NHRA feted two first-time Mission Foods Drag Racing Series champions and a pair of repeat titleholders, one day after the season was called, rain having washed out all on-track activities on the water-damaged In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, site of NHRA’s 74th season closer in Pomona, CA.
Teams drove about an hour south to Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, abutting the Southern California wine country, in order to celebrate the achievements of two-time Top Fuel titleholder Doug Kalitta of Kalitta Motorsports, whose first championship came in 2023 after a long, hard 26-year road. The series celebrated John Force Racing’s Austin Prock, who won a second straight championship with his Chevrolet SS Funny Car.
There were a pair of challengers to Doug Kalitta’s second Top Fuel championship in three seasons: his teammate Shawn Langdon and Justin Ashley, the latter a perennial title contender since he came into the sport, now working with SCAG Racing. Had they – and the balance of the 11-car Top Fuel field – been able to race on the Pomona dragstrip, the results might not have been different, but as it was, with a track that wasn’t able to contain the power of these cars, this is how it all turned out.
Only fourth-placed Brittany Force, who departs competition to start her family, was less than 200 points away from Kalitta in the standings. Kalitta’s regular season consistency and his results in what was intended to be a six-race Countdown to the Championship sealed the deal for the Michigan racer. To earn his title, Kalitta rolled to four victories (two during the Countdown playoffs) in seven final rounds; he had eight No., 1 qualifiers that included his career-best performances of 3.628-seconds at 341.34 mph in Seattle during the Western Swing.
Kalitta only needed to make a qualifying attempt to earn his second championship. When rain and resulting unsafe track conditions forced NHRA to cancel all on-track activities by Sunday’s race day, Kalitta was awarded his title Saturday afternoon, with festivities in the track-adjacent to theophylline Eliminator Club (TEC). “It’s kind of disappointing, really,” Kalitta admitted. “We were definitely hoping to get a shot at the track, but unfortunately, it needs a lot of work after all that rain.” Still, the 2023 and 2025 titleholder acknowledged, “I’m real proud of both our Top Fuel teams for finishing first and second, [with] Connie’s (team owner Connie Kalitta) happy we’re coming out of here one and two. That’s pretty good!”
Prock was able to have his celebration outside TEC during the few minutes without rain interruption, as he and his John Force Racing team raucously celebrated their driver’s second straight championship. Prock’s nine victories give the driver 17 victories over the past two seasons – his sole time racing Funny Car – including a second straight win in his sponsor’s Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals outside Indianapolis.
In earning his second straight championship, Prock halted Matt Hagan’s quest to bring home the title for Tony Stewart Racing Nitro and Dodge, for whom he drives a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. A four-time titleholder, Hagan needed to make up 101 points, so had there been racing, Prock would have had to win his first round and Hagan would have needed to win the race even if Prock didn’t prevail. There was no race so those points stayed just where they were.
These two repeat champs were joined by first-timers Dallas Glenn, last year’s runner-up who finally earned his first title after coming close since he joined Pro Stock’s KB Titan Racing in 2021 and took that year’s Rookie of the Year honors. Second-year Pro Stock Motorcycle combatant Richard Gadson edged his teammate Gaige Herrera by a scant 21 points to take his first class championship, giving Vance and Hines Motorsports and Suzuki their third consecutive title.
NHRA’s media cadre anointed Jim Head Racing’s Spencer Hyde as Rookie of The Year during the ceremony, after that driver finished the season in ninth place, joining the vaunted top 10 in the hugely competitive Funny Car class. Canadian Hyde raced to two final round appearances and was the No. 1 qualifier at Reading this year. Additionally, he won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge race during the Las Vegas Four-Wide NHRA Nationals in April, letting the balance of the class know he was a driver to take seriously.
In his acceptance speech, Hyde acknowledged that, “It’s a huge feather in my cap to come out here as a nobody and do well. We’re at a 50 percent win-loss ratio, which is pretty tough to do your first year out here. You’ve got a guy like Tony Stewart who won it last year,” he stated. “Other big names in our sport, last race in Vegas, I lined up against Del Worsham, who was Rookie of the Year in 1991! To be added to this list is a huge honor. I hope to be another Rookie of the Year who goes on to win big races and championships.”
Crew of the Year awards, presented by Red Line Oil, went to the champions in the two nitro divisions but to the second-placed racers in the two Pro Stock classes. Designated by their average qualifying position, average eliminations elapsed time, speed index, average points per race and oil downs, these honors were given to Kalitta Motorsports’ Mac Tools team for Doug Kalitta, John Force Racing’s Cornwell Quality Tools team with Austin Prock, KB Titan Racing’s Greg Anderson won the award in Pro Stock despite finishing second to teammate Glenn with HendrickCars.com support, while the Vance and Hines Motorsports team for two-time champ Gaige Herrera earned the Team honors for RevZilla in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
For the second consecutive season, NHRA’s Manufacturer’s Cup went to departing manufacturer Toyota. This award goes to the auto maker whose current model year racing vehicles earn the most points during each season. Toyota’s Top Fuel teams included the two Kalitta Motorsports drivers, Doug Kalitta and Shawn Langdon, AB Motorsports’ Antron Brown, Torrence Racing’s Billy and Steve Torrence. Points from Toyota GR Supra Funny Car racers Ron Capps (Ron Capps Motorsports), Kalitta Motorsports’ J.R. Todd and JCM Racing’s Alexis DeJoria helped put Toyota over the top.
NHRA’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series drivers received recognition as 2025 world champions in the following classes: Shawn Cowie in Top Alcohol Dragster, Sean Bellemeur in Top Alcohol Funny Car, Comp’s Jeff Taylor, Justin Lamb in Super Stock, Russ “Bubba” Link in Stock, Chad Webber (Super Comp), J.J. Brock in Super Gas, Casey Plaizier in the Right Trailers Top Dragster Class and Darian Boesch in Right Trailers Top Sportsman.
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