By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio
The NHRA Countdown to the Championship reaches its halfway point this weekend and the championship battles are close in all four classes as the drivers get ready to compete at the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Sunday’s eliminations mark the third of six Countdown races, leaving three events after St. Louis to decide the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series world champions.
Shawn Langdon, Matt Hagan, Greg Stanfield and Richard Gadson arrive at the St. Louis-area track leading Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, respectively.
TOP FUEL
Langdon is on a roll in Top Fuel He won his third consecutive race and sixth of the season last weekend in Rockingham, defeating teammate Doug Kalitta in a thrill final. Langdon beat Kalitta on a holeshot by running a 3.739-second, 342.73-mph pass to Kalitta’s 3.722. But it was Langdon’s .024 reaction time that gave him the win and moved him 25 points ahead of Kalitta in the champion standings.
Langdon has 2,335 points, followed by Kalitta with 2,310. Tony Stewart is third at 2,180, 155 points behind Langdon. Behind them, Stewart, Leah Pruett and Antron Brown remain within 187 points of the lead and they are still in the championship hunt.
After two Countdown races, Langdon and Kalitta have distance themselves from the rest of the Top Fuel field and the championship could down to a battle between the two Kalitta dragsters.
With only four playoff races remaining, every round win and bonus point matters.
FUNNY CAR
After two Countdown races, Hagan enters St. Louis with an 84-point cushion over Jordan Vandergriff in the Funny Car standings.
Hagan opened the playoffs with a strong finish and then won at Rockingham, while advancing to the final in both races. His victory at Rockingham against Paul Lee was his fourth of 2026 and 59th career victory for the four-time world champion.
Hagan has 2,321 points, while Vandergriff has 2,237. J.R. Todd is third with 2,215 points, followed by Ron Capps at 2,209, Jack Beckman at 2,195 and defending world champion Austin Prock at 2,177. Only 62 points separate second through sixth.
PRO STOCK
Stanfield took control of the Pro Stock championship with his victory at Rockingham by defeating rookie Cody Anderson in the final round and moving 31 points ahead of Matt Hartford. His 6.537-second, 210.48-mph final-round run held off Anderson’s quicker 6.525 after Stanfield gained the advantage at the starting line.
Stanfield has 2,277 points, with Hartford at 2,246 and Dallas Glenn at 2,238. Six-time world champion Greg Anderson is fourth at 2,211, only 66 points behind Stanfield.
The championship race is one of the tightest in the Countdown.
Only eight points separate Hartford and Glenn. A single round can change that order.
Troy Coughlin Jr. is fifth at 2,172, while Cody Anderson is sixth at 2,165 after reaching his first career final at Rockingham. Six-time world champion Erica Enders is ninth at 2,121.
Anderson’s march to the finals at Rockingham helped put him into the championship conversation. He trails Stanfield by 112 points. A strong Sunday in St. Louis could shake up and reshuffle the championship race.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
After losing in Michigan, Gadson, the reigning champion, rebounded by winning at Rockingham.
He defeated teammate Gaige Herrera in the final when Herrera went red, earning his third victory of the season and seventh career Wally.
Gadson arrives in St. Louis with momentum and a 64-point lead in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Gadson has 2,286 points, followed by Herrera at 2,222. While the Vance & Hines teammates are the dominate bikes in the class, the championship fight extends well beyond.
Matt Smith is third at 2,205, John Hall is fourth at 2,201 and Angie Smith is fifth at 2,190. Ryan Oehler is sixth at 2,185. The top six are separated by only 101 points entering the third Countdown race.
