NHRA’S 37th visit to Seattle Raceways is the 12th event in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, as it barrels towards the close of its “regular” season when initial championships in the sanction’s 75th anniversary season take place. In the meantime, battles for the top slot and money in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock continue, with the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals. The funding is not inconsequential for these racers.
Top Fuel will have one added entry than we saw in Sonoma, as Krista Baldwin returns to competition in Seattle, which makes four of 15 competitors in the fairer sex. Leah Pruett, Maddi Gordon, Jasmine Salinas and Baldwin are all planning to put the boys in their place in Seattle, a venue known for its beauty and its ability to produce high speeds and low times. 
After her final round appearance in Sonoma last weekend, and after taking out one of the hottest racers (and last year’s Seattle victor) Shawn Langdon on a holeshot, Salinas’ visit to her home track gives her impetus to do well in the Pacific northwest. “We’re really excited to keep up the momentum in Seattle,” she said. “We rarely get to have back-to-back weekends of racing, so this will continue to give us even more data and seat time. Seattle,” Salinas recognizes, “is such a fun place to race, and it feels like you’re racing in the forest. We’re excited to return.”
Racing in the forest has appeal for every drag racing competitor, because those trees can help to give better conditions. This weekend marks Salinas’ fifth race of the 20-event season and, thanks to her Sonoma results in front of three sellout crowds over last weekend, she’s entered in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. She’ll race Leah Pruett in a replay of their semifinal matchup, while race winner Doug Kalitta meets Antron Brown, his semifinal foe.
Despite his second round departure courtesy of Salinas, Langdon continues to lead the standings in Top Fuel, followed by Kalitta Motorsports teammate Kalitta, Pruett, Brown, while Maddi Gordon and Tony Stewart are tied until Friday qualifying, Josh Hart, Billy Torrence, Justin Ashley and Clay Millican. There’s a 614-point gap from Kalitta to Millican.
NHRA’s 2025 visit to Seattle saw Matt Hagan take his Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the Winners Circle, something he’d love to do again. But the four-time champion isn’t the dominant force he has been in the past in the Funny Car class. At this moment, Ron Capps leads the standings, despite a disappointing first-round Sonoma departure at a venue he considers one of his home races. Capps has won four times in Seattle (one of those was a 1995 Top Fuel victory), and he’s been runner-up six times, including 2025.
With 14 Funny Car entries, whoever cops the No. 1 qualifier will have an easy time, should they get past the first round that is. Last weekend, with a similar car count in Top Fuel, many of the series’ favorites were surprisingly gone in Sonoma after a single round of eliminations. Will that happen to Funny Car at Seattle? Arguably the hottest hand in NHRA-land belongs to first-year Flopper racer Jordan Vandergriff, overseen by Chris Cunningham, who has been everybody’s favorite co-crew chief until John Force Racing gave him this opportunity to work with the second-generation driver. Working with Jason Bunker, “All my guys gave me an amazing race car. I just sat in the car and tried to do my job. They just did the rest and gave me the best race car on the property.”
Still, it’ll be tough for Vandergriff and his JFR Chevrolet SS when he races so many legends that have had success at this track and who are on a mission to earn the regular season title. While the newcomer currently owns second place ahead of teammate Jack Beckman, Hagan, J.R. Todd’s Supra, Chad Green’s Mustang, teammate and 2011 Top Alcohol Funny Car winner Alexis DeJoria, Austin Prock, Spencer Hyde and Daniel Wilkerson’s Ford Mustangs.
Wilkerson was the runner-up in Sonoma and has been competitive throughout the season, his points position notwithstanding. And Prock? He went from two seasons at the mountaintop to being rather uncompetitive at the start of the season. Bob Tasca’s operation, where the Prock family has set roots in 2026, has always run hot-and-cold, with their former driver taking the 340mph mark – albeit unofficially – while Prock set the official record in the 2024 season finale at Pomona. Prock and his family team, have been working steadily to learn their new mount and take it forward. Watch for them in the six-race Countdown to the Championship. You never know…
In the 2025 Muskleshoot Casino Resort Northwest Nationals, Dallas Glenn won the race for KB Titan Racing, en route to his first NHRA Pro Stock championship. Glenn was one of the favorites in Sonoma and he did nab the Mission #2Fast2Tasty trophy, but he was gone after one round of eliminations on Sunday, as was his teammate Greg Anderson, Matt Hartford, No. 1 qualifier Chris Vang, and Norwalk victor Aaron Stanfield (from Elite Motorsports). After the quarterfinals, Sonoma was an all-Elite affair, with Greg Stanfield earning his second straight win light in the Wine Country against Erica Enders.
Has the tide turned? We won’t know until eliminations are complete on Sunday, but with 17 cars in the pits, someone won’t be part of those activities. The Stanfield family, Greg and Aaron have been carrying Elite the past few events but with Enders back in the final round at Sonoma and both Coughlins in the semifinal bouts – Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. joined Enders and Greg Stanfield – it could mean the tide has turned. Right now Glenn is atop the standings with Greg Anderson second, a tie between Hartford and Greg Stanfield for third, Aaron Stanfield in fifth, Matt Latino, Erica Enders, Jeg Coughlin Jr., Troy Coughlin Jr. and Eric Latino rounding out the top ten. There’s a gap of 458 points from first through tenth and yes, anything can and will happen between now and the close of the regular season at the Big Go in Indianapolis.
Thankfully, the heat wave that’s engulfed the West Coast is moving away, which means milder weather throughout the weekend. At this point, there is a “slight chance” of rain after 11am on Sunday, but that, too, could change by the time reading begins. In addition to the Mission Foods gang, fans get to witness 10 Lucas Oil Sportsman classes: Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster.
In addition to all the competition, fans will enjoy the special tribute and celebration of Funny Car legend Jim Dunn, the team owner who has been in the sport longer than NHRA! His team has two runner-up results in Seattle and victory at this track in 2008 with Tony Bartone. Cars are on-track mid-to-late afternoon Friday, midday Saturday and eliminations begin at 10am on Sunday. There will also be special displays, a new-look Nitro Mall (it’s really upgraded) and special 75th anniversary displays. And there’s always the excitement of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge that makes Saturdays even more exciting.
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