NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The Texas NHRA FallNationals wrapped up the annual Stampede of Speed with a stampede of interesting developments that kept the Texas fans on their feet. Here's our five big takeaways.

MOTORPLEX DELIVERS AGAIN

Ever since it opened in the mid-1980s, Texas Motorplex has delivered Texas-sized performances. At its first national event in 1986, Darrell Gwynn set both ends of the national record at 5.261 and 278.55 mph, the Top Fuel field sported a record bubble, and Kenny Bernstein became the first Funny Car driver in the 5.40s to lead a record field.

Forty years later, the world’s first purpose-built all-concrete quarter-mile is still delivering. The incoming Pro Stock national e.t. record was bettered multiple times en route to setting the class’ record-quick field with everyone in the 6.40s; prior to this weekend, the record bump was 6.53.

Career bests and track records came in every class. Shawn Langdon made the season’s quickest Top Fuel pass and Tony Stewart the sixth fastest of all time.

Yep, the old gal still has it.

THERE’S NO SURE THING

Someone famous once said, “We don’t race ‘em on paper,” meaning that no matter what the stats say about a performance or head-to-head advantage, there are no for-sures in drag racing.

Sunday at the Texas FallNationals emphasized that fact with a series of upsets that changed the championship races in a number of ways.

The biggest shocker was Pro Stock points leader Greg Stanfield shaking the tires right onto the trailer in round one, giving Dallas Glenn, Matt Hartford, Greg Anderson, Troy Coughlin Jr. — second through fifth in points — new life. It was just the third first-round loss of the season for Stanfield.

Doug Kalitta, second in Top Fuel points behind teammate Shawn Langdon, inexplicably smoked the tires in round two, marking just the fourth time in 18 events that he hasn’t reached at least the semifinals. Behind him, third-place Tony Stewart and fourth-place Leah Pruett also went out in round two. Pruett, Stewart, and Kalitta came into that round a combined 9-1 against Antron Brown, Justin Ashley, and Maddi Gordon.

Funny Car world champ Austin Prock double-stepped the gas and fouled in round two and was joined on the sidelines by tire-smoking low qualifier Jack Beckman, eliminating Nos. 3 and 4 in points from the event.

Two-time world champ Gaige Herrera, locked in a tight battle with Vance & Hines teammate and points leader Richard Gadson, lost on a holeshot in round two to Steve Johnson, who made career-best passes in the first two rounds. Add in fourth-place John Hall’s round-one loss, and there were upsets aplenty.

NHRA: IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR

Mark Pawuk and son Kyle became the 17th tandem of a parent and child to win at the same event, with Mark taking the win in Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown and Kyle scoring his first career win in Super Gas. Earlier this year in Norwalk, Doug Gordon won in Top Alcohol Funny Car, while daughter Maddi scored her first in Top Fuel.

Dave Connolly and father Ray are standouts, having doubled three times, with Dave in Pro Stock and Ray in Super Gas (Chicago 2004, St. Louis 2007, and 2008 Bristol).

Lee Hartman, runner-up behind Mark Pawuk, had to beat his son, Matt, in round two to reach the final, and year in and year out we’ve seen intra-family father-son battles like Greg and Aaron Stanfield, Chris and Mason McGaha, Eric and Matt Latino, and, this year, Greg and Cody Anderson in Pro Stock and Hector Arana Sr. and Jr. in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Husband and wife Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett in Top Fuel and Matt and Angie Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle are battling it out this year.

THREE-SECOND FC FIELD, WHERE ART THOU?

Once again, Funny Car fans were on the edge of their seats as the possibility of the first all-three-second field once again presented itself only to disappointingly fall one car short — again.

It has been more than 15 years since Matt Hagan made the first three-second run in Funny Car history (Sept. 16, 2011), and although there were an incredible 36 three-second runs during qualifying, we only got 15 of the 20 cars into the threes. Even Jack Beckman, who was on the other end of the bump spot in the No. 1 position, was disappointed.

“You need three things to get an all-three-second field: a lot of cars … check. A good racetrack with cooperative weather … check; and then all four qualifying sessions … check. We got them all. They're just nitro Funny Cars, and it's just the nature of the beast,” Beckman said Saturday. “It's likely not going to happen until we get another race with cooperative weather, decent track conditions, and 19 or 20 cars to throw darts at that board during qualifying, and everybody needs to get four runs. I really was hoping that between Chris King and Jeff Arend and Terry Haddock and Jim Campbell, who are all capable of reeling off three-second runs, would do it. It just — I guess it wasn't meant to be. I'll tell you this: The fan in me waited up there [at the top end] until all those cars ran because I truly was hoping to see a little bit of history made today.”

This is the fourth time in history that we've had 15 three-second qualifiers (including 2019 Indy, 2025 Pomona 1, and 2016 Pomona 2), and we're still looking for that first all-three-second field. Terry Haddock ended up on the bump with a career-best 4.038 but told me Sunday morning he broke the rear end at 800 feet and it would otherwise have been that elusive three. We ended up being only the seventh-quickest Funny Car field in history. The record-quick field remains 4.005 at the 2019 NHRA U.S. Nationals.

Maybe the NHRA Finals? Come on, guys and gals. Let’s see it.

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Pro Stock fuel-injected, flat-hood era, which began in 2016, is winding down its final three races before hood scoops and carburetors return in 2027, and NHRA fans at Texas Motorplex got the first look at the future during exhibition runs this weekend with a menacing all-black Camaro out of the Elite Motorsports camp.

With Sportsman veteran Mike DePalma Jr. behind the wheel, the car clocked runs of 6.515 at 211.69 mph, 6.476 at 212.90, 6.491 at 211.59, and 6.488 at 211.46, three of which would have qualified it for the event’s Pro Stock field. Not bad for the very first runs down the track.

Elite’s Richard Freeman, who led the project, touted the combination’s tune-up ease, which should reduce manpower and brain drain, and the beauty of no longer scooping air inches from a hot racetrack as is the case with the current snorkel setup.

He expects the combination will probably take a half season to realize its true potential and expects e.t.s to drop by several hundredths so that we may be flirting with a 6.3-second Pro Stocker. The car will test again on Monday after the event.

Kenny Delco and Mason McGaha are expected to make exhibition runs in Las Vegas in the 2027-edition cars.

And speaking of Elite and the future, team Pro Stock drivers Aaron Stanfield and Erica Enders will work on completing their Top Fuel licensing runs on Monday at the Motorplex. Stanfield will be in Leah Pruett's car and Enders in the Elite team chassis. One or both may make an appearance in the class next year, but it's really a 2028 projection, reliant on sponsorship funding.