NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

After a spectacular Friday night under the clear blue sky and evening lights, the pressure shifts higher Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns for the final two qualifying sessions of the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals.

The third of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship has reached a pivotal day. Teams will have two more opportunities to improve their positions, earn valuable qualifying bonus points and secure a place in Sunday’s elimination field.

Alexis DeJoria, Shawn Langdon, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Gaige Herrera enter Saturday as the provisional No. 1 qualifiers following a fast and tightly contested opening day in St. Louis.

In Top Fuel, Langdon continued one of the most impressive stretches of his career by making the quickest run in each of Friday’s two sessions.

The Kalitta Motorsports driver opened with a 3.679-second pass at 339.87 mph and returned under the lights with a 3.682 at 338.51 mph to claim the UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog bonus. Langdon’s opening run gives him a commanding .025-second advantage over Antron Brown’s 3.704 heading into Saturday.

Maddi Gordon is third with a 3.708, followed by Spencer Massey at 3.715 and Billy Torrence at 3.716. Doug Kalitta, Tony Stewart, Justin Ashley, Leah Pruett and several other leading contenders will be looking to move forward after encountering problems during Friday night’s session.

Langdon arrived in St. Louis having won three consecutive events, including the first two races of the Countdown, and Saturday offers him an opportunity to add another No. 1 qualifier to his dominant playoff run.

Funny Car produced Friday’s closest battle for the provisional pole.

DeJoria and points leader Matt Hagan recorded identical 3.882-second elapsed times, but DeJoria holds the No. 1 position based on her faster 334.65-mph speed from the opening session. Hagan’s 3.882 at 331.85 was the quickest run of Q2 and earned him the UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog bonus.

Jack Beckman is close behind with a 3.888, while J.R. Todd recorded a 3.898 at a session-best 336.07 mph. Chad Green and recent Michigan winner Jordan Vandergriff both ran 3.906, adding further depth to a competitive Funny Car field.

Several major championship contenders still need to capitalize on Saturday’s remaining opportunities. Reigning world champion Austin Prock lost traction on both Friday runs, while Ron Capps also encountered tire shake during the night session. With a full field of Funny Cars fighting for 16 positions, the final two rounds could significantly reshuffle the order.

Pro Stock enters Saturday with the tightest qualifying field of the weekend.

Coughlin moved to the top Friday night with a 6.473 at 211.69 mph, edging points leader Greg Stanfield’s 6.474 by just one-thousandth of a second. Greg Anderson sits third with a 6.479, followed by Aaron Stanfield’s 6.483 and Matt Hartford’s 6.486.

Just .018-second separates Coughlin from Erica Enders in the No. 8 position, and all eight of the quickest cars have run 6.491 or better. With championship contenders packed throughout the top half of the field, every qualifying bonus point available Saturday could have postseason implications.

Dallas Glenn is among the drivers looking for a major improvement after encountering trouble in Friday’s second session. Deric Kramer, Matt Latino, Chris Vang and rookie Cody Anderson will also be trying to strengthen their positions before the field is finalized.

Herrera delivered one of Friday’s most impressive performances in Pro Stock Motorcycle, riding to a 6.666 at 202.03 mph to take the provisional No. 1 position and the UsedHotDogs.com Top Dog bonus.

Angie Smith is second with a 6.696, just one-thousandth ahead of Joey Gladstone’s 6.697. John Hall, Matt Smith and Ryan Oehler complete a group of six riders who ran 6.712 or better during the night session.

Herrera has won the St. Louis event three consecutive times, but he enters Saturday chasing reigning world champion and current points leader Richard Gadson. With the Countdown reaching its midpoint, securing the No. 1 starting position and the accompanying qualifying bonus points would provide Herrera with another opportunity to reduce Gadson’s championship advantage.

Saturday will also feature the completion of qualifying and the opening round of eliminations in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports. The Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown will complete qualifying and the final of the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by Mopar before beginning eliminations for Midwest Nationals later in the afternoon, while competitors in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series continue racing throughout the day.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying begins with Top Fuel and Funny Car at noon, followed by Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle at 1 p.m. The final nitro qualifying session is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., with Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle closing professional qualifying at 3:30 p.m.

Final eliminations begin Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.

Every event ticket is also a pit pass, giving fans an up-close view as teams service their 12,000-horsepower race cars between rounds, along with access to driver autograph opportunities and the NHRA Manufacturers Midway.

Tickets may be purchased at the World Wide Technology Raceway ticket office, by phone at (618) 215-8888 or online at www.wwtraceway.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free in the general-admission area with a paid adult.

SCHEDULE: SATURDAY, Oct. 3

Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series eliminations at 8 a.m.
JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series qualifying at 11 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.
Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown qualifying at 11:20 a.m. and eliminations at 5:05 p.m.
NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying begins at noon and 2:30 p.m.
JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series eliminations

TELEVISION

Friday, Oct. 2, FS1 will televise 90 minutes of qualifying coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Sunday, Oct. 4, FOX will televise two hours of final eliminations coverage at either 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. ET, depending on the market.

2025 EVENT WINNERS Doug Kalitta, Top Fuel; Matt Hagan, Funny Car; Greg Anderson, Pro Stock; and Gaige Herrera, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST VICTORIES

Top Fuel: Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta, five
Funny Car: Ron Capps, four
Pro Stock: Erica Enders, six
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Matt Smith, five

TRACK RECORDS 

Top Fuel: 3.631 seconds by Clay Millican, September 2017; 340.47 mph by Brittany Force, September 2025. Funny Car: 3.814 seconds by Austin Prock, September 2024; 338.60 mph by Robert Hight, September 2017. Pro Stock: 6.492 seconds by Greg Anderson, September 2015; 213.47 mph by Jason Line, September 2012. Pro Stock Motorcycle: 6.701 seconds by Gaige Herrera, September 2023; 203.40 mph by Matt Smith, September 2023.

NATIONAL RECORDS 

Top Fuel: 3.623 seconds by Brittany Force, September 2019, Reading, Pa.; 346.95 mph by Shawn Langdon, September 2026, Martin, Mich. Funny Car: 3.793 seconds by Robert Hight, August 2017, Brainerd, Minn.; 341.68 mph by Austin Prock, November 2024, Pomona, Calif. Pro Stock: 6.443 seconds by Greg Anderson, March 2025, Gainesville, Fla.; 215.55 mph by Erica Enders, May 2014, Englishtown, N.J. Pro Stock Motorcycle: 6.627 seconds by Gaige Herrera, October 2023, Dallas; 205.04 mph by Matt Smith, July 2021, Sonoma, Calif.

TICKETS 

Tickets are available online at www.wwtraceway.com or by calling (618) 215-8888.