Courtesy of the NHRA LAS VEGAS – Top Fuel points leader Shawn Langdon powered to the top on Friday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, taking the provisional No. 1 position to open this weekend’s MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 19th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Langdon went 3.672-seconds at 332.59…
Author: Mike Haag
Mike Haag
Mike Haag has covered motorsports in San Antonio and South Texas for more than 39 years. In addition to covering motorsports for the San Antonio Express-News for nearly 28 years, Mike also has co-hosted TrackSmack with Dawn Murphy for 19 race seasons. In addition to being a writer, Mike taught high school English and Journalism for 30 years before retiring in May, 2020.
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…
By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio Championship hopes were strengthened, winning streaks snapped and records fell during a memorable weekend at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. With only two races remaining in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, the results from Texas have added another layer of intrigue to the Countdown to the Championship. Antron Brown, J.R.Todd, Dallas Glenn and Matt Smith left with victories, but the implications of their performance could extend well beyond Texas as the series prepares for its final stops in Las Vegas and Pomona, California. Now the championship contenders have…
By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas — Four-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown ended Shawn Langdon’s 17-round and four-race winning streak Sunday and capped a dominant performance with his second victory of the season at the 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. Brown powered his 12,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster to a 3.706-second run at 335.75 mph in the final round to defeat rookie Maddi Gordon, who fouled at the starting line. The victory was Brown’s 83rd career triumph and fourth at Texas Motorplex, where he celebrated his first professional victory in 1999 while…
By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas – Dallas Glenn capped a record-setting weekend at Texas Motorplex on Sunday, winning the Pro Stock title at the 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals and reclaiming the championship points lead with two races remaining in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. The reigning world champion defeated Matt Hartford in the final round with a run of 6.478 seconds at 212.30 mph in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. The victory was Glenn’s fifth of the season, his second consecutive at Texas Motorplex and completed a dominant weekend that included…
By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas – Six-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Matt Smith celebrated his victory Sunday at the Texas NHRA FallNationals, but afterward expressed serious concerns about the condition of the shutdown area at Texas Motorplex, saying rough pavement created dangerous situations for riders traveling at more than 200 mph. Smith, who defeated Richard Gadson in the final round for his fourth victory of the season, said he and other competitors encountered problems after crossing the finish line, with motorcycles becoming unstable and wobbling as riders attempted to slow down. “The shutdown…
ENNIS, Texas – Photos from Sunday’s racing action at the Stampede of Speed NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. All photos are provided courtesy of the NHRA.
By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas — Shawn Langdon took another step toward extending his Top Fuel winning streak Saturday, securing the No. 1 qualifying position at the 41st annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex as he pursues his fifth consecutive victory. Langdon secured his eighth No. 1 qualifying position of the season and 30th of his career Saturday after his career-best run of 3.648 seconds at 340.39 mph during Friday night’s qualifying session held up through two additional rounds of qualifying. The performance in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster was also the quickest Top…
By Mike Haag | Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas — Reigning world champion Dallas Glenn made the quickest run in Pro Stock history Saturday at Texas Motorplex, capturing the No. 1 qualifying position with a world-record pass during the Texas NHRA FallNationals. Glenn powered his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to a record-setting run of 6.434 seconds at 213.50 mph, earning his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season and 15th of his career. His performance highlighted the quickest Pro Stock qualifying field in NHRA history, with all 16 drivers recording elapsed times in the 6.40-second range. https://youtu.be/QQlGvY1wBCo?si=PFbjJ8ZCz6qjQQ_y “When…
ENNIS, Texas – Photos from Saturday’s racing action at the Stampede of Speed NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. All photos are provided courtesy of the NHRA.