By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio
With two races remaining in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, the pressure is mounting on the championship contenders as the Countdown to the Championship heads to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.
Top Fuel points leader Shawn Langdon has an opportunity to clinch his second world championship, while tight battles in Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle could reshape the standings during the 26th annual Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge.
The event, scheduled for Friday through Sunday, marks the 19th of 20 races in NHRA’s 75th anniversary season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown playoffs. With the season finale at Pomona, California, just two weeks away, every qualifying bonus point and elimination-round victory could prove critical in determining this year’s world champions.
Langdon, Matt Hagan, Dallas Glenn and Richard Gadson enter the weekend leading their respective classes, but several challengers remain within striking distance following an eventful Texas NHRA FallNationals.
Here are five storylines worth watching and keeping an eye on this weekend.
- Top Fuel: Langdon has a chance to clinch the championship
Langdon has eight victories this season, including the first three Countdown races, and could secure his second world championship Sunday. He leads Doug Kalitta by 139 points.
Langdon needs to leave Las Vegas with 191 in order to clinch the championship before the final race in Pomona.
His four-race winning streak ended at Texas, where Antron Brown eliminated him in the semifinals. Brown went on to win the event and now enters Las Vegas with momentum.
Langdon’s teammate Doug Kalitta has experience overcoming large points deficits. He won three consecutive races earlier this season to erase a 150-point deficit to Langdon.
- Funny Car: Hagan’s consistency versus the challengers
The four-time champion has four victories and seven final-round appearances this season. Hagan leads Jordan Vandergriff by 98 points and J.R. Todd by 119.
Hagan is seeking his fifth world championship, and Las Vegas has been particularly good to him. He has six career victories at The Strip, including last year’s fall race.
Todd is becoming an interesting challenger after winning at Texas. He has advanced to at least the semifinals 11 times this season and believes he can make a serious championship push.
Meanwhile, Vandergriff remains Hagan’s closest challenger, with defending champion Austin Prock and Jack Beckman also in contention.
- Pro Stock: Glenn faces the tightest championship battle
The NHRA Pro Stock championship is going down to the wire. Only 14 points separate Dallas Glenn and Greg Stanfield. This is arguably the most competitive championship battle of the four professional categories.
Matt Hartford is third, 41 points behind Glenn, while Greg Anderson remains in contention, 78 points back.
Glenn enters Las Vegas following a strong performance at Texas, where he set the Pro Stock elapsed-time record at 6.434 seconds and won the event.
Another challenger is Elite Motorsports, which won the first three Countdown races before Glenn ended that streak at Texas. Now the KB Titan Racing driver is attempting to carry that momentum through the final two races.
Glenn also won last year’s fall Las Vegas race on his way to the 2025 championship.
- Pro Stock Motorcycle: Herrera chases his teammate while Smith closes in
The Pro Stock Motorcycle championship could become a three-rider battle heading into Pomona. Richard Gadson leads Gaige Herrera by 58 points, with Matt Smith third, 85 points behind.
Herrera has won three consecutive fall Las Vegas races, making him particularly dangerous this weekend.
Gadson, the reigning champion, is trying to defend his title against his Vance & Hines teammate.
Smith, meanwhile, has renewed momentum after winning at Texas with a remarkable .006-second reaction time in the final round.
The six-time champion is pursuing a seventh title, and his recent performance suggests he cannot be overlooked.
- Qualifying points and Friday’s special bonus add another dimension
The drivers in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will be racing for extra money this weekend in Las Vegas.
Friday’s second qualifying session will feature the return of the Ted Wiens Trick or Traction Award, offering cash bonuses to the quickest qualifiers in all four professional classes.
The bonuses are:
Top Fuel: $3,500
Funny Car: $3,500
Pro Stock: $1,500
Pro Stock Motorcycle: $1,000
The special awards are separate from championship points, but the qualifying performances themselves could influence the title battles through qualifying bonus points and elimination positioning.
With Glenn leading Stanfield by only 14 points, even a few qualifying points could become important.
Weekend schedule
Friday, Oct. 30 Qualifying
Professional qualifying begins at 12:45 p.m. Pacific, with the second round starting at 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31 Final qualifying
Final two rounds of professional qualifying.
Sunday, Nov. 1 Eliminations
Eliminations begin at 11 a.m. Pacific. FS1 coverage begins at 5 p.m. Eastern.
