The third consecutive NHRA Countdown to the Championship for its Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes takes place on the World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) dragstrip this weekend, closing out three races in a row in Reading, Charlotte and now outside St. Louis. It’s been a midwest-oriented hegira for teams and drivers, one that hearkens to the days when NHRA had its three-race Western Swing, both situations a real test of machines and racers.
With two in the bag, the points situation in this six-race playoff series isn’t terribly clear, with the exception of Funny Car, where John Force Racing’s Austin Prock, subbing for medically-excused Robert Hight has pretty much owned the class since racing began at Gainesville, FL in March. Prock’s Chevrolet Camaro SS, after winning three straight races, has 129 points in hand over the Ford Mustang of Bob Tasca III, while his team leader, John Force’s Camaro SS holds down third place, 136 points back, driven by 2012 Funny Car champ Jack Beckman. Reigning champ and 2023 NHRA Midwest Nationals winner Matt Hagan is 153 points behind Prock in fourth place, driving the Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, while three-time champ Ron Capps is fifth, lagging by a full 207 points in his Toyota GR Supra.
It’s possible for any driver to make a big run in these next four contests, but the way Prock’s Flopper’s been running, some mechanical magic needs to occur. Witness 2018 champ J.R. Todd in sixth, 210 points behind with his Toyota GR Supra, followed by the similar car of Alexis DeJoria, who needs to make up 257 points. Three Ford Mustang drivers complete the top ten, with Daniel Wilkerson (-262), Blake Alexander (-267) and Chad Green (-270) racing in tight points confines. Cruz Pedregon’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat (-295), Buddy Hull’s Jim Dunn Racing Charger (-326) and Dave Richards’ Mustang (-338) complete the Countdown eligible Funny Car brigade.
With 16 cars on the entry list, everyone will race this weekend, including Terry Haddock, driving a Mustang, Dale Creasy Jr.’s Dodge Stratus and Bobby Bode III’s Mustang. Missing at this race? Paul Lee’s Dodge Charger is not on the entry list. Looking at the tightness of the standings once one gets beyond Prock’s overall lead, there’s plenty of changes that could occur once four rounds of qualifying and the same number of eliminations are completed. Sixteen rounds remain in the season and, while Prock has a darn good lead heading into these four races, he needs to use his mirrors as there are danger zones behind him. Take into effect Capps, who may lag by more than 200 points but has four event titles at these NHRA Midwest Nationals. “It’s such an adaptive type of race track,” Capps said of WWTR. “You definitely want to make some good points moves here, before heading into the final stretch,” which offers points-and-a-half for the season finale in November.
Top Fuel will be even more exciting this weekend during the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, as there are several stories in play for the dragster class. As three-time Top Fuel champ Antron Brown heads south from his Indianapolis-area home to compete at this St. Louis-adjacent track, he’s got two wins in the initial pair of Countdown contests to propel him forward. The most recent winner of the Western Swing, albeit 15 years ago in 2009, Brown could take his dragster to an historic moment in straight-line racing if he does, in fact, win again this weekend. He’s got 53 points in hand against SCAG Racing’s Justin Ashley, while Kalitta Motorsports’ Shawn Langdon holds third place, 62 points in arrears. His teammate, reigning titleholder Doug Kalitta is 67 points back before we get into triple-digit territory, with Clay Millican in fifth place, 118 points behind Brown.
Millican, who won here last year, lies a bit more than three rounds out of second place and is excited about the performance of his dragster: “the performance of the car has been pretty incredible,” he noted. “The way our car is running right now, I’m pretty happy.” As a five-time event winner in the dragster class, Brown might have other ideas, especially since he owns five national event wins thus far in the 2024 season. Despite starting the six-race Countdown in fifth place, he’s now the leader and starts this four-race trek with his pink ‘Tools for the Cause’ livery to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. “We’ve had a lot of success in St. Louis,” Brown reminded, “and we’d love to pick that winning streak back up there this weekend.”
Behind Millican, four-time champ Steve Torrence is sixth (-130), followed by Top Fuel’s pair of Tony’s, Schumacher in seventh (-173) and class rookie Stewart just a single point behind him. Two-time champ Brittany Force, last weekend’s No. 1 qualifier is ninth (-178), while Torrence’s dad Billy holds tenth-place points, 210 behind Brown. Josh Hart (-236) and Shawn Reed (-263) are Countdown eligible and looking to move up that food chain. With 20 dragsters, on the grounds, including first-timer Julie Nataas in the second Scrappers Top Fuel machine paired with Jasmine Salinas, this will be a weekend where cool nerves will prevail. Look for Ida Zetterstrom, T.J. Zizzo, Kyle Wurtzel, Terry Totten, Jacob Opatmy and the very welcome return of Scott Palmer to shake things up in this class.
Last year’s St. Louis race went to the most successful Pro Stock racer of all time, KB Titan Racing leader Greg Anderson, currently languishing in fourth place, 74 points behind his teammate Dallas Glenn, Elite Motorsports’ Aaron Stanfield (-8) and reigning titleholder Erica Enders, who is 53 points behind Glenn. Elite Motorsports has the middle of the points standings sewn up right now, as their racers hold fifth through eight spots with Jeg Coughlin Jr. 166 points back, Cristian Cuadra lagging by 192, Jerry Tucker (-199) and Troy Coughlin Jr., currently 206 points in arrears. The balance of the Countdown eligible racers in this class are Matt Hartford in ninth (-229), Eric Latino tenth (-243), while Mason McGaha,(-249), dad Chris (-264) and Deric Kramer (-294)complete the Countdown crew.
Fully 21 Pro Stock cars are entered for this third playoff race. Some of the notables not in playoff contention include Camrie Caruso and Brandon Foster for KB Titan, Val Smeland and Kenny Delco, KB Titan’s Cory Reed, Elite’s Fernando Cuadra Jr. and David Cuadra, as well as Robert River. The three Cuadra brothers will take part in Mustang-bodied cars; everyone else is racing a Camaro body. Anderson has three wins at this track, but Enders owns six trophies from St. Louis. As it stands, KB Titan’s leader and NHRA’s door-slammer points leader still need to watch their mirrors for Enders and five-time 2024 national event winner Stanfield, both of whom perform well at this track. Enders’ six wins here are the most for any driver.
Pro Stock Motorcycle returns to a full complement of 16 racers for this St. Louis race, with ten of them counted as part of this year’s playoffs. It’s pretty darn tight in this class, with 244 points separating first from tenth place. And everyone is chasing six-time titleholder Matt Smith and his self-named team that has four Buell motorcycles entered in this year’s competition. Smith has a 25-point lead on Vance & Hines’ reigning Suzuki Hayabusa3 champion, Gaige Herrera, who has two points on his teammate Richard Gadson. From there the class moves to triple digits in the Countdown, with Reading victor Hector Arana Jr. and his Buell a full 115 points in arrears. WAR Racing’s Chase Van Sant’s Suzuki is fifth, 154 points back, followed by the Buell-riding Matt Smith Racing Buell threesome of John Hall (-156), Angie Smith (-159) and Jianna Evaristo (-171) occupying the sixth through eighth spots. Steve Johnson’s Suzuki is ninth (-213) and Chris Bostick, on a WAR Suzuki holds tenth place.
That leaves six riders looking to upset the points standings in this two-wheeled category, including the Buell of Marc Ingwersen, Kelly Clontz and Geno Scali both riding V&H Suzuki motorcycles, Wesley Wells’ Suzuki, the return of Ryan Oehler’s Buell and Lance Bonham on a Buell bike. Smith has warned if he succeeds in earning a record seventh Pro Stock Motorcycle title, that he’ll relinquish his seat. We’ve heard that threat from his father, Rickie, a three-time Pro Mod class champ, so it would be wise not to take it terribly seriously when there are four races remaining and with the final contest paying points and a half. Smith could be serious and, should he decide to relinquish his seat, that would give his team even more attention from him for their tuning needs.
This weekend features nine more classes on the schedule, including the penultimate Congruity Pro Mod race and the following Lucas Oil Sportsman Drag Racing Series classes: Competition Eliminator, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Dragster, Factory Stock Showdown and Factory X. Both Aaron Stanfield and his father Greg are entered in the latter class, giving that Bossier City, Louisiana family the opportunity to earn another two-in-one-day set of Wally winner’s trophies, an accomplishment Aaron achieved at Indianapolis, the final “regular season” race over Labor Day weekend.
NHRA scheduled four rounds of qualifying scheduled, two each on Friday and Saturday, together with eliminations beginning at 11AM CT on Sunday. FS1 is scheduled to broadcast the finals starting at 2PM CT. With Hurricane Helene fast approaching the area, on Thursday NHRA announced changes to Friday’s qualifying times, swapping the late afternoon/early evening scheduling to midday, with Mission Foods’ four classes starting their qualifying at noon (central time), followed by a second session at 2:30PM CT. It’s unknown whether these changes will affect Saturday and Sunday scheduling.
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