NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The engines are warm, the grandstands are alive and the race-day battle has been unleashed at Brainerd International Raceway.

After two days of qualifying, preparation and anticipation, Sunday has arrived at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals. Now, every pairing matters. Every reaction time carries consequences. Every run can reshape a championship season that is rapidly building toward its crescendo.

The weather is nearly perfect, the track is ready and the unmistakable energy of Brainerd has spilled out of “The Zoo” and into the staging lanes. Warm-ups echoed through the pits shortly after dawn as crews made their final adjustments and drivers prepared themselves for the intensity of eliminations.

Now, it is time to race.

Follow along throughout the day as NHRA.com brings you the latest news, notes, round-by-round developments and behind-the-scenes stories from Sunday at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Top Fuel Round 1

Top Fuel eliminations opened with a mix of side-by-side racing, tire smoke and a major starting-line upset at Brainerd International Raceway.

Tony Stewart began the round with a strong 3.726-second pass at 334.32 mph to defeat Josh Hart’s respectable 3.789 at 330.47. Stewart also left first with a .047 reaction time and never surrendered the advantage.

Leah Pruett delivered the quickest and fastest run of the opening round, powering to a 3.702 at 341.08 mph to defeat Will Smith’s 3.726 at 330.47. Pruett was also first off the starting line, advancing by nearly five hundredths of a second. Pruett joins the exclusive 340-mph club and shows the power that team has harnessed.

The round’s biggest surprise came when No. 4 qualifier Billy Torrence left before the Tree activated, posting a red-light reaction time of minus-.168. That handed the victory to No. 13 qualifier Clay Millican, who advanced with a 3.796 at 311.05 mph.

No. 2 qualifier Maddi Gordon continued her impressive weekend with a 3.752 at 336.32 to defeat Scott Palmer, whose car slowed to a 4.363. No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta followed with a clean 3.713 at 336.23, easily advancing past Cameron Ferre’s 4.092.

Shawn Langdon overcame Keith Murt’s strong .026 reaction time with a 3.708 at 335.57. Murt recorded a 3.953, allowing Langdon to drive around him and advance.

Justin Ashley was sharp at the starting line with a .038 light and powered to a 3.750 at 331.36. Shawn Reed lost traction and slowed to a 4.927, giving Ashley the largest margin of victory of the round.

Antron Brown closed Top Fuel’s opening session with a 3.776 at 330.63 to defeat Tony Schumacher, who encountered trouble and slowed to a 4.714.

The results set up a strong second round: Kalitta against Brown, Millican against Ashley, Gordon against Stewart, and Langdon against Pruett.

Funny Car Round 1

Funny Car’s opening round delivered two holeshot victories, an upset and plenty of tire smoke as eight drivers advanced at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

No. 13 qualifier Bobby Bode opened the round with an upset victory over No. 4 qualifier Daniel Wilkerson. Both cars encountered trouble, but Bode recovered to post a 4.483 at 206.99 mph, while Wilkerson slowed to a 7.925.

J.R. Todd delivered one of the round’s strongest runs, powering to a 3.898 at 333.66 mph after Spencer Hyde lost traction and slowed to a 7.852. Todd’s run was just one-thousandth of a second behind the best pass of the session.

No. 1 qualifier Jordan Vandergriff advanced on a competition bye. Vandergriff launched cleanly before running into trouble and coasting across the finish line in 6.044 seconds at 110.47 mph.

Austin Prock advanced with a 3.947 at 327.27 after Jack Wyatt encountered immediate trouble. Matt Hagan then recorded the quickest pass of the round, combining a sharp .040 reaction time with a 3.897 at 326.00 to defeat Jim Campbell.

The biggest surprise came late in the session. Jack Beckman and Chad Green both ran into trouble, but Beckman's day went worse after pedaling his John Force Racing Peak Funny Car Camaro lead to a centerline violation after clipping two cones and disqualifying his run. 

Ron Capps followed with a holeshot victory against Cruz Pedregon. Pedregon ran the quicker elapsed time with a 3.919 at 319.98, but Capps left first with a .082 reaction time and won with a 3.934 at 325.14. The margin at the finish line was only .0042-second.

Alexis DeJoria closed the round with a strong 3.927 at 328.14 to defeat Dave Richards, who slowed to a 5.358.

The results set up a compelling second round featuring Vandergriff against DeJoria, Bode against Todd, Prock against Capps and Hagan against Green.

Pro Stock Round 1

Pro Stock’s opening round delivered two major upsets, three holeshot victories and a pair of races decided by less than nine-thousandths of a second at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Cody Anderson earned his first head-to-head victory over six-time world champion Erica Enders while also recording the low elapsed time of the round. Enders grabbed a .015-second starting-line advantage, but Anderson drove around her with a 6.540 at 207.11 mph to defeat her 6.564 at 209.30 by just .0092-second.

The round’s biggest upset came when Jeg Coughlin Jr. made his best run of the weekend and put No. 1 qualifier Dallas Glenn on the trailer. Glenn had previously said that qualifying first did not feel like an advantage if it meant racing Coughlin in the opening round—and his concern proved justified.

Coughlin drilled the Tree with a .019 reaction time and used the starting-line advantage to win on a holeshot. His 6.572 at 208.94 defeated Glenn’s quicker 6.555 at 208.39 by only .0085-second.

Eric Latino also made his best run of the weekend and left with an exceptional .008 reaction time, but even that was not enough to defeat Greg Stanfield. Stanfield was just .011 behind at the start and powered to a 6.554 at 208.07 to drive around Latino’s 6.572 at 209.20. The margin was a razor-thin .0077-second.

Chris Vang opened the round with a strong .012 reaction time and a 6.561 at 207.02 to defeat Matt Latino’s 6.572. Troy Coughlin Jr. then scored a holeshot victory over Kenny Delco, using a .025 light and a 6.600 to defeat Delco’s quicker 6.593.

Aaron Stanfield advanced with a 6.558 at 207.56 against Jerry Tucker’s 6.622, while Matt Hartford used a 6.551 at 208.81 to defeat Deric Kramer’s 6.576.

Greg Anderson also advanced convincingly, pairing a .049 reaction time with a 6.546 at 207.72 to defeat Mason McGaha’s 6.596.

The results set up a second round featuring Chris Vang against Jeg Coughlin Jr., Matt Hartford against Cody Anderson, Greg Anderson against Troy Coughlin Jr. and Aaron Stanfield against Greg Stanfield.

Top Fuel Round 2

Top Fuel’s second round delivered three strong side-by-side races and one wild pedalfest as Doug Kalitta, Justin Ashley, Maddi Gordon and Leah Pruett advanced to the semifinals at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Ashley opened the round with a sharp .041 reaction time and never looked back. He powered to a 3.793 at 335.57 mph while Clay Millican lost traction and slowed to a 6.390. Ashley’s victory earned him a semifinal meeting with No. 1 qualifier Kalitta.

Gordon recorded the quickest pass of the round in her victory over Tony Stewart. Gordon left first with a .045 reaction time and ran 3.740 at 330.72 to defeat Stewart’s strong 3.751 at 338.85. The two cars were nearly even through the early incremental numbers, but Gordon maintained her advantage and reached the finish line first by .0383-second.

Kalitta continued his march through eliminations with another clean and consistent performance. Antron Brown grabbed a .015-second starting-line advantage, but Kalitta drove around him with a 3.742 at 326.56 to defeat Brown’s 3.796 at 322.81. The margin at the finish line was .0393-second.

The wildest race of the round belonged to Pruett and Shawn Langdon. The two cars launched with identical .855 60-foot times and remained separated by just one-thousandth of a second at 330 feet before both drivers encountered trouble.

Pruett reacted first with an excellent .030 light and pedaled her dragster to a 4.158 at 194.49. Langdon also worked to regain traction, but his 4.247 at 254.66 was not enough to overcome Pruett’s starting-line advantage.

“I thought I did a decent job pedaling it, and it just wasn’t enough to overcome [Pruett],” Langdon said.

The semifinal pairings will feature Kalitta against Ashley and Gordon against Pruett.

Funny Car Round 2

Funny Car’s second round featured one of the closest races of the weekend, a disqualification, and an all-John Force Racing battle decided entirely at the starting line.

The most dramatic race paired Austin Prock against Ron Capps. Prock lost traction early and watched Capps pull away, but Capps’ car dropped a cylinder and moved across the centerline, clipping the timing blocks and drawing an automatic disqualification.

Prock said he saw Capps “trucking away” before noticing that Capps had a cylinder out and eventually struck the cones.

Capps said he was doing everything possible to keep the car under control while remaining focused on the race.

“You don’t know where the other guy is,” Capps said. “I had to assume Prock was right there next to me.”

Capps recorded a 3.921 at 315.56 mph before the disqualification, allowing Prock to advance to a semifinal meeting with Matt Hagan.

J.R. Todd survived an exceptionally close race against Bobby Bode. Bode was slightly ahead at the halfway mark, but his car dropped a cylinder and began losing speed. Todd charged past in the final half of the track, winning with a 3.953 at 330.63 against Bode’s 3.954 at 318.77. The margin was just .0138-second.

Todd said he had been “dry heaving” after watching Capps strike the cones and was extremely impressed by Bode’s performance. Bode said that simply running that close to Todd’s pace represented a successful weekend for his team.

Hagan combined a strong .049 reaction time with a 3.944 at 320.05 to defeat Chad Green. Green’s car lost a cylinder, but the team elected not to shut it off in case Hagan encountered trouble before the finish line. Green stayed after it but slowed to a 4.191 at 275.00.

Hagan said the constantly changing points picture is difficult to follow and that his focus remains on his own performance.

“The points are so dynamic, it’s not something I can keep up with,” Hagan said. “I’m just happy to be cutting good lights.”

Hagan was also energized by the packed grandstands and joked that he planned to step on Prock’s and Jordan Vandergriff’s feet before the next round.

The all-JFR pairing between Vandergriff and Alexis DeJoria produced nearly identical runs. Both drivers recorded 3.956-second elapsed times, but Vandergriff’s .058 reaction time gave him a decisive advantage over DeJoria’s .087 light. Vandergriff won by .0292-second and moved into third place in the Funny Car standings.

The semifinals will feature Prock against Hagan and Vandergriff against Todd.

Pro Stock Round 2

Pro Stock’s second round produced a pair of first-time semifinalists, a holeshot victory and the possibility of an all-Anderson final at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Chris Vang advanced to the semifinals for the first time in his professional career after Jeg Coughlin Jr. squared the tires at the hit. Vang was ready with a .020 reaction time and made a clean 6.577-second pass at 206.89 mph, while Coughlin struggled to regain traction and slowed to a 7.186.

Vang will face Cody Anderson, who reached his first career Pro Stock semifinal with a holeshot victory over Matt Hartford.

Anderson grabbed a .018-second starting-line advantage with a .020 reaction time and held on for the victory. Hartford made the quicker run with a 6.557 at 209.07, but Anderson’s 6.561 at 206.89 reached the finish line first by .0144-second.

The other side of the ladder will feature Greg Anderson against Greg Stanfield.

Anderson and Troy Coughlin Jr. left with identical .035 reaction times, which put the race entirely in the hands of their race cars. Anderson pulled away with a 6.572 at 207.69, while Coughlin encountered trouble and slowed to a 6.844 at 166.05.

Stanfield advanced by winning both ends of the track against Aaron Stanfield. Greg left first with a .021 reaction time and ran 6.587 at 207.50 to defeat Aaron’s 6.594 at 207.15. The margin at the finish line was .0301-second.

With Greg and Cody on opposite sides of the ladder, the results created the possibility of a father-and-son final round.

“Maybe this will be Cody’s first day,” Greg Anderson said, embracing what he described as the weekend’s positive Minnesota atmosphere.

Asked about the possibility of racing his son in the final, Anderson acknowledged that it could happen. He said Cody is fired up, driving well and looking increasingly calm behind the wheel.

The semifinals will feature Vang against Cody Anderson and Greg Anderson against Greg Stanfield.

Top Fuel Semifinals

Doug Kalitta and Maddi Gordon advanced through two close semifinal races to set up a No. 1-versus-No. 2 qualifier showdown in the Top Fuel final at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Kalitta overcame Justin Ashley’s starting-line advantage with the quickest run of the semifinals. Ashley was first off the line with a .039 reaction time, gaining .025-second immediately, but Kalitta’s dragster quickly began closing the gap.

Kalitta powered to a 3.747 at 329.18 mph to drive around Ashley’s 3.805 at 327.74. The No. 1 qualifier reached the finish line first by .0337-second, earning lane choice for the final round.

Gordon followed with a wire-to-wire victory over Leah Pruett. Gordon left first with a .055 reaction time and maintained her advantage through a nearly even side-by-side race.

The two dragsters were separated by only five-thousandths of a second at the eighth-mile mark. Gordon pulled ahead on the top end with a 3.770 at 329.91, defeating Pruett’s 3.776 at 325.14 by .0209-second.

Gordon, the No. 2 qualifier, will now race No. 1 qualifier Kalitta for the Top Fuel title at Brainerd International Raceway.

Funny Car Semifinals

Matt Hagan and Jordan Vandergriff advanced through the Funny Car semifinals and will race for the NHRA Brainerd Nationals title.

Vandergriff continued his impressive weekend with another strong reaction time and a clean trip down the racetrack. The No. 1 qualifier left with a .035 light and powered to a 3.977 at 314.46 mph.

J.R. Todd encountered trouble almost immediately, recording a 1.003-second 60-foot time before slowing to a 5.800 at 161.30. Vandergriff’s victory sent him into the final round and continued a race-day performance that has already moved him into third place in the Funny Car standings.

Hagan then delivered the quickest run of the semifinals to defeat Austin Prock. Prock gained a slight starting-line advantage with a .065 reaction time against Hagan’s .081, but his car ran into trouble before reaching 330 feet.

Hagan made a clean pass in the opposite lane, powering to a 3.942 at 319.37. Prock worked to recover but slowed to a 4.764 at 237.84.

Hagan will have lane choice over Vandergriff in the final. The championship pairing matches the No. 3 qualifier against the No. 1 qualifier, with both drivers seeking a momentum-building victory as the regular season approaches its conclusion.

Pro Stock Semifinals

Chris Vang continued his breakthrough weekend by defeating Cody Anderson to reach the first Pro Stock final round of his professional career at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Vang won the race at both ends of the track. He left first with a .029 reaction time and powered to a 6.581 at 207.15 mph, defeating Anderson’s 6.594 at 207.37. Vang reached the finish line first by .0322-second and earned lane choice for the final round.

The loss ended a career-best day for Anderson, who defeated Erica Enders for the first time in Round 1 before earning his first professional semifinal appearance with a holeshot victory over Matt Hartford.

Vang will race six-time world champion Greg Anderson in the final.

Anderson advanced after Greg Stanfield encountered immediate trouble in their semifinal race. Stanfield gained a significant starting-line advantage with a .040 reaction time against Anderson’s .083, but his car stumbled almost immediately and slowed to a 14.159-second pass at 60.58 mph.

Anderson made a clean run in the opposite lane, posting a 6.608 at 208.46 to secure his second final-round appearance of the weekend after winning Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.

The final will match one of Pro Stock’s most accomplished champions against a driver racing for his first professional victory, with Vang holding lane choice over Anderson.

Greg Anderson completes Brainerd sweep with Pro Stock victory

Greg Anderson completed a perfect weekend at Brainerd International Raceway, defeating first-time finalist Chris Vang to win the Pro Stock title at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Vang gained the early advantage with a .045 reaction time against Anderson’s .054 and reached 60 feet first with a strong .989-second time.

Anderson’s HendrickCars.com Camaro quickly began closing the gap. By 330 feet, Anderson had driven around Vang and continued pulling away through the second half of the track. Anderson reached the finish line with a 6.584-second pass at 208.17 mph, defeating Vang’s 6.615 at 207.34. The margin of victory was .0227-second.

The victory capped a dominant weekend for Anderson, who also defeated teammate Dallas Glenn to win Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Anderson then raced through Sunday eliminations, defeating Mason McGaha, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Greg Stanfield before meeting Vang in the final.

Although Vang came up short, his performance represented a breakthrough weekend. He defeated Matt Latino, Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Cody Anderson to reach the first final round of his professional career.

Anderson leaves Brainerd with two trophies, a national-event victory and a surge of momentum as the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series regular season approaches its conclusion.

Matt Hagan drives past Jordan Vandergriff to win at Brainerd

Matt Hagan delivered a powerful top-end charge to defeat No. 1 qualifier Jordan Vandergriff and win the Funny Car title at the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

The final began nearly even, with Vandergriff gaining a three-thousandths starting-line advantage with a .061 reaction time against Hagan’s .064.

Vandergriff continued building his lead through the first half of the run. He reached 60 feet in .875 second and arrived at the eighth-mile mark in 3.167 seconds, while Hagan followed with incremental times of .879 and 3.198. The race changed in the final half of the track when Vandergriff’s car began losing power. Hagan charged past with a 3.946 at 320.13 mph, while Vandergriff slowed to a 4.038 at 266.27. Hagan reached the finish line first by .0892-second to secure the victory.

The win capped a consistent race day for Hagan, who defeated Jim Campbell, Chad Green and Austin Prock before facing Vandergriff in the final. Hagan recorded three runs in the 3.94-second range during eliminations, including a 3.942 in the semifinals and a 3.946 in the championship round.

Vandergriff finished as the runner-up after an impressive weekend that included the No. 1 qualifying position, a move into third place in the Funny Car standings and round-wins against Alexis DeJoria and J.R. Todd.

Hagan leaves Brainerd with a Wally and valuable momentum as the battle for the Funny Car championship intensifies.

Kalitta reigns supreme in Brainerd as Doug Kalitta defeats Gordon

Doug Kalitta delivered when it mattered most, powering past Top Fuel newcomer Maddi Gordon to win the NHRA Brainerd Nationals.

Gordon grabbed the starting-line advantage with a sharp .052 reaction time to Kalitta’s .068, but Kalitta quickly went to work. He drove around “Maddi the Baddie” with a strong 3.743-second pass at 333.74 mph, defeating Gordon’s very competitive 3.770 at 328.78 mph.

The margin of victory was just .0113-second, making it a thrilling finish to an impressive weekend for both drivers.

Gordon was outstanding in Brainerd taking down Leah Pruett in the semifinals and leaving first against one of the most accomplished racers in the category. But Kalitta’s experience and Kalitta Motorsports horsepower proved too much at the finish line.

After winning Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, Kalitta completed a perfect Brainerd weekend by collecting the event Wally and reaffirming exactly why this is the age of Kalitta.