NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

There’s a possibility the final run of the 2024 Pro Stock season could determine the world championship at this weekend’s 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at legendary In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
 
If that’s the case and it’s Aaron Stanfield lined up against Dallas Glenn to close out the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season in Pro Stock, it would also result in one of the young standouts winning their first career world championship.
 
Both have been knocking on the door the past several years, and each is ready for that final breakthrough. They’ve exchanged the points lead three times in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, with Stanfield taking over the lead following his Las Vegas victory. He leads Glenn by 32 points (or just more than one round) in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Janac Brothers car, with veteran Greg Anderson 56 points back.

Stanfield, the defending Finals winner, has delivered a spectacular season, winning six times and advancing to 10 final rounds, but he knows the massive challenge that remains. With Pomona being a points-and-a-half format, Glenn can close to within a round if he gets the gap under 30 points, which would also present the possibility of a winner-take-all final round and the first world champion in the class not named Erica Enders or Anderson since 2018.
 
“It’s going to come down to the wire, and I’ve never been in that position before,” Stanfield said. “But I’m looking forward to it, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It very well could come down to that last round. That’s what dreams are made of, and it’s going to be fun to watch it all play out. It would definitely be a cool story to tell and for the fans to see, and we’ll see how it all plays out.”
 
The 2023 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals had Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Chad Green (Funny Car), Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) take home event wins, while Kalitta (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Enders (Pro Stock), and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won world titles. The year’s race will again be broadcast on FS1 to close the season in style, including eliminations at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 17. It is the last of 20 races in the 2024 NHRA season, and the finale is shaping up to be a memorable one in Pro Stock.

Glenn, the 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year, has enjoyed his own special season, leading the points for the bulk of the season and picking up five wins in nine trips to the final round. He stumbled in Las Vegas, losing in the first round to open the door for Stanfield to slip past, but Glenn still has plenty of opportunities to make amends in Pomona in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro for KB Titan Racing.
 
He would love a chance to be part of a winner-take-all final, and Glenn insists he’s relaxed heading into Pomona, focused on only what he can control.
 
“I know what I need to do when I get there,” Glenn said. “Hopefully, we can go out and make eight solid runs this weekend. I’ve tried to relax and not overthink things, and then just go out there and do the best we can. But our goal is to make eight quality runs and try to win the race. If I go out there and give it everything I’ve got, I can’t complain about whatever happens. I’m just going to try and be as aggressive as I can. Hopefully, the luck is on our side, and this absolutely could come down to the last run of the year.”

Anderson, the veteran among the championship contenders, will see if he has another trick up his sleeve to pick up what would be a sixth world championship in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.
 
The winningest driver in class history has had his opportunities, advancing to the final round at the past two races, but he has fell in agonizing fashion at both, including to Stanfield in Las Vegas. Anderson knows he has a stellar car, one that has won twice and qualified No. 1 seven times in 2024, and it’s up to him to try and win Pomona and then hope for some help along the way.
 
“It’s pretty simple for me: I’ve got to win and have some luck on top of that,” Anderson said. “When you go into the Countdown, you tell yourself if you can have a chance in Pomona, that’s all you can ask for. It’s going to be a heck of a race and a weekend. I’ve been racing well, but not winning, and I’ve got to turn that around. I’m looking forward to [it], and I’m hoping I’ve saved my very best for the last race of the year. I’ve done this before and know how to do [it], and I’m really looking forward to it.”
 
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will feature two qualifying rounds at 1 and 3:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 15, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday, Nov. 17. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday and then live eliminations on FS1 at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
 
To purchase tickets to the 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult.