NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

TOP FUEL Q3

After losing Q2 last night, the Top Fuelers get their second swing at the track this morning under scattered clouds and on-again-off-again sun that should warm the track to meet the performance-inducing 63-degree air temperature. With only one run yesterday and points leader Shawn Langdon not getting any bonus points and second-place Doug Kalitta earning four, he cannot clinch the championship today. He'll have to win the first round Sunday to collect his second Top Fuel crown.

Langdon and the Kalitta Air team didn't make it down the track Friday after rattling the tires, but crew chief Brian Husen fixed that with a solid 3.712. Kalitta went the opposite way; after having the best run of Q1, the Mac Tools car smokes the tires at the hit, but he remains the No. 1 qualifier with his Friday 3.67.

Drag racing's fastest couple, Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett, with incredibly close respective runs of 3.699 and 3.700.

Langdon's run ended up third-best of the frame, earning him two bonus points, with Justin Ashley fourth at 3.728.

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FUNNY CAR Q3

After a lot of hype and pomp, including a starting-line interview with Don "the Snake" Prudhomme, Ron Capps in his "Snake" tribute Armycar and Paul Lee in his Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen Funny Car lined up for a nostalgic blast from the past. With Prudhomme and former crew chief Bob Brandt watching on, neither car made it down the track under full power, but the spectacle was really something anyway.

Alexis DeJoria was the early star in the session with a 3.904 that took her John Force Racing/Bandero Tequila Ford to the No. 2 spot behind Capps' Friday-leading 3.894. Championship hopeful J.R. Todd stayed in the fight with a 3.910 for three bonus points. Daniel Wilkerson also looked sporty with a 3.96

Whereas the Top Fuelers looked great, many of the Funny Cars again struggled for performance, but championship frontrunners Matt Hagan (4.067) and Jordan Vandergriff (4.230) worked their way into the field for now, in the No. 9 and 13 spots.

The bump is 4.43 by Chad Green.

Terry Haddock, who had an incident yesterday that damaged the fuel tank, had a fuel-fed fire again, with his car lighting up just off the line and then crossing the centerline, and continuing to burn well downtrack. Not a big fire, but a weird one for sure.

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PRO STOCK Q3

Some could say the games are continuing from yesterday, because Erica Enders was absent from Q3. It was reported that she was sick, but what a bad time to be absent when she has yet to win a Diamond Wally, which she has made known she so desperately wants to win.

Greg Stanfield rocketed to the no. 2 qualifying position and low e.t. of the session with a 6.515, which would align him with a first round matchup with his son, Aaron Stanfield. And in doing so, nabbed three bonus points.

Troy Coughlin Jr. needs to make up 13 points to stay alive in the championship chase, and Dallas Glenn needs to fall out of the No. 1 qualifying position and no longer collect any bonus points on Saturday. Glenn, though, held on to the provisional no. 1 spot and earned two bonus points. Coughlin Jr. didn't pick up any bonus points in this round. 

The scenario still stands: if Glenn is the no. 1 qualifier at the end of today, earns the bye on race day, and completes round one, he will win the championship.

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q3/LAS VEGAS FINAL

In the final round of the Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge, Gaige Herrera pulls off the win over his teammate Richard Gadson. Herrera recorded a 6.701 to Gadson's 6.777. Not only did he collect the win, but Herrera got 20 points for it, and four bonus points the low e.t. of the round, which makes the title chase even more interesting as he inches ever closer to Gadson. This could possibly be the biggest win of Herrera's career.

Terry Vance also announced breaking news during the third round of qualifying from the in-house broadcast booth: Clayton Howey will ride the third Vance & Hines motorcycle in 2027

Pro Stock Motorcycle rookie Alex Laughlin can say that he qualified for his first race, after just getting his license in Las Vegas at the Monday test session. It might not have been a pretty 7.577, but that wasn't his goal. His goal was to make runs from A to B and get more comfortable on the bike.

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SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE

Chanse Bullock clinched the Right Trailers Top Fdragster world championship earlier in the day, his first career season crown. The only unresolved Sportsman world championship is in Comp, where reigning world champ Jeff Taylor needs to go two more rounds to pass leader Joe Carnasciale to win his second straight.

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TOP FUEL Q4

With just 16 cars entered, there will be no qualifying drama, and it will ensure that class rookie Benrie Plourd qualifies for his first field. On Friday, Plourd's son, Brad, won the Top Dragster world champ and Brad is on the starting line cheering Dad on. His reward is a first-round date with low qualifier Doug Kalitta, who rocketed to a 3.682, the best run of the final session. Tony Stewart, who won the Winternationals here earlier this year, was right there with a 3.693.

Leah Pruett, who had the second-best run of the morning session, charts a 3.719 in the final qualifying attempt of her career (for now), and she'll start raceday in the No. 4 slot.

Points leader Shawn Langdon didn't make it down the track for the second time in three attempts and will end up qualified No. 6. To win his second world championship, he just needs to beat Josh Hart in round one Sunday. Langdon's lead is 97 points. He'd have to lose Round 1 and have Kalitta win the event to lose the title.

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FUNNY CAR Q4

There were plenty of hearts in throats as the bumping in Funny Car took on wild swings, even to a point where championship contender Jordan Vandergriff was not in the field until he dashed off a dicey 3.943. Just ahead of him, John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman was in the same spot, and he made a pressure-packed run of 3.934 to earn his spot.

Two-time world champ Austin Prock was also on the outside when he staged the Tasca entry, and 3.914 seconds later, he was solidly in as well with the best run of the session. Ron Capps was next best with a 3.916.

Points leader Matt Hagan was also in jeopardy of being bumped out and was 15th when he pulled into the water box, but fortunately for him, everyone who could have knocked him out had spent their last shot. It wouldn't have mattered anyway as he raced to a 3.969, ensuring more championship drama tomorrow.

Bobby Bode joined the three-second parade in his fill-in spot in Jim Head's car with a 3.974, and when Jason Rupert raced to a 3.98, he became the 12th driver in the field with a three-second time slip.

Vandergriff will take on Bode in round one while Hagan will tangle with Daniel Wilkerson, who will have lane choice. Hagan and Vandergriff can't meet until the final round, but that would be too late for Vandergriff. He's 38 points behind Hagan, so he needs to go two rounds further to pass him.

Terry Haddock's star-crossed weekend went from bad to catastrophic with a body-shredding blower explosion on his final attempt. The Texas privateer had a cylinder out early, but he had to stay in it, but the engine didn't last. Haddock ended up in the wall but unhurt.

"It's disappointing," he said. "It's not how we wanted to end the weekend. I've never had one blow up like that when the body's stuck to the car, you can't see where you're going, so then I crash into stuff that ain't my thing."

Haddock ended up No. 17 with a 4.092 best, but one spot shy of Jim Campbell's 4.068.

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PRO STOCK Q4

It was perhaps the biggest qualifying session for Pro Stock all year, and might we say Dallas Glenn, who had the biggest target on his back. Nobody knock Glenn from the no. 1 spot, and he stayed atop the field for the fifth time this year, earning the bye run on Sunday. Now, all he has to do is take the tree, and he will be a back-to-back Pro Stock champion. Glenn also recorded low e.t. of the session (6.520).

Dave Connolly, who has been driving Eric Latino's machine this weekend as a medical substitute, ran his best e.t. of the weekend with a 6.541 and will start race day from the no. 8 spot.

And for the final time of qualifying, Aaron Stanfield went out and shoved the clutch in early (gamesmanship still in question) and will start race day from the bottom of the ladder. 

Erica Enders was once again absent due to illness but reportedly will race tomorrow. 

Also, an interesting fact: Elite Motorsports has six cars entered in the finals, and all are on the same side of the ladder.

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PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE Q4

It was another nail-biter championship scenario in the final round of qualifying, and of course we had to wait for the final pair. 

It's been decided that the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship will go to V&H, but which rider? We'll have to wait until race day to find out. 

Gaige Herrera (6.705) recorded low e.t. of the round, which helped him close in on Richard Gadson's points lead. Now Gadson has a 28-point lead going into championship Sunday. 

Much like the past three years, it's a winner-take-all situation. If Herrera and Gadson meet in the finals, it will be a winner-take-all scenario. However, if they both go out in the first round, Gadson will be crowned the champion. If Gadson goes out in the first round, Herrera will need to win one round further to take the championship.

Lastly, Alex Laughlin qualified and will make history tomorrow as the first person to compete in all four pro categories.

"The fact that we qualified for this event means the world," Laughlin said at the top end.