NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Through the first three races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, fans have already witnessed electric moments, huge surprises, and major shifts in the points standings as drivers in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series put everything on the line for championship glory.
 
The second half of the six-race postseason begins this weekend with the main event of Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed, the Texas NHRA FallNationals, starting an epic three-race finish.
 
Following the annual stop in Dallas, the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle go to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals on Oct. 31-Nov. 3, with all roads leading to Pomona for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals on Nov. 14-17 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
 
Here’s how each class stacks up heading to the final three races of the 2024 season.

TOP FUEL

From top to bottom and from the start of the season until now, the level of competition in Top Fuel has been incredible, so it would only make sense for this championship race to come down to the wire for a second straight season. Last year, it was Doug Kalitta taking a winner-take-all final round against Leah Pruett to win his first championship, and a similar scenario wouldn’t be surprising in 2024.
 
There’s a number of different routes the title chase could take as well. Antron Brown, looking for his first championship since 2016, is the current leader after winning the first two playoff races, but he has plenty of company. Justin Ashley, who is after his first world title, is 34 points back, while former world champions Shawn Langdon (-60), Kalitta (-87), Steve Torrence (-88), and Tony Schumacher (-103) are well within striking distance in what could be an epic finish.
 
Schumacher won in St. Louis — his first playoff win in 10 years — to emphasize there could be several unexpected twists to end the year. Things should become a little clearer after Dallas, but there will likely be a host of contenders fighting for a title down the stretch.

FUNNY CAR

He didn’t win St. Louis, but Austin Prock’s dominant start to the Countdown to the Championship undoubtedly puts his success as the biggest storyline in the class. Before John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman knocked him off in St. Louis, Prock had won 14 straight rounds, winning in both Reading and Charlotte.
 
The team has been on another level in 2024, with a run of 3.814 seconds in St. Louis — the quickest run in Funny Car since 2017 — further emphasizing that. Is there any hope for a non-JFR team to win a title? For that to happen, Bob Tasca III would need to get hot in a hurry. He’s 159 points back in third, and a Dallas win (and probably Las Vegas, too) seems necessary to make life difficult for Prock.
 
Beckman’s St. Louis win puts him (and John Force) 105 points back of his teammate, and there’s the obvious Hollywood ending there. Beckman winning a 17th title for Force in Pomona would be a magical moment, but getting past Prock and his team will be a tall order.

PRO STOCK

The first half of the Countdown to the Championship has featured a distinct theme: Dallas Glenn, Aaron Stanfield, Erica Enders, and Greg Anderson have all advanced to the semifinals at the first three playoff races.
 
The foursome has firmly separated themselves from the rest of the talented class, but Glenn and Stanfield have started to push it to a two-car race the last two events. Glenn has won them both – beating Stanfield in the finals each time – to take back the points lead and inch closer to a first title. He leads Stanfield by 31 points, while Enders and Anderson are now 90 and 116 points back, respectively.
 
Do the veterans, who have won the last five championships in the class, have enough to rally back over the final three races? Or is this the first year one of the young standouts finally get past two of the most successful Pro Stock drivers in NHRA history? Should Glenn or Stanfield win Dallas, those questions could be answered.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

This title race has certainly had a different tone than last year when Gaige Herrera won the final five races of the season to roll to his first world championship. He didn’t win either of the first two Countdown races, as Hector Arana Jr. and Matt Smith won in Reading and Charlotte, respectively. Herrera bounced back in St. Louis, moving back into the points lead, but at the halfway mark, this race is anything but a sure thing for the reigning world champion.
 
Herrera now leads Smith by 34 points in what appears to be a three-bike race going down the stretch. Richard Gadson, who has enjoyed a terrific rookie season, is 65 points back after final-round appearances at the first two races. Arana is 137 points back and has recent success in Dallas and Las Vegas, winning both in 2022, but Herrera will look to close strong like he did a year ago to claim a second straight title.
 
To purchase tickets to the Texas NHRA FallNationals, the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals or the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, visit www.nhra.com/tickets.