Halloween Speed and Saturday Stakes at the Mopar NHRA Nevada Nationals
Saturday brings high stakes and tight margins to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as qualifying continues for the Mopar NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Dodge. Following a weather interruption on Friday that forced teams to race on shifting track conditions, the second-to-last event of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing season moves into its second day with championship points and starting ladders hanging in the balance.
Friday’s weather disruption failed to keep the professional categories from completing their two scheduled qualifying runs. In Top Fuel, incoming points leader Shawn Langdon seized the early advantage, laying down a formidable 3.672-second pass to bank crucial bonus points. Langdon finds himself part of an elite group of four drivers already dipping into the 3.6-second zone, joined by Tony Stewart, Josh Hart, and defending champ Doug Kalitta.
The depth of the Top Fuel field is immediately apparent on the timing sheets. It currently requires a swift 3.728-second run just to crack the top half of the elimination ladder, where 17 entries are actively fighting for 16 available Sunday race day slots.
Jack Beckman Sets the Pace in Wide-Open Funny Car Field
The Funny Car class continues its unpredictable trajectory this season, and the Las Vegas event is no different. After two rounds of qualifying, 12 drivers have already cracked the three-second barrier, but none have matched the pace of Jack Beckman.
Beckman posted a 3.836-second run, marking the quickest run of the season and putting nearly four hundredths of a second between himself and second-ranked Alexis DeJoria. Meanwhile, the overarching championship battle remains razor-thin. Matt Hagan enters the weekend leading the standings as he seeks a fifth title, holding a 98-point cushion over Jordan Vandergriff. Todd, Austin Prock, and Beckman all remaining within striking distance.
Five-Way Title Fight Intensifies in Pro Stock
Pro Stock remains one of the most fiercely contested divisions on the tour, featuring as many as five drivers with legitimate championship aspirations. Matt Hartford staked an early claim on the weekend by driving to the top of the qualifying sheets on Friday with a 6.632-second effort.
The top half of the Pro Stock field includes Matt Latino, Greg Stanfield, Eric Latino, Erica Enders, Greg Anderson, Deric Kramer, and Troy Coughlin Jr. Points leader Dallas Glenn experienced an uncharacteristically quiet Friday, entering Saturday anchored in the 10th position and searching for tuning solutions before eliminations.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Honors Go to Gaige Herrera
In the two-wheeled Pro Stock Motorcycle category, the title fight remains a three-horse race between points leader and defending champ Richard Gadson, teammate Gaige Herrera, and Matt Smith. Herrera established the pace during Friday’s sessions with a leading 6.835-second pass, while Gadson sits right on his heels at 6.841 seconds. Smith, meanwhile, is lurking closely in sixth place.
Complementing the professional Mission Foods categories this weekend are the full fields of the JBS Pro Mod Series, an extensive roster of Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series classes, and the Summit Racing Equipment E.T. Racing National Finals.
Weekend Schedule and Broadcast Details
Saturday’s action features Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series eliminations starting at 8 a.m., followed by nitro qualifying sessions at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and JBS Equipment Pro Mod qualifying rounds at 11:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.
On-track eliminations for JBS Equipment Pro Mod begin Sunday at 9 a.m., followed by pre-race ceremonies at 9:30 a.m. and Mission Foods eliminations kicking off at 11:00 a.m. Television coverage on FS1 airs Sunday, Nov. 1, with a two-hour qualifying broadcast at 3 p.m. ET, followed by three hours of finals coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET.
