Reed, Pedregon, Glenn & Hall Open Playoffs with NHRA Reading Nationals Wins

– Reed wins first TF race in emotional return
– Pedregon snaps 55-race winless streak in FC triumph
– Glenn rolls to PS victory in Reading
– Hall opens playoffs with PSM win

READING, PA – September 15, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Top Fuel’s Shawn Reed won for the first time in his NHRA career on Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, capping off an emotional comeback by defeating points leader Doug Kalitta in the final round of the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish.

Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and John Hall (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the 15th of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. It is also the first of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Reed went 3.844-seconds at 326.63 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Reed Trucking & Excavating dragster to pick up the victory over Kalitta, capping off an incredible moment just two months after a crash during qualifying in Seattle that resulted in the amputation of his left index finger.

After replacement driver Jordan Vandergriff drove for Reed in Brainerd and Indianapolis, this weekend’s race marked his NHRA return and Reed was on point. After qualifying fourth, he defeated Kyle Satenstein, Shawn Langdon and No. 1 qualifier Clay Millican to reach the final round on a wild day in Top Fuel and then powered past Kalitta, moving to fifth in points to complete a day he won’t soon forget.

“Honestly, you couldn’t even write it any better — just a storybook weekend,” Reed said. “For what happened to me in Seattle, what happened to our team there, and then Jordan Vandergriff stepping in to keep our crew going, this car’s been good. I’ve been telling everybody for a long time that we were going to surprise a lot of people. We just had to get our Sunday morning thing figured out, and today, we finally broke through.

“I’m so happy for my guys. I’m happy for me too, but when you get older, you just get thankful for what everybody’s done for you and with you. I’ll remember this forever.”

Kalitta took over the points lead and reached the finals for the fourth time this season thanks to round wins against reigning world champion Antron Brown, Tony Stewart and Steve Torrence. In the second round against Stewart, Kalitta’s dragster crossed the center line past the finish line and collided with Stewart’s dragster. Stewart’s dragster went on its side, came back down on its wheels and struck the left guard wall before coming to a stop, while Kalitta’s dragster went back over the center line before coming to a stop.

Both Stewart and Kalitta were alert and exited their cars under their own power. Kalitta’s points lead is 18 over Stewart and 33 over teammate Shawn Langdon.

In Funny Car, Cruz Pedregon snapped a 55-race winless streak in another emotional moment on Sunday, beating Blake Alexander in the final round with a run of 3.969 at 330.63 in his 12,000-horsepower Snap-On Tools Dodge Hellcat en route to his first win since 2022 and the 40th in his career.

Pedregon reached the finals for the first time this season by defeating Bob Tasca III, points leader Austin Prock and Paul Lee, holding off Alexander at the finish line to win for the first time since the season-finale in 2022. It’s been an arduous process for Pedregon to get back to this point, but he’s trusted the process and the payoff was on Sunday when he won at Maple Grove Raceway for the third time in his stellar career.

The two-time world champion also moved all the way to sixth in points, delivering a classic performance he hopes to replicate again during the Countdown to the Championship.

“This is very special, very special,” Pedregon said. “You know, you start to doubt yourself — as an owner, as a driver — and I’ve done that a lot the last couple of years. I thought, ‘Maybe this is it.’ But we took the hard road. I hired young guys who weren’t already on other teams. It was like a draft.

“We went through the growing pains, but now I’ve got a good group. They’re still learning, but they’re hungry and now here we are. This morning, I told the guys there are six races left, including this one. I’ve won this race before and sat in the winner’s circle wondering how we did it. We can do that again — just be mistake-free, be aggressive and stay the course.”

Alexander reached the final round for the first time this season with wins against Matt Hagan, No. 1 qualifier Spencer Hyde and Ron Capps. Prock leaves Reading with a 25-point lead over Jack Beckman and a 29-point advantage over Capps.

Dallas Glenn wrapped up a nearly flawless weekend on Sunday, rolling past rookie Cody Coughlin in the championship round with a standout run of 6.557 at 209.23 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro. Entering the playoffs as the points leader, Glenn cemented his status as the man to beat in Pro Stock in 2025, picking up his fifth victory of the season – in his 10th visit to the final round – and 18th in his career.

Glenn qualified No. 1 and then dispatched Shane Tucker, Deric Kramer and KB Titan Racing teammate Greg Anderson in a wild semifinal round when the reigning world champion was disqualified. Anderson faltered on the first burnout attempt, crossing the starting line beams, and on his second attempt, crossed the beams again, leading to the disqualification.

In the championship round against first-time finalist Coughlin, Glenn was first off the starting line and drove away to win for the first time at Maple Grove Raceway. This was precisely the start Glenn wanted, opening up a 62-point advantage over Anderson.

“You definitely come in here and my goal every race in the Countdown is to leave with a little bit more of a lead — and we definitely capitalized on that today. What a crazy day,” Glenn said. “Having Cody Coughlin in the final, with me taking out Erica Enders and Eric Latino taking out Aaron Stanfield — it was just a wild weekend. They call it the House of Chaos for a reason. The car is working fantastic right now.

“My car is so good, I just need to make sure I don’t beat myself. I definitely have the car to beat right now. I just need to continue what I’m doing, keep riding the wave, and see how far we can go with it.”

Coughlin reached the finals for the first time thanks to round wins against Troy Coughlin Jr., Indy winner and six-time champ Erica Enders and Eric Latino.

John Hall threw his name into the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship conversation with a fantastic Sunday at Maple Grove Raceway, defeating teammate Matt Smith in the final round with a run of 6.802 at 199.70 on his American Rebel Light/Matt Smith Racing Buell. It is Hall’s second victory this season and first-ever at Maple Grove Raceway, vaulting him to a tie for second in points in the process.

After defeating Kelly Clontz in the opening round, Hall sent a strong message in the quarterfinals, defeating back-to-back world champ Gaige Herrera with a 6.806, keeping Herrera winless in Reading in his career. He followed with a victory against rookie Brayden Davis, setting up the matchup with Smith. It was the first MSR-versus-MSR matchup in the final round since Sonoma last season and Hall prevailed this time, leaving first and pulling away as Smith ran into trouble, as Hall earned his fourth career victory.

“They’re all special for me. To do it in the Countdown is great because, I mean, there’s six races in the Countdown — you’ve got to bring your A-game,” Hall said. “We had a new tire on there that wasn’t working for us. We put the old tire back on, which worked out. We went four 6.80s in a row. The track was great — thank you to the Koretsky family for a great track and to MSR.

It is great that they gave me this opportunity. Matt Smith and Angie Smith gave me an opportunity to come out here and compete, probably in the later stages of my career, and I’m just thankful for everything.”

Smith moved into the points lead, advancing to his fourth final this year and 85th in his career thanks to round wins against Brandon Litten, Jianna Evaristo and Richard Gadson. He leads Herrera and Hall by just six points, with Gadson just nine points back in fourth.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action Sept. 19-21 with the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte.

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MOHNTON, PA — Final finish order (1-16) at the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway. The race is the 15th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

TOP FUEL:

1. Shawn Reed; 2. Doug Kalitta; 3. Steve Torrence; 4. Clay Millican; 5. Tony Stewart; 6. Justin Ashley; 7. Shawn Langdon; 8. Brittany Force; 9. Josh Hart; 10. Doug Foley; 11. Antron Brown; 12. Kyle Satenstein; 13. Tony Schumacher; 14. Scott Farley; 15. Dan Mercier.

FUNNY CAR:

1. Cruz Pedregon; 2. Blake Alexander; 3. Paul Lee; 4. Ron Capps; 5. Alexis DeJoria; 6. Jack Beckman; 7. Spencer Hyde; 8. Austin Prock; 9. Daniel Wilkerson; 10. Bob Tasca III; 11. Matt Hagan; 12. Dave Richards; 13. J.R. Todd; 14. Joe Morrison; 15. Chad Green; 16. Phil Burkart.

PRO STOCK:

1. Dallas Glenn; 2. Cody Coughlin; 3. Eric Latino; 4. Greg Anderson; 5. Erica Enders; 6. Cory Reed; 7. Aaron Stanfield; 8. Deric Kramer; 9. Greg Stanfield; 10. Matt Hartford; 11. Troy Coughlin Jr.; 12. Matt Latino; 13. Kenny Delco; 14. Brandon Miller; 15. Shane Tucker; 16. Jeg Coughlin.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

1. John Hall; 2. Matt Smith; 3. Brayden Davis; 4. Richard Gadson; 5. Gaige Herrera; 6. Angie Smith; 7. Chase Van Sant; 8. Jianna Evaristo; 9. Brandon Litten; 10. Marc Ingwersen; 11. Ron Tornow; 12. Steve Johnson; 13. Ryan Oehler; 14. Chris Bostick; 15. Kelly Clontz.

MOHNTON, PA — Sunday’s final results from the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway. The race is the 15th of 20 in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

Top Fuel — Shawn Reed, 3.844 seconds, 326.63 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.717 seconds, 202.12 mph.

Funny Car — Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.969, 330.63 def. Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.020, 314.39.

Pro Stock — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.557, 209.23 def. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 208.68.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — John Hall, Beull, 6.802, 199.70 def. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.950, 167.66.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Jamie Noonan, 5.259, 277.66 def. Anthony Troyer, 5.278, 266.85.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Brian Hough, Chevy Camaro, 5.613, 253.52 def. Jim Whiteley, Camaro, 6.631, 134.39.

Competition Eliminator — Mark Hopkins, Chevy Beretta, 7.656, 176.05 def. Paul Ricci, Dodge Avenger, 8.159, 144.53.

Super Stock — Louis Gill, Chevy Cavalier, 9.536, 135.73 def. Anthony Bongiovanni, Ford Mustang, 8.793, 148.80.

Stock Eliminator — Michael Iacono, Chevy Camrao, 11.237, 113.21 def. Dave Casey, Chevy Corvette, 10.476, 126.71.

Super Comp — Dave Long, Dragster, 8.898, 174.91 def. Amanda Boicesco, Dragster, 8.892, 170.75.

Super Gas — Michael Reynolds, Chevy Vega, 9.931, 134.63 def. Charlie Kenopic, Chevy Corvette, 9.936, 159.74.

Top Sportsman — Vincent Fourcade, Chevy Camaro, 7.395, 153.28 def. George Forster, Chevy Monte Carlo, 7.331, 191.81.

Factory Stock Showdown — Taylor Dietsch, Ford Mustang, 7.727, 178.35 def. Scott Libersher, Chevy Camaro, 9.891, 124.33.

Factory X — Lenny Lottig, Chevy Camaro, 6.963, 196.47 def. Jesse Alexandra, Camaro, Broke – No Show.

Mountain Motor Pro Stock — Johnny Pluchino, Ford Mustang, 6.331, 221.89 def. Brad Waddle, Mustang, 18.321, 44.76.

Junior Dragster Shootout — Daniel Spotts, Halfscale, 7.890, 82.04 def. Charlotte Ecks, Halfscale, Foul – Red Light.

MOHNTON, PA — Final round-by-round results from the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway, the 15th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series:

TOP FUEL:

ROUND ONE — Tony Stewart, 3.808, 329.58 def. Tony Schumacher, 4.261, 195.19; Shawn Langdon, 3.763, 335.07 def. Doug Foley, 3.824, 328.70; Clay Millican, 3.764, 333.25 was unopposed; Justin Ashley, 3.761, 330.31 def. Scott Farley, 6.176, 101.06; Doug Kalitta, 3.779, 336.40 def. Antron Brown, 3.839, 299.93; Shawn Reed, 3.801, 328.54 def. Kyle Satenstein, 4.002, 293.73; Steve Torrence, 3.766, 334.15 def. Josh Hart, 3.804, 335.07; Brittany Force, 3.798, 337.41 def. Dan Mercier, 6.453, 94.86;

QUARTERFINALS — Kalitta, 3.787, 335.73 def. Stewart, 3.809, 326.71; Millican, 3.866, 313.88 def. Force, 4.220, 237.88; Reed, 3.834, 326.87 def. Langdon, 4.198, 247.38; Torrence, 3.835, 331.77 def. Ashley, 3.994, 279.38;

SEMIFINALS — Reed, 3.833, 326.87 def. Millican, 6.135, 102.32; Kalitta, 3.812, 335.23 def. Torrence, 3.830, 330.55;

FINAL — Reed, 3.844, 326.63 def. Kalitta, 4.717, 202.12.

FUNNY CAR:

ROUND ONE — Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.950, 331.85 def. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 5.976, 172.45; Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 5.792, 118.09 def. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 9.573, 78.76; Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 6.215, 137.48 def. Phil Burkart, Mustang, 14.069, 66.36; Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.911, 333.99 def. Joe Morrison, Charger, 5.995, 120.55; Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.941, 328.54 def. Dave Richards, Mustang, 5.356, 148.71; Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 3.955, 329.75 def. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.953, 322.96; Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.928, 330.07 def. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 4.548, 189.26; Blake Alexander, Charger, 3.966, 326.40 def. Matt Hagan, Charger, 4.605, 177.56;

QUARTERFINALS — Alexander, 4.631, 242.15 def. Hyde, 4.682, 198.06; Pedregon, 4.215, 228.89 def. Prock, Foul – Centerline; Capps, 3.974, 327.74 def. Beckman, 4.013, 325.77; Lee, 3.962, 326.71 def. DeJoria, 3.958, 329.75;

SEMIFINALS — Alexander, 4.608, 199.02 def. Capps, 9.055, 80.81; Pedregon, 4.046, 309.70 def. Lee, 8.312, 82.97;

FINAL — Pedregon, 3.969, 330.63 def. Alexander, 4.020, 314.39.

PRO STOCK:

ROUND ONE — Deric Kramer, Chevy Camaro, 16.451, 50.05 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.559, 210.14 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 7.401, 205.72; Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.545, 208.39 def. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.581, 209.04; Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.552, 209.30 def. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.592, 209.26; Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.529, 209.49 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.541, 210.54; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.540, 210.28 def. Kenny Delco, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.531, 209.20 def. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.691, 206.86; Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.548, 210.28 def. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.632, 207.05;

QUARTERFINALS — E. Latino, 6.625, 210.14 def. A. Stanfield, 6.756, 208.49; C. Coughlin, 6.564, 207.91 def. Enders, 6.549, 210.11; Glenn, 6.542, 209.72 def. Kramer, Foul – Red Light; Anderson, 6.550, 209.39 def. Reed, 6.581, 209.07;

SEMIFINALS — C. Coughlin, 6.576, 207.78 def. E. Latino, 7.091, 146.24; Glenn, 6.560, 209.23 def. Anderson, DQ;

FINAL — Glenn, 6.557, 209.23 def. C. Coughlin, 6.562, 208.68.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:

ROUND ONE — John Hall, 6.800, 199.11 def. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 20.099, 26.46; Angie Smith, Buell, 6.833, 196.79 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.950, 189.82; Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 7.012, 195.08 def. Ron Tornow, 6.921, 192.77; Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.882, 193.71 def. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 9.929, 83.86; Brayden Davis, Suzuki, 6.847, 199.32 def. Marc Ingwersen, 6.913, 192.69; Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.777, 199.91 def. Ryan Oehler, Foul – Red Light; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.741, 200.23 def. Brandon Litten, Suzuki, 6.873, 193.43; Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.819, 198.26 was unopposed;

QUARTERFINALS — Davis, 6.854, 200.02 def. A. Smith, 6.874, 195.65; Hall, 6.806, 198.61 def. Herrera, 6.851, 197.36; Gadson, 6.781, 200.00 def. Van Sant, 6.902, 195.25; M. Smith, 6.790, 198.93 def. Evaristo, 6.923, 192.19;

SEMIFINALS — Hall, 6.800, 199.23 def. Davis, 6.812, 199.76; M. Smith, 6.862, 197.83 def. Gadson, 6.949, 199.26;

FINAL — Hall, 6.802, 199.70 def. M. Smith, 6.950, 167.66.

MOHNTON, PA — Point standings (top 10) following the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway, the 15th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series –

Top Fuel

1. Doug Kalitta, 2,185; 2. Tony Stewart, 2,167; 3. Shawn Langdon, 2,152; 4. Justin Ashley, 2,135; 5. (tie) Clay Millican, 2,118; Shawn Reed, 2,118; 7. Brittany Force, 2,113; 8. Steve Torrence, 2,090; 9. Antron Brown, 2,075; 10. Josh Hart, 2,053.

Funny Car

1. Austin Prock, 2,173; 2. Jack Beckman, 2,148; 3. Ron Capps, 2,144; 4. Paul Lee, 2,138; 5. Matt Hagan, 2,118; 6. Cruz Pedregon, 2,108; 7. J.R. Todd, 2,082; 8. Spencer Hyde, 2,080; 9. Alexis DeJoria, 2,073; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, 2,070.

Pro Stock

1. Dallas Glenn, 2,240; 2. Greg Anderson, 2,178; 3. Matt Hartford, 2,119; 4. Aaron Stanfield, 2,117; 5. (tie) Eric Latino, 2,114; Cory Reed, 2,114; 7. Cody Coughlin, 2,098; 8. Erica Enders, 2,081; 9. Jeg Coughlin, 2,068; 10. Deric Kramer, 2,045.

Pro Stock Motorcycle

1. Matt Smith, 2,184; 2. (tie) John Hall, 2,178; Gaige Herrera, 2,178; 4. Richard Gadson, 2,175; 5. Angie Smith, 2,107; 6. Chase Van Sant, 2,094; 7. Brayden Davis, 2,089; 8. Jianna Evaristo, 2,083; 9. Chris Bostick, 2,052; 10. Steve Johnson, 2,034.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Source: National Hot Rod Association 

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