NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship Playoffs opens with Major Storylines

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 16, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – It’s playoff time in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs will determine who wins the championship during NHRA’s special 75th anniversary season.

It all begins with this weekend’s inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, the first of two inaugural events in the playoffs. The six-race Countdown is loaded with storylines, including the challenge of who will perform best at two first-time facilities on the national event schedule.

There’s plenty more storylines as the Countdown to the Championship features events in Rockingham, St. Louis, Dallas and Las Vegas, which all leads into the finale, the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals on Nov. 12-15 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Ahead of the debut at U.S. 131, here are the major ones to open the Countdown:

TOP FUEL

TEAMMATES COLLIDE: Doug Kalitta and his Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon have been in control of the class since the outset. Both have three-race winning streaks in 2026 and have combined for nine overall wins through 14 events. Kalitta will take the lead into the postseason, but Langdon has recent momentum with an Indy triumph. They’ve thrown down massive runs all year – does that continue during crunch time?

CAN SMOKE AND LEAH CHALLENGE KALITTA? The husband-and-wife duo of Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett have been the biggest consistent challenge to the Kalitta duo this year, with Pruett starting the Countdown third in points and Stewart one spot back. Do they have another level in them? If so, it could make for a riveting watch down the stretch.

WHO ELSE? Antron Brown has shown glimpses this year and has the propensity to get hot at the perfect time. Does that happen again in 2026? What about rookie sensation Maddi Gordon? How does she perform in her first Countdown? Plus, keep an eye on the likes of Gainesville winner Josh Hart, Justin Ashley and Billy Torrence, who could throw a wrench into everything with a hot playoff start.

FUNNY CAR

A GRUELING SIX-RACE DUEL: As the regular season proved, things are outrageously competitive in the Funny Car ranks. Four drivers went to Indy within a round of the points lead. Matt Hagan got the regular season title, but there’s no breathing room at the top, with Ron Capps in second, Indy winner Jack Beckman in third and Jordan Vandergriff in fourth.

Oh yeah, J.R. Todd is right in the mix in fifth and then you’ve got back-to-back defending champ Austin Prock in sixth, running as well as he has all year. With that much depth, early slip-ups will need to be avoided to stay in the championship mix. By the same token, that much depth also means some early exits will be inevitable in what’s going to be a thriller to the finish.

SPOILER ALERT: While the top six are the strong favorites in the category, there’s no slouches in the next six drivers in the standings. Chad Green already has two wins this year, while the likes of Spencer Hyde, Alexis DeJoria, Daniel Wilkerson and Cruz Pedregon seem like on the verge of breaking out in the Countdown. Should that happen and any of them get hot in the playoffs, title dreams could come crashing down for those currently at the top.

PRO STOCK

THE DALLAS AND GREG SHOW AGAIN: Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson were again in control of the Pro Stock ranks, as each won four races. Glenn took the regular season crown with his magical Monday in Indy, but the title chase coming down to the end between these two wouldn’t be surprising.

That being said…

A MOTIVATED REST OF THE FIELD: Anderson and Glenn had a great regular season, but the field feels considerably tighter to them than it did a year ago. Greg Stanfield has performed well all season for Elite Motorsports and Matt Hartford has three wins in 2026. Young guns like Matt Latino and Cody Anderson have proven for real, while champs like Erica Enders and Jeg Coughlin Jr. are ready to get back on top.

Glenn won four of the five playoff races last year en route to the title. That seems like a tall ask against this current field in 2026.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

CAN GADSON GO BACK-TO-BACK? A regular season championship was the latest example Richard Gadson provided that last year’s world title wasn’t a fluke. He’s been remarkably consistent, confident and proven time and time again that the moment is not too big for him. There’s no chance he gets rattled in the playoffs, which will make matchups against the likes of his teammate, Gaige Herrera, Matt Smith and Angie Smith very interesting.

THE DRIVE FOR SEVEN: After defeating his wife, Angie, in the final round at Indy, Matt Smith made it clear his sole focus is getting a seventh world title to break the tie with Andrew Hines and Dave Schultz. Fully healthy again, Smith was on another level in Indy. After three straight years of dominance from Vance & Hines, this appears to be both Matt and Angie’s best opportunity to win a title since Matt took the crown for the sixth time in 2022.

To purchase tickets to any of the six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, please visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information about NHRA, including the full television schedule for the 2026 playoffs, please visit www.NHRA.com.

2026 NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Sept. 18-20: Inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR, U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, Martin, Mich.

Sept. 25-27: Inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock, Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, N.C.

Oct. 2-4: 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis

Oct. 14-18: 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, Texas Motorplex, Dallas

Oct. 29-Nov. 1: 26th annual MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by MOPAR, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas

Nov. 12-15: 61st annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona, Calif.

To purchase tickets, please visit www.nhra.com/tickets

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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