NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Top Fuel round one

Points leader Shawn Langdon entered eliminations with a 47-point lead on teammate Doug Kalitta and third-place Tony Stewart in the race to win the regular-season championship, worth a cool $150,000, but was taken down by defending event champ Clay Millican, 3.74 to 3.76, in the opening pair. Millican was a crisp .041 on the Tree — three-hundredths quicker than his season average — to get out on noted leaver Langdon.

Kalitta closed up that gap to just 17 points with a workmanlike 3.70 to beat Indy's most successful Top Fuel driver, Tony Schumacher, ending his return to "The Big Go" early on a 3,70 to .3.73 count, and Stewart kept pace with a 3.71 to 3.74 to get past Steve Torrence.

Low qualifier Brittany Force also turned heads, ripping to a speed of 343.51 mph, the fastest speed in history (supplanting her stunning 343.16 from the Sonoma race) on a 3.69 pass that beat Ida Zetterstrom, who had to step on the pedal of the JCM entry early. It's Force's 10th 340-mph pass of the season.

"To be able to do that at Indy,  in the first round, which is always the toughest round, and have a speed like that, I'm very proud of my team, and we're not done yet," said Force.

The round was packed with upsets as six of the lower-qualified cars (including Millican) advanced to the second frame.

Like Millican, No. 12-qualified Justin Ashley was also super ready when the Tree turned green, cutting an .036 light (.045 season average) and held on to beat Antron Brown on a holeshot, 3.72 to 3.70, despite losing a head gasket. In 34 rounds this season, Ashley has only left second twice. Ashley, whose father, Mike, won the U.S. Nationals in Funny Car title in 2007, has a solid history at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He won here during the COVID-19 abbreviated 2020 season and in both 2023 and 2024 won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. 

Indiana privateer Kyle Wurtzel, the No. 15 qualifier, contributed to the upset-filled round, taking his Dom Lagana-tuned dragster to his best run of the race, 3.76, to beat Jordan Vandergriff, who broke traction early in the run.

No. 14 qualifier Jasmine Salinas, who disappointingly DNQ'd here last year to take a bit of a shine off of her rookie season, beat sentimental favorite T.J. Zizzo to advance to the quarterfinals.

A defiant Salinas said, "A lot of people think that Scrappers Racing is done, and they've even asked us to scrub in their tires for them; we're not here to scrub in tires. We're here to win."

Tripp Tatum, in his return to racing after his crash at the season opener, defeated Josh Hart to move on. Like Wurtzel's car, Tatum's car is tuned by former teenage Top Fuel sensation John Stewart, so "Stewie" will be busy between rounds.

Second-round Top Fuel pairings (lane choice first): Brittany Force vs. Tripp Tatum; Doug Kalitta vs. Justin Ashley; Tony Stewart vs. Kyle Wurtzel; Clay Millican vs. Jasmine Salinas

***

Funny Car round one

Low qualifier Jack Beckman had an easy go in pursuit of a third U.S. Nationals win after No. 16 qualifier Justin Schreifer rolled the beams and fouled. Beckman reeled off a 3.883 and was followed a few pairs later by his John Force Racing teammate, Austin Prock, who ran a similar 3.881 to move past Julie Nattas.

Prock, who has already locked up the regular-season championship, won Sunday's All-Star Callout and would love to add to the JFR tradition of double-ups. In 1993 and 1996, John Force won both the U.S. Nationals and the Big Bud Shootout.  In 2004, Gary Densham, won both the U.S. Nationals and the Skoal Showdown with Jimmy Prock as crew chief. All told, JFR drivers have won 15 times at Indy — 14 times in Funny Car and once in Top Alcohol Dragster. 

The round win is Beckman's 500th in the class. That's eighth best in class history behind John Force (1460), Ron Capps (922), Cruz Pedregon (640), Robert Hight (626), Matt Hagan (569), Tony Pedregon (515), and Del Worsham (513), and he could easily pass both Tony P and Del by the end of this season.

Matt Hagan joined the 3.88 parade with a 3.887 to beat former Indy winner Cruz Pedregon, but low e.t. of the round belongs to Bob Tasca III, who ripped to a 3.869 to J.R. Todd's 3.89 and earn second-round lane choice over Prock. Tasca has never won the U.S. Nationals; he was twice a runner-up in Top Alcohol Funny Car (2006 and '07) and runner-up in his nitro burner to Mike Neff in 2011.

Ron Capps, who has been to the last two Indy finals — winning in 2023 and runner-upping last year — opened his Monday account with a holeshot win over Rookie of the year frontrunner Spencer Hyde, 3.876 to 3.869, tripping the win light by a razor-thin .002-second.

Blake Alexander, in his first race behind the wheel since the Epping event in June, advanced past his stablemate, Chad Green, with a 3.91, a four-hundredths improvement over his 3.95 qualifying pace, and Alexis DeJoria also looked sporty with a 3.90 to defeat tractionless Bobby Bode.

Paul Lee, who last year at this event had one of his biggest days with a win in the Callout event, raced to a 3.91 to Daniel Wilkerson, whose father, Tim, is a two-time Indy winner.

Second-round Funny Car pairings (lane choice first): Jack Beckman vs. Paul Lee; Matt Hagan vs. Alexis DeJoria; Bob Tasca III vs. Austin Prock; Ron Capps vs. Blake Alexander

***

Pro Stock round one

After five rounds of qualifying, the stage was set for Pro Stock Excitement in round 1. Just two points separate Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson as they charge for the Mission Foods NHRA regular season points championship. With $55,000 on the line, it will be fun to see if Glenn can outlast Anderson and maintain his lead by day’s end.

Regardless of the season championship, each of the 16 Pro Stock racers was tuned up and ready to go for the coveted Indy Wally trophy.

Number one qualifier Greg Anderson defeated Mason McGaha by running 6.496, the quickest run of the round. He will have lane choice and when he faces Fernando Cuadra Jr. in round two.

Holding a slight lead in the regular season points, Dallas Glenn was .038 on the tree and ran 6.498 at a track record 211.79 mph for the win over Stephen Bell who ran 6.55. “It was a pretty good run and close to Greg,” said Glenn. “It makes this thing interesting. I hope we can keep matching him and meet in the final.”

Cristian Cuadra used a holeshot to beat Cory Reed. Reed flickered the bulb while staging, and that likely cost him, as he had only had a .095 light. Cuadra ran 6.564 to best Reed’s quicker 6.465.

In a tight drag race, Matt Hartford used a .018 and ran 6.522 to defeat the better-qualified car of David Cuadra, who ran 6.552 with a .007 light.

Deric Kramer was ready for Aaron Stanfield, dropping the clutch to a .004 light, but it was enough to hold off Stanfield who outran him 6.521 to 6.533. Stanfield also ran 211.20 mph, showing his Elite power.

In a Coughlin family battle, Jeg Jr. scored a win when his nephew Cody left with a red light. Jeg Jr. was .059 on the tree and legged it out to a 6.554 at just 207.94 mph. “It ate itself up,” said Jeg Jr. “We’ll be changing engines for round 2.”

Number eight qualifier Fernando Cuadra Jr. gained a slight holeshot and then outran Eric Latino to move into round two, 6.538 to 6.544.

Second-round Pro Stock pairings (lane choice first): Greg Anderson vs Fernando Cuadra Jr.; Matt Hartford vs Cristian Cuadra; Dallas Glenn vs. Jeg Coughlin; Erica Enders vs Aaron Stanfield. 

***

Pro Stock Motorcycle round one

Angie Smith kicked off the round with a very respectable 6.838 aboard her Denso Buell to get the best of Kelly Clontz, who wasn’t far behind at 6.883. The Pro Stock Motorcycle riders have benefited from the same great conditions that led to track records on Top Fuel and Pro Stock, although they’re dealing with a slight crosswind.

Chase Van Sant matched Angie Smith’s run with a 6.833 of his own in a win against past Indy champ Steve Johnson.

Jianna Evaristo, who made several great runs in qualifying, appeared to be headed to the quarterfinals until her JHG Buell encountered a problem at half-track. As Evaristo slowed, Hector Arana Jr. motored to a 6.872 for the win.

John Hall got a single run after Marc Ingwersen was a no-show. That opens the door for Brayden Davis to make it into the Countdown should he win the first round.

Red-light by Ryan Oehler sent Matt Smith into the quarterfinals with a 6.776, the best run of the round, so far. The loss prevented Oehler from earning a spot in the Countdown.

Dystany Spurlock threw a .009 light at Brayden Davis, but that wasn’t enough to secure a win at Davis rode to a 6.770 to not only win the round, but secure a spot in the Countdown to the Championship. It’s still unclear if Davis will run the next six events, but he can finish no worse than tenth in the standings.

Richard Gadson raised the bar with a 6.744 in his win over Malcolm Phillips Jr., and also ran the first 200-mph run of the round. Gadson’s teammate, Gaige Herrera, made a nearly identical run in his win against Chris Bostick.

Round two Pro Stock Motorcycle pairings (lane choice first): Gaige Herrera vs. Angie Smith; Matt Smit vs. John Hall; Richard Gadson vs. Chase Van Sant; Brayden Davis vs. Hector Arana Jr.

***

Top Fuel round two

The battle for the regular-season championship roared into round two, and Tony Stewart moved past Shawn Langdon and into the points lead with a 3.80 victory over Kyle Wurtzel. Stewart won't have semifinal lane choice as the return of Jasmine Salinas continues as the second-generation racer ends Clayy Millian's five-round Indy streak with a 3.78 after Millian had to unstomp that loud pedal downtrack.

The championship became Stewart's a few pairs later after Justin Ashley defeated Doug Kalitta in a wild pedalfest. Ashley lit the win lamp with a 4.08.

"I woke up this morning feeling like something good was going to happen, and here we are: regular-season champions," said Stewart. "It's a tribute to this entire team that turned this car around over the winter. We needed a little luck, and we got it in round one with Shawn [Langdon losing] and that one right there with Doug."

Tripp Tatum scored a huge upset win over No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force, who had the parachutes deploy (possibly accidentally or possibly after the auto shutoff kicked in) early into her run. Tatum had troubles downtrack and coasted to a 4.60 win at just 215 mph. An Indy win remains one of the last remaining bucket list items for Force.

Top Fuel semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Tripp Tatum vs. Justin Ashley; Jasmine Salinas vs. Tony Stewart

***

Funny Car round two:

Alexis DeJoria left on Matt Hagan and scored her first win in three tries this season against the four-time world champ, winning with a solid 3.93 as she hunts for her second U.S. Nationals crown.

"It's rewarding when I can give one to the team after getting left on in round one," DeJoria said. "To say you cut a light on Matt Hagan is saying something. We have a great handle on this car."

DeJoria moved into eighth place with that win and can get as high as seventh if she wins the race.

Austin Prock ran his Indy win streak to six straight rounds with a 3.89 to beat tire-smoking Bob Tasca III, who went from round-one low e.t. setter to the trailer.

Blake Alexander ran his 2025 record against Ron Capps to a perfect 2-0, beating the two-time Indy winner on a holeshot, 3.925 to 3.914, winning by just .008-second.

The round ended with Paul Lee leading Jack Beckman for most of the run until the car gave out near the finish line, allowing Jack Beckman to get around him for the win in the last 100 feet of the course.

Funny Car semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Jack Beckman vs. Alexis DeJoria; Austin Prock vs. Blake Alexander

***

Pro Stock round two

With low elapsed time of the opening round, Greg Anderson took the left lane and staged against Fernando Cuadra Jr. Anderson needed the round win to keep pace with Dallas Glenn in the race for the regular season points chase. Cuadra left hard on Anderson (.016 to .058) but Anderson’s Camaro shook the tires, while Cuadra drove away for the win with a 6.756. The upset handed the regular season championship to Dallas Glenn and secures his position as the top seed for the championship chase.

Matt Hartford had a slight elapsed time advantage based on round one times over Cristian Cuadra, who qualified fourth in the tough Indy field. At the drop of the clutch, it was Hartford with a .006 and a reaction-time advantage, but both cars shook the tires, causing the drivers to momentarily lift. Hartford recovered first and ran 6.995 to hold off Cuadra’s 7.344.

Based on round one elapsed times, the closest race looked to be between teammates Erica Enders, who previously ran 6.515 to earn lane choice over Aaron Stanfield (6.521). The drama continued when the tree dropped. Stanfield matted the throttle and his engine died on the spot, while Enders was green and powered to a 6.540 at 211.00 mph.

After running a track record 211.79 mph in round one, Dallas Glenn was set to race Jeg Coughlin Jr. who got by when his nephew Cody redlighted. Glenn continued his perfect season record against Jeg, making it 4-0 after running 6.524 to Jeg’s 6.572.

Semifinal Pro Stock pairings (lane choice first): Fernando Cuadra Jr. vs.Matt Hartford; Dallas Glenn vs. Erica Enders

***

Pro Stock Motorcycle round two

Gaige Herrera is the regular-season champion in Pro Stock Motorcycle after taking care of business against Angie Smith. Herrera ran a 6.778 to finish well ahead of Smith’s 6.853.

Richard Gadson joined his V&H teammates Davis and Herrera in the semifinals after topping Chase Van Sant in the quarterfinals, 6.824 to 6.873.

Matt Smith is headed to the semifinals after a narrow 6.825 to 6.844 win against his teammate, John Hall. The race was a rematch of the 2013 Indy final, where Hall got the best of Smith.

Brayden Davis suffered his second mechanical failure of the weekend when his Vance & Hines Suzuki stalled on the starting line, yet he’s headed to his third-straight semifinal after opponent Hector Arana Jr. red-lighted. Afterwards, Davis admitted that he double-clutched the bike.

Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinal pairings (lane choice first): Gaige Herrera vs. Matt Smith; Richard Gadson vs. Brayden Davis

***

Top Fuel semifinals

None of the four Top Fuel semifinalists has ever won the U.S. Nationals, but Justin Ashley, who was a dazzling .034 on the Tree to get out on tire-smoking Tripp Tatum, will get a chance to match the feat of his father, Mike, who won the 2007 Indy Funny Car crown. It's the junior Ashley's first trip to the Indy final round.

"This is totally awesome," said Ashley. "What a great opportunity it is to just roll through the gates and race at the U.S. Nationals, but to go to the final is just a dream come true."

Ashley's 3.80 will have final-round lane choice against new regular-season champ Tony Stewart, who raced to an easy 3.83 after Jasmine Salinas smoked the tires early in her run.

***

Funny Car semifinals

Low qualifier "Fast Jack" Beckman was fast until he got well downtrack when the car slowed after apparently pitching the blower belt, but Alexis DeJoria had already conceded the round after smoking the tires a few hundred feet into the run.

Austin Prock will have lane choice in the final round after a strong 3.93 after Blake Alexander followed DeJoria up in smoke.

John Force Racing is guaranteed its 16th U.S. Nationals win, 15 of which will have come in Funny Car. Beckman has two previous Indy wins (both with Don Schumacher racing) while prock is the defending champ for JFR.

***

Pro Stock semifinals

With a bid to the U.S. Nationals final on the line, Matt Hartford took on his third Cuadra of the day, Fernando Jr. Cuadra had just beaten low qualifier Greg Anderson and was looking to take down his third KB Titan opponent in a row. Cuadra left first, but Hartford quickly made up the difference, running 6.551for the win. Hartford will have lane choice over Enders as he goes for his second U.S. Nationals title.

Not satisfied with winning the regular-season championship, Dallas Glenn came to the semifinal match ready to fight. He set low elapsed time in round 2 with a 6.52 and had set a track record 211.79 mph earlier in the day. His opponent, six-time champion Erica Enders, was enjoying a resurgence and had run 6.54 in the previous round. This race ended on the starting line with Dallas going red when he matted the throttle. At that moment his Camaro jumped forward causing a red light, while Enders was .023 and shifted her way to a 6.566 at 211 mph.

***

 Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals

Four races into his Pro Stock Motorcycle career and Brayden Davis is going to race for a Wally at the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals. Davis gave up an early advantage to teammate Richard Gadson but recovered to win, 6.811 to 6.867. Davis has been to at least the semifinals in each of his three starts with the Vance & Hines team.

Davis will face a tough hurdle in the final when he races against two-time world champ Gaige Herrera, who made it to the final after Matt Smith red-lighted by .003-second. Had Smith not fouled, it would have been a great race as both bikes ran within a thousandth of each other. Davis will have lane choice in his first career final.

***

 LUCAS OIL DRAG RACING SERIES RESULTS

TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Shawn Cowie def. Jamie Noonan

TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
Shane Westerfield def. Annie Whiteley

COMPETITION
Bob Bailey def. Doug Engels

SUPER STOCK
Tyler Caheely def. Joe Santangelo  

STOCK
Jimmy DeFrank def. Todd Hoven

SUPER COMP
Landon Exner def. Vance Houston  

SUPER GAS
Mike McMasters def. Bob Locke

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP DRAGSTER 
Jim Prevo def. Holden Laris

RIGHT TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN
Darian Boesch def. Jimmy Lewis

FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN
Taylor Dietsch def. Ray Nash

CONGRUITY PRO MOD
Mike Stavrinos def. Derek Menholt

HOLLEY EFI FACTORY X
Conner Statler def. Lenny Lottig