Kalitta, Beckman, Enders, A. Smith all claim No. 1 spots at Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK
CHICAGO (May 16, 2026) – Top Fuel points leader – and the sport’s fastest driver – Shawn Langdon picked up his first victory in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge this season on Saturday at Route 66 Raceway, knocking off Justin Ashley in the final round of the bonus event as part of this weekend’s 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK.
Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, while Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Enders (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 at the sixth of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.
After struggling through the first three sessions this weekend at Route 66 Raceway, Langdon put together a strong run when he needed it, going 3.770-seconds at 336.57 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster to defeat Ashley.
It gave Langdon the specialty race victory and also put the past world champion in a much better position heading into eliminations on Sunday, where he’ll look for his second straight victory this season.
“It was more than just going up there and trying to win the Mission (#2Fast2Tasty Challenge) final,” Langdon said. “We needed to make a run down the track, too. We were pretty far down in the qualifying order. We were trying to go about 3.76 and it ran .77, so it was a good run. It responded to what we did. We just had to get it calmed down a little bit. We’re trying to run too fast, too early.”
Reigning world champion Doug Kalitta stayed in the No. 1 spot, earning his second straight No. 1 qualifier on the strength of Friday’s 3.720 at 338.17 in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster. Maddi Gordon took second with a 3.738 at 334.90 and Billy Torrence qualified third after going 3.746 at 336.32 on Friday. Josh Hart, who qualified fourth, broke the track speed record on Saturday with a pass of 341.25.
“Getting the number one qualifier today is a good thing,” Kalitta said. “That last session last night was kind of interesting, because everybody was kind of one-upping one another, and it got down to us, and as a driver, you’re sitting there going, ‘Man, I sure hope we can pull this off.’ You try to stage real shallow because that’ll get you the best ET out of it. Anytime you get down to the end, and you know there’s another pair behind you, you’re just hoping to stay ahead. Tomorrow’s going to be a good day for racing, so we’ll just see what it’s got for us.”
Alexis DeJoria also claimed her first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory of the year in Funny Car, defeating John Force Racing teammate Jordan Vandergriff in the final round of the bonus race.
Vandergriff ran into car issues and had to shut the car off on the starting line, handing the win to DeJoria, who smoked the tires almost instantly and went 8.301 at 82.43 in her 12,000-horsepower Bandido Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS. That run notwithstanding, DeJoria has been solid in her debut year with powerhouse John Force Racing, but this was the first triumph of the year for the veteran, who was thrilled with the result as she continues to build into a championship contender.
“I’m finally back in a winner’s circle, and that’s good even though it came at the cost of my teammate, and it was a lackluster final. We got the ‘W’ and that’s all that matters. The win went to a JFR car so that’s great,” DeJoria said.
“I just had a feeling we were going to win it. I just knew in my heart. It was one of those things. That’s actually the first time we didn’t get down the track. It shook really hard, but we made it three out of four runs.”
It was a JFR sweep in Funny Car, too, as defending event winner Jack Beckman stayed atop the field thanks to Friday’s run of 3.913 at 329.99 in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS for John Force Racing.
Beckman made another strong run to close the day as he’s currently on the exact same path from last year when he qualified No. 1 and won the race. Ron Capps stayed in second with a 3.916 at 330.31 and back-to-back world champ Austin Prock jumped to third with a pass of 3.920 at 331.94. Beckman opens raceday against Chris King.
“I’ve always felt like my job, as a driver, in terms of interacting with crew chiefs, is to let them think consciously a little bit more,” Beckman said. “In other words, when we don’t make a good run, and they’re looking at the numbers, I said, ‘Tell me what you would do differently, knowing what you know now.’
“I think our struggles were more of trying to do things to get more speed out of this car and we took one step back, but three of the four qualifying runs we got great data.”
Erica Enders’ strong weekend at Route 66 Raceway continued on Saturday, as the six-time world champion won her first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year, beating teammate Greg Stanfield with a run of 6.563 at 208.75 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/R+L Carriers entry for Elite Motorsports.
It was a long time coming for Enders, who had struggled in the early part of this season. But this weekend could mark a huge turnaround, as she also qualified No. 1 for the first time in two years thanks to Friday’s standout run of 6.542 at 209.92.
That puts her in prime position to make it a clean sweep this weekend and it would come at an ideal point in the season. With a chance to win her 50th career Pro Stock race – at the track where she won her first Pro Stock race – Enders will start eliminations against Derrick Reese.
“It’s super exciting. I love racing here at Joliet,” Enders said. “I started racing Super Comp dragsters here back when I was in high school, so I’ve been coming here an awful long time and then to secure our first pro win here back in 2012, it’s just been a special place ever since that time. So, it would be fitting if this was where the tide started to turn and it has so far this weekend, securing the number one spot and then winning the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty deal. It’s a great start to the weekend. Tomorrow’s the day that matters and I really, really want one of those diamond Wallys.”
Jeg Coughlin Jr. took second with a 6.543 at 210.21 and Stanfield stayed in the top three after going 6.549 at 210.11. Points leader and defending world champ Dallas Glenn qualified 11th.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera put together a clutch performance in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, using a big holeshot to hold off Angie Smith and win the bonus race for a second time this season with a run of 6.757 at 200.86 on his RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki.
Herrera went .024 on the starting line, which proved to be enough to slip past Smith, who put together the quickest run of the weekend in the class in the matchup.
“It was a good final there. I knew I had to try to get any advantage I could on the starting line,” Herrera said. “We pulled out the ‘special tire’… we kind of pulled everything we could, because we knew we needed to. She’s got the bike to beat this weekend and my hat’s off to her. She’s been doing well this year so far and so has Matt and all of team MSR. It’s been making the class much more fun and interesting. It’s going to be a good day of racing tomorrow, for sure.”
Smith’s run of 6.726 at 201.70 on her Denso Auto Parts Buell in the final round of the specialty race gave her the No. 1 qualifier for the second time in four races this season. She made the quickest runs in the class on both Friday and Saturday, something she hopes will lead to her first win of 2026.
“When you are the number one qualifier and you know you have the machine, the motorcycle that I do, I have to focus on one round at a time, go do my job and the cards will fall how they want to fall,” Smith said. “Hopefully, tomorrow, about 4 o’clock, I have a trophy, and we’re partying in the winner’s circle, but being No. 1 qualifier gives you a lot of confidence, but you can’t let it give you too much confidence. You still have to focus on the job at hand, and you just have to go out there and know what you need to do.”
Ryan Oehler qualified second with a 6.744 at 201.31 and Herrera took third with Saturday’s winning run.
Eliminations for the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK begin at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday at Route 66 Raceway.
JOLIET, Ill. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway, the sixth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday.
DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.720 seconds, 338.17 mph vs. Bye; 2. Maddi Gordon, 3.738, 335.32 vs. 15. Krista Baldwin, 4.244, 207.69; 3. Billy Torrence, 3.746, 336.32 vs. 14. Will Smith, 4.060, 242.58; 4. Josh Hart, 3.752, 341.25 vs. 13. Justin Ashley, 3.797, 332.02; 5. Tony Stewart, 3.754, 334.40 vs. 12. Tony Schumacher, 3.789, 330.88; 6. Leah Pruett, 3.756, 335.15 vs. 11. Clay Millican, 3.784, 334.57; 7. Antron Brown, 3.756, 330.55 vs. 10. T.J. Zizzo, 3.774, 332.10; 8. Shawn Reed, 3.763, 331.36 vs. 9. Shawn Langdon, 3.770, 336.57.
Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.913, 329.99 vs. 16. Chris King, Dodge Charger, 4.142, 266.79; 2. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.916, 330.31 vs. 15. Bobby Bode, Ford Mustang, 4.075, 280.14; 3. Austin Prock, Mustang, 3.920, 331.94 vs. 14. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.045, 313.88; 4. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.920, 324.59 vs. 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.010, 313.07; 5. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.930, 329.26 vs. 12. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.994, 329.42; 6. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.942, 334.73 vs. 11. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.993, 319.90; 7. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.952, 324.05 vs. 10. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.977, 325.92; 8. Blake Alexander, Charger, 3.961, 324.20 vs. 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.964, 330.55.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Justin Schriefer, 5.613, 130.44.
Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.542, 209.92 vs. 16. Derrick Reese, Ford Mustang, 11.055, 80.54; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.543, 210.21 vs. 15. Joe Wilczek, Mustang, 6.921, 198.73; 3. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.549, 210.11 vs. 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.591, 209.01; 4. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.553, 209.88 vs. 13. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.590, 207.75; 5. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.558, 210.28 vs. 12. Chris
Vang, Camaro, 6.585, 208.30; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.558, 209.36 vs. 11. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.578, 209.17; 7. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.563, 209.82 vs. 10. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.575, 208.81; 8. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.569, 209.65 vs. 9. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.570, 209.33.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.726, 201.70 vs. Bye; 2. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.744, 201.31 vs. 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 6.999, 190.16; 3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.757, 200.86 vs. 14. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.932, 197.74; 4. John Hall, Beull, 6.772, 201.19 vs. 13. Marc Ingwersen, Buell, 6.919, 196.16; 5. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.778, 200.50 vs. 12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.872, 195.76; 6. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.780, 201.07 vs. 11. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.847, 200.86; 7. Brayden Davis, Buell, 6.792, 199.37 vs. 10. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.836, 198.90; 8. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.823, 200.17 vs. 9. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.832, 198.41.
JOLIET, Ill. — Saturday’s final results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.
Top Fuel Challenge — Shawn Langdon, 3.770 seconds, 336.57 mph def. Justin Ashley, 4.209 seconds, 202.45 mph.
Funny Car Challenge — Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 8.301, 82.43 def. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, Broke.
Pro Stock Challenge — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.563, 208.75 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.585, 208.10.
Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.757, 200.86 def. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.726, 201.70.
JOLIET, Ill. — Final round-by-round results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway.
TOP FUEL CHALLENGE
ROUND ONE — Shawn Langdon, 5.645, 123.04 def. Clay Millican, 6.909, 87.37; Justin Ashley, 3.845, 329.02 def. Doug Kalitta, 4.447, 184.55;
FINAL — S. Langdon, 3.770, 336.57 def. J. Ashley, 4.209, 202.45.
FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE
ROUND ONE — Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 3.977, 325.92 def. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 4.045, 300.33; Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.015, 323.35 def. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 5.080, 166.33;
FINAL — A. DeJoria, 8.301, 82.43 def. J. Vandergriff, Broke.
PRO STOCK CHALLENGE
ROUND ONE — Greg Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.600, 208.01 def. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.606, 206.48; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.580, 208.91 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.591, 207.78;
FINAL — E. Enders, 6.563, 208.75 def. G. Stanfield, 6.585, 208.10.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE
ROUND ONE — Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.853, 198.82 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, Foul – Red Light; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.744, 200.74 def. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.821, 200.56;
FINAL — G. Herrera, 6.757, 200.86 def. A. Smith, 6.726, 201.70.
