Tight Top Fuel points battle takes stage as NHRA returns to LVMS

A notable difference between the spring and fall NHRA races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the second date is the traditional two-wide racing compared to the four-wide event earlier in the season.

A greater difference is the second trip to Las Vegas means the battle for the championships in the NHRA classes takes center stage.

“When we come back in the fall, we know it’s strictly business,” Top Fuel driver Antron Brown said. “… It’s the Countdown to the Championship. We’re coming (to Las Vegas) to win a championship.”

NHRA returns to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals. Qualifying is Friday and Saturday, and elimination rounds take place Sunday.

Two races remain in the season, and the battle atop the points standings in the Top Fuel class is the closest among the four national classes.

Justin Ashley has a 44-point lead over Brown. Third-place Shawn Langdon is 76 points behind, and four-time champion Steve Torrence sits fourth (-88 points).

Ashley’s win at NHRA’s most recent event, the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals on Oct. 13, put him ahead of Brown for the points lead. Ashley said he expects the battle for the title to go all the way to the final rounds at the final race in Pomona, California.

“Our goal dating back to the beginning of the year was to put ourselves in a position to win the championship at the end of the year,” Ashley said. “We’ve done that, especially coming off our win in Dallas. We have a lot of momentum.”

A lot of points are on the line for the next two events. Along with the 100 possible points for the race winner, points are up for grabs for being the fastest in each qualifying session and the overall fastest qualifier entering Sunday.

At the season finale in Pomona, there are points-and-a-half available with the winner getting 150 points. That’s why eight-time champion Tony Schumacher in fifth (-105 points), Clay Millican (-114) and 2023 champion Doug Kalitta (-133) can’t be counted out.

“This is what we’ve been expecting for the class this year,” Brown said. “The class has been at an all-time high. Just to win a race, it’s something special now because you have probably 12 teams that can win on any given Sunday.”

Ashley has four wins this season and is seeking his first world title. The New York native said he’s proud of the consistency his team has shown.

“Everyone has to operate at an elite level, because if you don’t, you’re going to be going home early,” Ashley said. “The level of competition is so good right now, and I think that we’re all making each other better, which makes it great for the fans. It’s healthy for the sport, and we enjoy that high level of competition.”

Brown is seeking his fourth Top Fuel title. He won world titles in 2012, 2015 and 2016. If he can secure the title this season, it would be his first driving for his own team, AB Motorsports.

“We’re very excited, because we’re in the hunt and we’re in the chase for the championship,” said Brown, who has won five times this year. “There’s a lot of big, heavy-name hitters up there. It feels good to be mixing and mingling among all of them.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.