Langdon, Capps, Hartford and Herrera are provisional No. 1 qualifiers at The Big Go
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 5, 2026) – Back-to-back Funny Car world champion Austin Prock claimed his third Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win of the year on Saturday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, defeating J.R. Todd in the final round of the specialty race as part of this weekend’s prestigious Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), Cody Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday in Indy, while Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Ron Capps (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in Indianapolis at the 14th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
Selections in the opening round of Sunday’s PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout were also made on Saturday. Top seed Jack Beckman selected Chad Green, Matt Hagan picked Spencer Hyde, Ron Capps called out Alexis DeJoria and defending Callout winner Prock will meet Todd for the second straight day.
Prock, who has won the U.S. Nationals the past two years, went 3.921-seconds at 317.87 in his 12,000-horsepower Ford Racing Mustang to power past Todd’s 4.006 at 325.06. It gives Prock the Mission #2Fast2Tasty title for 2026, as well as 16 bonus points for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Prock has been red-hot in recent months, advancing to five final rounds in the Challenge since May. Indy was a perfect capper to that as he looks to have another huge weekend at The Big Go and become the first Funny Car driver in NHRA history to win Indy three straight years.
“We went the first six races without winning a single round, and then after Chicago, we made it to our first semifinal round, and I think we’ve been almost we’ve been in every Mission #2fast2Tasty Challenge except one. It just shows how far this team’s come. Those are the kind of stats that’ll win you a third championship in a row,” Prock said.
“Both runs that we’ve made were full pulls that had a few cylinders out, and the E.T. board still shows we’re second quick, we’re third quick. We’re making impressive runs on six cylinders in this Ford Mustang. There’s a lot of racing to go and I guarantee you this Ford Mustang will be dialed in on Monday.”
Capps jumped to the provisional No. 1 spot in his 12,000-horsepower Carlye Tools/NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra with a 3.914 at 332.18.
Top Fuel’s Leah Pruett was thrilled to find Indy success on Saturday, defeating points leader Doug Kalitta in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with a run of 3.873 at 319.98 in her 12,000-horsepower Dodge dragster. It is Pruett’s first Challenge victory of the season and it came at the perfect time as the standout looks to try and chase down the reigning world champion in the Countdown to the Championship.
Kalitta earned a whopping 22 bonus points for the Countdown through his success in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge this year, but it was Pruett who got the final bonus win of the season, giving her momentum and confidence as she chases her first U.S. Nationals victory in Top Fuel.
“I barely even hit the light, I was like, ‘That sucked,’ and I am not happy at all. I’m just waiting for Doug to just scream on by at 340-mph and he didn’t. That car saved that round. I saved our first round against Maddi, and yeah, it’s it all comes back to unity and team,” Pruett said.
“To get a win like that at Indy with the crowd, with the changing variables, the history, the pageantry, everything about it is fulfilling. I’m embracing it because all this is emotional warfare in preparation for the biggest, baddest Big Go that there could ever be. That’s where I’m at.”
Langdon stayed in the top spot thanks to Friday’s run of 3.727 at 334.98 in his 12,000-horsepower SealMaster dragster for Kalitta Motorsports. Tony Stewart is second with a 3.744 at 328.22 and Pruett is third with Friday’s 3.772 at 326.24.
Pro Stock rookie Cody Anderson enjoyed the first victory of his young career, taking down veteran Greg Stanfield in the final round of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with a run of 6.642 at 204.91 in his Troy Humphrey Motorsports/Daiken/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson left with an strong .020 reaction time and held off Stanfield to enjoy a winning moment on the sport’s grandest stage.
His father, six-time world champion and points leader Greg Anderson, won the overall Mission #2Fast2Tasty title, but Saturday belonged to his son, as Cody continues to show impressive improvements in his debut season.
“It’s super special, and any win feels good,” Cody said. “This place is extra special and iconic since it’s Indy. This win gives me a lot of confidence. It’s hard to win one round, especially on race day, and just to get two win lights is a huge confidence boost, and to be able to leave on Greg Stanfield is a big deal. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going for race day.”
Added Greg: “It’s pretty damn cool. I felt so bad when I crossed the finish line in the first round of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty round and got my butt whipped. Cody held up his end of the bargain. I’m so very, very proud of the boy. It’s pretty cool to see, and for it to happen at Indy means more since I’ve said all my career, I love this place more than anywhere else.”
Matt Hartford moved into the provisional No. 1 spot with his run of 6.626 at 205.54 in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera and Richard Gadson dueled in the final of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, with Herrera clinching victory – and the season title – when Gadson went red by .002. Herrera would have been tough to beat, going to No. 1 as well with a standout run of 6.842 at 196.50 on his RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki.
It could be the start of a big weekend for Herrera, who is after his third straight Indy victory as well, which is something only Dave Schultz has done in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
“This was kind of how I saw it playing out that one of us was going to possibly go red,” Herrera said. “I mean, that’s how it’s been with us. I feel like we’re both going to lay it all out there. I won’t lie. I went up there and squeezed my [clutch] lever a little extra tighter than normal to make sure I wasn’t the one to go red. We go out there to cut each other’s head off and it’s live or die by the sword.
“I’m also very happy to get this Mission [2Fast2Tasty overall win. This is a great deal and it makes it a lot more fun to race on Saturdays.”
Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The first round of the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout is slated for 12:45 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday’s results after the first three of five rounds of qualifying for the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, 14th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Sunday for Monday’s final eliminations.
Top Fuel — 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.727 seconds, 334.98 mph; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.744, 328.22; 3. Leah Pruett, 3.772, 326.24; 4. Jasmine Salinas, 3.776, 329.91; 5. Justin Ashley, 3.781, 331.12; 6. Antron Brown, 3.797, 330.07; 7. Tripp Tatum, 3.805, 308.43; 8. Ida Zetterstrom, 3.809, 328.46; 9. Josh Hart, 3.812, 323.50; 10. Maddi Gordon, 3.818, 324.67; 11. Doug Kalitta, 3.825, 331.12; 12. Clay Millican, 3.844, 327.11; 13. Dan Mercier, 3.873, 314.75; 14. Jake Sanders, 3.878, 306.26; 15. Tony Schumacher, 3.920, 312.93; 16. T.J. Zizzo, 3.934, 288.89.
Not Qualified: 17. Will Smith, 4.499, 166.76; 18. Billy Torrence, 4.674, 216.24; 19. Lex Joon, 5.213, 143.73; 20. Shawn Reed, 5.218, 131.79; 21. Krista Baldwin, 5.399, 128.07; 22. Jacob Opatrny, broke.
Funny Car — 1. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.914, 332.18; 2. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.921, 317.87; 3. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.937, 326.79; 4. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.944, 319.45; 5. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.947, 329.26; 6. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.970, 319.98; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.974, 321.96; 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.979, 327.59; 9. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.998, 323.89; 10. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 4.002, 315.49; 11. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.037, 324.05;
- Chad Green, Mustang, 4.044, 283.49; 13. Hunter Green, Charger, 4.045, 318.77; 14. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.076, 303.78; 15. Chris King, Charger, 4.112, 287.96; 16. Dylan Winefsky, Charger, 4.119, 308.43.
Not Qualified: 17. Bobby Bode, 4.134, 252.52; 18. Dave Richards, 4.196, 303.71; 19. Julie
Nataas, 4.205, 295.79; 20. Blake Alexander, 4.793, 171.99; 21. Justin Schriefer, 4.809, 169.13; 22. Terry Haddock, 6.713, 110.47; 23. John Smith, broke.
Pro Stock — 1. Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.626, 205.54; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.637, 204.29; 3. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.642, 204.91; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.645, 205.47; 5. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.645, 203.58; 6. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.652, 204.79; 7. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.654, 205.72; 8. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.656, 203.40; 9. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.660, 203.40; 10. Jerry Tucker, Camaro, 6.661, 205.04; 11. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.661, 203.31; 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.663, 203.12; 13. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.665, 203.77; 14. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.683, 205.01; 15. Jeg
Coughlin, Camaro, 6.686, 206.20; 16. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.711, 206.07.
Not Qualified: 17. Shane Tucker, 6.740, 206.16; 18. Alan Prusiensky, 6.826, 197.94; 19. David Vaseloff, 6.863, 199.20.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.842, 196.50; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.858, 199.26; 3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.875, 195.99; 4. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.886, 194.35; 5. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.905, 196.64; 6. John Hall, Beull, 6.910, 195.65; 7. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.927, 193.18; 8. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.947, 193.38; 9. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.954, 195.82; 10. Hector Arana Jr, EBR, 6.967, 194.04; 11. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.976, 192.08; 12. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.983, 192.63; 13. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.994, 190.73; 14. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.002, 194.27; 15. Wesley
Wells, Suzuki, 7.085, 187.42; 16. Hector Arana, EBR, 7.091, 192.06.
Not Qualified: 17. Mark Paquette, 7.158, 179.83; 18. Steve Johnson, 7.822, 167.88; 19. Michael Ray, 10.841, 72.94.
INDIANAPOLIS — Saturday’s final results from the NHRA Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Top Fuel Challenge — Leah Pruett, 3.873 seconds, 319.98 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.502 seconds, 187.16 mph.
Funny Car Challenge — Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.921, 317.87 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.006, 325.06.
Pro Stock Challenge — Cody Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.642, 204.91 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.645, 203.58.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.842, 196.50 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light.
INDIANAPOLIS — NHRA Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge final round-by-round results from the 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:
ROUND ONE — Doug Kalitta, 3.825, 331.12 def. Justin Ashley, 4.189, 214.04; Leah Pruett, 4.083, 263.20 def. Maddi Gordon, 4.242, 210.97;
FINAL — L. Pruett, 3.873, 319.98 def. D. Kalitta, 4.502, 187.16.
FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:
ROUND ONE — J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.538, 264.55 def. Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 5.427, 148.10; Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 4.229, 263.00 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.950, 159.97;
FINAL — A. Prock, 3.921, 317.87 def. J. Todd, 4.006, 325.06.
PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:
ROUND ONE — Cody Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.668, 205.22 def. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.668, 204.48; Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.672, 205.94 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.648, 205.41;
FINAL — C. Anderson, 6.642, 204.91 def. G. Stanfield, 6.645, 203.58.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE:
ROUND ONE — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.858, 196.99 def. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.910, 195.39; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.875, 195.99 def. Matt Smith, Buell, Foul – Red Light;
FINAL — G. Herrera, 6.842, 196.50 def. R. Gadson, Foul – Red Light.
