ENNIS, TX – Three-time Funny Car champion Ron Capps is no stranger to winning NHRA Mission Food Drag Racing Series races, especially recently at the Texas Motorplex, home of the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, which is the main event of the 10-day Stampede of Speed. This weekend, Capps will be looking to make a splash to open the second half of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Capps and his 11,000-horsepower NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra team have three wins at the legendary facility and after four final round finishes this season, Capps, who is fourth in points, hopes this weekend’s Texas NHRA FallNationals is where he breaks through for his first win of the year.

“The old cliché of ‘everything’s bigger in Texas’ definitely holds true for us in the NHRA,” Capps said. “The FallNationals is what I call a momentum weekend and it always has been. It’s either going to put you in the place you want to be with two races left to go in the Countdown to the Championship, or it can be the place that takes you completely out of the hunt.” Continue reading →

ENNIS, TX – Eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher is back in the world title hunt and heading to one of his favorite tracks on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour, a combination that could bode well for the longtime Top Fuel star.

Fresh off his victory in St. Louis, Schumacher is ready to roll at this weekend’s 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at legendary Texas Motorplex, an event that caps off the Stampede of Speed.

Now living in Texas, Schumacher plans to take in all of what the spectacular 10-day event has to offer and he hopes to close it out with a second straight victory in his 11,000-horsepower Leatherwood Distillery/Waltrip Brewing Co. dragster for JCM Racing.

Schumacher is sixth in the Top Fuel points after his first victory in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs since 2014, sitting 103 points back of first as he seeks his seventh career victory at Texas Motorplex. No other Top Fuel driver has more than three, meaning the facility, which also is the site of his first career Top Fuel victory, has treated Schumacher very well over the years. Continue reading →

INDIANAPOLIS – Through the first three races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs, fans have already witnessed electric moments, huge surprises and major shifts in the points standings as drivers in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series put everything on the line for championship glory.

The second half of the six-race postseason begins this weekend with the main event of Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed, the Texas NHRA FallNationals, starting an epic three-race finish.

Following the annual stop in Dallas, the stars in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle go to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals on Oct. 31-Nov. 3, with all roads leading to Pomona for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals on Nov. 14-17 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

Here’s how each class stacks up heading to the final three races of the 2024 season. Continue reading →

PHOENIX – Officials with NHRA, Firebird Motorsports Park and the Gila River Indian Community are excited to announce a multi-year extension for the annual NHRA Arizona Nationals at the popular track, showcasing the incredible support and commitment for NHRA drag racing at the fan-favorite facility.

It also sets the stage for a memorable celebration for next year’s 40th anniversary of the NHRA Arizona Nationals, which takes place March 21-23 as the second race of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Tickets will go on sale on Oct. 14 for the annual “Duel in the Desert” and the long-term extension ensures the storied history of NHRA drag racing at the track will continue well into the future.

“When we announced last year that we were carrying on the legacy and tradition of over 40 years of motorsports here at the Firebird Motorsports Park, our goal was to prove our commitment to our racing community and show them that we are in this for the long-haul,” Firebird Motorsports Park Track Manager Casey Buckman said. Continue reading →

LAS VEGAS – As the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series nears the finish line, drivers have their sights set on a NHRA world championships as they approach the penultimate event of the year, the 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 31 – Nov. 3.

The Ford Performance NHRA Nationals marks the fifth of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs and the 19th of 20 races in 2024, as drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will be focused on every captivating round of racing – which could put them a step closer to championship glory.

Loaded with specialty classes and an electric Las Vegas atmosphere where every 330-mph run is critical, the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals is a thrill ride from start to finish. The race, which always draws a massive crowd, opens with a pair of qualifying runs on both Friday and Saturday, leading to a memorable Sunday of eliminations where the intensity will be at a fever pitch in Sin City. Continue reading →

ST. LOUIS – Funny Car’s Jack Beckman picked up his first victory since taking over for legendary driver John Force, defeating Ron Capps in the final round of the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, also winning his first race in nearly four years on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Beckman went 3.856-seconds at 315.86 mph in his 11,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS, holding off Capps’ 3.882 at 329.42 to record his 34th career win and first since 2020. Beckman was named the substitute driver for Force following Force’s crash in June, collecting points for the 16-time champ as Beckman attempts to win another title for the iconic Force.

To reach the final round, Beckman defeated J.R. Todd, Daniel Wilkerson, and points leader and teammate Austin Prock, snapping Prock’s streak of 14 straight round wins. Beckman moved into second in points and heads into the final three races trailing Prock by 105 points. Continue reading →

ST. LOUIS – For the first time in history, NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series race day will include four female drivers in the Top Fuel ranks at the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.

The Top Fuel field at the NHRA Midwest Nationals will see former champion and No. 3 qualifier Brittany Force taking on Josh Hart in the first round of eliminations. No. 7 qualifier Jasmine Salinas will meet up with points leader Antron Brown while No. 9 Ida Zetterström will face off with former champion Steve Torrence. Finally, reigning Top Alcohol Dragster champion Julie Nataas – who qualified No. 15 – will battle with eight-time champion Tony Schumacher in her Top Fuel debut.

NHRA has a rich history of female competitors. The 100th different female winner was crowned earlier this season in Seattle. Shirley Muldowney paved the way, winning three Top Fuel championships in the 70s and 80s. Pro Stock’s Erica Enders is the winningest female throughout all of motorsports with six championships to her credit. The Pro Stock Motorcycle division has seen five female riders qualify at St. Louis in 2022. Continue reading →

ST. LOUIS – Funny Car points leader Austin Prock rolled to his 12th No. 1 qualifier of the season for John Force Racing in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway, as he looks to stay unbeaten in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs at the 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals.

T.J. Zizzo (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Prock just missed the track record set by Robert Hight in 2017, going 3.836-seconds at 330.72 mph in his 11,000-horsepower AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS. His 12th No. 1 qualifier this season also pulls him to within one No. 1 spot of tying John Force for the most top qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history. Continue reading →