Exciting Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals Saturday Preview

Day three of the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals brings excitement to Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois. The event marks the sixth stop on the 2025 Mission Foods NHRA pro series calendar and packs a busy Saturday schedule.

Fans can expect action in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock Motorcycle categories. Holley EFI Factory X, FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, Top Fuel Motorcycle, and multiple sportsman classes from the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series are also competing.

For street car fans, the Peak Street Car Shootout is hosting its third edition with top “Drag and Drive” competitors like Alex Taylor and Tom Bailey ready to race.

Friday’s opening round of professional qualifying came with strong winds that challenged every team. Doug Kalitta posted a 3.788-second run in his Mac Tools dragster to lead a tough Top Fuel field for Kalitta Motorsports.

J.R. Todd secured the top spot in Funny Car, running a 3.982 in the DHL Toyota. With 19 Funny Cars entered, Saturday’s two final qualifying runs are critical as teams aim to improve their positions for race day.

Pro Stock Motorcycle riders only got one run on Friday due to the wind, and Angie Smith set the pace on her Denso Buell with 6.792 seconds. To make up for lost time, Saturday will feature three qualifying rounds for the bike class, giving teams more chances to post fast times as weather improves.

The Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge highlights Saturday. This program gives semifinalists from the last Charlotte race a shot at bonus points and cash.

These rounds will run during scheduled qualifying, ramping up the drama for both fans and drivers. Saturday isn’t the only big day either—Sunday will feature the main eliminations, with pre-race ceremonies beginning in the morning and eliminations starting after.

Track records at Route 66 Raceway are some of the most impressive in NHRA history. Steve Torrence set the fastest Top Fuel time at 3.667 seconds in June 2018, with a new mph record of 336.65 set earlier this May.

The Funny Car record belongs to Robert Hight with a 3.831 from last year, alongside his 335.07 mph best. In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Gaige Herrera holds both the time and speed records from last year, clocking a 6.672 and hitting 202.45 mph.

Saturday’s first sportsman eliminations begin at 9:00 a.m., with the Peak Street Car Shootout starting at 11:45 a.m. Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying is scheduled for 1:15 and 3:45 p.m., while Top Fuel and Funny Car hit the track at noon and 2:30 p.m.

FS1 will televise Saturday qualifying highlights for an hour and a half at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. Sunday coverage continues with one hour of qualifying highlights and three hours of finals.

Past winners at Route 66 include Antron Brown in Top Fuel, Matt Hagan in Funny Car, and Gaige Herrera in Pro Stock Motorcycle for 2024. Tony Schumacher leads all Top Fuel drivers with five event wins here.

Matt Hagan and Tony Pedregon have four Funny Car victories each, while Andrew Hines and LE Tonglet top Pro Stock Motorcycle with three each. National records remain a barometer for all, with Brittany Force’s 3.623 Top Fuel run and 341.59 mph standing out as recent benchmarks, as documented by the NHRA official records.

With packed grandstands and improved weather, Saturday’s action at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals promises new personal bests and a reshuffling of driver standings. As the penultimate day wraps, contenders set their sights on Sunday to chase event titles and championship points in Joliet.