Kalitta, Capps, Hartford & Herrera Race to Wins at NHRA 4-Wide Nationals

– Kalitta breaks TF track speed record in win
– Capps powers to another FC victory
– Hartford rolls to second PS win in four races
– Herrera sweeps weekend in PSM

CONCORD, NC – April 27, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta shattered the track speed record in the final round en route to the win on Sunday at zMAX Dragway, beating a loaded final quad of Shawn Langdon, Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett at the 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.

Ron Capps (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the fourth of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta went 3.692-seconds at 342.98 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster, setting the track record and making the third-fastest run in NHRA history, as the Top Fuel points leader collected his second win this season and the 60th in his career.

Kalitta won each of his first two quads to reach the final round, where teammate Langdon moved first on the starting line. But Kalitta enjoyed a monster run to power past everyone and get his third career win at zMAX Dragway. After winning two world titles in the past three years, there has been no let-up from Kalitta, who became the first Top Fuel driver to get two wins in 2026.

“Alan [Johnson, crew chief] thought it was going to run over 340 mph, so that was good. I don’t know how he predicts these things, but the guy’s a wizard tuning these cars and I’m just very, very fortunate,” Kalitta said. “It’s a hell of an opportunity to work with him and Connie’s [Kalitta, team owner] given us everything we need with all three of our cars. I’m sure he is pretty proud of what we accomplished.

“The guys pulled through for me. I was really happy to see that light when it came on. We had a lot of support here and this is the kind of race you want to win.”

Langdon finished as the runner-up in his second visit to the finals this season, while Pruett took third.

Funny Car’s Ron Capps stayed red-hot in the loaded category, winning for the second time in three races thanks to a run of 3.905 at 334.90 in his 12,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra in the championship round to hold off past world champions Jack Beckman, Matt Hagan and J.R. Todd in a thrilling finale.

Capps had the dominant car all weekend, qualifying No. 1 and making the quickest pass of the weekend in the first round of eliminations when he went 3.865 at 333.00. He followed that with a runner-up to Todd in the second round quad, sending him to the stacked final quad.

Capps left first and never trailed in an impressive wire-to-wire victory in the finals, enjoying his 79th career victory and his fifth in Charlotte, the most among active Funny Car drivers. It continued his impressive start to the year, as it gave Capps his third straight final round. The three-time world champion also has a pair of No. 1 qualifiers in 2026, as everything appears to be lining up for a strong championship push for the veteran and points leader.

“I still can’t believe it,” Capps said. “You have cars like this at times in your career and you just don’t want to mess up as a driver. It sounds funny, it sounds strange, but you’re given something that leaves the trailer and all the knobs turn in the right direction to go win a race. Any driver will tell you this and if they don’t, they’re lying, but it’s like you’re given this to not screw up and to cut a light and, most importantly, drive it, keep it as straight as possible in a Funny Car.

“The four-wide brings such a unique mentality to everything. I’m getting older, but it’s just so much fun to get up there and have the confidence from everybody on the team that I could still do it in the seat. This is especially cool because this is the only four-wide race this year. Sunday night’s over with, and you look back and say, man, everybody came together really made this a great event.”

Beckman took the runner-up spot, while Hagan was third and is now second in points.

In Pro Stock, Matt Hartford won for the first time at zMAX Dragway, rolling to his second win in four races to open 2026 with a run of 6.526 at 210.05 in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro to defeat Cody Coughlin, Greg Anderson and Matt Latino in the finals.

Hartford won the opener in Gainesville, but then struggled in Phoenix and Pomona, losing in the first round at both events. The veteran, though, bounced back in impressive fashion this weekend, getting his second win of the year and 10th in his career.

He won his opening-round quad and was second to Anderson a round later to advance to the championship round. There, he was quicker than Anderson and Coughlin off the starting line, posting a strong .024 reaction time and then the quickest run of the quad to pick up his first career four-wide victory.

This one sent him to third in points, as Hartford made the most of his opportunities on Sunday in Charlotte.

“If you’re going to win in this class, you pretty much have to leave ahead of everybody and that’s really hard to do,” Hartford said. “I struggle with it. I was .024 in the final and I thought that was great for me, especially on the four-wide, which is hard. You’ve heard from everybody; there’s a lot going on. It’s very confusing, and I just took my time, made sure I was ready and rolled in.

“An easy way to see our team versus the other teams is who’s standing up on the line during a final. Just look and see how many people are behind our car and how many people are behind the other car. Some of these teams, it looks like there are 60 people behind their car. With our team, there’s Amber, Eddie and Adam, that’s it. So to come out here and run and be competitive with these super teams, it’s just incredible, and it’s an honor to have my wife do it alongside me, my brother do it alongside Eddie and me.”

Coughlin continued the solid start to his season, taking the runner-up for the second time this season and third time in his career, while Anderson was third. Dallas Glenn stays in the points lead.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera was back to his winning ways this weekend at zMAX Dragway, capped off by a victory on Sunday with a run of 6.758 at 199.88 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to outlast a quad that included teammate and reigning world champion Richard Gadson, Clayton Howey and Chase Van Sant.

It’s the first win of the year for Herrera and, remarkably, the 29th in his young career, a day after winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. After back-to-back world championships in dominant fashion, Herrera finished second to Gadson a year ago. He still enjoyed a strong season and Herrera was back in top form in Charlotte, showcasing a stellar .019 reaction time in the final quad.

Both Gadson and Howey left before Herrera, but he tracked them both down quickly, rolling to his third NHRA 4-Wide Nationals victory in Charlotte and fourth overall at the stellar facility.

“I knew we all were going to push the tree in the final and I think that’s the tightest I’ve seen a four-wide final in the bike category,” Herrera said. “It’s pretty cool to have all Suzukis in the final, too. I had a bracket bike all day long, same with Richard and Clayton, and it’s awesome to get the four-wide win here at zMAX and to get my first diamond in Wally. It’s pretty cool to win in NHRA’s 75th anniversary.

“Losing the second round in Gainesville lit a fire under me and I didn’t want that to happen to me again this weekend. I knew I had to be better as a rider at everything and feel like this weekend I proved it to myself.”

Gadson, who won the season-opening Gatornationals and remains the points leader, finished as the runner-up, while Howey took third.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action May 1-3 with the NHRA Southern Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Ga.

CONCORD, NC — Final finish order (1-16) at the 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. The race is the fourth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1. Doug Kalitta; 2. Shawn Langdon; 3. Leah Pruett; 4. Tony Stewart; 5. Justin Ashley; 6. Spencer Massey; 7. Maddi Gordon; 8. Billy Torrence; 9. Will Smith; 10. Josh Hart; 11. Dan Mercier; 12. Clay Millican; 13. Ida Zetterstrom; 14. Antron Brown; 15. Jasmine Salinas; 16. Tony Schumacher.

FUNNY CAR:

1. Ron Capps; 2. Jack Beckman; 3. Matt Hagan; 4. J.R. Todd; 5. Alexis DeJoria; 6. Jordan Vandergriff; 7. Chad Green; 8. Dave Richards; 9. Hunter Green; 10. John Smith; 11. Austin Prock; 12. Daniel Wilkerson; 13. Jeff Arend; 14. Cruz Pedregon; 15. Jeff Diehl; 16. Spencer Hyde.

PRO STOCK:

1. Matt Hartford; 2. Cody Coughlin; 3. Greg Anderson; 4. Matt Latino; 5. Dallas Glenn; 6. Aaron Stanfield; 7. Eric Latino; 8. Greg Stanfield; 9. Erica Enders; 10. Stephen Bell; 11. Jeg Coughlin; 12. Rodger Brogdon; 13. Cody Anderson; 14. Deric Kramer; 15. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 16. Kenny Delco.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1. Gaige Herrera; 2. Richard Gadson; 3. Clayton Howey; 4. Chase Van Sant; 5. John Hall; 6. Jianna Evaristo; 7. Angie Smith; 8. Ryan Oehler; 9. Matt Smith; 10. Kelly Clontz; 11. Geno Scali; 12. Steve Johnson; 13. Brayden Davis; 14. Marc Ingwersen; 15. Wesley Wells; 16. Michael Ray.

CONCORD, NC — Sunday’s final results from the 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. The race is the fourth of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Doug Kalitta, 3.692 seconds, 342.98 mph def. Shawn Langdon, 3.727 seconds, 338.51 mph and Leah Pruett, 3.724 seconds, 329.42 mph and Tony Stewart, 10.663 seconds, 66.89 mph;

Funny Car — Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.905, 334.90 def. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.917, 329.50 and Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.947, 330.55 and J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.050, 323.81;

Pro Stock — Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.526, 210.05 def. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.529, 210.14 and Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.529, 210.31 and Matt Latino, Camaro, 11.390, 78.39;

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.758, 199.88 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.809, 198.17 and Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.854, 196.87 and Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, foul;

Top Alcohol Dragster — Joey Severance, 5.203, 274.50 def. McKenna Bold, 5.264, 276.52 and Jamie Noonan, 5.226, 273.22 and Jackie Fricke, 5.261, 275.79;

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.388, 269.73 def. Phil Esz, Camaro, 5.464, 261.42 and Bob McCosh, Camaro, 8.907, 112.28 and Chris Foster, Camaro, 10.331, 107.76;

Competition Eliminator — Monty Bogan, Pontiac G5, 8.410, 150.21 def. Joe Carnasciale, Chevy Cavalier, 8.895, 143.02.

Super Stock — Kent Hanley, Chevy Cavalier, 9.296, 136.87 def. Patrick Glade, Pontiac Firebird, 10.049, 130.62.

Stock Eliminator — David Barton, Chevy Camaro, 10.386, 112.06 def. Jeff Strickland, Camaro, 9.478, 134.08.

Super Comp — Lauren Freer, Dragster, 8.920, 180.57 def. Vance Houston, Dragster, 8.884, 178.40.

Super Gas — Tim Powell, Chevy Corvette, 9.901, 165.84 def. Keith Mayers, Spider, 9.845, 148.31.

Super Street — Keith Mayers, 968, 10.874, 147.49 def. Ray Dew, Nova, 10.845, 140.93.

Top Dragster — Robert Houston, Dragster, 7.085, 183.82 def. Walter Zalak, Dragster, 6.627, 204.79.

Top Sportsman — Frank Altilio, Chevy S-10, 7.320, 166.31 def. Carl Freeman, Chevy Cavalier, 7.752, 174.12.

Pro Modified — Mike Stavrinos, Chevy Camaro, 5.669, 253.56 def. Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.658, 253.66 and Jason Collins, Camaro, 5.695, 250.60 and Stan Shelton, Ford Mustang, 5.766, 251.81;

Factory Stock Showdown — Jonathan Allegrucci, Ford Mustang, 7.716, 178.42 def. Jason Dietsch, Mustang, 7.722, 166.93 and Raymond Nash, Dodge Challenger, 7.739, 175.50 and Taylor Dietsch, Mustang, 9.007, 159.08;

Outlaw Street — Ryan Martin, Chevy Camaro, Broke def. Scott Taylor, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

CONCORD, NC — Final round-by-round results from the 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the fourth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Tony Stewart, 3.727, 331.36 and Billy Torrence, 3.731, 335.98 def. Josh Hart, 3.753, 333.16 and Tony Schumacher, broke; Doug Kalitta, 3.686, 337.33 and Maddi Gordon, 3.777, 332.51 def. Clay Millican, 3.911, 266.69 and Antron Brown, 4.267, 193.02; Justin Ashley, 3.699, 336.74 and Leah Pruett, 3.673, 333.16 def. Will Smith, 3.748, 330.47 and Ida Zetterstrom, 3.803, 334.90; Shawn Langdon, 3.673, 330.15 and Spencer Massey, 3.822, 325.30 def. Dan Mercier, 3.800, 326.32 and Jasmine Salinas, 4.561, 142.61;

SEMIFINALS — Langdon, 3.748, 329.02 and Stewart, 3.776, 328.22 def. Massey, 3.798, 326.56 and Torrence, 3.785, 324.44; Kalitta, 3.707, 339.02 and Pruett, 3.749, 333.66 def. Ashley, 3.774, 331.61 and Gordon, 3.767, 333.16;

FINAL — Kalitta, 3.692, 342.98 def. Langdon, 3.727, 338.51, Pruett, 3.724, 329.42 and Stewart, 10.663, 66.89.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.896, 335.32 and Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 3.962, 324.36 def. Hunter Green, Dodge Charger, 4.005, 320.89 and Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.100, 309.06; Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.874, 326.63 and Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 4.965, 267.11 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 6.333, 175.37 and Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 8.013, 91.45; Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.865, 333.00 and Chad Green, Mustang, 3.950, 320.58 def. Austin Prock, Mustang, 4.460, 191.76 and Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 8.207, 69.59; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.868, 327.66 and Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.913, 332.92 def. John Smith, Charger, 4.119, 311.49 and Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.576, 193.49;

SEMIFINALS — Hagan, 3.948, 323.74 and Beckman, 4.367, 304.05 def. Vandergriff, 9.698, 72.35 and Richards, DQ; Todd, 3.885, 336.40 and Capps, 3.923, 327.90 def. DeJoria, 3.980, 296.89 and C. Green, 10.164, 82.41;

FINAL — Capps, 3.905, 334.90 def. Beckman, 3.917, 329.50, Hagan, 3.947, 330.55 and Todd, 4.050, 323.81.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.538, 210.87 and Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.561, 208.84 def. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.588, 208.81 and Kenny Delco, Camaro, 13.716, 63.18; Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.530, 209.30 and Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.560, 208.84 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.592, 207.94 and Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.521, 209.33; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.528, 208.94 and Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.554, 208.88 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.550, 209.88 and Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.539, 209.04; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.531, 209.46 and Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.538, 208.78 def. Rodger Brogdon, Camaro, 6.613, 207.43 and Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 12.543, 110.76;

SEMIFINALS — Hartford, 6.550, 209.95 and G. Anderson, 6.527, 209.39 def. A. Stanfield, 7.403, 152.21 and E. Latino, 15.223, 80.15; M. Latino, 6.559, 209.36 and C. Coughlin, 6.573, 209.56 def. Glenn, 6.538, 209.33 and G. Stanfield, 16.702, 50.71;

FINAL — Hartford, 6.526, 210.05 def. C. Coughlin, 6.529, 210.14, G. Anderson, 6.529, 210.31 and M. Latino, 11.390, 78.39.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Jianna Evaristo, Buell 1190RX, 6.788, 199.37 and Angie Smith, 1190RX, 6.909, 197.68 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki Hayabusa, 6.979, 192.58 and Brayden Davis, 7.717, 127.29; Gaige Herrera, Hayabusa, 6.775, 198.17 and John Hall, Beull 1190RX, 6.833, 197.80 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki TL1000, 6.967, 193.93 and Marc Ingwersen, broke; Ryan Oehler, 6.802, 197.86 and Richard Gadson, Hayabusa, 6.858, 197.88 def. Kelly Clontz, TL, 6.850, 197.57 and Wesley Wells, Suzuki GSXR, broke; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki TL 1000, 6.810, 197.59 and Clayton Howey, Hayabusa, 6.828, 197.28 def. Matt Smith, 1190RX, 6.773, 200.53 and Michael Ray, broke;

SEMIFINALS — Howey, 6.815, 198.47 and Van Sant, 6.824, 197.88 def. Evaristo, 6.825, 196.13 and A. Smith, 6.906, 194.66; Herrera, 6.756, 200.08 and Gadson, 6.785, 199.55 def. Hall, 6.821, 200.47 and Oehler, 7.575, 132.99;

FINAL — Herrera, 6.758, 199.88 def. Gadson, 6.809, 198.17, Howey, 6.854, 196.87 and Van Sant, foul.

CONCORD, NC — Point standings (top 10) following the 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the fourth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

1. Doug Kalitta, 373; 2. Shawn Langdon, 350; 3. Leah Pruett, 297; 4. Tony Stewart, 296; 5. Josh Hart, 265; 6. Maddi Gordon, 238; 7. Justin Ashley, 208; 8. Billy Torrence, 187; 9. Antron Brown, 163; 10. Clay Millican, 146.

Funny Car

1. Ron Capps, 369; 2. Matt Hagan, 327; 3. J.R. Todd, 299; 4. Chad Green, 276; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, 262; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 235; 7. Spencer Hyde, 221; 8. Jack Beckman, 213; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 170; 10. Dave Richards, 138.

Pro Stock

1. Dallas Glenn, 357; 2. Greg Anderson, 347; 3. Matt Hartford, 305; 4. Cody Coughlin, 252; 5. Greg Stanfield, 249; 6. Matt Latino, 237; 7. Erica Enders, 212; 8. Aaron Stanfield, 194; 9. Jeg Coughlin, 191; 10. Eric Latino, 173.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Richard Gadson, 217; 2. Gaige Herrera, 175; 3. John Hall, 148; 4. Clayton Howey, 147; 5. Chase Van Sant, 125; 6. Angie Smith, 117; 7. Steve Johnson, 105; 8. Matt Smith, 102; 9. Ryan Oehler, 89; 10. Jianna Evaristo, 83.

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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