Courtesy of the NHRA
PHOENIX – A year after dominating the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta is off and running in 2026, winning the first bonus race of the year in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday at Firebird Motorsports Park, defeating Antron Brown in the final round as part of this weekend’s 41st annual FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs.
J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year, while Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Spencer Hyde (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) qualified No. 1 at the second of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
In the finals against Brown, Kalitta went 3.924-seconds at 308.64 in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster, making a stellar run in the heat of the day. It continues Kalitta’s standout streak on Saturdays, as the two-time world champion won the bonus race five times in 2025. He knocked off Maddi Gordon to reach the finals and is looking forward to Saturday’s win hopefully translating to Sunday.
“It’s fun to race on Saturday. It just brings an element to the fans to be able to see some racing,” Kalitta said. “I hope everybody comes back out on Sunday after seeing some racing on Saturday.
“It’s definitely tricky out there. My guys, Alan Johnson and Mac [Savage], they did a heck of a job to have the lowest time in the session. Alan is a wizard with these things, and he and Mac are in there deciding what to run, but we’re always throwing down and trying to go low.”
Defending event winner Shawn Langdon made a massive jump on Saturday in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers dragster, going all the way to the No. 1 spot with a run of 3.783 at 331.36. It gives the past world champion another standout performance at a track that’s treated him well over the years, as well as a first-round bye to open raceday. It’s the 23rd top qualifier for Langdon, who is after back-to-back wins in Phoenix.
“Obviously, the track is a little tricky out here, but we were happy to make three good runs. We lost our first run Friday due to a safety-system malfunction, and that’s not ideal, but, like I’ve always said, if you surround yourself with good people you can do good things,” Langdon said. “I’ve got a great group behind me. Brian [Husen, crew chief] has been doing a fantastic job, and all the guys have been doing a great job putting the car together, so my confidence is as high as it’s ever been inside of a race car.
“The [low qualifying] run this morning, we knew the conditions were the best they’d been and there was a chance to go to No. 1 and get that bye in the first round.”
Leah Pruett moved up to second with a 3.788 at 325.92 and Kalitta took third after a run of 3.804 at 330.55.
In Funny Car, J.R. Todd made it a Kalitta Motorsports sweep in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, going 4.196 at 282.42 in his 12,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra to defeat Jordan Vandergriff in the final round.
It’s the first time Kalitta Motorsports has swept the Saturday bonus race, with Todd finishing the job on Phoenix. He defeated Alexis DeJoria earlier in the day to advance to the final and then put together another solid run to slip past Vandergriff. Up next for Todd is doing his part to make it a total Kalitta sweep this weekend.
“You always want to win these things, but I feel like we’re also trying to get good data for tomorrow,” Todd said. “I think Dickie [Venables] and Todd [Smith] wanted to see what we could get away with that run, because that what we’re going to be dealing with tomorrow.
“Once you get on the asphalt, it’s tricky and it’s fun. The car got real sideways, like I was dirt tracking in there, but that’s what makes Funny Cars awesome. As a driver, you’re going to have to deal with that and maybe pedal [the throttle] tomorrow.”
Spencer Hyde held on to the No. 1 spot as well thanks to Friday’s run of 3.979 at 317.64 in his 12,000-horsepower Head, Inc. Ford Mustang. It’s the second career No. 1 qualifier for the reigning Rookie of the Year and Hyde will start eliminations against Blake Alexander, looking for his first career Funny Car victory.
“To be honest, looking at the weather and the schedule, I figured we figured we would stay No. 1,” Hyde said. “We’re really happy, just four good, solid runs. For us to make four A to B trips during qualifying is a really good place.”
Jack Beckman stayed second with Friday’s run of 3.982 at 323.97 and Gainesville winner Chad Green qualified third with a 3.990 at 321.04.
Pro Stock’s reigning world champion Dallas Glenn is off and running in 2026, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro, going 6.608 at 207.62 to slip past Erica Enders in the final round of the bonus race.
Glenn performed well in the Saturday specialty race last season, which prepped him well for his championship run. Running well on Saturday remains a goal for Glenn, who defeated Matt Hartford earlier in the day to get to the final round.
“I felt a lot of pressure last year because I missed the championship by so little (in 2024), and I definitely wanted a lot of redemption,” Glenn said. “This year, I feel like I’m a lot more relaxed and confident. I know what I can do, I know what I’m capable of, so I just go up there and kind of do my thing.
“It feels really good to get this #2Fast2Tasty win and start accumulating those precious championship points that we know mean so much. At the very minimum, my main goal for every weekend is to make it to the semis so I can get into the next Challenge, and everything after that is a bonus. If you can just go to the semis every race, you’re usually one or two in points by the time the Countdown.”
Greg Anderson clinched the No. 1 spot for the first time this season and 141st time in his career, performing even better on Saturday with a run of 6.532 at 208.26 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That hands the six-time champion Chris McGaha in the first round of eliminations and plenty of momentum going into raceday as he aims to repeat in Phoenix. Greg Stanfield is currently second after going 6.558 at 209.10 and Glenn’s 6.558 at 208.91 gave him third.
Eliminations for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs begin at 10 a.m. at Firebird Motorsports Park.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs at Firebird Motorsports Park, the second 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, 3.783 seconds, 331.36 mph vs. Bye; 2. Leah Pruett, 3.788, 325.92 vs. 15. Cameron Ferre, 8.305, 71.58; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.804, 330.55 vs. 14. Will Smith, 4.196, 260.36; 4. Maddi Gordon, 3.806, 329.42 vs. 13. Jaren Mott, 4.137, 229.16; 5. Tony Stewart, 3.809, 327.03 vs. 12. Shawn Reed, 3.942, 311.13; 6. Antron Brown, 3.822, 325.77 vs. 11. Billy Torrence, 3.876, 317.72; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.827, 327.35 vs. 10. Josh Hart, 3.854, 328.30; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.850, 327.03 vs. 9. Clay Millican, 3.853, 325.22.
Funny Car — 1. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.979, 317.64 vs. 16. Blake Alexander, Dodge Charger, 4.181, 304.25; 2. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.982, 323.97 vs. 15. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.165, 302.82; 3. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.990, 321.04 vs. 14. Dylan Winefsky, Charger, 4.159, 299.93; 4. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.998, 321.04 vs. 13. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.088, 278.23; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 4.011, 300.33 vs. 12. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.081, 298.47; 6. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.021, 311.49 vs. 11. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.049, 324.12; 7. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 4.023, 317.79 vs. 10. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 4.044, 315.05; 8. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.024, 322.58 vs. 9. Austin Prock, Mustang, 4.041, 320.05.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Todd Lesenko, 4.255, 256.70.
Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.532, 208.42 vs. 16. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.598, 209.62; 2. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.558, 209.10 vs. 15. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.592, 208.55; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.558, 208.91 vs. 14. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.591, 208.33; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.560, 209.04 vs. 13. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.589, 208.59; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 209.10 vs. 12. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.588, 208.68; 6. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.568, 208.91 vs. 11. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.583, 208.71; 7. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.572, 208.26 vs. 10. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.581, 209.04; 8. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.575, 209.23 vs. 9. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.580, 208.39.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Kenny Delco, 6.610, 206.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Saturday’s final results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at Firebird Motorsports Park.
Top Fuel Challenge — Doug Kalitta, 3.924 seconds, 308.64 mph def. Antron Brown, 4.010 seconds, 297.09 mph.
Funny Car Challenge — J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.196, 282.42 def. Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 4.231, 271.73.
Pro Stock Challenge — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.608, 207.62 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.623, 207.08.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final round-by-round results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at Firebird Motorsports Park.
TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:
ROUND ONE — Doug Kalitta, 3.804, 330.55 def. Maddi Gordon, 3.806, 327.82; Antron Brown, 3.822, 325.77 def. Josh Hart, 3.854, 328.30;
FINAL — D. Kalitta, 3.924, 308.64 def. A. Brown, 4.010, 297.09.
FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:
ROUND ONE — Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 4.107, 300.33 def. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, Foul – Red Light; J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.024, 322.58 def. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.575, 185.08;
FINAL — J. Todd, 4.196, 282.42 def. J. Vandergriff, 4.231, 271.73.
PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:
ROUND ONE — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.558, 208.91 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.590, 207.02; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.560, 209.04 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, Foul – Red Light;
FINAL — D. Glenn, 6.608, 207.62 def. E. Enders, 6.623, 207.08.
