NHRA News: Langdon, Capps, Glenn win Arizona Nationals

Three-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps turned a day of high drama into his 78th career victory, while Shawn Langdon and Dallas Glenn also powered to wins under brutal conditions at the 41st annual FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs on Sunday.

The second event of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season at Firebird Motorsports Park tested every team with extreme heat, yet the top drivers delivered memorable performances across all three pro categories.

NHRA Funny Car: Capps Rises from the Flames

Capps delivered the story of the day in Funny Car. After a massive engine explosion at the finish line in the second round against Daniel Wilkerson, the veteran and his NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra team refused to quit. They bounced back to defeat defending event winner Paul Lee in the semifinals, then held off Spencer Hyde in the final with a solid 4.124-second pass at 303.24 mph.

Hyde, the reigning Rookie of the Year and No. 1 qualifier, reached his third career final after strong runs against Blake Alexander, J.R. Todd, and Matt Hagan. But Capps got the holeshot and never looked back, turning one of the toughest days of his career into an emotional win.

“This win reminded me a lot of my first win in St. Louis back in 1997,” Capps said afterward. “It was hot, we had 150-degree track temps, and we dropped cylinders all day but still won the race. We burned a lot of stuff up… but it wouldn’t have been worth it had it been a runner-up. To get that win in the semis and have a blast down the road when it did was pretty cool.”

NHRA Top Fuel: Langdon Continues Phoenix Dominance

In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon stayed red-hot at Firebird, claiming his third straight victory in Phoenix and his 23rd career win. The Kalitta Air dragster driver knocked off Leah Pruett in the final with a 3.877-second run at 325.45 mph.

Langdon was nearly flawless all weekend, qualifying No. 1 and posting three 3.80-second runs in eliminations. He defeated Tony Schumacher, then rookie sensation Maddi Gordon in the semifinals, before taking down Pruett with a perfect .079 reaction time.

The past world champion has now won 12 consecutive rounds at the Arizona track. “One of the prime focuses for this year is making good runs when it gets hot out,” Langdon explained. “That feels really good. Even though you win a race, we’re still looking at the finer details… Brian [Husen, crew chief] demands perfection, and we’re going to make it perfect.”

Pruett, in just her second race back, reached her 26th career final with wins over Cam Ferre, Josh Hart, and reigning world champion Doug Kalitta (who leaves Phoenix atop the points standings).

NHRA Pro Stock: Glenn Gets Sweet Redemption

Dallas Glenn turned last year’s painful Phoenix final-round disappointment into a dominant 2026 performance. The reigning world champion powered his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.627-second, 206.39-mph victory over Cody Coughlin, sweeping the weekend after also winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday.

Glenn qualified third and went undefeated through eliminations, defeating Stephen Bell, Matt Latino, and Greg Stanfield. He took over the points lead and collected his first diamond Wally during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season — plus his 22nd career victory.

“Last year’s final was very ugly, and it was all caused by a mistake on my part,” Glenn said. “To come here and do a much better job for the fans feels really great. I’ve never won here before, and I really wanted one of those cool 75th anniversary trophies. This takes the pressure off for the rest of the season.”

Coughlin, who qualified No. 1 in Gainesville, reached his second career final with wins over Eric Latino, Chris McGaha, and Jeg Coughlin Jr.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series now heads to California for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals presented by In-N-Out Burger, April 9-12 at Pomona Dragstrip.