MADISON, Ill. — With three races down and three remaining in the Countdown to the Championship for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the title battles are taking on very different looks.
Shawn Langdon has driven his Kalitta Motorsports dragster to victory in all three Countdown races, including Sunday at World Wide Technology. He has built a sizable lead of 116 points over his teammate, Doug Kalitta.
“We’ve been good when we needed to be good, but we’ve been great when we needed to be great,” Langdon said. “Every time I hit the gas, I know I’m going to have a really dang good race car. Hopefully I don’t mess that up. With what we’ve done, we’re going to have a big target on our backs. People are going to be gunning for us. It’s up to us to rise to the occasion and do even better at the last three races.”
Chasing what would be a fifth Funny Car championship, Matt Hagan leads the standings by 71 markers over rookie Jordan Vandergriff.
Two-time defending champion Austin Prock won Sunday at WWTR and moved up to third in the standings, 106 markers behind Hagan.
“This is absolutely one of the toughest championship fights in a long time,” Hagan said. “It’s going to come down to the last race in Pomona, a dog fight to the end. We’re here for it. We’re in, we’ll see what happens out here. But I know I’m not voting for anybody, I’m going to root for me and this team.”
Veteran Greg Stanfield has a 71-point lead over Dallas Glenn in the Pro Stock category. Matt Hartford is third, 81 points behind. Greg Anderson is still in the fight sitting fourth, 109 points behind Stanfield.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Richard Gadson holds a 32-point lead over his Vance & Hines teammate, Gaige Herrera, who won Sunday at WWTR.
John Hall is third in the class, 105 points behind.
