After an incredible regular season in the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the Countdown to the Championship playoffs is officially here.
Over the next six races, dreams will be realized, history will be made, and excitement will be at a fever pitch as drivers across Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be focused on nothing but NHRA championship glory.
After the points reset, the championship journey starts at the 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals on Sept. 12-15 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, kicking off an edge-of-your-seat Countdown to the Championship sure to be filled with unforgettable moments and electric atmospheres across the country.
The first stretch of the Countdown to the Championship opens with three straight race weekends, with drivers going from Reading to the NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sept. 20-22 at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte to the NHRA Midwest Nationals on Sept. 27-29 at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.
From there, the NHRA grabs the spotlight as the main event at the famed Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed with the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals on Oct. 10-13 in Dallas. That opens the second half of the six-race playoffs, with the annual fall stop at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway coming Oct. 31-Nov. 3 as the penultimate race in the 2024 season.
Then, all eyes will shift to historic In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, as dreams will come to fruition and celebrations will ensue at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals on Nov. 14-17 to finish off an epic 73rd season of NHRA racing.
Last year, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) ended the season as world champions, and this season’s championship chase will again be featured on FOX and FS1.
Championship battles are just getting started, but Kalitta has visions of a second straight world title. He got hot in the playoffs last year, winning three races, including the finale in Pomona to take the championship, but after not qualifying in Indy – the first time that happened to Kalitta in nearly 14 years – he’s ready for a quick rebound in Reading.
“It was unfortunate for sure, but my team is very resilient,” Kalitta said in a video on Wednesday. “We’re still leading the points, and we’ve got six races to go. I think we’re in a great spot. We’ve just got to go out and make the next six count.”
He’ll enter the postseason with a 15-point lead over second-place Justin Ashley, whose 14 bonus points earned in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge helped close the gap to start the playoffs. Shawn Langdon is third, with four-time world champ Steve Torrence in fourth and Antron Brown in fifth. Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals winner Clay Millican will open the postseason in sixth.
In Funny Car, Austin Prock begins the Countdown to the Championship with the biggest points lead in any class, thanks to earning a whopping 23 bonus points in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. That helped net him a 39-point advantage (just shy of two rounds) over Bob Tasca III to open the playoffs. Prock has stayed red-hot all year, qualifying No. 1 10 times and winning five races, including the U.S. Nationals on Monday. In his mind, there is no slowing down as crunch time begins.
“It’s straight back to work. You’ve got to get on that grind, you’ve got to take it one moment at a time,” Prock said. “Each one of us has to try and do the best work we’ve done all season long. We’ve got a good head of steam going into this Countdown, and I truly believe we can make a championship run with this team.”
Following Tasca is Hagan, who is after a fifth world championship, something only the legendary John Force has achieved in the category. He’s 46 points behind Prock, while J.R. Todd and Ron Capps round out the top five. Jack Beckman, who is driving for Force, opens the playoffs in sixth.
For the second straight year, Dallas Glenn begins the Pro Stock Countdown to the Championship as the points leader. His playoffs didn’t go as planned last year, as the former NHRA Rookie of the Year finished a disappointing sixth, but Glenn counts it as lessons learned. He’s been a model of consistency in 2024, advancing to seven final rounds, and Glenn starts the playoffs with a 25-point gap on U.S. Nationals winner Aaron Stanfield, earning five more points than Stanfield in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.
“Last year, we had an awesome car through the middle of the year, and then everyone started catching up. It definitely made for a tough Countdown,” Glenn said. “It was tough racing there, and everyone got really fast. That’s somewhat why we went to the new car [in Richmond in June]. We’re getting a good handle on the car, and I think we’re going to have something for them this year.”
Looking for his sixth world title, veteran Greg Anderson is 33 points behind Glenn in third, while reigning back-to-back and six-time world champion Erica Enders is in fourth, 40 points behind Glenn. She’s looking for her first win since the season opener in Gainesville, and her next victory will also be her 50th national event win.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera remains the favorite in Pro Stock Motorcycle, entering as the points leader and with plenty of momentum after his first career victory at the Big Go on Monday. His points lead stands at 20 over rival Matt Smith, and it’s shaping up to be a heated duel between the two talented riders. Smith is after an unprecedented seventh world title in the category, while Herrera is focused on a second straight world title in the midst of his historic two-year run.
“Going into the Countdown, I feel like Matt is stepping it up big time, and this year is going to be very interesting,” Herrera said. “Winning Indy gives me a lot of confidence. This team has put their head down, and it reflected [in Indy]. I’m glad it’s going to start cooling off.”
Herrera’s teammate, Richard Gadson, is third, 33 points back, while John Hall and Chase Van Sant are also in the top five.
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