NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Funny Car standout Jack Beckman powered to the top of the field in front of a sellout crowd Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway, securing his third No. 1 qualifier of the 2026 season for John Force Racing at the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Beckman went 3.866 seconds at 332.59 mph in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS to open Saturday, holding off the field through the final qualifying session to earn his 36th career No. 1 qualifier.

The veteran and past world champion will open eliminations against Dale Creasy Jr. as he looks for his second St. Louis victory in the past three years. Beckman entered the weekend fifth in points for John Force Racing and 126 points behind leader Matt Hagan, putting him in a position where a deep run on Sunday is crucial to his championship hopes.

“Relative to the conditions, that pass was probably one of the best runs of the year,” Beckman said. “We weren’t pushing to run an .86. We got everything there was out there — maybe a little bit more. The racing gods gave us a hundredth in Q3. We weren’t pushing to run an .86, but we got everything there was out there.

“We’ve got a car that’s basically good enough to win all the time. It’s just about eliminating that small stuff — that hundredth of a second, that five-thousandth of a second that can eat you alive. Every qualifying run matters. We’ve got to keep doing stuff like that.”

Alexis DeJoria, Hagan and Austin Prock all posted identical 3.882-second elapsed times. DeJoria qualified second, Hagan third and Prock fourth, setting up a loaded top half of the Funny Car ladder heading into Sunday.

In Top Fuel, points leader Langdon continued his spectacular playoff run, securing his seventh No. 1 qualifier of the season when Friday’s 3.679 at 339.87 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster held up through both of Saturday’s sessions.

Langdon has won the first two races of the Countdown to the Championship and three consecutive events dating back to the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. It is his second three-race winning streak of the season, and another victory Sunday would further strengthen his bid for a second Top Fuel world championship.

He will open eliminations against Tony Schumacher as he looks for his eighth victory of the season and a perfect 3-for-3 start to the Countdown.

“The car’s been really consistent making good runs, so in Q4 we pressed it a little bit to see where the threshold was,” Langdon said. “It had good early numbers. We were trying to go probably low .70s there, and it just smoked the tires down track.”

Antron Brown qualified second with a 3.704, while rookie Maddi Gordon earned the No. 3 position with a 3.708. Gordon also blasted to 340.65 mph during qualifying to set the track speed record.

In Pro Stock, Troy Coughlin Jr.’s resurgence in the Countdown to the Championship continued in St. Louis, where he picked up his first No. 1 qualifier in three years thanks to Friday’s track-record run of 6.473 at 211.69 mph in his JEGS Chevrolet Camaro for Elite Motorsports.

Coughlin broke through in a major way to open the playoffs, winning the Countdown opener in Martin, Mich., and that momentum continued at World Wide Technology Raceway. He delivered a string of quick and consistent runs throughout qualifying and will attempt to earn his second victory in three Countdown races when eliminations begin Sunday.

Coughlin will meet Chris Vang in the opening round.

“It feels awesome. To be at this facility — this place is so much fun to race at — this one will definitely go down as a good one in our hearts. We can’t wait for race day,” Coughlin said. “It’s a lot of fun to see everybody’s work pay off. Everything comes and goes in cycles, and to see the perseverance, persistence and consistency these guys possess is fantastic.

“It’s difficult to struggle, but struggle brings growth. Those are stepping stones for growth, and I think that’s the way we all view it. The fruits of their labor are starting to show, and the grins are getting bigger and bigger. What a great time to really turn the corner like this.”

Points leader Greg Stanfield qualified second with a 6.474 and a class-best 211.93 mph, while six-time world champion Greg Anderson will start third after his 6.479 at 210.50.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Herrera saved his best for last.

The two-time world champion already owned the track record at World Wide Technology Raceway, but he lowered it considerably to close qualifying, delivering a spectacular 6.644 at 202.76 mph aboard his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

The run gave Herrera his third No. 1 qualifier of the season and provided an emphatic finish to qualifying for the rider who entered the weekend second in points and seeking a late-season charge toward a third consecutive world championship.

Herrera will open eliminations against Malcolm Phillips Jr.

“It felt really good. It stuck, and I was kind of waiting for it to spin the tire a little bit, but it didn’t. I could feel like it was really moving,” Herrera said. “To go .64 and only be two-hundredths off the national record I set in Dallas a couple years ago is pretty crazy. I thought maybe a .65 if everything aligned, but not a .64.

“That’s a testament to Andrew (Hines, crew chief) and his tuning ability and all the guys at the shop. Those numbers on the board are bragging rights for them. I’m just happy I get to ride the motorcycle.”

Matt Smith qualified second with a 6.663 and recorded a 203.12-mph run during Saturday’s final session. Joey Gladstone, riding for Jianna Evaristo, qualified third with a 6.695 at 202.45. Points leader Richard Gadson will start seventh following his 6.729 at 202.06.

Eliminations for the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals begin at 10 a.m. CT Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 17th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel — 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.679 seconds, 339.87 mph vs. 16. Tony Schumacher, 3.842, 320.20; 2. Antron Brown, 3.704, 337.24 vs. 15. Clay Millican, 3.760, 323.19; 3. Maddi Gordon, 3.708, 340.65 vs. 14. Will Smith, 3.742, 332.75; 4. Spencer Massey, 3.715, 332.67 vs. 13. Jasmine Salinas, 3.741, 327.11; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.716, 338.00 vs. 12. Justin Ashley, 3.737, 331.36; 6. Josh Hart, 3.717, 333.41 vs. 11. Tony Stewart, 3.733, 337.50; 7. Shawn Reed, 3.721, 333.49 vs. 10. Doug Kalitta, 3.728, 339.45; 8. Leah Pruett, 3.722, 335.07 vs. 9. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.723, 332.59.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Keith Murt, 3.862, 307.09; 18. Scott Palmer, 3.973, 281.07; 19. Charles Loftin, 4.044, 249.16; 20. Brian Inouye, 4.159, 247.47; 21. Cameron Ferre, 4.169, 228.34.

Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.866, 332.59 vs. 16. Dale Creasy Jr., Dodge Charger, 4.234, 238.17; 2. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.882, 334.65 vs. 15. Bobby Bode, Ford Mustang, 4.047, 319.90; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.882, 335.07 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.028, 315.19; 4. Austin Prock, Mustang, 3.882, 332.84 vs. 13. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.994, 327.35; 5. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.898, 336.07 vs. 12. Blake Alexander, Toyota Supra, 3.958, 327.66; 6. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.906, 329.99 vs. 11. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.945, 327.35; 7. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.906, 329.26 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.928, 321.27; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.921, 325.22 vs. 9. Dave Richards, Mustang, 3.923, 333.74.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Chris King, 4.265, 244.34; 18. Jack Wyatt, 7.299, 94.35.

Pro Stock — 1. Troy Coughlin Jr., Chevy Camaro, 6.473, 211.69 vs. 16. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.548, 209.79; 2. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.474, 211.93 vs. 15. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.548, 210.87; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.479, 210.50 vs. 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.531, 209.95; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.481, 211.49 vs. 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.531, 211.10; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.486, 210.73 vs. 12. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.510, 209.65; 6. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.487, 211.46 vs. 11. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.498, 210.93; 7. Jeg Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.488, 210.47 vs. 10. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.495, 210.70; 8. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.489, 209.49 vs. 9. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.491, 211.63.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.644, 202.76 vs. 14. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.895, 192.36; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.663, 203.12 vs. 13. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.865, 195.42; 3. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.695, 202.45 vs. 12. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.841, 199.29; 4. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.696, 201.01 vs. 11. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.830, 199.43; 5. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.699, 202.21 vs. 10. Clayton Howey, Buell, 6.783, 197.88; 6. John Hall, Buell, 6.707, 202.03 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.745, 199.02; 7. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.729, 202.06 vs. 8. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.742, 200.59.