NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The rhythm of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series has been building all summer. Now, on race day at Brainerd International Raceway, the season is accelerating toward its regular-season crescendo.

Only the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals remains before the Countdown to the Championship begins. That means every round carries more weight, every reaction time matters more and every win light can alter the shape of the title fight.

No driver enters Sunday with more momentum than Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta. The reigning world champion was quickest in all four qualifying sessions, won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge and moved into the championship lead. Kalitta begins eliminations against Cameron Ferré while chasing a third consecutive victory and a second straight Brainerd title.

But the opening round is filled with potential turning points. Rookie Maddi Gordon faces Scott Palmer after qualifying a career-best second. Shawn Langdon, who surrendered the points lead to Kalitta during qualifying, meets Keith Murt. Tony Stewart and Josh Hart square off in a compelling seven-versus-10 matchup, while the most decorated pairing of the round brings Antron Brown alongside Tony Schumacher. Their qualifying times were separated by just .005 second.

Funny Car opens with rookie sensation Jordan Vandergriff holding the No. 1 position and a first-round bye. Behind him, the category is loaded with matchups capable of reshaping the championship picture. Defending event winner Austin Prock faces Jack Wyatt, Matt Hagan meets Jim Campbell and Mission Challenge winner J.R. Todd draws Spencer Hyde.

Jack Beckman and Chad Green provide another marquee race, but the emotional center of the opening round may be Cruz Pedregon against Ron Capps. Between them are championships, decades of experience and a long history of success at Brainerd. Alexis DeJoria and Dave Richards complete a first round in which eight of the 15 qualifiers ran in the three-second zone.

Pro Stock may offer the tightest competition of the day. Only .063 second separated the entire 16-car field, and the opening round begins with No. 1 qualifier Dallas Glenn facing six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. Glenn has reached the final round at Brainerd in each of the last three seasons, but Coughlin is one of the sport’s most accomplished race-day drivers.

Greg Anderson, fresh from his Mission Challenge victory, meets Mason McGaha as he attempts to defend last year’s Brainerd title. Cody Anderson faces six-time champion Erica Enders, Matt Hartford draws Deric Kramer and Chris Vang meets Friday provisional leader Matt Latino in an eight-versus-nine pairing separated by just one-thousandth of a second.

Sportsman racing brings its own compelling contrasts. In Top Alcohol Funny Car, Chris Foster holds lane choice against Jacob Slater and the Worsham family’s experimental nitro-burning Toyota. Slater has already run 286.68 mph, making the matchup a fascinating confrontation between an established supercharged combination and an emerging nitro concept. Across Competition Eliminator, Stock, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster and Top Sportsman, racers who have fought through a rain-compressed Thursday schedule are now closing in on Brainerd Wallys.

The Right Trailers Outlaw Street shootout has also reached its decisive stage. Carson Baker produced the quickest run of the event, a 3.721, to earn lane choice over Scott Taylor in the semifinals. On the other side, inaugural series winner Ryan Martin and fan favorite Shawn “Murder Nova” Ellington remain in contention. Taylor, Martin, Baker and Ellington represent four distinct approaches to street-driven, small-tire performance, but only one will leave Brainerd with the trophy.

The summer has narrowed to this moment. The regular season is nearly complete, the Countdown is waiting and Brainerd’s starting line is ready. On Sunday, the buildup ends and the crescendo begins.

2025 EVENT WINNERS

Top Fuel Doug Kalitta; Funny Car Austin Prock; Pro Stock Greg Anderson

MOST VICTORIES: (active drivers)

Doug Kalitta and Tony Schumacher, 3, TF; Ron Capps, 7, FC; Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin, 4.

TRACK RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.640 sec. by Leah Pruett, Aug. ’17; 341.25 mph by Brittany Force, Aug. ‘25. 

Funny Car – 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight Aug. ’17; 338.00 mph by R. Hight, Aug. ’17. 

Pro Stock - 6.521 seconds by Greg Anderson, Aug. '25; 211.39 mph by Shane Gray, Aug. '15.

NATIONAL RECORDS

Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. '19, Reading, Pa.; 345.00 mph by Shawn Langdon, May ‘26, Valdosta, Ga. 

Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd; 341.68 mph by Austin Prock, Nov. ’24, Pomona, Calif. 

Pro Stock - 6.4443 sec. by Greg Anderson, March '25, Gainesville; 215.55 mph by Enders, May '14, Englishtown N.J.

SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, Aug. 21 LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 9:00 a.m. NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. 

SATURDAY, Aug. 22 LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 9:00 a.m. NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES qualifying at 12:00 and 2:30 p.m. 

SUNDAY, Aug. 23 Pre-race ceremonies, 9:30 a.m. NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m.

TELEVISION

Friday, Aug. 21, FS1 will televise one and-a-half hours of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET). 

Saturday, Aug.22, FS1 will televise one and-a-half hours of qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. (ET). 

Sunday, Aug. 23, FOX will televise three hours of finals coverage at 8:30 p.m. (ET).

TICKETS

To purchase tickets to the NHRA Brainerd Nationals, fans can visit NHRA.com