The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series’ Countdown to the Championship reaches its halfway point this weekend with the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
The 17th of 20 races on the 2026 schedule is the third of six playoff races, and the championship pictures are coming into focus across all four professional categories — with several drivers in desperate need of a big weekend in St. Louis.
Langdon going for four straight in Top Fuel
Shawn Langdon has been on a hot streak for pretty much the entire 2026 season. Now on his second three-race winning streak of the year, the Top Fuel points leader will try to make it three straight in the postseason and four straight wins overall with a triumph this weekend in St. Louis.
Langdon has won the first two races of the Countdown in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster and owns seven wins in 2026 during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season. A victory would be his second career win at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“The Kalitta Air guys do a great job – they triple check themselves and work together to be perfect,” Langdon said. “Brian (Crew Chief Brian Husen) strives for perfection. You have to be perfect in order to win races and championships, and what we’re doing so far this year is a testament to the guys who are bonding together and working hard. We keep our heads down and keep working hard for the next one. We’ll do the same for St. Louis.”
Langdon leads teammate and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta — last year’s St. Louis winner — by just 25 points, while third-place Tony Stewart sits 155 points back. Kalitta is chasing a third world title in the past four seasons. Antron Brown, Leah Pruett, rookie standout Maddi Gordon, Justin Ashley and Josh Hart are also looking to end Langdon’s run.
“I think we all feed off one another and it’s just a good working environment. We all work well together,” Langdon said. “We had a couple years of finishing second, finishing second in the regular season, and it’s not a bad spot to be, but it definitely gives you something to strive for. This is a team that’s stuck together and all the hard work is paying dividends.”
“Racing guys like Doug brings out the best in you and it’s humbling to beat a driver of that caliber. (But) at the end of the day, the job’s not done. As good of a year as we’ve had, we’re only (25) points ahead of Doug, so there’s a lot of racing left.”
Capps thinking big at sponsor race
Needing a big weekend to get back in the thick of the Funny Car championship hunt, three-time world champion Ron Capps couldn’t have picked a better destination than World Wide Technology Raceway.
It’s a sponsor race for Capps and his NAPA Auto Care team, and the track has been his personal playground — his four St. Louis victories are a Funny Car best. Entering the weekend fourth in points and 112 behind leader Matt Hagan, Capps will also be honored as one of “Gateway’s Greatest” on Friday at the track.
On Thursday night, Capps was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame at the South Point Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
“We’ve got some good events coming up, especially this weekend in St. Louis with the event being sponsored by NAPA,” said Capps, who has three Funny Car victories in 2026. “St. Louis has been a good track for me with a lot of wins, and a lot of great results. Of course, when you have so many NAPA people come out like they are, you want to show off.”
Hagan, who won in Rockingham, leads John Force Racing newcomer Jordan Vandergriff — who opened the playoffs with a win — by 84 points. J.R. Todd sits third. Capps advanced to the quarterfinals at the first two Countdown races but knows he needs to go further on race day.
There’s added incentive for Ron Capps Motorsports: Capps’ teammate, star rookie Maddi Gordon, will pilot a NAPA Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster this weekend.
“It’s a tight battle and we know who we’re going to have to fight for the championship,” Capps said. “But that being said, looking back at Rockingham and Michigan, you can’t count anybody out on race day. You don’t even want to not mention them, because you look at the top 12 cars in our class, and any of them are capable of winning on Sunday.”
Back-to-back world champion Austin Prock is also in the Funny Car field.
Stanfield defends new Pro Stock points lead
Greg Stanfield enters the weekend as the NHRA Pro Stock points leader following his win last week in Rockingham. Driving the Janac Brothers Racing car for Elite Motorsports, Stanfield now eyes a third win of the season at the halfway point of the Countdown.
Elite Motorsports has enjoyed a stellar rebound during the playoffs with back-to-back wins — Troy Coughlin Jr. at Martin and Stanfield at Rockingham — giving Stanfield a 31-point lead heading into the pivotal St. Louis race.
“Any time you get a Wally, it’s a great day,” Stanfield said after his Rockingham victory. “So what’s going to happen this week in St. Louis? I can’t predict it. We’re just going to try to work hard, work smart and, if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”
Matt Hartford is second after wins in Gainesville, Charlotte and Bristol. KB Titan Racing teammates and reigning world champion Dallas Glenn and six-time world champion Greg Anderson — last year’s St. Louis winner — are third and fourth. Just 66 points separate Stanfield from Anderson in fourth.
“Anybody can win in this class right now,” said Stanfield. “I mean, it is incredible how tight it is, so the points battle is going to go all the way to the end. I feel like it’s going to be that way. So, if we can just survive, keep surviving, try to close it out. It’s going to come down to who makes a good run at the right time.”
Gadson leads Pro Stock Motorcycle; Stavrinos on top in Pro Mod
Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Richard Gadson holds the points lead after winning Sunday in Rockingham. Matt Smith, Angie Smith, last year’s St. Louis winner Gaige Herrera and Chase Van Sant will all be in the hunt.
In the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, Mike Stavrinos leads the points with only two events remaining. His victory Sunday in Rockingham in the Al-Anabi Performance Camaro was his second win of the season and his second final-round appearance in his last four races.
Justin Bond is just nine points behind in second, with Derek Menholt 43 points back in third. The St. Louis stop is the 10th of 11 races and the fourth of five in Pro Mod’s Road to the Championship, powered by M&M Transmission and Jerry Bickel Race Cars.
“Coming into St. Louis in this position is exactly where we want to be,” Stavrinos said. “The AAP team has really found its stride and the momentum we’ve built over the last few races gives us a lot of confidence. But the points are incredibly tight, so there’s no room to take anything for granted. We’re going to St. Louis focused on doing what we’ve been doing – qualifying well, making good runs and going rounds. At this stage of the championship, every point matters and we’re ready for the fight.”
The loaded field includes Billy Banaka, reigning world champion J.R. Gray, Stan Shelton, Stevie Jackson, Mike Castellana, Lyle Barnett and Jason Collins.
“St. Louis is our home track, and after four consecutive years of supporting NHRA Pro Mod, this event has become an important part of our commitment to the racers and customers in this class,” said Mark Micke, owner and CEO of M&M Transmission. “Our trackside maintenance and support are an extension of what we stand for every day — delivering the reliability, performance and technology these teams need to compete at the highest level. We’re proud to play a part in helping the quickest and fastest doorslammers in the world win races and set records.”
Pro Mod qualifying also features the $7,500 Aeromotive Showdown, awarded to the driver with the quickest average elapsed time across all four qualifying rounds. Pro Mod qualifying runs Friday at 3:15 and 6:30 p.m. CT and Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1:45 p.m., with eliminations starting Saturday at 4:15 p.m. CT and continuing Sunday. A qualifying session from both Friday and Saturday, plus a round of eliminations, will stream free on NHRA’s YouTube page.
Weekend schedule and TV
Friday opens with two qualifying sessions, including a spectacular night session featuring the inaugural “Top Dog” competition presented by USEDHOTDOGS.com, where NHRA’s quickest qualifiers battle for $7,500 in bonus money. Two more qualifying sessions follow Saturday, with final eliminations on Sunday.
TV coverage includes qualifying on FS1 at 6:30 p.m. ET Friday and 11 a.m. ET Sunday, with eliminations on FOX Sunday. In most markets, NHRA coverage airs 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET following NFL action on FOX; some markets will air it 2-4 p.m. ET leading into football.
The event also features the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. Tickets are available at the WWTR ticket office, by phone at (618) 215-8888 or online at www.wwtraceway.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free in general admission with a paid adult.