LAS VEGAS — On one of the brightest stages in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, fans will be able to see the largest nitro field at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in nearly a decade at next week’s 24th annual Ford Performance NHRA Nationals.
Heading into the race, there are currently 20 Top Fuel dragsters and 21 Funny Cars on the entry list, with the combined 41 nitro entries the most for the fall Las Vegas race since the 2015 season. This adds another thrilling element to the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals, offering fans the opportunity to see an abundance of 11,000-horsepower, 330-mph nitro machines in action in Las Vegas.
Add in the championship implications, a wealth of specialty classes and the memorable Las Vegas atmosphere, and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs promises to be one of the biggest races of the 2024 NHRA season.
Forty-plus nitro cars will be in action during a pair of qualifying sessions on both Friday and Saturday, leading into a can’t-miss Sunday of eliminations at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals, where the intensity will be at a fever pitch in Sin City.
Last season, Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock) all won in Las Vegas.
Along with a huge field in the nitro categories, nearly 20 cars in Pro Stock, as well as the Pro Stock Motorcycle category and the final race of the 2024 season in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, Johnson’s Horsepowered Mountain Motor Pro Stock and Holley EFI Factory X will be featured.
Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley moved into the points lead following his Dallas win, as he’ll take a 44-point advantage over Antron Brown into Vegas. Ashley is looking for his first world title, but also will have to deal with the likes of Shawn Langdon and Steve Torrence, who are 76 and 88 points back, respectively, as well as Tony Schumacher, Brittany Force, Clay Millican and Tony Stewart.
In Funny Car, Austin Prock has a chance to clinch his first world championship with a big weekend in Las Vegas. He currently leads John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman, who is driving for Force, by 147 points, and could cement his first world title with a memorable Las Vegas event. Others to watch include Bob Tasca III, reigning world champ Matt Hagan and three-time champ Ron Capps.
Dallas Glenn currently leads the way in Pro Stock, as the 2021 NHRA Rookie of the Year holds a 53-point advantage over another young standout, Aaron Stanfield. Greg Anderson is 90 points back, while reigning Pro Stock champion Enders, whose 10 wins are the most in NHRA history at The Strip, is 111 points out of first.
Gaige Herrera is after a second straight title in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with the defending event winner ahead of six-time champ Matt Smith by 62 points. Other standouts include Hector Arana Jr., Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant and Richard Gadson.