The Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK delivered another wild weekend of racing as Shawn Langdon, Chad Green, Aaron Stanfield, and Matt Smith all earned victories during the sixth stop of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season at Route 66 Raceway.
With championship battles tightening across every category, the Chicago-area event showcased just how competitive NHRA racing has become in 2026. From dominant Funny Car performances to milestone Pro Stock victories and a dramatic Pro Stock Motorcycle final round, Route 66 Raceway once again lived up to its reputation as one of the premier facilities on the NHRA tour.
Shawn Langdon Continues Dominant Top Fuel Start
Shawn Langdon continued his early-season surge by collecting his second consecutive NHRA Top Fuel victory and third win of the season, defeating four-time world champion Antron Brown in the final round.
Driving the Kalitta Air Top Fuel dragster, Langdon laid down a 3.775-second pass at 335.90 mph while Brown lost traction early in the run. The victory marked Langdon’s 25th career NHRA win and further extended his points lead in the loaded Top Fuel category.
The weekend didn’t start smoothly for Langdon and crew chief Brian Husen, but the Kalitta Motorsports team adapted quickly and found their rhythm by Saturday evening.
“We definitely had a big turnaround from qualifying,” Langdon said. “Brian (Husen, crew chief) realized that we had to tame some things down in the car. Having to run Doug second round wasn’t ideal, but at the end of the day, we had to get some information for our car and make a good run, and then from there, today was a little bit tricky.
“First round was really good, and then just with the clouds coming in and out, there were just a lot of last-minute changes. Brian’s gotten really good lately, just off of his gut feeling, making those last-second little changes, but I could tell that they had two different game plans, and one was when the sun was out and one for when the cloud cover was there. They were able to adapt when they needed to and provided a great race car for four rounds.”
Brown’s runner-up finish marked his first final round appearance of the season and the 145th final round of his decorated career.
Chad Green Establishes Himself As Funny Car Title Threat
Funny Car driver Chad Green continues proving he belongs in the middle of the championship conversation.
Green picked up his second victory of the 2026 season by defeating Alexis DeJoria in a thrilling side-by-side Funny Car final round at Route 66 Raceway. Driving the Bond-Coat/bproauto Ford Mustang, Green clocked a 3.945-second pass at 324.75 mph to narrowly edge DeJoria at the finish line.
The victory made Green just the second two-time Funny Car winner of the season, alongside Ron Capps.
Green’s path to the winner’s circle was anything but easy. The Texas racer defeated Jordan Vandergriff, Ron Capps, and reigning Funny Car world champion Austin Prock to reach the final.
“The whole team aspect of this sport doesn’t get enough recognition. This is 100 percent a team sport, just like football, basketball, and any of those other sports,” Green said. “The driver, they get a lot of the fame and glory, but to be honest, what these guys do is just incredible. To go out there and turn on four win lights on a Sunday is so difficult. These guys have to do everything perfectly every round, and we have to go out there and beat the best guys out there doing it. So, I can’t say enough about the team.
“(Alexis) is driving a John Force car, and that was a dang good race. I never saw her during the race. When the win light came on, I thought, ‘Oh, she probably had problems or something,’ but then I looked at the time slip, and man, she was right there with me.”
DeJoria’s runner-up finish continued her strong 2026 campaign as she remains firmly in the Funny Car title hunt.
Aaron Stanfield Ends KB Titan Racing’s Winning Streak
The Pro Stock category saw one of the biggest storylines of the season unfold as Aaron Stanfield finally snapped KB Titan Racing’s incredible winning streak.
Driving the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/Janac Brothers Racing machine, Stanfield earned his first victory since 2024 after Greg Anderson fouled in the final round. Stanfield still delivered a strong 6.595-second run at 208.46 mph to secure his 15th career NHRA Pro Stock victory.
The win also marked the first Pro Stock victory of the season for Elite Motorsports. KB Titan Racing had won the previous 10 Pro Stock races dating back to last season, but Elite Motorsports showed clear signs of closing the performance gap throughout the Chicago weekend.
“Our team’s definitely been waiting on this moment for a pretty good while. It’s the best feeling you can get out here when you see that win light come on in the final round,” Stanfield said. “We had a great weekend and a great day today, and kind of had some luck roll my way in that final round. We felt like we had something in South Georgia, but the racetrack was a little tricky, so we really didn’t get to see it there.
“I think we saw it this weekend with a combination of KB being a little off. I think these guys have been working really, really, really hard. I think we’re going in the right direction, and I felt very focused today.”
Matt Smith Continues Pro Stock Motorcycle Dominance
Matt Smith added another victory to his legendary NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle career, although the final round wasn’t exactly how he envisioned it.
Smith defeated his wife, Angie Smith, in the final after Angie’s motorcycle failed to leave the starting line when the tree activated. Matt cruised to the victory with a 6.835-second pass at 185.41 mph aboard his Denso Auto Parts Buell.
The victory marked Smith’s second consecutive win and the 44th national event victory of his career. Matt defeated Jianna Evaristo, Gaige Herrera, and Brayden Davis to advance to the championship round.
“I wanted a fair race. I wanted a good race, just like when we ran each other for the 2Fast2Tasty Challenge,” Smith said. “She had the best bike this weekend, but it just wasn’t meant to be for some reason. She’ll get it in Maryland. I feel confident that we will get things under control for her bike and get it back because everybody here knows that she had the best bike.”
Angie Smith’s runner-up finish came after defeating Chase Van Sant and reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Richard Gadson.
Top Fuel — Shawn Langdon, 3.775 seconds, 335.90 mph def. Antron Brown, 4.225 seconds, 206.48 mph.
Funny Car — Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 3.945, 324.75 def. Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 3.965, 328.86.
Pro Stock — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.595, 208.46 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Matt Smith, Buell, 6.835, 185.41 def. Angie Smith, Buell, Broke.
Top Alcohol Dragster — Jamie Noonan, 5.353, 269.03 def. Angelle Sampey, 5.404, 267.80.
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.496, 264.86 def. Annie Whiteley, Camaro, 5.560, 264.49.
Competition Eliminator — Bruno Massel, Chevy Cobalt, 6.979, 197.08 def. Jeremy Bailey, Agan, 7.107, 178.00.
Super Stock — Dave Dupps Jr., Chevy Cobalt, 8.700, 149.96 def. Gene Mosbek, Plymouth Savoy, 10.167, 127.97.
Stock Eliminator — Jamey Picht,Buick Grand Sport, 10.995, 117.58 def. Brent Voges, ford Mustang, 12.534, 104.48.
Super Comp — Nathen Prose, Camaro, 8.915, 169.04 def. Chad Lamont, Dragster, 8.897, 172.83.
Super Gas — Rock Haas, Chevy Camaro, 9.937, 159.66 def. Chris Sullivan, FordMustang, 9.881, 160.86.
Top Sportsman — Larry Demers, Chevy Cobalt, 7.130, 192.77 def. Brian Brown, Chevy Camaro, Broke.
Top Dragster — Daniel Wood, Dragster, 6.670, 204.60 def. Mark Grame, Dragster, 6.821, 198.06.
Pro Modified — Derek Menholt, Chevy Corvette, 5.692, 250.23 def. Jason Collins, Chevy Camaro, 7.417, 121.75.
Factory Stock Showdown — Jonathan Allegrucci, Ford Mustang, 7.711, 178.68 def. Jason Dietsch, Mustang, 7.710, 178.12.
PEAK Street Car Shootout presented by Sick the Magazine — Nick Taylor, Camaro, 6.679, 215.89 def. Bryant Goldstone, Corvette, Foul – Red Light.
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