NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson, Matt Smith, and Dan Fletcher have been announced as the second group of new members of NHRA’s Top 75 Drivers list. Five new additions to the prestigious list will be unveiled each Monday through Feb. 2. Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight, Erica Enders, Andrew Hines, and Peter Biondo were the first five.

As part of NHRA’s 75th Anniversary celebration in 2026, a panel of drag racing experts was convened to expand the Top 50 Drivers list from NHRA’s 2001 50th Anniversary season to a roster of the Top 75 Drivers from the NHRA’s first three-quarters of a century. These are the next five of 25 additions.

Brown’s need for speed took him from Olympic sprinter potential to NHRA superstardom. A former Pro Stock Motorcycle standout, he became NHRA’s first Black champion in NHRA’s Professional ranks in 2012 and the first racer to win in both bikes and Top Fuel. Through 2025, Brown owns four Top Fuel championships and 80 career wins.

“I'm overwhelmed by this,” said Brown. “It’s a pretty awesome accomplishment to be mentioned among all my heroes that I grew up watching in the sport. I was just a kid from Chesterfield, N.J., with a dream, and now, to be a part of that club, man, it's kind of like putting the coat on as part of the NFL Hall of Fame. This is something that you always dream about, but you just never know that you're going to achieve that. I am truly honored.”

Three-time Funny Car champion Capps has built one of NHRA’s most accomplished careers, earning 77 victories, including two at the prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals. From early Top Fuel success to Funny Car stardom as a hired driver for Don Prudhomme and Don Schumacher, he launched his own team in 2022 and will add a second car in 2026, in Top Fuel.

“This is a huge honor,” said Capps. ”I remember when the Top 50 list came out, there were people that were legitimately heroes of mine that didn't make that list, and it just showed you how the sport has been throughout the years, so to be mentioned with those original 50 drivers is beyond what I ever dreamed of. It doesn't even calculate to me that I'm in that same group … just a kid who grew up in the sport, loved it, and got to make a living doing it, but also very lucky to have been around Wally Parks at the beginning of my career, when Don Prudhomme hired me, so it means even more to me.”

Anderson is the winningest Pro Stock driver in NHRA history, amassing more than 100 victories and 1,000 round-wins and six world championships. Rising from Minnesota roots to crew chief for fellow Top 75 Driver Warren Johnson and then into the cockpit himself, he has set multiple records and led the expansive KB Titan Racing stable of drivers.

"Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind is that the original list is full of legends who were heroes of mine," said Anderson. "I certainly never considered myself to be in that category. I can't lie, this honor is certainly not expected on my side. I'm still having fun trying to do this. I'm not worried yet about what's happened in the past, or numbers or anything like that, but when I get done, that's when I'll look back at it and say, 'That's really awesome.' But I am shocked and honored. It's fantastic just to be mentioned with those kinds of guys."

With 42 wins, 59 No. 1 qualifiers, a 205.04-mph record, and championships spanning 2007–2022, six-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Smith ranks among the sport’s all-time great two-wheeled warriors. Smith races, tunes, and consistently finishes in the Top 10, not just with his entry but those of his multiple teammates, including his wife, Angie.

“It’s truly an honor to be named to such a prestigious list of racers,” said Smith. “When I started in 2005, my goal was to just win a Wally. After 20 years, I’m tied for the most championships in Pro Stock Motorcycle with six, and I’m the only current racer striving to get seven NHRA titles. If I can accomplish the seventh championship, then that will leave an even larger footprint in the history of NHRA. I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to dedicate my life to this NHRA journey.”

Fletcher, regarded as one of NHRA’s greatest Sportsman careers, is a three-time world champion with more than 100 national event wins. He has claimed victories in six different classes, achieved rare double event wins, and remains a threat decades after his rise, often sharing the winner’s circle with his sons and his iconic ’69 Camaro.

“This is quite an honor,” said Fletcher. “As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m not big on being in the spotlight, but this is different. It’s truly humbling. I was recently inducted into the Division 1 Hall of Fame, and that was pretty awesome, but to make the list of 75 greatest drivers in NHRA history is on a whole different level. To be included with so many legendary names, I could not be more honored. It was cool to win 100 races, but this is probably the biggest honor of my career. When you think of all the people who have raced, and who have been successful, the gravity of this isn’t lost on me.”

The original Top 50 Drivers remain a foundational part of the new Top 75 Drivers list, with historical figures such as Don Garlits, John Force, Don Prudhomme, and Shirley Muldowney celebrated alongside current stars, with the full list showcasing NHRA’s best across all eras.

The 25 new additions were selected for their excellence over the last 25 years and include the best from NHRA’s Professional and Sportsman classes.

When the list is completely revealed, fans can purchase a commemorative book saluting the Top 75 Drivers, a keepsake packed with photos and profiles of each of the 75 drivers.

"2026's Class of 75" to date: Greg Anderson, Peter Biondo, Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Erica Enders, Dan Fletcher, Robert Hight, Andrew Hines, Matt Smith, and Tony Schumacher.

Original  Top 50  Racers (2001)
Joe Amato	Brad Anderson	Dale Armstrong	Pat Austin	Raymond Beadle
Gary Beck	Kenny Bernstein	Willie Borsch	Art Chrisman	Jack Chrisman
Jim Dunn	Malcolm Durham	John Force	Don Garlits	Bob Glidden
Darrell Gwynn	Frank Hawley	Eddie Hill	Tommy Ivo	Bill Jenkins
Blaine Johnson	Warren Johnson	Connie Kalitta	Chris Karamesines	Dick LaHaie
Jim Liberman	Frank Manzo	Ed McCulloch	Tom McEwen	Billy Meyer
George Montgomery	Shirley Muldowney	John Mulligan	Don Nicholson	Danny Ongais
Don Prudhomme	David Rampy	Edmond Richardson	Scotty Richardson	Pete Robinson
Dave Schultz	Lee Shepherd	Gene Snow	Ronnie Sox	Richard Tharp
Mickey Thompson	Elmer Trett	Terry Vance	Ken Veney	James Warren