Kalitta, Hagen and Glenn Win Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Pomona

Pruett, Todd and Anderson qualify No. 1 at Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals

POMONA, CA – April 12, 2026 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta continued to rule the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, winning the bonus race for a second straight time after beating Maddi Gordon on the final round as part of the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals.

Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, while Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) all qualified No. 1 at the third of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta has simply been dominant in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge the past two years, winning for the seventh time since the start of 2025, with Saturday’s coming after going 3.747-seconds at 333.66 mph in his Mac Tools dragster to hold off the rookie sensation Gordon.

Saturday success has proven beneficial for the Kalitta Motorsports team, as the reigning world champion entered the weekend as the points leader. Already the winningest Top Fuel driver at Pomona, he’ll look to win at the historic track for the eighth time on Sunday.

“I think the fans like racing on Saturday. I think it’s cool just to be able to just try to outrun the people you raced the previous race, and winning these things on Saturday is huge momentum for everybody on our team,” Kalitta said. “Every time we go up there, regardless of what we’re doing with somebody in the other lane, I’m always just trying to get the win light to come on in our lane.

“The car got to about half track, and it was really cool because you can tell that the tires aren’t slipping and it’s hooked up one-to-one. I knew I had a good shot at getting the win. Tomorrow, it’s just one round at a time. Everybody’s tough, first round to fourth round, if you can make it that far.”

Leah Pruett closed out qualifying with a strong run, but her first No. 1 qualifier since 2023 and 16th in her career was clinched on the strength of Friday’s 3.724 at 329.75-mph in her 12,000-horsepower Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters dragster. She’ll get a first-round bye on Sunday to open eliminations and a race after advancing to the final round, Pruett has a great opportunity to pick up her first victory of the season.

“We’re thrilled with where our performance is at and the confidence and momentum is building with this team,” Pruett said. “Yeah, I’m happy. I have my own work to do, but man, we’re moving and grooving and looking forward to eliminations tomorrow.”

Josh Hart, who won in Gainesville, qualified second with a run of 3.733 at 336.15, and Phoenix winner Shawn Langdon took third after going 3.745 at 338.51.

Four-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan continued his own success in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, knocking off Paul Lee in the final round on Saturday with a run of 3.940 at 329.58 in his 12,000-horsepower Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Dodge SRT Hellcat.

It’s the first bonus race win of the season for Hagan, who won the overall Mission #2Fast2Tasty trophy last year in Funny Car. He made a pair of solid runs on Saturday, which could again bode well for a Sunday victory.

“It’s a race inside of a race, and I hope I used up all my adrenaline for today,” Hagan said. “It’s cool, what Mission does and to be able to win some money for the crew guys and scoop up the points, it’s exciting. We’ve got a great race car this year, and I’m excited to see what we can do with it. This is one of the little accolades that we get to put up on the shelf, but I think there’s a lot more.

“I’ve been dreaming about getting three trophies: the Mission Challenge, the event trophy and that 1,000th trophy Funny Car trophy, so there’s a lot to be had. That’s wishful thinking, though, because these Funny Cars are super humbling.”

J.R. Todd put himself in a great spot to win the 1,000th Funny Car race in NHRA history, powering to the No. 1 spot for the first time in five years with a run of 3.896 at 335.32 in his 12,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra. He’ll open eliminations against Blake Alexander, looking for his first win of the season, but the past champion was thrilled with Saturday’s success, finishing with his 15th No. 1 qualifier and first since the 2021 campaign.

“It just shows that the performance of our DHL hot rod, that it’s coming around thanks to Dickie [Venables] and Todd [Smith],” Todd said. “It was awesome to see that 3.89 come up on the scoreboard when I went by, but I’m just happy for the guys; they put in so much hard work back there in the pit area.

“I saw the 1,000th Funny Car winner trophy on the wall up there in Q3. That’d be an awesome accomplishment. There’s been a lot of great Funny Car drivers and it was pretty awesome to see Shawn [Langdon, Top Fuel teammate] get the [1,000^th Top Fuel win] last year in Charlotte. So, if we could pull that off and put that trophy next to his at the shop, I think that would make Connie [Kalitta, team owner] really happy. I love coming here. There’s a lot of history at this place and hopefully we can add some more history tomorrow.”

Phoenix winner Ron Capps qualified second after a run of 3.919 at 330.88 and Jordan Vandergriff took third with a 3.925 at 329.99.

In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn remained undefeated in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in 2026, defeating Aaron Stanfield in the final round of the bonus race with a strong run of 6.525 at 208.55 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro.

Glenn, the reigning world champion, won the specialty event in Phoenix and had no issues on Saturday in Pomona, cruising to two impressive performances to get another bonus victory. A year after winning the world title, Glenn continues to perform at an incredible level, as he also looks to win his second straight race.

“The Mission Challenge brings that race day mentality and gets you ready for Sunday,” Glenn said. “You go out there and get two win lights and that just builds the confidence to know that you can take out anybody when everything’s right. I feel like I’ve got a lot of confidence in the car and I feel like I’m driving good, where I don’t have to think about anything, and you can just go out there and do it, everything clicks and the car runs well.”

Greg Anderson took the No. 1 spot for the second time this season and the 142nd time in his career, improving on Friday’s run with a stellar pass of 6.516 at 209.69 in his HendrickCars.com Camaro. Anderson will open eliminations against Kenny Delco, looking for his first victory of the season and his 17th career win in Pomona.

Eliminations for the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals begin at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.

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POMONA, CA — Saturday’s final results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip.

Top Fuel Challenge — Doug Kalitta, 3.747 seconds, 333.66 mph def. Maddi Gordon, 3.798 seconds, 327.98 mph.

Funny Car Challenge — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.940, 329.58 def. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.198, 236.71.

Pro Stock Challenge — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.525, 208.55 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 18.685, 63.74.

POMONA, CA — Final round-by-round results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip.

TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Maddi Gordon, 3.831, 317.34 def. Shawn Langdon, 4.435, 180.62; Doug Kalitta, 3.987, 234.49 def. Leah Pruett, 5.890, 111.44;

FINAL — D. Kalitta, 3.747, 333.66 def. M. Gordon, 3.798, 327.98.

FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.997, 325.45 def. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 8.442, 67.87; Paul Lee, Charger, 4.024, 297.81 def. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 4.677, 177.53;

FINAL — M. Hagan, 3.940, 329.58 def. P. Lee, 4.198, 236.71.

PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.553, 209.85 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.573, 208.94; Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.529, 209.17 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.563, 209.56;

FINAL — D. Glenn, 6.525, 208.55 def. A. Stanfield, 18.685, 63.74.

POMONA, CA — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, the third of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel — 1. Leah Pruett, 3.724 seconds, 329.75 mph vs. Bye; 2. Josh Hart, 3.733, 336.15 vs. 15. Cameron Ferre, 5.785, 98.91; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.745, 338.51 vs. 14. Tony Schumacher, 4.618, 152.80; 4. Doug Kalitta, 3.747, 338.34 vs. 13. Ron August, 4.613, 165.92; 5. Shawn Reed, 3.755, 330.31 vs. 12. Clay Millican, 4.022, 236.38; 6. Billy Torrence, 3.774, 334.65 vs. 11. Antron Brown, 3.953, 267.22; 7. Tony Stewart, 3.783, 332.18 vs. 10. Will Smith, 3.870, 324.20; 8. Maddi Gordon, 3.798, 327.98 vs. 9. Justin Ashley, 3.826, 327.98.

Funny Car — 1. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.896, 335.32 vs. 16. Blake Alexander, Dodge Charger, 4.143, 316.97; 2. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.919, 330.88 vs. 15. Dylan Winefsky, Charger, 4.112, 290.82; 3. Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 3.925, 329.99 vs. 14. Daniel Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 4.073, 288.70; 4. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.940, 329.58 vs. 13. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 4.057, 312.06; 5. Austin Prock, Mustang, 3.967, 323.58 vs. 12. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 4.057, 318.09; 6. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.970, 322.65 vs. 11. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.024, 317.87; 7. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.979, 328.46 vs. 10. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.010, 317.27; 8. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.984, 325.61 vs. 9. Jim Campbell, Mustang, 3.992, 317.34. Did Not Qualify: 17. Jeff Arend, 4.160, 291.76; 18. Cruz Pedregon, 4.317, 217.04.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.516, 209.69 vs. 16. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.583, 208.84; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.525, 209.43 vs. 15. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.575, 209.98; 3. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.536, 210.01 vs. 14. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.572, 209.20; 4. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.541, 209.56 vs. 13. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.567, 208.68; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.542, 209.65 vs. 12. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.565, 209.23; 6. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.547, 209.43 vs. 11. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.554, 210.41; 7. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.550, 209.65 vs. 10. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.553, 208.33; 8. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.553, 209.85 vs. 9. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.553, 209.52. Did Not Qualify: 17. Chris McGaha, 6.586, 209.59; 18. Joey Grose, 6.604, 208.46; 19. Mason McGaha, 6.611, 209.23.

To purchase tickets to the 2026 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket.

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 JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ 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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