Sat, 31 Oct 2026, 22:14 PM Beckman, Langdon, Glenn & Herrera Take No. 1 Spots at MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals

Courtesy of NHRA Communications Photo copyright 2026 NHRA/National Dragster

LAS VEGAS - Funny Car's Jack Beckman secured the No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, taking the top spot as part of the first 3-second Funny Car qualifying field in NHRA history at the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge.

Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 19th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Jack Beckman

Beckman stayed a distant first in the loaded Funny Car category, as his run of 3.836-seconds at 335.32 mph from Friday in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS wasn't challenged on Saturday.

But it was a noteworthy Saturday in Funny Car, as Beckman was the pacesetter in the category's first-ever Funny Car field, with Jeff Diehl qualifying 16th with a 3.968 at 317.94. That will be Beckman's first-round opponent as he is rolling in Las Vegas after making the quickest pass in the last three qualifying sessions this weekend.

"First all-three-second field, Jack Beckman to Jeff Diehl. It's neat to be a footnote to history. I geek out on that stuff," Beckman said. "Running the table and qualifying is 20 points. We got 19, and we missed that extra point by a thousandth of a second on Q1. Our peak Chevy's just been amazing; this is three in a row that we've been No. 1. It's just an absolute pleasure to drive this car, and it almost spoils you.

"You always have to be on your toes and say, 'It's still a nitro Funny Car.' You've got to be ready to catch it if something goes wrong, but when our car is running the way it's been running lately, and it did this last year for a period of time, our tune-up window is so big that even if we miss it, we still haul butt."

Points leader Matt Hagan qualified second with a 3.868 at 332.51, and Jordan Vandergriff took third after going 3.868 at 327.74. He has a 99-point lead against Vandergriff, who could be a possible semifinal opponent, while third-place J.R. Todd could meet Hagan in the second round on Sunday.

Shawn Langdon

In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon moved a step closer to getting his second world championship, qualifying No. 1 on the strength of Friday's 3.672 at 332.59 in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster.

It's the ninth top spot of the season for Langdon, who could clinch a championship on Sunday if he goes three rounds further than Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta during eliminations. If Kalitta fell in the opening round, Langdon would clinch the title by advancing to the final round, and if the reigning world champ lost in the second round, Langdon could grab the championship by winning his ninth race of the season.

The veteran, though, is simply focused on the task in front of him and continuing to push forward on Sunday in Las Vegas. He opens eliminations against Cam Ferre.

"I just want to keep the same mindset that I've had. Boring, but I just want to keep the same mentality, keep the same focus, the same energy that we had in the first four [Countdown] races, and hit the gas," Langdon said.

"Obviously, it would be neat to race Doug in the semis. I don't know if we could actually clinch [the championship] here if we do. I think we'd have to probably show up to Pomona. It doesn't really matter. We just have to get the job done. That's our goal; however it happens, whatever the scenario is, we're prepared for it."

Tony Stewart qualified second after going 3.676 at 339.28 and Josh Hart took third with a run of 3.688 at 325.61.

Dallas Glenn

Pro Stock's Dallas Glenn made a major statement on Saturday, as the points leader and reigning world champ made the quickest runs in both sessions, taking the No. 1 spot with a run of 6.620 at 205.91 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro.

Glenn added to his points lead with the strong Saturday, clinching his fourth top qualifier in 2026 as the defending event winner looks to repeat in Las Vegas. He'll open eliminations against Alan Prusiensky, attempting to move a step closer to his second straight world championship.

"After my misstep driving ability on Friday -- I didn't do my job as well as I should and I just didn't shift very well," Glenn said. "Today, I really had to make sure I focused. We knew the air was going to be a little bit better today and could go and try to get No. 1 or lay down a good run.

"Your reaction to the shift light when you miss it is enough to kill two and a half hundredths and can easily make the difference in winning a round and losing a round. Tomorrow I'm just going to try to be more like I was today and do a better job."

Greg Anderson qualified second with a 6.622 at 205.16 and Matt Latino was third thanks to a 6.628 at 205.47.

Gaige Herrera

Pro Stock Motorcycle's Gaige Herrera got even better on Saturday, going low of each session, including a 6.799 at 197.91 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to collect his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season.

He was the only rider to dip into the 6.70s this weekend and will open eliminations against Chris Bostick.

"I wasn't too sure if it was possible to run in the 6.70s, but last night at dinner, I got a text from Andrew [Hines, crew chief] saying we're going .70s tomorrow," Herrera said. "He's definitely got the bike figured out right now. It's in a window and it's in a happy window, so I just had to go out there and do my job more than anything.

"All the little [qualifying bonus] points are going to matter at the end of the day. I feel like me and Richard (Gadson) both are going to be on our game and we're going to go as many rounds as we can until we meet each other or any other competitors and get put out early."

Points leader Richard Gadson qualified second with a 6.836 at 196.10 and Ryan Oehler is third after going 6.844 at 196.87.

Eliminations for the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.