NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Top Fuel Q3/Mission Challenge semi's

This is the first event that features the new Saturday schedule where Top Fuel and Funny Car run ahead of Pro Stock both sessions (originally scheduled for Gainesville, where Saturday was lost to rain), giving the nitro teams better data for Sunday’s first round and giving the fans an early treat. The session kicked off at 11:30 a.m. in cooler conditions than they would have had running around 12:30.

The opening qualifying sessions will also include the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge rematches from the Gatornationals.

Tony Stewart, who only took part in two of the Challenges last year, upset Antron Brown, a two-time #2Fast2Tasty winner last year when Brown’s Matco Tools car — again not running the “mud flap” air deflectors — smoked the tires at midtrack and watched Stewart race into the final with a 3.77.

Jasmine Salinas, who reached her first career semifinal in Top Fuel two weeks ago in Gainesville, was participating in her first Mission Challenge and faced off with last year’s Sonoma Mission Challenge champ Shawn Langdon, who had the deflectors back on after running without last night. Langdon raced to a 3.80 to 3.84 win to set up his final-round race with Stewart.

Friday’s low qualifier, Doug Kalitta, also had the best run of the session with a 3.74, also with the “mud flaps” back on, while Stewart’s 3.77 was second-best and Brittany Force — again running without the side deflectors — was third at 3.802. Shawn Reed also ran without the “mud flaps” but smoked the tires early.

It was great to see John Force back in the house as he called the action in the Top Fuel session alongside Jason Galvin, sharing insights about his team and sponsors and doing color commentary alongside Galvin.

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Funny Car Q3/Mission Challenge semi's

Jack Beckman had the quickest time of the third session with a stout 3.92 that was a half-tenth quicker than Cruz Pedregon’s next-best effort of 3.97; it was Pedregon’s best run of the race as he didn’t make it down on either of his Friday passes.

Four-time world champ Matt Hagan flexed those credentials in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty eliminations, scoring revenge of Chad Green from Gainesville, beating him on a 3.99 to 3.98 holeshot. Even though Green lost, it was a nice rebound from Friday’s starting-line blower boomer with what was the third best run of the session.

Ron Capps will face Hagan in the #2Fast2Tasty final after driving around Alexis DeJoria’s holeshot for a 3.99 to 4.19 victory after she lifted when the pipes went wet.

J.R. Todd and new crew chief Dickie Venables put down their second three-second pass o the weekend; when asked about the challenges of coming to a new team, Venables cited car weight — specifically driver weight, between his former driver, Matt “Hulk” Hagan, and the much smaller and lighter Todd — as one of the biggest adjustments he’s had to make.

After having the parachutes accidentally deploy early on both runs Friday, Dave Richards’ team reconfigured their parachute-release system. The good news is that it didn’t deploy early this time; the bad news is that it didn’t deploy at all on a 4.24 run, but Firebird has a long shutdown area and he was able to get the Bluebird Turf Ford stopped without damage,

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Pro Stock Q3/Mission Challenge semi's

Dallas Glenn, a previous two-time winner in the Mission Challenge, made his way to another final round, outrunning Cory Reed with a 6.551 to Reed’s off-pace 6.56.

The other half of the #2Fast2Tsty Challenge was a classic Greg vs. Jeg — Greg Anderson vs. Jeg Coughlin Jr. — faceoff and Coughlin parlayed a four-hundredths starting-line lead into a 6.574 to 6.550 holeshot win and will face Glenn for the Mission Challenge title.

Anderson’s run was the best of the round and Glenn’s second; Anderson was also quickest in Q1 and second in Q2 last night, so he’s got a real hot rod,

Eric Latino’s solid 6.553 was third best making for a clean sweep of bonus points for the KB Titan Racing team, and Reed, also out of that camp, was fourth.

Low qualifier Matt Hartford shook the tires on his attempt and shut off.

Gatornationals Pro Mod semifinals

"Tricky Rickie" Smith will face off against Mike Stavrinos in the final round of the rain-delayed Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Pro Mod race. Eliminations for that race have been running concurrently with Arizona Nationals qualifying.

Smith, who has damaged a pile of parts this race and currently is not even qualified for the Arizona Nationals field, defeated Jason Scruggs, who got out to a big headstart but had to lift downtrack and Smith won with a 5.85. Stavrinos, meanwhile, defeated his AAP teammate JR Gray after both ran 5.74 passes.

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Top Fuel Q4/Mission Challenge final

Shawn Langdon claimed the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge title of 2025, outrunning Tony Stewart, 3.805 to 3.844, denying Stewart what would have been his first Top Fuel victory of any kind. Langdon dedicated the win to the team's clutch specialist, Jeff Leister, who didn't make the trip after suffering som health issues after the Gainesville event.

Antron Brown had low e.t. of the session with a 3.800 with the side deflectors back on the car while Langdon’s run was second-best for the session. Jasmine Salinas impressed with a 3.808 to get a bonus point.

All of the teams, save for Shawn Ree,d elected to run the “mud flaps” this session.

Doug Kalitta, who ran 3.820 on crew chief Alan Johnson's birthday, remained the low qualifier and will take on Travis Shumake in round one Sunday with a second-round bye going to the winner. Shumake did not run the final session but joined Jason Galvin and Jordan Vandergriff in the announcing booth to provide some color commentary.

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Funny Car Q4/Mission Challenge final

Ron Capps scored the win in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, defeating Matt Hagan with a 3.98 after Hagan lost traction at halftrack.

Capps’ run was one of only four three-second passes in the heat, with Jack Beckman again leading the way with a 3.930, followed by J.R> Todd’s 3.943 and Austin Prock’s 3.951.

Friday leader Bob Tasca III remained no. 1 with his 3.863 but didn’t make a full pull on either pass today.

The parachute travails of Dave Richards continued for the fourth straight round as the ‘chutes again deployed prematurely, but this time well downtrack.

Jon Capps got the locally-based Winefsky family’s Nitro Moose into the program in the No. 15 spot with a 4.65, cagily lifting to avoid crossing the centerline, then held on as Buddy Hull and class rookie Spencer Hyde tried to bump him, but only Hull could get around him with a 4.24; Hyde will finish as a DNQ for the second straight race in his young career with Jim Head. Capps, the No. 16 qualifier, will face Tasca in round one.

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Pro Stock Q4/Mission Challenge final

They don’t call him “The Natural” for no reason, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. showed why he’s still one of the elite drivers in the sport, winning both rounds of the Mission challenge on a holeshot. After beating world champ Greg Anderson in round one he beat Anderson’s teammate, Dallas Glenn, in the final, leaving on the noted starting-line artist. 026 to .051, and winning on a 6.58 to 6.57 count.

Glenn’s 6.570 was low for the session, matched by Anderson’s duplicate number, but Glenn’s superior speed, 210.37 to 208.39, gave him the No. 1 spot.

Davud Cuadra’s 6.579 was a pleasant surprise as the session’s third-best run.

Brandon Foster ended up on the bump sot with a 6.590 and will take on Matt Hartford in round one Sunday. Hartford remained No, 1 as no one could top his Friday 6.509 in the heat.

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Gatornationals Pro Mod final

Mike Stavrinos scored his first NHRA national event win, taking a final-round decision in the rain-delayed Gatornationals eliminations over the class; most experienced and successful racer, Rickie Smith, 5.75 to 5.79.