The last time these two faced each other in a final round was back in June in Chicago. Hagan won that race.

Both cars launched, with Hagan off the starting line 0.024 seconds ahead of Johnson. About 60 feet out, Johnson's car made a move toward the center line. He backed off the throttle to keep from crossing the centerline. Just as Johnson appeared to have given up on the run, there was an explosion and ball of fire inside Hagan's car. Johnson saw what was happening and got back on the throttle of his car, but Hagan managed to cross the finish line first, with his car still on fire. After he brought the car to a stop, Hagan got out of the car and was standing alongside the wall in the shutdown area.

This was the third Funny Car win of the year for Hagan and 13th national event win of his career.