Tony Stewart, Jack Beckman, Gaige Herrera Triumph at Route 66 Raceway

Tony Stewart, Jack Beckman, and Gaige Herrera collected big wins at Route 66 Raceway during the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals on May 18, 2025. Stewart drove his Rinnai Top Fuel dragster to a fast 3.777-second run at 329.10 mph in the finals, holding off Justin Ashley and moving to the top of the NHRA Top Fuel points standings.

This marked Stewart’s second win in three races and pushed him three points ahead of Shawn Langdon in the standings. Earlier in the weekend, Stewart had set a personal best of 3.679 in qualifying and made it past Terry Totten, Shawn Reed, and Steve Torrence to reach the final round.

His rapid reaction time and strong performance have made him a title contender in just his first full season chasing the Top Fuel championship.

In Funny Car, Jack Beckman clinched his second victory of the season by winning a close battle against his John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock. Beckman’s 3.935-second pass at 325.77 mph was just enough to overcome Prock, who ran a quicker 3.933 but lost on the starting line as Beckman’s .049 reaction time delivered the win.

With this result, Beckman now has 37 career wins and moves up to second in the Funny Car points standings. Since returning to racing at the end of 2024, Beckman has taken four wins in just 14 events.

His victory in Chicago, home base for his sponsor PEAK, was meaningful after missing years of competition at the track.

Gaige Herrera continues his dominance at Route 66 Raceway in Pro Stock Motorcycle. The two-time defending class champion collected his third straight Chicago win with a 6.777-second pass at 198.90 mph on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki.

His perfect .005 reaction time gave him the edge over Matt Smith in the final round. Herrera has yet to lose an elimination round at this track and kept his spot at the top of the points standings.

Herrera’s streak also included a win in Saturday’s Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, allowing him to sweep the weekend in Chicago.

The event marked the sixth of 20 races in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley reached the final by defeating Brittany Force, Antron Brown, and Doug Kalitta in earlier rounds.

For Funny Car, Beckman advanced through Dave Richards, Chad Green, and Cruz Pedregon before facing Prock for the event victory. Prock, already the season points leader, finished runner-up after beating Bobby Bode, Paul Lee, and Matt Hagan.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Herrera took out John Hall, Chris Bostick, and finished by beating Smith, who remained second in points after reaching his third straight final.

The Route 66 Nationals celebrated its 25th running this year, with drivers and teams marking milestones and highlighting the competitive action of 2025. Fans saw strong performances from established names and rising stars across all classes.

The NHRA series now heads east, with the next stop at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire, for the New England Nationals from May 30 to June 1.

This season continues to feature dramatic finishes, quick passes, and tight points battles as the series moves through its 20-event schedule. Stewart, Beckman, and Herrera each left Chicago with new trophies and important points, setting the stage for more action as the summer stretch begins.

Nicholas Rivera

Nicholas Rivera delivers NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car news, including eliminator-round results and reaction-time stats. He brings track-side interviews, contender profiles, and championship-point breakdowns straight from drag-racing’s biggest national events.