NHRA points leaders look to get closer to titles at Las Vegas Nationals

NHRA drivers Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel) and Matt Hagan (Funny Car) both enter this weekend’s Las Vegas Nationals with sizeable leads in the points standings in their respective classes.

There’s a chance for Langdon to clinch the title in Las Vegas, the second-to-last race of the NHRA season, and for Hagan to extend his points lead to triple-digits heading into the finale at Pomona.

But neither Langdon nor Hagan are resting too comfortably heading into this weekend.

NHRA returns to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Las Vegas Nationals, which begins with qualifying for the Nitro classes (Top Fuel and Funny Car) at 1:45 and 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Qualifying continues Saturday and eliminations are Sunday.

Langdon sits atop the Top Fuel standings with a 139-point lead over teammate Doug Kalitta. If Langdon leaves Las Vegas with a 191-point lead, he can win his second Top Fuel title, but he isn’t counting out his teammate at making a run in the final two races.

“We have a big lead, but it’s not a comfortable lead by any stretch of the imagination,” Langdon said. “We’re focused on what we need to do and not get caught up in the scenarios and what if this or that. We know even with our lead, if we make one mistake, they’re (Kalitta and crew chief Alan Johnson) going to pounce.”

Things are a little closer in the Funny Car standings. Hagan, a four-time champion, leads Jordan Vandergriff by 98 points and J.R. Todd, coming off a win a NHRA’s most recent race at Texas on Oct. 18, is still alive at 118 points behind in third place.

“You can’t help but feel good about (having the lead),” Hagan said. “Even if we stub our toe here, we’re going to go into Pomona (Nov. 12-15) leading the points. Anytime you’re leading (the points) versus chasing, you’re just ahead of the game. … The momentum that we have and the team we have, we want to continue that here.”

‘Get back into the saddle’

Hagan is the defending race winner at Las Vegas. His win at the track last November kept him alive for the 2025 title as he entered Pomona 101 points behind of Austin Prock, still mathematically alive for the title with 150 points available at the Pomona season finale and more points awarded to the top three qualifiers in each of the four rounds.

But several straight days of rain at Pomona forced NHRA to cancel the 2025 season finale, which gave Prock the title and denied Hagan a chance to win his fifth title last year.

“It was tough as a competitor because you always want to run it out and see where it falls,” Hagan said. “It sucks. You hate to have everything that you work for and all the opportunities come down to the last race and then you cannot get to race it. That didn’t sit well with me.

“But what do you do about it? You just get back into the saddle and you rise to the occasion and capitalize on what you can. Here where we are, where we need to be and in a position we should have been last year.”

Hagan has four wins this year, which includes the 1,000th Funny Car race at Pomona in April, with second-year crew chief Mike Knudsen.

Eyes on another title

A fifth title for Hagan would break a tie for second-most (Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme) and have him alone in second behind John Force’s 16 titles.

“I’m really working hard to try and get (Knudsen) a championship,” said Hagan, a six-time winner at LVMS. “It’s more about him than it is me.”

Langdon is having a career year. He’s won eight times with three runner-up finishes. Eight times this year, Langdon has been the No. 1 qualifier heading into elimination rounds.

“We’re really focused,” said Langdon, the 2013 Top Fuel champion. “The results are good and everything we’ve done this year has been great, but we want nothing less than to win the championship. That’s the first thing on our mind.”

Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

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NHRA Las Vegas Nationals schedule

At Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Friday

■ Pro Stock (Car and Motorcycle) qualifying: 12:45 and 3:30 p.m.

■ Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying: 1:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Saturday

■ Nitro qualifying: noon and 2:30 p.m.

■ Pro Stock qualifying: 1 and 3:30 p.m.

Sunday

■ Nitro eliminations: 11 a.m., 1:20, 3:15 and 4:40 p.m. (finals)

■ Pro Stock eliminations: noon, 1:55, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. (finals)