The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship playoffs enter the homestretch this weekend at the historic Texas Motorplex with the Texas NHRA FallNationals, the fourth of six events to decide the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Professional world champions.

With just 12 rounds of competition remaining this season, each event becomes more critical, and every point more important, as teams jockey for position.

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 Dallas.

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 match-ups, and season champions.

(For more odds and info, visit the Best Bets: Texas NHRA FallNationals article)

The experts at Alt Sports Data have set the opening lines for this week’s event at the Texas Motorplex, and they have chosen Antron Brown, Austin Prock, Erica Enders, 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

As the current championship leader in Top Fuel, Brown has supplanted reigning world champion Doug Kalitta as the pre-race favorite in Dallas, albeit by just a few percentage points. Brown comes in a +524, meaning a $10 bet would return a profit of $52.40. Brown shares the favorites role with native Texan Steve Torrence, who sits at +770.

The real intrigue in Top Fuel revolves around Justin Ashley, who is planning to participate in Friday’s opening qualifying session, and then will park his dragster for personal reasons until Sunday’s final eliminations. Assuming he gets qualified in the 16-car field, Ashley remains one of the leading contenders for the title, and he’s a threat to win, even with just one qualifying run.

Kalitta Motorsports teammates Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon are priced at +859 and +959, while Clay Millican, Billy Torrence, Brittany Force, and recent St. Louis champion Tony Schumacher can be had at double-digit odds.

FUNNY CAR

Prock comes into Dallas with a comfortable, if not insurmountable, 109-point lead in the Funny Car standings, and he’s clearly had the best car during the Countdown, so he’s once again the favorite, and a sizable one at +303. Prock can’t clinch the title in Dallas, but he can certainly make it difficult for anyone else to catch him moving forward.

Following his St. Louis victory, Jack Beckman is also ranked near the top as he continues to earn points for sidelined team owner John Force. Beckman, Bob Tasca III, Matt Hagan, and Ron Capps have each won this season, and their odds reflect their ability to get the job done in Dallas.

When it comes to value picks, it might be wise to look further down the order at Paul Lee and Blake Alexander, who can be had for +1,450 and +1,569, respectively. Lee, winner of the Pep Boys NHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout event in Indy, has tested recently with solid results, while Alexander has already won a race this season and certainly appears capable of a repeat.

PRO STOCK

While she hasn’t won a race since Gainesville, Enders has arguably the best car in Pro Stock right now, and she’s a slight favorite against a very deep and talented Pro Stock field. Enders, who was also the pre-race favorite in St. Louis, is still very much in contention for a seventh title, and she’s racing in her home state of Texas, which helps explain her +464 opening line.

Fellow title contenders Dallas Glenn, Aaron Stanfield, and Greg Anderson fall into line with very similar odds ranging from +614 to +635. The top four drivers have won the bulk of the events in Pro Stock this season, but further down the order, multitime world champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. lurks at +1,207, while resurgent Matt Hartford also represents value at +1,460.

It's also worth noting that Mason McGaha, who has already appeared in a final this year, is well down the order at +2,525, meaning a $10 wager would return a healthy $262.50.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

Herrera is once again an overwhelming favorite as the reigning champ and current championship leader in Pro Stock Motorcycle comes to Dallas with opening odds of -111, meaning a $10 wager would return $19.01. Herrera has won the bulk of the Pro Stock Motorcycle events this season, so there is sound logic behind his price.

Matt Smith has consistently been able to take the fight to Herrera, especially during the Countdown, so that helps explain his +216 price, and the same applies to Richard Gadson, who has settled comfortably into his role with the Vance & Hines team and opens at +718.

Perhaps the best value on the board lies in Hector Arana Jr. and his GETTRX Buell team. Arana is the defending Dallas winner, and he has got a win this season, yet a $10 wager would deliver a healthy $359.70 return. A similar price can be had for Jianna Evaristo, who seems destined to claim her second career win sometime in the near future. Evaristo, who has a bike nearly identical to Matt Smith’s, opens at +2,949.

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

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