NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

As the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series nears the finish line, drivers have their sights set on world championships as they approach the penultimate event of the year, the 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 31–Nov. 3.
 
The Ford Performance NHRA Nationals marks the fifth of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs and the 19th of 20 races in 2024, as drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be focused on every captivating round of racing – which could put them a step closer to championship glory.
 
Loaded with specialty classes and an electric Las Vegas atmosphere where every 330-mph run is critical, the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals is a thrill ride from start to finish. The race, which always draws a massive crowd, opens with a pair of qualifying runs on both Friday and Saturday, leading to a memorable Sunday of eliminations where the intensity will be at a fever pitch in Sin City.
 
Last season, Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock) all won the late-season race in Las Vegas. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1, with eliminations coverage at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 3.

Top Fuel points leader Justin Ashley, winner of the recent Texas NHRA FallNationals, will look for a Las Vegas victory to strengthen his chances for a first world title, but he’s facing off against a loaded Top Fuel field, including three-time world champ Antron Brown, who is just 44 points back in second. Other championship contenders include former champions Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence, and Tony Schumacher.
 
The 2024 Funny Car season has been dominated by John Force Racing’s Austin Prock, who took over driving duties for Hight. Prock has seven wins on the season, including two wins in the Countdown. He currently leads the way in the class and has a 147-point lead over his teammate Jack Beckman, who is racing in place of 16-time champion John Force. Also in the hunt are reigning champion Matt Hagan, three-time champion Ron Capps, and Bob Tasca III, who won the Las Vegas four-wide event earlier this year.
 
Reigning Pro Stock champion Enders has more wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway than any other driver in NHRA history with 10. She picked up a win at the season kickoff in Gainesville but hasn’t returned to the winner’s circle since. If she wants to add another win to her Vegas credit, she’ll need to get past points leader Dallas Glenn, who has five wins on the season, including Charlotte and St. Louis in the Countdown. In second is Aaron Stanfield, who also has five wins this year, and five-time champion Greg Anderson, who sits third, one spot ahead of Enders.
 
The 2024 season has once again been dominated by Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Herrera. Herrera has nine wins on the season, including most recently in St. Louis and Dallas. Six-time world champion Matt Smith is hot on his heels, while other standouts in the category include Richard Gadson, Hector Arana Jr., and Chase Van Sant.
 
The Ford Performance NHRA Nationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the NHRA Summit Racing Series Finals, where national champions will be crowned in several different categories as the culmination of the NHRA Summit Racing Series season. The weekend will also include action in the thrilling Legends Nitro Funny Car class and a spectacular jet dragster exhibition from Team “Muy Caliente” after nitro qualifying on Friday and Saturday.
 
It’s also the final race of the 2024 season in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, Johnson’s Horsepowered Mountain Motor Pro Stock, and the new Holley EFI NHRA Factory X category.
 
Fans are invited to the Nitro Alley Stage in the pits, where they can take part in Nitro School, meet and greets, influencer interviews, and much more. Vegas race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremony that celebrates each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the SealMaster NHRA Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday, where fans are invited to congratulate the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals event winners.
 
As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. They can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and race vendors create an exciting atmosphere that includes displays, merchandise, food, and fun.
 
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at noon and 2:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 1, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 2 at noon and 2:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Nov. 3. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday with eliminations at 5 p.m. ET.
 
To purchase tickets to the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, call 800-644-4444 or visit www.lvms.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free in general-admission areas with a paid adult.