Funny Car Stars Gear Up for PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout at Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – August 25, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Since the 1960s, nitro-burning Funny Cars have had NHRA fans on the edge of their seats, watching the incredible machines power to big speeds and fast times. On Sunday at the 71st annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the current Funny Car stars of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will put their 12,000-horsepower cars to the test during the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout.

As part of a packed weekend at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, eight top Funny Car drivers will battle it out for top honors in the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout specialty race. The popular callout-style race is back in Indianapolis and promises to deliver fans intense racing action from some of the biggest names in NHRA drag racing. The unique callout format adds a layer of bragging rights to the big-money race, with one driver getting the chance for a massive double-up weekend.

Leading the way is John Force Racing’s Austin Prock, who is the reigning Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals winner and the reigning world champion. Prock will have his pick of opponents of a field that includes, in order, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, Bob Tasca III, Daniel Wilkerson, J.R. Todd and Cruz Pedregon.

Prock currently has six wins on the season and has a commanding points lead. He’ll lock up the regular-season championship this weekend in Indy, and earned the No. 1 seed for this year’s PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout.

Beckman, a two-time Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals winner, will have the second choice of picks unless Prock calls out his teammate. Beckman collected a pair of wins early this season in Pomona and Chicago.

Capps is third and hopes to be the first Funny Car driver to claim multiple PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout titles after winning the first Callout in 2022. Four-time champion Hagan, who collected the Seattle win last month, is fourth, while Tasca is fifth and will be aiming for his first Callout win as well as his first Indianapolis win. Wilkerson claimed a Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge win in Richmond and is sixth and Epping winner Todd is seventh. Two-time world champion and three-time Indy winner Pedregon will be looking for more success from Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in a field that includes six world champions collecting 12 overall world titles.

Callout selections for the opening round are made on Saturday, with the first round of the PlayNHRA Funny Car All-Star Callout taking place at 12:45 p.m. ET on Sunday. The driver who makes the quickest winning run in the opening round gets to select their semifinal opponent, with that round taking place at 2:15 p.m. The final round is at 4 p.m. and a special broadcast of the Callout takes place at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 on Sunday.

The 2024 NHRA U.S. Nationals saw a unique winner’s circle with four first-time Indy winners. It was Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Prock (Funny Car), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) who took home wins. Will the 2025 race see a new group of Indy winners or will a veteran of the sport add another Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals title to their belt?

Indy offers something for every racing fan, including:

• Fans at the event who renew their tickets for the 2026 race will be given a special 75th anniversary replica championship ring. They will also be given the option to buy a commemorative ticket featuring several NHRA legends as NHRA looks to celebrate its diamond anniversary next season.
• The Deecell NHRA Competition Eliminator Cash Clash is back at Indy, giving Comp Eliminator drivers a shot at a big payout on drag racing’s biggest stage.
• The Sox & Martin Hemi Challenge returns as the longest-running continuous specialty race in NHRA history, featuring exciting heads-up, wheelstanding, side-by-side racing of Hemi-powered ’68 Super Stock Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas competing in the NHRA SS/AH class.
• Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park will see more than 800 race cars competing for U.S. Nationals glory. From Top Fuel to Super Stock, there is a race car on track for any racing fanatic.
• An unforgettable Top Eliminator Club experience, including NHRA driver appearances, food and drink, TEC gift bag, starting line seats and much more.
• Free parking for all fans in attendance for the entire weekend.
• SealMaster Track Walk before Monday’s eliminations.
• Autograph sessions throughout the weekend and a can’t-miss Hot Rod Junction.
• Children 12-and-under get in free to an event offering all-day entertainment for the entire family.

Also on the schedule is the final Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge race of the season, as drivers look to earn a bonus purse and bonus points for the upcoming Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Indy also features the world’s best in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown and NHRA Holley EFI Factory X.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature one round at 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 29, two rounds at 12:30 and 3:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 30 and the final two rounds of qualifying on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 12 and 2:45 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. ET on Monday, Sept 1.

Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and eliminations at 12 p.m. on FS1 on Monday, shifting to FOX at 2 p.m.

To purchase tickets to the 71st annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com.

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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