NHRA Countdown: Points After Las Vegas 

Following this past weekend’s Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one race remains in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) scored victories at The Strip.

Here’s the standings as the series has a week off before the season finale at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in California.

Funny Car

Prock’s winning drive and record-breaking 14th No. 1 qualifier over the weekend all but assured his chances of hoisting his first career championship trophy.

While the title isn’t locked up yet with teammate Jack Beckman 188 points behind, all Prock needs to do is attempt a qualifying run and the title is secured. 

“That’s our main goal this year, is to win the championship,” Prock said. “When I got in the race car, at the beginning of the year, my dad (crew chief Jimmy Prock) said, ‘I want a world championship,’ so we’re getting really close. 

“And to do it with my dad and brother (co-crew chief Thomas Prock), you know, all three of us Procks, would be really special, along with this whole Chevy team.”

Notably, three-time Funny Car champion Ron Capps rose to third in the standings despite a second-round loss to Beckman. He’s a distant 251 markers back. 

Top Fuel

Heading to the season finale, points-and-a-half at Pomona has made the Top Fuel championship battle an eight-driver fight.

Headed by points leader Justin Ashley, the SCAG Racing driver holds a 44-point advantage over three-time champion Antron Brown. Both drivers were knocked out in the second round on Sunday.

That allowed Shawn Langdon (-45), Doug Kalitta (-85), Steve Torrence (-85) and Clay Millican (-93) to be within 100 points of the lead.

Snagging her first win in two years, Force is a distant 118 points back while eight-time champion Tony Schumacher (-127) will need some help to secure another title.

Pro Stock

The points leader in Pro Stock has changed once again as Stanfield scored a monumental win at The Strip. The Elite Motorsports driver, who entered the weekend 53 points behind Dallas Glenn, leapfrogged Glenn.

With Glenn’s surprising first-round exit against Cristian Cuadra, Stanfield holds a 32-point lead.

Notably, Greg Anderson closed the gap to 56 markers in third place following a final round appearance. 

Defending champion Erica Enders is 128 points behind in fourth.

Pro Stock Motorcycle 

Herrera took a stranglehold of the Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead following his 10th win of the season in Las Vegas. 

With title rival Matt Smith falling to Chase Van Sant in the second round, Herrera has stretched his lead to 123 points. 

Smith will need to have a perfect weekend and have Herrera falter in order to stay in the hunt.