At the end of a long and grueling 20-race season, NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Professional world champions will be crowned this weekend at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona.

It all comes down to this. No matter what, four NHRA Mission Foods Pro champs will be crowned this weekend as the 2024 season draws to a close at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals.

PlayNHRA, NHRA’s partnership with leading sports books and fantasy sports providers, has allowed fans to sign up for free and legally wager on national events and other outcomes in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, including this weekend’s event in Pomona.

NHRA fans have the opportunity to engage in fantasy games, gaming, and betting for this event. Betting markets feature the Professional classes, Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, where fans can wager on event winners, low elapsed time of the event, head-to-head matchups, and season champions.

The experts at Alt Sports Data have set the opening lines for this week’s event at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, and they have chosen Antron Brown, Austin Prock, Dallas Glenn, and Gaige Herrera as the pre-race favorites.

Below are the opening odds as provided by Alt Sports Data.

(Note: In American sports betting, odds are typically expressed with a plus (+) or minus (–) symbol followed by a number. For example, +200 signifies the amount a bettor could win if wagering $100. If the bet works out, the player would receive a total payout of $300; $200 profit + $100 initial stake.)

TOP FUEL

Antron Brown is listed as the early favorite, even though he comes to Pomona trailing Justin Ashley by 44 points in the standings. Brown does have experience on his side with three prior championships, and he has enjoyed magical moments in Pomona. Brown’s opening odds are +632, meaning a $10 wager on the Matco Tools driver would return a profit of $63.20 should he win the event.

Championship leader Ashley is second, while four-time champ Steve Torrence is just a whisker behind at +843. Typically, most Top Fuel fields are close, particularly in the top half, so this week’s odds reflect that, with Doug Kalitta, Brittany Force, Shawn Langdon, Clay Millican, Shawn Reed, Jasmine Salinas, and Tony Stewart between +1,021 and +1,187.

One long shot that stands out is Gary Pritchett at +3,497. Pritchett has raced in everything from Super Street to Top Alcohol Dragster this season and has shown well in all of them. He’s making his Top Fuel debut this weekend but will be driving the same Scrappers entry that carried rookie Travis Shumake to a 3.72 in Las Vegas. Should Pritchett author one of the sport’s great upsets, a $10 bettor would be rewarded with a $349.70 return.

FUNNY CAR

Austin Prock is going to clinch the Funny Car championship as soon as he makes his first qualifying run in Pomona, and he’s a heavy favorite at +283, making a $10 wager return a $28.30 profit. Prock has already won 10 times this season, so any bettor that has consistently sided with the Cornwell Tools driver has benefited greatly.

Prock aside, there is value in the Funny Car field, including Bob Tasca III at +696, Matt Hagan at +701, Ron Capps at +792, and Jack Beckman at +886. A few other selections that offer longer odds include Blake Alexander at +1,627 and Las Vegas runner-up Paul Lee at +1,146.

From the “crazy things happen in Pomona” department, perhaps it's worth taking a look at Jeff Diehl, Dave Richards, Terry Haddock, Jason Rupert, or Steven Densham. Each of them is capable of three-second elapsed times, and they’re equally capable of pulling off a major upset.

PRO STOCK

Dallas Glenn has much work to do if he is to be the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Pro Stock champion, and the oddsmakers have no doubt figured that into their calculations that put the RAD Torque Systems driver in the favorite’s spot at +512. Glenn’s advantage over the next three drivers is minimal, as incoming leaders Aaron Stanfield, Erica Enders, and Greg Anderson are priced at +535, +598, and +622, respectively. All four are mathematically in the running for the championship, so it's no surprise they are the favorites.

Jeg Coughlin Jr. represents perhaps the best value in the field, as he’s won multiple races this year and sits at +1,308. The same can be said for the Cuadra team, as each of the brothers performed well in Las Vegas, and Cristian can be had for +1,673, while David is +2,425 and Fernando Jr. opens at +2,799.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Gaige Herrera is on the verge of clinching his second straight Pro Stock Motorcycle title, and he can also match last year’s record win total of 11 victories, so he has got a lot to fight for when he gets to Pomona. Herrera is the biggest favorite on the board at -129, and that means a $10 bet would return $17.75. Herrera leads six-time champion Matt Smith by 123 points, which is equal to four rounds under the Pomona points-and-a-half format.

Smith can win the race even if he doesn’t win the championship, and he’s fully capable of doing just that with odds of +296, while Herrera’s teammate, Richard Gadson, is looking to seal his first win in what has been a successful rookie campaign. Gadson opens at +738.

Those who remember recent history might want to take a closer look at Jianna Evaristo, who won the 2019 Pomona event in one of the sport’s most memorable upsets. Evaristo has improved by leaps and bounds since that win, yet she remains a long shot at +3,688, meaning a $10 bet would return a hefty profit of $368.80.

Opening odds provided by Alt Sports Data (Odds are subject to change).

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