| In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley picked up his fourth victory in 2025 and had another brilliant Sunday on the starting line, defeating a quad that featured Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican with a stellar run of 3.784 at 329.83 in his 12,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment dragster.
Ashley and Doug Kalitta posted identical times in the final round, but Ashley was quicker on the starting line, thanks to a standout .043 reaction time. A round earlier, Ashley made history by posting the first triple holeshot in Top Fuel history, coming out on top in a quad that featured Langdon, Brittany Force and Tony Stewart.
Ashley was slowest in the quad but won with a .036 reaction time en route to his 19th career win. It’s also Ashley’s second win in the last three races, sending him to second in points with four races remaining this season. He also posted his second career win at zMAX Dragway, celebrating another special moment in what’s shaping up to be an incredible late-season run. He now trails Kalitta by just 38 points.
“It’s a great feeling. Obviously, winning any four-wide race, or any race for that matter, is great, but to win it right here for the first four-wide race in the fall that NHRA has ever had in the Countdown, this was a critical day for us,” Ashley said. “When you look through some of those quads, even specifically when you get to those final two rounds, it’s just brutal. The margin for error now is so small. Obviously four races left, but these races are hard to win, so I’m a firm believer in the fact you have to enjoy them when they come before shifting your focus over the next one.
“If the car is not put together the same way each and every time, the reaction times are not going to be good, or they’re not going to be within a certain window. Holeshots can be misleading because it really is a team effort. You have to collectively look at the combination together, and then hopefully at the end of the day, it leads to results that you’re looking for.”
Kalitta stayed in the points lead with the runner-up finish, advancing to the final round for the fifth time this season. Kalitta leads Ashley by 38 points and teammate Shawn Langdon, who finished third in the quad, by 59 points.
Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Countdown to the Championship, winning his second straight race thanks to a run of 6.554 at 209.95 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to get past a quad that also featured runner-up Greg Anderson, Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield.
Glenn has been red-hot in the postseason, qualifying No. 1 at both playoff races and winning in both Reading and Charlotte, and pushing his season win total to six. He impressed throughout eliminations on Sunday, posting a stellar .016 reaction time in a wire-to-wire victory.
It is his 19th career win and Glenn stayed unstoppable at zMAX Dragway as well, as the points leader has now won three straight races at the track, dating back to last year. He swept both four-wide races at the phenomenal facility, opening up a 79-point lead over Greg Anderson in the process.
“I knew I had a fantastic car coming in, so I really just wanted to try to keep the momentum,” Glenn said. “I really felt like I let everybody down in Indy when I let my foot up a little against Erica [Enders]. I made that mistake. So, I just wanted to come into this race, and step it up just a little bit more and be a little more aggressive.
“You look at the ladder and you’re like, this is going to be a tough day, so you just got to try to bring your A-game. I made a small pedal [adjustment] and went up there and just tried to do everything I could do kind of throw a Hail Mary and hope it stuck.”
“I think I have 79 points right now, so I still count that as basically three rounds, because that’s what it’s going to be in Pomona. I want to keep my foot on their throats and keep pressure on until they hand me a trophy.”
Anderson finished as the runner-up with a run of 6.562 in his eighth trip to the final round this year. Stanfield, who was fourth in the quad, moved to third in points, but he’s a distant 172 points behind Glenn.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Richard Gadson earned his first career victory in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, beating a quad that was Matt Smith Racing-dominant with a run of 6.803 at 199.55 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Matt Smith, Angie Smith and Jianna Evaristo.
Gadson had a lightning-quick .015 reaction time and rode away from the trio, picking up his third victory of the season and moving into the points lead for the first time in his professional career.
Teammate Gaige Herrera suffered a shocking first-round loss, but that opened the door for Gadson, who won his first two quads and then rolled to the victory in the final round with another standout performance. After a long wait for his first career win, Gadson has now won three races in the past three months, setting up what could be a thrilling championship run. His points lead now stands at eight over Matt Smith.
“When you say points leader, I just I can’t believe you’re talking about me,” Gadson said. “Sometimes, when I’m at home and I look at the points and even see my name in second place, I have to read it twice because I just can’t believe it’s really me in this position.
“You know, you just want to avenge your team. You’re racing against three bikes from a rival team and you don’t want to go up there and do anything stupid. If they’re going to outrun you, then that’s going to be what it is. You just don’t want to beat yourself and when you’re the lone ranger up there racing for your team, you carry it with a little bit more pride. These bikes are really easy to do something stupid on.”
M. Smith finished as the runner-up with a pass of 6.821 at 199.37 in what was his fourth appearance in the final round this year.
The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 26-28 with the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.
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CONCORD, N.C. — Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Justin Ashley; 2. Doug Kalitta; 3. Shawn Langdon; 4. Clay Millican; 5. Brittany Force; 6. Antron Brown; 7. Tony Stewart; 8. Steve Torrence; 9. Dan Mercier; 10. Shawn Reed; 11. Josh Hart; 12. Tony Schumacher; 13. Doug Foley; 14. Cameron Ferre.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Austin Prock; 2. Matt Hagan; 3. Daniel Wilkerson; 4. Chad Green; 5. Jack Beckman; 6. Ron Capps; 7. Spencer Hyde; 8. Bob Tasca III; 9. Alex Laughlin; 10. Paul Lee; 11. Cruz Pedregon; 12. J.R. Todd; 13. Dave Richards; 14. Hunter Green; 15. Alexis DeJoria; 16. John Smith.
PRO STOCK:
1. Dallas Glenn; 2. Greg Anderson; 3. Erica Enders; 4. Aaron Stanfield; 5. Matt Hartford; 6. Cory Reed; 7. Cody Coughlin; 8. Stephen Bell; 9. Eric Latino; 10. Greg Stanfield; 11. Jeg Coughlin; 12. Cristian Cuadra; 13. David Cuadra; 14. Fernando Cuadra Jr.; 15. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 16. Deric Kramer.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Richard Gadson; 2. Matt Smith; 3. Angie Smith; 4. Jianna Evaristo; 5. Kelly Clontz; 6. Marcus Hylton; 7. John Hall; 8. Marc Ingwersen; 9. Brayden Davis; 10. Ron Tornow; 11. Ryan Oehler; 12. Chase Van Sant; 13. Brandon Litten; 14. Gaige Herrera; 15. Chris Bostick; 16. Steve Johnson.
CONCORD, N.C. — Sunday’s final results from the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the 16th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel — Justin Ashley, 3.784 seconds, 329.83 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 3.784 seconds, 332.84 mph and Shawn Langdon, 3.814 seconds, 334.24 mph and Clay Millican, 4.235 seconds, 195.19 mph;
Funny Car — Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.912, 332.43 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.952, 324.12 and Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.389, 195.87 and Chad Green, Mustang, foul;
Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.554, 209.95 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.562, 209.01 and Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.572, 209.20 and Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 13.390, 65.73;
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.803, 199.55 def. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.821, 199.37 and Angie Smith, Buell, 6.842, 198.99 and Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.943, 197.05;
Top Alcohol Dragster — Matthew Cummings, 5.182, 276.86 def. Jon Bradford, 5.225, 274.78 and Jackie Fricke, 5.215, 273.72 and Joey Severance, 6.710, 135.44;
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Brian Hough, Chevy Camaro, 5.548, 262.08 def. Sean Bellemeur, Camaro, 5.464, 266.11 and Chip Beverett, Camaro, 12.561, 56.21 and Bob McCosh, Camaro, broke;
Competition Eliminator — Wes Leopold, Dodge Stratus, 7.876, 168.89 def. Larry Pritchett, Pontiac Sunfire, 7.915, 157.06.
Super Stock — Byron Worner, Chevy Camaro, 9.958, 116.42 def. Marion Stephenson, Chevy Cobalt, 9.781, 142.40.
Stock Eliminator — Morgan Taylor, Chevy Nova, 10.567, 121.02 def. Jeff Longhany, Chevy Corvette, 10.609, 122.23.
Super Comp — Allan Ackles, Dragster, 8.917, 177.56 def. Tori Iacono, Dragster, 8.912, 174.44.
Super Gas — David Griffith, Chevy Camaro, 9.912, 156.92 def. JJ Brock, Camaro, 9.925, 160.23.
Top Sportsman — Sandy Wilkins, Chevy Camaro, 6.339, 210.37 def. Jeff Brooks, Henry J, Foul – Red Light.
Pro Modified — Billy Banaka, Chevy Camaro, 6.551, 140.63 def. Mike Castellana, Camaro, broke and Sidnei Frigo, Camaro, broke and Mason Wright, Camaro, broke;
Mountain Motor Pro Stock — Vincent Nobile, Chevy Camaro, 6.306, 221.38 def. Mike Coughlin, Camaro, 6.342, 222.55.
CONCORD, N.C. — Final round-by-round results from the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE — Shawn Langdon, 3.792, 332.10 and Justin Ashley, 3.811, 323.81 def. Tony Schumacher, 3.865, 290.76 and Doug Foley, 4.054, 217.42; Steve Torrence, 3.754, 331.61 and Clay Millican, 3.785, 326.56 def. Dan Mercier, 3.761, 327.66 and Cameron Ferre, broke; Tony Stewart, 3.766, 326.79 and Brittany Force, 3.758, 338.34 def. Shawn Reed, 3.787, 327.66; Doug Kalitta, 3.757, 327.43 and Antron Brown, 3.780, 330.31 def. Josh Hart, 3.820, 331.20;
SEMIFINALS — Ashley, 3.788, 326.56 and Langdon, 3.761, 333.82 def. Force, 3.773, 338.26 and Stewart, 3.784, 328.62; Kalitta, 3.797, 326.48 and Millican, 3.821, 327.74 def. Brown, 3.844, 326.79 and Torrence, 4.141, 261.67;
FINAL — Ashley, 3.784, 329.83 def. Kalitta, 3.784, 332.84, Langdon, 3.814, 334.24 and Millican, 4.235, 195.19.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE — Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.944, 325.06 and Chad Green, Mustang, 3.975, 325.61 def. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 4.021, 311.13 and Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 4.689, 173.38; Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.894, 329.67 and Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.957, 328.14 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.020, 310.91 and Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.023, 314.17; Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.939, 328.46 and Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.949, 327.74 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.302, 212.23 and John Smith, Charger, 6.664, 105.69; Austin Prock, Camaro, 3.926, 329.34 and Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.930, 331.69 def. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 3.987, 318.24 and Hunter Green, Charger, 4.068, 292.96;
SEMIFINALS — Hagan, 3.963, 327.19 and C. Green, 4.011, 322.50 def. Beckman, 3.939, 325.69 and Hyde, 4.006, 318.02; Prock, 3.930, 328.78 and Wilkerson, 4.072, 254.04 def. Capps, 4.358, 189.44 and Tasca III, 4.014, 318.92;
FINAL — Prock, 3.912, 332.43 def. Hagan, 3.952, 324.12, Wilkerson, 4.389, 195.87 and C. Green, foul.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE — Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.522, 208.94 and Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.586, 206.99 def. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.962, 208.17 and Deric Kramer, Camaro, 11.434, 79.08; Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.542, 208.94 and Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.593, 208.14 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.544, 207.56 and Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.855, 207.11; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.534, 208.68 and Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.562, 209.52 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 209.14 and David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.589, 208.36; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.529, 209.65 and Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.545, 209.56 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.547, 208.65 and Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 10.952, 82.15;
SEMIFINALS — Enders, 6.574, 209.59 and Anderson, 6.538, 208.94 def. Reed, 6.607, 208.59 and Bell, 6.595, 208.07; A. Stanfield, 6.559, 209.36 and Glenn, 6.540, 209.62 def. Hartford, 6.534, 209.17 and C. Coughlin, 6.565, 208.84;
FINAL — Glenn, 6.554, 209.95 def. Anderson, 6.562, 209.01, Enders, 6.572, 209.20 and A. Stanfield, 13.390, 65.73.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE — Angie Smith, Buell 1190RX, 6.779, 198.38 and Jianna Evaristo, 1190RX, 6.854, 198.90 def. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.906, 196.85 and Steve Johnson, Suzuki Hayabusa, broke; Matt Smith, 1190RX, 6.757, 200.59 and Kelly Clontz, Suzuki TL, 6.834, 198.29 def. Brayden Davis, Hayabusa, 6.849, 199.70 and Brandon Litten, Hayabusa, 6.914, 195.14; Richard Gadson, Hayabusa, 6.796, 199.88 and John Hall, Beull 1190RX, 6.817, 199.11 def. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 7.028, 190.59 and Chris Bostick, Hayabusa, 8.304, 113.15; Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.863, 195.36 and Marcus Hylton, 7.055, 187.83 def. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki TL 1000, 7.197, 151.61 and Gaige Herrera, Hayabusa, 7.370, 141.31;
SEMIFINALS — Evaristo, 6.842, 200.23 and A. Smith, 6.839, 197.22 def. Hylton, 7.140, 180.60 and Ingwersen, DQ; Gadson, 6.809, 198.99 and M. Smith, 6.821, 198.20 def. Clontz, 6.863, 197.91 and Hall, 7.042, 168.70;
FINAL — Gadson, 6.803, 199.55 def. M. Smith, 6.821, 199.37, A. Smith, 6.842, 198.99 and Evaristo, 6.943, 197.05.
CONCORD, N.C. — Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –
Top Fuel
1. Doug Kalitta, 2,287; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,249; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,228; 4. Tony Stewart, 2,219; 5. Clay Millican, 2,192; 6. Brittany Force, 2,179; 7. Shawn Reed, 2,156; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,151; 9. Antron Brown, 2,128; 10. Josh Hart, 2,085.
Funny Car
1. Austin Prock, 2,298; 2. Matt Hagan, 2,219; 3. Ron Capps, 2,204; 4. Jack Beckman, 2,200; 5. Paul Lee, 2,171; 6. Cruz Pedregon, 2,146; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,142; 8. Spencer Hyde, 2,132; 9. J.R. Todd, 2,116; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,107.
Pro Stock
1. Dallas Glenn, 2,364; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,285; 3. Aaron Stanfield, 2,192; 4. Matt Hartford, 2,171; 5. Cory Reed, 2,169; 6. Cody Coughlin, 2,156; 7. Erica Enders, 2,154; 8. Eric Latino, 2,152; 9. Jeg Coughlin, 2,100; 10. Deric Kramer, 2,079.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Richard Gadson, 2,296; 2. Matt Smith, 2,288; 3. John Hall, 2,230; 4. Gaige Herrera, 2,225; 5. Angie Smith, 2,185; 6. Jianna Evaristo, 2,157; 7. Chase Van Sant, 2,126; 8. Brayden Davis, 2,123; 9. Chris Bostick, 2,085; 10. Steve Johnson, 2,066. |
