 5. John Hall, 461; 6. Ryan Oehler, 426; 7. Chase Van Sant, 416; 8. Jianna Evaristo, 407; 9. Clayton Howey, 393; 10. Steve Johnson, 358.

BECKMAN TAKES PLAYNHRA FUNNY CAR ALL-STAR CALLOUT AT CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS


 

Langdon, Capps, Hartford and M. Smith secure No. 1 spots at The Big Go

            

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 6, 2026) – Funny Car’s Jack Beckman won the PlayNHRA All-Star Callout on Sunday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for John Force Racing, defeating Matt Hagan in the final round of the bonus race as part of this weekend’s Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.


 

Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 in Indianapolis at the 14th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.


 

Beckman went 3.980-seconds at 323.19 mph in the final round of the Callout in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS, powering past Hagan, who slowed at the finish line. Remarkably, it also gives the veteran his fifth victory in the Indy Funny Car bonus race.


 

Sporting a John Force tribute car this weekend in Indy from his dominant 1996 championship season, the past world champion defeated Chad Green and J.R. Todd earlier in the day before meeting Hagan in the final round. Beckman will attempt to sweep the weekend and win the U.S. Nationals for the third time in his career.


 

“Our first shootout win was special to get one, and then when you get two, you're like, ‘This is awesome,’ and then when I got four, and then I was done driving [after the 2020 season], I thought, ‘Still pretty good amount of trophies, more than I ever thought or dreamed I was going to get in here,’ and to come back into a competitive car right away, and then to get to close the deal on a day like today is incredible,” Beckman said. “We just treated it like race day, and it worked out.

 

“It’s a long race and if you can't handle the ups and downs of that, you're in the wrong sport. Our performance is measured in thousandths of a second, so I'm going to try to get a good night's rest and hopefully come back a little bit closer to normal tomorrow because I know we’ve got a car that can repeat.”


 

Seeking his third career U.S. Nationals victory, Capps jumped to the provisional No. 1 spot in his 12,000-horsepower Carlye Tools/NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra with a 3.914 at 332.18. It sent Capps back into the points lead on what could be a wild Monday at The Big Go. Austin Prock took second with a 3.921 at 317.87 and Beckman took third with a 3.937 at 326.79.


 

Monday will also determine the regular season championship and the $150,000 payout, with Capps currently holding a three-point lead over Hagan, with Jordan Vandergriff and Todd 12 and 30 points back, respectively.


 

“In our book, we felt like we should win the regular season,” Capps said. “Our plan coming into qualifying was absolutely to try to get those little points. But who does it ever? Not very often. I promise you that if you walked into anyone’s trailer and they had that written as their goals – every crew chief, driver, team member had that thought. Like, but could you do it? You get the four points here instead of three and yesterday I was like, ‘Wow, we're already technically at that point where Hagan was. We had passed him just in qualifying,’ and I'm not sure I'd ever done that.”


 

In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon’s Friday run proved to be the best of all five sessions as the past world champion took the No. 1 spot for the sixth time this season thanks to his run of 3.727 at 334.98 in his 12,000-horsepower SealMaster dragster for Kalitta Motorsports.


 

Langdon will enter raceday 68 points behind teammate Doug Kalitta, needing to make up three rounds on Monday at The Big Go to win the $150,000 and the regular season championship. A victory at Indy would help his chances and he’ll open raceday against Clay Millican, looking for his third U.S. Nationals victory.


 

“Yes and no that I thought the No. 1 would hold,” Langdon said. “I thought there could be an opportunity for someone else to take it. It was a good run for Friday night, but we weren't really satisfied with that. We obviously wanted to do a little bit more, but we were just trying to see what we could get away with, and we weren't able to do that Saturday.

 

“So the last run we really had to slow everything down, get everything back in check and get some information for tomorrow. We were able to do that and feel very confident for tomorrow.”


 

Tony Stewart clinched the second spot with a 3.744 at 328.22 and Kalitta took third after going 3.746 at 335.82.

 

Pro Stock’s Matt Hartford came on strong to close out qualifying at Indy, making the quickest run over the final three sessions, including a strong 6.572 at 208.97 to end the day in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro.


 

It’s the first No. 1 qualifier of the season for Hartford, who is after his second Indy victory after winning in 2023. He’s on a strong pace to be in contention on Monday and will open raceday Kenny Delco. Hartford already has three wins in 2026, but an Indy win during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season would certainly be special.

 

“It just feels great that our entire team is making some good decisions in the trailer before we roll up,” Hartford said. “The weather conditions that we started with from Friday to today are completely different, but we knew that when we got here that Sunday Q4 and Q5 were going to be the two best sessions. When we went low in Q4, we knew it wasn't remotely safe, and that E.T. would probably be in the bottom half by the time we got done with Q5. I'm just really, really thankful for my team and how hard they've worked to allow this to happen.”

 

Dallas Glenn’s 6.574 at 208.01 put him second, while rookie Cody Anderson took third after going 6.574 at 207.91.

 

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Smith started qualifying in the No. 1 spot and finished there five sessions later, moving back into the top position to close out Sunday with a run of 6.757 at 200.98.

 

The six-time world champion earned his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and will open raceday at Indy against Chris Bostick. A three-time winner at Indy, Smith has a great opportunity to win again at The Big Go, and with the way the team has performed thus far, an all-Matt Smith Racing final round is the goal for Monday.

 

“You know, I've won this race three times. I'd like to get a fourth one,” Smith said. “If I can't do it, then I want one of the other three bikes that we have on our camp to do it, and I think we have a really good shot at doing it. I mean, we have three bikes in the top eight.

 

“We came back in Q5 and put it all together. I made a little axle adjustment and it went right down the track and took the top spot. I'm totally confident with how we tested at Rockingham coming here with this kind of weather. I felt good. I’ve felt good all weekend. We’ve just got to turn on four win lights tomorrow.”

 

Gaige Herrera took second with a 6.781 at 198.79 and Angie Smith qualified third after going 6.787 at 198.50.

 

Eliminations for the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals begin at 10 a.m. ET on Monday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Monday's first-round pairings for eliminations for the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Sunday. DNQs

listed below pairings.


 

Top Fuel -- 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.727 seconds, 334.98 mph vs. 16. Clay Millican, 3.844, 327.11; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.744, 328.22 vs. 15. T.J. Zizzo, 3.836, 328.62; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.746, 335.82 vs. 14. Will Smith, 3.828, 325.45; 4. Billy Torrence, 3.767, 329.34 vs. 13. Maddi Gordon, 3.818, 324.67; 5. Leah Pruett, 3.772, 326.24 vs. 12. Josh Hart, 3.812, 323.50; 6. Jasmine Salinas, 3.776, 329.91 vs. 11. Tripp Tatum, 3.805, 308.43; 7. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.778, 330.88 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.797, 330.07; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.781, 331.12 vs. 9. Shawn Reed, 3.784, 331.28.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Jake Sanders, 3.862, 306.26; 18. Dan Mercier, 3.873, 314.75; 19. Tony Schumacher, 3.883, 323.19; 20. Krista Baldwin, 3.887, 321.65; 21. Lex Joon, 4.823, 162.53; 22. Jacob Opatrny, 11.406, 74.57.


 

Funny Car -- 1. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.914, 332.18 vs. 16. John Smith, Dodge Charger, 4.089, 305.36; 2. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.921, 317.87 vs. 15. Julie Nataas, GR Supra, 4.089, 309.70; 3. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.937, 326.79 vs. 14. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.076, 303.78; 4. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.944, 319.45 vs. 13. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.037, 324.05; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.947, 331.77 vs. 12. Hunter Green, Charger, 4.024, 313.95; 6. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.947, 329.26 vs. 11. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.002, 317.87; 7. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.948, 327.59 vs. 10.

J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.981, 327.74; 8. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.970, 319.98 vs. 9. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.974, 321.96.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Bobby Bode, 4.098, 278.58; 18. Chris King, 4.112, 287.96; 19. Blake Alexander, 4.115, 275.39; 20. Dylan Winefsky, 4.119, 308.43; 21. Justin Schriefer, 4.124, 292.46; 22. Dave Richards, 4.130, 312.42; 23. Terry Haddock, 4.922, 162.22.


 

Pro Stock -- 1. Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.572, 208.97 vs. 16. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.646, 205.98; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.574, 208.01 vs. 15. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.625, 208.14; 3. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.574, 207.91 vs. 14. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.623, 206.51; 4. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.583, 206.86 vs. 13. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.618, 207.66; 5. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.585, 206.67 vs. 12. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.614, 208.52; 6. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.588, 209.36 vs. 11. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.613, 207.02; 7. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.590, 207.85 vs. 10. Troy Coughlin

Jr., Camaro, 6.604, 208.39; 8. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.590, 207.46 vs. 9. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.593, 206.57.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Deric Kramer, 6.661, 206.45; 18. Alan Prusiensky, 6.783, 202.12; 19. David Vaseloff, 6.863, 199.20.


 

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.757, 200.98 vs. 16. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.982, 193.24; 2. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.781, 198.79 vs. 15. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.967, 194.04; 3. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.787, 198.50 vs. 14. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.933, 195.45; 4. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.818, 197.86 vs. 13. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.928, 193.54; 5. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.825, 197.57 vs. 12. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.925, 195.08; 6. John Hall, Beull, 6.830, 198.03 vs. 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.925, 195.65; 7. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.861, 196.67 vs. 10. Michael Ray, Buell, 6.893, 196.67; 8. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.865, 194.77 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.876, 194.30.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Wesley Wells, 7.085, 187.60; 18. Hector Arana, 7.091, 192.17; 19. Mark Paquette, 7.158, 179.83.


 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sunday's final results from the PLAYNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.


 

PLAYNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout -- Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.980, 323.19 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.290, 227.19.


 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Final round-by-round results from the PLAYNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.


 

PLAYNHRA FUNNY CAR ALL-STAR CALLOUT:


 

ROUND ONE -- J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.981, 327.74 def. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 4.054, 285.17; Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 3.971, 330.15 def. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 6.820, 99.19; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 4.253, 252.14 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 6.931, 98.97; Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.947, 331.77 def. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.976, 325.22;

SEMIFINALS -- J. Beckman, 3.963, 327.43 def. J. Todd, 4.044, 316.97; M. Hagan, 3.979, 328.78 def. A. DeJoria, 4.530, 191.97;

FINAL -- J. Beckman, 3.980, 323.19 def. M. Hagan, 4.290, 227.19.

 

-NHRA-

 

 

PROCK, PRUETT, C. ANDERSON & HERRERA WIN MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE AT CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS


 

Langdon, Capps, Hartford and Herrera are provisional No. 1 qualifiers at The Big Go

            

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 5, 2026) – Back-to-back Funny Car world champion Austin Prock claimed his third Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the year on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, defeating J.R. Todd in the final round of the specialty race as part of this weekend’s prestigious Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.


 

Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), Cody Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday in Indy, while Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in Indianapolis at the 14th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.


 

Selections in the opening round of Sunday’s PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout were also made on Saturday. Top seed Jack Beckman selected Chad Green, Matt Hagan picked Spencer Hyde, Ron Capps called out Alexis DeJoria and defending Callout winner Prock will meet Todd for the second straight day.


 

Prock, who has won the U.S. Nationals the past two years, went 3.921-seconds at 317.87 in his 12,000-horsepower Ford Racing Mustang to power past Todd’s 4.006 at 325.06. It gives Prock the Mission #2Fast2Tasty title for 2026, as well as 16 bonus points for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.


 

Prock has been red-hot in recent months, advancing to five final rounds in the Challenge since May. Indy was a perfect capper to that as he looks to have another huge weekend at The Big Go and become the first Funny Car driver in NHRA history to win Indy three straight years.


 

“We went the first six races without winning a single round, and then after Chicago, we made it to our first semifinal round, and I think we've been almost we've been in every Mission #2fast2Tasty Challenge except one. It just shows how far this team's come. Those are the kind of stats that'll win you a third championship in a row,” Prock said.

 

“Both runs that we've made were full pulls that had a few cylinders out, and the E.T. board still shows we're second quick, we're third quick. We're making impressive runs on six cylinders in this Ford Mustang. There's a lot of racing to go and I guarantee you this Ford Mustang will be dialed in on Monday.”


 

Capps jumped to the provisional No. 1 spot in his 12,000-horsepower Carlye Tools/NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra with a 3.914 at 332.18.


 

Top Fuel’s Leah Pruett was thrilled to find Indy success on Saturday, defeating points leader Doug Kalitta in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with a run of 3.873 at 319.98 in her 12,000-horsepower Dodge dragster. It is Pruett’s first Challenge victory of the season and it came at the perfect time as the standout looks to try and chase down the reigning world champion in the Countdown to the Championship.


 

Kalitta earned a whopping 22 bonus points for the Countdown through his success in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge this year, but it was Pruett who got the final bonus win of the season, giving her momentum and confidence as she chases her first U.S. Nationals victory in Top Fuel.


 

“I barely even hit the light, I was like, ‘That sucked,’ and I am not happy at all. I'm just waiting for Doug to just scream on by at 340-mph and he didn't. That car saved that round. I saved our first round against Maddi, and yeah, it's it all comes back to unity and team,” Pruett said.

 

“To get a win like that at Indy with the crowd, with the changing variables, the history, the pageantry, everything about it is fulfilling. I'm embracing it because all this is emotional warfare in preparation for the biggest, baddest Big Go that there could ever be. That's where I'm at.”


 

Langdon stayed in the top spot thanks to Friday’s run of 3.727 at 334.98 in his 12,000-horsepower SealMaster dragster for Kalitta Motorsports. Tony Stewart is second with a 3.744 at 328.22 and Pruett is third with Friday’s 3.772 at 326.24.


 

Pro Stock rookie Cody Anderson enjoyed the first victory of his young career, taking down veteran Greg Stanfield in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with a run of 6.642 at 204.91 in his Troy Humphrey Motorsports/Daiken/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson left with an strong .020 reaction time and held off Stanfield to enjoy a winning moment on the sport’s grandest stage.

 

His father, six-time world champion and points leader Greg Anderson, won the overall Mission #2Fast2Tasty title, but Saturday belonged to his son, as Cody continues to show impressive improvements in his debut season.

 

“It's super special, and any win feels good,” Cody said. “This place is extra special and iconic since it’s Indy. This win gives me a lot of confidence. It's hard to win one round, especially on race day, and just to get two win lights is a huge confidence boost, and to be able to leave on Greg Stanfield is a big deal. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going for race day.”


 

Added Greg: “It’s pretty damn cool. I felt so bad when I crossed the finish line in the first round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty round and got my butt whipped. Cody held up his end of the bargain. I’m so very, very proud of the boy. It’s pretty cool to see, and for it to happen at Indy means more since I’ve said all my career, I love this place more than anywhere else.”

 

Matt Hartford moved into the provisional No. 1 spot with his run of 6.626 at 205.54 in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro.

 

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera and Richard Gadson dueled in the final of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, with Herrera clinching victory – and the season title – when Gadson went red by .002. Herrera would have been tough to beat, going to No. 1 as well with a standout run of 6.842 at 196.50 on his RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

 

It could be the start of a big weekend for Herrera, who is after his third straight Indy victory as well, which is something only Dave Schultz has done in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

 

“This was kind of how I saw it playing out that one of us was going to possibly go red,” Herrera said. “I mean, that's how it's been with us. I feel like we’re both going to lay it all out there. I won’t lie. I went up there and squeezed my [clutch] lever a little extra tighter than normal to make sure I wasn’t the one to go red. We go out there to cut each other's head off and it's live or die by the sword.  

  

“I'm also very happy to get this Mission [2Fast2Tasty overall win. This is a great deal and it makes it a lot more fun to race on Saturdays.”

 

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The first round of the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout is slated for 12:45 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Saturday's results after the first three of five rounds of qualifying for the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Sunday for Monday's final eliminations.


 


 

Top Fuel -- 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.727 seconds, 334.98 mph; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.744, 328.22; 3. Leah Pruett, 3.772, 326.24; 4. Jasmine Salinas, 3.776, 329.91; 5. Justin Ashley, 3.781, 331.12; 6. Antron Brown, 3.797, 330.07; 7. Tripp Tatum, 3.805, 308.43; 8. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.809, 328.46; 9. Josh Hart, 3.812, 323.50; 10. Maddi Gordon, 3.818, 324.67; 11. Doug Kalitta, 3.825, 331.12; 12. Clay Millican, 3.844, 327.11; 13. Dan Mercier, 3.873, 314.75; 14. Jake Sanders, 3.878, 306.26; 15. Tony Schumacher, 3.920, 312.93; 16. T.J. Zizzo, 3.934, 288.89. 

Not Qualified: 17. Will Smith, 4.499, 166.76; 18. Billy Torrence, 4.674, 216.24; 19. Lex Joon, 5.213, 143.73; 20. Shawn Reed, 5.218, 131.79; 21. Krista Baldwin, 5.399, 128.07; 22. Jacob Opatrny, broke.


 

Funny Car -- 1. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.914, 332.18; 2. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.921, 317.87; 3. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.937, 326.79; 4. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.944, 319.45; 5. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.947, 329.26; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.970, 319.98; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.974, 321.96; 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.979, 327.59; 9. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.998, 323.89; 10. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 4.002, 315.49; 11. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.037, 324.05;

12. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.044, 283.49; 13. Hunter Green, Charger, 4.045, 318.77; 14. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.076, 303.78; 15. Chris King, Charger, 4.112, 287.96; 16. Dylan Winefsky, Charger, 4.119, 308.43. 

Not Qualified: 17. Bobby Bode, 4.134, 252.52; 18. Dave Richards, 4.196, 303.71; 19. Julie

Nataas, 4.205, 295.79; 20. Blake Alexander, 4.793, 171.99; 21. Justin Schriefer, 4.809, 169.13; 22. Terry Haddock, 6.713, 110.47; 23. John Smith, broke.


 

Pro Stock -- 1. Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.626, 205.54; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.637, 204.29; 3. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.642, 204.91; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.645, 205.47; 5. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.645, 203.58; 6. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.652, 204.79; 7. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.654, 205.72; 8. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.656, 203.40; 9. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.660, 203.40; 10. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.661, 205.04; 11. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.661, 203.31; 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.663, 203.12; 13. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.665, 203.77; 14. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.683, 205.01; 15. Jeg

Coughlin, Camaro, 6.686, 206.20; 16. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.711, 206.07. 

Not Qualified: 17. Shane Tucker, 6.740, 206.16; 18. Alan Prusiensky, 6.826, 197.94; 19. David Vaseloff, 6.863, 199.20.


 

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.842, 196.50; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.858, 199.26; 3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.875, 195.99; 4. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.886, 194.35; 5. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.905, 196.64; 6. John Hall, Beull, 6.910, 195.65; 7. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.927, 193.18; 8. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.947, 193.38; 9. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.954, 195.82; 10. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.967, 194.04; 11. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.976, 192.08; 12. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.983, 192.63; 13. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.994, 190.73; 14. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.002, 194.27; 15. Wesley

Wells, Suzuki, 7.085, 187.42; 16. Hector Arana, EBR, 7.091, 192.06. 

Not Qualified: 17. Mark Paquette, 7.158, 179.83; 18. Steve Johnson, 7.822, 167.88; 19. Michael Ray, 10.841, 72.94.


 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Saturday's final results from the NHRA Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.


 

Top Fuel Challenge -- Leah Pruett, 3.873 seconds, 319.98 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.502 seconds, 187.16 mph.


 

Funny Car Challenge -- Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.921, 317.87 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.006, 325.06.


 

Pro Stock Challenge -- Cody Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.642, 204.91 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.645, 203.58.


 

Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge -- Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.842, 196.50 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, Foul - Red Light.


 

INDIANAPOLIS -- NHRA Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge final round-by-round results from the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.


 

TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:


 

ROUND ONE -- Doug Kalitta, 3.825, 331.12 def. Justin Ashley, 4.189, 214.04; Leah Pruett, 4.083, 263.20 def. Maddi Gordon, 4.242, 210.97;

FINAL -- L. Pruett, 3.873, 319.98 def. D. Kalitta, 4.502, 187.16.


 

FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:


 

ROUND ONE -- J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.538, 264.55 def. Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 5.427, 148.10; Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 4.229, 263.00 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.950, 159.97;

FINAL -- A. Prock, 3.921, 317.87 def. J. Todd, 4.006, 325.06.


 

PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:


 

ROUND ONE -- Cody Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.668, 205.22 def. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.668, 204.48; Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.672, 205.94 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.648, 205.41;

FINAL -- C. Anderson, 6.642, 204.91 def. G. Stanfield, 6.645, 203.58.


 

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE:


 

ROUND ONE -- Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.858, 196.99 def. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.910, 195.39; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.875, 195.99 def. Matt Smith, Buell, Foul - Red Light;

FINAL -- G. Herrera, 6.842, 196.50 def. R. Gadson, Foul - Red Light.

 

 

LANGDON, BECKMAN, G. STANFIELD & M. SMITH OPEN CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS AT THE TOP

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 4, 2026) – Shawn Langdon went to the top on Friday’s final run at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, taking the provisional No. 1 spot to kick off the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.


 

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Greg Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in Indianapolis at the 14th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.


 

Langdon went 3.727-seconds at 334.98 mph in his 12,000-horsepower SealMaster dragster for Kalitta Motorsports as the past champion looks to pick up his sixth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 28th in his career.


 

In Brainerd, Langdon dropped to second in points behind teammate Doug Kalitta, putting a premium on doing well at Indy. He’s currently 67 points behind the reigning world champion as Langdon attempts to win the regular season championship and get his third Indy victory.


 

“It was definitely a big confidence boost for the team and it takes some of the pressure off for the rest of the weekend,” Langdon said. “The last couple of races, things just didn't really seem to go our way. We still have a good car, though, and we still know what our group is capable of, so this is definitely a good start to the weekend. With the amount of cars that we have (22 in Top Fuel), we know we’re in, so not qualifying goes out of your head.”


 

Tony Stewart, who clinched the regular season world championship a year ago, is currently second with a 3.744 at 328.22 and Leah Pruett is third after going 3.772 at 326.24.


 

For the second straight year, Funny Car’s Jack Beckman is atop the field after Friday night at The Big Go, going 3.937 at 326.79 in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS for John Force Racing.


 

For the second straight year, Beckman is also in a John Force throwback, with Friday’s car sporting an homage to Force’s dominant 1996 championship season 30 years ago. It was a stellar debut for Beckman with the throwback Indy look as he seeks his third No. 1 spot of the year and the 36th in his career. It’s the start of a big weekend for Beckman, who is also the No. 1 seed in Sunday’s PlayNHRA All-Star Callout bonus race.

 

“It's awesome to be No. 1 qualifier when there are 16 cars, but I don't want to say it's essential when there are 23 cars - it just sets you right,” Beckman said. “It's a unique race because we get five qualifiers. It's the only event where we're only scheduled for one run on Friday, and we only get one night session. This might be an interesting weekend. Sunday, it looks like the forecast is a lot more favorable. Maybe there's a chance to swing harder than that, and I hope there is.


 

“It's so rewarding when you step on the throttle on one of these things, and it just keeps motoring down there. I don’t know if ours mixed a cylinder up - it wasn’t a great mile an hour, but it was efficient.”

 

Ron Capps is right behind in second after a 3.938 at 329.10 and back-to-back event winner Austin Prock is third after a run of 3.943 at 313.37.

 

In Pro Stock, Greg Stanfield enjoyed a strong start in his Janac Brothers Racing car for Elite Motorsports, taking the provisional No. 1 spot with a run of 6.650 at 206.01. Should that hold for the veteran, he would pick up his second top qualifier of what has been a solid regular season.

 

He’s currently third in points and has been the front-runner for Elite Motorsports thus far in 2026. This race also means a lot to Stanfield, who won in Pro Stock at The Big Go in 2010 and would love to do so again this year.

 

“If you could be number one at the end of the session, it's a great day for us, so we're tickled to death with where we finished up,” Stanfield said. “Looking at the weather for Sunday, and as the race goes on, I think the weather's going to get better, so things will kind of get jockeyed around, but it feels good to start out on top for sure.


 

“I love this race. It's our best race. So, hopefully, we can just keep moving forward and we need luck. That's what we need more than anything.”

 

Erica Enders, the defending event winner in Indy, is second with a 6.661 at 206.67 and points leader Greg Anderson, who has seven Indy victories, is right behind with a 6.661 at 205.60.

 

Pro Stock Motorcycle officially returned to the track for the first time since late June and Matt Smith Racing was ready, taking the top three spots to open the weekend, including a top run from Matt Smith, who delivered a run of 6.864 at 198.90 on his Denso Auto Parts Buell.

 

Eight riders took part in the GETTRX All-Star Callout in July, but the entire class hasn’t competed in more than two months. But the two-wheeled category will be at the final seven races, including this weekend at The Big Go and Smith is off to a great start as he seeks his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 62nd in his career. Currently fourth in points, Smith hopes a big finish to his year starts this weekend at the world’s biggest drag race.

 

“I thought it was pretty good. We went to Rockingham [Dragway] and made a bunch of test laps,” Smith said. “We spent two days down there in conditions just like this. It was hot and humid, and we dedicated ourselves to it because we knew it was probably going to be hot here. 

 

“Sunday might be a little different, but right now I think we got a good little start. We had some time off and we worked really hard preparing motors and getting everybody's stuff fresh for this race and for the Countdown.”

 

Smith’s wife, Angie, is currently second with a 6.905 at 196.64 and John Hall sits third after Friday with a 6.910 at 195.65.

 

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Friday's results after the first one of five rounds of qualifying for the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday's final eliminations.


 

Top Fuel -- 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.727 seconds, 334.98 mph; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.744, 328.22; 3. Leah Pruett, 3.772, 326.24; 4. Jasmine Salinas, 3.776, 329.91; 5. Justin Ashley, 3.781, 331.12; 6. Tripp Tatum, 3.805, 308.43; 7. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.809, 328.46; 8. Josh Hart, 3.812, 323.50; 9. Maddi Gordon, 3.818, 324.67; 10. Clay Millican, 3.844, 327.11; 11. Dan Mercier, 3.873, 314.75; 12. Jake Sanders, 3.878, 306.26; 13. Tony Schumacher, 3.920, 312.93; 14. T.J. Zizzo, 3.934, 288.89; 15. Antron Brown, 4.206, 207.94; 16. Will Smith, 4.499, 166.76. 

Not Qualified: 17. Billy Torrence, 4.674, 208.84; 18. Doug Kalitta, 5.031, 144.26; 19. Shawn Reed, 5.218, 131.79; 20. Krista Baldwin, 5.399, 128.07; 21. Lex Joon, broke.


 

Funny Car -- 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.937, 326.79; 2. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.938, 329.10; 3. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.943, 313.37; 4. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.947, 329.26; 5. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.970, 319.98; 6. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.984, 314.17; 7. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.988, 326.40; 8. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.998, 323.89; 9. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 4.013, 318.47; 10. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.044, 283.49; 11. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 4.082, 263.67; 12. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.135, 300.66; 13. Chris King, Charger, 4.136, 268.49; 14. Dylan Winefsky,

Charger, 4.173, 305.84; 15. Julie Nataas, GR Supra, 4.529, 199.35; 16. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.713, 179.23. 

Not Qualified: 17. Blake Alexander, 4.793, 171.99; 18. Justin Schriefer, 4.809, 169.13; 19.

Bobby Bode, 5.289, 138.63; 20. Terry Haddock, 6.713, 110.47; 21. Dave Richards, 7.361, 85.08; 22. John Smith, broke; 23. Hunter Green, broke.


 

Pro Stock -- 1. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.650, 206.01; 2. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.661, 206.67; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.661, 205.60; 4. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.670, 204.32; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.674, 205.35; 6. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.678, 205.29; 7. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.682, 204.91; 8. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.683, 205.63; 9. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.683, 205.38; 10. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.691, 203.71; 11. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.699, 205.82; 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.704,

204.70; 13. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.711, 206.07; 14. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.711, 205.98; 15. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.732, 205.19; 16. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.740, 204.14. 

Not Qualified: 17. Alan Prusiensky, 8.458, 115.75; 18. David Vaseloff, 8.697, 106.97.


 

Pro Stock Motorcycle -- 1. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.864, 198.90; 2. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.905, 196.64; 3. John Hall, Beull, 6.910, 195.65; 4. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.926, 195.70; 5. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.946, 193.85; 6. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.947, 193.38; 7. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.973, 194.66; 8. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.994, 190.73; 9. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 7.004, 190.86; 10. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 7.060, 194.38; 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.061, 192.63; 12. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 7.069, 194.07; 13. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 7.126, 187.60; 14. Mark Paquette, EBR, 7.222, 173.36; 15. Hector Arana, EBR,

7.366, 152.97; 16. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 9.971, 85.54.

 

 


LUCAS OIL AND NHRA CELEBRATE 25-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH

MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION

 

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 5, 2026) – NHRA officials announced today that Lucas Oil Products, the world leader and distributor of high-performance automotive additives and lubricants, has signed a long-term extension to continue as the title sponsor of the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and “Official Oil of NHRA.”

 

This season, NHRA and Lucas Oil celebrated a partnership that started 25 years ago as Lucas Oil remains a cornerstone and premier partner of NHRA, which is celebrating its 75th season in 2026.

 

"From the drag strip to the bottling line, NHRA has played a very important and meaningful role throughout my career," said Morgan Lucas, CEO of Lucas Oil. "As a former professional drag racer, I have seen firsthand the care and craftsmanship NHRA puts into the sport of drag racing, and it is an honor to now support the organization through Lucas Oil's industry-leading line of automotive additives and lubricants, built to withstand the elements and the tough conditions drivers face. We thank NHRA for its continued partnership with Lucas Oil, which has truly stood the test of time."

 

As well as continuing its longtime title sponsorship of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which features the best and most decorated sportsman competitors in drag racing, and its status as “Official Oil of NHRA,” Lucas Oil will also continue as the title rights sponsor with naming rights at legendary Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The track plays host to the world’s biggest and most prestigious drag race, this weekend’s 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.

 

Throughout its long-standing and all-encompassing partnership with NHRA, Lucas Oil has worked closely with race teams to develop specialized motor oil, gear oil and fuel treatments for racing, leading to several top-selling products for the company. Each product under the Lucas Oil banner is designed to withstand extreme heat and friction, delivering reliable and standout performance.

 

“Lucas Oil has been an extraordinary partner with NHRA for the past 25 years, and we’re absolutely thrilled to extend this partnership,” said NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer Brad Gerber. “The Lucas family’s commitment to drag racing and our Sportsman racers has been incredible for so many years, forging an incredible legacy in NHRA drag racing. Their support has played a tremendous role in NHRA’s continuous growth and we look forward to enjoying continued success with Lucas Oil well into the future.”

The NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series schedule in 2026 features 47 divisional events, including 14 double-divisional events across North America. It started Feb. 21-22 in Phoenix at Firebird Motorsports Park and also includes 24 regional events, with the season finale taking place Nov. 5-8 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and then Nov. 12-15 at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona. 

 

For the second consecutive year, NHRA will stream more than 30 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events on either NHRA.tv or the NHRA YouTube page for free during the 2026 campaign, including extensive action from across all seven divisions, special events and more.

 

For more information about Lucas Oil, visit www.lucasoil.com. For more information on NHRA, including the 2026 schedule, please visit www.nhra.com

 

 


 

JBS EQUIPMENT NHRA PRO MOD SERIES RESUMES CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE AT THE BIG GO IN INDY 


 

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 3, 2026) – After its summer break, the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports jumps right back into its Road to the Championship playoffs in a major way, racing on the sport’s biggest stage as part of this weekend’s Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.


 

This weekend’s event at The Big Go is the eighth of 11 races in the category and it is powered by CFH Superchargers and presented by Shelton Insurance.


 

It’s also the second of five races in Pro Mod’s Road to the Championship and with an Indy victory on the line, it doesn’t get much bigger than the world’s biggest and most prestigious drag race.


 

“Pro Mod has been a major part of CFH for more than 20 years, so having the opportunity to support the class at Indy is something that means a lot to us,” said Dave Richardson and Kevin Lusk. “Our focus has always been on developing products that perform at the highest level, whether that’s in Pro Mod, Funny Car or Top Fuel. We’re excited to be part of the U.S. Nationals and to support the racers and teams who continue to push these cars forward.”


 

Mike Stavrinos is the defending event winner, as the standout picked up his first U.S. Nationals victory a year ago. Stavrinos is in the thick of the championship mix again this year and is currently second in points, 13 behind leader Derek Menholt.


 

Kevin Rivenbark opened the Road to the Championship with a victory in Norwalk, jumping to ninth in points. He’ll be one of the drivers to watch in a loaded 20-plus car Pro Mod field in Indy.


 

Billy Banaka is third in points, just 16 points behind Menholt, while Justin Bond is fourth and 32 points out of first. Lyle Barnett and Jason Collins are both tied for fifth, with Stan Shelton, Mike Thielen and reigning world champion J.R. Gray still firmly in the title conversation as part of a loaded Indy field.


 

The JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports features one qualifying round at 5:20 p.m. ET on Friday, two qualifying rounds at 11:30 a.m. and 2:50 p.m. on Saturday and the final round of qualifying at 11:10 a.m. on Sunday. The first round of eliminations is slated for 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. A qualifying session from both Friday and Saturday, action on Sunday and a round of eliminations on Monday will be broadcast for free on NHRA’s YouTube page. Fans can subscribe to the channel to be notified when the class goes live on NHRA’s YouTube page.


 

To purchase tickets to the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are admitted free. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

 

ONE YEAR AFTER TOP FUEL RETURN, VANDERGRIFF ENTERS INDY IN THICK OF FUNNY CAR REGULAR SEASON TITLE HUNT

            

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 2, 2026) – A year ago, Jordan Vandergriff was thankful for the opportunity to make a two-race return as a substitute Top Fuel driver. This year, he enters this weekend’s 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park second in the Funny Car points, driving the Cornwell Tools Funny Car for NHRA legend John Force.

 

In 2025, Vandergriff returned to the driver’s seat when he filled in for injured Top Fuel driver Shawn Reed. He drove for Reed in Brainerd and the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. Then during the offseason, he received the call of a lifetime: to drive for 16-time Funny Car champion John Force. 

 

In only his first Funny Car season, Vandergriff has impressed with two wins to his credit and is currently second in points in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS.

 

“Looking back on last year's Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals, we qualified second in Top Fuel but, unfortunately, went out in the first round,” Vandergriff said. “I remember getting out of the race car at the top end and putting my stuff in the Suburban and realizing, in that moment, that I didn't know when the next time I'd be able to drive again. I kind of took a moment for myself, looked back at the race car, looked at the racetrack. I took it all in and said to myself, this might be the last time and, if it is, what's going to happen next? 

 

“Fast forward a year and I’m so fortunate it wasn't the last time. I was very fortunate to get the call from John Force to represent Cornwell Quality Tools and my life has become a dream scenario.”

 

Last year’s Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals saw Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) win the world’s biggest drag race. This year’s event will once again be broadcast on FS1 with qualifying and the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout throughout the weekend. Monday’s eliminations will be broadcast on FOX beginning at 2 p.m. ET. 


 

It is the last of 14 races in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season, with the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs right around the corner. An epic U.S. Nationals is on tap as well, with special 75th anniversary highlights including:

 

  • Appearances from NHRA legends Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Joe Amato, Shirley Muldowney, Larry Dixon, Darrell Gwynn and many more.
  • A celebration of NHRA’s 75-year history with exhibition runs on Friday and Sunday from the classic Rat Trap and Bradford’s Fiat nitro Fuel Altereds.
  • Plus, push-start cackle cars on Friday and Sunday driven by NHRA legends.
  • The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge returns as the longest-running continuous specialty race in NHRA history, featuring exciting heads-up, wheelstanding, and side-by-side racing of Hemi-powered '68 Super Stock Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas competing in the NHRA SS/AH class.
  • Free parking for all fans in attendance for the entire weekend.
  • Night qualifying on Friday, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday and the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday before Labor Day race day.

 

Vandergriff secured wins earlier this season in Valdosta and Sonoma, as well as runner-up finishes in Epping and two weeks ago in Brainerd. With the consistent performances from his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car, Vandergriff finds himself second in points. With a regular season championship – and a $150,000 prize – on the line between Vandergriff and three former world champions, the prestigious race will provide the ultimate stage to close out a remarkable regular season.

 

Vandergriff trails four-time world champion and current points leader Matt Hagan by just seven points, while former world champions and Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals winners Ron Capps and J.R. Todd sit third and fourth at 12 and 22 points back, respectively. With such a small gap separating the top four heading into Indy, as well as a 23-car field at The Big Go, it should make for an epic weekend.

 

“As if the stakes couldn't get any higher, it's the 75th anniversary of NHRA,” Vandergriff said. “It is not only the U.S. Nationals but the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals. This is the granddaddy of them all, and every kid growing up wants to win the U.S. Nationals. It means everything. It's our Super Bowl. It's the Big Go. If people say it doesn't mean more, they're lying to you. It means more and I want it.”

 

Motorsports legend Tony Stewart secured last year’s Top Fuel regular season title in Indy, but it was standout Justin Ashley who earned the win when he defeated Stewart in the finals. Reigning world champion Doug Kalitta currently leads the points after winning three consecutive races in Sonoma, Seattle and Brainerd. 


 

Six-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders won for the fourth time at Indy last year, getting her 50th career victory with a win over Matt Hartford. Dallas Glenn earned the regular season championship and went on to secure his first world title. With four wins, Greg Anderson currently has the points lead in the talent-heavy class.

 

Two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Gaige Herrera rolled to his second straight win at The Big Go by defeating Brayden Davis last year. Teammate and reigning champ Richard Gadson leads the points, while others to watch include Matt and Angie Smith, Steve Johnson, Ryan Oehler, Jianna Evaristo, John Hall and Chase Van Sant.

 

Also competing will be drivers in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and Right Trailers Outlaw Street.

 

As always, fans get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans get a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit Manufacturers Midway, an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.

 

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 4, two rounds at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 5 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12 and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept 7.

 

Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 3 and 10:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and eliminations at 12 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, shifting to FOX at 2 p.m.

 

To purchase tickets to the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are admitted free. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

 

FANS GET FREE PREVIEW OF CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS COURTESTY OF RICHMOND AUCTIONS

 

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 2, 2026) – For the third straight year, fans will be able to watch the opening days of the world’s biggest drag race for free on NHRA.tv and the NHRA YouTube page. 

 

Beginning with the start of Wednesday qualifying through the final round of the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge on Friday, fans will get a free preview of the prestigious 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park courtesy of Richmond Auctions.

 

It’s the third straight year fans will get a chance to watch every pass on Wednesday and Thursday in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on NHRA.tv and the NHRA YouTube page, as well as qualifying and eliminations in the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge, action in the Top Alcohol ranks, qualifying in JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and Right Trailers Outlaw Street, and the opening round of Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

 

Racing begins at 8 a.m. ET on both Wednesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. on Friday, with free coverage running through the finals of the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge, which is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday.

 

“It’s a pleasure to sponsor once again the NHRA live stream program during the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. We’ll be highlighting all the Sportsman classes Wednesday through Friday, including Stock and Super Stock Class Eliminations and, of course, the Sox & Martin HEMI Challenge. All these sportsman racers are the backbone of the sport we so dearly love, and they deserve the recognition,” said Mike McCandless, CEO of the McCandless Collection and Co-Owner of Richmond Auctions.

 

McCandless has been part of the free preview for the past three seasons, with Richmond Auctions getting involved for the first time in 2026.

 

An epic Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals is on tap this year, with special NHRA 75th anniversary highlights including:

 

  • Appearances from NHRA legends Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Joe Amato, Shirley Muldowney, Larry Dixon, Darrell Gwynn and more.

  • A celebration of NHRA’s 75-year history with exhibition runs on Friday and Sunday from the classic Rat Trap and Bradford’s Fiat nitro Fuel Altereds.

  • Plus, push-start cackle cars on Friday and Sunday driven by NHRA legends.

  • A new-look Nitro Mall, special apparel, displays and more.

  • Free parking for all fans in attendance for the entire weekend.

  • Night qualifying on Friday, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday and the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday before Labor Day raceday.

 

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 4, two rounds at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 5 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12 and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept 7.


 

Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 3 and 10:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and eliminations at 12 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, shifting to FOX at 2 p.m.


 

To purchase tickets to the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12-and-under are admitted free. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

 


AS INDY’S BIGGEST WINNER, TONY SCHUMACHER LOOKS FOR TURNAROUND AT CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS

  

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 1, 2026) – The season has not gone as planned thus far for Top Fuel standout Tony Schumacher. But all of that can change in an instant at this weekend’s prestigious 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

 

It’s a race that helped shape Schumacher’s legacy of the winningest and most successful Top Fuel driver in NHRA history. As NHRA celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2026, Schumacher’s incredible success is a big part of it, from his eight world championships to his remarkable 10 victories at The Big Go.

 

It is the most in NHRA history, as one of the sport’s biggest stars has shined the brightest on the sport’s biggest stage.

 

Which goes back to how quickly Schumacher could turn around a season that’s had its share of rough moments. Currently 12th in points in the loaded Top Fuel ranks in his 12,000-horsepower American Communications Construction dragster for Rick Ware Racing, Schumacher and his team are eager to get their season on track. An 11th Indy victory would unquestionably do the trick.

 

“I’ve been here in this position before where it just wasn’t quite right and you’re one decision or one little thing away from going fast,” Schumacher said. “We’ll get there and we’ve got a lot of smart guys on this team who have won a lot of races. We’ll get it figured out.

 

“I don’t have another thought process but going and winning Indy. We tested after Brainerd and the car ran well. We made some big changes, but we’re walking into (Indy) thinking we can win this race.”

 

Last year’s Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals saw Austin Prock (Funny Car), Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) win the world’s biggest drag race. This year’s event will once again be broadcast on FS1 with qualifying and the NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout throughout the weekend. Monday’s eliminations will be broadcast on FOX beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

 

It is the last of 14 races in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season, with the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs right around the corner. An epic U.S. Nationals is on tap as well, with special 75th anniversary highlights including:

 

  • Appearances from NHRA legends Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Joe Amato, Shirley Muldowney, Larry Dixon, Darrell Gwynn and many more.
  • A celebration of NHRA’s 75-year history with exhibition runs on Friday and Sunday from the classic Rat Trap and Bradford’s Fiat nitro Fuel Altereds.
  • Plus, push-start cackle cars on Friday and Sunday driven by NHRA legends.
  • The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge returns as the longest-running continuous specialty race in NHRA history, featuring exciting heads-up, wheelstanding, and side-by-side racing of Hemi-powered '68 Super Stock Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas competing in the NHRA SS/AH class.
  • Free parking for all fans in attendance for the entire weekend.
  • Night qualifying on Friday, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday and the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday before Labor Day raceday.

 

Schumacher knows plenty about surreal moments at Indy. His Top Fuel debut came at The Big Go in 1996, advancing to the final round after qualifying 16th in the field, just seven days after getting his license.

 

His first Indy win came in 2000, signaling a run of dominance on drag racing’s grandest stage. He won eight times during that decade, with Schumacher’s most recent Indy victory coming in 2026. An 11th U.S. Nationals victory would do wonders for a team and a season that’s included just four round wins through 13 races.

 

Schumacher will also have to take on the lights of points leader and reigning world champ Doug Kalitta, who has won three straight races in 2026, Shawn Langdon, Tony Stewart, Leah Pruett, Antron Brown, Ashley and rookie sensation Maddi Gordon.

 

But Schumacher knows a bit about Indy magic and never counts out the possibility of it happening again.

 

“This is my 30th year of racing at Indy and it’s such a special place,” said Schumacher, who has an unprecedented 88 career Top Fuel victories. “It’s done some special things for me. This is where it started.

 

“A lot guys on my team are very young and I hope they understand this is part of the journey. If it wasn’t so frustrating at times, the wins wouldn’t be so amazing. The car went down the track three times in a row during testing (in Brainerd) and it went fast, so we're encouraged by that.”

Funny Car’s Prock swept Indy last year, winning the race, the Callout and the regular season championship. This year, Matt Hagan leads the points, but only 22 points separate him from the next three drivers – Jordan Vandergriff, Ron Capps and J.R. Todd – in what will be an epic showdown at The Big Go.

 

Six-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders won for the fourth time at Indy last year, getting her 50th career victory with a win over Matt Hartford. Dallas Glenn earned the regular season championship and went on to secure his first world title. With four wins, Greg Anderson currently has the points lead in the talent-heavy class.

 

Two-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Gaige Herrera rolled to his second straight win at The Big Go by defeating Brayden Davis last year. Teammate and reigning champ Richard Gadson leads the points, while others to watch include Matt and Angie Smith, Steve Johnson, Ryan Oehler, Jianna Evaristo, John Hall and Chase Van Sant.

 

Also competing will be drivers in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and Right Trailers Outlaw Street.

 

As always, fans get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans get a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit Manufacturers Midway, an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.

 

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 4, two rounds at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 5 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12 and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept 7.


 

Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 3 and 10:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and eliminations at 12 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, shifting to FOX at 2 p.m.


 

To purchase tickets to the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are admitted free. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.


 

 

 


HUGE NITRO FIELDS TO HEADLINE INDY ACTION AT CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS NHRA U.S. NATIONALS

 

Biggest nitro fields since 2012 among the more than 850 entries set to compete at the world’s biggest drag race

 

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 31, 2026) – Still need a reason to attend this weekend’s prestigious 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at the famed Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park?

 

How about 45 of them, as in the 45 Top Fuel and Funny Car entries slated for the world’s biggest drag race, the largest collection of 12,000-horsepower, 340-mph nitro machines at Indy in nearly 15 years.

 

It includes a talent-heavy group of 22 Top Fuel dragsters, including points leader Doug Kalitta, defending event winner Justin Ashley, as well as standouts like Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon, Antron Brown, rookie sensation Maddi Gordon, the returning Leah Pruett, Clay Millican and 10-time Indy winner Tony Schumacher.

 

On the Funny Car side, there are 23 entries in the loaded class, a massive number that features points leader Matt Hagan, reigning world champ and event winner Austin Prock, Jordan Vandergriff, J.R. Todd, Ron Capps and Beckman. With four drivers within 22 points for the regular season championship (Hagan, Vandergriff, Capps and Todd) and a possible first 3-second field on the line, it should be nothing short of spectacular.

 

Need another reason to attend the world’s biggest drag race? How about the 84 professional entries across Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle? Along with the big nitro field, 20 cars are expected in Pro Stock, as well as 19 bikes, which is the most this season in the two-wheeled category.

 

The Mission Foods Drag Racing Series begins qualifying on Friday at 6:15 p.m. ET, highlighted by an epic night session at The Big Go. Two more rounds take place on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday and the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout on Sunday, leading into eliminations on Monday. Plus, regular season championships will be decided in each class, with nearly $400,000 on the line and $150,000 to the regular season champ in Top Fuel and Funny Car. Kalitta currently holds a 67-point lead over Langdon, while Greg Anderson and Richard Gadson lead the way in Pro Stock and PSM by 85 and 83 points, respectively.

 

In Pro Stock, Erica Enders will look for a repeat win in Indy, taking on the likes of Anderson, reigning world champ Dallas Glenn, Matt Hartford and Elite Motorsports teammates Aaron and Greg Stanfield, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. Gaige Herrera is after another PSM win against Gadson, Matt and Angie Smith, Steve Johnson, John Hall, Chase Van Sant and Jianna Evaristo.

Still undecided? Well, speaking of big car counts, more than 850 entries are ready for The Big Go, all hoping to leave their mark on the sport’s grandest stage. That includes more than 125 entries in Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp and Super Gas, giving fans the biggest opportunity of the year to see the standouts of the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series in action.

 

In all, the total car count at Indy is approaching 900 entries, a tremendous number for the biggest weekend of the drag racing year. From Wednesday through Labor Day Monday, it’s non-stop action on the track as competitors aim to become a part of – or add to – drag racing royalty on the grandest stage.

 

Need a few more reasons? How about these legends attending as part of NHRA’s 75th anniversary season: Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Joe Amato, Shirley Muldowney, Larry Dixon, John Force, Linda Vaughn, Richard Tharp, Darrell Gwynn, Steve Torrence, Al Segrini and more.

 

Still want more? How’s this?


 

  • The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge returns as the longest-running continuous specialty race in NHRA history, featuring exciting heads-up, wheelstanding, and side-by-side racing of Hemi-powered '68 Super Stock Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas competing in the NHRA SS/AH class.
  • Racing in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and a first-time appearance from the popular Right Trailers Outlaw Street Category.
  • A celebration of NHRA’s 75-year history with exhibition runs on Friday and Sunday from the classic Rat Trap and Bradford’s Fiat nitro Fuel Altereds.
  • Push-start cackle cars on Friday and Sunday driven by NHRA legends.
  • Free parking for the entire weekend.
  • SealMaster Track Walk before Monday’s eliminations. 
  • Multiple autograph sessions throughout the weekend.
  • A can’t-miss Hot Rod Junction.
  • Children 12-and-under get in free to an event offering all-day entertainment. 



As always, fans get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans get a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit Manufacturers Midway, an exciting atmosphere that includes interactive displays, merchandise, food and fun for the entire family.

 

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 4, two rounds at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 5 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 12 and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept 7.


 

Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 3 and 10:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and eliminations at 12 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, shifting to FOX at 2 p.m.


 

The first round of the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout takes place at 12:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the semifinals at 2:15 p.m. and the final round at 3:40 p.m. A special broadcast of the Callout takes place on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday.


 

To purchase tickets to the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.


 

 

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