Nobody in racing likes change for its own sake. Oftentimes even change that could give up more consistent horsepower is met with argument. And so it is with Pro Stock, which is sitting out this weekend’s sixth race of the 2025 season, Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK, the 25th year of NHRA racing at Route 66 Raceway outside Chicago in Joliet, IL.
At the most recent 4-Wide Nationals on zMAX Dragway’s track in Charlotte, NC, there was a discussion held between NHRA and the majority of Pro Stock racers, to talk about the pending use of VP Fuels’ unleaded gasoline in 2026 for the Pro Stock class. The series and its door-slammer classmates also talked about relocating the KN Filters’ air tube from the front end to the throttle body and bringing back hood scoops that were popular with fans and racers before NHRA banned them at the start of Pro Stock’s electronic fuel injection (EFI) era in 2016.
The talks in Charlotte also centered around increasing rpm levels due to the introduction of unleaded fuel for Pro Stock, with an increase of 150 rpm to 10,650 rpm, with the premise of adding 150 rpm annually to increase speeds in this highly competitive class. The discussions became a bit heated, we’ve been told. That’s nothing new when sanctioning bodies and participants debate the changes that are being meted out to the competitors by those that don’t race in the class.
The discussions will continue throughout this season, even as Pro Stock is idle a second time in 2025, at the Richmond race, the ninth contest in a 20-race season, at least for the two nitro classes: Top Fuel and Funny Car. When NHRA returned to Joliet in 2023, all four classes were in operation at the facility; the Pro Stock winner was Dallas Glenn, but the class hasn’t been back to Route 66 Raceway since that event.
This upcoming weekend marks the return of Pro Stock Motorcycle, which had been idle since the season starter at Gainesville through the Las Vegas 4-Wide Nationals. The two-wheeled set returned to action in Charlotte and the ongoing battle between Vance & Hines Motorsports and Matt Smith Racing heightened, as Matt Smith’s Buell vanquished Gaige Herrera’s Suzuki, Richard Gadson’s and Steve Johnson’s Suzukis. In that regard, little has changed, and with only 15 bikes on the entry list, this race might look like a “gimme” for either Herrera or Smith but it’s not.
There are plenty of riders that can challenge this duo. Herrera has his wingman, Gadson, who earned his second Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge prizes in Charlotte, along with V&H Suzuki Hayabusa3 clients 2003 PSM champ Geno Scali and Kelly Clontz. Matt Smith has a full stable of Buell-riding teammates in wife Angie, John Hall and Jianna Evaristo. WAR Racing’s Chase Van Sant won his first race on the team’s Suzuki last year, and he’s joined by ever-improving teammate Chris Bostick. Their team owner Timothy Kulungian is responsible for the squad’s tuneups.
In addition to those Pro Stock Motorcycle riders, expect to see evergreen racer Steve Johnson on his Suzuki, Marc Ingwersen on an EBR, Wesley Wells’ Suzuki, local rider Ryan Oehler and his Buell, together with Lance Bonham on a Buell. If your two-wheel fantasies tend to more horsepower, Top Fuel Motorcycle makes the first of four appearances in 2025, with four riders begging Larry “Spiderman” McBride to stop being so darn quick on his Pingel Enterprise entry. McBride will face Micah Fenwick, Mitch Brown, Elmeri Salakari and Robert Malloy. Top Fuel Motorcycle also races at Richmond, Brainerd and the second 4-Wide race during NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship at Charlotte in September.
At the conclusion of this weekend’s race, NHRA will have competed at Route 66 Raceway 25 times and, after being away for a few years, fans regaled the series return in 2023. A stadium-style facility, Route 66 Raceway has been the site of several momentous events, including the 2000 contest, when John Force won his 86th Funny Car race, making him the most successful – at that time – racer in series history. Force now owns 157 Wally winner’s trophies an 16 championships; following his mega-accident at Richmond last year, Force is continuing to recover from those injuries and has selected 2012 Flopper titleholder Jack Beckman to turn on the win lights in his PEAK-sponsored Chevy.
Route 66 Raceway is also the site of Erica Enders’ first Pro Stock victory in 2012; the Elite Motorsports team leader now owns six World championships and is the most successful female in all of motorsports. Other big winners at Joliet include eight-time Top Fuel champ and Chicago native Tony Schumacher, six-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin, Funny Car champ and FOX broadcast lead analyst Tony Pedregon and NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car legend Kenny Bernstein. Last year’s winners were Antron Brown in Top Fuel as he marched towards his fourth championship, four-time titleholder Matt Hagan in Funny Car and Herrera in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
The Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday features semifinalists from the American Rebel Light NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, who will fight for bonus money and bonus championship points. Last year’s winners were Justin Ashley, J.R. Todd and Herrera. Ashley has the chance to win here for a second time in the bonus race, as does Las Vegas victor Tony Stewart, Brown and the winner of Top Fuel’s 1,000th race, Shawn Langdon, who currently leads the points standings. In Funny Car, it’ll be reigning champ Austin Prock’s John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS, Hagan’s Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Ron Capps’ Toyota GR Supra and Alexis DeJoria, this year racing a Charger with JCM Racing. The Pro Stock Motorcycle bonus rounds are for Smith, Herrera, Steve Johnson and Richard Gadson.
There are 17 Top Fuel dragsters on the ground, for Brown, Doug Kalitta, Ashley, Langdon, Brittany Force, Steve Torrence, Shawn Reed, Stewart, Clay Millican, Josh Hart, Dan Mercier, Will Smith, Lex Joon, local T.J. Zizzo, Kyle Wurtel, Spencer Massey and Terry Totten. Funny Car boasts 19 entries but one of those, local Chris King will work on qualifying setups and then depart on race day to see his son Shane graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, bringing the actual number of race-day eligible entries to 18. Reigning champ Austin Prock, his teammate Jack Beckman (Camaro), Bob Tasca III (Ford Mustang), Daniel Wilkerson (Mustang), Todd (Supra), Chad Green (Mustang), Hagan, Capps, Cruz Pedregon (Charger), Paul Lee (Charger), Dave Richards’ Mustang, Blake Alexander in a Chad Green Charger, Dale Creasy Jr.’s Dodge Stratus, Buddy Hull and King’s Chargers, Spencer Hyde (Mustang), DeJoria, Justin Schriefer (Charger) and Bobby Bode III in Del Worsham’s Ford are all on the entry list.
Lucas Oil Sportsman classes for this race are Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster, Factory Stock Showdown and Factory X. The Congruity Pro Mod Drag Racing Series contends for its fourth race of the season and shows 20 entries for the weekend. While temperate weather is expected, with Friday being the warmest day of the weekend at 87 degrees with breezy conditions, there have been warnings about high humidity, which can affect engines as much as people. Fortunately, there are no storms predicted, once some thunder showers roll through Thursday night. There are two qualifying sessions for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series each day and final eliminations are set to start at 10:30am on Sunday. FOX’s FS1 will air two qualifying shows and the finals, the latter starting at 2PM ET, while all re-airs are on FS2.
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