Antron Brown, Thunder Valley Nationals Top Fuel Winner – NHRA Photo

 

 

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 14, 2026) – Four-time Top Fuel world champion
Antron Brown won for the first time at Bristol Dragway on Sunday,
defeating points leader Shawn Langdon in a thrilling final round of the
25th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

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

Brown went 3.788-seconds at 331.61 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Matco
Tools dragster, holding off Langdon’s 3.801 at 334.07 in a spectacular
side-by-side duel. It is Brown’s first victory of the season and the
82nd in his career, defeating Will Smith, Shawn Reed and reigning world
champion Doug Kalitta to reach the final round.

It was a rough start to the season for Brown, but the team has rebounded
in impressive fashion in recent weeks, advancing to the final round in
Chicago. But Sunday marked off a huge item for Brown, who had only
advanced to the final round at Bristol on two prior occasions.

But he led wire-to-wire against Langdon in Thunder Valley, picking up
his first Diamond Wally and moving to fifth in points in the process.

“We’ve been struggling at the beginning of the year, but we kept our
heads down, kept grinding and kept working. Today, it all came
together,” Brown said. “The Kalitta cars are the giants out here
right now. To sneak around them and get a win, that says a lot about
what our team accomplished today.

“The only way you beat resistance is with persistence. You’ve got to
stay the course. We know we’re capable of winning another
championship, but we’re not there yet. We still have to keep
improving. Getting my first Bristol win after 82 career victories is
pretty special. This place has always been tough on me. To get a Diamond
Wally during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season, they can never take that
away from you. That’s something special. To be standing here with this
trophy is unbelievable.”

Langdon reached the final round for the seventh time this season,
defeating Jasmine Salinas, No. 1 qualifier Leah Pruett and Tony Stewart.
He will continue to enjoy a healthy points lead, which now stands at 114
over Kalitta.

In workmanlike fashion, four-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan
grinded out the victory at his home track on Sunday, denying Daniel
Wilkerson his first career victory thanks to a run of 4.125 at 310.91 in
his 12,000-horsepower Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge Funny Car.

It is Hagan’s second win of the season and the 57th in his career.
This one wasn’t the most spectacular when it came to performance, but
Hagan was on point when he needed to be, defeating Jon Capps and
reigning two-time world champion Austin Prock to reach the final round.

He didn’t go quicker than 4.079 on Sunday, but Hagan took advantage of
the opportunity for Tony Stewart Racing, reaching his 100th career final
round. Wilkerson went up in smoke almost immediately in the championship
round, handing Hagan his first victory in Thunder Valley since 2015.
After Bristol, Hagan is now second in points and feeling good about the
rest of his summer.

“I always call myself an old plow horse. Hook me up to the plow and
I’ll just go out there and get the job done,” Hagan said. “For
Leah (Pruett) to finish off the New England win here on Friday and for
us to come back and win on Sunday, it was a special weekend for TSR.

“Bristol is a special place for me. I’ve got a lot of home tracks,
but this one has always felt like home. The last time I won here was
Father’s Day weekend, and I was crying like a kid. That one was
emotional, and this one means a lot, too. This weekend was challenging.
Daniel Wilkerson was driving his butt off. His day is coming.”

Wilkerson defeated J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman and points leader Ron Capps
en route to his third career final round. Capps remains the points
leader, sitting 24 points ahead of Hagan.

In Pro Stock, Matt Hartford wrapped up an incredibly successful weekend,
following up Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory with a
win on Sunday, defeating defending event winner Greg Anderson in the
final round with a run of 6.672 at 205.60 in his Total Seal Chevrolet
Camaro.

It gives Hartford three wins already this season and Sunday marked his
first victory in Thunder Valley. He advanced to his second straight
final round with victories against Shane Tucker, Cody Anderson and Aaron
Stanfield.

He continued to show strong and consistent reaction times on the
starting line, which has been a major key for the veteran over the past
several weeks. The end result on Sunday was his 11th career victory, as
Hartford, who is third in points, remains firmly in the championship
conversation.

“I’ve been racing at Bristol since the early 2000s and never managed
to win here. To finally get a Bristol trophy is an awesome feeling,”
Hartford said. “We had a great race car all weekend. Winning the
Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and then winning the race is about as
good as it gets.

“Greg’s beaten me a lot more than I’ve beaten him over the years,
so I’ll enjoy this one. Winning a round is hard. Winning a race is
harder. Winning three races in a season is something really special.
This is the best season we’ve ever had at this point in the year.”

Anderson advanced to his fifth final round this season thanks to round
wins against Kenny Delco and Matt Latino. Anderson also moved into the
points lead, holding an 11-point advantage over reigning world champion
Dallas Glenn.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera enjoyed a vintage performance on
Sunday in Thunder Valley, becoming the first two-time winner in the
category at Bristol by taking down his teammate Richard Gadson with a
run of 6.838 at 198.47 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

It gives Herrera his second victory of the season and the 30th in his
career and plenty of redemption after an ultra-rare first-round loss at
the most recent Pro Stock Motorcycle race in Maryland.

That is clearly behind him, as Herrera rolled to the No. 1 qualifier and
then ousted Joey Gladstone and Steve Johnson to reach the final round.
Gadson left first with a stellar .018 reaction time, but Herrera chased
him down to get things back on track for the two-time world champion.

“After Maryland, me and Andrew (Hines, crew chief) and I were beating
our heads against the wall trying to figure out what happened. It felt
like we had some bad luck hanging over us, but it feels good to come
here and get the win,” Herrera said.

“I wouldn’t say, ‘I’m back,’ but it definitely feels good to
get the win and build some confidence heading into Norwalk. As we get
closer and closer to the Countdown, I feel like my bike is back where it
needs to be. Winning with Richard in the final was pretty cool. It
reminded me of last year when he got his first win. We’ve got a lot of
fun with it, but I’m glad to be the one taking home the trophy this
time.”

Gadson went to his second straight final round at Bristol and the 13th
in his career following wins over Wesley Wells, Chase Van Sant and Chris
Bostick. He stays in the points lead, holding a 68-point advantage over
Angie Smith, with Herrera in third.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action June 25-28
with the 20th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit
Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

***

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final finish order (1-16) at the 25th annual Super
Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the
ninth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

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

FUNNY CAR:

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

PRO STOCK:

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

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

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

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Sunday’s final results from the 25th annual Super Grip
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. The race is the ninth
of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Antron Brown, 3.788 seconds, 331.61 mph def. Shawn Langdon,
3.801 seconds, 334.07 mph.

Funny Car — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.125, 310.91 def. Daniel
Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 6.317, 128.89.

Pro Stock — Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.672, 205.60 def. Greg
Anderson, Camaro, 24.484, 29.40.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.838, 198.47 def.
Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.883, 196.36.

Super Stock — Jacob Delaune, Dodge Challenger, 9.824, 135.44 def.
Hayden Trumble, Chevy Camaro, 9.228, 138.66.

Stock Eliminator — Michael Brand, Ford Mustang, 9.113, 132.09 def. Doug
Lambeck, Chevy Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Super Comp — Chris Childress, Dragster, 8.866, 179.85 def. Colby
Fuller, Dragster, Foul – Red Light.

Super Gas — Lauren Freer, Chevy Camaro, 9.948, 162.47 def. Rob Stigall,
Chevy Corvette, 9.887, 154.21.

Top Sportsman — Gerard Milette, Chevy Corvette, 7.204, 187.76 def. Jeff
Brooks, Henry J, 6.462, 209.43.

Pro Modified — Jason Collins, Chevy Camaro, 8.681, 98.82 def. Mike
Stavrinos, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Factory Stock Showdown — Jonathan Allegrucci, Ford Mustang, 7.851,
176.14 def. Raymond Nash, Dodge Challenger, Foul – Centerline.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Final round-by-round results from the 25th annual
Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the ninth
of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

FINAL — TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Doug Kalitta, 3.799, 330.31 def. Josh Hart, 3.845, 321.12;
Tony Stewart, 3.841, 325.53 def. Justin Ashley, 3.912, 320.36; Antron
Brown, 3.805, 328.78 def. Will Smith, 3.871, 324.67; Leah Pruett, 3.770,
332.43 was unopposed; Tony Schumacher, 3.866, 328.62 def. Keith Murt,
3.863, 314.39; Maddi Gordon, 3.817, 329.26 def. Billy Torrence, 3.895,
288.03; Shawn Reed, 3.822, 328.30 def. Clay Millican, 4.361, 191.65;
Shawn Langdon, 3.764, 335.40 def. Jasmine Salinas, 4.174, 227.77;

QUARTERFINALS — Stewart, 3.805, 320.05 def. Gordon, 3.826, 330.88;
Kalitta, 3.784, 331.77 def. Schumacher, 3.898, 287.84; Brown, 3.799,
336.57 def. Reed, 4.549, 206.26; Langdon, 3.977, 315.12 def. Pruett,
12.454, 49.85;

SEMIFINALS — Langdon, 3.791, 338.09 def. Stewart, 3.925, 266.21; Brown,
3.798, 330.88 def. Kalitta, 5.164, 139.37;

FINAL — Brown, 3.788, 331.61 def. Langdon, 3.801, 334.07.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 4.081, 302.69 def. Dave
Richards, Mustang, 4.064, 320.28; Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 4.001, 316.52
def. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, Broke; Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro,
4.032, 320.20 def. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.246, 254.28; Matt Hagan,
Charger, 4.101, 295.98 def. Jon Capps, Charger, Foul – Red Light; Jordan
Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.999, 322.88 def. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.028,
326.24; Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.045, 321.35 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota
GR Supra, 4.744, 175.66; Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.989, 324.44 def. Chad
Green, Mustang, 4.196, 305.56;

QUARTERFINALS — Hagan, 4.673, 180.60 was unopposed; Prock, 3.986,
323.50 def. Hyde, 4.001, 321.96; R. Capps, 3.980, 327.43 def.
Vandergriff, 4.040, 285.29; Wilkerson, 4.041, 319.52 def. Beckman,
4.065, 319.07;

SEMIFINALS — Hagan, 4.079, 311.05 def. Prock, 4.212, 268.97; Wilkerson,
4.023, 320.51 def. R. Capps, 4.058, 299.40;

FINAL — Hagan, 4.125, 310.91 def. Wilkerson, 6.317, 128.89.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Cody Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.664, 204.76 def. Jeg
Coughlin, Camaro, 6.678, 205.44; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.667, 204.54
def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 7.127, 153.54; Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.656,
205.38 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Dallas Glenn, Camaro,
6.643, 205.91 def. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.684, 203.16; Matt Hartford,
Camaro, 6.675, 205.07 def. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.716, 206.70; Greg
Anderson, Camaro, 6.656, 204.45 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.748, 203.16;
Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.662, 203.98 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro,
6.680, 206.48;

QUARTERFINALS — Hartford, 6.654, 205.82 def. C. Anderson, 6.704,
204.91; G. Anderson, 6.676, 204.48 was unopposed; M. Latino, 6.676,
205.26 def. G. Stanfield, 6.671, 205.10; A. Stanfield, 6.677, 206.61
def. Glenn, Foul – Red Light;

SEMIFINALS — G. Anderson, 6.682, 206.45 def. M. Latino, 6.692, 205.10;
Hartford, 6.676, 205.54 def. A. Stanfield, 6.687, 204.94;

FINAL — Hartford, 6.672, 205.60 def. G. Anderson, 24.484, 29.40.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.894, 196.53 def. John Hall, 6.957,
196.70; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.904, 196.30 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki,
7.133, 193.13; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.970, 195.68 def. Brayden Davis,
Buell, Foul – Red Light; Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.934, 194.55 def.
Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.938, 196.10; Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.996,
193.57 def. Ryan Oehler, Foul – Red Light; Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.969,
191.05 def. Marc Ingwersen, 7.015, 190.86; Richard Gadson, Suzuki,
6.846, 196.82 def. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Gaige
Herrera, Suzuki, 6.840, 198.03 was unopposed;

QUARTERFINALS — Johnson, 6.915, 193.85 def. Clontz, 6.963, 195.31;
Bostick, 6.986, 194.58 def. Smith, Foul – Red Light; Gadson, 6.851,
197.45 def. Van Sant, 7.616, 134.75; Herrera, 6.804, 198.67 def.
Gladstone, 6.908, 196.82;

SEMIFINALS — Gadson, 6.891, 195.96 def. Bostick, 15.822, 47.56;
Herrera, 6.985, 173.43 def. Johnson, 9.452, 91.47;

FINAL — Herrera, 6.838, 198.47 def. Gadson, 6.883, 196.36.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Point standings (top 10) following the 25th annual
Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, the ninth
of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

1. Shawn Langdon, 920; 2. Doug Kalitta, 806; 3. Leah Pruett, 693; 4.
Tony Stewart, 533; 5. Antron Brown, 517; 6. Josh Hart, 500; 7. Maddi
Gordon, 499; 8. Billy Torrence, 466; 9. Justin Ashley, 419; 10. Clay
Millican, 365.

Funny Car

1. Ron Capps, 691; 2. Matt Hagan, 667; 3. J.R. Todd, 634; 4. Jordan
Vandergriff, 619; 5. Jack Beckman, 589; 6. Chad Green, 561; 7. Alexis
DeJoria, 524; 8. Spencer Hyde, 459; 9. Austin Prock, 437; 10. Daniel
Wilkerson, 391.

Pro Stock

1. Greg Anderson, 816; 2. Dallas Glenn, 805; 3. Matt Hartford, 627; 4.
Greg Stanfield, 613; 5. Matt Latino, 518; 6. Aaron Stanfield, 505; 7.
Erica Enders, 490; 8. Jeg Coughlin, 424; 9. Troy Coughlin Jr., 387; 10.
Eric Latino, 380.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Richard Gadson, 557; 2. Angie Smith, 489; 3. Gaige Herrera, 484; 4.
Matt Smith, 460; 5. John Hall, 352; 6. Chase Van Sant, 314; 7. Ryan
Oehler, 311; 8. Clayton Howey, 310; 9. (tie) Jianna Evaristo, 276; Steve
Johnson, 276.

-NHRA-