NHRA Pays First visit to Maryland International Raceway
The inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway marks the second new circuit on NHRA’s 75th anniversary tour, which consists of 20 events from the start of March through much of November. It’s unusual to contest a single event on a new track each season; this year NHRA’s best will have to show how much talent they truly have. on four unknown circuits. This track was last used for NHRA racing in 1991; granted, neither drivers nor crew chiefs working now were in the business back then!
It’s a challenge but, apparently, one that every NHRA team is looking forward to taking. Whoever wins these races on Sunday will be the first to collect a trophy at the Maryland track; that they’ll receive diamond Wally winner’s trophy makes this weekend even more of a challenge, because there’s not a racer in these pits that doesn’t salivate over earning one of these very special trophies.
Only 15 Top Fuel dragsters are on the entry list for this weekend’s race, one that begins a three-week tour of the Eastern Seaboard and then trickles into the eastern area of the midwest. Starting this week, it’s Maryland, Epping and Bristol on the docket, and at least two of them are familiar to drivers and crew chiefs.
Right now, everyone is chasing Kalitta Motorsports, which owns the first two points positions, 2013 champion Shawn Langdon leading reigning two-time titleholder Doug Kalitta Langdon has won twice and took the last two victories at the first new track, South Georgia Motorsports Park and Route 66 Raceway. This team have won four of the first six races; Langdon has seen the two top speeds in his class at the Southern Nationals, 345 mph and 344.91 mph. These are tough stats to match!
Still, drivers like Justin Ashley, Tony Stewart, Tony Schumacher, Josh Hart, Shawn Reed, Clay Millican, four-time champ Antron Brown, Billy Torrence and Leah Pruett will be trying – hard – to end their dominance. As the three-races-in-three-weekends grind begins, Ashley considers this the “start of a critical three-race stretch. It’s a great opportunity for us to get into a rhythm as we head into the summer months. Since it’s a new track, there’s usually a learning curve, but that’s part of what an event like this unique,” he said. Pruett, back on the tour after giving birth to Dominic Stewart in November of 2024, is showing no signs of rust, having raced her way out of the first round at every event held thus far in the season, landing in third place ahead of husband Tony Stewart.
Beyond the usual cast of characters in dragster land, look at some of the spoilers, like Maddi Gordon racing with Ron Capps Motorsports. Despite her rookie status, the former Top Alcohol Funny Car standout is keeping up with the veterans; she’s currently in sixth place, thanks to several trips to the semifinals, behind only the Kalitta pair, Pruett, Stewart and Hart. Will Smith, who joined the SCAG Racing team this winter, has helped Ashley keep his momentum going and has, occasionally out-qualified his teammate. Lex Joon has been racing in both NHRA and IHRA since the latter’s rejuvenation tour; Spencer Massey has returned to competition and is racing many of the events this season.
It’s a 16-car entry for Funny Car and, while most eyes are at the top of the field, with Ron Capps and his Toyota GR Supra tied with the similar Kalitta Motorsports car of J.R. Todd, it would be smart to take a look at John Force Racing (JFR), which looks so different from last year’s entry. Yeah, there are still three Chevrolet SS floppers for JFR, but nobody with the name Force is driving them. Jack Beckman has the longest tenure with this team, taking over the PEAK Chevy when team owner John Force’s accident at Virginia Motorsports Park in 2024 led to his retirement. Then Austin Prock, who earned two titles with the team decided to leave and join Tasca Racing, driving a Ford. His seat went to Jordan Vandergriff, who haas already notched a single class win despite never driving a Funny Car in competition until this year. Finally, Alexis DeJoria is in a third JFR Funny Car and is having one of her best seasons yet. She’s won a Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and been runner-up twice.
The JFR team still needs to be careful because there’s a four-time champ in third place who’s deeply hungry for a victory: Matt Hagan, driving the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat at Tony Stewart Racing, won the 1,000th race in this class at Pomona, against points co-leader Capps. And there’s independent Chad Green, who’s got two of those valuable diamond Wally trophies already this year, thanks to the tuneup for his Ford Mustang. The balance of the top 10 are all in Ford Mustang race cars and are dangerous at any track: Spencer Hyde in Jim Head’s Mustang, Daniel Wilkerson in the SCAG Racing/Wilkerson Racing Mustang and SCAG Racing’s Dave Richards. Having finally won two rounds at Joliet, Prock is up to 11th and only 11 points behind Richards.
The balance of the Funny Car field includes two-tine champs Prock and Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger), Blake Alexander in Chad Green’s Dodge, Del Worsham making a timely visit to NHRA in his Toyota GR Supra and Joe Morrison in his third appearance of the season racing a Chevy Monte Carlo; Morrison has raced at this track in Nostalgia Funny Car, so the New Jersey resident is looking forward to the excitement of a new track: “I saw the reaction from the fans to the race at South Georgia Motorsports Park and I think we will see the same kind of excitement this weekend in Maryland,” Morrison said.
The 16 Pro Stock cars on the premises are nearly all Chevrolets; there are a brace of Dodge Dart race cars entered and that could make this even more interesting for the class. Obviously we’ve got the KB Titan Racing vs Elite Motorsports competition that’s been ongoing for more than a decade and, while the names might change on the entry lists, there are two drivers who stand above all: six-time champs Erica Enders and Greg Anderson. Greg has won this year; Erica hasn’t but it appears the gap between these two squads is closing rapidly.
Both Elite and KB Titan have five cars and drivers in the top 10 and the 275-point gap between first and tenth is easily changed. Dallas Glenn retains the top spot, followed by Anderson, but after those two, points seesaw between the two teams. While she’s not leading her Elite team in the points department, Enders is making steady progress and has moved up to fifth place, two behind Elite’s current top driver, Greg Stanfield. Greg’s son Aaron is directly behind her, while Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. are the top-10 caboose.
On the KB side, it’s Glenn in the lead, followed by Greg Anderson. Matt Hartford owns third place, while Matt Latino is in seventh and Cody Coughlin has eighth place. All of them are on the entry list for this race, along with Matt’s dad Eric Latino, Greg’s son Cody Anderson, running for the Rookie of the Year award and Deric Kramer. Of the independents, look for both Brandon Miller and Alan Prusiensky in those Dodge cars and Shane Tucker in a Camaro to round out the full field.
It’s another 16-motorcycle field for Pro Stock Motorcycle, with seven Buell motorcycles challenging nine Suzuki bikes. Reigning Vance & Hines Motorsports champ Richard Gadson has the points lead with his Suzuki Hayabusa3, thanks to his consistency in this tough class; he’s hounded by Matt Smith’s Buell, teammate and two-time champion Gaige Herrera, Angie Smith and John Hall with their Buell motorcycles from Matt Smith Racing.
The addition of Clayton Howey and his Suzuki has helped mix up this class a bit; he’s been consistent and quick throughout the current season. Howey is followed by the Suzuki of Chase Van Sant, along with the Buells of teammates Ryan Oehler and Brayden Davis. Tenth place belongs to the veteran of this class and his Suzuki – Steve Johnson is hoping to add some consistency to his recognized Suzuki speed. Matt Smith Racing’s Jianna Evaristo is having a tough start to her season and looking to rebound, while former champ Geno Scali is facing similar issues with his Suzuki. Part-timers on the grid include Charles Poskey (Suzuki), Marc Ingwersen (EBR), Wesley Wells and Kelly Clontz riding Suzukis. Clontz visited the track earlier this week to get bearings for the location.
There are only four Lucas Oil Sportsman classes on the schedule this weekend: Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Competition Eliminator and Top Sportsman. Note Top Fuel’s rookie contender Maddi Gordon gets to race with – but not against – her father Doug, who is completing in Top Alcohol Funny Car in Maryland. Because of her dad’s competition, “My mom, my dad, my grandma, my grandpa, my sister and Jake – my whole family will be out there,” Gordon said. “I can’t wait to cheer them on and show my support, and I can’t wait for them to support me and cheer our team on!”
“We’re all racing at MIR for the first time,” Maddi Gordon continued, “and it’s cool that we get to introduce a whole new fanbase to NHRA Drag Racing. Drag racing has been an absolute blessing in my life, and to share that with new era fans is something I’m very passionate about.”
For the first time in a long time, there is no adverse weather on the docket for the NHRA teams and their fans. Expect descending temps from the middle to high 70s on Friday to lower 70s by the close of the weekend. There’s no rain in the forecast at all, which will hopefully make the work of NHRA’s Safety Safari just a little bit more doable?