Championship Scenarios Bring Plenty of Excitement to Pomona for In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals

POMONA, CA – November 10, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Championship drama is alive and well as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series closes out its 75th anniversary season with this weekend’s electric In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at legendary In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Championships will be decided in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle and though each title race comes with varying degrees of drama, the weekend is poised to be something special to close out NHRA’s milestone campaign.

Will we have a winner-take-all finale?
It’s not a guarantee, but there’s at least possibilities in a couple of classes heading into a massive weekend in Pomona.

Let’s take a look at the title chases and the hopefuls who hope to have their championship moments at the historic facility.

TOP FUEL

Drama is at a relative minimum here – at least compared to the other categories. Doug Kalitta’s Las Vegas win gives him a fighting chance against teammate and championship frontrunner Shawn Langdon, but this one is still heavily steered towards Langdon becoming a two-time champ.

Langdon currently holds a 107-point lead against the reigning champ, which means if things stand pat during qualifying, Langdon will only have to win the first round – even with points-and-a-half on the line – to clinch the title after a dominant season.

If Langdon gets 13 or more qualifying points than Kalitta in qualifying, he can clinch it to close out qualifying on Saturday.

FUNNY CAR

This one got a whole lot more interesting following Jordan Vandergriff’s victory in Las Vegas, as he enters the weekend 39 points back of Matt Hagan, who has his eyes on a remarkable fifth Funny Car world title.

Getting it under 30 points in qualifying – which would be difficult, but certainly not impossible – sets up a possibly winner-take-all scenario, but as it stands, Vandergriff needs to go two rounds further to pass Hagan at the finale.

Of course, that happened in Las Vegas, which sets up for a thrilling Pomona. Vandergriff certainly has momentum, but Hagan has been steady all season and has an incredible track record in Pomona, too. He won the spring race – at the 1,000th Funny Car race – and his eight wins at the legendary facility are second to only John Force in the Funny Car ranks.

J.R. Todd isn’t out of the mix, either. He’s 104 points out of first but will likely need a race win and some help to hoist a second world title.

PRO STOCK

Glenn is honing in on a second world title and seems like a runaway freight train heading to Pomona. He’s won the last two events, qualifying No. 1 at both events and making the quickest pass in Pro Stock history, taking an 87-point lead over Matt Hartford and a 99-point advantage over Greg Stanfield into the finale.

Should Glenn continue his torrid qualifying pace and get it to more than 90 points over Hartford going into Sunday, a first-round win would clinch the championship for Glenn.

If he doesn’t, he’ll need a second-round win to pick up a second world title.

An early loss – and Glenn did suffer a rare first-round mishap to open the Countdown to the Championship – would throw things into chaos.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

There’s bonus action in Pro Stock Motorcycle and that extra excitement could set the stage for a thriller on Sunday.

The final round from Las Vegas, featuring teammates Richard Gadson and Gaige Herrera, was postponed to Saturday qualifying in Pomona and there’s plenty riding on the outcome. Should Gadson, the reigning world champ, get the victory, he’ll add 20 points to his lead, which currently stands at 55 points over Herrera.

If the two-time champ Herrera wins and does some damage in qualifying, that deficit could get under 30 points for Sunday, setting up what could be an incredible winner-take-all scenario between the two standouts.

That means a 40-point swing is on the line on Saturday, which could go a long way when it comes to a world title and any Sunday dramatics.

The weekend begins Friday with two rounds of qualifying and the final two rounds follow on Saturday, followed by eliminations on Sunday, where world champions will be crowned at one of motorsports’ most historic venues. This year’s race will be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Pomona race fans can also enjoy special pre-race ceremonies on Sunday, along with the SealMaster Track Walk. Another can’t-miss experience is Sunday’s winner’s circle celebration, where fans are invited to congratulate the champs and event winners. As always, every ticket is a pit pass to the most powerful motorsports attraction. Fans can see their favorite teams in action, get autographs from their favorite drivers and more. They can also visit the midway for displays, merchandise, food and fun.

In Pomona, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will feature two qualifying rounds at 12 and 2:30 p.m. PT on Friday, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, followed by eliminations coverage at 5 p.m. ET.

To purchase tickets to the 61st 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. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association 

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