On a Sunday that flipped the track’s mood at Summit Motorsports Park, Top Fuel’s opening round delivered barnburners—then the weekend tightened further in round two and beyond. Maddi Gordon advanced through tire chaos, set herself up for her first final, and e
The air at Summit Motorsports Park on Sunday felt like it belonged to a different race—drastically different weather than what racers had dealt with on Friday and Saturday. For the teams anyway, that change didn’t soften the aggression. It sharpened it.
Doug Kalitta drove to a 3.745 to 3.804 win over Billy Torrence in Top Fuel round one, but the mechanics behind that clean result were anything but static. Crew chief Alan Johnson was making adjustments to the Mac Tools dragster up until the moment Kalitta was preparing to stage.
Two lanes over, the SCAG team’s night tilted fast. Justin Ashley put a couple hundredths on Tony Stewart off the starting line, but the advantage didn’t survive the first seconds—Ashley smoked the tires while Stewart racked up the round win with a 3.758.
Josh Hart and the Speedmaster team weren’t happy with a 3.962, but it was enough to get the job done after Scott Farley shut off early.
Shawn Langdon, meanwhile, used his round one bye to flex his muscles. He turned a 3.736 at a booming 337.07 mph and will have lane choice against Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta in round two.
The best race of the round came with Antron Brown and Leah Pruett. Brown, the No. 14 qualifier, put together a 3.763 to 3.781 win—closing the weekend’s gap when it mattered most.
On the Carlyle Tools side, Maddi Gordon’s team spent a couple of extra minutes dealing with an apparent air leak. Spencer Massey waited to fire until NHRA officials told him to do so, but Gordon managed to lock things down in time. After absorbing that distraction, she advanced with a 3.854.
Will Smith and Tony Schumacher delivered the kind of Top Fuel pedal-fest the sport loves—only this one looked more like “survive” than “go.” Schumacher took the 4.350 to 4.648 win after Smith decked the throttle on the Blue Bird Turf entry, which began to get sideways and forced him to lift.
The round ended with Clay Millican taking a 3.842 win over Shawn Reed, who got loosed and collected a couple of timing blocks at the finish line.
Round two pairings (lane choice first) were set: Shawn Langdon vs. Doug Kalitta; Tony Stewart vs. Maddi Gordon; Antron Brown vs. Tony Schumacher; and Clay Millican vs. Josh Hart.
Funny Car round one brought its own volatility. Jordan Vandergriff had a .060 light and a 3.946, but it wasn’t enough against 2018 world champ J.R. Todd, who delivered a .043 light and a 3.951 in the DHL Toyota to take the win in the first pair of the round.
Daniel Wilkerson left on Matt Hagan and won with a 3.935. Hagan’s Dodge got sideways before the finish line and he actually crossed the centerline after the 1,000-foot mark.
Spencer Hyde’s 3.936 couldn’t clear Jack Beckman’s quick 3.917, and Beckman also topped 330-mph in the Peak Performance Chevy.
Low qualifier Austin Prock had his hands full when the Ford Performance entry dropped a cylinder, slowing to a 4.031 in a narrow win over Jeff Arend, who ran a 4.071.
Ron Capps powered to a 3.927 to take out Bobby Bode, who smoked the tires. Alexis DeJoria also won in a similar fashion with a 3.918 after Blake Alexander knocked the tires loose.
Cruz Pedregon deep staged against Chad Green, gained a sizable advantage, but Green prevailed with a 3.938 to 3.993 victory.
Round two pairings (lane choice first) were: Jack Beckman vs. Daniel Wilkerson; Ron Capps vs. J.R. Todd; Alexis DeJoria vs. Chad Green; Del Worsham vs. Austin Prock.
Pro Stock round one began with patience on the Christmas Tree and then, once the cars finally left, the eliminations felt razor-close. Matt Latino went first and beat Derick Kramer with a 6.620 at 206.45 mph. Kramer responded with a 6.691 at 205.47 mph.
Jeg Coughlin Jr., the all-time holeshot winner, beat Greg Stanfield on the tree with a .042 reaction time and a 6.616 at the finish line stripe. Stanfield left with a .059 and crossed in 6.614.
In the marquee matchup, Aaron Stanfield beat Erica Enders on a holeshot. Stanfield left with a .011 to Enders’ .029; Aaron ran a 6.600 while Enders laid down a 6.591.
A red-light foul cost another pair: Troy Coughlin Jr. turned it red by one-thousandth of a second against freshman Pro Stock racer Cody Anderson. Anderson ran 6.590 for lane choice against Aaron Stanfield in round two, while T.J. made a respectable run at 6.599 at 208.20 mph.
Matt Hartford, who has either been eliminated in the first round or has gone on to win this year, bested Eric Latino on a holeshot. Hartford’s timeslip showed 6.678 at 201.67 mph after what looked like potential engine trouble.
Dallas Glenn advanced after his 6.599 outran Stephen Bell’s 6.606, fresh off his GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout win.
Kenny Delco advanced again by holeshot. Delco beat six-time world champ Greg Anderson on a holeshot with a .001 reaction time while Anderson recorded .073. Delco made a 6.632 at 206.32 mph, and Anderson crossed the finish line with a 6.591 at 206.95.
Round two pairings (lane choice first) were: Delco vs. BYE; Cody Anderson vs. Aaron Stanfield; Dallas Glenn vs. Matt Latino; Jeg Coughlin Jr. vs. Matt Hartford.
Pro Stock Motorcycle round one turned into a series of tree moments and tire management stories. In the marquee matchup, Jianna Evaristo bested Steve Johnson with her 6.890 while Johnson ripped off a 6.927.
Angie Smith moved on with her Denso Matt Smith Racing Buell 6.853, outrunning Wesley Wells’ 7.065.
John Hall’s 6.878 pass beat Geno Scali’s 6.950 even after Scali made his best run of the weekend.
Chase Van Sant won on a holeshot against Ryan Oehler. Van Sant left with a .021 reaction time for a 7.007 E.T., while Oehler had a .081 reaction time and ran a 6.790 E.T.
Brayden Davis’ 6.859 at 197.31 mph defeated Marc Ingwersen’s 6.969 at 191.57 mph.
Joey Gladstone made a solo pass as Bud Yoder didn’t make the call, recording a 6.888—the slowest of the Matt Smith Racing bikes.
Oodolph Daniels had trouble at the starting line, so Richard Gadson made the opposing run of 6.811.
Gaige Herrera, coming off the bye run, rode to a 6.795 and earned lane choice over Jianna Evaristo.
Round two pairings (lane choice first) were: Gaige Herrera vs. Jianna Evariso; Angie Smith vs. Brayden Davis; Richard Gadson vs. Chase Van Sant; John Hall vs. Joey Gladstone.
By the time the day shifted into Top Fuel round two, the headline of the weekend started to sharpen around one thing: Maddi Gordon refusing to be sidelined by chaos.
Clay Millican put the Summit car into the semifinals at the Summit race held at the Summit track, winning a tire smoking battle against Josh Hary, 4.290 to 4.590.
Antron Brown ran his win streak to six rounds when he took out Tony Schumacher, 3.806 to 3.891.
Tony Stewart smoked the tires at the hit of the throttle, sending Maddi Gordon to her third final round of her rookie season. The sport’s awards narrative is already circling her: Gordon is easily the frontrunner for the 2026 Rookie of the Year award.
Shawn Langdon earned lane choice over Maddi Gordon with a 3.772 in his win against teammate Doug Kalitta, who ran 3.939 after an early shut off.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice first) were: Antron Brown vs. Tony Schumacher; Shawn Langdon vs. Maddi Gordon.
Funny Car round two tightened the bracket. Ron Capps left first by a couple hundredths and extended that advantage in his win over J.R. Todd, who smoked the tires at half track. Capps, the No. 3 qualifier, drove to a 3.943 for the win.
Tire smoke also bit Daniel Wilkerson, who could do nothing after a .036 light. Jack Beckman cruised to the win with a 3.981.
Alexis DeJoria joined teammate Jack Beckman in the semifinals with a 3.958, a solid run, but it wasn’t enough to earn lane choice against Ron Capps in the semi’s.
In the right lane, Del Worsham went up in smoke and got loose before knocking out the 330-foot block—sending Austin Prock into the semi’s with a 3.948.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice first) were: Ron Capps vs. Alexis DeJoria; Austin Prock vs. Jack Beckman.
Pro Stock round two began with a sharp reminder that luck can show up with the bye. Kenny Delco was first on track with his bye, and it was “the luck he needed.” When the no. 14 qualifier left the starting line, his KD Racing Camaro made a hard left to the centerline. Delco will give up lane choice with his 11.845 e.t.
Matt Hartford went back to the semifinals after recording a 6.608, continuing his forementioned trend. Dallas Glenn, whose 6.627 helped him advance, bested Matt Latino, whose car drove toward the centerline but he still crossed at 6.732.
Finally, Aaron Stanfield’s .001 reaction time helped him beat Cody Anderson on a holeshot.
Semifinal pairings (lane choice first) were: Aaron Stanfield vs. Kenny Delco; Dallas Glenn vs. Matt Hartford.
Pro Stock Motorcycle round two sent Joey Gladstone to the semifinals in only his second race back. Gladstone said after his run. “It’s an honor to get the call. and I’m trying to get as many points for Matt. ” at the top end. He was joined by teammate Angie Smith, who made an impressive pass of 6.865.
Reigning world champion Richard Gadson advanced after a 6.836, defeating Chase Van Sant’s 7.030.
Gaige Herrera and Jianna Evaristo lined up as the final riders, but Evaristo’s 6.906 didn’t clear Herrera’s 6.816. Semifinal pairings (lane choice first) were: Gaige Herrera vs. Angie Smith; Richard Gadson vs. Joey Gladstone.
Then the racing moved into the kind of late-afternoon tension fans recognize instantly: decisions that feel small at the tree and huge at the finish line.
Top Fuel semifinals weren’t pretty, but Antron Brown is going to his second-straight final. He took a win over Clay Millican after both cars smoked the tires almost immediately—Brown recovered while Millican did not. Brown will race Maddi Gordon in the final.
Gordon upset low qualifier Shawn Langdon in the other semifinal by keeping the Carlyle dragster between the lines. Langdon smoked the tires. Gordon hazed the tires all the way to the finish line but still reached the outcome that sends her to her first final.
Funny Car semifinals placed Jack Beckman in the final for the 81st time as a pro after a 3.984 win against Austin Prock, who lit the tires just off the starting line. Beckman also raced in final rounds in Charlotte and Maryland, and he won two races ago in Epping.
Ron Capps will have an opportunity to double-up with new teammate Maddi Gordon after a 4.051 win against Alexis DeJoria, who didn’t get down the track cleanly. Capps has already won twice this year and will race in his 161st pro final with a current record of 81-79.
Pro Stock semifinals ended with two sharp turns. Kenny Delco’s lucky day ran out when his car basically did the same thing it did in round two. If it had made a clean run, he would’ve beaten Aaron Stanfield’s 7.017. Delco (.019) left before Stanfield (.040) did.
Dallas Glenn and his team also suffered heartbreak when Glenn was forced to shut off on the starting line due to a fuel leak. Matt Hartford went on to make a 6.618 run to earn lane choice in the final round.
Pro Stock Motorcycle semifinals were equally brutal on the tree. Joey Gladstone redlit by -.002, leaving Richard Gadson to head to the final. Gladstone rode to a 6.868 at 196.73 mph and Gadson raced to a 6.867 at 196.82.
Gaige Herrera will meet his teammate, Gadson, in the final after besting Angie Smith’s 6.875 with a 6.843. Herrera will have lane choice.
All the while, the day’s broader eliminator results kept rolling—top alcohol, top fuel, and pro mod in parallel—with Saturday’s momentum stretching into Sunday’s bracket.
Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series results also landed before the day fully settled: TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER—Matt Cummings def. Jamie Noonan; TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR—Doug Gordon def. Sean Bellemeur; COMP ELIMINATOR—Pete D’Agnolo def. Al Ackerman; SUPER STOCK—Brenda Grubbs def. Ron Richards; STOCK ELIMINATOR—Matt Antrobius def. Tim Fletcher; SUPER COMP—Phil Unruh def. Howie Smith; SUPER GAS—Phil Unruh def. Ray Miller; RIGHT TRAILERS TOP DRAGSTERS—Sadie Glenn def. Kenny Carson; RIGHT TRAILERS TOP SPORTSMAN—Alex Miller def. Glenn Butcher; JBS EQUIPMENT NHRA PRO MOD SERIES—Kevin Rivenbark def. Billy Banaka; FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN—Taylor Dietsch def. Jonathan Allegrucci.
The weekend’s story has started to look inevitable: the fastest runs are rarely the cleanest. Tires smoke, engines quit early, cars wander toward centerlines, and the tree punishes a tenth too much. But in the middle of all that mess. Maddi Gordon is still standing—headed for her first Top Fuel final after turning tire trouble into momentum.
Summit Motorsports Park NHRA Top Fuel Maddi Gordon Shawn Langdon Antron Brown Tony Stewart Funny Car Ron Capps Pro Stock Pro Stock Motorcycle