![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Dodge-NHRA-Great-Lakes-Nationals-prsntd-by-MOPAR-300x300.jpg\")
NHRA\u2019s 75th anniversary season of its professional Mission Foods Drag Racing Series has completed its regular season and now barrels into the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs. This year\u2019s Countdown begins with a trio of contests in three consecutive weeks, which isn\u2019t that unusual. What makes this Countdown extraordinary is that two of the six Countdown venues are new to the series and competitors, and that these two begin the playoffs.<\/p>\n
When the 2026 schedule was announced, a single new venue was on the docket, Rockingham Dragway, the historic dragstrip that\u2019s been through changes in ownership during the past few years. Then, when IHRA announced its intention to own Maple Grove Raceway outside Reading, PA, NHRA had to pivot on its initial race of the six. The decision went out to conduct the start of the Countdown at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. It\u2019s been 66 years since NHRA raced in The Great Lakes State at Detroit Dragway, making this week\u2019s event an unknown to many competitors in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If some of the standings look familiar, the first 14 races of this year\u2019s schedule have shown us that, in Top Fuel you\u2019re either part of Kalitta Motorsports or chasing them. Doug Kalitta nailed the regular season title while Shawn Langdon aced the regular-season-ending race, the 72nd Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP). The regular-season championship gave Kalitta a few extra points, with his Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge championship. The reigning Top Fuel titleholder has 26 points on his teammate, with Tony Stewart Racing\u2019s Leah Pruett – Kalitta\u2019s lead protagonist in the 2023 title chase – in third, while her husband, Tony Stewart, driving with Elite Motorsports holds fourth-place points.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Kalitta family will be recognized during the weekend as part of NHRA\u2019s 75th anniversary celebration, with Doug, his uncle Connie and Connie\u2019s late son Scott Kalitta honored by the sanction. Both Connie and Doug Kalitta will be recognized as two of the top 75 drivers in NHRA history. As Doug Kalitta prepares to fully defend his current title, he\u2019s feeling right at home and using the Applied Innovation colors to celebrate a local business that has worked with Kalitta in the recent past, for the wrap on his dragster. \u201cIt\u2019ll be business as usual, really,\u201d Kalitta stated. \u201cEach qualifying run\u2019s going to be important and, typically, Friday\u2019s usually a good qualifying day, then Saturdays are typically a little warmer. Still,\u201d he qualified, \u201cthis time of year in Michigan, I\u2019m not sure what the forecast holds, but it\u2019ll be exciting for the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n Kalitta has a modest, 26-point lead on Langdon, who\u2019s had as hot a hand as his teammate, securing five wins on the season, including a trio of consecutive victories (Valdosta, Joliet, Budds Creek, MD). Langdon has taken part in multiple bracket races at this track in recent years, giving him an advantage his competition lacks. And that competition is strong, starting with Antron Brown in fifth, rookie Maddi Gordon sixth, followed by Josh Hart, Billy Torrence, Justin Ashley, Clay Millican, Will Smith and Tony Schumacher, with 12 drivers eligible for the title. Schumacher is a full 142 points behind Kalitta, but the eight-time titleholder is, at least, part of this scenario.<\/p>\n There are 19 dragsters on this entry list, with a few drivers that haven\u2019t been to many events in 2026. Kyle Wurtzel, Bernie Plourd, Spencer Massey, Jasmine Salinas, Cameron Ferre and Kyle Satenstein are joining the regulars, which means there are three drivers who will be watching, not racing on Sunday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There may only be 16 racers signed up to compete in Funny Car at Martin, Michigan, but this is a stout group with fully 12 racers eligible for Countdown championship honors. Of course regular season champion – a four-time World Titleholder – Matt Hagan leads the group of Funny Car championship aspirants, and holds a miserly 17-point advantage on a perennial contender, Ron Capps. Hagan\u2019s Tony Stewart Racing Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat will celebrate Dodge\u2019s sponsorship of this race. The Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR give Hagan the opportunity to be a winner at his sponsor\u2019s race and to win an event that\u2019s not been held in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With a full week of events planned around the Dodge Great Lakes Ntionals, Hagan will be a busy guy without even looking at his racing gear. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of variables to these new tracks,\u201d as NHRA visits two new venues a week apart. \u201cWe have to take care of our stuff but still run it hard.\u201d In his first Countdown, Hagan recalled then-crew-chief Tommy DeLago \u201cset aside stuff for the Countdown; he had stuff up his sleeve. This year,\u201d he recognized, \u201cis really a war of attrition, massaging and working on our parts.\u201d He\u2019s had 5-6 blowups in 14 races and \u201cit was all valvetrain-related. The rules are so strict, super, super strict so that rotating parts is what helps us. It\u2019s so hard to replicate a lap,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hagan\u2019s closest competitor and the driver he usurped for the regular season crown, Ron Capps is still having a mega year for his Toyota GR Supra Flopper. In addition he\u2019s fielding the Maddi Gordon dragster, so this driver\u2019s plate is definitely full. After losing to Hagan in the U.S. Nationals semifinals, Capps has licked his wounds and moved forward. He was obviously disappointed to lose the regular season title to his former teammate at Don Schumacher Racing, but he\u2019s thrilled to have won three races – to date – in this year\u2019s 75th season that offers diamond Wally trophies. With four drivers vying for that regular season title, Capps knew the job would be tough. Coming into Indy, \u201cGuido still didn\u2019t feel comfortable with the tune-up yet. So, as he continues to get more and more comfortable, we\u2019re just going to keep running better and better. It\u2019s clear,\u201d Capps said, \u201che\u2019s comfortable now and that couldn\u2019t have come at a better time than the start of the Countdown.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind this perennial duo are Jack Beckman and Jordan Vandegriff, both driving John Force Racing (JFR) Chevrolet Camaro SS race cars, followed by Kalitta Motorsports\u2019 J.R. Todd\u2019s Toyota GR Supra, reigning two-time consecutive champ Austin Prock in Tasca Racing\u2019s Ford Mustang Dark Horse, the third JFR Chevy SS for Alexis DeJoria, Chad Green\u2019s, Daniel Wilkerson\u2019s, Spencer Hyde\u2019s and Dave Richards\u2019 Mustangs. Two-time champ Cruz Pedregon, driving his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is the final eligible Countdown driver. This dozen are joined by Terry Haddock (Mustang), Joey Haas (Mustang), Jeff Diehl\u2019s Camry and Hunter Green in a Dodge SRT Hellcat.<\/p>\n Only 14 Pro Stock entries have signed up to race at US. 131 Motorsports Park this weekend, and all but two of them are Countdown eligible. This fight could be intramural at KB Titan Racing, with reigning champ Dallas Glenn the No. 1 seed for this class, followed by six-time champion Greg Anderson. There\u2019s a tiny 19-point gap between this duo, but they need to watch their mirrors as Greg Stanfield of Elite Motorsports is in third place, followed by KB Titan\u2019s consistently quick Matt Hartford. Six-time champion Erica Enders of Elite Motorsports is fifth, KB\u2019s Matt Latino is sixth, followed by Elite\u2019s Jeg Coughlin Jr. (a five-time Pro Stock titleholder) and Aaron Stanfield.<\/p>\n Cody Anderson, in his first year driving for KB Titan, holds ninth place points, followed by Elite\u2019s Troy Coughlin Jr., KB Titan\u2019s Eric Latino and independent racer Kenny Delco, the latter having a competitive year. Deric Kramer and Aussie Shane Tucker complete this race\u2019s entrants. After winning the regular season title over Anderson at Indy, Glenn has more on his plate than racing this week, as he\u2019s prepping wife Sadie\u2019s Top Dragster for next weekend\u2019s contest at Rockingham. While he\u2019s never been to the track at Michigan, much less raced there, he\u2019s definitely looking forward to it. And he does expect the title fight to go all the way to Pomona, as it customarily does. He said, \u201c2024 prepared me for the mental stress last year, and I expect another nail-biter in 2026. I\u2019m hoping,\u201d he said, \u201cthat it doesn\u2019t rain. We want to race in front of fans; you never want it to be like 2025. We love that celebration at Top End and last year, not getting that moment at Top End was tough.\u201d<\/p>\n Richard Gadson leads all comers in Pro Stock Motorcycle, thanks to his regular season title. Matt Smith won the U.S. Nationals as he aims for a seventh world championship. There are 11 eligible motorcycle riders for Countdown honors and both Vance & Hines Motorsports Suzuki Hayabusa3 riders, Gadson and his two-time-consecutive champion partner Gaige Herrera will have to deal with Matt Smith Racing\u2019s quartet of Buell challengers. Smith, thanks to his Indy win, is 25 points behind Gadson with Herrera three points behind the North Carolina rider. Angie Smith is fourth, followed by teammate John Hall, Ryan Oehler on his Buell, Chase Van Sant\u2019s Suzuki, Jianna Evaristo, Clayton Howey, Steve Johnson and 2003 champ Geno Scali.<\/p>\n For much of this season and at Indy, Howey rode a Suzuki, but he\u2019s changing brands this week and will finish the season at Ryan Oehler Racing, on a Buell. He tested on Tuesday after the U.S. Nationals, as did Ida Zetterstrom, who earned her Pro Stock Motorcycle license to accompany her Top Fuel license. Joining the competition this weekend are Mathieu Dube from Quebec, riding a Suzuki, Marc Ingwersen on his Buell, Wesley Wells\u2019 Suzuki and Mark Paquette, making a second straight start on a Buell this week; Paquette was unable to make the Indy field.<\/p>\n Expecting to \u201ccontrol my destiny in Michigan,\u201d Gadson knows it \u201cmeans everything to be able to win on-track. I love the point from top-end interview because there\u2019s no question you won. I feed off emotions and that pushes me. Beating the best rider on Sunday is why you are where you are,\u201d he said of winning the regular season title over Smith and Herrera. While he\u2019s tested at Martin four, five years ago, \u201cU.S. 131 is one of the rare situations where I haven\u2019t raced on this track. I watched Gaige make his first pass on Karen Stoffer\u2019s bike and I think U.S. 131 is a great replacement for where we were supposed to go.\u201d While he realizes that everyone has motivating factors when they race, \u201cI\u2019m at my best when I have something to prove. I like to have my emotions under control and when I\u2019m in the staging lanes, I\u2019m not cool, calm, collected. My emotions,\u201d he revealed, \u201care outward, whether it\u2019s a big round or for a championship.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to NHRA\u2019s Mission Foods competition, fans have the opportunity to watch Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Top Sportsman and Factory Stock Showdown. NHRA\u2019s special commemorative 75th anniversary tickets for these final six races tickets will celebrate the Kalitta family at Martin, Vance & Hines\u2019 Terry Vance and Pro Stock legend Warren Johnson in Rockingham, four-time Top Fuel champ Antron Brown in the critical St. Louis race, while Dallas\u2019 tickets feature Billy Meyer, Las Vegas goes for the Pedregon duo, Cruz and Tony, while the season finale\u2019s ticket features Tony Schumacher.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s qualifying sessions begin at 12:15PM and 2:45PM, while Saturday\u2019s duo start at noon and 2:30PM. Sunday\u2019s eliminations are scheduled to begin at 10:30AM. The weather may – or may not – cooperate, as Friday is expected to be the sole clear day. Temps are expected to be in the mid-70s for the first two days, then falling to the upper 60s on Sunday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NHRA\u2019s 75th anniversary season of its professional Mission Foods Drag Racing Series has completed its regular season and now barrels into the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":107418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3465,3470,5029],"tags":[1259,8745,9952,13604,1704,38,4730,9474,8365,9966,7,1883,73,12843,10427],"class_list":["post-107409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drag-racing","category-news","category-racing","tag-countdown-to-the-championship","tag-dallas-glenn","tag-dodge-charger-srt-hellcat","tag-dodge-great-lakes-nationals-presented-by-mopar","tag-elite-motorsports","tag-funny-car","tag-kalitta-motorsports","tag-kb-titan-racing","tag-matt-smith-racing","tag-mission-foods-drag-racing-series","tag-nhra","tag-tony-stewart-racing","tag-top-fuel","tag-u-s-131-motorsports-park","tag-vance-and-hines-motorsports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Dodge-NHRA-Great-Lakes-Nationals-prsntd-by-MOPAR-e1789678605197.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-rWp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107409"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107425,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107409\/revisions\/107425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Doug-Kalitta-at-the-hit-300x196.jpg\")
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