After a wet and wild start in Gainesville, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads west this week for the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird Motorsports Park in Phoenix.

The second of 20 rounds, the Phoenix event rarely lacks for drama and has a rich history of upset winners and other dramatic moments.

Once again, 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 Phoenix.

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, and Pro Stock, 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 Firebird Motorsports Park, and they have chosen Gainesville winners Antron Brown and Dallas Glenn, along with Funny Car champion Austin Prock, 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

After a big win in Gainesville to open the season, it’s no surprise that Antron Brown heads to Phoenix as the favorite for this week’s Arizona Nationals. Brown opens at +500, which means a $10 bet would net a profit of $50 should the Matco Tools team go back-to-back. During his career, Brown has also won three times in Phoenix (2009, 2012, and 2014).

Gainesville runner-up Shawn Langdon and his teammate, Doug Kalitta, are also among the favorites at +600 and +700, and they are joined by Brittany Force and Justin Ashley, each at +700. It’s worth noting that Ashley won here two years ago.

When it comes to long shots, Shawn Reed (+750), Tony Stewart (+850), and Clay Millican (+900) can offer a solid return, while Josh Hart, who has taken dramatic steps to improve his R+L Carriers team, offers an attractive price of +1,400 (Yes, that’s 14x original bet).

FUNNY CAR

Even though his season did not start the way he wanted, it’s no surprise that reigning champ Austin Prock remains the favorite in Funny Car, although his short odds of +120 might make him a bit too much of a favorite to attract the bulk of the wagering action.

Behind Prock, Jack Beckman opens at +850, while the rest of the field comes in at more than 10-1, which means there is value in Matt Hagan (+1,100), Bob Tasca III (+1,200), and Ron Capps (+1,300). There is certainly value in Gainesville winner Chad Green, who offers a price of 13-1 (+1,300) should he go back-to-back.

When it comes to long shots, it might be best to look at Alexis DeJoria, who made her debut with the JCM Racing team in Gainesville and delivered a semifinal performance. DeJoria, a runner-up at last year’s Phoenix event, opens at +3,000, which means a $10 bet would net a profit of $300 if she can pull off a victory.

PRO STOCK

After winning in Gainesville, it should be no surprise that Dallas Glenn is the favorite in Pro Stock with an opening price of +400, while Greg Anderson, who set the record in Gainesville and went to the final, comes in at +500, which represents fair value for a reigning and six-time world champion. Anderson also happens to be a three-time Phoenix winner, including last year’s race.

Perhaps a bit more surprising is Erica Enders in third place at +600. Winless for a full year, the six-time champion is coming off a round-one loss in Gainesville. Enders has two wins in Phoenix (2013 and 2020) and most believe it’s just a matter of time before she finds the winner’s circle again.

It might also be worth taking a good look at Aaron Stanfield and his opening price of +900.  Also getting a fair amount of respect from the bookmakers is Cory Reed, who opened the season with a semifinal and features a price of +1,100.

On the other end of the spectrum, past Phoenix winner Camrie Caruso and rookie of the year contender Cody Coughlin are both priced at +8,000, which means a $10 wager would return $810.00! Coughlin did not qualify in his debut, but he did make several competitive runs during the pre-event test on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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

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