September 22, 2025 | By NHRA

PROCK, ASHLEY, GLENN & GADSON MAKE HISTORY WITH WINS AT NHRA 4-WIDE CAROLINA NATIONALS

CONCORD, N.C.—Funny Car points leader Austin Prock won the first four-wide playoff race in NHRA history on Sunday at zMAX Dragway, defeating Matt Hagan, Chad Green and Dan Wilkerson in the final round of the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals.

Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Richard Gadson (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 16th of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Prock went 3.912-seconds at 332.43 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS in the championship quad, powering to his eighth victory of the season and 20th in his career. The victory, Prock’s 16th since moving to Funny Car last year, also gave the reigning world champ a season sweep at all three four-wide races in 2025.

After a rough start in Reading, falling in the second round and crossing the centerline, Prock rebounded in dominant fashion on Sunday, winning the first two quads and then quickly chasing down Wilkerson. He held off Hagan at the finish line to keep a stranglehold on the points lead, which now stands 79 points over Hagan.

“That was a big win, especially after everything that went on in the semifinals when a few of the front-runners went out and we capitalized on it,” Prock said. “We extended our lead a little bit going into St. Louis next weekend and there's only four [races] left so it was good to keep up our performance this weekend and extend our points lead. To get it done here in Charlotte with for HendrickCars.com is really special. Mr. H [Rick Hendrick] is pretty, pretty pumped right now.

“The ‘Prock Rocket’ was on point all weekend. Our package just seemed suited for Bruton Smith race tracks. I wasn't my typical self on the starting line this weekend. I was good, but not where I wanted to be, but the car ran good enough and our total package was good enough to win.”

Hagan, who qualified No. 1, finished as the runner-up in his third appearance in the finals this year.

In Top Fuel, Justin Ashley picked up his fourth victory in 2025 and had another brilliant Sunday on the starting line, defeating a quad that featured Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta and Clay Millican with a stellar run of 3.784 at 329.83 in his 12,000-horsepower Scag Power Equipment dragster.

Ashley and Doug Kalitta posted identical times in the final round, but Ashley was quicker on the starting line, thanks to a standout .043 reaction time. A round earlier, Ashley made history by posting the first triple holeshot in Top Fuel history, coming out on top in a quad that featured Langdon, Brittany Force and Tony Stewart.

Ashley was slowest in the quad but won with a .036 reaction time en route to his 19th career win. It’s also Ashley’s second win in the last three races, sending him to second in points with four races remaining this season. He also posted his second career win at zMAX Dragway, celebrating another special moment in what’s shaping up to be an incredible late-season run. He now trails Kalitta by just 38 points.

“It’s a great feeling. Obviously, winning any four-wide race, or any race for that matter, is great, but to win it right here for the first four-wide race in the fall that NHRA has ever had in the Countdown, this was a critical day for us,” Ashley said. “When you look through some of those quads, even specifically when you get to those final two rounds, it's just brutal. The margin for error now is so small. Obviously four races left, but these races are hard to win, so I'm a firm believer in the fact you have to enjoy them when they come before shifting your focus over the next one.

“If the car is not put together the same way each and every time, the reaction times are not going to be good, or they're not going to be within a certain window. Holeshots can be misleading because it really is a team effort. You have to collectively look at the combination together, and then hopefully at the end of the day, it leads to results that you're looking for.”

Kalitta stayed in the points lead with the runner-up finish, advancing to the final round for the fifth time this season. Kalitta leads Ashley by 38 points and teammate Shawn Langdon, who finished third in the quad, by 59 points.

Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Countdown to the Championship, winning his second straight race thanks to a run of 6.554 at 209.95 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to get past a quad that also featured runner-up Greg Anderson, Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield.

Glenn has been red-hot in the postseason, qualifying No. 1 at both playoff races and winning in both Reading and Charlotte, and pushing his season win total to six. He impressed throughout eliminations on Sunday, posting a stellar .016 reaction time in a wire-to-wire victory.

It is his 19th career win and Glenn stayed unstoppable at zMAX Dragway as well, as the points leader has now won three straight races at the track, dating back to last year. He swept both four-wide races at the phenomenal facility, opening up a 79-point lead over Greg Anderson in the process.

“I knew I had a fantastic car coming in, so I really just wanted to try to keep the momentum,” Glenn said. “I really felt like I let everybody down in Indy when I let my foot up a little against Erica [Enders]. I made that mistake. So, I just wanted to come into this race, and step it up just a little bit more and be a little more aggressive.

“You look at the ladder and you're like, this is going to be a tough day, so you just got to try to bring your A-game. I made a small pedal [adjustment] and went up there and just tried to do everything I could do kind of throw a Hail Mary and hope it stuck.”

“I think I have 79 points right now, so I still count that as basically three rounds, because that's what it's going to be in Pomona. I want to keep my foot on their throats and keep pressure on until they hand me a trophy.”

Anderson finished as the runner-up with a run of 6.562 in his eighth trip to the final round this year. Stanfield, who was fourth in the quad, moved to third in points, but he’s a distant 172 points behind Glenn.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Richard Gadson earned his first career victory in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, beating a quad that was Matt Smith Racing-dominant with a run of 6.803 at 199.55 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Matt Smith, Angie Smith and Jianna Evaristo.

Gadson had a lightning-quick .015 reaction time and rode away from the trio, picking up his third victory of the season and moving into the points lead for the first time in his professional career.

Teammate Gaige Herrera suffered a shocking first-round loss, but that opened the door for Gadson, who won his first two quads and then rolled to the victory in the final round with another standout performance. After a long wait for his first career win, Gadson has now won three races in the past three months, setting up what could be a thrilling championship run. His points lead now stands at eight over Matt Smith.

“When you say points leader, I just I can't believe you’re talking about me,” Gadson said. “Sometimes, when I’m at home and I look at the points and even see my name in second place, I have to read it twice because I just can't believe it's really me in this position.

“You know, you just want to avenge your team. You’re racing against three bikes from a rival team and you don't want to go up there and do anything stupid. If they're going to outrun you, then that's going to be what it is. You just don't want to beat yourself and when you're the lone ranger up there racing for your team, you carry it with a little bit more pride. These bikes are really easy to do something stupid on.”

M. Smith finished as the runner-up with a pass of 6.821 at 199.37 in what was his fourth appearance in the final round this year.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 26-28 with the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.



ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS

CONCORD, N.C. -- Final round-by-round results from the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:


TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE -- Shawn Langdon, 3.792, 332.10 and Justin Ashley, 3.811, 323.81 def. Tony Schumacher, 3.865, 290.76 and Doug Foley, 4.054, 217.42; Steve Torrence, 3.754, 331.61 and Clay Millican, 3.785, 326.56 def. Dan Mercier, 3.761, 327.66 and Cameron Ferre, broke; Tony Stewart, 3.766, 326.79 and Brittany Force, 3.758, 338.34 def. Shawn Reed, 3.787, 327.66; Doug Kalitta, 3.757, 327.43 and Antron Brown, 3.780, 330.31 def. Josh Hart, 3.820, 331.20;

SEMIFINALS -- Ashley, 3.788, 326.56 and Langdon, 3.761, 333.82 def. Force, 3.773, 338.26 and Stewart, 3.784, 328.62; Kalitta, 3.797, 326.48 and Millican, 3.821, 327.74 def. Brown, 3.844, 326.79 and Torrence, 4.141, 261.67;

FINAL -- Ashley, 3.784, 329.83 def. Kalitta, 3.784, 332.84, Langdon, 3.814, 334.24 and Millican, 4.235, 195.19.



FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE -- Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.944, 325.06 and Chad Green, Mustang, 3.975, 325.61 def. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 4.021, 311.13 and Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 4.689, 173.38; Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.894, 329.67 and Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.957, 328.14 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.020, 310.91 and Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.023, 314.17; Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.939, 328.46 and Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.949, 327.74 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.302, 212.23 and John Smith, Charger, 6.664, 105.69; Austin Prock, Camaro, 3.926, 329.34 and Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.930, 331.69 def. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 3.987, 318.24 and Hunter Green, Charger, 4.068, 292.96;

SEMIFINALS -- Hagan, 3.963, 327.19 and C. Green, 4.011, 322.50 def. Beckman, 3.939, 325.69 and Hyde, 4.006, 318.02; Prock, 3.930, 328.78 and Wilkerson, 4.072, 254.04 def. Capps, 4.358, 189.44 and Tasca III, 4.014, 318.92;

FINAL -- Prock, 3.912, 332.43 def. Hagan, 3.952, 324.12, Wilkerson, 4.389, 195.87 and C. Green, foul.



PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE -- Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.522, 208.94 and Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.586, 206.99 def. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.962, 208.17 and Deric Kramer, Camaro, 11.434, 79.08; Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.542, 208.94 and Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.593, 208.14 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.544, 207.56 and Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.855, 207.11; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.534, 208.68 and Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.562, 209.52 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 209.14 and David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.589, 208.36; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.529, 209.65 and Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.545, 209.56 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.547, 208.65 and Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 10.952, 82.15;

SEMIFINALS -- Enders, 6.574, 209.59 and Anderson, 6.538, 208.94 def. Reed, 6.607, 208.59 and Bell, 6.595, 208.07; A. Stanfield, 6.559, 209.36 and Glenn, 6.540, 209.62 def. Hartford, 6.534, 209.17 and C. Coughlin, 6.565, 208.84;

FINAL -- Glenn, 6.554, 209.95 def. Anderson, 6.562, 209.01, Enders, 6.572, 209.20 and A. Stanfield, 13.390, 65.73.


PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE -- Angie Smith, Buell 1190RX, 6.779, 198.38 and Jianna Evaristo, 1190RX, 6.854, 198.90 def. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.906, 196.85 and Steve Johnson, Suzuki Hayabusa, broke; Matt Smith, 1190RX, 6.757, 200.59 and Kelly Clontz, Suzuki TL, 6.834, 198.29 def. Brayden Davis, Hayabusa, 6.849, 199.70 and Brandon Litten, Hayabusa, 6.914, 195.14; Richard Gadson, Hayabusa, 6.796, 199.88 and John Hall, Beull 1190RX, 6.817, 199.11 def. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 7.028, 190.59 and Chris Bostick, Hayabusa, 8.304, 113.15; Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.863, 195.36 and Marcus Hylton, 7.055, 187.83 def. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki TL 1000, 7.197, 151.61 and Gaige Herrera, Hayabusa, 7.370, 141.31;

SEMIFINALS -- Evaristo, 6.842, 200.23 and A. Smith, 6.839, 197.22 def. Hylton, 7.140, 180.60 and Ingwersen, DQ; Gadson, 6.809, 198.99 and M. Smith, 6.821, 198.20 def. Clontz, 6.863, 197.91 and Hall, 7.042, 168.70;

FINAL -- Gadson, 6.803, 199.55 def. M. Smith, 6.821, 199.37, A. Smith, 6.842, 198.99 and Evaristo, 6.943, 197.05.



CURRENT STANDINGS

CONCORD, N.C. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series -


Top Fuel

1. Doug Kalitta, 2,287; 2. Justin Ashley, 2,249; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,228; 4. Tony Stewart, 2,219; 5. Clay Millican, 2,192; 6. Brittany Force, 2,179; 7. Shawn Reed, 2,156; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,151; 9. Antron Brown, 2,128; 10. Josh Hart, 2,085.


Funny Car

1. Austin Prock, 2,298; 2. Matt Hagan, 2,219; 3. Ron Capps, 2,204; 4. Jack Beckman, 2,200; 5. Paul Lee, 2,171; 6. Cruz Pedregon, 2,146; 7. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,142; 8. Spencer Hyde, 2,132; 9. J.R. Todd, 2,116; 10. Alexis DeJoria, 2,107.


Pro Stock

1. Dallas Glenn, 2,364; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,285; 3. Aaron Stanfield, 2,192; 4. Matt Hartford, 2,171; 5. Cory Reed, 2,169; 6. Cody Coughlin, 2,156; 7. Erica Enders, 2,154; 8. Eric Latino, 2,152; 9. Jeg Coughlin, 2,100; 10. Deric Kramer, 2,079.


Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Richard Gadson, 2,296; 2. Matt Smith, 2,288; 3. John Hall, 2,230; 4. Gaige Herrera, 2,225; 5. Angie Smith, 2,185; 6. Jianna Evaristo, 2,157; 7. Chase Van Sant, 2,126; 8. Brayden Davis, 2,123; 9. Chris Bostick, 2,085; 10. Steve Johnson, 2,066.


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BILLY BANAKA GETS FIRST CAREER CONGRUITY NHRA PRO MOD WIN AT NHRA 4-WIDE CAROLINA NATIONALS


CONCORD, N.C. – In a wild final round, Billy Banaka picked up his first career victory in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series on Sunday at zMAX Dragway, defeating Mike Castellana, Sidnei Frigo and Mason Wright in a chaotic final quad at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals.

It marked the second of the category’s four-race “Road to the Championship” playoffs and the event, which is the eighth of 10 in 2025, was powered by Shelton Insurance and Real Estate in Charlotte.

Banaka went red at the starting line, but Wright rolled the starting line beams before him and both Frigo and Castella left before the tree was activated. Banaka then went 6.551-seconds at 140.63 mph and narrowly missed crossing the starting line. But he still picked up the victory in what was the first-ever playoff four-wide race in NHRA Pro Mod history.

“It’s very memorable. It was a little screwed up, but I thought I’d lost, really,” said Banaka. “I think the whole thing was a mess up, but it worked out in my favor. I’d like to thank my wife for being here, my crew chief, my whole family at home, my kids and my whole crew. They did a great job.”

The wild win, which was the first of Banaka’s career in Congruity NHRA Pro Mod, also sent him into the points lead, as he now leads Mike Stavrinos by 34 points with two races remaining. Stavrinos, who won in Indy to open the postseason, didn’t qualify in Charlotte and was bumped to second. Frigo is currently third, 55 points back of Banaka, and Wright is 65 points behind in fourth.

Banaka went 5.714 at 250 to win his opening-round quad and he followed with a 5.715 at 249.21 to advance to the championship round.

The Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 26-28 as part of the NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis.


ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS

CONCORD, N.C. -- Final round-by-round results from the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the eighth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.


PRO MODIFIED:

ROUND ONE -- Mike Castellana, Chevy Camaro, 5.715, 250.92 and Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 5.733, 247.97 def. Derek Menholt, Camaro, 6.121, 226.96 and Rickie Smith, Mustang, 9.544, 95.37; Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 5.732, 249.86 and Sidnei Frigo, Camaro, 5.739, 250.55 def. Steve Jackson, Camaro, 5.726, 249.81 and Dwayne Wolfe, Camaro, 5.782, 248.48; Billy Banaka, Camaro, 5.714, 250.00 and Khalid alBalooshi, Camaro, 5.746, 249.16 def. Ken Quartuccio, Camaro, 5.752, 249.86 and Justin Bond, Camaro, 5.756, 238.30; Mason Wright, Camaro, 5.718, 251.39 and Chip King, Dodge Charger, 5.755, 250.32 def. Nick Januik, Chevy Corvette, 5.753, 250.04 and JR Gray, Camaro, 6.472, 164.97;

SEMIFINALS -- Frigo, 5.739, 250.09 and Wright, 6.404, 236.34 def. Laughlin, 6.226, 238.93 and King, DQ; Castellana, 5.719, 251.25 and Banaka, 5.715, 249.21 def. K. alBalooshi, 7.923, 117.09 and Janis, 13.345, 88.78;

FINAL -- Banaka, 6.551, 140.63 def. Castellana, DQ, Frigo, DQ and Wright, DQ.


CURRENT PRO MOD STANDINGS

CONCORD, N.C. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the eighth of 10 events in the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.


Pro Modified

1. Billy Banaka, 941; 2. Mike Stavrinos, 907; 3. Sidnei Frigo, 886; 4. Mason Wright, 876; 5. JR Gray, 869; 6. Rickie Smith, 860; 7. Derek Menholt, 855; 8. Alex Laughlin, 843; 9. Mike Castellana, 826; 10. (tie) Mike Janis, 824.  Ken Quartuccio, 824.