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STORYLINES GALORE AS NHRA’S COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS SET TO OPEN
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 9, 2025) – After an explosive regular season, the NHRA Countdown to the Championship begins this weekend at the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway.
The six-race playoffs are loaded with storylines and it starts here – Will regular season champions Tony Stewart (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) finish as world champions?
Plenty will transpire over the next six races, as the Countdown to the Championship heats up in a hurry with three straight events in Reading, Charlotte and St. Louis, including the first four-wide race in the playoffs. There’s the main event to Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed, the 40th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, and a trip to Las Vegas to end October before the season wraps at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals on Nov. 13-16 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Ahead of Reading, here are some major storylines to open the Countdown:
TOP FUEL
DOES SMOKE DO IT? In his second season in Top Fuel, racing legend Tony Stewart has had a brilliant year, winning two races and displaying the kind of consistency needed to win a championship. The team will need big performances – and wins – in the Countdown, but if “Smoke” does that, he can add another championship to a resumé that may be hard to top in motorsports.
WILL LANGDON BOUNCE BACK? The answer is almost undoubtedly yes, as Shawn Langdon has repeatedly shown championship mettle in his career. A first-round loss at the U.S. Nationals was tough – costing the former world champ a regular-season championship – but a focused and locked-in Langdon is tough to beat. Expect that aggression behind the wheel for the entire playoffs.
WHO ELSE? Antron Brown got hot at the perfect time last year, resulting in a fourth world title. Can he do that again? Does obliterating the record books lead to playoff wins for Brittany Force? If so, watch out. After winning in Indy, can Justin Ashley reach the top for the first time in his career? He also seems to be getting hot at the perfect time. You can’t forget about Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican and Steve Torrence, either.
FUNNY CAR
IS THERE ANY SLOWING THE PROCK ROCKET? PART II: Somehow, it seems Austin Prock has been even more dominant this season for John Force Racing. There’s not the record amount of No. 1 qualifiers this season, but Prock has been close to unstoppable on Sundays, especially as of late. He’s already posted seven wins and though the points reset for the Countdown, Prock starts the playoffs a clear step ahead and just as motivated as last year when he won his first title.
BECKMAN’S OPPORTUNITY: A year ago, Jack Beckman was called into action to race for John Force, doing so admirably by winning twice and carrying Force to a second-place finish. This year, he’s again provided the biggest competition to Prock and enters the Countdown in second, looking to win a second Funny Car world title.
WHO STEPS UP? There’s plenty of willing participants, including former champs Matt Hagan (third), Ron Capps (fourth), and J.R. Todd (sixth). Does someone get hot this time around? Capps finished third a year ago without winning a race, while Hagan and Todd seem to be coming around at an ideal time. New faces like Paul Lee (fifth) and rookie Spencer Hyde (ninth) should make things plenty interesting.
PRO STOCK
THE DALLAS AND GREG SHOW: The regular season belonged to KB Titan Racing teammates Dallas Glenn and Greg Anderson. The duo won nine races, made runs in the 6.40s look routine and separated themselves – by nearly 400 points – from the rest of the Pro Stock field. Is another winner-take-all finale in store for Pomona? The duo certainly hopes for that and their incredible and consistent performances make it seem like a distinct possibility.
IS ERICA ABOUT TO MAKE THINGS REALLY CRAZY? Entering Indy, six-time world champion Erica Enders wasn’t even in the top 10. Now, she’s a U.S. Nationals winner in 2025 and eighth in points. A massive hot streak to end the season would throw everything in a loop and that has Enders motivated. The car has come around and when it counts, there’s not many better than the 50-time winner.
WHO ELSE? Matt Hartford was brilliant on Saturday this year, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty several times. If he can replicate that on Sunday, he could be dangerous this postseason. Other challengers include Aaron Stanfield, Cory Reed and five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
A THREE-PEAT IN STORE? Gaige Herrera hasn’t been quite as dominant as the past two years, winning five of the nine races thus far. But after a strong Indy, Herrera is still the prohibitive favorite and he’s easily proven that any road to the championship goes through him.
DOES GADSON OR M. SMITH HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? Richard Gadson has enjoyed a breakout season, winning twice and perhaps making himself the chief challenger to his teammate. But Matt Smith can’t be counted out and a quick start could make things interesting.
IMPACT PLAYERS: Who else can make something happen this postseason? John Hall won in Norwalk, but other talented riders – like Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant and Angie Smith – have been relatively quiet this season. Will that change when the playoffs begin?
To purchase tickets to any of the six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, please visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information about NHRA, including the full television schedule for the 2025 playoffs, please visit www.NHRA.com.
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