NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series heads toward the end of the regular season with the annual stop at Brainerd Int’l Raceway, which has hosted an NHRA event since 1982.

The event is No. 13 of 20 races this year in the NHRA Mission Foods Pro series, and it will include Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock, as well as the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Mountain Motor Pro Stock category, Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle, and 10 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series classes.

It's go time in Brainerd as the fields are set in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. In Top Fuel, Doug Kalitta leads the way and despite a loss in yesterday’s Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, he remains the favorite based on his 3.655 run, and the consistency shown by the Mac Tools team. Kalitta will race against No. 14 qualifier Terry Totten in round one, and the winner will get a bye run into the semifinals.

There are a couple of other match-ups that may have serious points implications as Antron Brown has to race against points leader Shawn Langdon and both drivers ran matching 3.742 elapsed times in qualifying.

Clay Millican will also have lane choice against Justin Ashley in a battle between the No. 6 and No. 9 qualifiers.

Jack Beckman secured the top spot in Funny Car with a 3.879 and his reward is a round one meeting with Dave Richards and the Bluebird team.

Beckman and teammate Austin Prock were the only drivers in the 3.8s during qualifying and as the No. 2 qualifier, Prock gets to race against Jim Campbell, who is subbing for Buddy Hull in Jim Dunn’s car.

The first round will feature a father-son battle as Gainesville winner Chad Green will take on his son, Hunter, for the first time. Hunter has lane choice based on his 3.906 run in the Pronto Auto entry.

Another highly anticipated race features J.R. Todd and Paul Lee, both of whom have won a race this year.

To the surprise of no one, Greg Anderson is the top qualifier in Pro Stock after his 6.555-second run and he’ll kick off eliminations with a race against Chris Vang, a past national event winner in Stock, and Mountain Motor Pro Stock.

No. 2 qualifier Dallas Glenn is set to race Fernando Cuadra Jr., while Matt Hartford and Troy Coughlin Jr. are also a featured pairing in round one.

In another “must-see” race, Erica Enders will battle her teammate, Greg Stanfield, who is fresh off a win at the most recent event in Seattle. As a sidenote, Enders is driving the car that Stanfield raced in Sonoma while Stanfield debuts a new entry.

2024 EVENT WINNERS
Justin Ashley, Top Fuel; Blake Alexander, Funny Car; Dallas Glenn, Pro Stock.
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MOST EVENT VICTORIES
Joe Amato, 6 TF; John Force, 11, FC; Bruce Allen, Bob Glidden, Kurt Johnson, Warren Johnson, 4, PS

TRACK RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.640 sec. by Leah Pruett, Aug. ’17; 340.82 mph by Brittany Force, Aug. ‘25.
Funny Car – 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight Aug. ’17; 338.00 mph by R. Hight, Aug. ’17.
Pro Stock - 6.541 seconds by Erica Enders, Aug. '15; 211.39 mph by Shane Gray, Aug. '15

NATIONAL RECORDS
Top Fuel - 3.623 sec. by Brittany Force, Sept. ‘19, Reading; 343.16 mph by Brittany Force, July ‘25, Sonoma.
Funny Car - 3.793 sec. by Robert Hight, Aug. '17, Brainerd; 341.68 mph by Austin Prock, Nov. ’24, Pomona
Pro Stock – 6.443 sec. by Greg Anderson, March ’25, Gainesville; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May ’14 Englishtown

EVENT SCHEDULE

SUNDAY, Aug. 17
NHRA MISSION FOODS SERIES eliminations begin at 10 a.m.

TELEVISION 
Sunday, Aug. 17, FOX will televise three hours of live finals coverage at 3:00 p.m. (ET)