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INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 15, 2026) – 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 [1]. For more
information about NHRA, including the full television schedule for the
2026 playoffs, please visit www.NHRA.com [2].
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 [1]
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