The first of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship races is complete following Sunday’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Pennsylvania’s Maple Grove Raceway.
Austin Prock (Funny Car), Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) picked up victories.
Here’s where things stand following the event:
Funny Car
In an all-John Force Racing final between Austin Prock and fill-in teammate Jack Beckman, Prock got the best of the 2012 Funny Car champion to earn his sixth win of the year.
After knocking out main title rival Bob Tasca III in the semifinals, Prock has jumped to an 86-point advantage with five races remaining.
Notably, Alexis DeJoria jumped from 10th to seventh in the standings after a semifinal appearance.
- Austin Prock
- Bob Tasca III (-86)
- John Force/Jack Beckman (-99)
- J.R. Todd (-127)
- Matt Hagan (-137)
- Ron Capps (-142)
- Alexis DeJoria (-168)
- Blake Alexander (-182)
- Chad Green (-183)
- Daniel Wilkerson (-194)
- Cruz Pedregon (-207)
- Buddy Hull (-238)
- Dave Richards (-249)
Top Fuel
The Top Fuel standings saw a major shakeup following Maple Grove. Three-time champion Antron Brown secured a crucial victory over Shawn Langdon in the finals.
With defending champ and No. 1 seed Doug Kalitta eliminated in the first round and Justin Ashley knocked out in the semis, Brown and Langdon gained major ground in the standings.
Ashley holds a one-point advantage over Brown and leads Langdon by six markers.
- Justin Ashley
- Antron Brown (-1)
- Shawn Langdon (-6)
- Doug Kalitta (-33)
- Steve Torrence (-58)
- Clay Millican (-79)
- Tony Stewart (-94)
- Tony Schumacher (-96)
- Brittany Force (-133)
- Billy Torrence (-150)
- Josh Hart (-157)
- Shawn Reed (-191)
Pro Stock
Aaron Stanfield kept his hot streak going with a second straight win in the Pro Stock category. Stanfield eliminated Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders in the final round.
The win vaulted Stanfield to the top of the standings, nine ahead of Dallas Glenn, the No. 1 seed entering the Countdown.
- Aaron Stanfield
- Dallas Glenn (-9)
- Erica Enders (-35)
- Greg Anderson (-46)
- Jeg Coughlin Jr. (-114)
- Troy Coughlin Jr. (-131)
- Cristian Cuadra (-137)
- Jerry Tucker (-143)
- Eric Latino (-167)
- Mason McGaha (-172)
- Matt Hartford (-176)
- Deric Kramer (-186)
- Chris McGaha (-187)
Pro Stock Motorcycle
In what was a rare final round that didn’t feature defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Gaige Herrera, Hector Arana Jr. snagged the win over rookie Richard Gadson.
With Herrera falling to Arana in the semifinals and six-time champion Matt Smith eliminated by Gadson in the same round, the margin between the top-two riders remains tight.
Smith gained three points on Herrera as he’s down by 17 markers.
- Gaige Herrera
- Matt Smith (-17)
- Richard Gadson (-19)
- Hector Arana Jr. (-60)
- Chase Van Sant (-96)
- John Hall (-99)
- Angie Smith (-102)
- Jianna Evaristo (-135)
- Steve Johnson (-135)
- Chris Bostick (-165)