This coming weekend, March 21 – 23, 2025, NHRA begins a three-race Western Swing through Arizona, California and Nevada. The 40th annual Arizona NHRA Nationals begin this trek, just two weeks after the first – of 20 – national events at Gainesville Raceway in Florida.
While the opening salvo included all four Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series, for these three contests Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock will take over, while Pro Stock Motorcycle rejoins at the second, of three, four-wide contests in Charlotte, NC. The 40th annual Arizona NHRA Nationals on Firebird Motorsports Park’s dragstrip is always a good draw for fans and racers alike; this year it marks the start of the 13-event Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge bonus rounds for the pro racers, adding points and money into the championship-hunting mission.
The 2024 winners of the 39th Arizona Nationals were Shawn Langdon of Kalitta Motorsports, taking his second straight Top Fuel victory, John Force Racing’s Austin Prock, earning his first – of eight last season – win in a Funny Car and Greg Anderson, who was the last driver to take a championship in the 2024 season finale in Pomona. At this point, with one race down, none of these three have been to the 2025 Winner’s Circle. Yet.
Antron Brown, the four-time and reigning Top Fuel champion is riding high as he brings his self-owned team from their Brownsburg, IN headquarters to these three events. Brown won the last race of 2024, qualified No. 1 and won the first race of 2025 in Gainesville, FL (after qualifying No. 1 in the PRO Superstar Challenge held in early February). Brown has won the Arizona Nationals three times and been runner-up once; last year he qualified fourth and lost in the second round to eventual victory Shawn Langdon of Kalitta Motorsports.
Langdon was Brown’s competitor in the Gatornationals final round; he won that race last year en route to earning victory in the first two contests of that season. Theirs was a very tight battle, one that Langdon lost by a scant .0218 seconds. Both of these racers have momentum – along with 14 others chasing them and wanting to see both of ‘em back on the trailers early. There are 16 entrants in the dragster class, with Brown and Langdon joined by 2023 champ Doug Kalitta, SCAG Racing’s Justin Ashley, two-time champ Brittany Force of John Force Racing, PRO Superstar Shootout Top Fuel winner Shawn Reed and 2024 NHRA Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart.
To this group add Travis Shumake, a second-generation racer, 2023 European Top Fuel champ Ida Zetterstrom in her second half-season of NHRA drag racing with JCM Racing, the always competitive Clay Millican, Josh Hart, Jasmine Salinas (but no sign of dad Mike), Steven Chrisman, Jacob Opatmy and the always exciting Scott Palmer. No sign of Steve or Billy Torrence on this entry list.
On the other hand, there are 20 Funny Cars on this week’s entry list, which means four drivers will be watching on Sunday, not racing. The one racer with momentum on his side, Chad Green won the Gatornationals earlier this month to start the season on a high note. Green and his self-owned Ford Mustang beat fellow team owner and three-time champion Ron Capps in the Gatoranationals finals to earn his second career NHRA national event title.
Last year Austin Prock took over this class, with the help of his dad Jimmy and brother Thomas. Thus far into the year – which really won’t tell much, actually – Prock has looked human. He and his John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS lost to Bob Tasca III’s Ford Mustang in the first round in Gainesville, with Prock smoking the tires at the hit. Can he get his mojo back in the Arizona desert? That’s the question for sure!
Jack Beckman, who finished second to his teammate Prock in the final standings, bringing the recovering John Force’s Chevy from seventh to second in the time since Force’s late June accident in Richmond, went to the second round at the first race of of the year. He lost to Tony Stewart Racing’s Matt Hagan and his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, and also struck the tires in that race. Tasca will be looking to keep everyone he meets this weekend behind him, including Daniel Wilkerson, also in a Ford Mustang, Gainesville 2024 winner J.R. Todd is looking for some traction as he gets to know his new crew chief Dickie Venables. “Gainesville was kind of a throwaway race for a lot of people,” Todd explained. “Just not the best weather or track conditions.”
Hagan will be looking for more success in Phoenix in both the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and Sunday’s eliminations. He lost to Chad Green in Gainesville’s semifinal round, which allows him to race in Saturday’s bonus race. Both Hagan and his former teammate Capps, the latter driving a Toyota GR Supra, are entered in the bonus round, along with JCM Racing’s Alexis DeJoria and her Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.
Two-time champ Cruz Pedregon is on the grounds with his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, as is Paul Lee with his is liar machine. Dave Richards, part of the SCAG group of racers, is on the entry list with a Ford, while Blake Alexander’s driving a Dodge Charger this year. Buddy Hull and his Charger went to his first quarterfinal round for Jim Dunn Racing in Gainesville; they’re hoping to do that well again in Phoenix. Spencer Hyde is driving a Ford Mustang, while Jon Capps is entered in a Charger. Jim Campbell is driving a Ford Mustang, Jeff Diehl is bringing his Toyota Camry and Bobby Bode III continues in DC Motorsports’ Toyota GR Supra. It’s a very large and talented Funny Car entry this week!
Winning in Arizona last season was the start of Greg Anderson’s charge to his sixth title; once again, the KB Titan Racing team leader will be challenged by teammate Dallas Glenn, who won in Gainesville. Behind this duo are Elite Motorsports’ Aaron Stanfield, six-time champ Erica Enders and five-time champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. Matt Hartford is entered with KB Titan, while Cristian Cuadra returns in his Mustang – none of the Cuadra Boys raced at Gainesville.
Elite’s Troy Coughlin Jr. lost to Glenn in Gainesville’s quarterfinals (after winning the PRO Superstar Shootout), and will have to put up with the likes of KB’s Carrie Caruso, Eric and Matthew Latino, Deric Kramer, Brandon FosterCory Reed while trying to help fellow Elite teammates Cody Coughlin, Stephen Bell, Fernando Cuadra Jr., David Cuadra and Greg Stanfield get into the show. Independent racers include Chris and Mason McGaha and Kenny Delco. With 22 cars entered, the four qualifying sessions will be a tension-filled.
Other classes competing this weekend include the second – of 10 – races for Pro Mod, Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas and Top Dragster. Legends Nitro Series competition is also on the docket. Not only will the competition be hot on this racetrack over the weekend, forecasts show temps in the mid- to high 80s with sunny conditions throughout the weekend. That climate prediction should make the racing tight, with those trying to get into eliminations striving not to overpower the track. And when the bonus rounds and qualifying is complete on Saturday afternoon, following four sessions of timing, fans will get to listen to Arizona native Alice Cooper, with special guest Buckcherry at the adjacent Wild Horse Pass Festival Grounds, from 4-9PM MT.
By Anne Proffit
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