After an explosive regular season, the NHRA Countdown to the Championship begins this weekend at the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway.
The six-race playoffs are loaded with storylines and it starts here – Will regular season champions Tony Stewart (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) finish as world champions?
Plenty will transpire over the next six races, as the Countdown to the Championship heats up in a hurry with three straight events in Reading, Charlotte and St. Louis, including the first four-wide race in the playoffs. There’s the main event to Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed, the 40th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, and a trip to Las Vegas to end October before the season wraps at the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals on Nov. 13-16 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Ahead of Reading, here are some major storylines to open the Countdown:
A THREE-PEAT IN STORE? Gaige Herrera hasn’t been quite as dominant as the past two years, winning five of the nine races thus far. But after a strong Indy, Herrera is still the prohibitive favorite and he’s easily proven that any road to the championship goes through him.
DOES GADSON OR M. SMITH HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? Richard Gadson has enjoyed a breakout season, winning twice and perhaps making himself the chief challenger to his teammate. But Matt Smith can’t be counted out and a quick start could make things interesting.
IMPACT PLAYERS: Who else can make something happen this postseason? John Hall won in Norwalk, but other talented riders – like Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant and Angie Smith – have been relatively quiet this season. Will that change when the playoffs begin?
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE POINTS
1. Gaige Herrera 2,113
2. Richard Gadson 2,090
3. Matt Smith 2,081
4. John Hall 2,065
5. Angie Smith 2,052
6. Chase Van Sant 2,040
7. Jianna Evaristo 2,030
8. Chris Bostick 2,020
9. Brayden Davis 2,013
10. Steve Johnson 2,002
2025 NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Sept. 11-14: 40th annual NHRA Nationals presented by Nitro Fish, Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pa.
Sept. 19-21: 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte.
Sept. 26-28: 14th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis
Oct. 8-12: 40th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, Texas Motorplex, Dallas
Oct. 30-Nov. 2: 25th annual NHRA Nevada Nationals, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas
Nov. 13-16: 60th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona, Calif.
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