Millican, Hyde, Glenn & Herrera Start Playoffs with Provisional No.1 Sports at NHRA Reading Nationals

READING, PA – September 13, 2025 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Top Fuel veteran Clay Millican powered to the top to open the NHRA playoffs on Friday at Maple Grove Raceway, taking the provisional No. 1 position at the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish.

Spencer Hyde (Funny Car), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at 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.

Millican went 3.704-seconds at 336.32 mph in his 12,000-horsepower PowerEdge dragster for Rick Ware Racing, putting him in position to qualify No. 1 for the first time this season and the 27th time in his career.

Millican entered the Countdown to the Championship playoffs seventh in points, feeling strong with the team’s recent performances, including a final-round appearance in Brainerd. A big weekend – one that would feature a first career NHRA Top Fuel win at Maple Grove Raceway – would put Millican right in the championship mix. This weekend, though, Millican’s sole focus is on trying to pick up his second win of the year.

“It’s always fun coming here,” Millican said. “It’s only the provisional No. 1, but it was a good one. In qualifying, the only thing the driver can do is screw it up. I was pretty excited when it stayed No. 1 because we need these points.

“The biggest thing is consistency. Home-run hitters can go on streaks, but consistency usually wins. We’ve been putting solid runs together lately. At Brainerd, we went to the final, then had a parts failure. At Indy, we beat Shawn Langdon first round, then had an electrical failure second round. But the car is going rounds and I like our chances.”

Justin Ashley took second with a 3.738 at 331.69 and past champ Doug Kalitta is third after going 3.756 at 335.40.

Racing in the Countdown to the Championship for the first time, Funny Car rookie Spencer Hyde made another strong statement in his rookie season, taking the provisional No. 1 position in a loaded field with a run of 3.868 at 330.07 in his 12,000-horsepower Head Contractors & Engineers Ford Mustang.

The first-year Funny Car driver has enjoyed an impressive rookie season, entering the playoffs ninth in points, advancing to two final rounds and winning one Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. A first career No. 1 qualifier would add to that, especially in his debut race at Maple Grove Raceway.

“We’ve known all year that we’ve had a pretty fast car when conditions are good, and Jim’s (Head, crew chief) known for swinging for the fences when the track will take it,” Hyde said. “We’ve made several runs like that this season — just haven’t been in the right place at the right time. Tonight, we left the tune-up alone, let the racetrack come to us and it went right down through there with an .86. That was pretty cool, and hopefully it holds through tomorrow.”

“Being in the Rookie of the Year conversation is awesome, and a No. 1 qualifier would be a big box to check. But what I really want is to win one of these races. We’ve been close a few times this year and I’m confident that if we get back to another final, we can get it done.”

Points leader and reigning world champion Austin Prock is second with a run of 3.882 at 333.74 and Paul Lee sits third on a strength of a 3.895 at 290.57.

In Pro Stock, Dallas Glenn squeaked past Aaron Stanfield on Friday, going 6.502 at 210.50 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro to jump to the provisional No. 1 spot. Coming off his regular-season championship, Glenn got the start to the postseason he was after, putting the points leader on track for his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 11th in his career.

A strong start against a talented Pro Stock field would be paramount for Glenn and he’s focused on winning for the first time at Maple Grove Raceway.

“That was a back-up engine, but it’s running fantastic right now,” Glenn said. “I’m really pleased with it and the car is starting to come around. When I got to the top end on that run, I didn’t think it was going to hold. I thought we would be able to go 6.49 for sure, but I was hoping for a 6.48. Sitting up there and being this late, the humidity probably came up more than I thought. But going into the Countdown, I’m feeling really good. I was .027 on the tree my first hit, and I feel like I’m heading in the right direction. I feel like we have the car to beat for the championship.”

Stanfield is currently second with a 6.505 at 211.59 and U.S. Nationals winner, six-time world champion Erica Enders, is third after her run of 6.506 at 211.36.

On his quest for a third straight world championship, Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera is off to a good start, going 6.745 at 200.20 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to take over the provisional No. 1 spot. Fresh off a U.S. Nationals victory and a regular-season championship, Herrera has big goals in mind for this weekend’s race at Maple Grove Raceway.

It remains the only track on the NHRA circuit where Herrera, a 26-time event winner, hasn’t won, something he hopes to change this weekend. His Friday went well, putting Herrera on track for his fifth No. 1 of the season.

“Reading has definitely defeated me the last two seasons,” Herrera said. “My best here is a semifinal, so my main goal this weekend is to go one round further and hopefully not leave here second in points like I have the last two years. This place is beautiful, the Koretsky family has done so much with it and I’m glad to be back. To leave here with a win and check that box would mean a lot.

“It’s a different atmosphere here — there are tons of fans and they love motorcycles. It’s not more pressure, it’s just a different vibe. It’s a fast track, I love racing here, but it’s been tough on me.”

Matt Smith is second after his run of 6.753 at 200.95 and Richard Gadson’s 6.763 at 200.92 puts him third.

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway.

MOHNTON, PA — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway, 15th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Clay Millican, 3.704 seconds, 336.32 mph; 2. Justin Ashley, 3.738, 331.69; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.756, 335.40; 4. Shawn Reed, 3.758, 328.46; 5. Shawn Langdon, 3.762, 333.49; 6. Steve Torrence, 3.778, 332.34; 7. Tony Schumacher, 3.779, 334.24; 8. Dan Mercier, 3.796, 316.67; 9. Josh Hart, 3.811, 332.26; 10. Brittany Force, 3.816, 334.32; 11. Tony Stewart, 3.819, 329.10; 12. Kyle Satenstein, 3.917, 281.25; 13. Scott Farley, 4.136, 233.76; 14. Doug Foley, 4.831, 153.53; 15. Antron Brown, 5.010, 145.80.

Funny Car — 1. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.868, 330.07; 2. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.882, 333.74; 3. Paul Lee, Dodge Charger, 3.895, 290.57; 4. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.901, 330.72; 5. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.911, 334.24; 6. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.912, 329.34; 7. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.912, 323.50; 8. Blake Alexander, Charger, 3.924, 328.38; 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.932, 330.80; 10. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 3.948, 329.26; 11. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.962, 327.82; 12. Joe Morrison, Charger, 4.065, 310.41; 13. Phil Burkart, Mustang, 4.074, 309.63; 14. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.138, 300.73; 15. Alex Laughlin, Charger, 4.255, 292.90; 16. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 5.062, 151.44.

Not Qualified: 17. Dave Richards, 5.180, 182.13; 18. Chad Green,6.698, 95.23.

Pro Stock — 1. Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.502, 210.83; 2. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.505, 211.59; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.506, 211.36; 4. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.519, 210.11; 5. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.520, 209.33; 6. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.525, 208.17; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.526, 210.24; 8. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.532, 210.37; 9. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.532, 209.33; 10. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.543, 210.41; 11. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.546, 209.98; 12. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.550, 209.62; 13. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.585, 208.46; 14. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.613, 207.18; 15. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.623, 207.50; 16. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.981, 200.50. Not Qualified: 17. Alan Prusiensky, 7.436, 124.38.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.745, 200.20; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.753, 200.98; 3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.763, 201.46; 4. Brayden Davis, Suzuki, 6.780, 201.49; 5. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.806, 198.41; 6. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.807, 197.13; 7. Ron Tornow, Victory, 6.843, 198.58; 8. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.853, 194.10; 9. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.857, 198.26; 10. John Hall, Beull, 6.868, 199.17; 11. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.870, 194.55; 12. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.871, 195.76; 13. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.905, 195.25; 14. Brandon Litten, Suzuki, 6.922, 193.24; 15. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 14.394, 52.09.

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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